There were a lot of big innings on Friday night. The Orioles scored six in the third against the A's, and promptly allowed four in the fourth. The Rays scored five runs over the second and third innings against the Yankees. The Rangers scored four in the second, and one run in each of the next three innings in Chicago. The Tigers scored five in the first two innings in Flushing. The Royals scored six in the first two innings against the Nationals, then allowed seven in the fourth. The Blue Jays gave up ten runs in the first five innings to the Astros, including a five spot in the fourth. The Cubs scored six runs in the first, and they didn't score again in their loss to the Padres. Ah, streakiness…isn't it lovely?
PIC OF THE DAY
You can Photoshop the hell out of this one… (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Night: Orioles 9, Athletics 7. What a crazy game in Baltimore. Oakland took an early 3-0 lead, but that went up in smoke in the fourth inning as the Orioles scored six runs, capped off by a Brian Roberts grand slam. The A's struck back quickly in the fifth with three more runs to jump ahead 7-6 in an inning capped by a two-run single by Eric Sogard. But Baltimore took the lead for good in the seventh, tying the game after Nate McLouth scored on an error by Sogard, going ahead on an RBI groundout by Adam Jones, and tacking on some insurance thanks to an RBI single from Nick Markakis. The A's weren't able to do much against the Orioles bullpen in this one, collecting just four baserunners over 4 1/3 innings.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Ricky Nolasco ran all over the Red Sox in the Dodgers' 2-0 win, allowing two hits over eight scoreless frames, striking out six without a walk. John Lackey nearly matched him, giving up two runs on three hits in eight innings, walking none and punching out six. Adam Wainwright threw a complete game for the Cardinals in their 3-1 win over the Braves, giving up one run on six hits while striking out nine and walking none. Garrett Richards outdueled Felix Hernandez in the Angels' 2-0 win over the Mariners, giving up four hits over 7 1/3 innings while striking out four and walking two. Hernandez allowed two runs on three runs in six innings, striking out ten while walking just one.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Jedd Gyorko helped the Padres beat the Cubs 8-6, going 3/4 with two homers and four RBI. Will Venable chipped in for the Padres by going 3/4 with two runs, three RBI, a triple, and a homer. In Kansas City's 11-10 loss to Washington, Eric Hosmer went 3/3 with three runs, three RBI, two walks, a double, and a homer. Khris Davis stayed hot for the Brewers in their 6-4 win over the Reds, going 2/3 with a pair of two-run homers and a walk. In Oakland's loss in Baltimore, Coco Crisp went 4/5 with three runs and a solo homer.
Other Games: The Twins cooled off the Indians, winning 5-1. The Phillies walked off *again*, beating the Diamondbacks 4-3 after a bases loaded walk. The Rays crushed the Yankees 7-2, moving into a first place tie with the Red Sox. The Rangers beat the White Sox 11-5. The Tigers beat the Mets and the returning Daisuke Matsuzaka 6-1. The Rockies edged the Marlins 3-2. The Astros smoked the reeling Blue Jays 12-4. The Pirates rode a late Clint Barmes homer to a 3-1 win in San Francisco.
What You Missed: Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols nearly threw down last season. David DeJesus is a Ray. Kurt Suzuki is once again an Athletic. This week's watchability rankings.
Today's Games: Jarrod Parker and Chris Tillman face off in Baltimore. Jon Lester takes on Hyun-Jin Ryu in Los Angeles. Max Scherzer and Matt Harvey will do battle in Flushing. Shelby Miller and the Cardinals host Julio Teheran and the Braves. Yu Darvish and the Rangers take on the White Sox. Jordan Zimmermann and the Nationals face the Royals in Kansas City. CC Sabathia and David Price will match up in Tampa. Jose Fernandez and the Marlins welcome the Rockies to Marlins Park. Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs will play the Padres in San Diego. Francisco Liriano gets the nod for the Pirates in San Francisco against Tim Lincecum.
National TV: Athletics-Orioles (4 PM, Fox), Red Sox-Dodgers (4 PM, Fox), Tigers-Mets (4 PM, Fox), Rangers-White Sox (7 PM, MLB Network), Braves-Cardinals (7 PM, MLB Network)
MLB.tv Free Game: Braves-Cardinals (7 PM)
Pitching Matchup of the Day: Max Scherzer vs Matt Harvey (Tigers vs Mets, 4 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
