MLB Day 13 2012

Another loaded slate of games as the teams hit the mid-series point for this weekend. We begin in Missouri...

As the St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs. Chris Volstad and Lance Lynn will be pitching. St. Louis began with a fourth inning Yadier Molina single, knocking in both Matt Holliday and Matt Carpenter, before he came home on a Daniel Descalso triple, and Descalso crossed the plate on a Tyler Greene single. Chicago got on the board in the sixth inning when Starlin Castro's single provided David DeJesus time to come home. Jon Jay replied for the Cardinals in the seventh inning with a solo home run. This made it 5-1, a final, with Lynn earning the win and Volstad taking the loss.

To the east, as the New York Yankees host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. C.J. Wilson and Phil Hughes will take to the pitching. Los Angeles struck in the second inning with a two-run home run by Chris Iannetta, sweeping in Vernon Wells as well. The Angels added on with a third inning Albert Pujols double, knocking in Howie Kendrick. Los Angeles extended the lead in the fourth as Kendrick lifted a three-run home run, also scoring Iannetta and Erick Aybar. The Angels padded the lead with Wells hitting a solo home run in the fifth. New York got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a Robinson Cano single driving in Eduardo Nunez. This was it for the scoring, leaving the Angels on top 7-1, with Wilson earning the win while Hughes suffered the loss.

Back west a bit, the Minnesota Twins host the Texas Rangers. Yu Darvish opposes Nick Blackburn. Texas got things going in the second inning with a Mike Napoli sacrifice fly to bring around Nelson Cruz. Minnesota tied it in the bottom of the second when Alexi Casilla reached on an error, giving Danny Valencia time to reach home. The Rangers took the lead again in the third inning with a solo home run by Josh Hamilton. The Twins tied it again with a sixth inning Denard Span double, bringing home Valencia. Texas regained the lead in the seventh inning as Adrian Beltre singled in Brandon Snyder and Michael Young did the same for Hamilton. The Rangers padded the lead in the ninth as Beltre pushed Hamilton home again with a double, before coming home as Young reached on an error to make the score 6-2 in the end. The win went to Robbie Ross, and the loss belonged to Brian Duensing.

East again as the Washington Nationals host the Cincinnati Reds. Homer Bailey and Edwin Jackson were called on for the starts. Cincinnati began with a Drew Stubbs single to score Miguel Cairo. Washington tied it with a Jesus Flores single that brought in Jayson Werth. The Nationals added on as Adam LaRoche knocked in both Danny Espinosa and Ryan Zimmerman with a third inning double. Washington struck again in the seventh inning as Werth hit a double to bring in Espinosa. This gave them a 4-1 lead, which was the final, giving Jackson a 2-hit and 1-walk win while Bailey suffered from a lack of offense behind him in the loss.

Up in Philadelphia, the Phillies hosted the New York Mets. Jonathon Niese and Vance Worley took to the pitching. New York opened with a David Wright solo home run in the first inning. The Mets added on in the fourth inning when Jason Bay grounded into a double play that allowed Daniel Murphy time to score, followed by a two-run homer from Lucas Duda that swept in Wright. New York made it 5-0 in the ninth inning as Ruben Tejada singled in Mike Baxter. This was a final, with Niese getting the win and Vorley taking the loss while scowling at the offense.

Into Massachusetts, where the Boston Red Sox welcome the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeremy Hellickson and Clay Buchholz were on the hill today. Tampa Bay struck first with a first inning double by Carlos Pena to bring around Desmond Jennings, before coming home alongside Ben Zobrist on a Luke Scott three-run home run. Boston got going with a second inning two-run home run by Jarrod Saltalamacchia, also scoring Ryan Sweeney. The Rays extended the lead as Scott doubled to allow Matt Joyce time to come home. The Red Sox answered in the bottom of the third when Dustin Pedroia hit a solo shot. Boston tied it up in the fifth inning with a David Ortiz home run, also scoring Kevin Youkilis. The Red Sox gained the lead in the seventh inning as Mike Aviles launched a solo home run, followed by a Cody Ross double to bring home Adrian Gonzalez and Youkilis. Boston padded the lead in the eighth inning as Ortiz ripped a 3-RBI double to knock in Aviles, Pedroia, and Youkilis, and then Ross launched a two-run homer to finish Ortiz's trip around the bases. This made it a 13-5 win for the Red Sox, with the credit going to Buchholz for the win, and Burke Badenhop for the loss.

