Tim Lincecum’s second no-hitter against the Padres on Wednesday was big for the Giants for a couple of reasons. First off, the Giants have been sliding as of late – heading into Wednesday’s game, they were just 3-11 over their past two-plus weeks. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been on fire, and after winning again on Wednesday night, were still just three games out in the NL West. Lincecum’s no-hitter was awesome from a historical standpoint, but it also helped the team keep pace with their scorching neighbors to the south. If the Dodgers keep taking two games (or more) from every series, that hot start by the Giants won’t mean much of anything when all is said and done.
Game of the Night: Orioles 5, White Sox 4 (12 innings). The White Sox went into the bottom of the eighth leading 4-0, and cruising their way to a victory. Then, the bullpen carousel bit them in the face. Hector Noesi allowed two singles to lead off the inning, and was replaced by Zach Putnam. Putname got a pair of fly outs, and was replaced by Scott Downs. Downs then walked Chris Davis, and he too was replaced, this time by Javy Guerra. Guerra then threw a meatball to Nelson Cruz that ended up over the fence in right field for a game-tying grand slam. Rough. The game moved into extras, and the Orioles finally broke through in the 12th. Daniel Webb led the inning off by walking Nick Hundley, and pinch runner David Lough moved to third on a single by Nick Markakis. Lough then scored the winning run on…a wild pitch by Webb. Oh. OK then.
Pitching Lines of the Day: Lincecum is obviously the star here – he walked one and struck out six in his 4-0 no-hitter win over the Padres. In Tampa Bay’s 5-1 win over Pittsburgh, David Price allowed one run on five hits in 8 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out 11. In the loss for Pittsburgh, Charlie Morton allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out 11. Corey Kluber dominated the Diamondbacks in the desert, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing four hits, walking one, and punching out eight. Alex Wood and the Braves topped the Astros 4-0, thanks to Wood giving up three hits in seven scoreless frames, striking out four and walking one. In the Reds’ 4-1 win over the Cubs, Mat Latos allowed one run on five hits in seven innings, punching out five while walking one.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Scooter Gennett pushed the Brewers to a 9-2 win over the Nationals, going 2/5 with a homer, two runs, and five RBI. In Toronto’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees, Jose Reyes went 3/5 with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Coco Crisp had a nice night for the A’s in their 8-5 win against the Mets, going 3/5 with a homer, two runs, and two RBI. Adam Eaton played well in Chicago’s loss in Baltimore, going 4/5 with a double, a triple, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Michael Bourn helped the Indians beat the Diamondbacks, going 3/4 with two runs, a walk, and two triples. In the Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Royals, Dee Gordon went 4/5 with a triple, two runs, and a stolen base.
Other Games: The Cardinals rallied to beat the Rockies 9-6. The Marlins edged the Phillies 3-2. The Tigers beat the Rangers 8-6. The Angels topped the Twins 6-2. The Red Sox hung on to beat the Mariners 5-4.
Today’s Games: Mike Minor and Jarred Cosart will duel in Houston. Jered Weaver and the Angels host the Twins and Ricky Nolasco. Cole Hamels and the Phillies take on the Marlins. Doug Fister starts for the Nationals in Chicago against Travis Wood and the Cubs. Rick Porcello starts for the Tigers in Texas. Wily Peralta and the Brewers host the Rockies. Adam Wainwright and Josh Beckett square off in Los Angeles. Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants host Mike Leake and the Reds.
National TV: Braves-Astros (2 PM, MLB Network), Cardinals-Dodgers (10 PM, MLB Network), Reds-Giants (10 PM, MLB Network)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
