On Saturday, we saw the Diamondbacks and Phillies play a game that defied the laws of time, lasting 18 innings and over seven hours. On Sunday, we saw another ridiculously long game, but thankfully, it didn't reach the benchmarks set in Philly. The Padres beat the Cubs 3-2 in 15 innings. There were no runs scored over the first 12 innings of this one. The two teams combined to strand just 29 runners and use only 15 pitchers. Neither team used a starting pitcher or position player in relief, and the Padres even had two relievers left at the end of this one. Man…talk about a letdown.
PIC OF THE DAY
Chia-Jen Lo and the agony of defeat. (Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Day: Royals 6, Nationals 4. And there's the slip-up from the Nationals that everyone saw coming. Washington trailed 4-0 after the first, but a solo homer by Ian Desmond in the fourth got them on the board. In the seventh inning, the Nationals made it a two run game after Denard Span hit a solo homer with two outs. After a Ryan Zimmerman single off of Ervin Santana, Bryce Harper homered to tie the game. But in the bottom of the eighth with Dan Haren out of the game, disaster struck for Washington. Craig Stammen got the first two outs quickly, but proceeded to walk Eric Hosmer, allow Billy Butler to reach on an infield single, and walk Mike Moustakas to load the bases with two outs. Sal Perez reached on an infield single to score Hosmer, and David Lough singled in Butler to give the Royals a two run lead. Greg Holland put two runners on in the ninth, but struck out Desmond to end the game and salvage the series for Kansas City. But for the Nationals, the pig is still flying through Springfield.
Pitching Lines of the Day: Marco Estrada handcuffed the Reds in a 3-1 Brewers win, allowing one hit over seven shutout innings, walking a pair and punching out nine. Ryan Vogelsong did the same to the Pirates in the Giants' 4-0 win, giving up two hits in eight scoreless frames, striking out five and walking one. Jered Weaver dominated the Mariners in a 7-1 Angels win, allowing one run on three hits in eight innings while striking out eight without a walk. Jake Peavy tossed a complete game in Boston's 8-1 win in LA, allowing one run on three hits, striking out five and walking one. In that Padres-Cubs marathon, Andrew Cashner allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings against his former team, striking out seven and walking one. Mark Buehrle and Dallas Keuchel put on a clinic in Houston as the Blue Jays won 2-1, with Buehrle giving up one run on seven hits in eight innings, striking out seven and walking two, while Keuchel gave up four hits over seven scoreless frames, walking three and punching out a pair.
Hitting Lines of the Day: In Arizona's 9-5 loss in Philly, AJ Pollock went 3/4 with two runs, three RBI, a homer, and a stolen base. JJ Hardy powered the Orioles to a 10-3 win over the A's, going 3/4 with three runs, a double, and a solo homer. Miguel Cabrera jolted the Mets in Detroit's 11-3 win, going 3/4 with two runs, two RBI, a walk, and a homer. In Washington's loss in Kansas City, Denard Span collected four hits in five at bats, homering in the process. Robinson Cano helped the Yankees beat the Rays 3-2 in 11, going 3/5 with a double, homer, and two RBI.
Other Games: The Indians beat the Twins 3-1, moving to 1.5 games back of Oakland for the AL's second wild card. The Braves topped the Cardinals 5-2. The White Sox beat the Rangers 5-2. The Rockies edged the Marlins 4-3.
Today's Games: Jeremy Guthrie and the Royals host the Rays. Mike Leake starts the opener for the Reds in their crucial series with the Cardinals. RA Dickey and the disappointing Blue Jays host the Yankees. Cliff Lee and the Phillies take on Zack Wheeler and the Mets. Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers host the A's. Zack Greinke and the Dodgers host the Cubs.
National TV: Reds-Cardinals (7 PM, ESPN)
MLB.tv Free Game: Giants-Rockies (8:40 PM)
Pitching Matchup of the Day: Cliff Lee vs Zack Wheeler (Phillies vs Mets, 7 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
