MLB Recaps: Jim Thome walks off
Philadelphia Phillies 7, Tampa Bay Rays 6
Veteran, future Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome smashed the 13th walk-off home run of his career to put the Philadelphia Phillies over the Tampa Bay Rays and bail out Jonathan Papelbon, who blew his first save of the season by allowing Jeff Keppinger and Brooks Conrad to hit RBI singles in the ninth to tie the game up at six.
Blue Jays 7, Marlins 1
Brett Cecil pitched well in six innings of five-hit, one-run ball for the Toronto Blue Jays, but the losing team actually received a better starting performance. Josh Johnson was immaculate, as the Miami Marlins ace allowed just two hits and a run with seven strikeouts in seven innings. It was a close 1-1 game until the ninth when the Blue Jays rang up six runs (half were unearned) to make it look like a blowout.
Cardinals 8, Royals 2
Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is looking to get back on track, and he helped shave his season ERA down by pitching seven strong innings to help the Cards take down the Kansas City Royals. Matt Holliday had four hits, and Allen Craig had a homer and three RBIs; he drove in Holliday with his two-run shot.
Rockies 11, Rangers 7
Not only did the Colorado Rockies manage to match the high-powered Texas Rangers offense in Arlington, but they surpassed their AL West foes by absolutely dominating Colby Lewis. Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre had two hits each, with Cruz hitting two homers and knocking in four runs in the process. The Rockies were led by three-hit games from Chris Nelson and Dexter Fowler, with Fowler hitting his ninth homer of the year.
Astros 8, Indians 1
The Houston Astros received another big starting pitching performance to beat the Cleveland Indians, but this time it came from Dallas Keuchel in the form of a complete game. Keuchel, who earned his first win, allowed just six hits, one run, and one walk in the impressive victory.
Pirates 4, Tigers 1
Brad Lincoln and Max Scherzer gave up little between them in the six innings that they both pitched, but Lincoln was better and allowed one less hit and two less runs than his Detroit counterpart. Other than that, the walks and strikeouts were the same and one and seven respectively.
Reds 6, Twins 0
Brandon Phillips hit his tenth homer of the year, but the big story was Johnny Cueto‘s fantastic, 79 Game Score performance on the mound. In seven innings, Cueto stymied the Twins offense by allowing just three hits, no runs, one walk, and striking out nine batters.
Nationals 3, Orioles 1
The Washington Nationals got a key victory here after losing in the rivalry series to the Baltimore Orioles the last game out. Edwin Jackson brought his best in 6.1 innings, as he allowed just four hits, one run, and one walk.
Red Sox 8, Braves 4
Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks each doubled and had three hits, with Middlebrooks also adding a homer. The third baseman is the reason why Kevin Youkilis is in such heavy trade rumors, and the rumors got even bigger yesterday. Middlebrooks’s emergence has been big, and he was certainly a factor in this game.
Dodgers 3, Angels 1
Just when they needed it, the Los Angeles Dodgers received a big performance from Chris Capuano. The offseason signing did allow seven hits, but it came in seven innings of one-run ball without a walk surrendered. The Angels actually received a better performance from their starter, as Ervin Santana had ten strikeouts to no walks in eight innings. He allowed just four hits, and only two of the three runs he allowed were earned.
White Sox 8, Brewers 6
The 37-34 Chicago White Sox brought the offensive heat in this game, as three players had three hits for 14 hits in total.
Giants 9, Athletics 8
This was a great, narrow game between two teams that aren’t known for the offensive production combining for 17 runs. Buster Posey and Brandon Belt homered, with the first of the young stars scoring three times and the second (Belt) driving in three runs. The A’s mounted a comeback in an eventful ninth inning with four runs, but Clay Hensley finally got the final out to stop the crazy comeback.
Yankees 4, Mets 3
The New York Yankees got their revenge in this game after losing on Friday, as Rafael Soriano nabbed his 14th save in a game that saw both starting pitchers (Ivan Nova and Chris Young) match each other on the mound in two above-average performances. Raul Ibanez hit a crucial three-run homer in the seventh to tie things up, and Eric Chavez followed that up later on in the inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead that would be the final tally in this one.
Mariners 5, Padres 1
Felix Hernandez struck out ten and allowed just one run and a walk in seven great innings to shut down the San Diego Padres.
Diamondbacks 10, Cubs 5
Paul Maholm homered as a pitcher, and No. 1 and 2 hitters David DeJesus and Starlin Castro did all they could by getting four hits each, but it wasn’t enough for the Chicago Cubs to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks. In fact, they were doubled in the loss, as Paul Goldschmidt was a single away from hitting for the cycle.
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