MLB Day 72 2012

Back to a full slate today, as all teams have arrived for a new series. We begin in an American League ballpark in...

Baltimore, as the Orioles host the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brad Lincoln and Wei-Yin Chen are the relatively unknown starters. Pittsburgh struck first in the first inning as Matt Hague singled in Andrew McCutchen. Baltimore took the lead in the second inning with a two-run home run by Mark Reynolds, also scoring Adam Jones. The Orioles added on in the third inning as Jones singled to score J.J. Hardy. Baltimore padded the lead with a fifth inning Jones solo home run. The Pirates pulled back with a sixth inning Casey McGehee solo shot. The Orioles responded in their half of the inning as Brian Roberts hit a sacrifice fly to plate Steve Pearce, followed by Hardy singling in Ryan Flaherty and Chris Davis wiping the bases clean with a two-run home run, sweeping in Hardy. Pittsburgh answered in the seventh inning as Neil Walker grounded out to bring in Clint Barmes, followed by a McCutchen sacrifice fly that allowed Alex Presley to come home. The Pirates chipped away in the ninth inning as Walker hit a two-run homer, also scoring Presley, but they couldn't tie it up, losing 8-6. Chen picked up the win, Jim Johnson mopped up for the save, and Lincoln was on the hook for the loss.

Up in Canada, we stay in an AL park, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Washington Nationals. Chien-Ming Wang and Henderson Alvarez receive the starting nods. Washington opened in the third inning with a solo home run by Bryce Harper. The Nationals added on in the fourth inning when Danny Espinosa hit a two-run home run, also scoring Adam LaRoche. Toronto got on the board in the fifth inning with a two-run homer by Jose Bautista, plating Brett Lawrie. Washington got some space back as Jhonatan Solano hit a solo shot. This was it for the scoring in the power display of a game, with Wang earning the win, Tyler Clippard throwing the save, and Alvarez got stuck with the loss.

Down south and in the National League, the Atlanta Braves welcome the New York Yankees. CC Sabathia faces a lesser foe in Mike Minor. Atlanta opened with a first inning 3-RBI double by Matt Diaz, knocking in all of Michael Bourn, Brian McCann, and Dan Uggla. The Braves got another in the seventh inning when Jason Heyward grounded out to get Martin Prado across the plate. New York tied it in the eighth inning as Alex Rodriguez hit a grand slam to sweep in Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira, followed by a go-ahead two-run home run from Nick Swisher that plated Robinson Cano. This held up for a 6-4 win, with Sabathia getting the win, Rafael Soriano turning his tenth save of the season, and Jonny Venters was on the hook for the loss.

Farther south, the Miami Marlins host the Boston Red Sox under NL rules. Clay Buchholz and Mark Buehrle will play from the mound. Boston finally dented the scoreboard in the seventh inning on a Kelly Shoppach double paving the way home for Will Middlebrooks, before scoring on a Mike Aviles single. Miami got one back in the bottom of the seventh as Logan Morrison hit a solo home run. They couldn't get the equalizer, falling 2-1, with Buchholz notching the win, Alfredo Aceves shutting the door for his fifteenth save of the season, and Buehrle was pinned with the loss.

Up north again, the battle of Ohio goes on in the NL venue in Cincinnati, with the Reds hosting the Cleveland Indians. Jeanmar Gomez is mismatched with Johnny Cueto. Cleveland scored early in the first inning as Jason Kipnis singled in Shin-Soo Choo. Cincinnati tied it in the third inning as Cueto scored on an error. The Reds took the lead in the fifth inning when Jay Bruce hit a sacrifice fly, providing Chris Heisey time to get home. Cincinnati padded the lead in the seventh inning with a two-run Joey Votto home run, sweeping in Wilson Valdez. The Reds extended the lead in the eighth inning when Ryan Hanigan singled, which combined with an error to get Ryan Ludwick home, followed by Valdez grounding out to get Hanigan home and Votto singling Heisey across the plate. This made it 7-1, a final, with Cueto going the distance to earn the win and Gomez suffering the loss.

