Before we delve into the Saturday slate, I’m sorry I had to skip Friday’s games. I had a pair of on-line football drafts Friday night (go Matt Forte!) along with my local football draft Saturday morning and I needed a modicum of beauty rest since I would be let out of the house and into the public, for a change.
Enough of that – time for this.
TAM 3, BAL 2 WP Brad Boxberger (5-1) LP Brad Brach (5-1)
I’m sorry, but teams shouldn’t be allowed to do the circle-jerk dance when they walk-off on a passed ball. And they certainly shouldn’t douse the batter that stood there as the catcher botched framing the pitch…every time Drew Smyly pitches, more are convinced the David Price deal wasn’t so bad after all…the young lefty worked six strong, limiting the Orioles to just four hits and an earned run, fanning eight…the intent was for Brad Boxberger to get the save but he vulture a win after Jake McGee allowed Baltimore to tie in in the 8th…A solo shot by Chris Davis was the game’s only home run.
SF 5, DET 4 WP: Madison Bumgarner (17-9) LP: David Price (13-11) SV Santiago Casilla (15)
In what could be the most precarious quality start of his career, Madison Bumgarner threw the requisite six innings while allowing the minimum three runs with no walks…he did however, surrender ten hits and failed to register a single strikeout…Buster Posey was a perfect 3-for-3, including a solo-shot in the fifth that ended up being the difference-maker…Miguel Cabrera had his second multi-homer game of the season, swatting numbers 20 and 21 while Victor Martinez cracked his 30th…David Price again was a hard-luck loser as he tossed 8.2 frames, with 11 whiffs to only one walk, but he did allow all five runs.
PIT 5, CHC 3 WP Mark Melancon (3-4) LP Wesley Wright (0-3) SV John Holdzkom (1) CONCLUSION OF 9/6 GAME
Josh Harrison added another chapter to his storybook season with the game-winner from a contest started more than 24 hours earlier…on the day(s), Jay Hay Da Man had four hits total…Chris Valaika had three knocks and a bag in the losing effort.
OAK 4, HOU 3 WP Luke Gregerson (4-3) LP Chad Qualls (1-5)
If the A’s make the playoffs, they should consider voting Chad Qualls a share as the Houston closer blew his fourth save of the season against Oakland…Josh Reddick was the hero, doubling home two to tie then scoring the walk-off winner on a Jed Lowrie single…Coco Crisp declared himself back with two hits and two steals…Scott Kazmir was back to his old self, and I mean his real old self as walked five while whiffing eight in six stanzas…Scott Feldman outpointed Kazmir with six strikeouts and no walks in 8.2 innings but was victimized by Qualls’ failing to hold the 9thinning edge though Feldman was charged with two of the three runs in the comeback.
NYY 6, KC 2 WP Brandon McCarthy (9-14) LP Liam Hendriks (1-1)
Unfortunately, the story of this game was Danny Duffy leaving after throwing just one pitch…the lefty didn’t feel loose after warming up…he’s scheduled for an MRI on his pitching shoulder…Brandon McCarthy continued his strong run since donning pinstripes with a 6.2 inning, six-hit, two-run effort, fanning four while using just one free pass…Martin Prado stayed hot with three hits and a pair of runs…
PHI 3, WAS 1 WP A.J. Burnett (8-15) LP Tanner Roark (12-10) SV Jonathan Papelbon (35)
A.J. Burnett demonstrated there’s still some mileage left in his wing with a solid seven inning performance…Domonic Brown hit his ninth smash of the season…Tanner Roark was solid in his own right, lasting six with eight strike-threes…Denard Span had two hits while Anthony Rendon knocked in the sole Nats’ run.
PIT 5, CHC 0 WP Francisco Liriano (4-10) LP Felix Doubront (3-5)
In the regularly scheduled game between these NL Central Division foes, Francisco Liriano got it started with six scoreless frames then watched the bullpen preserve the shutout…the southpaw fanned nine while walking two, scattering just three hits…the top of the Bucs order did most the damage, going a collective 7-for-15 with three runs and three RBI…Jordy Mercer had the only home run, tacking on some insurance in the 9th.
