Opening Day Baseball Season! Woo Hoo! Who's psyched?!

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Little late, but a wrap up of yesterday's games:
In the American League:
The Indians beat the Twins 11-6. Travis Hafner went 4 for 4 with a homer and 2 RBI. Casey Blake broke open a 4-3 game with a Grand Slam homerun in the 5th to give the a big win over the Twins.
The Red Sox received 14 walks including 4 with the bases loaded and got 16 hits as well as the Red Sox pounded Baltimore 14-8. Trot Nixon had a 2 for 4 night including a 2 run homer and 4 RBI.
Tampa Bay overcame a 6 run deficit ( 6-0 ) and defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 9-8. The Rays got 4 homeruns which included Ty Wigginton's 3 run blast and a 2 run homer by Travis Lee and Jonny Gomes. The Blue Jays got 2 homeruns from Vernon Wells and a 3 run homer from Troy Glaus but it was not enough as the Blue Jays fall to Tampa Bay 9-8.
The Detroit Tigers remain perfect as they beat the Texas Rangers last night 5-2. Chris Shelton who is hitting .688 on the young season hit his fifth homerun and drove in 2. Marcus Thames had 3 hits as well and scored twice to back up the pitching of Mike Maroth. The Tigers go to 4-0 they win 5-2.
The White Sox blew a 6-0 lead and fell to the Kansas City Royals 11-7. For KC it was their first victory of the season. John Buck, Angel Berroa and Doug Mientkiewicz each drove in 2 runs contributing to the come back for the Royals. For the World Champions that is their third straight loss since their opening day win.
Joe Blanton went 8 strong innings giving up only 2 hit and walking 1 as the A's defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-0. Mark Kotsay had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Marco Scutaro had a 2 run triple to pace Oakland's offense.
Orlando Cabrera hit a 2 run homer in the 1st inning off of Shawn Chacon and the Angels never looked back as the Angels beat the " high and mighty " Yankees 4-1. Kelvim Escobar kept the Yankees in check allowing 1 run in 6 innings. Angels are now 2-2 and the Yankees dropped to last place in their division as they stand at 1-3.

In the National League:
The Cubs receive a solid performance from Greg Maddux and an incredible defensive play from Matt Murton as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 5-1. Ronny Cedeno contributed 2 hits and an RBI to the cause as Maddux picked up his 319th career win. Cubs beat arch rivals Cardinals 5-1.
After learning that Eric Gagne was going to miss at least 6 weeks due to elbow surgery the Dodgers went out and handed the winless Phillies their 4th straight loss. Brett Tomko pitched 6 strong innings and Dannys Baez picked up his 2nd save of the season. Final score the Dodgers 5- Phillies 3.
After waiting through 2 1/2 hours of rain the Reds handed the Pirates their 5th srtaight loss 7-6. Felipe Lopez had 2 homeruns and 3 RBI and David Ross kicked in with a homer and 2 RBI. Sean Casey had a homer and 2RBI against his ex-mates in a lossing effort.
The Astros beat the Nationals 6-1. Lance Berkman had a homer and 3 RBI and Preston Wilson had a 2 run homer as the Astros easily handed the Nationals their third loss in 4 contests. Brandon Backe pitch 6 strong innings giving up a run on 3 hits and striking out 3 for his first win of the season.
The Milwaukee Brewers got a homerun from Carlos Lee and he scored another on Ricky Weeks RBI triple as the Brew Crew stay undefeated. They beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1. Dave Bush allowed only 1 run on 2 hits across 7 innings of work while striking out 7 batters. The Brewers are now 4-0 on the year.
The Mets beat the Marlins last night 9-3. David Wright and Jose Reyes each hit a homerun and drove in three a piece as they paced a 9 run outburst by the Mets. Steve Trachsel the starter gave up a mamouth homerun to ex-Met Mike Jacobs and allowed only 2 other hits. Trachsel also helped his own cause by ripping an RBI double and scoring on Jose Reyes single. Jacobs drove in all three runs for the Marlins in defeat.
The Colorado Rockies pounded the San diego Padres 10-4. The Rockies got a 4 for 5 effort from Eli Marrero who also drove in 4 runs and from Joe Smith who homered and drove in 2. Jason Fogg went 6 innings and gave up 3 earned runs in picking up his first win of the season.
Finally, the Braves waited through a 2 hour rain delay and showed the same patience as they batted. The Braves received 10 walks a hit batter and got 14 hits as they pounced on the Giants 14-6. Ryan Langerhans went 3 for 5 and drove in 5 runs. The Braves scored a season high 8 runs in the 7th inning to turn a 6-4 deficit into a 12-6 lead. Braves crush the Giants 14-6.
A note: The game between the Marlins and the Mets today at Shea Stadium has been postponed because of rain. Until tomorrow, enjoy the games everyone.

