MLB Day 93 2012

Interesting day as we approach tomorrow's national holiday, we get a couple of early games, beginning in...

Milwaukee, as the Brewers welcome the Miami Marlins. Anibal Sanchez and Marco Estrada will make the starts. Miami got an early lead with a two-run Logan Morrison home run, also scoring Donovan Solano. Milwaukee answered in the third inning as Norichika Aoki singled in the pitcher Estrada before scoring alongside Ryan Braun on an Aramis Ramirez double. The Brewers got another in the sixth inning as Corey Hart hit a solo home run, followed by Carlos Gomez reaching on an error to bring in Rickie Weeks, Aoki hitting a sacrifice fly to get Cody Ransom home, and Braun clearing the bases on a three-run home run to sweep in Travis Ishikawa and Gomez. The Marlins got one back in the seventh inning on a Justin Ruggiano solo shot, followed by Jose Reyes singling Gaby Sanchez across the dish, and a Solano fielder's choice to knock in John Buck. Milwaukee shot back in their half of the seventh as Weeks singled Hart safely home, before scoring on a Martin Maldonado single. Miami got some back in the eighth inning with a 2-RBI Omar Infante single plating both Morrison and Ruggiano, before he scored on a two-run home run by Buck, and that was followed by a Scott Cousins solo home run and a Greg Dobbs sacrifice fly tied the game when Reyes crossed the plate. The Marlins took a tenth inning lead when Reyes hit a solo shot. The Brewers got the last laugh though, taking the game 13-12 on a two-run Ramirez home run in the bottom of the tenth, also scoring Gomez to end the game. The win was given to Livan Hernandez while Heath Bell was dinged for the loss.

Back to the east, the Washington Nationals host the San Francisco Giants and some rain. Tim Lincecum and Jordan Zimmermann are the highly-touted pitchers.Washington opened in the second inning with a Danny Espinosa double to drive in Ian Desmond, followed by the pitcher Zimmermann doubling Espinosa the rest of the way home. The Nationals padded the lead in the third inning with Adam LaRoche doubling Ryan Zimmerman home and then scoring on a two-run Desmond home run. Washington got some more in the fourth inning as Michael Morse singled both Steve Lombardozzi and Bryce Harper home, followed by a LaRoche sacrifice fly to knock in Zimmerman. San Francisco found the scoreboard in the fifth inning on a 2-RBI Gregor Blanco single to plate Hector Sanchez and Brandon Crawford. The Giants got another in the eighth inning on a Brandon Belt sacrifice fly plating Joaquin Arias. The Nationals shot back in their half of the inning on a Harper double to get Lombardozzi home. This made the final 9-3, with Zimmermann getting the win and Lincecum on the hook for the loss.

West to Cleveland, as the Indians host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim among the raindrops. Dan Haren and Zach McAllister will be sent out to pitch. Cleveland struck first in the first inning on a Jason Kipnis single to bring in Shin-Soo Choo. The Indians padded the lead in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Shelley Duncan to score Michael Brantley and a Jack Hannahan double to drive in Casey Kotchman. Cleveland got another in the fourth inning with a Duncan solo home run. Los Angeles got on the board in the fifth inning as John Hester reached on an error, allowing Alberto Callaspo to come home, followed by Mike Trout hitting a three-run home run, sweeping in Hester and Howie Kendrick, and Albert Pujols hit a solo home run. The Indians fired back in their half of the inning as Jose Lopez doubled Choo across the plate, followed by Brantley grounding out to get Kipnis home, and Lopez also scored on an error. Cleveland extended the lead in the seventh inning on a Brantley fielder's choice to get Kipnis home. The Indians kept up the attack in the eighth inning on an Aaron Cunningham single to bring Kotchman around. They finished ahead 9-5 after a delay, but that couldn't take the win from McAllister or spare Haren from the loss.

Up north in Detroit, the Tigers host the Minnesota Twins with a cameo by rain. Nick Blackburn and Duane Below receive the starting nods. Minnesota opened with a first inning Josh Willingham sacrifice fly to score Ben Revere. Detroit tied it in the second inning as Ryan Raburn doubled in Prince Fielder, before taking the lead as Raburn and Alex Avila came home on a Brennan Boesch single. The Twins took the lead back in the third inning as Joe Mauer reached on an error to push in Revere before scoring on a two-run Willingham home run, followed by Trevor Plouffe going yard on a two-run homer and taking Justin Morneau with him. The Tigers tied it in the fourth inning on a solo home run from Boesch and a two-run blast from Austin Jackson, driving in Ramon Santiago as well. Minnesota got the lead again in the seventh inning on a Ryan Doumit sacrifice fly that plated Mauer. The Twins kept going in the ninth inning as Mauer hit a solo shot. This made the final 8-6, with Jeff Gray taking the win, Glen Perkins tossing the save, and Brayan Villarreal was stuck with the loss.

