Yasiel Puig has arrived in Los Angeles, AND EVERYONE IS FREAKING OUT. Well, not really, but I digress. But Puig's debut last night went pretty damn well for the Dodgers, who beat the Padres 2-1. He went 2/4 with a pair of singles in the victory, but it was his game-ending throw to double Chris Denorfia off of first base that really caused all of the ruckus about his debut. Man, what a laser. In a related note, Carlos Quentin was once again out of the lineup for San Diego, continuing to push off the Dodgers' rumored retaliation for April's brawl.
PIC OF THE DAY
Clint Hurdle starts turning colors while arguing with Dan Iassogna. (Daniel Shirey-USA Today Sports)
Game of the Night: Astros 2, Angels 1. In a night filled with largely bland baseball, this game was probably the best of the bunch for the sheer car wreck factor of it all. If the Angels swept the Astros, they'd be at .500 for the season. However, the opposite happened, and they *got* swept. Over four games. At home. *Jeez*. The Angels collected just seven hits against a dire Houston staff on Monday, with only two extra base hits – a pair of doubles. Joe Blanton actually outpitched Erik Bedeard in the affair, but gave up a Chris Carter solo homer in the fifth to tie the game at one, and a game-tying sac fly to Brandon Barnes put the Astros in front. The Angels put two men on with two out in the sixth, and couldn't score. They also put two on with two out in the ninth and couldn't score, as Hank Conger struck out to end the game with the winning run on first base. But honestly, the Angels deserves to lose. After all, they started Brendan Harris (the same Brendan Harris with a .699 career OPS) at first base on Monday night.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Joe Blanton's start for the Angels *was* really great: eight innings, three hits, two runs, no walks, 11 strikeouts, and a big fat loss. Bronson Arroyo pitched well for the Reds in their 3-0 win over the Rockies, allowing four hits in eight shutout innings, walking none and striking out three. Kyle Kendrick dominated the Marlins in Philly's 7-2 win, throwing a complete game and allowing two runs on six hits, striking out five and walking one. Lance Lynn ran roughshod over the Diamondbacks in the Cardinals' 7-1 win, allowing one run on five hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out six. Finally, Braves starter Kris Medlen flashed signs of his second half brilliance from 2012, giving up just one unearned run in seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out six without a walk.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Coco Crisp continued his awesome tear for the A's in their 10-2 romp in Milwaukee, going 4/5 with two runs, a walk, a double, and a homer. Jay Bruce gave the Reds all the offense they needed against the Rockies, going 3/4 with two runs, two RBI, a stolen base, and a homer. Carlos Beltran tapped into the fountain of youth for the Cardinals against Arizona, going 3/5 with three RBI and a homer. Rickie Weeks had probably his best game of the season, going 2/3 with two RBI, a triple, and a homer. And then, there's the folk story of Domonic Brown, who went 3/4 with a two-run homer.
Other Games: The Yankees beat the Indians 7-4, rallying to pick up the win after blowing a three run lead caused by a Mark Teixeira grand slam. The Mariners slipped by the White Sox 4-2.
Today's Games: Matt Moore takes on Anibal Sanchez in Detroit. Mike Minor and the Braves host the Pirates and Jeff Locke. Jordan Zimmermann and the Nationals host the Mets. AJ Griffin takes on Kyle Lohse in Milwaukee. Tyler Skaggs and Michael Wacha will duel in a battle of two awesome young starters. Scott Feldman takes on Jered Weaver in Anaheim. Jake Peavy and Felix Hernandez will duel in Seattle. Josh Johnson makes his return for the Blue Jays, taking on Tim Lincecum in San Francisco.
National TV: Rangers-Red Sox (7 PM, MLB Network), Indians-Yankees (7 PM, MLB Network)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
