MLB Day 68 2012

Welcome to a large block of interleague play for all of us to enjoy. We begin in an American League ballpark...

As the Baltimore Orioles host the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Blanton and Jake Arrieta will make the starts. Philadelphia got going in the first inning as Shane Victorino singled in Hunter Pence. The Phillies stormed to extend the lead in the second inning as Mike Fontenot hit a two-run home run, also scoring John Mayberry, followed by Jim Thome doubling Juan Pierre home, Victorino hitting a 2-RBI double to plate Pence and Thome, and Carlos Ruiz singling to finish Victorino's trip. Baltimore answered in their half of the inning as Chris Davis singled Matt Wieters home before coming home alongside Mark Reynolds on a Robert Andino double. Philadelphia shot back in the fourth inning as Victorino hit a two-run home run, sweeping in Thome. The Orioles replied in the bottom of the fourth with a Davis solo home run. Baltimore pulled back in the seventh inning on a two-run home run by J.J. Hardy, bringing in Endy Chavez. This was as close as it got, with the Phillies winning 9-6. Blanton was credited with the win, Jonathan Papelbon picked up the save, and Arrieta was stuck with the loss.

Over in Pittsburgh, we go to a National League park as the Pirates host the Kansas City Royals. Luke Hochever and Erik Bedard get the starting nods. Pittsburgh struck first in the first inning as Garrett Jones doubled in Neil Walker. The Pirates added on in the second inning with Clint Barmes singling to score Rod Barajas before coming home on a Walker single. Kansas City got on the board in the third inning as Yuniesky Betancourt doubled Alex Gordon home, followed by a Mike Moustakas single to finish Betancourt's trip. Pittsburgh answered as Jose Tabata was caught stealing, but Pedro Alvarez was able to dart home in the process. This made the score 4-2, where it would stand the rest of the game. Bedard got the win, Joel Hanrahan cleanly converted the save, and Hochevar took the loss.

Back to the AL, we get the battle of New York, as the Yankees host the Mets. Johan Santana and Hiroki Kuroda are the veteran pitchers. The Yankees opened in the second inning with a two-run Robinson Cano home run, also scoring Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees put on a power show in the third inning with another two-run shot by Cano, again scoring Rodriguez, followed by back-to-back solo shots from Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones. The Yankees attacked again in the seventh inning on a Rodriguez sacrifice fly allowing safe passage home for Curtis Granderson, followed by Swisher hitting a ground rule double to force in Mark Teixeira before Jones singled to finish his trip around. The Mets finally got on the board in the ninth inning as Lucas Duda doubled to score Omar Quintanilla. This made it 9-1, with Kuroda dominant in the win while Santana couldn't hold the form he had in the last game as he took a brutal loss.

Down the coast and into the NL again, the Miami Marlins host their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays, for Florida supremacy. Jeremy Hellickson and Ricky Nolasco are the young pitchers. Tampa Bay struck first with a third inning B.J. Upton single driving in Matt Joyce. Miami tied it up in their half of the inning as Greg Dobbs hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Omar Infante. The Rays gained the lead again in the fourth inning as Will Rhymes singled, scoring Jose Lobaton. Tampa Bay added on with a fifth inning solo shot from Joyce. The Rays struck again in the seventh inning as Ben Zobrist singled Desmond Jennings home, followed by Carlos Pena doing the same for Joyce. This made it 5-1, a final, with Hellickson picking up a lucky win while Nolasco was dinged in the loss.

Up the coast again, we cross into the AL, with the Boston Red Sox hosting the Washington Nationals. Stephen Strasburg faces a lesser foe in Felix Doubront. Boston began in the second inning as Mike Aviles doubled in both David Ortiz and Ryan Sweeney. Washington shot back in the third inning when Ryan Zimmerman singled in Danny Espinosa, followed by a 2-RBI Ian Desmond double to knock in Bryce Harper and Zimmerman. The Nationals padded the lead in the third inning as Espinosa hit a ground rule double to force in Tyler Moore, before coming the rest of the way home on a two-run home run by Harper. Washington got another in the sixth inning as Harper singled Moore home. The Red Sox got one back in the eighth inning with a solo shot by Adrian Gonzalez. Boston attempted a ninth inning rally with Daniel Nava doubling Nick Punto across the dish, but this only made it 7-4. Strasburg got the win, Tyler Clippard mopped up a mess for the save, and Doubront was pinned with the loss.

