Tuesday, July 27, 2010
And That Happened
Posted by Craig CalcaterraRays 5, Tigers 0: The no-no for Matt Garza. Indeed, there were only three hits in the whole game. Unfortunately for Max Scherzer and the Tigers, one of them was a grand slam. For Garza, only one walk -- and that guy was erased on a double play -- making it a near-perfecto. It was the fifth no-hitter in baseball this year. Only 17,000 witnessed it live.
Twins 19, Royals 1: Just a magical night last night I guess as right on the heels of Garza's performance, Zack Greinke and the Royals bullpen combine for a 20-hitter. How often does a 4 for 4, 4 RBI night not stand as the game's best hitting line? That was Danny Valencia's. Joe Mauer, however, pulled a 5 for 5, 7 RBI night out of his hat, however.
Red Sox 6, Angels 3: Dan Haren's debut with the Angels ended early when a comebacker smacked him in the arm. It swelled up but Haren thinks it's just a flesh wound. He's going to be reevaluated today. If he has to miss some time, boy howdy, that would be bad luck for Anaheim. For Boston, two homers from Big Papi and the return of Victor Martinez made the night a nice one.
Phillies 5, Rockies 4: Philly sweeps the Rockies despite a near-meltdown by Brad Lidge in the ninth. After the game Lidge said "it just goes to show that you never know what's going to happen." Ya know, Brad, with you we kind of do know what's going to happen. We just don't know if the self-inflicted wounds will be fatal or not.
Cubs 5, Astros 2: Carlos Silva now has 10 wins on the season. Pitchers who do not have 10 wins: John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Francisco Liriano, Trevor Cahill, Johan Santana, A.J. Burnett, Matt Cain, Dan Haren, Tommy Hanson . . .
Brewers 3, Reds 2: Jim Edmonds hit a two-out pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning that proved to be the game winner. He's hitting .283/.353/.513 despite being in tremendous pain from various injuries and despite taking 2009 off. I think it's pretty safe to say that this is his last year, but it's been a gutsy friggin' year for a guy who may or may not ultimately be Hall of Fame worthy, but who probably won't get as much consideration as he probably deserves.
Yankees 3, Indians 2: Another homer for Curtis Granderson -- a two-run job that put the Yankees ahead for good in the eighth -- and one for Nick Swisher, but none for Alex Rodriguez. Which sucks. Not because I really care too much about 600, but because I'm really tired of the live cut-ins that ESPN is doing with his at-bats. Jake Westbrook had a nice start going until that bomb, having given up only two hits. The trade bonuses in his contract may prevent him being dealt, but maybe he raised an eyebrow or two.
Marlins 4, Giants 3: The Feesh are now above .500. But get this: after the game the Marlins announced that Chris Coghlan may miss 6-8 weeks with a knee injury. How'd he get it? He hurt himself while delivering a pie to the face of Wes Helms' following Sunday's walkoff win over the Braves. Coghlan can expect a call from Kendry Morales' lawyer any day now for stealing his bit.
White Sox 6, Mariners 1: John Danks (8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER). out-pitches King Felix for his fourth straight win. A nice catch for Ichiro though, robbing Mark Kotsay of a homer.
Blue Jays 9, Orioles 5: It was '80s night at Rogers Centre last night with '80s music, clothes and all that jazz. The Orioles' didn't participate, however, as they were often quite good in the '80s. Jose Bautista hit his 28th homer as the Jays beat the O's for the 10th straight time. Another short night for the O's starter. After the game Juan Samuel said "we just can't continue to do this or we're going to kill those guys down in the bullpen." In the team's defense, there have been times this year when just such a thing was called for.
Craig writes the HardballTalk blog for NBC Sports.com
Craig,
Wasn’t it in the 80’s that the O’s started one season 0-21? And wasn’t it in the 80’s that Juan Samuel won what Bill James called, “the Juan Samuel Triple Crown,” leading the league in strikeouts, errors and caught stealing? Bring back the 80’s!