North of the border, the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Jason Hammel of near no-no fame and Henderson Alvarez took the mound today. Baltimore began as Matt Wieters grounded into a fielder's choice, allowing J.J. Hardy to reach home. Toronto tied it with a Kelly Johnson solo home run in the bottom of the first. The Blue Jays got the lead in the second inning when Colby Rasmus singled in Eric Thames. The Orioles got the lead back with a Chris Davis two-run home run in the fourth inning, also scoring Mark Reynolds. Toronto regained the lead in the sixth on a Thames sacrifice fly to bring around Adam Lind and a Rasmus single that gave Edwin Encarnacion time to score. Baltimore tied it in the eighth inning as Wilson Betemit hit a solo shot. The Orioles gained a 6-4 lead they would hold onto in the ninth inning as Nolan Reimold ripped a two-run homer, sweeping in Ryan Flaherty as well. The win went to Luis Ayala, Jim Johnson picked up the save, and Francisco Cordero was pinned with the loss.

Into Chicago, as the White Sox host the Detroit Tigers. Adam Wilk and Gavin Floyd got the manager's approval to pitch. Chicago began on an Alexei Ramirez solo home run in the second inning. The White Sox added on in the fifth inning with a solo shot from Tyler Flowers. Chicago struck again with a sixth inning Adam Dunn double to bring around Brent Morel. The White Sox put another one on the board as Flowers came home on an Alejandro De Aza triple. Detroit avoided the shutout in the eighth inning when Brennan Boesch launched a solo home run. Chicago took it back and made it a 5-1 final with a Paul Konerko solo shot in the bottom of the eighth. Floyd got the win while Wilk took the loss.

Onward to Kansas City, as the Royals host the Cleveland Indians. Jeanmar Gomez and Jonathan Sanchez throw tonight. Cleveland rallied to a large third inning lead with Asdrubal Cabrera singling in Michael Brantley and then scoring when Carlos Santana doubled, followed by Jose Lopez doubling in both Shin-Soo Choo and Santana, and lastly a Jason Donald sacrifice fly to bring around Shelley Duncan. Kansas City answered in the bottom of the third on an Alcides Escobar triple that forced in Mike Moustakas before he came all the way home on a Jarrod Dyson sacrifice fly. The Indians went back to work in the fourth with a Santana single that scored Cabrera. Cleveland added on with a pair of fifth inning homers as Casey Kotchman hit a solo home run and Jason Kipnis went yard for a two-run homer, also scoring Donald. The Royals replied in their half of the inning on a Moustakas double that gave Yuniesky Betancourt time to score, and he came all the way home when Escobar grounded into a double play. Kansas City pulled closer with a pair of RBI doubles in the sixth, as Billy Butler knocked in Jeff Francoeur and was scored by Moustakas later on. The Royals stayed on the attack in the seventh as Eric Hosmer doubled to bring home Dyson, and then came around when Butler provided ample time with a single. Kansas City tied it in the eighth with a Betancourt solo home run, making it 9 all. The Indians saved the meltdown with a tenth inning Choo 2-RBI double, sweeping in both Kipnis and Brantley, and holding on to win 11-9. The win went to Jairo Asencio, Chris Perez converted the save, and Greg Holland blew up to get stuck with the loss.

Southeast to Miami, where the Marlins host the Houston Astros. Bud Norris and Carlos Zambrano took their turns in the rotation. Houston began in the first inning when Carlos Lee singled in Jordan Schafer. Miami tied it with a Logan Morrison single in the first inning, providing Emilio Bonifacio time to score. The Marlins staked a sizable lead in the third inning when Hanley Ramirez singled to bring around Jose Reyes, Morrison hit a sacrifice fly allowing Bonifacio to cross the plate, and Gaby Sanchez singled to finish Ramirez's trip around. The Astros gained the lead with a fierce ninth inning rally beginning with Travis Buck singling Jose Altuve home and then coming home on a J.D. Martinez single, followed by Lee singling Schafer home and Brian Bogusevic reaching on an error that gave Justin Maxwell time to dart home as the go-ahead 5-4 run. This lead held up, giving the win to Rhiner Cruz, while Brett Myers converted the save, and Heath Bells imploded for a blown save and loss.