Into the NL again as we head west to Cincinnati, with the Reds hosting the Detroit Tigers. Rick Porcello and Mat Latos are set to start. Cincinnati wasted little time with a first inning Brandon Phillips single to score Zack Cozart giving them an early lead. The Reds added on in the third inning as Joey Votto lifted a three-run home run, also scoring Cozart and Chris Heisey. Detroit got on the board in the fourth inning with a Brennan Boesch solo home run. The Tigers pulled closer in the sixth inning on a 2-RBI Miguel Cabrera single, scoring both Matt Young and Quintin Berry. Detroit tied it in the seventh inning as Boesch singled Ramon Santiago across the plate. The Tigers got the lead in the eighth inning as Delmon Young hit a solo shot. Cincinnati pulled even again in their half of the eighth as Todd Frazier hit a double to plate Miguel Cairo. The Reds won it 6-5 in walkoff fashion with a tenth inning Wilson Valdez bunt single that gave Cairo time to dash home. Sam LeCure was in line for the win while Phil Coke was the victim of the loss.

Staying in the NL, the Atlanta Braves host the Toronto Blue Jays. Kyle Drabek and Brandon Beachy will be in charge of the pitching. Atlanta got things started in the third inning as Dan Uggla drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Beachy. Toronto tied it with a sixth inning Jose Bautista solo home run, followed by J.P. Arencibia grounding into a fielder's choice to bring in Edwin Encarnacion. The Braves retied it in their half of the sixth as Jason Heyward doubled Uggla home safely, followed by Heyward scoring on a balk. The Blue Jays got an equalizer in the eighth inning as Yunel Escobar grounded out to plate Encarnacion. Atlanta won it in the tenth inning with a walkoff error by Arencibia to get Heyward home safely. Cristhian Martinez was credited with the win while Francisco Cordero was pinned with the loss.

More NL action, with the only same-league game in Milwaukee, as the Brewers host the San Diego Padres. Edinson Volquez and Shaun Marcum are the reliable pitchers. Milwaukee led off with a first inning Corey Hart solo home run. San Diego tied it as Everth Cabrera hit an inside-the-park home run in the third inning. The Padres gained the lead in the fourth inning as Cabrera drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Chase Headley. The Brewers went ahead in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run long ball by Martin Maldonado, sweeping in Cody Ransom and Carlos Gomez. Milwaukee got another in the fifth inning with another Hart solo shot, followed by Aramis Ramirez grounding out to push home Norichika Aoki. San Diego got one back in the sixth inning as Cameron Maybin hit a solo home run. The Brewers pulled away with a seventh inning Rickie Weeks sacrifice fly to bring home Ryan Braun, followed by a two-run Taylor Green home run, also scoring Ramirez. The Padres tried a rally in the ninth inning with a 2-RBI triple from Logan Forsythe, pushing home Nick Hundley and Cabrera, but this only made it 9-5 in the end. Marcum picked up the win while Volquez was given the loss.

Back to an AL park, as the Chicago White Sox host the Houston Astros. Wandy Rodriguez and Gavin Floyd are the staff aces pitching. Houston opened on a first inning Jed Lowrie sacrifice fly to bring home Jose Altuve. The Astros added on in the second inning as Brett Wallace hit a solo home run. Houston padded the lead with a fifth inning Lowrie two-run homer, also scoring Jordan Schafer. Chicago got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as Adam Dunn grounded out, giving Alejandro De Aza time to get home. The White Sox got another in the sixth inning as A.J. Pierzynski doubled to drive in Alex Rios, before coming home on a single by Alexei Ramirez. The Astros shot back in the seventh inning as Justin Maxwell dashed home while Altuve was thrown out stealing second. Houston struck again in the ninth inning as Brian Bogusevic launched a three-run home run, sweeping in Jason Castro and Maxwell, for an 8-3 final. Rodriguez was credited with the win while Floyd did not fare well in the loss.

North to another AL ballpark in Minnesota, as the Twins host the Chicago Cubs. Travis Wood and P.J. Walters are the relatively unknown pitchers. Chicago got the first runs in the first inning as David DeJesus hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Starlin Castro, followed by Alfonso Soriano solo home run. Minnesota answered in the second inning as Darin Mastroianni singled home Chris Parmelee. The Twins tied it in the fourth inning on a Trevor Plouffe solo shot. The Cubs took the lead back in the fifth inning when Reed Johnson singled in Ian Stewart, before scoring on a two-run home run by Castro. Minnesota got one back in the bottom of the fifth as Jamey Carroll doubled to knock in Ben Revere. The Twins pulled closer in the sixth inning as Brian Dozier singled in Plouffe, before being knocked in by a Mastroianni triple. Minnesota gained the lead with a Ryan Doumit solo home run in the seventh inning. Chicago took the lead again in the eighth inning as Soriano hit a two-run home run, also bringing in DeJesus. The Twins retied it in the ninth inning with a Justin Morneau triple to push in Josh Willingham. Minnesota completed the comeback with a walkoff Willingham single in the tenth inning, plating Mastroianni for an 8-7 win. Matt Capps picked up the win while Shawn Camp took the loss.

