Roy Oswalt started for the Rockies on Thursday night, his first start in the majors since last August with the Rangers. Oswalt got the loss in Washington's 5-1 win, but he showed that he had more left in the tank than last year's ill-fated return with Texas showed. In five innings, Oswalt allowed four runs on nine hits, including a homer to Ian Desmond in the second inning. However, Oswalt didn't walk a batter in his five innings of work, and struck out 11 Nationals hitters. He also got 17 whiffs on 101 pitches, and his fastball sat at 93 and touched 95, it's highest since 2010. Hmmm…maybe there *is* something here.
PIC OF THE DAY
Chris Denorfia lays out into the crowd to make a catch (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Night: Angels 10, Mariners 9. WILL THIS BE THE CATALYST TO TURN THE ANGELS' SEASON AROUND?! Well…maybe. But probably not. The Mariners staked Felix Hernandez to leads of 7-0 and 8-1, and he ended up blowing the lead. In the fourth through six innings, the Angels scored seven runs, with the rally being capped by a three-run homer by Mark Trumbo in the fifth to make it a one run game before Albert Pujols singled home a run in the sixth to tie the game. In the eighth, Seattle jumped back on top when Kyle Seager doubled home a run, and Angels fans got the "here we go again" feeling in their minds yet again. But in the bottom of the inning, Erick Aybar singled to tie the game, and then Alberto Callaspo was walked with the bases loaded by Yoervis Medina to put the Angels in front. Ernesto Frieri cut through the Seattle offense in the ninth to save the win for Anaheim.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Jordan Zimmermann cut through the Rockies in Washington's win, allowing one unearned run on six hits in eight innings, walking one and striking out nine. Tom Koehler pitched well for the Marlins in their 2-1 win over the Giants, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out three. Lance Lynn had a good start for the Cardinals in their 6-1 win over the Cubs, giving up one run on three hits in six innings, striking out six while walking two. Yovani Gallardo pitched well for the Brewers in their 7-4, ten inning loss in Houston, giving up three unearned runs in seven innings on five hits, striking out six and walking a pair.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Kyle Seager had a great game for the Mariners in their heartbreaking loss to the Angels, giong 4/5 with three runs, three RBI, two doubles, and a homer. David Wright powered the Mets to a 4-3 win in Atlanta, going 3/4 with two solo homers. Pedro Alvarez dominated the Reds in the Pirates' 5-3 win, giong 3/4 with a double, a homer, and five RBI. Evan Longoria kicked ass for the Rays in their 8-3 win in the Bronx, going 2/3 with two homers, three RBI, and a walk. Pedro Ciriaco of all players performed well for the Padres in their 6-3 win over the Dodgers, going 2/4 with two runs, three RBI, a stolen base, a triple, and a homer.
Other Games: The Twins doubled up the White Sox 8-4. The Rangers edged the A's 4-3. The Tigers walked off on the Red Sox 4-3.
Today's Games: Matt Garza and the Cubs host the Astros. RA Dickey and the Blue Jays look to get to .500 against the Orioles. Tyler Chatwood and the Rockies take on Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals in DC. Jon Lester and Doug Fister will duel in Detroit. Cole Hamels and the Phillies host the Mets. Derek Holland starts for the Rangers in St Louis, scene of their 2011 World Series loss. Julio Teheran starts for the Braves in Milwaukee. Johnny Cueto starts for the Reds in Arizona. Gerrit Cole starts for the Pirates in Anaheim against Jered Weaver. Bartolo Colon and Hisashi Iwakuma will battle in Seattle. Clayton Kershaw starts for the Dodgers in San Diego.
National TV: Rangers-Cardinals (8 PM, MLB Network), Braves-Brewers (8 PM, MLB Network)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
