MLB Day 80 2012

It's a getaway day again, which means we have matinees on the schedule. We begin in...

The Bronx, as the New York Yankees host the Atlanta Braves. Tommy Hanson and Phil Hughes will be assigned to make the starts this afternoon. For a more detailed analysis of this game, check out ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the first of two Games of the Day. Atlanta got started in the first inning with a Dan Uggla single to bring in Michael Bourn, before Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run, also scoring Uggla. New York got one back in the bottom of the first on a Derek Jeter solo home run. The Braves shot back with a third inning solo shot by Martin Prado. Atlanta added on in the fourth as Jason Heyward went yard on a solo home run. The Braves got another solo shot in the fifth inning with David Ross sending the ball over the fence. The Yankees got one back in their half of the fifth as Eric Chavez hit a solo home run. New York pulled closer in the sixth inning with a pair of solo shots by Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano. The Yankees kept going in the seventh inning as Curtis Granderson singled Russell Martin safely home. Atlanta extended the lead in the eighth inning as Freeman grounded out to provide time for Prado to come home before a two-run home run by Heyward swept in Uggla. The Braves iced it at 10-5 in the ninth inning when Prado singled Juan Francisco in. Hanson was in line for the win while Hughes was given the loss.

Down into Houston, where the Astros host the Kansas City Royals. Bruce Chen and Jordan Lyles are the struggling starters. Kansas City got on the board in the fifth inning with a Brayan Pena groundout to give Mike Moustakas time to get home. The Royals got another in the sixth inning with Yuniesky Betancourt reaching on an error to allow Alex Gordon to score. Houston got on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a Jed Lowrie single to knock in Jordan Schafer. They were unable to tie the game, allowing the win to go to Chen, while Jonathan Broxton turned the save and Lyles had little help in the loss.

Up north in Milwaukee, the Brewers host the Toronto Blue Jays. Joel Carreno is mismatched with Yovani Gallardo in the pitching match. Toronto opened the scoring in the second inning with an Edwin Encarnacion solo home run. Milwaukee rallied ahead in the bottom of the second when Corey Hart hit a solo shot, followed by a two-run long ball from Martin Maldonado, also scoring Cody Ransom, and a two-run homer by Carlos Gomez to plate the pitcher Gallardo. The Brewers added on in the fifth inning when Nyjer Morgan singled Gomez home. The Blue Jays shot back in the seventh inning as Colby Rasmus doubled in David Cooper and Encarnacion was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded forcing in Brett Lawrie. Milwaukee shot back in their half of the seventh with a two-run Ryan Braun home run, also scoring Morgan. This made it 8-3, a final, with the win going to Gallardo and the loss to Carreno.

Southwest to Arizona, as the Diamondbacks host the Seattle Mariners. Jason Vargas and Trevor Cahill are the young starters. Arizona wasted little time in scoring in the first inning on solo home runs by Aaron Hill and Jason Kubel. Seattle rallied ahead in the third inning with John Jaso doubling in the pitcher Vargas, followed by a 2-RBI Casper Wells single to drive in Ichiro and Jaso, and a two-run home run by Kyle Seager, finishing up Wells' trip around. The Diamondbacks tied it up in the fourth inning with a two-run home run by Miguel Montero, also scoring Kubel, and a John McDonald solo shot. Arizona took a fifth inning lead as Justin Upton hit a three-run home run, sweeping in Chris Young and Hill, followed by Ryan Roberts singling to score Paul Goldschmidt and a McDonald double to bring home Montero. The Mariners got one back in the sixth inning as Dustin Ackley grounded out to finish a Seager trip around the bases. The Diamondbacks pulled away again in the bottom of the sixth with Montero's 2-RBI single to bring home both Upton and Goldschmidt, followed by a two-run inside-the-park home run by Roberts, bringing in Montero. Seattle replied in the eighth inning as Michael Saunders singled to bring in Wells, followed by a three-run blast by Franklin Gutierrez, sweeping home Saunders and Ackley. They failed to get any closer, losing 14-10. Cahill was the winning pitcher while Vargas was tagged for the loss.

