MLB Scoreboard: Albert Pujols Goes Deep Twice To Help The Los Angeles Angels Down the Texas Rangers Again
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Los Angeles Angels 6, Texas Rangers 2
The Angels have improved themselves greatly by adding Zack Greinke to their rotation and now they have beaten the rival Rangers once again. Tuesday’s hero was Albert Pujols, who clubbed a pair of solo home runs to help down the Texas squad. Jered Weaver put up a quality start that looked even better for a while, as he held the opponent hitless through five innings. Mike Trout hit his 18th home run of the season (10 of which have come in July) and David Murphy drove in both of the runs the Rangers scored. The Angels are now just three games back of the division lead.
Baltimore Orioles 11, New York Yankees 5
The Yankees scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Orioles charged back to score seven in the top of the second. Chris Davis hit a grand slam, while teammate Nick Markakis went 3-5 with a home run and two RBI. A two-run homer by Robinson Cano was a big part of the New York scoring outburst in the first frame.
Boston Red Sox 4, Detroit Tigers 1
The Red Sox won this weather-shortened game thanks to solid work from the pitching staff. Josh Beckett, Clayton Mortensen, and Franklin Morales combined to allow just one run in 5 2/3 innings despite walking six batters. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, and Pedro Ciriaco each drove in runs for the Red Sox. Miguel Cabrera plated the only Detroit run.
Kansas City Royals 8, Cleveland Indians 3
Luke Hochevar pitched a quality start and got help from unlikely sources in the win. Alcides Escobar went 2-4 with three RBI, while Chris Getz drove in two and Jarrod Dyson had three hits. Alex Gordon, a much more expected hero, also had three hits in the game.
Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota Twins 3
An A.J. Pierzynski solo home run in the top of the ninth wound up being the difference as the White Sox edged the Twins. Francisco Liraino faced his former team for the first time since being traded and fared well. The lefty struck out eight and allowed just two runs in six innings of work. Denard Span had four hits for the Twins and Nick Blackburn went eight strong innings.
Tampa Bay Rays 8, Oakland Athletics 0
James Shields never got traded and that seems to be a good thing for the Rays. Shields fired a complete game shutout, allowed just three hits, didn’t walk a man, and struck out 11. B.J. Upton drove in a pair of runs and Sam Fuld had three hits.
Seattle Mariners 7, Toronto Blue Jays 2
Jason Vargas only allowed two runs in seven innings of work and benefited from a home run and three RBI courtesy of Dustin Ackley. Brendan Ryan had a three hit game for Seattle; the effort boosts his batting average to a still sickly .205. Brett Lawrie drove in both Toronto runs.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia Phillies 8, Washington Nationals 0
The Phillies have dealt away a large chunk of their Major League talent, but that didn’t stop them from upending Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg for an easy win. Jimmy Rollins belted a two-run homer, while Juan Pierre had three hits of his own. No Washington players were able to accumulate multiple hits in the contest. Cliff Lee went seven shutout innings and struck out seven; he seems like the only Phillie who didn’t find himself in a new uniform this week.
Atlanta Braves 7, Miami Marlins 1
The Braves jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back. Juan Francisco had three hits, while Brian McCann hit a home run and drove in two runs. Donnie Murphy (there are far too many baseball players named D. Murphy) hit a solo home run in the first inning for Miami.
Cincinnati Reds 7, San Diego Padres 6
Homer Bailey and Jason Marquis both got crushed early on, as the game was quickly tied at six and stayed that way until Brandon Phillips hit the eventual game-winning solo homer in the seventh. Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier each also went deep for Cincinnati, while Cameron Maybin cleared the fence for San Diego.
Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Chicago Cubs 0
A.J. Burnett shut out the new-look Cubs with a complete game effort featuring eight strikeouts and just one base hit. Neil Walker hit a grand slam in the first inning, while outfielder Andrew McCutchen chimed in with his usual three hits. Pinch hitter Adrian Cardenas was the only Cub to get a hit off Burnett.
Milwaukee Brewers 10, Houston Astros 1
Yovani Gallardo pitched seven great innings and let his offense tee off on every Houston pitcher who entered the game. Aramis Ramirez went 3-4 with four RBI and a home run to lead the offensive attack. Corey Hart also homered and drove in three runs for Milwaukee.
St. Louis Cardinals 11, Colorado Rockies 6
The Cardinals had to fight the Rockies hard to get this win, but five late runs helped seal the deal. Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, and David Freese all homered and had multi-hit games. Allen Craig got into the act as well by reaching base all five trips and driving in three runs. Josh Rutledge hit a home run and drove in three for Colorado.
Arizona Diamondbacks 8, Los Angeles Dodgers 2
The Dodgers may have won at the trading deadline, but they didn’t win this baseball game. This loss puts them a game behind the Giants and just 2 1/2 up on the D-Backs. Paul Goldschmidt homered and had three hits, Miguel Montero had a three-run shot of his own, and Chris Johnson provided a three hit game. Wade Miley went eight innings and allowed one run while striking out seven.
San Francisco Giants 4, New York Mets 1
Vintage Tim Lincecum showed up to help his team reclaim sole possession of first place in the NL West Tuesday. The Freak struck out seven and allowed one run in seven innings of work. The newly-acquired Marco Scutaro went 2-3 with a walk, a run scored, and one RBI in the victory.
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