BOSTON, MA - MAY 16: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting a two run home run during the first inning of a game against the Oakland Athletics on May 16, 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MAY 16: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting a two run home run during the first inning of a game against the Oakland Athletics on May 16, 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez hits another home run, Justin Turner returns to the Dodgers, and more in today’s Relief Roundup!
At Call to the Pen, we want to ensure every MLB team is getting coverage, and that you’re well-informed as the reader! As part of that, we will be including a daily piece into our collection each morning with all of the night’s scores at every level of the majors and minors, along with a bit of history/birthdays at the very end.
Without further adieu, let’s begin!
MLB Scores
Chicago Cubs @ Atlanta Braves in Atlanta, PPD
Chicago White Sox 4, Texas Rangers 2 in Chicago – Doug Fister and James Shields surprised many by tossing excellent ball for the first 7 innings of the game, with the Rangers holding to a 1-0 lead, but the Rangers bullpen blew up in the bottom of the 8th as the White Sox got all 4 of their runs in the inning for the win.
Philadelphia Phillies 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2 in St. Louis – Vince Velasquez and Luke Weaver battled strong deep into the game, with 7 of the game’s 8 runs being scored after the starters were out of the game.
Boston Red Sox 6, Baltimore Orioles 2 in Boston – David Price was on his game, and the Red Sox offense provided him with backup, including home runs from JD Martinez and Xander Bogaerts.
Oakland Athletics 10, Toronto Blue Jays 5 in Toronto – The Athletics jumped all over Aaron Sanchez in the middle innings, collecting 14 hits as a team in the big road win. Khris Davis had a big game for the A’s, going 4-4 with a home run.
Tampa Bay Rays 7, Los Angeles Angels 1 in Los Angeles – Chris Archer pitched like an ace on this night, shutting down the Angels, who didn’t score until the bottom of the 9th. Tyler Skaggs threw well to open the game, holding the Rays scoreless over 5 innings, but the bullpen couldn’t help him out and the offense gave him no support.
Colorado Rockies 5, San Francisco Giants 3, 12 innings in San Francisco – After 5 innings of zeroes for both teams once the Giants tied up the ballgame in the bottom of the 6th inning, the Rockies broke through with a pair of runs in the top of the 12th.
Pittsburgh Pirates 5, San Diego Padres 4 in Pittsburgh – The Pirates and Padres went back and forth throughout the game until the Pirates took the final lead in the bottom of the 7th inning.
Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Miami Marlins 0 in Miami – The Dodgers hit hard in two innings to score all of their runs and got a tremendous start from Kenta Maeda as Justin Turner drove in 5 runs on the day.
Detroit Tigers 3, Seattle Mariners 2 in Seattle – Matt Boyd and Marco Gonzales both did well scattering hits on the game, with the Tigers making a comeback on the Mariners bullpen.
Standouts
Khris Davis has really established himself as one of the top power hitters in all of baseball. On Thursday, he had a big game for the A’s, going 4-4 with a home run, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI.
The Dodgers were glad to see Justin Turner produce again, but to see Kenta Maeda throwing as well as he did Thursday had to be a huge boost as well. Maeda tossed 8 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and no walks, striking out 8.
Other pitchers Chris Archer, TB, 6 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K Matt Boyd, Det, 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K Doug Fister, Tex, 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K Marco Gonzales, 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K David Price, Bos, 9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K James Shields, ChW, 7 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K Vince Velasquez, Phi, 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K Luke Weaver, StL, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Friday’s Game to Watch
Undefeated starters square off as two of 2017’s best teams in baseball meet for a weekend series with Mike Clevinger bringing his 3-0 record into the game for Cleveland against Houston, who starts 5-0 Charlie Morton.
