Here’s
what’s happening in baseball:
Weekend
Games 5/3 - 5/5
Boston
Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers
Friday
– Rangers 7 Red Sox 0
Derek Holland struck out nine in eight scoreless
innings, and Adrian Beltre went 4-5 with three RBI to lead the Rangers past
Boston in Texas.
Saturday
– Rangers 5 Red Sox 1
Craig Gentry went 2-4 with three RBI and Ian Kinsler
homered as the Rangers beat Boston again in Texas.
Sunday
– Rangers 4 Red Sox 3
Yu Darvish struck out 14 in seven innings, and the
Rangers finally got to Boston starter John Lester in the sixth as they tied the
game on a Nelson Cruz homer, and won it in the bottom of the ninth on an Adrian
Beltre single, completing the sweep of the Red Sox and matching them with the
best record in the majors.
Oakland
A’s vs. New York Yankees
Friday
– A’s 2 Yankees 0 Adam Rosales homered on the first pitch of the
game off C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Griffin tossed seven shutout innings as the A’s
beat the Yankees in the first of three games in New York.
Saturday – Yankees 4
A’s 2
Phil Hughes dominated the A’s through eight scoreless
innings, striking out nine and
allowing just four hits, and Chris Stewart and Lyle Overbay homered as the
Yankees won game two.
Sunday – A’s 5 Yankees 4
The A’s hit three home runs, none bigger than Luke
Donaldson’s solo shot in the eighth to break the tie, as Oakland won two of
three from the Yankees in New York.
Cincinnati
Reds vs. Chicago Cubs
Friday - Reds 6 Cubs 5 Cincinnati scored five runs with two outs, and
Shin Soo Choo went 2-4 with two runs scored as the Reds held off the Cubs in
Chicago.
Saturday
– Reds 6
Cubs 4 Shin Soo Choo went 1-4 with a homer, and the
Reds scored four times in the eighth as they barely beat the Chicago for the
second day in a row. Alfonso Soriano hit
a pair of home runs for the Cubs.
Sunday
– Reds 7 Cubs 4
Joey Votto had three hits and Todd Frazier knocked
in two runs as the Reds completed the three game sweep of the Cubs.
Washington
Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Friday
– Pirates 3
Nationals 1
A.J. Burnett struck out nine Nationals in seven shutout
innings, and Jordy Mercer hit a tiebreaking home run as the Pirates won the
first game of the series with the Nationals at home.
Saturday
– Nationals 5 Pirates 4
Stephen Strasburg struck out eight in seven innings,
but didn’t figure in the decision as the Nationals scored the winning run on a
sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth.
Sunday
– Nationals 6 Pirates 2
Gio Gonzalez pitched just well enough to win his
third game, and Danny Espinosa and Tyler Moore each homered as the Nationals
won two of three in Pittsburgh.
New
York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves
Friday
– Mets 7 Braves 5
(10 innings) The
Mets hit four home runs, none more important than David Wright’s game-tying blast
in the ninth off Craig Kimbrel, then scored two more times in the tenth as they
pulled off a dramatic win in Atlanta.
Saturday
– Postponed due to
rain.
Sunday
– Braves 9 Mets 4
Freddie Freeman homered and the Braves pounded Jonathan
Niese for seven runs, while Tim Hudson struck out seven in seven innings in
another strong outing.
Detroit
Tigers vs. Houston Astros
Friday
– Tigers 4 Astros 3
Alex Avila hit a go-ahead two run home run in the
top of the ninth to lift the Tigers in Houston.
Saturday
– Tigers 17 Astros 2
Miguel Cabrera hit two HRs and drove in six runs,
while Max Scherzer struck out eight in eight innings to improve to 4-0.
Sunday
– Tigers 9 Astros 0
Justin Verlander didn’t allow a hit until the
seventh, and Prince Fielder went 3-5 with a homer and four RBI as the Tigers
completed a four-game sweep of the Astros in Houston, outscoring them 37-8.
Tampa
Bay Rays vs. Colorado Rockies
Friday
– Rays 7 Rockies 4
(10 innings) The
Rays scored three runs in the top of the tenth inning, starting with a run
scoring single by Evan Longoria, and finishing with a two-run home run by Kelly
Johnson as they beat the Rockies in Colorado.
Saturday
– Rockies 9 Rays 3
Carlos Gonzalez hit a two-run home run in the fifth,
and rookie 3B Nolan Arenado hit a game-breaking grand slam home run off David Price
in the seventh as the Rockies won game two of the series.
Sunday
– Rays 8 Rockies 3
Alex Cobb pitched effectively into the seventh
inning, and Kelly Johnson, Ryan Roberts and Jose Lobaton each drove in two runs
as Rays won the series two games to one.
Arizona
Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres
Friday
– Padres 7 Diamondbacks 6
Yonder Alonso hit a go-ahead two run home run in the
fifth off Arizona starter Wade Miley as the Padres had 14 hits in the home win.
