MLB Game Recaps: Yu Darvish Dominates As The Texas Rangers Defeat The Oakland Athletics
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas Rangers 4, Oakland Athletics 1
Yu Darvish continued his quest to be the finest Japanese import yet with seven strong innings (1 ER, 4 H, 2BB, 7K) against the A’s on Wednesday. The tall righty has now struck out 58 men in just 52 innings, and he seems to be getting a better grasp on limiting his walks. Darvish got all the runs he needed off the bat of Adrian Beltre, whose two-run homer in the fourth was enough to win. Josh Hamilton added a couple hits of his own, and his batting average remains obscene at .404. Curiously, Jemile Weeks reached base three times for the A’s but failed to attempt any steals.
Tampa Bay Rays 2, Boston Red Sox 1
Jeremy Hellickson and Clay Buchholz engaged in something of a pitcher’s duel, but both starters found their pitch counts too high to go very deep in the game. Both bullpens were masterful, and the 2-1 score at the end of six innings wound up being the final. Luke Scott and Daniel Nava were the only players to drive in runs, while both pitching staffs racked up nine strikeouts.
Cleveland Indians 9, Seattle Mariners 3
The Indians accomplished the rare feat of hammering Felix Hernandez into submission on their way to an easy victory. Hernandez allowed six earned runs and 13 baserunners in only 3 2/3 innings of work, while Ubaldo Jiminez was passable. Travis Hafner swatted at baseballs like the Pronk of old, going 2-5 with his fifth homer and three RBI. Dustin Ackley was the big offensive contributor for the Mariners, as he drove in two of the team’s three runs and had three hits.
Minnesota Twins 11, Detroit Tigers 7
Perhaps angry after being stifled completely by the likes of Derek Lowe earlier in the week, the anemic Twins offense exploded for11 runs and 14 hits against the division favorite Tigers. Brian Dozier hit a three-run shot, the Tigers made four costly errors, and free agent acquisition Josh Willingham had three hits. Willingham’s season line now sits at .299/.410/.607, which is even nicer for the Twins considering the continuing struggles of Justin Morneau and the absent power of Joe Mauer.
Toronto Blue Jays 8, New York Yankees 1
The Blue Jays unleashed a barrage of bombs against Hiroki Kuroda and the Yankees and received a nice start from the emerging Kyle Drabek (7 IP, 1 ER, 5 K). Among the yard-leavers for Toronto were Jose Bautista, who appears to be getting back on track, and Edwin Encarnacion, who appears to be trying his best to imitate Jose Bautista. Brett Lawrie tied his season high by keeping his helmet on for all nine innings.
Baltimore Orioles 4, Kansas City Royals 3 (F/15)
Felipe Paulino was masterful for the Royals, going seven innings and striking out nine. Problem is, the Kansas City bullpen coughed up a 3-1 lead and forced the game to go six extra innings. Adam Jones delivered the deciding blow with his lone hit of the game, a solo home run (his 12th) in the top of the 15th inning. Jones’s fast start has him nearly halfway to the career-high 25 long balls he hit a year ago. Extra gold stars go to the Baltimore bullpen, a unit that allowed just one run and seven baserunners in eight innings.
Los Angeles Angels 7, Chicago White Sox 2
Albert Pujols hit his second home run of the season, a three-run blast in the third that vaulted the Angels over the White Sox for good. Jerome Williams settled down after gaining the lead, as he held his opponent scoreless in his seven of his eight innings and managed to avoid walking a batter. The White Sox got much of their limited production from Dayan Viciedo, who had three hits, one of which landed in the seats.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego Padres 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 2
Chris Capuano‘s renaissance season continued with a quality start and six strikeouts, but Clayton Richard was better and the Dodgers offense was of little help. Richard allowed just four hits while striking out six in seven innings, and Chase Headley offered up a pair of extra-base hits and three RBI. Dale Thayer, now the San Diego closer, notched his fourth save in as many chances and still hasn’t allowed a run.
Washington Nationals 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 4
Bryce Harper may be the big story, but it was the much less exciting Adam LaRoche who powered the Nationals offense on Wednesday. LaRoche had three hits (two of which were for extra bases) and drove in four runs. To Harper’s credit, he pounded his first big league triple in the win, just narrowly missing another home run. Gio Gonzalez made sure his run support held up by going seven innings, allowing three runs, and striking out 10.
Miami Marlins 8, Atlanta Braves 4
The new-look Marlins are starting to perform a lot more like many thought they would. Giancarlo Stanton hit his eighth home run of the season and made a fine diving catch in right field, while Austin Kearns and Emilio Bonifacio also drove in multiple runs. The Marlins now sit at 20-17, well within striking distance of the NL East lead. Livan Hernandez, or a Star Wars-inspired hologram of Livan Hernandez, also pitched in this game.
Cincinnati Reds 6, New York Mets 3
The big names were relatively silent for the Reds, but Todd Frazier hit a pair of home runs to back a quality start by Mike Leake. Johan Santana was respectable in the loss, and his comeback remains a story worth watching. In 43 2/3 innings, Santana has a 2.89 ERA 1,17 WHIP, and a 3.29 K/BB ratio.
Philadelphia Phillies 9, Chicago Cubs 2
Until Wednesday night, Hector Luna had not stepped up to the plate in a major league game since 2010. Luna’s first at-bat in two seasons was a pinch-hit grand slam, which simply has to be the coolest way to return to the game’s highest level. Kyle Kendrick and Matt Garza both pitched well enough, but it was Luna’s slam that kept the game out of reach for the baby bears. Alfonso Soriano homered for the second straight night in the loss.
Houston Astros 8, Milwaukee Brewers 3
Carlos Lee pretended he was in contention for another nine-figure contract by going 3-4 with a homer and three RBI. The Astros chased Randy Wolf early, while Bud Norris went seven innings, gave up a single run, and struck out nine. Corey Hart was the brightest spot in the Milwaukee lineup, as he clubbed his eighth home run and worked a walk.
Colorado Rockies 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 1
Maybe the Rockies could find a better way to flesh out their starting rotation, but it’s still kind of fun to see Jamie Moyer spit in the face of all logic and reason every fifth day. Moyer justified his place on the mound Wednesday by allowing just one run in 6 1/3 innings and driving in two at the plate. Colorado outfielder Dexter Fowler was productive as well, finishing just a home run shy of the cycle.
St. Louis Cardinals 4, San Francisco Giants 1
Madison Bumgarner and Jaime Garcia were deadlocked in a pitcher’s duel until the St. Louis bats came to life in the seventh and eighth innings. Reigning World Series MVP David Freese broke a 1-1 tie with a home run in the seventh, while Skip Schumaker added a two-run double in the eighth. Jaime Garcia, roughed up in his last couple of starts, pitched seven innings of one-run baseball while striking out nine.
If Brian strikes your fancy, follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct and read his work at StanGraphs.