Up a tad to Atlanta, with the Braves hosting the Milwaukee Brewers. Shaun Marcum and Mike Minor were on the mound tonight. Atlanta began with a second inning single by Jason Heyward, which combined with an error allowed Brian McCann to score, and Juan Francisco singling to complete Heyward's trip around. Milwaukee got on the board in the eighth when Norichika Aoki singled and Mat Gamel scored after a subsequent error in the field. They never the equalizer though, and the Brewers fell 2-1 to the Braves. Minor earned the win, Craig Kimbrel picked up another save, and Marcum threw well in the loss.

Out west, the Colorado Rockies host the Arizona Diamondbacks. Josh Collmenter and Jhoulys Chacin pitched until the fourth inning rain delay. Arizona started with a first inning Chris Young single, bringing in Ryan Roberts. Colorado gained a lead with a pair of homers in the second inning as Tyler Colvin launched a two-run home run, also scoring Michael Cuddyer, followed by a solo shot from Ramon Hernandez. The Rockies padded the lead in the third with Cuddyer's single, bringing around Dexter Fowler. Colorado extended the lead in the fourth with a Chacin groundout that gave Jordan Pacheco time to score. The Diamondbacks pulled back after the delay with a fifth inning, three-run home run by Miguel Montero, forcing in Roberts and Justin Upton as well. Arizona tied it in the sixth inning as John McDonald doubled to score Aaron Hill. The Diamondbacks gained the lead with a seventh inning Paul Goldschmidt sacrifice fly giving Upton time to dash home. Arizona kept going when Gerardo Parra reached on an error in the eighth inning, allowing McDonald to finish his trip around the bases. Colorado pulled back with Eric Young's bottom of the eighth double to push in Colvin. The Rockies won it in the bottom of the ninth as Todd Helton launched a two-run homer, also scoring Marco Scutaro for a walk-off 8-7 win. Tyler Chatwood picked up the win, and J.J. Putz was stuck holding the loss.

Into California, where the San Francisco Giants welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates. Charlie Morton and Barry Zito get the starting nods. Pittsburgh got things going in the first inning as Neil Walker singled in both Andrew McCutchen and Casey McGehee. San Francisco answered in the second inning when Nate Schierholtz tripled in Hector Sanchez before coming the final 90 feet on an Emmanuel Burriss single. The Pirates got it back with Jose Tabata reaching on an error in the fifth, giving time for Alex Presley to dart home and score. The Giants retied it in their half of the inning when Pablo Sandoval singled, scoring Angel Pagan. San Francisco took a 4-3 lead and victory in the ninth inning as Melky Cabrera reached on an error, allowing Burriss to dash home as the winning run. The winning pitcher was Javier Lopez, while Chris Resop was dealt the loss.

Down the coast, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres. Joe Wieland and Ted Lilly were sent out to pitch tonight. San Diego struck first in the first inning on a Jesus Guzman single to score Cameron Maybin. Los Angeles answered in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer by Matt Kemp, also scoring Dee Gordon, an Andre Ethier solo shot, and a sacrifice fly by Adam Kennedy to bring in James Loney. The Dodgers made it 6-1 in the second inning, with Kemp going yard again, this time taking Tony Gwynn, Jr. with him, which concluded the scoring in this game. Lilly got the win and Wieland took the loss.

Finally, we're in Washington state as the Seattle Mariners bring in the Oakland Athletics. Tommy Milone and Hector Noesi are the relatively unknown pitchers. Seattle began with a second inning solo home run by Jesus Montero. The Mariners added on in the sixth inning as Justin Smoak drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Brendan Ryan, and then Montero doubled in Chone Figgins and Dustin Ackley. Noesi was in line for the win while Milone was victimized by the lack of offense around him in the loss.

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