Rays 2, White Sox 1. In this pitcher’s duel, James Shields went the full nine for Tampa Bay, only walking one and striking out nine to go along with his one run. John Danks had a great start as well, allowing two earned in seven innings while striking out five and not walking a batter. Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, and Casey Kotchman all had two hits for the Rays.
Orioles 11, Twins 0. This was a hell of a way to break a losing streak. Jake Arrieta threw six shutout innings for the Orioles, but he could have been less than stellar and still gotten the job done. Matt Wieters drove in four and scored three times for the O’s. It’s worth noting that Joe Nathan allowed a three run homer to Vladimir Guerrero in the eighth to continue his struggles.
Brewers 9, Phillies 0. Another whooping. Roy Halladay was shockingly horrible for Philly, giving up six runs on ten hits in six innings. Brewers pitching only allowed two runs to the potent Phillies offense all game. Ryan Braun and Casey McGahee homered for Milwaukee, who is now tied for the lead in the NL Central.
Diamondbacks 5, Reds 4. Four Diamondbacks homers, including two by Ryan Roberts, was enough to down the Reds in Cincinnati and improve Armando Galarraga to 3-0 (despite an ERA of 6.00). The Reds scored their four runs on only five hits, which is a little shocking for such a strong offensive team.
Blue Jays 6, Yankees 5 (10 innings). After a typical Burnettian start (5 BB, 6 K in 5 1/3 IP), the Jays came back to tie the game off Mariano Rivera in the ninth (thanks to a beautifully executed squeeze by John McDonald) and win it in the tenth off of Ivan Nova. Jose Bautista reached three times and scored three runs for the Jays, and the Yankees got homers from Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson.
Astros 6, Mets 1. Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run in seven innings to get back on the right track against the pitiful Mets. The Astros pounded out 11 hits, all but one of which were singles, and picked the Mets pitching staff to death. JR Towles reached four times for Houston, while Ike Davis was the only Mets player to reach base multiple times.
Marlins 6, Pirates 0. Josh Johnson allowed three baserunners in seven innings while striking out nine and looking like the dominant beast that he is. He also got the Marlins offensive party started with a two run single in the second inning. Emilio Bonifacio had three hits for the Fish. Every Pirates starter struck out at least once. Poor Pittsburgh.
Royals 5, Indians 4. The Royals jumped out to a 5-0 lead, and the Indians chipped away to get within one before Joakim Soria was able to finally shut the door. Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur continue to haunt my dreams by playing like capable major leaguers, each getting a hit and a RBI. Michael Brantley had three hits for the Indians, starting in center field due to a day off for Grady Sizemore.
Giants 6, Rockies 3. Ubaldo Jimenez was very un-Ubaldo like in his first start after missing one with a torn cuticle. Giants pitching only allowed three hits during the game, two of which were by Dexter Fowler, who drove in two of Colorado’s three runs. A three run homer by Pablo Sandoval and a two run shot from Aubrey Huff gave the Giants most of their offense.
Angels 15, Rangers 4. The Rangers lose their first game of the season in Arlington, and now fall into a tie at the top of the AL West with Los Angeles. The bottom of the Angels lineup did most of the damage, as their 7-8-9 hitters (Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger, and Peter Bourjos) combined to go 9/13 with seven runs and ten RBI. Alberto Callaspo added four runs scored in the six spot in the lineup to really drive the point home that this young Angels offense is a pretty scary thing.
Athletics 5, Red Sox 0. Eight fantastic shutout innings from Brett Anderson was enough to topple Boston, who got six one run innings from John Lackey, but a poor performance by the bullpen tacked on some extra runs. Hideki Okajami allowed three runs in his season debut in 2/3 of an inning. Another Hideki, of the Matsui variety, drove in two for Oakland.
Mariners 13, Tigers 3. Look at that, the Mariners have an offense. Phil Coke allowed six runs (only two earned) in only 3 2/3 innings, and he walked four batters without a strikeout. The Mariners pounded out 15 hits, including four by Ichiro and three by Michael Saunders. The team is without first baseman Justin Smoak for a few days, due to him being with his ill father. They didn’t need him tonight.
Braves 10, Dodgers 1. This was a 2-1 game going into the ninth before the Braves offense exploded to put eight on the board in the ninth. Every Braves starter had a hit and run scored with the exception of Jason Heyward, and the Braves got four homers during the game. Brandon Beachy threw six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out seven to rebound from a poor start his last time out.
Postponed: Padres vs Cubs, Nationals vs Cardinals. Rain destroyed the midwest yesterday and forced both of these games to be made up as parts of doubleheaders on Wednesday.
PITCHERS OF THE NIGHT
Brandon Beachy, Braves. 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Game score: 73
James Shields, Rays. 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Game score: 83
Josh Johnson, Marlins. 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Game score: 81
Brett Anderson, Athletics. 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Game score: 81
Randy Wolf, Brewers. 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Game score: 70
HITTERS OF THE NIGHT
Matt Wieters, Orioles. 2/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 2B
Ryan Roberts, Diamondbacks. 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 HR
JR Towles, Astros. 2/2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB
Peter Bourjos, Angels. 4/5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners. 45, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
LINKS OF HTE DAY
Is Josh Johnson the best pitcher in the game?
James Loney shouldn’t be starting in the majors
The Brad Emaus All-Stars
The rebirth of Brandon McCarthy
Carlos Delgado could have been a Big Apple legend
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Brewers vs Phillies. Milwaukee looks for the sweep (?!?!) and they send the unheralded yet shockingly effective Chris Narveson to the hill to take on Philly’s new toy, Cliff Lee.
Angels vs Rangers. Battle for first place in the AL West in April! It’ll be Angels ace Jered Weaver taking on Matt Harrison of the Rangers, who is finally coming into his own after years of injuries and unfulfilled potential.
Indians vs Royals. Justin Masterson vs Luke Hochevar. A Royals win gives them a tie for first place in the AL Central. Both starters have been really good so far this season, and it should be a low scoring affair.