CIN 2, NYM 1 WP Johnny Cueto (17-8) LP Dillon Gee (6-7) SV Aroldis Chapman (30)
It was vintage Johnny Cueto as the talented right-hander spun seven stanzas of one-run ball, fanning eight, walking two while distributing six hits…Todd Frazier and Chris Heisey each left the yard with Heisey’s coming while pinch-hitting for Cueto, paving the way for win number 17...Travis d’Arnaud continued his second half surge with a pair of hits.
CLE 3, CWS 1 WP Corey Kluber (14-9) LP Zach Putnam (4-3)
Corey Kluber tossed his fourth nine-inning effort of the season in a complete-game whitewashing of the Chicago White Sox, scattering just five hits with no walks, whiffing eight while allowing just an unearned tally…Jose Ramirez and Michael Brantley keyed the Tribe’s offense with three hits each while Carlos Santana knocked his 25th out…Jose Quintana pitched well in a losing effort, tossing six solid stanzas with seven punch puts.
LAA 8, MIN 5 WP Joe Smith (7-2) LP Jared Burton (2-5) SV Huston Street (37)
Albert Pujols reached a pair of career milestones, scoring his 1,500th run on his 25th blast of the season then knocking in the go-ahead run on his 2,500th hit…for the historical evening, Pujols was 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI…Howie Kendrick had four hits and three RBI…Phil Hughes deserved a better fate after tossing seven solid of three-run ball, whiffing with no walks, leaving with a 5-3 before witnessing his bullpen get lit for two in the 8th and 3 in the 9th.
ATL 4 MIA 3 WP David Carpenter (6-3) LP Bryan Morris (7-1) SV Craig Kimbrel ( 43)
It took ten innings but the Braves finally disposed of the Marlins on an Evan Gattis big fly that hit above the yellow line in on the center field wall…previous to that smash, Alex Wood baffled another for with seven frames of two-run ball, whiffing five…Nathan Eovaldi appears to have the strikeout pitch working again as he set down seven in 6.1 frames.
STL 5, MIL 3 WP Lance Lynn (15-8) LY Kyle Lohse (12-9)
With four walks in six innings Lance Lynn wasn’t sharp but he gutted it out while his offense provided ample support for his 15th victory…youngster Matt Adams and Oscar Taveras lead the way, each stroking a two-run bomb…Jonathan Lucroy inched back over .300 with a 2-for-3 night.
BOS 4 TOR 3 WP Clay Buchholz (7-8) LP J.A. Happ (9-9) SV Edward Mujica (4)
Clay Buchholz continues to try to salvage an otherwise disappointing season with his fifth quality start over his last six outings…With Koji Uehara shut down to rest a sore shoulder, Edward Mujica received the first save op and came through…Boston scored single runs in each of the first four innings…David Ortiz was the only Red Sox with more than one hit, he went 2-for-4…Edwin Encarnacion and Dioner Navarro had a pair of hits for the Jays while Colby Rasmus wrapped a 2-run, pinch-hit rope around the Pesky Pole that brought Toronto to within a run in the 7th.
COL 7, SD 6 WP Nick Masset (1-0) LP Jesse Hahn (7-3)
Justin Morneau had a four-hit night, featuring his 15th home run…Mike McKenry hit his 7th…DJ LeMahieu and Corey Dickerson had three knocks each…Drew Stubbs went 1-for-6 but the one was the walk-off winner in the 12th…Tommy Medica and Cory Spangenberg each had blasts fueling the padres ill-fated comeback…Jedd Gyorko knocked in a pair with a 2-for-5 effort but is still hitting just .197.
LAD 5, ARI 2 WP Brian Wilson (2-3) LP Dan Hudson (0-1) SV Kenley Jansen (41)
Adrian Gonzalez got things started with a two-run shot in the first…Dee Gordon rapped three hits with two scored and an RBI while Hanley Ramirez knocked in a pair as well…Hyun-Jin Ryu had the strikeout pitch working as he racked up nine is 6.2 frames…Aaron Hill had two hits…Dan Hudson had another rough outing trying to shake off the rust after his second tommy John procedure.
SEA 4, TEX 2 WP Danny Farquhar (2-1) LP Neil Cotts (2-9) SV Fernando Rodney (43)
Kyle Seager was very glad the game was played after a long rain delay as he had three hits including his game-tying 23rd homer while scoring and plating a pair…Brad Miller continued to make his case for more playing time with a perfect 4-for-4 performance and his fourth steal…Ryan Rua had his first career double among three hits… Leonys Martin had a couple hits and stole two, his 24th and 25th.