Giants 5, Nationals 4
Moving the Needle: Freddy Sanchez ends it within the 13th with a walk-off hit, +.372 WPA. The Nats were built with a 4-0 lead through six, and they were up 4-1 through seven. However the bullpen blew it in the eighth. The Giants picked up three to tie, and then nearly walked served by the win within the ninth. Both teams had their chances in extras, however it wasnt until the 13th the Giants finally came through. A stroll and hit set up Sanchez, who hit a simple double down the right field line. Of course, he gets credit for only a single, but I dont think that much matters.
Notables
Aaron Rowand: 1 for 6, 1 HR. His seventh-inning shot got the Giants rolling.
Mike Morse: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 HR. In 465 PA in the last two seasons he has a .371 wOBA.
John Lannan: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K. Its the same old peripherals, very same results for Lannan. Its still amazing how he keeps his ERA below his FIP. (Except this past year, of course.)
Also within this i sue: Rays 5, Angels 1 | Reds 8, Cubs 2 | Orioles 4, As 2 | Brewers 7, Marlins 2 | White Sox 3, Mariners 1 | Phillies 3, Dodgers 1 | Twins 6, Indians 4 | Rockies 3, Padres 0 | Royals 3, Blue Jays 2 | Tigers 13, Rangers 7
Rays 5, Angels 1
Moving the Needle: Justin Ruggiano hits a two-run homer to extend the Rays lead, +.125 WPA. He hit it with the swagger of a guy whose tried it a hundred times or more. Around the sixth pitch of his struggle with Ruggiano, Tyler Chatwood laid one over the plate. Ruggiano switched on it and gave his bat a little its gone to s. That made it 4-0 Rays, which would hold up easily using their ace around the mound. For Ruggiano it had been his third hit of year in the seventh game played.
Notables
David Price: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K. He is constantly on the suppre s walks, which is the main distinction between his numbers this year and the numbers this past year. Yet, strangely, up to now his ERA has predicted his FIP and the FIP has predicted his ERA.
Reid Brignac: 3 for 4. They were all singles, but Brignac will require them any way he is able to have them; he's a .190 wOBA (.186 AVG, .220 OBP) in 124 PA this season.
Reds 8, Cubs 2
Moving the Needle: Drew Stubbs goes deep to own Reds a lead, +.118 WPA. With the game tied 1-1 within the third Drew Stubbs took some other fastball over the right field wall to give the Reds the lead the very first Hroniss Grasu Jersey time. Which was his ninth homer of the year and 2nd in 2 games. Thats a pleasant recovery if you do drought; before Sunday he hadnt hit one out since May 11th. The Reds then added a pair in the fourth before jumping out way ahead with three in the fifth.
Notables
Mike Leake: 8 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K. Because the 10 hits might indicate, he'd only one 1-2-3 inning all game. He has now thrown 20 innings and allowed six runs in his three starts back after his demotion.
Jay Bruce: 3 for 4, 2 2B. He scored the 3 times on base, though he didnt drive in any.
Jonny Gomes: 2 for several, 1 HR, 1 HBP. His three-run homer in the fifth put the Reds way ahead.
Orioles 4, As 2
Moving the Needle: Adam Rosales provides the biggest good and bad swings, +.118 WPA and -.124 WPA. In the first game Daniel Brown Jersey of the growing season Rosales found himself in the middle of the experience. Within the fourth he took Brian Matusz deep, cutting the Orioles lead to two. He was so excited to hit it, in fact, that he nearly caught Mark Ellis around the base paths. In the sixth he came up with runners on first and second with one out, but he hit one to the pitcher for a double play. The As went nine up and nine down next.
Notables
Matt Wieters: 2 for 4. No Oriole had an extra base hit in the game. Wieters was the only person to both drive in and score a run.
Brewers 7, Marlins 2
Moving the Needle: Prince Fielders three-run shot puts the Brewers up big, +.241 WPA. It had been a fairly familiar sight. Rickie Weeks walked and, two batters later, Ryan Braun singled. That set up a chance for Fielder, who took the first pitch deep within the wall in right. The Brewers would then add another pair within the fourth, chasing Javier Vazquez in the game and ending his short streak of excellent starts.
Notables
Logan Morrison: 3 for 4, 1 2B. He drove both in Marlins runs.
Zack Greinke: 7 IP, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K. Thats two straight without surrendering a homer for Greinke. Now were just waiting on his first scorele s start.
Rickie Weeks: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 2 BB. Hes second among MLB second basemen in wOBA, although the man in first, Howie Kendrick, is playing more LF than 2B nowadays.
White Sox 3, Mariners 1
Moving the Needle: Paul Konerko turns on one and gives the White Sox a 1-0 lead, +.121 WPA. If you throw Konerko a dangling slider, hes often likely to place it from the reach of your fielders. That happened within the fourth inning, with the game still scorele s. His homer represented the only real runs in the first six . 5 innings from the game. The Sox then came back and extended their lead in the seventh and eighth.
