Last night, the Twins beat the Brewers 6-5 in 14 innings. Common logic dictates that because tha game went 14 innings, it must have been a thrill to watch. Well…not so much. After five innings, the game was tied at four. So essentially, in the final nine innings of the game, a total of three runs were scored. There were a total of three hits in the five extra frames of the game. EVen the great performances were a bit muted, as Jean Segura's six hits were all singles. To draw an analogy to another sport, this is like a football game that's 10-10 going into overtime, but if each team was scoreless in the second half of the game. Not exactly something that you'd love to watch, is it?
PIC OF THE DAY
Shin-Shoo Choo makes a catch in the lights. I like this for some reason. (Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Night: Rays 7, Marlins 6. Congratulations to the Miami Marlins for their loss last night, dropping their winning percentage to .250. Lord. Anyway, Miami scored four early runs off of Jeremy Hellickson, but the Rays stormed back to make it a 4-3 game. Chris Coghlan stretched the lead to two after a solo homer in the sixth, but Jose Lobaton doubled in a pair to tie the game. Miami once again took the lead in the eighth on a Greg Dobbs single, but Yunel Escobar singled home a run to once again tie the game. Finally in the ninth, Desmond Jennings singled in Kelly Johnson off of Chad Qualls to give Tampa Bay another win and move them to just a half game behind the Orioles for third place in the AL East.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Hyun-Jin Ryu led the Dodgers to a 3-0 win over the Angels, allowing two hits during a complete game shutout, striking out seven without a walk. Rick Porcello absolutely dominated the Pirates in a 1-0, 11 inning TIgers loss, giving up three hits in eight shutout innings, walking one and striking out 11. Cliff Lee carried the Phillies to a 3-1 win in Boston, allowing one run on four hits in eight innings, striking out eight without a walk. Finally, there was the Hiroki Kuroda-Matt Harvey duel at Citi Field that saw the Mets win 2-1 in walkoff fashion. Kuroda gave up four hits in seven shutout frames, walking none and striking out seven, while Harvey allowed one run on six hits in eight innings, striking out ten without a walk.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Adam LaRoche stayed hot for the Nationals in their 9-3 win in Baltimore, going 2/3 with a pair of homers, three runs, four RBI, and a walk. Jean Segura DID go 6/7 for the Brewers, and even though each of those six hits was a single, he also scored twice and drove in a run. Brian McCann helped the Braves to a 7-6, ten inning win in Toronto, going 2/5 with a pair of solo homers. Meanwhile in a losing effort, Jose Bautista went 2/4 with three runs, a walk, a double, and a homer. Chris Coghlan performned well for their Marlins in their loss to the Rays, going 24 with a triple, a homer, and three RBI.
Other Games: The Rockies edged the Astros 2-1. The Reds pounded the Indians 8-2. The Cardinals beat the Royals 4-1 behind Tyler Lyons. The A's continued rolling, beating the Giants 6-3. The Padres thumped the Mariners 6-1 in Yasmani Grandal's first game of the year. The Cubs and White Sox were rained out.
What You Missed: Marathon bombing survivors threw out the first pitch at Fenway. Rays prospect Josh Sale has poor judgment on social media. Michael Wacha is getting the call for the Cardinals. Which struggling MLB players will be demoted next?
Today's Games: John Lackey takes on Kyle Kendrick in Philly. Jordan Zimmermann starts for the Nationals against Chris Tillman in Baltimore. Justin Masterson and the Indians host Bronson Arroyo and the Reds. Anibal Sanchez takes on AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh. Brandon McCarthy starts for the Diamondbacks in Texas. Lance Lynn and the Cardinals host the Royals. Jered Weaver returns for the Angels, hosting the Dodgers.
National TV: Red Sox-Phillies (7 PM, MLB Network), Mets-Yankees (7 PM, MLB Network)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
