Despite the Blue Jays' retooling this offseason, Toronto is still struggling immensely. They're ten games under .500, putting them in last place in the AL East. Their winning percentage puts them in the same general group with the Phillies and Mets, ahead of the Giants and Cubs, but below teams like the Rockies, Padres, and Mariners. Since going 17-9 in June and reaching the .500 mark, the Jays are 10-19 with a -32 run differential. That June is beginning to look like the outlier as opposed to a disappointing April being the outlier in Toronto's season.
PIC OF THE DAY
Coach Matt, no bunts? (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Day: Royals 4, Mets 3 (12 innings). Another one of those games where the Mets snagged defeat from the jaws of victory…of course. The Royals led 3-1 going into the eighth inning, but a two-run single by Josh Satin off of Aaron Crow knotted the game at three. No Mets hitters could drive Satin home to take the lead, and the game soldiered on. After three very uneventful innings, Justin Maxwell led the 12th off with a solo homer against David Aardsma, something that ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN since Maxwell mashes lefties, not righties. Greg Holland slammed the door shut in the bottom of the inning. New York had just one baserunner after Satin's single, and he was erased on a caught stealing. Not a good look, Mets.
Pitching Lines of the Night: David Price helped the Rays to a 2-1, ten inning win over the Giants, allowing one run on five hits over nine innings, striking out five without a walk. Max Scherzer dominated the White Sox in a 3-0 Tigers win, giving up three hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings, walking three and striking out six. Ivan Nova of the Yankees led them to a 3-0 win in San Diego, allowing four hits in seven scoreless frames, striking out eight and walking one. Francisco Liriano kept the Pirates' winning ways alive in their 5-2 win over the Rockies, giving up only a pair of hits in seven shutout innings, striking out six but walking five. Dan Haren stayed hot for the Nationals in their 3-0 win in Milwaukee, allowing four hits in seven scoreless innings, walking a pair and striking out six.
Hitting Lines of the Night: The duo of Michael Saunders and Justin Smoak helped the Mariners to an 8-4 win in Baltimore, with Saunders going 2/4 with a pair of homers, five RBI, and a walk, and Smoak going 3/3 with a double, a solo homer, three runs scored, and two walks. Devin Mesoraco went 2/4 with a pair of homers and three RBI in the Reds' 8-3 win over the Cardinals. Jose Tabata gave Liriano and the Pirates some offensive backing in their win over Colorado by going 3/4 with a a triple, a solo homer, and two runs scored. Curtis Granderson went 2/4 in the Yankees' win in San Diego, belting his second homer of the year, scoring a pair of runs, driving in two, and stealing a base.
Other Games: The A's beat the Rangers 4-2, but Matt Garza's post-game comments on Twitter overtook the game. The Braves topped the Phillies 5-4 in 12 to win their ninth in a row. The Dodgers shut out the Cubs 3-0. Jake Peavy won his Red Sox debut in Boston's 5-2 victory. The Twins beat the Astros 6-4. The Indians stole six bases, including three by Michael Bourn, in their 4-3 win in Miami. The Angels beat the Blue Jays 7-3.
Today's Games: Brandon McCarthy makes his first start in two months for the Diamondbacks in Boston. Lance Lynn and Mike Leake square off in Cincinnati. Wei-Yin Chen and the Orioles host Joe Saunders and the Mariners. Ervin Santana starts for the Royals in Flushing against Zack Wheeler and the Mets. AJ Burnett and the Pirates host the Rockies. Kyle Lohse and the Brewers look to salvage their series with the Nationals. Mark Buehrle and CJ Wilson square off in Anaheim. Derek Holland gets the nod for the Rangers in Oakland against AJ Griffin. Cliff Lee and the Phillies host the Braves.
National TV: Diamondbacks-Red Sox (1:30 PM, TBS), Braves-Phillies (8 PM, ESPN)
MLB.tv Free Game: Nationals-Brewers (2 PM)
Pitching Matchup of the Day: Ervin Santana vs Zack Wheeler (1 PM, Royals vs Mets)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
