MLB Day 87 2012

Full slate of games on getaway day. We begin in...

Cincinnati, as the Reds host the Milwaukee Brewers. Zack Greinke and Homer Bailey get the starting nods. Milwaukee got things going in the second inning as Rickie Weeks hit a two-run home run, also scoring Corey Hart. The Brewers added on in the third inning as Aramis Ramirez singled in Norichika Aoki. Cincinnati got on the board in the bottom of the third inning as Brandon Phillips single to score Chris Heisey. Milwaukee replied in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Cody Ransom, sweeping in Hart. The Reds got one back in their half of the fourth on a Ryan Ludwick solo home run. Cincinnati pulled closer in the eighth inning as Miguel Cairo grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Zack Cozart. The Brewers rallied to extend the lead in the ninth inning with Travis Ishikawa singling home Martin Maldonado, followed by bases-loaded walks from Ramirez and Hart, forcing in Ishikawa and Aoki. The Reds got one back in the bottom of the ninth with another Ludwick solo shot, but this only made it an 8-4 final. Greinke got the win while Bailey was credited with the loss.

East to New York, as the Yankees host the Cleveland Indians. Ubaldo Jimenez and Andy Pettitte are the once-amazing pitchers. Cleveland began in the second inning on a Shelley Duncan double to knock in Carlos Santana. New York answered in the fourth inning when Eric Chavez doubled in both Robinson Cano and Raul Ibanez. The Indians took the lead back in the fifth inning on an Asdrubal Cabrera single driving in Lou Marson and a Jason Kipnis single doing the same for Michael Brantley. The Yankees got the lead back in the sixth inning on a two-run home by Cano, sweeping in Alex Rodriguez. New York added on in the eighth inning as Chavez singled to plate Mark Teixeira. Cleveland got one back in the ninth inning as Michael Brantley drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Lonnie Chisenhall. This was it for the scoring, with the final being 5-4. Freddy Garcia was in line for the win, Rafael Soriano turned in a shaky save, and Jimenez was the losing pitcher.

Northwest to Minnesota, where the Twins host the Chicago White Sox. Chris Sale and Nick Blackburn take their turns in the rotation. Chicago led off in the second inning as Alexei Ramirez reached on an error, allowing Alex Rios to score. The White Sox added on in the third inning when Kevin Youkilis doubled home Eduardo Escobar. Chicago continued in the fifth inning with a three-run Adam Dunn home run, sweeping in Alejandro De Aza and Youkilis before Rios hit a solo home run. Minnesota got one back in their half of the inning on a Brian Dozier solo shot. The White Sox rallied again in the sixth inning as De Aza singled to plate Ramirez, Youkilis did the same for Orlando Hudson, and Dunn followed suit to bring in Escobar. The Twins answered in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Ben Revere, giving Denard Span time to come home. Chicago shot back in the seventh inning as Jordan Danks singled in A.J. Pierzynski. The White Sox padded the lead in the eighth inning on a Rios single to drive in Escobar and a Pierzynski sacrifice fly giving time to Tyler Flower for safe passage home. Minnesota got some back in the bottom of the eighth as Darin Mastroianni hit a two-run home run, sweeping home Dozier. The Twins futilely attempted to pull back in the ninth inning with Dozier grounding into a fielder's choice to bring in Chris Parmelee, setting up the 12-5 final. Sale was given the win and Blackburn suffered a brutal loss.

Back to the east, where the Boston Red Sox host the Toronto Blue Jays. Ricky Romero and Jon Lester are the staff aces pitching. Toronto began with a first inning Colby Rasmus single to knock in Brett Lawrie. Boston rallied ahead in the bottom of the first inning, beginning on a Dustin Pedroia double to score Daniel Nava, followed by Adrian Gonzalez reaching on an error that scored both Pedroia and David Ortiz, Will Middlebrooks grounding out to bring in Cody Ross, Mike Aviles singling to knock in Gonzalez, and Darnell McDonald singling to finish Aviles' trip. The Red Sox got another in the second inning when Gonzalez singled Ortiz home. The Blue Jays got one back in the fourth inning on a Jose Bautista solo home run. Boston shot back in their half of the fourth as Gonzalez singled to drive in Ortiz and Aviles doubled Ross across the dish. The Red Sox added on in the fifth inning as Ortiz hit a solo shot. Toronto chipped back in the sixth inning as Edwin Encarnacion lifted a two-run home run, sweeping in Bautista. The scoring ended here, as Boston won 10-4. Lester picked up the win and Romero was shelled in the loss.