 

[leafstk]

Blowing a 6-0 lead to the Devil Rays yesterday was hard to stomach... but I'm glad they got them today (the Jays that is) 😀

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

The wrap-up for April 9th in the world of baseball.

In the American League:
The Toronto Blue Jays overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-4. Frank Catalanotto went 3 for 3 and drove in 2 runs and Greg Zaun hit a 2 run blast to help Toronto knock off their division rivals 8-4.
The Kansas City Royals made it 2 straight over the World Champion Chicago White Sox as they beat the Sox 4-3. Reggie Sanders hit a 2 run double in the 6th inning to give the Royals a 2-1 and after the Sox retook the lead Mike Sweeney answered with a two run homer in the 8th inning. For the White Sox it was their fourth straight loss as they drop to 1-4.
The Red Sox waited for 90 minutes for the rain to stop but was well worth it. The Red Sox got a great pitching performance from Kurt Schilling and got key hits from Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek to defeat the Orioles 2-1. Schilling went 7 innings gave up only 1 run on 3 hits and he struck out 4. Jonathon Papelbon got his second save of the year.
The Indians behind Jason Johnson shutout the Minnesota Twins 3-0.Travis Hafner backed up Johnson's performance as he went 3 for 3 including a homerun and 2 RBI. Hafner is now 7 for 7 in this series as the Twins staff has yet to get the hitter out. The Indians are now 4-1 and the Twins drop to 1-4.
The Detroit Tigers stay extremely hot as they beat up the Texas Rangers 7-0. Justin Verlander gave up 2 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings striking out 7 batters. Chris Shelton continues to stay hot as he went 3 for 4 raising his average from .688 to .700. He had 2 triples and 3 RBI and Curtis Granderson crushed a 2 run homer as the Tigers are now 5-0 and that is their best start since 1985.
In Seattle, the A's shutout the Mariners again 3-0. The A's staff allowed 1 hit tonight. Last night they allowed 2 hits. The Mariners in 18 innings against Oakland pitching have only 3 hits. Mark Kotsay put the A's on the board in the 4th inning with a solo shot and Marco Scutaro had a run scored and an RBI to back up Barry Zito and company. Zito surrendered the only hit as he worked the first 6 innings and struck out 6 batters. Houston Street last year's rookie of the year got his 1st save of the year.
The Los Angeles Angels sent the Yankees to their 4th straight loss as they beat the Yankees 3-2. Adam Kennedy provided the winning margin with a 2 run triple in the 5th inning. Randy Johnson pitched a complete game despite the loss he did strike out 8. The Yankees 3,4,5 hitters are now 2 for 22 in this series.

In the National League:
The Chicago Cubs despite 3 errors on the field beat the Cardinals 3-2. Michael Barrett hit a 2 run homer as a PH to tie the game in the 7th inning and Derrick Lee provided the winning margin with a solo shot in the 8th inning to give the Cubs their third win in four games.
The Cincinnati Reds are now 4-1 as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9. Rich Aurilia hit a 3 run homer in the first inning and the Reds were never headed. Austin Kearns homered and scored twice and Javier Valentin drove in 2 with a double. For the Pirates it was their 6th straight loss and that is their worst start ( 0-6 ) since 1974.
The Brewers are now 5-0 as they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4. Prince Fielder was 3 for 4 including his 1st homer of the season and his third of his career. Gabe Gross had a 2run single and Carlos Lee drove in 2 including the gamewinner in the bottom of the ninth to give the Brewers their best start since 1987. Arizona now drops to 2-3.
San Francisco got a 4 for 4 day from Omar Vizquel including 5 RBI and a 2 run shot from Moises Alou as they crushed the Braves 12-6. In a game that was never close the Giants jumped out to an 8-0 lead. Chipper Jones and Edgar Renteria had 3 RBI a piece in the loss.
The Nationals came from behind to defeat the homestanding Houston Astros 12-8. Jose Vidro was 2 for 5 with 5 RBI which included a three run homer. Alfonso Soriano also drove in 4 with a double and a homerun. The Nationals are now 2-3 on the season as Livan Hernandez ( 1-1 ) picked up the win.
The Rockies scored 7 runs in the first inning and coasted to a 12-4 victory over the Padres. Miguel Ojeda capped the seven run first with a two run dinger and had 4 RBI in total. The Rockies improve their record to 3-2 and the Padres drop to 1-3 on the young season.
The rainouts: The Dodgers were rained out at Philadelphia today. They will make that game up as part of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon starting at 1:05pm EDT.
The Marlins were also rained out today at Shea Stadium against the Mets. They will make that game up as part of a day/night doubleheader on Saturday, July 8th. The first game will be a FOX regional game so it will start at 1:25pm EDT. The second game will be played at 7:10pm EDT that night.