Saturday
– Diamondbacks 8 Padres 1
Patrick Corbin struck out seven in seven innings,
and A.J. Pollock went 2-4 with a homer and three RBI to lead the Diamondbacks in
San Diego.
Sunday
– Padres 5 Diamondbacks
1
Rookie Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer and Will
Venable belted a solo shot as the Padres roughed up Arizona starter Ian Kennedy
in the rubber match of the three game series.
Chicago
White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals
Friday
– Postponed due to
freezing rain. Make-up date Monday 5/6.
Saturday
– Royals 2 White Sox 0
Jeremy Guthrie pitched a four-hit complete game shutout for the Royals, pushing his
unbeaten streak to 17 consecutive starts.
Sunday
– Royals 6 White Sox 5 The Royals tied the game in the bottom of the
ninth on a Billy Butler double, and won it in the tenth on an Alex Gordon
single. Game three of the series is
today.
Minnesota
Twins vs. Cleveland Indians
Friday
– Indians 7 Twins 6
(10 innings) Drew Stubbs had four hits, including a
double in the tenth to score the winning run as the Indians won their fifth
game in a row.
Saturday
– Indians 7 Twins 3
Scott Kazmir won for the first time in three years ,
and Jason Kipnis went 3-4 with a homer and three RBI as Cleveland extended
their winning streak to six games.
Sunday
– Twins 4 Indians 2
Trevor Plouffe hit a second inning two-run home run
for the Twins, and Mike Pelphrey won his third game of the season as they
stopped Cleveland’s winning streak at six games and salvaged one of the three
games.
Miami
Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Friday
– Phillies 4 Marlins 1
Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Domonic Brown each
homered as the Phillies handled the Marlins at home.
Saturday
– Marlins 2 Phillies 0 20-year old rookie Jose Fernandez struck out nine
in seven strong innings, and Marcel Ozuna hit his first ML home run as the Marlins
rebounded to beat the Phillies.
Sunday
– Marlins 14 Phillies 2 Roy Halladay’s
terrible season continued as the Marlins tagged him for nine earned runs in
less than three innings, including giving up a grand slam to Adeiny Hechavarria,
and Justin Ruggiano homered twice as Florida won the game and the series from
the Phillies.
Seattle
Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Friday
– Mariners 4 Blue Jays 0
Felix Hernandez struck out seven in eight scoreless
innings and Kyle Seager went 3-4 with a homer and two RBI to lead Seattle past
the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Saturday
– Mariners 8 Blue Jays 1
Hisashi Iwakuma held the Blue Jays to one run in
seven innings, and the Mariners offense slammed R.A. Dickey for seven runs in
six innings, including two homers by Michael Saunders as they beat Toronto
again.
Sunday
– Blue Jays 10 Mariners 2
Brandon Morrow struck out eight in eight innings for
his first win of the season, and Melky Cabrera and Mark DeRosa homered as the
Blue Jays routed the Mariners and won the series finale after losing the first
two.
St.
Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Friday
– Cardinals 6 Brewers 1
Rookie Shelby Miller limited the Brewers to one run
over six innings, and Matt Holliday and Allen Craig each had three hits as the
Cardinals beat their former pitcher Kyle Lohse in Milwaukee.
Saturday
– Cardinals 7 Brewers 6
Allen Craig, Daniel Descalso, and John Jay each homered,
and Jay drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth (his fourth RBI of
the game) as the Cardinals beat the Brewers for the third day in a row.
Sunday
– Cardinals 10 Brewers 1
Jaime Garcia cruised through eight innings, allowing
just one run, and Allen Craig went 2-5 with four RBI to lead the Cardinals to a
four-game road sweep of the Brewers.
Baltimore
Orioles vs. Los Angeles Angels
Friday
– Angels 4 Orioles 0
Jason Vargas pitched a three-hit complete game
shutout, and Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout homered for the Angels as they won at
home.
Saturday
– Orioles 5 Angels 4 (10 innings) 36-year old journeyman
pitcher Freddy Garcia, in his first start of the year, took a no-hitter into
the seventh inning, but it took a Steve Pearce run-scoring single in the top of
tenth to break the tie and win the game for the Orioles.
Sunday
– Orioles 8 Angels 4
Manny Machado and J.J. Hardy each hit two-run homers
off Jerome Williams who was making his first start of the year, and the Orioles
took two of three from the Angels in Anaheim.
Los
Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants
Friday
– Giants 2 Dodgers 1
Buster Posey hit a walk-off home run in the bottom
of the ninth inning as the Giants beat the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw at home.
Saturday
– Giants 10 Dodgers 9 (10 innings) Pinch hitter Guillermo
Quiroz hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the tenth as the Giants were
walk-off winners via the long ball for the second day in a row.
Sunday
– Giants 4 Dodgers 3 Matt Cain pitched into
the eighth as he finally won his first game if the year, and Hunter Pence went
2-4 and drove in all four runs as the Giants swept the Dodgers in San
Francisco.
