MLB Game Recaps: Joe Mather Walks Off As Cubs Beat Cardinals

The Cubs evened these bitter rivals’ season series at 2-2 as Joe Mather’s two-run single snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Jaime Garcia allowed only one run in 7.2 innings of work and was in line for the win before Mather’s two-out hit stuck Jason Motte with both the save and loss. Matt Garza kept the Cubs within striking distance with  seven innings of two-run ball.

American League

Boston Red Sox – 6

Minnesota Twins – 5

The Red Sox snapped a 5-game skid on the back of a two-homer game from Cody Ross. Daniel Bard made his first bullpen appearance of 2012 and picked up a fortuitous win by getting the last two outs in the eighth inning and then watching Cody Ross’ solo shot give the Sox the lead for good in the ninth, pinning the loss on Matt Capps by parking his 1-0 offering.

New York Yankees –7

Texas Rangers – 4

C.C. Sabathia struck out eight batters over eight innings while allowing four runs to pick up the win. Alex Rodriguez provided the biggest blow for the Yankees with a three-run shot in the fifth inning. Josh Hamilton homered and Elvis Andrus had the only two-hit game for the home squad, whose offense looked uncharacteristically punchless. Derek Holland gave up seven runs in six innings to card the loss.

Toronto Blue Jays – 4

Kansas City Royals – 1

The Royals lost their 11th straight contest as the Blue Jays’ powerful offense made use of the longball to ensure the victory. Brandon Morrow gave up one run in 6.2 innings of work, and a Kelly Johnson solo shot and Jose Bautista two-run bomb provided the majority of the offense against Royals starter Bruce Chen.

National League

San Francisco Giants – 6

New York Mets – 1

Doubleheader, Game 1

Tim Lincecum picked up his first win by holding the Mets to a single run on four hits, but  was uncharacteristically wild in giving up five walks while striking out eight in five innings. Buster Posey’s solo shot and Nate Schierholtz’ three-run bomb were the biggest sources of production for San Francisco.

San Francisco Giants – 7

New York Mets – 2

Doubleheader, Game 2

Madison Bumgarner continued to prove the value of his extension by allowing only seven baserunners (3H, 4BB) in seven innings. Pablo Sandoval and Hector Sanchez each hit two-run bombs to give the Giants their final margin of victory.

Milwaukee Brewers – 6

Houston Astros – 5

Zach Greinke allowed just two runs over six innings while rookie Lucas Harrell allowed five runs in as many frames. Ryan Braun went three-for-four, picking up a home run and a double, while Jed Lowrie provided the early offense for Houston with a solo home run.

Arizona Diamondbacks – 9

Philadelphia Phillies – 5

Arizona’s offense was led by solo shots from Jason Kubel and Justin Upton, both of whom registered multi-hit games. Shane Victorino’s three-run began a comeback in the ninth that was continued by Carlos Ruiz’ solo shot, both off Joe Paterson, but in the end the Phillies fell short. Kyle Kendrick gave up seven runs over three innings to take the loss.

Los Angeles Dodgers – 7

Atlanta Braves – 2

The Dodgers improved to 7-0 in Los Angeles this season thanks to an impressive seven-inning, one-run outing from Chris Capuano. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier each reached base three times to continue to pace the Dodgers while Jair Jurrjens lasted only three inning in picking up the loss for Atlanta.

Twitter Question of the Day: Are you more surprised by the Dodgers’ hot start or the Red Sox cold one?

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