Back in Florida and the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Mets. Chris Young and Alex Cobb are the average starters. New York quickly got a first inning lead as David Wright reached on an error that got Jordany Valdespin home. Tampa Bay answered in the bottom of the first when Hideki Matsui singled home Carlos Pena, followed by a Will Rhymes sacrifice fly allowing B.J. Upton to dash home. The Mets took the lead back in the fifth inning with a 2-RBI Valdespin single, driving in both Omar Quintanilla and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. New York extended the lead in the seventh inning with Valdespin doubling to score Nieuwenhuis before coming home alongside Wright on a Daniel Murphy single, and Murphy crossed the plate with Lucas Duda on a three-run home run by Ike Davis. The Mets rallied some more in the eighth inning as Valdespin grounded out to push home Quintanilla, followed by a Duda single that knocked in Nieuwenhuis. This made it an 11-2 blowout in the end, allowing Young an easy win while Cobb was pummeled in the loss.

Switching into the NL again as we head north, the Chicago Cubs host the Detroit Tigers. Max Scherzer and Paul Maholm are the consistently inconsistent pitchers. Chicago led off with a second inning Darwin Barney groundout to bring home Bryan LaHair. The Cubs got some more in the sixth inning as Barney doubled home both David DeJesus and Steve Clevenger. Detroit rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning with Ramon Santiago singling in Delmon Young before a 2-RBI Austin Jackson single to knock in both Jhonny Peralta and Quintin Berry. Chicago took the lead in the eighth inning as Starlin Castro reached on an error that brought in Barney. This made it 4-3, a final, with Carlos Marmol in line for the win, Shawn Camp turning a spot save, and Phil Coke on the hook for the loss.

Down in Texas, we head to AL rules with the Rangers hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ian Kennedy and Colby Lewis are the staff aces pitching. Ian Kinsler put Texas up first by scoring on a wild pitch in the first inning. The Rangers rallied in the sixth inning as David Murphy hit a two-run home run, also scoring Michael Young, followed by Mitch Moreland doubling in Yorvit Torrealba before scoring on a Craig Gentry double, and Gentry got home when Kinsler lined a single. Texas was back at work in the seventh inning as Moreland singled to score Adrian Beltre and Gentry was hit by a pitch to force in Young. Arizona got on the board in the eighth inning with a Miguel Montero solo home run. The Rangers shot back in the bottom of the eighth as Josh Hamilton singled to drive in Elvis Andrus. This was all for the scoring, as Lewis went the distance to pick up a strong win, while Kennedy was far less fortunate in the loss.

Staying in the AL, we head up to Minnesota, with the Twins bringing in the Philadelphia Phillies. Kyle Kendrick and Nick Blackburn are tabbed for the starts. Minnesota began with a first inning Denard Span solo home run. The Twins rallied to extend the lead in the second inning when Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run home run, also scoring Ryan Doumit, followed by Ben Revere singling in Jamey Carroll and Joe Mauer doing the same for Span. Philadelphia pulled back in the fourth inning as Ty Wigginton grounded out to bring in Jim Thome, followed by Michael Martinez singling in Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins hitting a 2-RBI double to plate both Mike Fontenot and Martinez. Minnesota answered in their half of the inning with a Mauer double to bring Span home. The Twins struck again in the fifth inning when Plouffe singled in Doumit before comnig home on a double by Carroll. The Phillies shot back in the sixth inning as John Mayberry grounded out, providing Ruiz time to dash home, followed by Thome singling in both Martinez and Rollins. Minnesota got one back in the bottom of the sixth with a Josh Willingham solo shot. The Twins pulled farther away in the seventh inning when Carroll singled Plouffe across the dish, and then came home on a Revere single. This made it 11-7, a final, with Blackburn being credited with the win while Kendrick was given a tough loss.

Back south a touch to Kansas City, with the Royals of the AL hosting the Milwaukee Brewers. Zack Greinke opposes his former team while they trot out Luis Mendoza for pitching purposes. Kansas City started with a first inning Alex Gordon solo home run. Milwaukee tied it in the seventh inning as Rickie Weeks singled in Aramis Ramirez. The Royals took the lead back in the eighth inning on a Billy Butler single to drive in Gordon. This stood for a 2-1 win, with Greg Holland scooping up the win, Jonathan Broxton turning his fifteenth save of the season, and Francisco Rodriguez was dealt the loss.

