We all kind of expected that the AL West would be a meat grinder this season. And here on Mother’s Day, it’s just about lived up to the hype. After a slow start, the Mariners are clicking in all cylinders and have surpassed the Angels and Rangers to claim second place in the division behind the A’s, who are still cruising right along and have the second best playoff odds of any team in baseball. The Rangers and Angels are tied for third, but each team is above .500, though the Rangers’ run differential is a ghastly -25. Then, there are the Astros, who…well, let’s just not talk about them, OK?
Game of the Night: Athletics 4, Nationals 3 (ten innings). Tanner Roark pitched a gem in this one, and was looking to top Sonny Gray, who pitched well for the A’s (but not as good as Roark). Of course, things went pear-shaped pretty quickly in the ninth inning for Washington after Rafael Soriano blew their 3-1 lead and allowed three straight hits to tie the game at three. After stranding the winning run on second in the ninth, the A’s won it in the tenth after John Jaso doubled home pinch runner Nick Punto. A’s magic, I guess.
Pitching Lines of the Night: In Washington’s loss to Oakland, Roark allowed one run on two hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out five without a walk. Chris Young pitched the Mariners past the Royals 3-1 by giving up one run on three hits in eight innings, walking none and punching out three. Ervin Santana outdueled Jeff Samardzija in Atlanta’s 2-0 win over the Cubs, allowing five hits over seven shutout innings, walking one and striking out seven. Samardzija gave up just two hist over six scoreless frames, punching out seven and walking one. In the Rays’ 7-1 win over the Indians, Erik Bedard allowed one hit over six shutout innings, walking three and striking out four.
Hitting Lines of the Night: The Rockies smashed the Reds 11-2, thanks to Corey Dickerson going 4/5 with two doubles, two homers, three runs, and four RBI and Charlie Blackmon going 3/5 with a double, a homer, three runs, and two RBI. Seth Smith helped the Padres beat the Marlins 9-3, going 3/4 with a double, a triple, a homer, two runs, four RBI, and a walk. In the Phillies’ 5-4 win over the Mets, Jimmy Rollins went 3/4 with a solo homer, four runs, and a walk. In the loss, David Wright went 3/5 for the Mets, adding a double, a homer, and three RBI to his ledger. In Oakland’s win over Washington, John Jaso went 3/5 with a double, a homer, two runs, and two RBI.
Other Games: The Angels beat the Blue Jays 5-3. The Dodgers topped the Giants 6-2. The Tigers smashed the Twins 9-3. The Pirates edged the Cardinals 4-3. The Orioles scored in the last five innings to beat the Astros 5-4 in ten. The Brewers held off the Yankees 5-4. The Diamondbacks silenced the White Sox 4-3. The Red Sox crushed the Rangers 8-3.
Today’s Games: Jered Weaver starts for the Angels in Toronto. Juan Nicasio and Homer Bailey will duel in Cincinnati. Cole Hamels takes on Jon Niese in Flushing. Chris Tillman and the Orioles host the Astros. Chris Archer and the Rays host Josh Tomlin and the Indians. Matt Garza starts for the Brewers against the Yankees. Tim Hudson and Clayton Kershaw will duel in Los Angeles. Henderson Alvarez starts for the Marlins in San Diego. Gio Gonzalez and Scott Kazmir will tango in Oakland. Shelby Miller and Charlie Morton will battle in Pittsburgh.
National TV: Indians-Rays (1:40 PM), Yankees-Brewers (2 PM), Cardinals-Pirates (8 PM, ESPN)
MLB.tv Free Game: Indians-Rays (1:40 PM)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone, and Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there.
