AMERICAN LEAGUE
New York Yankees 7, Cleveland Indians 1
Robinson Cano‘s extra-base hit binge continued Monday against the defenseless Cleveland Indians, as the New York Yankee second baseman doubled, homered, drove in three, and staked his team to an early lead they would never lose. Nick Swisher, who’s also been hot lately, also homered. So did Dewayne Wise, but you probably don’t care about that. It’s not like he could possibly be on your fantasy team or anything. As if things weren’t peachy enough for the Yanks, Hiroki Kurodaallowed just one run in seven innings and struck out seven for his seventh win. He also has seven losses. Seven. Brad Pitt.
Toronto Blue Jays 9, Boston Red Sox 6
Both of these teams can hit, and they didn’t disappoint. This game featured five total home runs including two for David Ortiz, who now has 20 for the season. Colby Rasmus and Jose Bautista both remain impossibly hot. Each of them went deep, while Rasmus’s also had two other hits and now sports a nifty .829 OPS. Will Middlebrooks went 1-4 in the Sox loss, which matches Kevin Youkilis‘s line with his new team exactly. Let the ill-advised and inappropriate comparisons begin!
Detroit Tigers 8, Texas Rangers 2
Rick Porcello turned in a fine performance (6 IP, ER, 7 K) against the formidable Texas offense and Miguel Cabrera took care of the rest. Cabrera reached base four times, drove in three, scored a run, and probably saved a life or two even if we can’t prove it. Both Texas runs came on a home run from Josh Hamilton. That’s number 23 if you’re counting. The Tigers are now just two games out of first in the AL Central.
Kansas City Royals 8, Tampa Bay Rays 0
This game was much more interesting than the score might indicate. It lasted only two hours and 17 minutes and every inning was pitched by the two starters. Luke Hochevar tossed a complete game shutout and struck out eight, while Alex Cobb finished the game despite allowing eight runs on 13 hits and striking out one. It’s not every day you see a guy add to his complete game count while allowing a run per inning! Eric Hosmer went 2-4 with two RBI and his ninth home run in the victory.
Minnesota Twins 4, Chicago White Sox 1
Jake Peavy wasn’t bad, per se, but he did allow 10 hits in his six innings despite fanning seven. Francisco Liriano went seven innings while striking out a handful and coughing up just one run in the win. Joe Mauer had three hits and drove in a run, while Ben Revere contributed four hits of his own and stole his 15th base. Adam Dunn summoned his 2011 form to whiff four times in as many trips to the dish.
Oakland Athletics 1, Seattle Mariners 0
Here’s your everyday Tommy Milone–Erasmo Ramirez pitcher’s duel. Milone tossed seven shutout innings and struck out five, while Ramirez struck out 10 and allowed just the one run over eight innings. Seth Smith‘s eighth home run was the lone tally in the game.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia Phillies 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Joe Blanton held down the Philly Phort with a seven-inning, two-run, eight strikeout performance that stifled the upstart Pirates. Jimmy Rollins doubled, homered, and drove in a pair to help the Philadelphia offense, while Andrew McCutchen had a hit and RBI for Pittsburgh. It should also be noted that Carlos Ruiz had three more hits and has now raised his batting average to infinity.
Cincinnati Reds 3, Milwaukee Brewers 1
Going into the season, this match-up looked a lot more tasty. The Brewers have floundered most of the year, though, while the Reds look like a legitimate contender. Mat Latos has endured a rough first season in Cincinnati, but he went the distance and struck out 13 on Monday night. Jay Bruce knocked in a couple runs and Drew Stubbs reached base three times.Norichika Aoki‘s solo home run in the sixth was the only Brewer score.
St. Louis Cardinals 8, Miami Marlins 7 (F/10)
Ricky Nolasco didn’t allow an earned run (and allowed just one run period) through 6 2/3 innings of this one. The Marlins took a 6-1 lead (including two runs scored on bases-loaded walks) into the eighth inning. Things weren’t that simple for the slumping Marlins, though, as the Cardinals stormed back to force extra innings after Yadier Molina took Heath Bell deep to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Rafael Furcal doubled in the go-ahead score and St. Louis eventually won their fourth straight. For the record, the best Molina is now just three homers shy of his career best, which was established last season.
Chicago Cubs 6, New York Mets 1
Travis Wood and Johan Santana both pitched well, but Wood was just a bit better. The Chicago starter went seven innings, didn’t surrender a run, and struck out six. Joe Mather hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, while Starlin Castro drove in a run, and Alfonso Soriano reached base three times. The Mets got their run on the ninth home run of the season from Ike Davis.
San Diego Padres 8, Houston Astros 7 (F/10)
Carlos Quentin drove in the eventual game-winner in the top of the 10th and finished the game 2-5. Quentin’s season line still looks great (.329/.443/.671), but it was a lot more fun when he was slugging .900 for a while. Jesus Guzman also had two hits and two RBI for the Padres, while Brian Bixler went 2-5 with three runs scored and a home run for Houston. Carlos Lee and Jason Castro also went deep. These two teams have a combined 57-90 record, which is somehow like a little better than I expected.
Colorado Rockies 4, Washington Nationals 2
It’s not really appropriate to say, but Jeff Francis “outdueled’ Stephen Strasburg as the Rockies defeated the Washington ace. Okay, so Francis only pitched five innings and allowed a pair of runs compared to Strasburg’s six-inning, three earned run, eight strikeout effort, but still. Dexter Fowler‘s fine season is still in full swing, as he had two hits (including his eighth triple), drove in a run, and scored a run. Jesus Flores had three hits and two runs scored for the Nationals.
San Francisco Giants 8, Los Angeles Dodgers 0
The Giants are now only two games back of the Dodgers thanks to seven shutout innings from Barry Zito and seven runs scored in the first two innings. Pablo Sandoval went 3-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBI in the win. Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan, and Hector Sanchez also had multi-hit games. Dee Gordon had two hits for the Dodgers to raise his OBP to .281 in the lead-off spot. I wonder why the Dodgers are having trouble scoring runs of late? Hmmm…
If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct and read his work at StanGraphs.