Across the state of Missouri, the NL St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago White Sox. Jose Quintana is set to start against Adam Wainwright. Chicago drew first blood as Orlando Hudson tripled in the second inning, forcing in Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski. St. Louis got one back in the sixth inning as Allen Craig singled in Matt Holliday. The White Sox extended the lead in the eighth inning as Gordon Beckham singled to score Alejandro De Aza, followed by an Adam Dunn solo home run and a two-run homer from Pierzynski that also scored Rios. This produced a 6-1 final, with Quintana notching the win and Wainwright got stuck with the loss.

Westward, we stay in the NL as the Colorado Rockies host the Oakland Athletics. Bartolo Colon and Jeremy Guthrie are the very experienced veterans. For a more detailed analysis of this game, check out ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the featured Game of the Day. Colorado started off with a Tyler Colvin solo home run, followed by Michael Cuddyer singling home Marco Scutaro, Chris Nelson singling to finish Cuddyer's trip around, and Wil Nieves singling to bring home Todd Helton. Oakland shot back in the third inning, beginning as Seth Smith doubled to drive in Jemile Weeks and Josh Reddick, followed by Brandon Inge doubling smith the rest of the way home before coming home himself on a two-run home run by Brandon Moss, and finally, Cliff Pennington hit a solo home run to cap the 6-run rally that put them ahead. The Athletics got another with a fifth inning Moss solo shot. The Rockies took it back as Helton hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. Oakland replied with a seventh inning Inge solo home run. This was it for the scoring, making the final 8-5, with Colon scratching out a win, Ryan Cook converting a save, and Guthrie was dinged in the loss.

Still in the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Jerome Williams and Aaron Harang are the serviceable starters. The Angels struck first with Kendrys Morales reaching on an error in the third inning to bring in Williams. The Dodgers tied it in the fourth inning as Juan Rivera singled home A.J. Ellis. The Angels took the lead again in the sixth inning when Williams reached on an error that brought in Morales. The Dodgers rallied in the eighth inning with Andre Ethier tying the game by singling in Dee Gordon before Rivera hit a three-run home run to sweep in Ellis and Ethier. This made it 5-2, a final, with the win going to Jamey Wright, the save converted by Kenley Jansen as his tenth of the season, and the loss pinned on Williams.

Up the Pacific coast, the Seattle Mariners host the San Diego Padres under AL rules. Clayton Richard and Felix Hernandez pace the game. San Diego got started in the third inning as Chase Headley singled to drive in Everth Cabrera. Seattle tied it in the fourth inning on a Kyle Seager groundout that brought in Ichiro. The Padres gained the lead again in the sixth inning on a rally sparked by a Cameron Maybin single to plate Yonder Alonso, followed by Nick Hundley singling in Chris Denorfia, Maybin finishing his trip on a wild pitch, and Cabrera tripling to force in Hundley. The Mariners tried a ninth inning rally beginning on a Michael Saunders solo home run, followed by Munenori Kawasaki singling in Chone Figgins and Dustin Ackley striking out on a wild pitch that allowed Kawasaki to finish his trip around, but this only made it 5-4 in the end. Richard was in line for the win, Huston Street turned a sloppy save, and Hernandez was not relieved of the loss.

Finally, we end with the NL-only game as the San Francisco Padres host the Houston Astros. Bud Norris and Madison Bumgarner are on the hill. Houston opened with a second inning Brian Bixler single to knock in Jose Altuve. San Francisco retied it in the third inning on a solo home run by the pitcher Bumgarner. The Giants added on in the fourth inning with a 2-RBI single by Brandon Crawford, plating both Buster Posey and Nate Schierholtz. San Francisco struck again in the seventh inning with a Melky Cabrera single bringing home Gregor Blanco. The Astros responded with an eighth inning Bixler double to bring home Brian Bogusevic. The Giants answered on a two-run Brandon Belt home run, also scoring Schierholtz. Houston tried to rally in the ninth inning when Jason Castro doubled Jordan Schafer across the plate, but this only made it 6-3, a final. Bumgarner got the win, Santiago Casilla turned the save, and Norris was dealt the loss.

Follow me on Twitter @UltBaseballTrip and check out the ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the adventure of a lifetime, passing through Denver as we hit our fourth stadium so far.