MLB Day 43 2012

Full slate rarity on a Monday, beginning in...

Philadelphia, where the Phillies host the Houston Astros. Lucas Harrell and Joe Blanton were set to make the starts. Philadelphia led off with a fifth inning Freddy Galvis single, driving in Placido Polanco. The Phillies added on in the sixth inning as Carlos Ruiz singled in Shane Victorino, followed by Galvis doing the same for Polanco again. Houston got on the board in the eighth inning on a Marwin Gonzalez solo home run. Philadelphia replied in the bottom of the eighth as Polanco hit a two-run home run, also scoring Ruiz. This made it 5-1, with the win going to Blanton, while Harrell suffered the loss.

Onward to Washington, D.C., where the Nationals host the San Diego Padres. Tim Stauffer and Ross Detwiler will be pitching tonight. Washington got things going in the first inning as Adam LaRoche grounded out, giving time for Ian Desmond to get home. San Diego answered as Orlando Hudson reached on an error, providing Yonder Alonso time to reach home. The Nationals rallied to a lead in the third inning as Ryan Zimmerman singled to score Desmond, Roger Bernadina scored on an error, and Bryce Harper hit a solo home run. The Padres pulled back in the fourth inning when Hudson singled in both Alonso and Chase Headley before coming all the way home when Stauffer sacrificed. San Diego got the lead in the fifth inning on a Headley single, driving in Jesus Guzman. Washington took the lead in the sixth inning as Desmond doubled in both Rick Ankiel and Jesus Flores. The Nationals added on in the eighth inning as Chad Tracy and Xavier Nady hit solo shots. Washington weathered a late but scoreless ninth inning storm to win 8-5, with the win going to Craig Stammen, the save converted by Sean Burnett, and the loss stuck on Miles Mikolas.

In the same area, the Baltimore Orioles host the New York Yankees. Ivan Nova and Jason Hammel are the dependable starters. Baltimore got going in the first inning as J.J. Hardy singled in Xavier Avery before coming home on an Adam Jones double. New York tied it in the fourth inning as Nick Swisher doubled to score both Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano. The Yankees got the lead in the fifth inning as Curtis Granderson hit a solo shot. The Orioles got an equalizer in the bottom of the fifth when Avery tripled to force in Robert Andino before coming the final 90 feet as Hardy lifted a two-run home run to take the lead. New York tied it in the sixth inning as Raul Ibanez reached on an error that allowed both Cano and Mark Teixeira to score. The Yankees took the lead in the seventh inning as Teixeira went yard for a two-run home run, sweeping in Rodriguez. New York made it 8-5 in the ninth inning when Eric Chavez hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Teixeira. David Phelps was credited with the win, while Rafael Soriano made the save and Luis Ayala was stuck with the loss.

Out west, the St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs. Ryan Dempster and Jake Westbrook take the mound. Chicago busted things open in the fifth inning when Starlin Castro singled home Tony Campana, before coming home on a Bryan LaHair two-run home run, and then Geovany Soto later singled to score Ian Stewart. St. Louis answered in the sixth inning as Lance Berkman singled home Jon Jay, before coming home with Matt Holliday on a Yadier Molina double, and Molina crossed home on a Skip Schumaker single to tie the game. The Cubs took the lead again in the eighth inning when Alfonso Soriano singled Campana home. Chicago extended the lead in the ninth inning as Joe Mather grounded into a fielder's choice that eventually got Darwin Barney home, for a 6-4 lead and victory. The win was awarded to Shawn Camp, the save turned by Rafael Dolis, and the loss dealt to Mitchell Boggs.

Up in Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeff Niemann and Brandon Morrow received the starting nods. Toronto was first on the board in the second inning as Kelly Johnson singled in Colby Rasmus. Tampa Bay rallied to a lead in the fifth inning beginning as Elliot Johnson singled in Will Rhymes, followed by Matt Joyce reaching on an error that got Ben Zobrist home, before he came home alongside B.J. Upton on a Luke Scott single, and the rally ended with a Sean Rodriguez double scoring both Carlos Pena and Scott. The Rays got another with a Zobrist solo home run in the ninth inning. This made it 7-1, a final, with the win going to Cesar Ramos, while Morrow had the loss.

Way to the south, the Miami Marlins host the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brad Lincoln and Anibal Sanchez will take their turns in the rotation. Pittsburgh struck early in the first inning as Andrew McCutchen hit a sacrifice fly to get Jose Tabata home. Miami tied it in their half of the inning as Hanley Ramirez hit a solo home run. The Pirates took the lead with a second inning solo shot from the bat of Rod Barajas. The Marlins retied it on a fourth inning Emilio Bonifacio single, scoring Logan Morrison. Pittsburgh took the lead once again in the sixth inning when Pedro Alvarez doubled home McCutchen. This stood up for a 3-2 Pirates win, with Lincoln picking up the win, Joel Hanrahan converting the save, and Sanchez taking the loss.

North again to New York, as the Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers. Yovani Gallardo and Miguel Batista are handed the ball. New York opened with a first inning Daniel Murphy single, driving in Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The Mets added on in the sixth inning as Ronny Cedeno sacrificed, allowing Murphy to come home. New York struck again in the eighth inning as Murphy reached on a fielder's choice that provided time for David Wright to cross the plate. Milwaukee avoided the shutout in the ninth inning as Corey Hart singled to score Ryan Braun, but they couldn't muster anymore to avoid a 3-1 loss. The win went to Batista, the save was converted by Frank Francisco, and Gallardo was stuck with the loss.