Further to the west, the San Diego Padres welcome the Texas Rangers. Yu Darvish faces a lesser foe in Anthony Bass. San Diego started off with a 2-RBI single by the pitcher Bass, knocking in both John Baker and Alexi Amarista in the second inning. Texas got one back in the fifth inning as Alberto Gonzalez singled in David Murphy. The Rangers took the lead in the sixth inning on a Nelson Cruz fielder's choice to bring home Michael Young and a bases-loaded walk by Yorvit Torrealba forcing in Josh Hamilton. Texas got another in the seventh inning when Young hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Ian Kinsler. This was all for the scoring here, with the final being 4-2, with Darvish getting the win, Joe Nathan turning his fifteenth save of the season, and Dale Thayer took the loss.

Way northeast to Pittsburgh, as the Pirates host the Minnesota Twins. Veterans Francisco Liriano and Erik Bedard will pitch. Minnesota began with a first inning Trevor Plouffe single to drive in Josh Willingham. Pittsburgh tied it in the seventh inning on a Rod Barajas sacrifice fly that knocked in Pedro Alvarez. The Twins got the lead back in the eighth inning when Willingham hit a solo home run. This was all they needed to win 2-1, with Jared Burton getting the win, Glen Perkins making the save, and Jason Grilli was on the hook for the loss.

Westward to Detroit, with the Tigers hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. Jake Westbrook and Rick Porcello are the average starters. Detroit led off in the third inning as Austin Jackson doubled in Gerald Laird. St. Louis tied it in the fifth inning with Daniel Descalso hitting a sacrifice fly to score David Freese. The Cardinals took the lead in the sixth inning on a Yadier Molina double play allowing Matt Holliday to cross home safely. St. Louis added on in the seventh inning with Molina reaching on an error that got Carlos Beltran home. The final stood at 3-1 here, with Westbrook going the distance for the win and Porcello taking the loss.

Back into Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Phillies host the Colorado Rockies. Alex White and Joe Blanton will try to turn their seasons around tonight. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a first inning groundout by Hunter Pence, giving time for Juan Pierre to dart home. Colorado got on the board with a second inning three-run home run from Willin Rosario, sweeping in Jordan Pacheco and Chris Nelson. The Phillies responded with a three-run blast of their own in the bottom of the second, with Michael Martinez going yard and taking Placido Polanco and John Mayberry with him. The Rockies retied the game on a solo home run from Michael Cuddyer in the third inning. Colorado took a lead in the fourth inning on a solo shot by Nelson. Philadelphia pulled even on a Jimmy Rollins double in their half of the fourth, plating Mayberry. The Rockies got the lead again in the ninth inning as Dexter Fowler singled Rosario across the dish. The Phillies got the last laugh, rallying in the bottom of the ninth with a Pence double to bring in Ty Wigginton as the "Ty"-ing run and then Polanco reached on an error that allowed Pence to come home as the winning run for a 7-6 victory. Jonathan Papelbon was in line for the win while Rafael Betancourt was the victim of the loss.

Into Washington, as the Nationals host the Tampa Bay Rays. Chris Archer and Stephen Strasburg are the promising young starters. Washington drew first blood with a first inning Bryce Harper single allowing Steve Lombardozzi to score, and Harper scored when Ryan Zimmerman reached on an error, and Zimmerman finished his trip on an Ian Desmond single. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second inning with a Jose Molina solo home run. The Rays pulled closer in the third inning when Hideki Matsui singled to drive in Carlos Pena. They couldn't tie the game up, falling 3-2, with Strasburg getting the win, Tyler Clippard throwing his tenth save of the season, and Archer taking a tough loss.

West to Ohio for the battle for state supremacy, as the Cleveland Indians host the Cincinnati Reds. Bronson Arroyo and Justin Masterson have the green light to start. Cleveland established a lead in the fourth inning with a two-run home run by Johnny Damon, also scoring Casey Kotchman, and a three-run homer by Asdrubal Cabrera, knocking in Lonnie Chisenhall and Shin-Soo Choo. The Indians added on with a 3-RBI double from Chisenhall in the seventh inning, sweeping home Carlos Santana, Kotchman, and Damon. Cincinnati got on the board in the eighth inning as Willie Harris grounded out to get Jay Bruce home. This was as close as it got, with the final standing at 8-1. The win went to Masterson, while Arroyo was pinned with the loss.