Next: AA/AAA
AAA International League
Toledo Mud Hens 3, Charlotte Knights 2 Gwinnett Stripers 6, Columbus Clippers 0 Indianapolis Indians 6, Norfolk Tides 0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 5, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 4, 11 innings Durham Bulls 6, Louisville Bats 4, Game 1 Durham Bulls 4, Louisville Bats 1, Game 2 Syracuse Chiefs 4, Rochester Red Wings 2
AAA Pacific Coast League
Oklahoma City Dodgers 13, Nashville Sounds 3 New Orleans Baby Cakes 3, Round Rock Express 2 Iowa Cubs 4, Omaha Storm Chasers 3, 11 innings Las Vegas 51s 8, Tacoma Rainiers 5 Fresno Grizzlies 9, El Paso Chihuahuas 7 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 10, Memphis Redbirds 5 Salt Lake Bees 12, Sacramento River Cats 11 Albuquerque Isotopes 8, Reno Aces 2
Standouts
Fresno’s J.D. Davis hit for the cycle Thursday with a bit extra. He went 4-4 on the day with a pair of runs and 5 RBI to go with a single, double, triple, and home run, and he added in a walk as well.
Clay Holmes tossed a gem for Indianapolis on Thursday, hurling 6 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7.
Other hitters: Auston Bousfield, El Paso, 2-3, R, BB Peter Bourjos, Gwinnett, 4-5, 2 R, 2B BJ Boyd, Nashville, 2-4, 2 RBI, BB Keon Broxton, Colorado Springs, 4-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI Chris Carter, Salt Lake, 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI Jake Cave, Rochester, 2-3, BB, SB Allen Craig, El Paso, 1-2, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB Chase d’Arnaud, Sacramento, 2-5, 2 R, 3B, HR Jose Miguel Fernandez, Salt Lake, 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB David Fletcher, Salt Lake, 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI Kyle Garlick, Oklahoma City, 2-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, SB Garrett Hampson, Albuquerque, 3-5, 3 R Yadiel Hernandez, Syracuse, 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB Kyle Jensen, Sacramento, 2-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, RBI Hunter Jones, Syracuse, 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B Ryder Jones, Sacramento, 3-4, 2 R, 2B, BB Ty Kelly, Las Vegas, 1-3, 2 BB Patrick Leonard, Charlotte, 2-3, R, 2 2B, BB Tim Locastro, Oklahoma City, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB Jordan Luplow, Indianapolis, 2-4, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB Ryan McBroom, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 2-4, 2B, BB Austin Meadows, Indianapolis, 3-5, 2 R, 2B Joey Meneses, Lehigh Valley, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, BB Oscar Mercado, Memphis, 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB Dylan Moore, Colorado Springs, 2-3, R, 3B, 3 RBI, BB Tom Murphy, Albuquerque, 2-4, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI Antonio Nunez, Fresno, 3-4, R, 2B, SB Jordan Patterson, Albuquerque, 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB Shane Peterson, El Paso, 2-4, R, 2 2B, RBI Austin Slater, Sacramento, 2-4, 2 RBI, BB Dominic Smith, Las Vegas, 3-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, BB Eric Sogard, Colorado Springs, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB Christin Stewart, Toledo, 2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB Travis Taijeron, Oklahoma City, 3-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI Breyvic Valera, Oklahoma City, 3-5, 2 R, 2B, SB Josh VanMeter, Louisville, 2-4, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI Luke Volt, Memphis, 1-3, 2 BB Tyler Wade, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 3-6, RBI Tyler White, Fresno, 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB
Other pitchers: Luke Farrell, Iowa, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K Jeff Hoffman, Albuquerque, 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K Vidal Nuno, Durham, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K Phillips Valdez, Syracuse, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Friday’s Game to Watch
Michael Kopech came out like gangbusters in his last start before losing his control completely after the first inning. He’ll try to get back on track on Friday night against Columbus.
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 7, Mobile BayBears 3 Birmingham Barons 12, Montgomery Biscuits 11 Chattanooga Lookouts 6, Biloxi Shuckers 4 Mississippi Braves 9, Tennessee Smokies 5 Jackson Generals @ Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Suspended due to rain
AA Texas League
Northwest Arkansas Naturals 9, Arkansas Travelers 7 Frisco RoughRiders 4, Midland RockHounds 2 Springfield Cardinals 8, Tulsa Drillers 5 Corpus Christi Hooks 4, San Antonio Missions 0
Standouts
Binghamton had a big day at the plate on Thursday, led by Kevin Taylor, who went 3-4 on the game with a double and two home runs. He scored 3 runs and drove in 3 as well, and he even added in a walk for good measure.
