The Game of the Day featured below is one of the nuttiest games we’ve seen all year, but there were quite a few games that nearly matched the drama of that one.
-The A’s were down 6-0 to the Red Sox going into the ninth inning, but managed to score three times and bring the tying run to the plate *twice* before failing.
-Houston allowed an eight-spot in the seventh to the Mariners and trailed 9-2, but stormed back to make it 9-8 before fizzling out.
-The Pirates trailed the Blue Jays 5-0 and 6-2 before scoring six runs in the seventh and eighth innings to won 8-6.
-The Marlins trailed the Dodgers 7-2, came back to force extra innings, and fell 9-7 in 11 innings.
-The Padres trailed the Diamondbacks all game, and plated three in the ninth to make the 4-3 final score look more impressive than their actual performance.
And then there’s this game, which topped them all.
Game of the Day: Rockies 11, Mets 10. The Mets beat the hell out of Franklin Morales early on, scoring six runs in the first three innings of the game and chasing the Rockies starter after five. But Colorado rebounded to throw *eight* on the board against Jenrry Mejia in the fifth, topped off with a Nolan Arenado grand slam. The Mets immediately tied the game in the sixth, but the Rockies took a 9-8 lead in the seventh. In the eighth, Chris Young tied the game with an RBI single, and New York took a 10-9 lead in the ninth after an RBI single by Juan Lagares. Mets closer Kyle Farnsworth apparently didn’t want to stay in Denver too long, because his bottom of the ninth was brief. Farnsworth began the inning by allowing a single to Troy Tulowitzki, and very nearly allowed a walk off homer to Arenado after Tulowitzki reached. The next batter was Charlie Culberson, and he succeeded at ending the game with a homer to dead center, pushing the Rockies to second in the NL West behind the Giants.
Pitching Lines of the Day: In Boston’s 6-3 win over Oakland, Jon Lester allowed one hit over eight shutout innings, walking a pair and striking out a season-high 15. Drew Smyly pitched very well for the Tigers in their 9-2 win over the Royals, allowing two hits over seven shutout innings, walking a pair and striking out six. Johnny Cueto smashed the Brewers in Cincinnati’s 6-2 win, giving up two runs on three hits in eight innings, walking one and punching out ten. Brandon McCarthy pitched the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win over the Padres, allowing three hits over seven scoreless frames, striking out six and walking one. In Cleveland’s 2-0 win over the White Sox, Justin Masterson gave up four hits over 7 1/3 scoreless frames, striking out six and walking one.
Hitting Lines of the Day: In Minnesota’s 6-1 win over Baltimore, Joe Mauer went 3/4 with two runs, four RBI, and a homer. Teammate Brian Dozier went 3/4 with a homer and three runs scored. In the Dodgers’ wild win over the Marlins, Dee Gordon continued his crazy start to the year, going 5/6 with two runs, two RBI, and three stolen bases. Jonathan Villar finished his day against the Mariners by going 2/3 with two runs, three RBI, a walk, a triple, and a homer. Junior Lake had a nice game for the Cubs in their 3-0 win over the Cardinals, collecting three hits in three at bats while doubling, homering, and driving in two.
Other Games: The Yankees poured it on late to beat the Rays 9-3. The Giants used three solo homers to beat the Braves 3-1. The Phillies stomped the Nationals 7-2. The Angels defeated the Rangers 5-3.
Today’s Games: Corey Kluber and the Indians host the White Sox. C.C. Sabathia starts for the Yankees against the Rays. Sonny Gray takes the hill for the A’s in Fenway. Alex Wood starts for the Braves against Madison Bumgarner and the Giants. Jose Fernandez and the Marlins host the Dodgers. Justin Verlander starts for the Tigers in Kansas City. Gio Gonzalez toes the rubber for the Nationls in Philly. Yu Darvish and Tyler Skaggs will battle in Anaheim. Kyle Lohse and Alfredo Simon will duel in Cincinnati. Tyson Ross and the Padres host the Diamondbacks. Jhoulys Chacin makes his season debut for the Rockies, hosting Dillon Gee and the Mets. Lance Lynn starts for the Cardinals at Wrigley.
National TV: Rays-Yankees (1 PM, MLB Network), Giants-Braves (1:30 PM, MLB Network), Cardinals-Cubs (8 PM, ESPN)
MLB.tv Free Game: Diamondbacks-Padres (4 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