Eastward to Pittsburgh, with the Pirates hosting the Houston Astros. Lucas Harrell is mismatched with A.J. Burnett for pitching. Houston got to work in the second inning as Jordan Schafer singled in Brian Bogusevic and Jose Altuve hit a sacrifice fly to knock in Chris Snyder. The Astros got more in the third inning on a Scott Moore double to plate Carlos Lee. Houston kept going in the fourth inning with Jed Lowrie singling Altuve safely home. Pittsburgh got some back in the bottom of the fourth as Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run home run, also scoring Drew Sutton. The Astros fired back in the sixth inning on a Schafer single to plate Snyder and a Lowrie sacrifice fly to bring in the pitcher Harrell. The Pirates got one back in the bottom of the sixth as Casey McGehee singled Garrett Jones safely home, before coming home alongside Neil Walker on a Pedro Alvarez single. Pittsburgh took the lead in the seventh inning as Jones hit a two-run home run, sweeping in McCutchen. Houston tied it in the ninth inning as Jason Castro doubled Lowrie home. The Pirates won in a walkoff fashion in the bottom of the ninth as Sutton hit a solo shot to secure an 8-7 victory. Joel Hanrahan was in line for the win while Wesley Wright was pinned with the loss.

Into Canada, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Kansas City Royals. Vin Mazzaro and Brett Cecil are the bottom-of-the-rotation starters. Kansas City was first to score here in the third inning on a Jason Bourgeois triple to force in Jeff Francoeur and Salvador Perez, before he came the final 90 feet on an Alex Gordon sacrifice fly. Toronto rallied to tie in the fourth inning as Edwin Encarnacion singled home Brett Lawrie and Rajai Davis singled to score both Colby Rasmus and Encarnacion, before taking the lead on a three-run home run from Adam Lind, also scoring Yunel Escobar and Davis. This was all for the scoring, leaving the final at 6-3. Cecil picked up the win, Casey Janssen turned his tenth save of the season, and Mazzaro was stuck with the loss.

Back stateside, the New York Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies. Vance Worley and Jonathon Niese are the underrated pitchers. New York led off in the first inning with David Wright grounding out to knock in Daniel Murphy. Philadelphia tied it in the second inning on a Carlos Ruiz solo home run. The Mets replied in their half of the inning as Niese singled home both Lucas Duda and Andres Torres, followed by Murphy doubling to score Niese. New York added on in the fourth inning with a Ruben Tejada single to plate Josh Thole and a Murphy single to drive in Tejada. The Mets extended the lead again in the sixth inning on a three-run home run from Wright, sweeping in Niese and Tejada. New York continued in the eighth inning on a 2-RBI Murphy double, sweeping in Josh Thole and Justin Turner. This made it 11-1, a final, with Niese showing well in the win while Worley was abused in the loss.

South to Atlanta, where the Braves host the Chicago Cubs and some thunderstorms (or is that just Chipper Jones' bat?). Chris Volstad and Jair Jurrjens are the struggling veterans. For a detailed recap, visit ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the Game of the Day. Atlanta began in the first inning as Chipper Jones singled Michael Bourn home. Chicago rallied ahead in the third inning as Starlin Castro reached on an error to get David DeJesus safely home, followed by Bryan LaHair singling to finish Castro's trip and Steve Clevenger singling Anthony Rizzo in. The Braves took the lead back with a bases clearing Bourn triple to force in all of Brian McCann, Andrelton Simmons, and Eric Hinske, followed by Bourn scoring on a Martin Prado sacrifice fly, and Jason Heyward hitting a solo home run. Atlanta added on in the sixth inning as Prado drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Simmons, before Jones swept the bases clean on a 3-RBI double that saw Kris Medlen, Bourn, and Prado all score. This was good for a 10-3 win, earned by Jurrjens, while Volstad was stuck with the loss.

South further into Florida, where the Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees. Ivan Nova and James Shields take the mound. New York quickly got a lead in the first inning when Curtis Granderson doubled Derek Jeter home, before he finished his trip on a Robinson Cano single. The Yankees got another in the third inning on a Dewayne Wise solo home run. Tampa Bay got going in the bottom of the third as B.J. Upton singled to knock in Elliot Johnson before scoring alongside Desmond Jennings on a single from Jeff Keppinger to tie the game. New York took the lead again in the fourth inning as Eric Chavez singled Raul Ibanez across the dish. The Rays fired back in their half of the inning on a two-run Sean Rodriguez home run, also scoring Jose Molina. Tampa Bay added on in the seventh inning when Upton stole second base, which gave time for Jennings to dash home after a fielding error by catcher Russell Martin and then Ben Zobrist singled Upton the rest of the way home. This made the eventual final 7-4, with the win going to Shields, the save to Fernando Rodney, and the loss to Nova.

