Here are the scores. Here are the highlights:
Mets 5, Marlins 0: Zack Wheeler shut the Marlins out over eight innings on eight hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Wilson Ramos hit a three-run homer and Pete Alonso also went deep. The Mets have now won five in a row and 12 of their last 13. A hater might note that those games have come against the Padres, Pirates, White Sox, and Marlins. Not gonna hate, though, because as we’ve noted here many times, one of the things that defines a good team is taking care of business against the bad teams. The Mets have been taking care of business, period.
Rays 7, Blue Jays 6: Kevin Kiermaier scored the winning run on a walkoff wild pitch in the tenth inning. This in a game the Blue Jays led 6-0 before the Rays came to bat in the fourth. And what a damn bottom half of the fourth it was. The Rays scored all six of their runs in regulation that frame thanks to three two-run homers, coming from Avisail García, Willy Adames, and Austin Meadows, all surrendered by Jays pitcher Trent Thornton. I didn’t watch this one — Cozi TV runs a lot of old “Frasier” episodes around the time the fourth inning was rolling around here — but I can only assume that either (a) Thornton really pissed off Jays manager Charlie Montoyo at some point and Montoyo was making him wear it; or (b) Montoyo was himself watching “Frasier,” lost track of time and forgot to get a reliever up. Which would be understandable. “Frasier” was a great show. They don’t make ’em like that anymore.
Athletics 11, Cubs 4: Jon Lester‘s line score looked like tossed salads and scrambled eggs: four innings, ten hits, 11 runs — only ten earned! — three walks and two homers. Scrambled eggs all OVER his face. Dustin Garneau and Stephen Piscotty each hit three-run homers. What’s a boy to do?
Reds 8, Angels 4: I have a friend in Cincinnati who genuinely loves Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley. He’s under no illusion that Brantley is some deft commentator or analyst, but he enjoys listening to him and has become quite comfortable with him over the years. He’s particularly taken by the way Brantley goes the extra mile during promos for restaurants and ice cream joints, in which he talks strangely passionately about a sundae or a sub he housed the day before. The Cowboy is not everyone’s cup of tea, but my friend has really come to appreciate him and often shares with me his best bits.
Last night my friend texted me to tell me that Brantley offered this bit of wisdom in the bottom of the first when the Reds tied the game up after falling being 3-0 in the top half of the first:
“In order to put together an extended winning streak, there are some days you just have to outscore the other team”
Makes you think. Thanks, Cowboy.
The Reds took Brantley’s advice and outscored the other team thanks to two homers from Tucker Barnhart and deep flies from Eugenio Suárez, José Iglesias and Aristides Aquino. It also helped that the Reds’ bullpen shut the Angels out from the sixth inning on. Justin Upton and Mike Trout homered in a losing cause. Brantley no doubt celebrated afterward with two scoops of United Dairy Farmers’ 75 Candles ice cream — the flavor created in honor of three quarters of a century of great tastes at UDF — with kettle-cooked hot fudge, available until the end of the summer, only at United Dairy Farmers.
Brewers 4, Pirates 3: Yasmani Grandal had two doubles and an RBI. The other Milwaukee runs came on a double play, a sac fly and a rundown that resulted in the Pirates being called for obstruction. No homers because Christian Yelich had the day off, I guess.
White Sox 5, Tigers 3; Tigers 10, White Sox 6: Per the idea I had early in the season about split doubleheaders, I’m going to choose to believe that the Tigers won this 13-11 and move the heck on because life is too short to parse two box scores in an otherwise meaningless couple of games.
Ah, screw it: José Abreu homered and drove in three and Wellington Castillo also hit one out in the first one. Hector Santiago got called up to handle the nightcap and couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning, coughing up five, with two mop up guys out of the pen giving up five more. Rick Renteria praised Santiago for his effort, as even he knew that the point of the game was to simply get through the game, get back to the Book Cadillac Hotel (or wherever) and catch some z’s before coming back for today’s day game. Jordy Mercer hit a two-run homer and Miguel Cabrera had three hits for the Tigers.
