Thursday, April 12, 2012

4-11 Recap

All 30 teams played today and it was a rough one for me.  It was kinda like an oreo cookie, where the beginning was terrible, the middle was good, and the ending was terrible.  You will see what I mean in the recaps below.

Away
Home
Result
Winning Pitcher
Losing Pitcher

White Sox 10 Indians 6 (Loss)

Justin Masterson was anything but masterful today as he gave up 4 runs in the first inning and the White Sox never looked back.  Just when you thought the Indians were going to make a game out of it by cutting it to 5-4 in the 6th inning the White Sox have another 5 run outburst to put the game out of reach.  The Indians tried to crawl back but could only muster 2 runs the rest of the way.

Reds 4 Cardinals 3 (Loss)

St Louis jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning on the Reds and Johnny Cueto, but Cincinnati came back to tie it and then scored 1 in the bottom of the 9th to win it.  Aroldis Chapman got the win for the Reds, already the second one he has earned this year.  Joey Votto had 4 hits for the Reds and seemed to break out of a beginning of the year slump.

Blue Jays 3 Red Sox 1 (Loss)

Boston scored first in the 3rd inning off of Toronto starting pitcher Ricky Romero and then could do nothing offensively the rest of the way.  Romero threw 8 1/3 innings and only allowed 3 hits as the Boston offense continues to sputter along in the early going.  Jon Lester actually threw a complete game for the Red Sox but still got the loss because his team couldn't score.

Rays 4 Tigers 2 (Loss)

Fast forward to the 9th inning.  The Tigers lead 2-0 and Justin Verlander is on the hill.  This game is all wrapped up and the only thing left to do is shake hands.  Only someone forgot to tell this scenario to Tampa Bay, who scored 4 runs in the 9th inning off of Verlander and 2 relievers to hand the Tigers their first loss of 2012.

Nationals 4 Mets 0 (Win)

The first sign of the apocalypse!!  I correctly picked a Mets game!  After failing in the first 5 games this year to correctly predict the outcome of the New York Mets I went with Stephen Strausburg who did not disappoint me.  Him and four relievers combined on a 3-hit shutout and the Nationals got enough timely hitting to scrape together a few runs and win the game.

Brewers 2 Cubs 1 (Loss)

I was right in my prediction that this would be a close game.  I was just wrong in my prediction on who would win.  Ryan Dempster and Yovanni Gallardo clashed in a classic pitchers duel here and the Brewers came out on top.  The only blemish for Dempster was a 2-run home run he allowed to George Kottaras in the 7th inning but that is all Gallardo needed to win.

Athletics 5 Royals 4 (Win)

After Kansas City scored a run in the top of the 12th to take the lead, hope in Oakland seemed bleak.  Fortunately for the Athletics, Royals closer Jonathan Broxton could not find the strike zone.  After the Athletics tied it and had 2 runners on Broxton hit Yoenis Cespedes (Who did strike out once today) to load the bases and then hit Johnny Gomes to bring in the winning run.  

Padres 2 Diamondbacks 1 (Win)

Cory Leubke pitched the Padres past the Diamondbacks to hand Arizona their first loss of the season.  I was right in my prediction that they just needed to score a few runs to win, as Leubke pitched well but didn't get the win.  He didn't get the win because the Padres waited until the 8th inning to get to Arizona, and they got to the D-backs bullpen by way of a 2-run home run by Chris Denorfia.  

Phillies 7 Marlins 1 (Win)

Well one pitcher stood up to their end of the bargain in the battle of the two aces of the National League East.  Josh Johnson didn't make it out of the 4th inning, as the Phillies scored 5 runs in that inning which gave them an insurmountable lead when you are facing Roy Halladay.  Halladay was his usual efficient self, going 7 innings and allowing only 1 run in winning his second start of the year.

Yankees 6 Orioles 4 (Win)

And the lock of the day gets to .500!!  The Yankees once again beat the Orioles in extra innings, this time on a 2-run home run by Nick Swisher.  Derek Jeter also led off the game with a home run for the Yankees, who have won 3 in a row against the Orioles since getting swept by Tampa Bay.  C.C Sabathia didn't pitch like he usually does against Baltimore but I am sure he is happy that his team got the win.

Braves 6 Astros 3 (Loss)

The Astros are now starting to look like the Astros I expected after starting the year by winning a series against the Rockies.  The Braves have won 2 straight against Houston and this time it was Jason Heyward who got in on the home run action, after Chipper Jones hit a 2-run home run yesterday in his 2012 debut.  The Braves bullpen that was so good last year is starting to settle down, with O'Flaherty, Venters, and Kimbrel all pitching today and helping the Braves get their second win in a row.  

Mariners 4 Rangers 3 (Loss)

The Mariners were held scoreless by the Rangers for  23 straight innings and were losing 3-0 before the top of the 8th inning.  That is when John Jaso, who was making his first appearance of the season, hit a triple and was brought home.  The Mariners opened the floodgates in the 9th inning on Joe Nathan and scored 3 more including the game winning hit by... John Jaso.  Looks like someone needs to get in the lineup a little more.

Twins 6 Angels 5 (Loss)

The Twins are now on the board with win #1 of 2012, becoming the last team to do so.  Minnesota got that first win by getting 3 runs in the 4th inning and 3 runs in the 7th inning.  Albert Pujols continues his slow start for the Angels and after going 1-4 today is still only hitting .222.  I know that expectations continue to be high for the Angels but you are opening against the Royals and Twins and are only 2-3?  That is not what champions are made out of.  

Rockies 17 Giants 8  (Loss)

The Rockies scored 2 in the 1st, 1 in the 2nd, and 3 in the 3rd to take a 6-0 lead on Tim Linecum in the Giants.  All the Giants did after that was score 7 runs in the top of the 4th to take a 7-6 lead.  The Rockies responded with 3 more in the 4th and a 7 spot as well in the 5th to take a 16-7 lead and never look back.  This is more what we are used to seeing at Coors Field, not complete game shutouts.

Dodgers 4 Pirates 1 (Win)

Chad Billingsley had his 2nd straight quality start for the Dodgers, giving up only 1 run in 6 innings.  The Dodgers are now 5-1 and it is mainly thanks to their pitching staff.  Meanwhile Erik Bedard pitched well for the Pirates but lost today despite giving up only 2 runs.  Andre Ethier continued his hot start and is now batting .348 with 10 Runs Batted In in only 6 games.  Him and Matt Kemp are quite the 1-2 punch in the middle of that lineup.


Days Record: 6-9                  Overall Record: 45-41                Lock of the Day Record: 3-3

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