South to Atlanta, where the Braves welcome the Cincinnati Reds. Homer Bailey and Randall Delgado are the back-of-the-rotation pitchers. Cincinnati began with Todd Frazier reaching on an error in the fourth inning, allowing safe passage home for Jay Bruce. Atlanta tied it in the fifth inning when Martin Prado hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Michael Bourn. The Reds got the lead in the eighth inning as Brandon Phillips hit a double that knocked in Drew Stubbs, before he came home on a Chris Heisey double. This made the final score 3-1, with Logan Ondrusek picking up the win, Sean Marshall turning the save, and Jonny Venters being dealt the loss.

North once again as the Boston Red Sox host the Seattle Mariners. Jason Vargas and Jon Lester are the solid starting pitchers. Boston quickly gained a first inning lead as David Ortiz doubled in Dustin Pedroia before coming home on a Adrian Gonzalez double. The Red Sox padded the lead in the fourth inning with a two-run home run by Daniel Nava, also scoring Cody Ross, followed by Kelly Shoppach hitting a solo home run. Boston extended the lead in the eighth inning as Marlon Byrd hit a sacrifice fly that scored Will Middlebrooks. Seattle avoided a shutout in the ninth inning with Kyle Seager grounding out to get Ichiro across the plate. The final was 6-1 Red Sox, with Lester going the distance for the win while Vargas had no help in the loss.

Southwest to Texas, where the Rangers host the Kansas City Royals. Bruce Chen and Scott Feldman are on the hill. Texas was first on the board with a fourth inning Nelson Cruz solo home run. Kansas City gained the lead in the fifth inning with a 2-RBI single from Alcides Escobar, scoring both Jeff Francoeur and Chris Getz. The Royals extended the lead in the seventh inning as Brayan Pena grounded into a double play, allowing Francoeur to dart home. This made it a 3-1 score, eventually the final, with Chen picking up the win, Jonathan Broxton picking up the save, and Feldman taking a loss with little run support.

Well to the north, the Minnesota Twins host the Cleveland Indians. Jeanmar Gomez and Carl Pavano will be pitching. Minnesota was led off with a third inning run scored by Darin Mastroianni as he scored on a combination of a passed ball and an error. Cleveland took the lead in the fourth inning on a Travis Hafner groundout, allowing Jason Kipnis to score, followed by Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly bringing in the go-ahead run, Asdrubal Cabrera. The Indians added on in the fifth inning when Casey Kotchman hit a two-run home run, also scoring Jose Lopez. The Twins tied it in the eighth inning when Josh Willingham doubled in Denard Span before coming home on a two-run long ball off the bat of Ryan Doumit. Cleveland reclaimed the lead in the ninth inning when Shin-Soo Choo hit a single to knock in Lou Marson. This made it 5-4, a final, with Joe Smith in line for the win, Chris Perez making another save, and Matt Capps being stuck with the loss.

Southeast to Chicago, with the White Sox hosting the Detroit Tigers. Drew Smyly and John Danks receive the manager's approval to start. Detroit opened with a first inning 2-RBI double from Prince Fielder, scoring both Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera before Delmon Young doubled to finish Fielder's trip around. Chicago answered in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run by Adam Dunn, sweeping in Alejandro De Aza. The Tigers padded their lead with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Jhonny Peralta in the third inning, forcing in Young before Gerald Laird hit a sacrifice fly allowing Ryan Raburn to dash home. The White Sox pulled back in the fifth inning with a two-run home run by Dayan Viciedo, also scoring Alexei Ramirez. Chicago rallied to a lead in the sixth inning when Viciedo singled in both Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski, followed by Brent Morel singling to score Ramirez. This stood for a 7-5 win, earned by Zach Stewart and Addison Reed picked up the save, while Luke Putkonen was pinned with the loss.

Out in California, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim host their northern neighbors, the Oakland Athletics. Tyson Ross and Dan Haren were sent out to start. Oakland got going in the first inning as Josh Reddick hit a solo home run. The Athletics added on in the fourth inning when Josh Donaldson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Seth Smith. Oakland struck again in the fifth inning as Smith doubled, driving in Cliff Pennington and Reddick. The Athletics made it 5-0 in the eighth inning when Kurt Suzuki singled in Donaldson. Ross picked up the easy win while Haren got no help at all in the loss.

Up the freeway, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ian Kennedy and Clayton Kershaw are the pair of aces on the mound. Los Angeles began with Mark Ellis grounding out to score Dee Gordon in the first inning. The Dodgers added on in the sixth inning with Andre Ethier hitting a solo home run, followed by an Adam Kennedy sacrifice fly allowing A.J. Ellis to cross home. Arizona avoided a shutout with an eighth inning solo shot by Aaron Hill, making the final 3-1. Kershaw grabbed the win, Kenley Jansen turned the save, and Kennedy took a tough loss.

Finally, up in San Francisco, the Giants host the Colorado Rockies. Christian Friedrich and Ryan Vogelsong pace the game. Colorado started in the fourth inning with a Willin Rosario solo home run. San Francisco tied it with a sixth inning Gregor Blanco solo shot. The Giants gained the lead in the eighth inning when Buster Posey singled to drive in Blanco before Brett Pill did the same for Joaquin Arias. The Rockies tried to rally back in the ninth as Marco Scutaro reached on an error that allowed Jonathan Herrera to come home, but they didn't tie the game, falling 3-2. Sergio Romo was in line for the win, Santiago Casilla converted the save, and Rex Brothers was on the hook for the loss.

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