We saw some of the weirdest weather of the season on Monday night in the midwest and east coast. The Orioles and Angels had a 2:13 rain delay in Baltimore, which wasn't really out of character. In Chicago, the Cubs and Reds weren't delayed, but the fog that developed over Wrigley Field was simply insane, thick enough to cut with a knife. Over on the South Side, the fog delayed the Blue Jays and White Sox for 1:10. Two out of the three home teams in those crazy weather games ended up getting the win too, which proves…well, nothing.
PIC OF THE DAY
The fog rolls in during the first inning at Wrigley… (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Night: Red Sox 10, Rays 8. If I'm going to watch a five hour game, it's going to be a game like this one. Boston jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning, and in the process, Tampa Bay starting pitcher Alex Cobb got his Twitter account hacked. But the Rays outplayed the Red Sox over the next eight and a half innings, plating two in the bottom of the first and one each in the third, fourth, seventh, and eighth innings. The game went into extras, and in the tenth, Boston's offense came alive and Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled in a pair off of Fernando Rodney. In the bottom of the inning, Andrew Bailey immediately allowed a solo homer to make the game 8-7. Bailey then walked Yunel Escobar and Matt Joyce before giving up a single to Ben Zobrist to load the bases with none out. Kelly Johnson walked to tie the game, and Bailey proceeded to get the next three outs in quick fashion (of course). After a couple of down innings, Daniel Nava singled in Shane Victorino to put Boston back in front, and Saltalamacchia once again singled in a run to make it a two run game. The Rays went down quietly in the bottom of the inning to finally end the marathon win for Boston.
Pitching Lines of the Night: In the fog, Homer Bailey shut down the Cubs in the Reds' 6-2 win, allowing one unearned run on four hits in eight innings, walking two and striking out eight. Yovani Gallardo torched the Marlins, despite Giancarlo Stanton's return to the lineup, in Milwaukee's 6-1 win, giving up just four hits in eight scoreless innings, walking one and striking out four. Hisashi Iwakuma led the Mariners to a 3-2 win over the Astros, giving up one unearned run on four hits in seven innings, striking out eight while walking one. Clayton Kershaw pitched well for the Dodgers in their 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing one run on six hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking two.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Adam Dunn's bat awoke in Chicago's 10-6 win over Toronto, going 4/4 with three runs, five RBI, a walk, and two homers. In the losing effort, Jose Bautista went 2/4 with five RBI, a walk, and two homers. Brandon Phillips pushed the Reds to the win at Wrigley, going 2/4 with a homer and all six RBI for Cincinnati. Jason Heyward continued to rake in June, going 2/5 with a pair of solo homers in Atlanta's 7-6 loss in San Diego. Ben Zobrist had himself a day in the Rays' loss to the Red Sox, going 5/7 with a run, an RBI, and two doubles.
Other Games: The Orioles edged the Angels 4-3 in the rain in Baltimore. The Rangers doubled up the Indians 6-3 after a late homer by Lance Berkman. The Royals edged the Tigers 3-2.
What You Missed: Which teams are sellers as of right now?
Today's Games: Gerrit Cole makes his major league debut for the Pirates, who host Tim Lincecum and the Giants. Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox in Tampa Bay. Michael Wacha starts for the Cardinals against the Mets. Derek Holland and the Rangers host the Indians. Jacob Turner starts for the Marlins against the Brewers. Remember Chien Ming Wang? He'll start for the Blue Jays against Jose Quintana and the White Sox. Max Scherzer takes on Wade Davis in Kansas City. Tony Cingrani gets the nod for the Reds at Wrigley against Matt Garza. Cole Hamels starts for the Phillies in Minnesota. Dan Haren and Jhoulys Chacin will duel in Denver. CC Sabathia takes on Bartolo Colon in Oakland. Ian Kennedy and Zack Greinke will duel in Los Angeles.
National TV: Giants-Pirates (7 PM, MLB Network), Red Sox-Rays (7 PM, MLB Network)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