One of the more underrated prospects the Marlins picked up this offseason was Nick Neidert, acquired from the Mariners in the Dee Gordon deal. Thursday, he had another big start, going 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 11.
Other pitchers of note Nabil Crismatt, Binghamton, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K Ryan Hartman, Corpus Christi, 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K Taylor Hearn, Altoona, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K Brett Martin, Frisco, 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K Joel Seddon, Midland, 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Friday’s Game to Watch
Tim Tebow meets Vlad Junior in a doubleheader Friday between Binghamton and New Hampshire that should feature plenty of offensive firepower.
Next: high-A/low-A
California League
Lancaster JetHawks 11, Visalia Rawhide 9 Modesto Nuts 6, San Jose Giants 3 Inland Empire 66ers 7, Lake Elsinore 4 Stockton Ports 2, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 1
Carolina League
Frederick Keys 3, Lynchburg Hillcats 1, Game 1 Frederick Keys @ Lynchburg HIllcats, Game 2, PPD Wilmington Blue Rocks 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1 Down East Wood Ducks 6, Carolina Mudcats 5, 11 innings Winston-Salem Dash @ Buies Creek Astros, PPD Salem Red Sox @ Potomac Nationals, PPD (2 games)
Florida State League
Lakeland Flying Tigers @ Charlotte Stone Crabs, PPD St. Lucie Mets @ Florida Fire Frogs, PPD (2 games) Tampa Tarpons 6, Dunedin Blue Jays 2 Bradenton Marauders 6, Daytona Tortugas 1 Palm Beach Cardinals 8, Clearwater Threshers 3 Jupiter Hammerheads 5, Fort Myers Miracle 2
Standouts
Visalia’s Daulton Varsho had a stat-filling line on Thursday, going 3-4, scoring 3 runs, driving in 2 runs, hitting a home run, drawing a walk, and stealing a base.
Hard=throwing Melvin Adon had a solid game for San Jose on Thursday, tossing 6 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits and a walk, striking out 7.
Other pitchers Randy Bell, Modesto, 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Jake Bray, Stockton, 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K Luis Escobar, Bradenton, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K Alex Lange, Myrtle Beach, 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB 2 K Nick Nelson, Tampa, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K Alex Wells, Frederick, 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Friday’s Game to Watch
Tampa and Lakeland square off with two excellent pitchers in Florida State League action on Friday. Garrett Whitlock takes the hill for Tampa and Alex Faedo tosses the rock for Lakeland.
Midwest League
Fort Wayne TinCaps 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, Great Lakes Loons 4 Lansing Lugnuts 4, Dayton Dragons 1 Lake County Captains 7, South Bend Cubs 0 Clinton LumberKings 7, Peoria Chiefs 2 Kane County Cougars 21, Burlington Bees 6 Quad Cities River Bandits 2, Cedar Rapids Kernels 1 Beloit Snappers 8, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7
South Atlantic League
Hickory Crawdads 5, Kannapolis Intimidators 3 Augusta GreenJackets 2, Greenville Drive 1 Lakewood BlueClaws 4, Greensboro Grasshoppers 1 West Virginia Power 3, Lexington Legends 2 Columbia Fireflies 2, Charleston RiverDogs 1 Hagerstown Suns @ Delmarva Shorebirds, PPD Rome Braves 1 Asheville Tourists 0
Standouts
Kane County exploded for 21 runs on Thursday, and there were plenty of big performers, but two stood out. Renae Martinez put together a 4-5 day, scoring 3 runs and driving in 5 on a pair of doubles. Joey Rode tattoed the ball on the day, going 3-5 with 3 extra base hits, 2 doubles and a home run. He scored 3 runs and drove in 3 as well, adding in a walk.
The Braves of course have another arm to consider. For Rome on Thursday, Bruce Zimmermann tossed 7 scoreless innings, allowing a pair of hits and a walk, striking out 9.
