MLB Scoreboard: Ichiro Hops Dugouts, Helps The New York Yankees Beat The Seattle Mariners
AMERICAN LEAGUE
New York Yankees 4, Seattle Mariners 1
Ichiro Suzuki had been a Seattle Mariner for his entire career until the New York Yankees picked him up a week before the trade deadline on Monday. The Yankees were in Seattle at the time of the trade, thus making for an awkward and abrupt goodbye for Mariner fans. Ichiro acquitted himself nicely with a single and a stolen base, though he certainly wasn’t the only Yankee to perform well. Alex Rodriguez hit his 15th home run of the season, while Mark Teixeira went 3-4 with two doubles. Hiroki Kuroda, who is quietly putting up a very good season, went seven strong innings and struck out nine for the win. On the Seattle side of things, John Gaso had two hits and drove in the team’s lone run.
Cleveland Indians 3, Baltimore Orioles 1
The Indians halted their recent slide away from the top of the AL Central thanks to a nice start from Justin Masterson. Masterson went 7 1/3 innings, allowed just one run, and struck out six in the win. Shin-Soo Choo hit his 12th home run and drove in two runs to spur the Cleveland offense. Adam Jones was the only Oriole to manage a multi-hit game.
Texas Rangers 9, Boston Red Sox 1
Scott Feldman pitched a gem, giving up just one one run in seven innings against a powerful offense. Feldman didn’t need to pitch all that well, though, as he got plenty of offensive support. Josh Hamilton drove in two runs, Ian Kinsler had three hits, and Mike Napoli hit his 15th home run of 2012. The only Boston Run came on a solo homer from catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Chicago White Sox 7, Minnesota Twins 4
It’s been a rough week for the White Sox, but they took out their frustration on the Twins Monday. Paul Konerko went 3-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Adam Dunn hit his MLB-leading 29th home run. Ryan Doumit hit a solo home run for the Twins, while starter Francisco Liriano didn’t look too appealing to potential trade suitors while he was giving up seven runs in less than three innings.
Los Angeles Angels 6, Kansas City Royals 3
The Angels and Royals were tied at three until the bottom of the eighth when Kendrys Morales drove in three runs with an unusually powerful single. Mike Trout also had a couple of hits, while C.J. Wilson had a quality start. Alex Gordon had two hits and drove in a run for Kansas City.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia Phillies 7, Milwaukee Brewers 6
The Brewers had a comfortable 6-3 lead entering the bottom of the ninth, but Francisco Rodriguez imploded and the Phillies came back to win on a RBI single from Ty Wigginton. Carlos Gomez drove in three, reached base safely every trip, and homered for the Brewers. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each homered for the Phillies as they try to return from injuries.
Chicago Cubs 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Erik Bedard pitched an excellent game, but Jeff Samardzija was just a bit better. The Pittsburgh starter gave up just one run and struck out 11 in seven innings, while Samardzija went eight innings and allowed just one hit. Alfonso Soriano drove in both runs in the game to push the Pirates 1.5 games back of the Reds in the NL Central.
Washington Nationals 8, New York Mets 2 (F/10)
This game was tied at two after nine innings, but the Nationals exploded for six runs in the top of the 10th. Ryan Zimmerman delivered with a bases-clearing double, while Michael Morse added the exclamation point with a two-run bomb. Bryce Harper also had a big game, going 2-4 with a home run, three RBI, a stolen base, and a walk.
Miami Marlins 2, Atlanta Braves 1
Josh Johnson‘s name has been mentioned on the trade market, and he pitched extremely well for the scouts in the stands. Johnson left the game with finger irritation (though he’s fine), but he allowed just one hit and no runs while whiffing nine in six innings. Despite somehow allowing a home run to the powerless Emilio Bonifacio, Mike Minor also had a strong start (7 IP, 2 ER).
Cincinnati Reds 8, Houston Astros 3
The Reds jumped all over the Astros to increase their division lead and move 16 games over .500. Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier, and Ryan Ludwick each had three hit games and the latter two players also drove in multiple runs. Chris Johnson had a four-hit game in the loss.
Los Angeles Dodgers 5, St. Louis Cardinals 3
Luis Cruz hit an early three-run homer and Mark Ellis doubled in a pair of runs late to keep the Cardinals out of this one. The Dodgers also received a commendable six innings from Chad Billingsley, who is returning from a stint on the disabled list. Carlos Beltran hit his 22nd home run of the season to tally a couple of runs in the eighth inning for St. Louis.
Arizona Diamondbacks 6, Colorado Rockies 3
Ian Kennedy had a nice night against the Rockies Monday. The Arizona starter went eight innings, allowed just two runs, and struck out seven on the mound. He was just fine at the plate, too, as he drove in three of the D-Back scores. Paul Goldschmidt homered and scored a couple of runs to help his team to the win.
San Francisco Giants 7, San Diego Padres 1
The Giants scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back as they downed the Padres easily. Buster Posey went 3-4 with two runs scored, four RBI, and a home run to lay claim to the most impressive box score line in the game. Ryan Theriot and Melky Cabrera also had three hit games. San Francisco starter Ryan Vogelsong dominated the impotent Padre offense by allowing just a run and four hits in seven innings.
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