Phillies 5, Marlins 3
Ricky Nolasco dominated for the first 6 innings of this game, but a few doubles and an error in the seventh began chipping into the 3-run lead the Marlins had built up against Cliff Lee. Shane Victorino added a home run in the eighth to tie the game, and Pete Orr, who would be trending on Twitter later, added his second double in the ninth to bring the Phillies all the way back to win this one.
Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 3
John Lackey started this one, and he did John Lackey things (6.2 IP, 9 ER). Just to show you how bad it was, John McDonald hit a home run in this one. On the bright side for Red Sox fans, Adrian Gonzalez hit his seventh home run and is just raking (.329/.378/566).
Astros 4, Reds 3
Well, you can’t win them all, even against the Astros, but the Reds got close. Wandy Rodriguez scattered 10 hits over 7 innings and only gave up three runs, but Edinson Volquez somehow managed to walk 5 in 4 innings while also only giving up three runs. The Reds bullpen held on until Hunter Pence hit a walk-off double to break the tie and steal one from Mike Leake and the Reds.
Rays 8, Indians 2
Apparently, the Indians hadn’t lost at Progressive Field since April 2nd. Yes, April 2nd. David Price (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) was absolutely dominant, and Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist continued their excellent starts by adding a home run each. The worst part of the day for the Indians was news that Grady Sizemore would need an MRI after an awkward slide Tuesday night.
Padres 13, Brewers 6
I had to reread this score a couple times, but it’s been verified. The Padres rapped out 23 hits and 13 runs behind 3+ hits from Chris Denorfia, Jason Bartlett, Cameron Maybin, and Ryan Ludwick. They scored 5 early on against Randy Wolf, but Padres starter Tim Stauffer actually coughed up the lead by giving up 6 through 5 innings. The Padres really jumped on the Brewers in the eighth by scoring eight runs, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 13-6 stomping.
Orioles 4, Mariners 2
A few years ago, the Orioles traded Erik Bedard to the Mariners for Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and a few others. Neither side got exactly what they wanted out of the deal, and Jones and Tillman have struggled somewhat for Baltimore. But last night, Tillman (6 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K) and Jones (4-4, 3B, 2 RBI) got the best of Felix Hernandez (5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) and the Mariners.
Tigers 8, Twins 7
I think the Twins would like a mulligan on the start to this season. They managed to erase a bad start by Scott Baker (4.2 IP, 6 ER, 5 BB, 6 K), to have a lead heading into the top of the eighth, but Jose Mijares and Matt Capps combined to blow the game, although Capps is the only one given credit for the blown save. Victor Martinez (3-4, HR, 3 RBI) continues to be hotter than Megan Fox in a swimsuit.
Nationals 7, Braves 3
Braves had a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth when Craig Kimbrel decided to get behind in the count. For you youngsters out there, that isn’t a good idea. Scott Linebrink came in the 11th, and he surrendered the final 4 runs, including a Jayson Werth home run. Alex Cora (2-2) was the hero in this one.
Dodgers 2, Pirates 0
Huroki Kuroda (7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K) was awesome in this one, and Paul Maholm managed to only give up two runs despite walking 5 and giving up 5 hits. Jerry Sands (.213/.293/.318) hasn’t had a great start to his career, but he did get a double and the only RBI in this one.
Cubs 11, Cardinals 4
The Cardinals wished the rain delay was longer. Immediately after the break, the Cubs jumped on Jake Westbrook and the Cards for 6 runs, and they added 4 more a few innings later when Ryan Franklin decided he didn’t want to be considered for closer anymore. Matt Garza (5 IP, 7K) still has the strikeout pitch working.
Royals 4, Yankees 3
This was a weird one and a long one. The Royals had 4 hits, and the Yankees had 12. Royals’ starter Vin Mazzaro pitched 4 innings, and Yankees starter AJ Burnett threw 7. Joakim Soria even blew a save, but the Yankees refused to win the game, walking 11 hitters. The game took over 4 and a half hours.
White Sox 6, Angels 4
Another one that went extras last night, Jake Peavy made his season debut, and he did pretty well (6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), though a bit hit-unlucky. Tyler Chatwood had an interesting start (6.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K) and somehow managed to give up only 1 run, but his bullpen wasn’t so fortunate (3.2 IP, 5 ER), including a blown save by Jordan Walden. Interesting note on offense, Adam Dunn collected a career-high 4 hits, which the way that’s stated makes it seem like he’s never done that before which just seems odd.
Giants 4, Diamondbacks 3
Andres Torres came off the DL just in time to hit a game-winning double and collect 2 hits and a walk to back a solid pitching performance by Jonathan Sanchez (6 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7K). Armando Galarraga (5.1 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4K) wasn’t so good, but in an unlikely story, the D-Back bullpen was (3.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K). File this under things I didn’t know: Henry Blanco is still playing, and he hit a home run last night.
Tonight’s Key Match-ups
Tampa Bay at Cleveland, 12 PM
James Shields (3-1, 53.2 IP, 44/12 K/BB) has been downright awesome this season, and the rumors about his departure have died down for the moment. On the flip side, Justin Masterson (5-0, 2.11 ERA, 47 IP, 34/13 K/BB) continues to impress despite the fears that his delivery would lead to problems against lefties. Should be good game between two teams playing well.
Arizona at San Francisco, 3:45 PM
Daniel Hudson and Matt Cain duel in this one. Matt Cain is always an interesting watch. I’ve never been particularly impressed by him and figure he would be much worse if not in AT&T Park, but he’s always done very well. Hudson has had his blips early on, but you have to love the 43-to-13 K/BB ratio.
Washington at Atlanta, 7 PM
Derek Lowe will try to move past his blister issue from his past start and continue to show his early season dominance. Zimmerman, like Hudson, is a young guy with some early season issues, but he’s really talented and should be a nice 2 behind Strasburg’s 1 in the future.