Other hitters Jo Adell, Burlington, 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB Austin Beck, Beloit, 3-5, 2 RBI Luke Burch, West Michigan, 4-4, R, 3B, RBI, SB Ernie De La Trinidad, Kane County, 2-3, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB Jean Carlos Encarnacion, Rome, 3-4, HR Oscar Gonzalez, Lake County, 3-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI Devin Hairston, Wisconsin, 2-4, 3 R, 3B, RBI, BB Hunter Hargrove, Beloit, 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB Payton Henry, Wisconsin, 2-3, R, 2B, BB Starling Heredia, Great Lakes, 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI Jonathan Laureano, Lake County, 2-3, R, BB Brandon Marsh, Burlington, 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI Shane Matheny, Augusta, 2-3, BB Mickey McDonald, Beloit, 2-4, 2 R, BB, SB Pat McInerney, Wisconsin, 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB Calvin Mitchell, West Virginia, 1-2, HR, 2 BB Dimas Ojeda, Clinton, 4-4, R, 2 RBI Moises Perez, Great Lakes, 2-3, BB Yohel Pozo, Hickory, 2-3, 2B, BB Jefrey Ramos, Rome, 2-4, 2 2B Franklin Rollin, 3-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI Esteury Ruiz, Fort Wayne, 2-4, R, 2B, BB Ariel Sandoval, Clinton, 3-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 BB Evan Skoug, Kannapolis, 2-4, R, BB, SB Tim Susnara, Kane County, 3-5, 2 R, RBI, BB Yoel Yanqui, Kane County, 3-6, 2 R, RBI, SB
Other pitchers Tony Dibrell, Columbia, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K Turner Larkins, Lansing, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K Parker Mushinski, Quad Cities, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K Bailey Ober, Cedar Rapids, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K Francisco Perez, Lake County, 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K Brady Puckett, Greensboro, 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K Domingo Robles, West Virginia, 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K JP Sears, Charleston, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K Will Stewart, Lakewood, 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Nick Wells, Peoria, 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Friday’s Game to Watch
Two raw, yet impressive, arms take the mound on Friday night in the Midwest League as Blaine Enlow and Cedar Rapids visit Tommy Romero and Clinton.
Next: Birthdays/history for 18th of May
FLUSHING, NY – OCTOBER 1973: Reggie Jackson #9 of the Oakland Athletics swats the ball during the World Series against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on October 1973 in Flushing, New York. (Photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images) /
Birthdays today
A pair of players that could not be more different are the two Hall of Fame players born today. Brooks Robinson was arguably the best defensive third baseman that has ever played the position, playing 23 seasons at the hot corner, all with the Baltimore Orioles.
While Robinson was a solid enough hitter (.267 career hitter with 268 home runs), he was most known for his glove at the position, making 18 All-Star games, winning 16 Gold Gloves, and winning the American League MVP in 1964. Robinson turned it up in the postseason, playing in 5 ALCS in his career and 4 World Series, with a career .303 batting average, winning an ALCS MVP and World Series MVP over his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983.
From a guy primarily known for his glove to one known for his prodigious power, Reggie Jackson was one of the most exciting men at the bat for 21 seasons with the Athletics, Yankees, Angels, and Orioles. Jackson was a 14-time All-Star, winning 2 Silver Sluggers, and winning the 1973 MVP.
Over his career, Jackson hit .262/.356/.490 with 563 home runs. His 2,597 strikeouts are still the most in major league history. Jim Thome finished his career within 50 of the record, but even with today’s more lenient attitude toward strikeouts, no active player is within 750 of his record, which tells you just how often he struck out!
Reggie was one of the smartest players in his era at marketing himself and was able to turn that into a successful post-playing career in broadcasting and media, along with a popular chocolate bar bearing his name.
Active MLB players born today: Randy Rosario, Joakim Soria
In 1897, Bill Joyce hits four triples in a game for the New York Giants. No one has done it since!
Rod Carew steals second, third, and home consecutively in the third inning of the Twins 1969 game against the Tigers. He is the first player in the post-WWII era to do so.
Fernando-mania in 1981 takes its first hit as Fernando Valenzuela loses his first game, dropping his record to 8-1 now on the season.
Pedro Martinez opens a rain-delayed game against the Mariners with an immaculate inning, striking out the side on 9 pitches on his way to 9 strikeouts on the game, running his record to 6-0.
