MLB Game Recaps: Atlanta Braves defeat St. Louis Cardinals

Atlanta Braves 7, St. Louis Cardinals 2

The Atlanta Braves have now moved into a tie for first place in the NL East after topping the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 behind a great outing from Brandon Beachy. He struck out six batters in six innings and surrendered just two hits and one run. While he did allow four walks, Beachy did get a swinging strike 14.3% of the time.

Adam Wainwright had a rough outing for the Cards, and the ace lasted only 4.1 innings while allowing nine hits, five runs, and five walks. Michael Bourn had another big game, and it was another three-hit game for the lead-off hitter. He went 3-6 with two runs, two RBIs, and his first home run of the season.

Brewers 8, Cubs 2

Chicago Cubs starter Chris Volstad had another terrible outing (0-5), while opposing starter Shaun Marcum has a 3.07 ERA on the season after shutting down the Cubs. In seven innings, Marcum allowed just three hits, one run, two walks, and struck out six. Jonathan Lucroy had three hits and a double, and second baseman Edwin Maysonet had two hits, four RBIs, and his first homer of the season; it was a Grand Slam to put the game wide open from 2-1 to 6-1.

Angels 4, Rangers 2

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided to start C.J. Wilson after his outing was cut short on Friday due to a long rain delay. Even amidst more boos, the former Texas Rangers playoff hero had a decent outing. He allowed five hits, two runs, and three walks in 5.2 innings against a hot Rangers line-up. In fact, Josh Hamilton hit yet another home run this week to give him nine. Mark Trumbo had a monster game for the Angels with a monstrous 441 foot home run to showcase his power (1-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, HR).

Mets 9, Marlins 3

David Wright had four hits and three steaks for the away team, and it is crazy to think that his home run was the only one for the Mets. Ricky Nolasco struggled mightily on the mound for the Marlins, and Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda also had three hits each. Jose Reyes matched his former star teammate in the Big Apple with four hits of his own, but it wasn’t enough. The Marlins had 13 hits in this game, but R.A. Dickey was pitching, so it’s no surprise that only three runs were scored.

Yankees 6, Mariners 2

There were only two extra-base hits in this game for the Mariners, and both of them came from Mike Carp. He doubled and homered, with the homer traveling 436 feet. Hector Noesi was mediocre against his former team, while Phil Hughes got back on track against the M’s. Behind a big night from Raul Ibanez, Hughes allowed just six hits, one run, and one walk in 7.2 innings.

Orioles 5, Rays 3

Young starters Brian Matusz and Matt Moore were both slightly below-average in this game, so the difference in this game was Baltimore’s offense. Adam Jones had another multi-hit game for the O’s, and Bill Hall homered for the first time this year for the Orioles. Brandon Guyer was tabbed to be a prospect to watch in the Rays organization, and he homered for the first time of the year as well.

Padres 2, Phillies 1

Edinson Volquez did get the win, but he didn’t out-pitch Roy Halladay despite giving up one less run. Still, Volquez was solid through six innings while allowing just one run and two walks. It’s just that Halladay was better in seven innings. He did give up two runs, but he gave up just one walk and struck out ten. Shane Victorino had three hits, including a double, for the home side.

Pirates 5, Astros 2

Young star Andrew McCutchen took advantage of another poor J.A. Happ outing by blasting four hits, with one of them being his third home run of the season in the third inning. Former New York Yankees outfielder Jose Tabata also had a round-tripper off of Happ. Astros lead-off hitter Jordan Schafer had two hits, a double, and the team’s only RBI from a hit.

Red Sox 4, Indians 1

Alfredo Aceves saved his seventh game of the season to preserve the lead that Felix Doubront helped to achieve. He was great and allowed just three hits, one run, two walks, and struck out five in six innings.

Royals 5, White Sox 0

This time, the scores were flipped. The Kansas City Royals received a fantastic outing from Luke Hochevar, which is something I never thought I would say. Hochevar had a Game Score of 75 after allowing just three hits, no runs, one walk, and striking out five in seven innings. Chris Sale struggled through five innings for the Sox, and Alcides Escobar had two doubles to provide the XBHs for K.C.

Blue Jays 2, Twins 1

Drew Hutchinson allowed just three hits, one run, but also four walks in six great innings of work for Toronto. Jose Bautista homered after a two-homer game on Friday, and he was also the only player on the team with multiple hits. No. 2 and 3 hitters Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer had two hits and a double each for Minnesota.

Nationals 2, Reds 1

Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa both homered for the Washington Nationals, and it looks like Espinosa, who was the only player in the game with at least two hits, is getting back on track. Both players hit their third home runs of the season. Jordan Zimmerman shut down the Reds in seven innings of one-run ball, and he allowed just five hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. Mat Latos was decent for the Reds, but the offense was futile; no player had two hits or an extra-base hit.

Athletics 3, Tigers 1

Brandon McCarthy had the pitching performance of the night, with a Game Score of 79 in seven innings of scoreless ball. He allowed just four hits and no walks, and he struck out ten in what was an absolutely stunning pitching performance against a good offense. Doug Fister was also great for Detroit, as he struck out eight in six innings of one-run ball with just two walks and five hits allowed. Brennan Boesch led the way for the Tigers with two hits, while Jemile Weeks had two hits for the A’s and Cliff Pennington tripled while pinch-hitting for him to help give Oakland big production from the lead-off spot.

Giants 5, Diamondbacks 2

New outfielders Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan had three hits each, with Cabrera doubling twice and Pagan once. Cabrera drove in two runs, while Pagan never scored nor drove a run in. Brandon Belt hit is first triple of the season, but the real story was Matt Cain. He shut down the D’Backs in six innings of one-run ball and allowed just three hits and two walks with eight Ks to outpitch Trevor Cahill (40 Game Score).

Dodgers 2, Rockies 1

Andre Ethier went 2-3 with a run and a double to pace the Dodgers offense in a low-scoring game, while Rockies OF Tyler Colvin hit the lone home run of the game. Juan Nicasio was a tad better than Aaron Harang in this game, but both pitchers were in top form. Nicasio allowed five hits, one run, and no walks while also striking out nine in seven innings. However, Josh Outman– still don’t get the Seth Smith deal- came in and gave up a  single to Tony Gwynn Jr. for the game-winning run in the eighth. Kenley Jansen saved his third game of the season keep the narrow lead and give Harang the win. The Dodgers starter allowed four hits, one run, and two walks in eight innings, but he only struck out two batters.

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