@D-backs 3, Marlins 1: Another late-game Snakebite. Locked in a scoreless duel, Jose Fernandez had allowed just 3 singles through 7. But he walked the first man in the 8th — a 9-pitch battle with Jason Kubel — and another with one down, so when Eric Hinske was announced to hit, Jose gave way to southpaw Mike Dunn. Cue the lefty-slayer, Cody Ross.
Got a little caught up in my Metzgers … forgive me!
Mets 4, @Braves 3 (day game): Which reminds your Game Notes narrator, “Always set the DVR for Harvey!” Facing the batting strikeout leaders for the first time this year — and a watered-down lineup, at that — Matt Harvey kept the scoreboard’s first two columns barren until the 7th, then saw the no-no end comically when the first-base ump declined to receive Harvey’s timely toss, leaving Jason Heyward safe in a cloud of chalk. That brought the dreaded Freddie Freeman up as the tying run in a 2-0 game.
Happy Father’s Day, all you dads, grand-dads, uncles & big brothers.
@Padres 4, D-backs 1: The Pads wanted the sweep, the 6-win streak and the good side of .500, but the last game of this series would be the hardest. The Snakes scratched in the 3rd on Ian Kennedy‘s hit, but Will Venable parked one in the home half, and there things stayed into the 8th. Clayton Richard had his game of the year, holding Goldschmidt and Parra hitless with a DP each, the latter ending the 8th and Richard’s day. Everth Cabrera singled with one out in the home half, his 3rd hit of the afternoon lifting his BA to .305. A steal seemed imminent, but David Hernandez is hard to run on; just 6 have tried in the last 3 years. And Miguel Montero had caught Cabrera in the 1st.
Robinson Cano is an outstanding hitter, but much less so when there are runners in scoring position (RISP). This fact is well known to those who follow the Yankees, but the extent of his struggles, compared to other good hitters, might surprise you.
To be clear, this is not an anti-Cano piece; I’d be thrilled to have him on either of the teams I root for. And I have no theory to explain his difficulty or prove its predictive value; although I know these numbers, I’m still terrified when he comes up in a big spot with men on against my Mets or Tigers.
I just think it’s fascinating.
@Padres 2, D-backs 1: The Snakes reached Eric Stults for a double and a run in the opening minutes. And though they wouldn’t reach safely again until the 9th, for most of that time it seemed the early scratch would suffice. Escape artist Trevor Cahill — .274 BA/.795 OPS with the bases empty, but .193/.479 in RBI spots — had stranded 4 in the first 5 innings. Now, with one more strike, he’d have the ultimate escape: 3 straight whiffs and 3 ducks orphaned with a 1-0 lead.
Royals 10, @Rays 1: Ervin Santana has given his team a chance in every one of his 13 starts this year, and he faced one over the minimum through 5 innings. But so did Jeremy Hellickson, giving him 11 straight zeroes over 2 starts. And then, the deluge: 8 hits and 8 runs in the 6th, the blitz begun by ex-Ray Elliot Johnson and emphatically capped by him on Hellickson’s 37th pitch of the frame.
Wednesday
Angels 9, @Orioles 5: Since sliding into the rotation on May 5, Jerome Williams is 4-2, 3.48 in 7 starts. All other Angels starters are 16-27 this year.
A major-league pitcher is 20-3 in his last 33 starts, covering one calendar year. Here are his full stats in that span, along with his rank among all qualified pitchers in the last 365 days:
| Gms | W-L | Team | H | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | WHIP | SO/9 | SO/BB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 20-3 | 24-9 | 2.86 | 213.2 | 158 | 58 | 257 | .205 | .263 | .339 | .602 | 1.01 | 10.8 | 4.4 |
| 1st (t) | 9th | 16th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 8th |
An extra full slate, and let’s get right to it!
@Tigers 4, Indians 1: Howdy, Jose Alvarez! The first Tigers debut since 2002 with 6+ IP and 1 run or less, and a surprise power source, helped Detroit complete a sweep of the slumping Indians.
A very long day’s journey, indeed.
@Blue Jays 4, Rangers 3 (18): Just eighteen innings? Bunch o’ pikers!
Rajai Davis ended the longest game in Rogers Centre history with a 2-out single, after Emilio Bonifacio had gone 1st-to-3rd on a pickoff error by Ross Wolf, in his 7th inning of work. Davis entered for defense in the 8th, when the Jays had a lead, and wound up with 2 hits in 5 ABs, and his 4th game-ending RBI. Brad Lincoln, a former starter, went 4 scoreless innings (14th-17th) in his best relief effort. Aaron Loup, who’s been lights-out for almost a month, earned the win by working around a leadoff double in the 18th.