A doubleheader here, a doubleheader there…the torrents of rain that smashed the northeast this week forced numerous games to be postponed, and we had three doubleheaders on Thursday – two split (Dodgers-Twins, Rays-Red Sox) and one traditional (Pirates-Orioles). And the funny thing is, all three ended with sweeps – two by the road team, as the visiting Dodgers and Rays each won a pair while the hosting Orioles swept the Pirates. And just like that, four divisional races get a little more character.
Game of the Night: Rays 6, Red Sox 5. Game two of the Rays-Red Sox doubleheader was a solid comeback for Tampa Bay. Boston put up a five spot in the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead, but the Rays weren’t going to take that lying down. They made it 5-4 in the sixth following a two-run homer by Sean Rodriguez, and James Loney tied the game at five in the eighth after an RBI single. In the ninth, Yunel Escobar homered over the Green Monster against Koji Uehara (again, Koji?) to give the Rays a 6-5 lead. Grant Balfour ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth, allowing a leadoff double to Shane Victorino, who represented the tying run. But Victorino was stranded to end the game following a David Ortiz groundout and strikeouts of both Mike Napoli and Xander Bogaerts.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Juan Nicasio dominated the Mets in Colorado’s 7-4 win, giving up three hits over seven shutout innings, walking one and striking out two. In Seattle’s 4-2 win over the Yankees, Roenis Elias allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in seven innings, walking a pair and striking out ten. And really, that’s about all for the good pitching portion of the night.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Several players shined over both games of their doubleheaders. Sean Rodriguez went 3/5 with three runs, two RBI, two doubles, and a homer. Gaby Sanchez went 5/10 with two runs, an RBI, two doubles, and a triple. Juan Uribe went 5/8 with two runs, three RBI, a double, and three walks. Yasiel Puig went 6/10 with a double, two RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. Scott Van Slyke went 2/4 with two runs, a triple, a homer, two walks, and a stolen base.
Other Games: The Reds topped the Brewers 8-3. Miami rallied late to beat the Braves 5-4 and sweep their series. The Blue Jays defeated the Royals 7-3.
What You Missed: The week’s best defensive plays. April’s best and worst players. The monthly WAR leaderboard.
Today’s Games: Travis Wood and the Cubs welcome Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals to Chicago. Danny Salazar and the Indians host the White Sox. Stephen Strasburg and Cliff Lee will duel in Philly. David Price starts for the Rays in the Bronx. Gerrit Cole and the Pirates host Brandon Morrow and the Blue Jays. Wily Peralta starts for the Brewers in Cincinnati. James Shields and the Royals host Rick Porcello and the Tigers. Josh Beckett starts for the Dodgers in his old stomping grounds of Miami. Mike Minor makes his first start for the Braves, hosting the Giants. Felix Hernandez toes the rubber for the Mariners in Houston. Andrew Cashner and the Padres host the Diamondbacks.
National TV: Cardinals-Cubs (2 PM, MLB Network), Athletics-Red Sox (7 PM, MLB Network), Rays-Yankees (7 PM, MLB Network)
MLB.tv Free Game: Brewers-Reds (7 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