To the Midwest, where the Kansas City Royals host the Tampa Bay Rays. Matt Moore and Everett Teaford are the uninspiring pitcher. Kansas City started in the first inning with a Mike Moustakas solo home run. The Royals added on in the third inning as Alcides Escobar hit a solo shot. Kansas City struck again in the fifth inning as Yuniesky Betancourt singled in both Jason Bourgeois and Escobar. Tampa Bay found the scoreboard in the sixth inning when Jeff Keppinger singled to plate B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist did the same for Carlos Pena. The Rays tied it in the eighth inning when Zobrist tripled to force in Pena and Keppinger. The Royals took the lead back in the bottom of the eighth with a Billy Butler solo home run. This was all for the scoring, leaving Kansas City with a 5-4 win. Aaron Crow was in line for the win, Jonathan Broxton turned the save, and Burke Badenhop was dinged for the loss.

Up a bit into Chicago, where the Cubs host the New York Mets. Jonathon Niese and Jeff Samardzija are the back-of-the-rotation starters. New York struck first in the first inning as David Wright hit a sacrifice fly to knock in Andres Torres. Chicago got on the board in the second inning with a Luis Valbuena double to drive in Darwin Barney. The Mets answered in the fourth inning as Ike Davis doubled to score Lucas Duda before coming home on a Daniel Murphy two-run home run. New York added on in the fifth inning with Wright doubling both Niese and Ruben Tejada home before coming home himself alongside Duda when Davis hit a three-run home run, followed up by a Murphy solo home run. The Mets kept the blitz up in the sixth inning when Wright hit a 2-RBI single to bring in Niese and Torres before Scott Hairston hit a grand slam that swept home Tejada, Wright, and Duda. New York got another in the eighth inning as Murphy grounded into a fielder's choice that got Davis home. This made it 17-1, a final score. Niese was given the win for the absolute drubbing while Samardzija was shelled in the worst way for the loss.

Way out west, the Seattle Mariners host the Oakland Athletics. Jarrod Parker and Kevin Millwood are the under-appreciated pitchers. Oakland led off with a first inning Coco Crisp solo home run. Seattle tied it in the second inning on a John Jaso solo shot. The Athletics got the lead in the seventh inning on a Yoenis Cespedes solo home run. This was all they needed for a 2-1 win, with the win going to Parker, the save to Ryan Cook and the loss to Hisashi Iwakuma.

Down in San Francisco, the Giants host the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chad Billingsley and Tim Lincecum are the veteran pitchers. San Francisco got things going in the third inning on a Melky Cabrera double to drive in Lincecum and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Angel Pagan to force in Ryan Theriot. The Giants added on in the fifth inning as Pagan singled Theriot across the dish. This was all they needed for a 3-0 win, which went to Lincecum, while Sergio Romo tossed the save and Billingsley had no support in the loss.

Back to the east, the Baltimore Orioles host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Jered Weaver and Jason Hammel are on the mound. Los Angeles started in the first inning as Torii Hunter hit a solo home run. Baltimore tied it in the bottom of the first as Adam Jones doubled to score Chris Davis. The Angels took the lead again in the third inning when Kendrys Morales singled Mike Trout and Hunter safely home. Los Angeles rallied to extend the lead in the fourth inning, beginning with Howie Kendrick singling in Alberto Callaspo, followed by Trout doing the same for Erick Aybar, Hunter singling to bring in Bobby Wilson, Trout scoring as Hunter stole second, Hunter coming home on a Morales single, and Callaspo singling Albert Pujols across the plate. The Angels kept up the attack in the fifth inning as Morales reached on an error allowing both Trout and Hunter to come home safely. Los Angeles extended the lead in the seventh inning as Peter Bourjos doubled Wilson in before scoring on a single by Morales. This made it a 13-1 final, with Weaver getting an easy win and Hammel getting shelled in the loss.

Into Philadelphia, as the Phillies host the Pittsburgh Pirates. James McDonald faces a lesser foe in Raul Valdes. Philadelphia opened with a pair of solo home runs in the first inning, from Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz. Pittsburgh took the lead on a three-run home run from Michael McKenry in the second inning, sweeping in Neil Walker and Jose Tabata. The Pirates struck again in the fourth inning on a Casey McGehee solo shot and a single from the pitcher McDonald to drive in Walker. Pittsburgh added on in the fifth inning when Walker singled Drew Sutton home, followed by Tabata doing the same for Andrew McCutchen and McKenry singled to finish Walker's trip. The Phillies got one back in the sixth inning as Hunter Pence double Ruiz in, and another when Pence scored on a Shane Victorino single. Philadelphia rallied closer in the seventh inning on a Jimmy Rollins triple to force home Hector Luna, a Juan Pierre single to bring Rollins the final 90 feet home, and a Ruiz single that finished Pierre's trip. The Pirates extended their lead again on an eighth inning Sutton double to drive home Alex Presley before he scored on a two-run home run by McCutchen. This was it for the scoring, leaving the final at 11-7. McDonald was credited with the win while Valdes was responsible for the loss.

