MLB Game Recaps: San Francisco Giants Top Chicago Cubs, Stay Close To Dodgers
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco Giants 3, Chicago Cubs 2
The Giants are still within three games of the Dodgers after Ryan Vogelsong helped them sweep the hapless Cubs. Vogelsong pitched seven innings, allowed two runs, and didn’t walk a batter in the win. Brandon Crawford drove in two runs, while Buster Posey scored two runs on the strength of four walks. Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija was only able to pitch five innings because of five walks that upped his pitch count. Darwin Barney had a pair of hits in the loss.
St. Louis Cardinals 5, New York Mets 4
After scoring just two runs in the first three games of the series combined, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to piece together enough offense to snap their five-game losing streak. Kyle Lohse pitched seven innings and allowed only two hits, one of which was a solo home run off the bat of Lucas Duda. With the game tied 3-3 in the top of the eighth inning, oft-injured slugger Allen Craig hit a two-run shot that would wind up securing the victory for his team. When not on the DL the last two seasons, Craig has hit .320/.371/.587 with 16 homers in 287 PA.
Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Clayton Kershaw offered up a solid seven inning start to hold the Phillies at bay and earn the Dodgers a win. Dee Gordon, Bobby Abreu, and Adam Kennedy each had two hits to spur the offense, while Kenley Jansen struck out two of the three batters he faced for the win. Placido Polanco had two hits and a homer, but it wasn’t enough to get his team over the hump.
Colorado Rockies 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 0
Christian Friedrich pitched seven shutout innings, while Joe Saunders got pounded with a series of hits as the Rockies easily took care of the D-Backs. Dexter Fowler hit his sixth triple, while Wilin Rosario hit his ninth home run in the win. Arizona wasn’t able to do anything on offense, as big bats like Justin Upton and Jason Kubel remain ice cold in the season’s third month.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota Twins 10, Kansas City Royals 7
The Twins got to Will Smith early and often, and rumor has it the pitcher’s parents just don’t understand. Sorry, I had to do it. Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau both went deep, while Ben Revere and Jamey Carroll beat all odds to have three hits apiece. The Royals got three hits and a long ball from Mike Moustakas, who has consistently been the most productive member of Kansas City’s young nucleus.
Oakland Athletics 12, Texas Rangers 1
This game featured the opposite score one would expect, as Scott Feldman was completely crushed for eight earned runs in less than two innings of work. Jarrod Parker had a much different fate, as the young A’s starter pitched eigtht shutout innings and struck out six for his second win. Oakland got homers from Kila Ka’aihue and Brandon Inge, four hits from Seth Smith, and a pair of hits from Cliff Pennington. The Rangers got their only run on the 10th home run of the season from Mike Napoli.
Seattle Mariners 8, Los Angeles Angels 6
This just hasn’t been Ervin Santana‘s year. The Angels finally got Santana some runs, but the usually impotent Mariners got to a wild Santana (six walks) for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Kyle Seager hit his seventh home run of the season, while John Jaso went 3-5 with a run scored and a RBI. Kendrys Morales hit a pair of solo homers for the Angels, while super-rookie Mike Trout went 4-4 with two RBI. Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless inning in the lost, and the rebounding veteran now has a 2.29 ERA in 19 2/3 innings even if he isn’t as effective as he once was.
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