Back to the Atlantic, with the Boston Red Sox hosting the Miami Marlins. Ricky Nolasco and Felix Doubront are the reliable starters. Miami wasted no time in getting on the board with Giancarlo Stanton grounding into a double play that allowed Jose Reyes to come home. The Marlins struck again in the second inning as Gaby Sanchez grounded out, allowing Justin Ruggiano to dart home. Boston took the lead in the bottom of the second on a three-run Mike Aviles home run, sweeping in Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kevin Youkilis. The Red Sox added on in the third inning with a 3-RBI Cody Ross double, knocking in all of Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, and David Ortiz. Miami got some back in the fourth inning when Logan Morrison hit a solo home run and Sanchez singled Ruggiano across the dish. Boston answered in their half of the fourth, with Kalish singling Aviles home, followed by an Ortiz grand slam to bring home all of Nava, Kalish, and Adrian Gonzalez, and a solo shot by Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox got another in the fifth inning with Nick Punto scoring on a wild pitch. The Marlins got another in the seventh inning as John Buck hit a solo home run. Boston got a couple more in the eighth inning with a two-run home run by Will Middlebrooks, driving in Saltalamacchia. This made it 15-5, a final, with the win easily going to Doubront while Nolasco was charged with a hefty loss.

Back into New York, as the Mets host the Baltimore Orioles. Brian Matusz and Dillon Gee take their turns in the rotation. For a more detail analysis of this game, go to ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for our second Game of the Day. New York was first on the board in the fourth inning with a Mike Nickeas single to bring in Scott Hairston. The Mets struck again in the fifth inning as Hairston hit a ground rule double to knock in Jordany Valdespin and Ike Davis grounded into a fielder's choice to get David Wright home. New York added on in the sixth inning with another ground rule double, this time from Wright to bring home the pitcher Gee. Baltimore got on the board in the eighth inning as Wilson Betemit hit a two-run home run, also scoring Nick Johnson. The Orioles got one back in the ninth inning as Steve Pearce walked with the bases loaded to force in Matt Wieters, but this only made it 4-3 and they never got the equalizer. Gee picked up the win, Frank Francisco walked away with the save, and Matusz was not off the hook for the loss.

West again to Chicago, as the White Sox host the Chicago Cubs. Randy Wells and Gavin Floyd are the well-known veterans pitching. The White Sox were first to score in the third inning as Adam Dunn singled in Eduardo Escobar and Paul Konerko did the same for Alejandro De Aza. The White Sox got another in the fourth inning as Gordon Beckham singled to score Alexei Ramirez. The White Sox extended their lead in the sixth inning on a three-run home run by Beckham, sweeping in Escobar and De Aza. The White Sox kept going in the seventh inning when Ramirez singled Alex Rios home. This made it 7-0 in the end, with Floyd cruising to the win and Wells getting no support in the loss.

Back into California, we have the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hosting the San Francisco Giants. Aces Ryan Vogelsong and Jered Weaver pace the game. Los Angeles opened with a second inning Alberto Callaspo solo home run. The Angels padded the lead in the fifth inning as Erick Aybar singled Howie Kendrick across the dish before scoring himself on a Mike Trout single. Los Angeles padded the lead in the eighth inning with solo shots from Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo, and a Bobby Wilson double to drive in Kendrick. This made it 6-0 in the end, with Weaver returning from the disabled list with a win, and Vogelsong had no help in the loss.

Finally, a bit to the north the Oakland Athletics host the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nathan Eovaldi and Tommy Milone are the relatively unknown pitchers atop the hill. Los Angeles got things going on a second inning Juan Uribe double to drive in Juan Rivera. Oakland tied it in the fourth inning as Seth Smith doubled in Yoenis Cespedes. The Athletics took a lead in the fifth inning as Josh Reddick grounded into a double play to get Eric Sogard home and Cespedes singled Coco Crisp home. Oakland added on in the eighth inning as Brandon Moss hit a solo home run. This produced a 4-1 final, with Milone going the distance for the win and Eovaldi taking the loss.

Follow me on Twitter @UltBaseballTrip and check out ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the trip of a lifetime, taking in two games in the Big Apple today.