Way south, the Miami Marlins host the St. Louis Cardinals. Joe Kelly is mismatched with Anibal Sanchez. For a more detailed recap of this game, go to ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the featured Game of the Day. St. Louis was the first to score with a Carlos Beltran sacrifice fly bringing in Jon Jay and a David Freese double to drive in Matt Holliday. Miami tied it in the fifth inning on a John Buck single plating Omar Infante and a Jose Reyes groundout to bring home Gaby Sanchez. The Cardinals got the lead back in the seventh inning on a Tony Cruz solo home run. The Marlins tied it in the bottom of the seventh with a Buck solo shot and went ahead on a Logan Morrison solo home run. Miami extended the lead in the eighth inning when Infante doubled Greg Dobbs safely home. This made it 5-3, a final, with Sanchez in line for the win, Heath Bell turning the save as his fifteenth of the season, and Sam Freeman was on the hook for the loss.

North to Atlanta, as the Braves welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks. Trevor Cahill and Tommy Hanson are on the hill. Atlanta began with a first inning Jason Heyward solo home run. The Braves got another in the fifth inning as Andrelton Simmons reached on an error allowing Chipper Jones to come home, followed by Michael Bourn hitting a sacrifice fly to plate Freddie Freeman and Martin Prado doing the same to finish Simmons' trip. Atlanta struck again in the sixth inning with a two-run home run by Jones, sweeping in Dan Uggla. Arizona got on the board in the seventh inning with a three-run blast by Ryan Roberts, knocking in Miguel Montero and Aaron Hill, followed by a Chris Young solo shot. This was as close as it got, with the final standing at 6-4. Hanson picked up the win, Craig Kimbrel converted the save, and the loss was pinned on Cahill.

Westward into Texas, where the Rangers host the Detroit Tigers. Doug Fister and Roy Oswalt have the green light to pitch. Texas led off in the second inning as Nelson Cruz reached on an error to bring in Adrian Beltre before he was swept home alongside Michael Young on a three-run home run by David Murphy. Detroit got on the board in the third inning as Miguel Cabrera singled in Ryan Raburn. The Tigers got another in the fourth inning when Brennan Boesch singled to score Alex Avila. The Rangers answered in their half of the inning as Murphy hit a solo home run and Ian Kinsler hit a two-run long ball to knock in Mike Napoli. Detroit fired back in the fifth inning as Quintin Berry tripled to force in Austin Jackson before Jhonny Peralta doubled to bring in both Prince Fielder and Delmon Young. Texas shot back in their half of the inning when Murphy singled Beltre across the plate before coming home with Cruz on a Leonys Martin triple. The Rangers got more in the sixth inning as Young singled Elvis Andrus safely home. The Tigers rallied closer in the eighth inning as Jackson singled in Raburn, followed by Fielder reaching on an error that got Jackson home, a Young single to plate Cabrera, and an Avila single to finish Fielder's trip around. Texas extended their lead again in the bottom of the eighth with Andrus reaching on a bunt single to knock in Kinsler before finishing his trip on a Beltre double. The final stood at 13-9, with the win going to Oswalt and the brutal loss to Fister.

Staying in the state, the Houston Astros host the San Diego Padres. Clayton Richard and Lucas Harrell are the little-known starters. Houston was first to score with a third inning solo home run by Matt Downs. This was it for the scoring, with the Astros earning a 1-0 win, with Harrell pitching a wildly effective six hit and four walk complete game shutout, and Richard allowed just two runners but one got all the way around so he was stuck with the loss.

Finally, we end in Colorado, where the Rockies host the Washington Nationals. Jordan Zimmermann and Edwar Cabrera will be handed the ball. Washington wasted little time in scoring in the first inning as Ryan Zimmerman grounded out to give Bryce Harper time to score. The Nationals added on in the second inning as Tyler Moore hit a two-run home run, also scoring Mark DeRosa. Washington rallied some more in the third inning with a pair of solo home runs by Zimmerman and Ian Desmond, followed by Jhonatan Solano doubling both DeRosa and Moore home. Colorado found the scoreboard in the third inning when Marco Scutaro singled in Willin Rosario. The National struck again in the fourth inning when Zimmerman doubled to plate Harper. Washington got back to work in the seventh inning as DeRosa hit a sacrifice fly allowing Michael Morse to score and Solano singled Desmond safely home. The Rockies chipped back in the eighth inning as Tyler Colvin doubled home Carlos Gonzalez before coming home on a single from Jordan Pacheco. Colorado tried a rally in the ninth inning when Dexter Fowler doubled to score Jonathan Herrera before coming home on a Scutaro single, making it 11-5 in the end. Zimmermann was given the win while Cabrera was logically handed the loss.

Follow me on Twitter @UltBaseballTrip and check out ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the trip of a lifetime as we take in the Sunshine State.