I don’t make much of regular season matchups between two teams, but the Braves simply own the Nationals. Atlanta is 4-1 against Washington this year, handing the Nationals all four of their losses so far in the 2014 campaign. Last season, the Braves spanked their divisional rivals 13-6 during the regular season en route to an NL East title, including going 7-2 at Nationals Park. There’s something that gets the Braves hyped about Washington, I guess.
Game of the Night: Mets 7, Angels 6 (13 innings). New York fell behind in the middle innings after a pair of solo homers, but roared back to take a 4-3 lead in the seventh, bolstered by a two-run single by Anthony Recker. In the ninth, the Mets grabbed some much needed insurance off of Dane de la Rosa, as Omar Quintanilla’s two-run single made it 6-3. That insurance ended up proving crucial after Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer off of Jose Valverde to tie the game at six in the bottom of the ninth. The game moved into extras and stayed deadlocked until the 13th, when Recker struck again, blasting a solo homer to give the Mets a 7-6 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Pitching Lines of the Day: Alex Cobb put together a great start for the Rays in their 1-0 win over the Reds, allowing four hits over seven shutout frames, striking out five without a walk. Alfredo Simon pitched well for Cincinnati in the loss, allowing one run on five hits over eight innings, walking one and striking out four. Ricky Nolasco dominated the Royals in the Twins’ 7-1 victory at Target Field, giving up one run on five hits in eight innings, punching out four and walking one. Sonny Gray carried the A’s to a 3-1 win in Seattle, allowing just one run on five hits in seven innings, walking a pair and striking out nine. Matt Cain was a hard luck loser for the Giants in their 1-0 defeat to the Rockies, giving up one run on four hits in seven innings, striking out eight and walking three.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Giancarlo Stanton went 3/5 in Miami’s 5-4, ten inning loss to the Phillies, homering twice and driving in three runs. Jimmy Rollins was the big hero in that game, going 3/5 with two runs, two RBI, and a walk off solo homer. Brian McCann got his first taste of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, going 2/4 with two homers and three RBI. David Murphy stayed hot for the Indians in their 12-6 thumping of the White Sox, going 2/5 with two runs, four RBI, a triple, and a homer. Freddie Freeman spurred the Braves offense in their win over the Nationals, going 3/5 with a homer and two runs scored.
Other Games: The Cardinals spanked the Cubs 10-4. The Orioles picked up a 2-1, 12 inning win over the Blue Jays. The Astros beat the Rangers 6-5 in ten. The Brewers stayed red hot, beating the Pirates 3-2. The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 8-5, but refrained from a pool celebration. The Tigers prevailed over the Padres 6-2.
Today’s Games: Mark Buehrle and Ubaldo Jimenez will duel in Baltimore. Gio Gonzalez looks to prevent a Braves sweep of the Nationals in Atlanta. Kyle Lohse and the Brewers host the Pirates. Michael Wacha starts for the Cardinals against the Cubs. Bartolo Colon returns to Anaheim to take on C.J. Wilson and the Angels. Scott Kazmir starts for the A’s in Seattle. Tim Hudson and the Giants host the Rockies. Max Scherzer starts for the Tigers in San Diego.
National TV: Rays-Reds (1 PM, MLB Network), Nationals-Braves (1:30 PM, MLB Network), Red Sox-Yankees (8 PM, derp, ESPN)
MLB.tv Free Game: Mets-Angels (3:30 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
