It’s too early for teams to fret about their bullpens, right? Well…maybe not. Blown saves were in vogue on Wednesday. Joe Nathan blew his first chance as a Tiger. Glen Perkins shockingly blew one for the Twins. LaTroy Hawkins tried his damnedest to blow his first save attempt as a Rockie. Jonathan Papelbon imploded in Texas and made Phillies fans want to retch. Both Jason Grilli and Jose Veras blew saves in Pittsburgh. Jim Johnson had a meltdown in Oakland. Man, it’s almost like closers are fungible assets that you should sell high on…
Game of the Night: White Sox 7, Twins 6 (11 innings). This game was…bizarre. The Twins led 5-3 after the seventh, but that lead was cut to 5-4 following a solo homer by Adam Dunn (yes, *that* Adam Dunn). A Kurt Suzuki RBI double in the ninth made it 6-4, and the aforementioned Perkins came in to close out the game. Well, it didn’t go that way – Paul Konerko led off with a pinch hit single, and pinch runner Adrien Nieto moved to second on a single by Dayan Viciedo. Leury Garcia singled Nieto home to make it 6-5, and both Viciedo and Garcia moved up a bag on a wild pitch from Perkins. Adam Eaton grounded to third, but Trevor Plouffe’s throw home was wild, allowing Viciedo to score to tie the game at six. In the bottom of the 11th, with Samuel Deduno on the hill, Garcia led off with a single, moved to second on a balk, and advanced to third on a wild pitch following a strikeout by Adam Eaton. Deduno struck out Marcus Semien, intentionally walked Jose Abreu, and…threw a wild pitch to allow Garcia to score the game-winning run. Sometimes, everything in a game goes completely against you.
Pitching Lines of the Night: In Toronto’s 3-0 win over Tampa Bay, Mark Buehrle nearly went the distance, allowing four hits over 8 2/3 shutout innings, walking one and punching out 11. James Paxton dominated the Angels in an 8-2 Mariners win, allowing two hits over seven shutout innings, walking two and striking out nine. The Tigers ended up beating the Royals 2-1 in ten, thanks to Max Scherzer giving up four hits in eight scoreless innings, walking one and striking out seven. The Braves beat the Brewers 1-0, but Matt Garza was magnificent, allowing one run on two hits in eight innings, walking only one and punching out seven. Aaron Harang countered Garza by giving up two hits in 6 2/3 scoreless frames, striking out three and walking one. Tony Cingrani had a good start for the Reds in their 1-0 win over the Cardinals, giving up just two hits in seven scoreless frames, walking a pair and punching out nine. Michael Wacha was nearly as good, giving up three hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings, walking one and striking out seven. Tim Hudson carried the Giants to a 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks, allowing only three hits in 7 2/3 scoreless, striking out seven without a walk. The A’s topped the Indians 6-1 in game one of their doubleheader, and former Indian Scott Kazmir ended up pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings, scattering three hits and five strikeouts.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Jose Bautista provided Buehrle with all of the offense he needed, going 2/4 with a pair of solo homers. Ian Kinsler was the force behind the Tigers offense, going 3/5 with a solo homer and two RBI. The Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-2, thanks to Mike Napoli’s 2/5 performance that included a homer and four RBI. Dexter Fowler spurred the Astros to a 3-1 win over the Yankees, going 2/4 with a triple, a homer, and two runs scored. Emilio Bonifacio had himself a night in the Cubs’ 4-3, 16 inning loss to the Pirates, going 5/7 with a run scored and two stolen bases.
Other Games: The Nationals beat the Mets 5-1, even with Bryce Harper hitting sixth. The Rockies held on to beat the Marlins 6-5. The Rangers walked off on the Phillies 4-3, and shrimp was had by all at Globe Life Park. The Dodgers beat the Padres 5-1. Cleveland salvaged their doubleheader with the A’s, winning game two 6-4.
What You Missed: The Astros sold Derek Jeter merchandise for no real reason. The Rays signed Chris Archer to an incredibly team-friendly extension. Brian Wilson and Wilson Ramos both hit the DL.
Today’s Games: Homer Bailey starts for the Reds against the Cardinals. Stud prospect Yordano Ventura gets the nod for the Royals against Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers. Jordan Zimmermann starts for the Nationals in New York against Zack Wheeler and the Mets. Phil Hughes makes his Twins debut against the White Sox and newly-extended starter Jose Quintana. Speaking of newly-extended starters, Chris Archer and the Rays host Brandon Morrow and the Blue Jays.
National TV: Cardinals-Reds (12:30 PM, MLB Network), Rockies-Marlins (12:30 PM, MLB Network), Red Sox-Orioles (7 PM, MLB Network), Blue Jays-Rays (7 PM, MLB Network)
MLB.tv Free Game: Cardinals-Reds (12:35 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
