Braves 3, Astros 1 (11 innings). A pair of Brian McCann homers in the ninth and eleventh capped a comeback win for the Bravos. Wandy Rodriguez threw eight shutout innings for Houston, but when you have a godawful bullpen, these things happen sometimes.
Rockies 5, Giants 3. The Rockies got four in the eighth to seal off a comeback win and take Ubaldo Jimenez off the hook, who finally turned in a solid start. The game-winner was a two run single by Carlos Gonzalez. He’s starting to heat up…look out, NL West.
Yankees 6, Rays 2. The streak is over! A pair of homers by the slumping Alex Rodriguez helped propel the Yankees to victory. Ivan Nova wasn’t great on the hill, but he got the job done. Johnny Damon had three hits in a losing effort for the Rays.
Reds 7, Cubs 5. The Reds got four in the eighth to shock the Cubs and add to their lead in the NL Central. Edinson Volquez struck out nine in six innings, while every single run that Cincy scored was unearned. Funny how that works sometimes.
White Sox 4, Rangers 3. Another comeback win! The Sox scored the go ahead run in the eighth on a wild pitch by Cody Eppley. Sergio Santos shut the door for the Sox, and still hasn’t allowed an earned run yet this year. The teams combined for nine hits, but 13 walks in the game.
Indians 7, Royals 3. Sean O’Sullivan got thrashed by the team with the best record in baseball, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Every starter from both teams reached base, but that wasn’t enough for the Royals.
Cardinals 2, Phillies 1. A Lance Berkman walkoff single in the ninth gave the Redbirds a victory. Jaime Garcia allowed only one unearned run in eight innings, while Roy Oswalt allowed one of the earned variety in only five innings. The Cardinals only got two runs, despite 17 baserunners.
Diamondbacks 6, Padres 1. Three Diamondbacks starters had multiple hit games, and the team scored six straight runs after San Diego put one on the board in the first. Chris Denorfia finished a homer shy of the cycle for the Padres.
Twins 2, Mariners 1. Francisco Liriano had an outing that was arguably better than his no hitter, striking out nine and walking one in seven innings. Felix Hernandez went eight strong in a loss. A two run single by Michael Cuddyer in the first was all the scoring that Minnesota would need.
Dodgers 3, Brewers 0. Hiroki Kuroda went 7 2/3 shutout innings, and a two run homer by Matt Kemp in the first would be enough. Despite only three runs being scored, the game lasted over three hours. What the hell?
Athletics 14, Angels 0. A night after former teammate Vin Mazzaro allowed 14 in relief, the A’s offense put 14 on the board themselves. Gio Gonzalez didn’t need the support, walking one and allowing one hit in seven. Mark Ellis and Coco Crisp each had three hits for the A’s. Oakland went an absurd 10/18 with runners in scoring position.
Lines of the Night
Hitting
Brian McCann, Braves. 2/2, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR
Carlos Santana, Indians. 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB
Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks. 2/2, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB
Mark Ellis, Athletics. 3/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 2B
Pitching
Wandy Rodriguez, Astros. 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Game score: 76
Jaime Garcia, Cardinals. 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Game score: 74
Francisco Liriano, Twins. 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Game score: 75
Felix Hernandez, Mariners. 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. Game score: 74
Gio Gonzalez, Athletics. 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Game score: 81