Yankees 9, Orioles 4: On Monday the Yankees hit five homers against Baltimore. Last night they teed off on O’s pitchers six times. As has become common this year, none of the guys who did the damage featured big in preseason previews of the team, with Mike Tauchman, DJ LeMahieu, Brett Gardner, Cameron Maybin, Didi Gregorius and Austin Romine hitting the long balls. Gregorius also had a two-run double. Put yer Aunt Tilly in pinstripes and she’d probably hit 22 dingers for the Yanks. Seven straight wins for New York.
Royals 6, Red Sox 2: Jorge Soler was one of the guys who hit two homers to help the Royals snap a seven-game losing streak and an eight-game losing streak specifically against the Red Sox. Ryan O’Hearn also went deep and Jakob Junis allowed one run over six. Andrew Cashner made 17 starts for the Orioles this year and had a 3.83 ERA. Cashner, who took the loss for the Sox, has made five starts for Boston and has a 7.53 ERA.
Astros 11, Rockies 6: Zack Greinke‘s Astros’ debut was certainly not one of his better efforts — he allowed five runs on seven hits over six innings — but he didn’t have to be particularly sharp given the run support he got. Yuli Gurriel hit two homers and Carlos Correa and Yordan Álvarez each went deep as well, with Correa and Gurriel driving in three a piece.
Braves 12, Twins 7: Mike Foltynewicz came back and was effective until he coughed up three in the sixth inning, but the story of this game was offense. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman each hit first-pitch homers off Minnesota starter Jose Berrios — Acuña to lead the game off, Freeman in the third — and the Braves led 11-0 after six. The first three batters in Atlanta’s lineup — Acuña, Ozzie Albies and Freeman — did most of the damage, combining to go 10-for-16 with nine runs and eight RBI. Acuna scored four times. Freeman drove in four. Foltynewicz running out of gas in the sixth and the Braves pen, coughing up four runs made this game a lot closer than it should’ve been. Nelson Cruz, who is red hot lately, hit two homers in a losing cause. He was the fourth guy to hit two homers last night, in fact. Four guys hit two homers on Monday for that matter. They just come in buckets anymore.
Diamondbacks 8, Phillies 4: Philly took an early 2-0 lead and led 3-2 in the sixth inning and had the bases loaded, ready to add to that lead before Dbacks reliever Andrew Chafin struck out both Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper to put out the fire. That lit a fire under the Snakes who took the lead on a two-run single by Alex Avila in the bottom of the sixth and never trailed after that. Avila would homer in the eighth for Arizona’s final run. Eduardo Escobar and David Peralta also went deep for the Diamondbacks.
Nationals 5, Giants 3: Remember when the Giants were hot? Well, they’re not anymore. Aníbal Sánchez allowed two runs — one earned — in six, Kurt Suzuki homered and drove in three and Trea Turner went deep as well. The Nats had lost four of five before landing in San Francisco but have taken the first two of this three-game series and will go for the sweep this afternoon.
Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1: Clayton Kershaw was a bit inefficient in the first couple of innings but he quickly found his rhythm after that and allowed only one run over seven, striking out nine. He’s now unbeaten in 21 straight regular-season starts at Dodger Stadium.
Padres 9, Mariners 4: Pads starter Dinelson Lamet took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished that frame having given up only two hits and striking out 12 while blanking the M’s over that span. It was Lamet’s first win in nearly two years thanks to Tommy John surgery. He didn’t finish the no-hitter — and he wouldn’t have given his pitch count — but if he had it wouldn’t have been anything new for the M’s, who have already been no-hit twice this year.
Good night, Seattle!
Rangers vs. Indians — POSTPONED:
She took all my money
And my best friend
You know the story
Here it comes again
I have no pride
I have no shame
You gotta make it rain
Make it rain!
Since you’re gone
Deep inside it hurts
I’m just another sad guest
On this dark earth
I want to believe
In the mercy of the world again
Make it rain, make it rain!