That is all for now; until tomorrow enjoy the games everybody.

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Here we go for an April 9th wrap-up in baseball:

In the American League:
The Indians swept away the Twins by beating them 3-2. Eduardo Perez ( son of the great Tony Perez ) hit a homer and Aaron Boone hit a 2 run double to twart any comeback by the Twins. Jake Westbrook went to 2-0 with 7 1/3 innings of solid baseball. He gave up 2 hits, 1 run and struck out 4. Bob Wickman picked up his third save of the season.
Tampa Bay beat the Blue Jays by a final of 5-2. Scott Kazmir bounced back from a poor outing by giving the Devil Rays 8 2/3 innings. He did allow 12 hits but only 2 runs. He struck out 6 as he moved his record to 1-1. Dan Miceli got his second save of the year.
The Red Sox beat the Orioles 4-1. Adam Stern who entered the game with 2 career hits and 2 career RBI doubled both totals as he went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Stern's performance backed up Tim Wakefield's performance. Wakefield went 6 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 unearned run. Jonathon Papelbon came in to get his third save of the young season.
The Rangers stopped the Detroit Tigers 5-3. It was the Tigers 1st loss in the 2006 season. The Tigers are now 5-1. the Rangers improved to 2-5. The Rangers got 6 strong innings from Vicente Padilla and Brad Wilkerson hit an 2 run double. Francisco Cordero got his 1st save while snapping the Rangers 4 game skid.
The white sox put a stop to their four game losing streak as they beat Kansas City 3-1. Joe Crede hit a 2 run double and Mark Buehrle did everything else as he shutout the Royals for 8 innings before giving way to the pen. Scott Elerton went 8 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits lost the game.
Rich Harden pitched into the 8th inning allowing 1 run on 3 hits as the A's have won 5 of their last 6 games. The A's beat the Mariners 6-4. Mark Ellis went 3 for 4 and had 2 RBI as the A's won the final three games of this four game series.
The New York Yankees snapped a four game losing streak as they dominated the Angels 10-1. Jorge Posada went 3 for 4 with 2 homeruns and 5 RBI. Alex Rodriguez added a solo shot as the Yankees come home 2-4 on the season.

In the National League:
The New York Mets made it 4 of their first 5 as they beat the Florida Marlins 3-2. Glavine pitched great over his six innings as he gave up 2 runs on 5 hits. But Dontrell was even better pitching 8 innings giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. But it was the Marlin pen that would decide this game as Carlos Martinez gave up a run scoring out to David Wright after walking Carlos Beltran and a single to Carlos Delgado. Wright had a two-run triple earlier in the game. The Marlins are now 1-4 on the young season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates on the 5th year anniversary of their best slugging first baseman's death, finally put one in the win column after recording 6 straight losses. April 9th, 2001 the Pirates opened up their PNC Park for the VERY first time. But it also marked the date that the great Willie Stargell died. On here on April 9th, 2006 the Pirates were still searching for their first win. They found it finally in Cincinnati as they beat the Reds 5-3. Jack Wilson hit a 2 run homerun in the fifth inning for the Pirates fourth lead of the season. This time it stood up. Roberto Hernandez recorded his 325th career save putting him into 10th place on the all-time saves list. Pirates go home to face the Dodgers at PNC Park today. It will be their home opener.
The Astros finished off the Nationals with a win 7-3. Adam Everett had 3 RBI to help pace the Astros. The Nationals played sloppy in this game committing a couple of errors to aid the Astros. Andy Pettitte pitched well to run his record to 1-1. Today the Nationals finish their road trip with one more here at Minute Maid Park. Final score: Astros 7 - Nationals 3.
The Milwaukee Brewers were finally stopped by the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching staff on 4 hits as they lost for the first time this year 7-0. The Diamondbacks Carlos Vargas picked up the win was aided by Tony Clark's two run homer and 3 RBI in the game. Damian Easley also provide some spark as he lead the game off with a homerun. For Arizona they are now 3-3 and the Brewers take their 5-1 record into the new Busch Stadium and help the Cardinals with their home ( stadium ) opener today at 4:10pm EDT.
The Rockies completed the early season sweep of the Padres in San Diego as the Rockies clubbed the Padres 10-4. Jason Smith had 2 homeruns and drove in four and Brad Hawpe was a double short of the cycle and he too drove in 3 runs to pace a Rockies 18 hit attack. Jason Jennings picked up his 1st win of the season and the Rockies fourth in 6 games. The Padres are now 1-4 on the season.
The San Francisco Giants after blowing a 4-1 lead came back and beat the Braves for the second straight game 6-5. The Giants down 5-4 got a game tying homerun from Lance Niekro ( his second RBI of the game ) in the ninth inning and got the game win RBI single from Randy Winn ( who was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI ) moments later. Earlier in the game, Atlanta's all-star third baseman Chipper Jones went down in a heap holding his right knee after trying to field a slow groundball on the wet field. Jones was helped off the field by the trainer and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday. Right now they are say a sprained ankle and a possible problem with the ACL. Jones had a problem with a torn left ACL in 1994 delaying his entering his rookie season. Hopefully, it is just a sprain and Chipper get on the field in short order. Giants end up winning 6-5. Giants are now 4-2 and the Braves dropped to 3-4 go home for the first time tonight to face Philadelphia.
Speaking of Philadelphia, they played a double-dip against the Dodgers yesterday. In game one the Phillies pick-up their first win of the season with a 6-3 victory. The Dodgers blew a 3-0 lead. Aaron Rowand tied the game in the seventh with an RBI single and Bobby Abreu finished off the Dodgers with a game-winning walk-off 3 run blast.
In game two, Bobby Abreu was 3 for 3 with 2 RBI but was not enough as the Dodgers gained a split in the twinbill 6-2. Pitcher Brad Penny had an RBI single to give the Dodgers a lead they would never relinquish. Ramon Martinez had a 2 run double to help Penny along as well. Penny went to 2-0 as he pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits and 1 run as he struck out 6. Jon Lieber also went 7 strong innings as he gave 2 runs on 8 hits and struck out 4. Lieber lost the game it was his second loss of the season as his record is now 0-2.
Finally, the Nation witnessed the Cubs sweeping of the Cardinals 8-4. Despite Scott Rolen's 2 run homer and Albert Pujols 2 run single the Cardinals could not contain the Cubs offense. Jacque Jones hit a three run homer to dead center and Michael Barrett on a 2-2 pitch with the bases loaded in the 8th innings crush a Jason Isringhausen fastball onto Waverly Ave. providing the Cubs a 7-4 lead. the Cubs would tack on another run and the Cubs have themselves a sweep of the Cardinals. the Cards limp home on a 3 game losing streak to open their home schedule and face the first place Brewers.

