Thankfully, the season is back underway after what seemed like an eternity. I’m not sure we really gleaned much from one night of games, aside from the race for the AL’s second Wild Card tightening up even further and the National League’s dregs getting pushed further down. We also saw a trade, as Huston Street moved from the Padres to the Angels. The Astros failed to sign number one overall pick Brady Aiken. The Braves also finally pulled the plug on the Dan Uggla experiment after three and a half seasons. The season is just getting under way folks, and with less than two weeks until the trade deadline, it’s not going to get any less interesting.
Game of the Night: Ahtletics 5, Orioles 4. It was all going to plan for the Orioles. They spat in Oakland’s face in the seventh inning after Manny Machado hit a two-run homer off Jeff Samardzija, putting Baltimore in front 4-2. In the ninth, Zach Britton ran into his second major mess as closer. Yoenis Cespedes led the inning off with an infield single, and Brandon Moss followed with a single of his own. Josh Donaldson smashed the next pitch from Britton to dead center, over the fence to give the A’s a stunning 5-4 walk off win. Britton through just six pitches in the ninth, and his downfall came oh so quickly.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Yu Darvish pitched the Rangers to a 5-1 win in Toronto, allowing one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking three and punching out 12. Madison Bumgarner dominated the Marlins in the Giants’ 9-1 victory, giving up one run on four hits in six innings, walking a pair and striking out seven. In Pittsburgh’s 4-2 win over Colorado, Francisco Liriano allowed one unearned run on three hits in five innings, striking out eight and walking three. Chris Tillman carried the Orioles in their 5-4 loss to Oakland, giving up two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out six. Lance Lynn shined for the Cardinals in their 3-2 victory over the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings, walking four and punching out nine.
Hitting Lines of the Night: In Cleveland’s 9-3 win over Detroit, Jason Kipnis went 2/5 with two homers and four RBI. Michael Brantley also pitched in, going 4/5 with a double, two runs scored, and a stolen base. In the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks, Anthony Rizzo went 2/4 with two homers and three RBI. Brayan Pena went 2/4 with a pair of solo homers in Cincinnati’s 4-3 loss to the Yankess. Matt Holliday was the difference in the Cardinals’ win over the Dodgers, going 2/4 with a double, a homer, and three RBI. Bryce Harper began to wake up in Washington’s 4-2 loss to Milwaukee, going 3/4 with a solo homer.
Other Games: The Uggla-less Braves beat the Phillies 6-4. The Red Sox rallied to top the Royals 5-4. The White Sox edged the Astros 3-2. The Rays topped the Twins 6-2. The Mets rallied to beat the Padres 5-4. The Angels walked off on the Mariners 3-2 in 16 innings.
Today’s Games: Alfredo Simon starts for the Reds against Brandon McCarthy and the Yankees. Marcus Stroman and the Blue Jays host the Rangers. The Indians and Tigers have a doubleheader in Detroit, with Corey Kluber starting game one for Cleveland and Max Scherzer getting the nod in game two for the Tigers. Zack Greinke gets the nod for the Dodgers in St. Louis. Matt Garza and Gio Gonzalez will duel in Washington. Cole Hamels starts for the Phillies in Atlanta. Charlie Morton and the Pirates host the Rockies. Tim Hudson and Henderson Alvarez will face off in Miami. Danny Duffy starts for the Royals in Boston. Dallas Keuchel takes the hill for the Astros on the south side of Chicago. David Price starts for the Rays in Minnesota. Tyson Ross and the Padres host Dillon Gee and the Mets. Felix Hernandez and Garrett Richards will duel in Anaheim. Jason Hammel starts for the A’s against the Orioles.
National TV: Reds-Yankees (1 PM, MLB Network), Rangers-Blue Jays (1 PM, MLB Network), Dodgers-Cardinals (4 PM, Fox Sports 1), Indians-Tigers (7 PM, Fox Sports 1)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
