MLB Game Recaps: Darvish Stumbles in Debut, But Recovers to Earn First MLB Win
By Doug Wachter
Yu Darvish’s first official inning didn’t exactly belie the huge price tag the Rangers paid to get him, as he allowed the Mariners’ offense to bat around and plate four while throwing a total of 42 pitches in the inning.
However, the Rangers’ potent offense kept the team in the game by scoring two runs on back-to-back run-scoring singles from Michael Young and Nelson Cruz in the home half of the first. The Mariners would add another run to make it 5-2 in the second when a Kyle Seager double brought home Ichiro, who finished with three hits against his countryman. The Rangers would once again fight back, as Nelson Cruz tied the game with a three-run homer in the third, followed by a two-run shot from Mitch Moreland and a solo bomb from Josh Hamilton to put Darvish in line for the W. Ian Kinsler extended the lead with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach at 11-5. Hector Noesi, who came over with Jesus Montero in the Pineda deal, gave up 7 runs (all earned) in 3 innings to take the loss. Darvish’s final line of 5.2 innings, 8 hits, and 5:4 K/BB hides his impressive bounce-back effort after a laborious first inning.
American League
Boston Red Sox – 4
Toronto Blue Jays – 2
A ninth-inning rally saved the Red Sox from starting 0-4 for a second straight season. The Jays put up two runs off Sox starter Felix Doubront in the third. Dustin Pedroia cut the lead in half with a sixth-inning bomb against Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez, who had an excellent game and left after the sixth in line for the win. However, those plans were foiled when Adrian Gonzalez’s sac fly scored Pedroia to tie the game in the ninth after a leadoff double, and Boston then took the lead on a Ryan Sweeney single after Jays closer Sergio Santos walked two straight batters. Santos then uncorked a wild pitch to give this game its final scoreline. Santos earned the blown save and loss, while Scott Atchison stumbled into a victory after three solid innings of relief. Alfredo Aceves locked down the game for his first save after a rough start to the year.
New York Yankees – 6
Baltimore Orioles – 2
Four hits from Derek Jeter and an Andruw Jones home run supported Ivan Nova, who went 7 innings and gave up two runs on ten hits but no walks for the win. Matt Wieters homered for the home squad, which saw Brian Matusz pitch 4 innings and take the loss.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 5
Minnesota Twins – 1
CJ Wilson gave up only three hits and one earned run in 7 innings to win his debut for the Angels at Target Field, striking out five and walking four. The Angels made the most of four singles, two doubles, two walks, and two errors to score five, and never trailed after scoring twice with two down in the first. The Twins start the season 0-4, the only AL team still yet to mark a tally in the win column.
Chicago White Sox – 4
Cleveland Indians – 2
The White Sox would get all the scoring they’d need on two first-inning home runs, a leadoff shot from Alejandro De Aza and a two-run bomb from AJ Pierzynski. Chris Sale, the team’s closer for much of 2011, was electric in his first big league start, going 6.2 innings and giving up a single run on three hits and two walks while punching out five to earn the win.
Oakland Athletics – 1
Kansas City Royals – 0
Tom Milone, a less heralded part of the Gio Gonzalez booty, displayed the command and control that were his signature in Washington, pitching 8 innings while allowing only three hits and no walks. Oakland scored the decisive run when a Josh Donaldson single plated Seth Smith with two down in the second. Luis Mendoza took the hard-luck loss after giving up only one run in 5.2 innings, although he was lucky Oakland couldn’t manage more from the five hits and four walks he allowed.
National League
Miami Marlins – 6
Philadelphia Phillies – 2
The Marlins’ victory came in the form of a slow but consistent onslaught, as they scored their six runs in six separate one-run bursts. Half of Miami’s runs came on three solo shots, with Omar Infante launching shots in the fifth and seventh and Austin Kearns finishing off the scoring in the ninth. Both of Philadelphia’s runs came on a seventh-inning RBI double from Freddy Galvis, a 22-year-old prospect pressed into action by Chase Utley’s knee injury. Anibal Sanchez pitched 6.1 innings before being chased by Galvis’ extra-base knock to pick up the win, striking out four while giving up six hits and a walk. Cole Hamels gave up three runs in 5.1 innings, striking out nine but giving up eight hits in carding the loss.
San Francisco Giants – 7
Colorado Rockies – 0
Barry Zito pitched a 4-hit complete game shutout, a rarity both in that the Rox were shut out in their hitter-friendly ballpark and in that Zito hadn’t pitched a shutout since his time in Oakland in 2003. Pablo Sandoval opened the scoring with a two-run first inning homer, and the Giants would tack on another two runs in the third and three in the fifth while collecting a total of ten hits and seven walks. Zito became the first visiting pitcher to shut out the Rockies since Roy Oswalt in 2008.
New York Mets – 4
Washington Nationals – 3
The Mets walked off to continue their undefeated start after their weekend sweep of the Braves. Washington broke out to the early lead with three runs in the first three innings, with two Adam LaRoche singles and a double from Ryan Zimmerman providing the key blows. However, Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey doubled to lead off the home half of the third, and David Wright drove him home. One inning later, Kirk Nieuwenhuis’s first Major League homer tied the game. The game would remain deadlocked 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth. Mike Baxter walked to lead off the inning against Henry Rodriguez, who has been sharing closing duties with Brad Lidge while Drew Storen rehabs his throwing elbow. Rodriguez then fielded a Ruben Tejada sacrifice bunt and then threw it away to send Baxter to third with no outs in the inning. Daniel Murphy capped the victory with a single floated into the outfield for the walk-off.
Milwaukee Brewers – 7
Chicago Cubs – 5
In a back-and-forth game, Mat Gamel’s RBI triple and subsequent scoring on a sac fly in the sixth gave the Brew Crew the lead for good after they had gone down early. The Cubs scored two in the bottom of the ninth to make the game competitive but John Axford struck out Starlin Castro looking with the bases loaded to record the save. Shaun Marcum got the win with 6 innings of three-run ball, while Shawn Camp took the loss in relief.
St. Louis Cardinals – 7
Cincinnati Reds – 1
Three first-inning homers from Matt Holiday, Yadier Molina, and David Freese broke the game open early. Jake Westbrook went 7 strong innings to earn the win. St. Louis would add an additional three-run buffer in the eighth, with two coming on a double from Molina.
Houston Astros – 8
Atlanta Braves – 3
The Braves jumped out to a lead with two runs in the second and tacked on another in the third. Houston stormed back with a three-run third on the back of a Travis Buck double and would go on to score another five, with JD Martinez driving in a run and Justin Maxwell capping the scoring with a pinch-hit two-run shot off Chad Durbin in the eighth.
Questions or comments are welcome in 140 characters or less @saberbythebay.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.