Northwest to Chicago, where the White Sox host the Texas Rangers. Roy Oswalt opposes a younger pitcher in Chris Sale. Chicago quickly established a lead in the first inning as Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run home run, also scoring Alejandro De Aza, followed by solo shots from Adam Dunn and Alex Rios. The White Sox extended the lead in the second inning with Youkilis singling De Aza home, followed by Dunn doubling to finish Youkilis' trip around, and Dunn scoring on a Paul Konerko single. Chicago padded the lead in the fifth inning as Alexei Ramirez hit a 2-RBI single to knock in both Rios and Dayan Viciedo, before scoring on a Youkilis single, followed by Konerko singling in De Aza, Rios knocking in both Youkilis and Dunn with a single, and A.J. Pierzynski clearing the bases with a three-run home run, plating Konerko and Rios to end the 9-run rally. The White Sox struck again in the seventh inning as Jordan Danks hit a sacrifice fly to send Tyler Flowers home, followed by Viciedo walking and on the wild pitch, Eduardo Escobar scored, and Viciedo then scored on another wild pitch. Texas finally got on the board with an eighth inning Elvis Andrus double to score both Mike Napoli and Craig Gentry. At the end of the carnage, the White Sox walked away with a 19-2 win, earned by Sale, while Oswalt was absolutely shelled in the loss, alongside the relievers for the Rangers.

Southward to St. Louis, where the Cardinals host the Colorado Rockies. Jeff Francis and Joe Kelly are the relatively unknown starters. St. Louis opened with a first inning two-run home run by Matt Holliday, also scoring Jon Jay. Colorado took the lead in the third inning with a three-run home run from Tyler Colvin, sweeping in Jonathan Herrera and the pitcher Francis. This stood for a 3-2 win, picked up by Francis, while Rafael Betancourt turned the save and Kelly had no run support in the loss.

Southwest into Arizona, as the Diamondbacks host the San Diego Padres. Andrew Cashner and Trevor Bauer are the young pitchers. San Diego got going in the second inning on a two-run home Yonder Alonso home run, also scoring Yasmani Grandal. The Padres added on in the fourth inning when Ross Ohlendorf reached on an error to give Cameron Maybin time to score, followed by Alexi Amarista singling in Everth Cabrera and Chase Headley doubling in all of Ohlendorf, Will Venable, and Amarista. San Diego padded the lead in the fifth inning as Maybin singled, which combined with an error to plate Alonso. Arizona pulled back a bit in the bottom of the fifth as Jason Kubel hit a grand slam to sweep in Patrick Corbin, Stephen Drew, and Aaron Hill. The Padres got another in the eighth inning on a solo home run for Jesus Guzman. The Diamondbacks attempted a ninth inning rally on a Paul Goldschmidt single to knock in Justin Upton, but it wasn't enough to prevent the 9-5 loss. Ohlendorf was given the win while Bauer took the loss.

Northwest into Oakland, with the Athletics hosting the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester and Bartolo Colon will be on the hill. Oakland wasted little time in scoring in the first inning on a Coco Crisp solo home run. Boston tied it in the second inning with a Jarrod Saltalamacchia solo shot. The Red Sox took the lead in the fifth inning as Saltalamacchia reached on an error, allowing David Ortiz to score. The Athletics rallied in the ninth inning, tying the game on a Brandon Moss single to knock in Chris Carter before winning 3-2 with Crisp's sacrifice fly to drive in Cliff Pennington. Jerry Blevins picked up the win while Alfredo Aceves was dinged for the loss.

South to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds. Johnny Cueto and Chris Capuano are the reliable pitchers. Cincinnati began with a fifth inning Brandon Phillips double to plate Cueto. Los Angeles tied it in the sixth inning as Bobby Abreu singled home Elian Herrera. The Dodgers gained the lead in the seventh inning as Luis Cruz doubled in James Loney and then stole home (or 4th base, whichever you like to call it) for a 3-1 lead. This held up through the end, allowing the win to go to Scott Elbert, while Kenley Jansen picked up the save and Cueto was stuck with the loss.

Finally, we end in Seattle, with the Mariners hosting the Baltimore Orioles. Wei-Yin Chen and Felix Hernandez pace the game. Baltimore finally started the scoring in the sixth inning when Chris Davis singled in Xavier Avery, followed by Adam Jones doing the same for J.J. Hardy, and Matt Wieters followed suit to drive in both Davis and Jones. Seattle got on the board with a seventh inning Casper Wells solo home run. The Mariners rallied to tie in the eighth inning as Justin Smoak singled home Michael Saunders, followed by Josh Jaso bringing Smoak home on a single, and Kyle Seager drawing a bases-loaded walk to force in Dustin Ackley. The Orioles regained the lead in the ninth inning on a solo shot by Robert Andino. This made it 5-4 in the end, with Darren O'Day getting the win, Jim Johnson converting the save, and Charlie Furbush was stuck with the loss.

Follow me on Twitter @UltBaseballTrip and check out ultimatebaseballfantasytrip.blogspot.com for the trip of a lifetime as we dodge raindrops and lightning in Atlanta.