South and switching to the NL again, we have the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Cleveland Indians. Josh Tomlin and Jake Westbrook are the powerful young pitchers. Cleveland struck first in the first inning as Carlos Santana doubled home Asdrubal Cabrera, followed by Michael Brantley grounding out to bring in Jason Kipnis. The Indians got another in the fourth inning as Casey Kotchman grounded out, scoring Santana in the process. Cleveland added on in the fifth inning as Kipnis singled to drive in Shin-Soo Choo. The Indians kept going in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by Johnny Damon, sweeping in Brantley. St. Louis got on the board in the bottom of the seventh as Matt Adams hit a 2-RBI single to knock in Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso. They only got as close as 6-2, with Tomlin earning the win and Westbrook suffering the loss.

Westward to another NL park in Denver, with the Colorado Rockies hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. C.J. Wilson opposes a lesser for in Alex White. Los Angeles started in the third inning with a two-run Torii Hunter home run, also scoring Mike Trout. The Angels did the same thing over again in the fifth inning as Hunter went yard and brought Trout with him. Colorado got on the board in the sixth inning when Marco Scutaro doubled in Eric Young. Los Angeles extended the lead in the ninth inning as Hunter singled in both John Hester and Maicer Izturis before an Albert Pujols double plated Trout. The Rockies got one back in the bottom of the ninth on a Jordan Pacheco triple to force in Todd Helton, producing the 7-2 final. Wilson earned the win while White was on the hook for the loss.

Down in Arizona, we continue our NL spree with the Diamondbacks bringing in the Oakland Athletics to Chase Field. Tommy Milone and Daniel Hudson pace the game. Oakland staked a large lead in the second inning with a rally sparked by Cliff Pennington doubling in Brandon Inge, followed by Milone singling Kurt Suzuki and Pennington home, Coco Crisp doubling to finish Milone's trip before coming home on a Josh Reddick single, and Inge closing the rally with a single plating Reddick. Arizona got some back in their half of the inning as Willie Bloomquist singled, knocking in Ryan Roberts before a two-run home run by Jason Kubel brought him home. The Diamondbacks pulled closer in the fifth inning with a Paul Goldschmidt solo home run. The Athletics answered in the sixth inning as Seth Smith hit a two-run home run, sweeping in Reddick. Arizona responded with a Kubel double to bring in Bloomquist in the bottom of the sixth, before finishing his trip on a Justin Upton single. The Diamondbacks won it in walkoff fashion with a ninth inning three-run homer from Roberts, knocking in Chris Young and Aaron Hill for a 9-8 win. J.J. Putz was in line for the win, while Brian Fuentes was the victim of the long ball, taking a loss in the process.

Up in Seattle, we visit an AL park as the Mariners welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nathan Eovaldi and Kevin Millwood are the uninspiring pitchers. Seattle finally opened with a seventh inning Kyle Seager single to drive in Ichiro. This was all the Mariners needed to win 1-0, completing a six-pitcher no hitter over the Dodgers. The pitchers were Millwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, and Tom Wilhelmsen, with Pryor notching the win and Wilhelmsen shutting the door for the save. They only allowed three walks during the game, which resulted in a loss for Scott Elbert.

Finally, we end in an NL park as the San Francisco Giants host the Texas Rangers. Matt Harrison and Barry Zito are on the hill. Texas opened with a first inning Ian Kinsler solo home run. The Rangers struck again in the fourth inning as Craig Gentry singled Nelson Cruz home. Texas added on in the fifth inning with a Josh Hamilton solo shot. The Rangers padded the lead with a sixth inning Kinsler single to drive in Gentry. Texas got another for good measure in the ninth inning as Gentry singled to bring home Michael Young, capping off a 5-for-5 night for Gentry. Speaking of fives, the final stood at 5-0 Rangers, with Harrison earning the win in a complete game, five-hit shutout and Zito taking the loss.

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