Fantasy
Spin: Starling Marte, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates. Last week went 8-24 with 4 HRs, 7 runs scored
and 3 stolen bases. Marte is currently
batting .323, ranks second in the N.L. in hits, and at this point is on pace
for 26 HRs and 52 stolen bases, making him a very valuable fantasy player. Will this pace keep up? Probably not.
It’s unlikely he’ll continue to hit for high average. As a rookie last season with the Pirates he
batted .257 in 47 games and has never hit above .300 in the minors, suggesting
his batting average will come down. However,
he bats leadoff and is in the majors to stay, so consistent playing time
coupled with his speed and power, make Marte a great third OF and a should be
starting in all leagues now.
News
& Notes: After getting pounded again, Roy
Halladay is off to see a doctor regarding his arm strength. Not a good sign for Phillies fans, and for
the very proud Doc Halladay.
Atlanta’s six-time all-star catcher Brian McCann is
set to come off the disabled list Monday and make his season debut. McCann injured his shoulder last October.
Record
Watch: Miguel Cabrera has 36 RBI and is on pace to drive in
194 runs, which would break the all-time record of 191 set by Hack Wilson in
1930.
A.L.
MVP Watch: Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit. Cabrera went 6-12 with 6 RBI over the weekend
and leads the A.L with a .385 batting average, 36 RBI and is tied for 4th
with 6 HRs.
N.L.
MVP Watch: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado. Went 5-7 over the weekend with a homer and 3
RBI. He’s batting .349 with 7 HRs and 28
RBI and is on pace to hit 39 HRs and drive in 156 runs.
History
– Team History Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays
(formerly Devil Rays) joined the American League East in 1998 as an expansion
franchise and finished in last place in nine of their first ten seasons. Remarkably they turned the losing culture
around in dramatic fashion in 2008, winning the A.L. East and advancing to
their first World Series, where they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in four
games. They’ve made the playoffs two
more times, in 2010 & 2011, and seemingly have turned the franchise into a
winning team, doing it with great draft picks, young pitching, and a very small
payroll.
Trivia
– Today’s
Question – Who holds the franchise record for most home runs by a Tampa Bay
Rays player in a season?
Friday’s
Question – What former slugger played for 18
seasons with the Giants, wore number 44, and hit 521 home runs in his career?
Answer
– Willie
McCovey
Vegas Bet:
Lastly, here’s an actual Las Vegas bet that pays 1:1 - Over/Under 7 innings pitched
tonight by Boston starter Clay Buchholz, who is 6-0 and faces the Minnesota
Twins at home today.
Friday’s Bet: Over/Under
30
strikeouts by the Houston batters in the three games with Detroit this weekend.
Result: Under. The
Astros struck out 29 times.
Standings
| American League East | ||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Strk |
| Boston | 20 | 11 | - | L 3 |
| N.Y. Yankees | 18 | 12 | 1½ | L 1 |
| Baltimore | 19 | 13 | 1½ | W 2 |
| Tampa Bay | 14 | 16 | 5½ | W 1 |
| Toronto | 11 | 21 | 9½ | W 1 |
| American League Central | ||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Strk |
| Detroit | 19 | 11 | - | W 4 |
| Kansas City | 17 | 10 | ½ | W 4 |
| Cleveland | 14 | 14 | 4 | L 1 |
| Minnesota | 13 | 14 | 4½ | W 1 |
| Chi. White Sox | 12 | 17 | 6½ | L 2 |
| American League West | ||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Strk |
| Texas | 20 | 11 | - | W 3 |
| Oakland | 18 | 14 | 2½ | W 1 |
| Seattle | 15 | 18 | 6 | L 1 |
| L.A. Angels | 11 | 20 | 9 | L 2 |
| Houston | 8 | 24 | 12½ | L 6 |
| National League | ||||
| National League East | ||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Strk |
| Atlanta | 18 | 12 | - | W 1 |
| Washington | 17 | 15 | 2 | W 2 |
| Philadelphia | 14 | 18 | 5 | L 2 |
| N.Y. Mets | 12 | 16 | 5 | L 1 |
| Miami | 10 | 22 | 9 | W 2 |
| National League Central | ||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Strk |
| St. Louis | 20 | 11 | - | W 6 |
| Cincinnati | 18 | 14 | 2½ | W 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 17 | 14 | 3 | L 2 |
| Milwaukee | 14 | 16 | 5½ | L 5 |
| Chi. Cubs | 11 | 20 | 9 | L 4 |
| National League West | ||||
| Team | W | L | GB | Strk |
| San Francisco | 19 | 12 | - | W 6 |
| Colorado | 18 | 13 | 1 | L 1 |
| Arizona | 16 | 15 | 3 | L 1 |
| L.A. Dodgers | 13 | 17 | 5½ | L 4 |
| San Diego | 13 | 18 | 6 | W 1 |
Monday 5/6 Schedule
with probable pitchers in parentheses.
My picks to win are highlighted. Weekend Picks: 20-23 Overall: 190-167
Times EST
My picks to win are highlighted. Weekend Picks: 20-23 Overall: 190-167
Times EST
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