MLB Game Recaps: Boston Red Sox Move Over .500 With Defeat of Justin Verlander’s Detroit Tigers
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston Red Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 3
David Ortiz led the charge as the Boston Red Sox moved a game over .500 by hitting Justin Verlander early and often. Ortiz went 3-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored, while Verlander allowed five runs and 10 hits in six innings. All three of Ortiz’s hits were for extra bases, and he now has 29 such hits on the season. Daniel Nava also drove in three runs for the Red Sox, while Daniel Bard was solid in just over five innings of work. Prince Fielder hit his eighth homer of the season in the loss, and his season line of .317/.377/.503 is starting to look a little more typical of his past performance.
Los Angeles Angels 5, New York Yankees 1
While Jered Weaver learned he was headed to the DL, his team managed to win their seventh straight on the strength of another great Dan Haren start. Haren went seven innings, allowed a single run, struck out seven, and walked no one. Most of the Angel offense came from their assortment of powerful first basemen, as Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo each went deep. Pujols’s slugging percentage has finally topped .400, which has to be considered a move in the right direction. Alex Rodriguez had three hits for the Yankees, though all of them were singles.
Kansas City Royals 8, Cleveland Indians 2
The Indians were finally unseated from their position as the top team in the AL Central thanks to Will Smith‘s first career victory and a big day from Mike Moustakas. Smith allowed two runs in six innings, while Moustakas homered and drove in four runs. Justin Masterson‘s struggle to live up to his quietly nice 2011 continues, as the Cleveland starter surrendered seven runs in six innings. With Tuesday’s win, the Royals moved to 15-11 on the road versus their lowly 5-17 record at home. And no, that’s not a typo.
Toronto Blue Jays 8, Baltimore Orioles 6
Not even a two-homer performance from Adam Jones, who now has 16, could help the Orioles overcome the eight runs the Blue Jays scored between the third and fifth innings. Brett Lawrie and Rajai Davis each had three hits for the Jays and combined to drive in five of their team’s runs. Ricky Romero got hit around a bit in the win, but the good news for Toronto is that he only walked one batter in six innings.
Chicago White Sox 7, Tampa Bay Rays 2
James Shields only allowed one extra-base hit and one walk while striking out eight, but those nine singles did him in. Dayan Viciedo pushed the knife in with his 11th home run of the season in the eighth, and the Chicago outfielder is now slugging .503 despite an utter lack of patience. Viciedo has just four walks on the season. The Rays scored both of their runs on a two-run homer by none other than Hideki Matsui, who has presumably been on an undercover mission for some top secret agency all this time.
Seattle Mariners 10, Texas Rangers 3
Scott Feldman and the rest of the Rangers staff struggled again, making the news of a potential Roy Oswalt signing all the more exciting for the Texas squad. The Mariners oozed offense from all over the lineup, as John Jaso, Dustin Ackley, Kyle Seager, and Michael Saunders all had multiple hits. Josh Hamilton clubbed a two-run homer to bring his season total to an obscene 21. Hamilton is now on pace for a totally reasonable 68 homers and 181 RBI.
Minnesota Twins 3, Oakland Athletics 2
The Twins were shut out through 8 2/3 innings of Tuesday’s game against the A’s, but Josh Willingham broke the scoring fast with a walk-off three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth. Starters Jarrod Parker and Cole DeVries (who may or may not be real) both held their opponents scoreless, even if they walked nine batters between them. Coco Crisp had two hits, a walk, and a RBI in the surprising late loss.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago Cubs 5, San Diego Padres 3
And just like that, the Cubs now have a winning streak! Jeff Samardzija continues to be a revelation in the rotation, as he struck out eight and allowed three runs in seven innings during Monday’s game against the Padres. The converted reliever now sports a 3.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a K/9 ratio above 9.0. Alfonso Soriano homered again for the Cubs, and his season line looks like that of a diminished Dayan Viciedo.
Cincinnati Reds 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
The Reds beat down the Pirates thoroughly, spreading out 12 hits and three walks in the win. Jay Bruce went 3-4 with two doubles, three runs, two RBI, and a walk. Bruce wasn’t the only top performer, as Homer Bailey pitched a complete game while only allowing one run and striking out five. Bailey may not have turned into the overpowering ace many once expected him to become, but he’s secretly become a very valuable member of the Cincinnati rotation.
Atlanta Braves 5, St. Louis Cardinals 4
The Braves jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on homers by Michael Bourn and Dan Uggla, but this one went down to the wire due to a big day from Yadier Molina. Molina went 4-4 with his eighth home run, but it wasn’t enough to put his team on top. Credit must go to Eric O’Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel, as the Atlanta bullpen duo struck out four in two perfect innings to end the game and the Cardinals’ chances.
New York Mets 6, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Monday was a night of many firsts for Mets starter Jeremy Hefner, as the 26-year-old won his first career game and hit his first career homer. The Phillies didn’t have much luck in any sense of the word, as they officially lost Roy Halladay to the disabled list and wasted an increasingly-rare multi-hit game from Jimmy Rollins. As well as the other teams in the division are playing, and without the ace of all aces, it looks like the Phils are headed for a long summer.
Miami Marlins 3, Washington Nationals 1
With yet another win in May, that’s 20 if you’re counting, the Marlins now find their run differential sitting at a tidy zero. Anibal Sanchez pitched seven innings and didn’t allow an earned run, while Hanley Ramirez homered and Giancarlo Stanton reached base three times. The Nationals obviously didn’t do much on offense, but Bryce Harper smacked a triple, which makes four for the season. Despite receiving far fewer plate appearances than the competition, Harper is now just two triples off the major league lead.
Milwaukee Brewers 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Matt Kemp returned to the Dodger lineup and doubled off the unbelievably hairy John Axford, but his team’s lineup failed to rekindle whatever evil pact they struck to score all those runs the past couple of weeks. The Brewers got both of their runs when Ryan Braun hit his 14th home run in the first inning. Thankfully for Milwaukee, starting pitcher Michael Fiers was able to pitch seven strong innings to get his team the win. Jamey Wright, who is basically the pitcher equivalent of Adam Kennedy, pitched the ninth inning for the Dodgers.
San Francisco Giants 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 1
This Ryan Vogelsong kid sure ain’t no one-trick pony after all! The former scrap heap project pitched seven innings, allowed one run, and struck out eight to allow his team to find a way to win the game. Buster Posey had two hits and two RBI for the Giants, and his teammate Melky Cabrera contributed three hits to his magical 2012, a season that so far has to be reaching some sort of outlier percentile not previously known to man. The D-Backs offense once again looked simply terrible, as even all the key players are floundering so far.
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