The Yankees lost last night, and fell to .500 on the season. It wasn’t just that they lost, though. It was how they lost. The Yankees lost 6-0 last night…to the Kansas City Royals, owners of a 17-24 record that is better than only the Minnesota Twins in the American League. Futhermore, the Yankees lost to Felipe Paulino, making his fourth start of the year. Now don’t get me wrong, Paulino has been a great pitcher since landing with the Royals, and has been great in his four starts this year, striking out 29 while walking only seven in 25 1/3 innings. At any rate, that has to be a tough pill for the Yankees and their fans to swallow at this point of the season.
Game of the Night: Giants 4, Brewers 3 (13 innings). The Giants took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a three run homer by Buster Posey, and then went into shutdown mode, hoping that Madison Bumgarner could hold the fort down. Well, he did, allowing just one run over the first seven innings. An error by Brandon Crawford prolonged the eighth though, and Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer to tie the game up at three. The game went into extras, and goose eggs were on the board until the 14th inning, when Giants backup catcher Hector Sanchez hit a solo homer to give the Giants the lead and eventually, the win.
Pitching Line of the Night: Mike Leake had a good day against the Braves, allowing one run over eight innings on just two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. Houston’s Bud Norris shut down the Cubs over seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out eight. Gio Gonzalez dominated the Phillies, going six scoreless while giving up three hits, three walks, and striking out nine.
Hitting Line of the Night: Drew Stubbs hit a pair of solo homers for the Reds, and added a walk for good measure. Cardinals second baseman Tyler Greene went 3/4 with two RBI, two runs, a double, and an eighth inning homer that gave the Cardinals the lead (and eventual win) against the Padres. Jed Lowrie went 3/4 for the Astros with two runs and a solo homer.
Spotlight Series: The Blue Jays took game one against the Rays with a 6-2 win. The game was tied at two after five innings, but the Blue Jays put four on the board, starting with a Yunel Escobar solo homer in the sixth. The eighth inning came along, and the Blue Jays got two more on a Sean Rodriguez throwing error, and a third on an Edwin Encarnacion fielders choice. Jeremy Hellickson allowed five runs in his 7 1/3 innings, but just two were earned. Jays starter Kyle Drabek had a typical outing for him: two runs, six walks, and three strikeouts over six innings.
Other Games: A late Red Sox rally gave them an 8-6 win over the Orioles. The Reds used four solo homers to beat the Braves 4-1. The Nationals beat the Phillies 2-1. The Pirates edged the Mets 5-4. The A’s beat the anemic Angels offense 2-1. The Marlins shut down the Rockies and Jamie Moyer 7-4. Yu Darvish struggled, and the Mariners beat him and the Rangers 6-1. The Astros beat the Cubs 8-4. The Cardinals used a late rally to beat the Padres 4-3. The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 6-1.
Today’s Games: Jordan Zimmermann and Roy Halladay is a great matchup in Philly. The surprising James McDonald takes on the Mets. MLB ERA leader Brandon Beachy takes on the Reds. Matt Caiin and Shaun Marcum will duel in Milwaukee.
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
