Having to throw a position player on the mound has to be one of the worst feelings for a manager. Having to do it against your rival probably hurts even more. But that’s what John Farrell had to do on Thursday night as the Red Sox were getting smashed by the Yankees – he threw Mike Carp on the hill at Fenway Park. The half inning was almost uneventful after Carp got Brian McCann to ground into a double play following a walk to Mark Teixeira. But Carp then proceeded to walk the next four hitters, who swung the bat a total of three times, and force in New York’s 14th run of the night. Carp finally got Kelly Johnson to pop up to end his nightmare, but the mess was already fresh in everyone’s mind.
Game of the Night: Padres 4, Nationals 3 (13 innings). This was kind of the highlight of a drab night of baseball. The game was deadlocked after seven and remained that way until the 13th, when Craig Stammen collapsed with two outs. He allowed a single to Jedd Gyorko with one out, and after recording the second out, Gyorko stole second and moved up to third on a Jose Lobaton throwing error. Xavier Nady then singled in Gyorko to make it a 4-3 Padres lead. Bryce Harper doubled to lead off the bottom of the 13th thanks to a Tommy Medica slip in left field, but Tyler Moore struck out for the first out and Lobaton lined into a 6-4 double play to end the game.
Pitching Lines of the Day: Corey Kluber pitched a gem in Cleveland’s 5-1 win over Kansas City, allowing one unearned run on four hits in a complete game, punching out 11 without a walk. Bartolo Colon dazzled the Cardinals in the Mets’ 4-1 win, giving up one run on four hits in seven innings, striking out eight and walking none. Diamondbacks rookie Mike Bolsinger earned his first career win in Arizona’s 5-1 triumph at Wrigley Field, giving up one unearned run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking a pair and punching out seven. Brandon Cumpton pitched well for the Pirates in their 2-1 loss to the Reds, allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out five. C.C. Sabathia had a nice night (though he didn’t need to) in New York’s 14-5 laugher in Boston, giving up two runs on three hits in six innings, walking three and striking out eight. Scott Kazmir pitched the A’s to a 10-1 smashing of the Astros, allowing one run on five hits over six innings, walking one and striking out seven.
Hitting Lines of the Night: In Oakland’s win over Houston, Josh Donaldson went 3/4 with a double, two homers, three runs, four RBI, and two walks. Jed Lowrie also chipped in for the A”s, going 3/4 with two runs, an RBI, and two doubles. Rajai Davis helped the Tigers beat the White Sox 7-4, going 3/5 with a double, a homer, and two RBI. Dayan Viciedo went 3/4 with a double, a triple, and two runs scored in the loss. In the Yankees’ win in Boston, Jacoby Ellsbury went 3/6 with a run, three RBI, a walk, and two doubles. In the Phillies’ 7-3 win over the Dodgers, Carlos Ruiz went 3/3 with two doubles, two runs, two RBI, and two walks, while Marlon Byrd went 3/5 with two doubles and four RBI. For the Dodgers, Adrian Gonzalez went 3/5 with a double, a homer, and two runs, while Juan Uribe went 3/4 with a two-run homer.
Other Games: The Twins held off a Rays rally to win 9-7. The Orioles crushed the Blue Jays 11-4.
What You Missed: Joe Maddon dishes on Michael Pineda, who earned himself a ten game suspension for his pine tar incident. The week’s best defense. Scott took a look at some early returns in the PCL. Wei-Chung Wang Wednesday? This is how you do Star Wars Night, courtesy of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Mark Trumbo has a fractured foot.
Today’s Games: Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals host the Padres. Yordano Ventura and Ubaldo Jimenez will duel in Baltimore. C.J. Wilson and Hiroki Kuroda face off in the Bronx. Henderson Alvarez starts for the Marlins against Zach Wheeler and the Mets. Mark Buehrle and the Blue Jays host the Red Sox. Ervin Santana and the Braves host Homer Bailey and the Reds. Chris Archer starts for the Rays in Chicago. Matt Garza and the Brewers host the Cubs. Gerrit Cole starts for the Pirates in St. Louis. Tim Hudson and the Giants host the Indians.
National TV: Reds-Braves (7:30 PM, MLB Network), Pirates-Cardinals (8 PM, MLB Network)
MLB.tv Free Game: Royals-Orioles (7 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