Notables
John Danks: 7.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K. How this loser figured out how to win a game title, I dont know. In any case, his xFIP is right down to 4.03, which is right around the marks hes produced in the final three years.
Carlos Quentin: 2 for 4, 2 2B. Hes hit in eight straight, going 10 for 26 with four doubles and 2 homers.
Michael Pineda: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Its odd to determine such a low strikeout game from him, but it worked out regardle s. Again, the lack of offense was the killer for him.
Phillies 3, Dodgers 1
Moving the Needle: Ryan Howards single gives Kyle Long Jersey the Phillies a 2-0 lead, +.105 WPA. Both offenses took one step in that one and let the lefties do their things. Ted Lilly lost the battle, though, when he slipped up a bit within the third. A leadoff double through the No. 8 hitter set up an easy sacrifice, and then, following a walk, Placido Polanco came finished the games first run. Two batters later Howard drove in another, which makes it 2-0. The Phillies would get one more prior to the Dodgers finally got around the board within the top of the ninth.
Notables
Cliff Lee: 7 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 B, 10 K. Those strikeouts can be rough on the pitch count. Lee had thrown 117 after seven, which meant he couldnt continue his brilliant performance.
Carlos Ruiz: 2 for 4, 1 2B. he provided some insurance within the eighth with an RBI double.
Twin 6, Indians 4
Moving the Needle: Matt Tolbert shoots one with the right side to attain two, +.180 WPA. The theme of Tolberts hit: minimum effective dose. He came up in the second with runners on second and third with two outs and the team down by two. All he needed was a single, and thats what they got. It was pretty much struck, though, and got to Shin-Shoo Choo in a rush. The Twins had Delmon Young test his arm, a risky proposition to be sure, butYoung slid in only ahead of the tag. The Twins then grabbed charge within the fifth and didnt think back. Thats five straight for that Twins, that is pretty unbelievable given their current lineup construction.
Notables
Delmon Young: 2 for 4, 1 2B. He needs it after an agonizingly slow start. The double was of the bloop variety, landing just beyond the sliding Grady Sizemore.
Michael Brantley: 3 for 4, 1 2B, 1 HR. His numbers would look better still in CF, where he might be considered a better fit than the oft-injured Sizemore at this time.
Rockies 3, Padres 0
Moving the Needle: Alberto Gonzalez fans to finish the Padres threat within the eighth, -.193 WPA. The biggest negative swing was larger than the biggest positive swing with a pretty sizable margin within this one. The largest positive, Troy Tulowitzkis RBI single in the first, was the main difference in this one in the eighth, when Gonzalez came to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs. The threat would end there, though, as Matt Reynolds sent him down swinging. The Rockies then put two on the board in the ninth, which made life easier for Huston Street.
Notables
Clayton Richard: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K. Last season he struck out a career-high 10 against Colorado. Eight was just fine this time.
Chris Nelson: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 3B. Hes were built with a quick little start to his 2011, 5 for 14 with two doubles which triple.
Clay Mortensen: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 Cyril Richardson Jersey R, 2 BB, 3 K. His ERA says 3.20, however i trust the 24:21 K/BB ratio signals a coming correction.
Royals 3, Blue Jays 2
Moving the Needle: Eric Hosmer offers the walk-off hit, +.339 WPA. Hosmer really was the main difference for that Royals yesterday. Twice he emerged in bases loaded situations, and twice he came up big. The first came in the seventh, after the Blue Jays had taken a 2-1 lead within the top half. The Royals loaded up the bases with two two-out walks. Hosmer then drew a walk of his own on four pitches, believe it or not to create home the tying run. In the 11th he dunked the first pitch he saw into shallow center, easily bringing home the winning run from third.
Notables
Mike Aviles: 1 for 4, 1 3B, 1 BB. Notable, because his triple didnt even make it to the wall. Dude was thinking three from the second he left this area, apparently.
Brandon Morriw: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K. Thats a Morrow-like start, minus a few Ks.
Felipe Paulino: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K. It might not function as the most sustainable performance, however the Royals did well with him to date. Thats all you can ask from the guy who got released a couple weeks ago.
Tigers 13, Rangers 7
Moving the Needle: Brennan Boesch hits his first homer from the game, +.171 WPA. Because the final score indicates, it was a slobberknocker in Texas. Boesch struck the big hits, absolutely destroying two pitches that went way over the fence. The very first was the biggest, since it arrived the first and plated three runs prior to the Rangers got an out. He then singled in his next at-bat, after which hit an RBI double in his fourth. On the day he was 5 for 6 having a double and 2 homers.
Notables
Nelson Cruz: 2 for 4, 2 HR. The Texas natives went nuts for Cruzs first homer, though it was still a 9-4 Tigers lead. He now has seven homers in 14 games since coming back from the DL.
Andy Dirks and Alex Avila: both 1 for five, 1 HR. I just desired to state that Dirks kinds reminds me of Johnny Damon, both his swing and the mannerisms within the field.
Austin Jackson: 3 for 5, 1 2B, 1 BB. He scored three runs while generally fulfilling his leadoff man obligations. |