Today's Schedule:
In the American League:
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers ( Home Opener ) 1:05pm
Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Devil Rays ( Home Opener ) 7:15pm
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels 10:05

In the National League:
Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates ( Home Opener ) 1:35pm
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros 2:05pm
Milwaukee Brewers at St.Louis Cardinals ( Home Opener ) 4:10pm
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves ( Home Opener ) 7:05pm

All times are EDT.

Until Tomorrow, enjoy the games everyone.

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Wrap-up for April 10th

In the AL it was a light schedule.

Chicago White Sox spoiled the Tigers home opener and beat them 5-3. After Craig Monroe hit a 2 run homer to put the Tigers on top, the power took over for the Sox. Jim Thome hit a 2 run homer as they still are looking for the ball. It was last seen heading east towards Baltimore. Joe Crede hit a 2 run blast that gave Sox a 4-2 lead and Paul Konerko hit a solo shot to complete the scoring for the Sox. White Sox 5- Tigers 3.
Orioles got 4 runs in the 3rd inning and beat Tampa 6-3. Jay Gibbons had 2 hit and 2 RBI for the winning Orioles. Erik Bedard went 7innings gave up no runs on 4 hits he struck out 5. Bedard is now 2-0 and both teams are now 3-4 on the year.
Texas got 2 runs in the first with a 2 run homer by Phil Nevin and would score no more. The Angels scored 3 in the 2nd inning and never looke back. 5 different Angels drove in runs to lead a balanced attck against Rangers pitching. John Lackey went 7 innings gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 8 batters. He is now 1-1 and the Angels push their record to 4-3. The Rangers drop to 2-6.

In the NL:
The Dodgers beat Zach Duke and the Pirates 8-3. Jason Repko had a 2 run HR and a 2 run triple to pace the Dodgers to back to back wins for the first time this year.
Astros sent Washington home on a bad note as the Astros hit 3 homeruns and beat the Nationals 5-4 in 12 innings. Chad Qualls won in relief and Mike Stanton lost his first game.
Bill Hall hit the first homer in the new Busch Stadium but Homeruns by Albert Pujols and pitcher Mark Mulder and a 2 run double by Scott Rolen out did the Brewers 6-4. Mulder went went 8 innings and gave up 7 hits and 5 k's to earn the win.
The Braves came home and beat the hapless Phillies 5-3. Andruw Jones and Marcus Giles hit solo HR's and pitcher John Thompson had a 2 run double. For the Braves it was their 4th win in 8 tries and the Phillies are now 1-6.

Enjoy the games everyone.