The Rockies-Rangers game on Wednesday night was just bizarre. Colorado won the game 9-2, which isn’t too weird given the way the team is playing right now. But when you dig a little deeper, things get *very* bizarre. It was almost as if the Rockies simply called off the dogs after the fifth inning. After the fifth, Colorado didn’t tally a hit for the rest of the evening despite notching a whopping 16 base knocks in the first five innings. Scott Baker, who replaced starter Colby Lewis in the fourth inning and ended up finishing the game off, pitched really well after some initial chaos in the fifth. Baker went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two. He threw just as many pitches as Lewis, and was vastly more effective – it’s almost like they should have just started him. The Rockies didn’t even walk during those first five innings of the game – their lone walk of the evening came in the ninth inning. But perhaps the most weird thing that happened in Arlington on Wednesday night was this – Troy Tulowitzki only went 1/4, dropping his line on the season to .414/.511/.775.
Game of the Night: Red Sox 4, Reds 3. Here’s your ultimate “whatever” game of the night. After Boston tied the game at two in the sixth, the Reds jumped back in front in the seventh after Roger Bernadina brought in Todd Frazier with an RBI ground out – though the inning should have been bigger, considering the Reds had the bases loaded with none out at the time. That score held strong until the bottom of the eighth, when Cincinnati’s bullpen ruined a great effort from Mike Leake. After striking out David Ortiz to begin the inning, Manny Parra walked Mike Napoli. J.J. Hoover replaced Parra, and promptly walked Jonny Gomes. Hoover then allowed a game-tying ground-rule double to A.J. Pierzynski, and followed that up by intentionally walking Jackie Bradley Jr. and allowing the go-ahead single to Will Middlebrooks. In the ninth, Koji Uehara struck out the side on 13 pitches to seal up the win for Boston.
Pitching Lines of the Day: Tom Koehler dominated the Mets in Miami’s 1-0 win, allowing just two hits over eight shutout innings, striking out five and walking one. Zack Wheeler had a nice start for the Mets in a losing effort, allowing two hits in six scoreless innings, striking out seven, but walking five. Mark Buehrle dazzled the Phillies in Toronto’s 10-0 win, giving up three runs over seven scoreless innings, striking out six, and walking a pair. Adam Wainwright ran over the Braves in the Cardinals’ 7-1 victory, allowing one run on six hits in eight innings, walking one and punching out six. In game two of the Mariners-A’s doubleheader, Drew Pomeranz led Oakland to a 2-0 win by giving up two hits in five shutout innings, walking none and striking out five. Bronson Arroyo outpitched Wily Peralta and led the Diamondbacks to a 3-2 win in Milwaukee, giving up one unearned run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking two.
Hitting Lines of the Day: Adam Jones spurred the Orioles to a 4-3 victory over the Rays, going 2/4 with a pair of solo homers. Edwin Encarnacion powered the Blue Jays to their smashing of the Phillies, going 2/4 with a triple, a homer, two runs, and three RBI. Peter Bourjos had a rare good night with the stick for St. Louis, collecting three hits in four at bats while homering, driving in two, and scoring twice. In the Giants’ 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh, Brandon Belt went 2/4 with a double, a homer, and three RBI. In that Rockies win in Texas, D.J. LeMahieu went 3/3 with a triple, two runs, and an RBI.
Other Games: Seattle beat Oakland 6-4 in ten innings in game one of their doubleheader. The Nationals slipped by the Dodgers 3-2. The Royals battered the Padres 8-0. Cleveland earned a 4-3, walk off win over the Twins. The Tigers held off the Astros to win their eighth straight, 3-2. The White Sox defeated the Cubs 8-3. The Yankees stomped the Angels 9-2.
What You Missed: A terrifying dinosaur threw out the first pitch at Petco Park. The white hot Troy Tulowitzki is running away with the NL MVP award. Matt Wieters won’t need Tommy John surgery, but his future is still cloudy. C.J. Wilson scared fans by throwing fastballs at them.
Today’s Games: Justin Masterson and the Indians host the Twins. A.J. Burnett starts for the Phillies in Toronto against R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays. Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price will face off in Tampa Bay. Hisashi Iwakuma and the Mariners host Danny Duffy and the Royals. Ryan Vogelsong and Josh Beckett will face off in Los Angeles. Ian Kennedy and the Padres host the Marlins.
National TV: Astros-Tigers (1 PM, MLB Network), Twins-Indians (2 PM, MLB Network), Orioles-Rays (7 PM, MLB Network), Phillies-Blue Jays (7 PM, MLB Network), Giants-Dodgers (10 PM, MLB Network), Royals-Mariners (10 PM, MLB Network)
MLB.tv Free Game: Astros-Tigers (1 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
