Fantasy Baseball Stats and MLB Recaps: May 3, 2011 Edition

One of the better days for offensive stats—finally—as we saw a couple of grand slams, a couple multi-home run performances and even a couple of decent pitching performances around the league

Road team standouts are listed first, followed by home team standouts.

Athletics 5, Rangers 4, F/10

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 02: Hideki Matsui #55 of the Oakland Athletics waves to the crowd after he hit a walk off home run to win the game in the tenth inning against the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on May 2, 2011 in Oakland, California.

W: Grant Balfour (2-1)
L: Darren Oliver (1-3)

Rangers Standouts
Michael Young, 1-for-3, BB, SF, 2B, 3 RBI
Julio Borbon, 2-for-2, SF, 2B, 2 R
Adrian Beltre, 0-for-3, BB, SF, RBI

Athletics Standouts
Josh Willingham, 2-for-4, BB, HR, 2B
Kurt Suzuki, 2-for-4, HR
Hideki Matsui, 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI

Recap
Hideki Matsui blasted a shot over the right field wall in the 10th as Oakland walked-off to beat the Rangers.  Brandon McCarthy pitched six innings for the A's and gave up four runs.  Derek Holland got the start for Texas, pitched seven and allowed three.  Holland left the game with a 4-3 lead, but in the eighth, Arthur Rhodes surrendered a home run to Josh Willingham to tie the game.  Kurt Suzuki also added a solo shot for the A's in the fourth.

Commentary
The A's won three of the four game set from the Rangers but were still outscored 18-17.  That's the story of the teams: Oakland has some of the best pitching in the league and Texas has arguably the most potent offense.

Yankees 5, Tigers 3

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

DETROIT, MI - MAY 02: Curtis Granderson #14 of the New York Yankees congratulates Eduardo Nunez after driving in a run in the second inning while playing the New York Yankees at Comerica Park on May 2, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. New York won the game 5-3.

W: Joba Chamberlain (2-0)
L: Jose Valverde (2-1)
S: Mariano Rivera (11)

Yankees Standouts
Eduardo Nunez, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, SB
Jorge Posada, 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
Brett Gardner, 1-for-1, 2 BB, R

Tigers Standouts
Ramon Santiago, 3-for-4, 2B, R
Alex Avila, 2-for-4, 2 HR
Miguel Cabrera, 3-for-4, RBI

Recap
The Yankees posted two runs in the ninth off a single by Nick Swisher and a passed ball by Alex Avila to beat the Tigers Monday night.  Bartolo Colon pitched seven innings in the no-decision, allowing three runs.  Justin Verlander also surrendered three runs, but through six innings.  Avila was the main source of Detroit's offense, knocking two balls out of the park.  Mariano Rivera closed out the game to earn his league-leading 11th save of the season.

Commentary
The Tigers are proud owners of a seven-game losing streak.  The good news: their division also contains the struggling White Sox and Twins, meaning despite their recent bad fortune, they remain in third place in the AL Central.

Nationals 2, Giants 0

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 02: Tom Gorzelanny #32 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park on May 2, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

W: Tom Gorzelanny (1-2)
L: Madison Bumgarner (0-5)
S: Drew Storen (6)

Giants Standouts
Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4, 2B

Nationals Standouts
Tom Gorzelanny, 8 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Recap
Tom Gorzelanny was lights out on Monday, pitching eight shutout innings on only three hits and no walks, as the Nationals took their third of four from the Giants.  Madison Bumgarner took the loss for Frisco, going seven innings and allowing two runs and striking out seven.

Commentary
While this was one of Bumgarner's better outings, he has still struggled throughout the year, with a .294 BAA and a 1.55 WHIP.  He's striking out less and walking more—which would be great if he were a batter.  Last year, his K/BB rate was 3.31; this year, it stands at a dismal 1.46.

Red Sox 9, Angels 5

Elsa/Getty Images

BOSTON, MA - MAY 02: Dustin Pedroia #15 of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated by teammate David Ortiz #34 after Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury scored on a hit by Adrian Gonzalez in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels on May 2, 2011 at Fenway

W: Clay Buchholz (2-3)
L: Jered Weaver (6-1)

Angels Standouts
Maicer Izturis, 3-for-4, BB, 2 2B, RBI, R
Vernon wells, 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Bobby Abreu, 2-for-5, 2 RBI, SB

Red Sox Standouts
Dustin Pedroia, 1-for-4, 2 RBI, R
Jacoby Ellsbury, 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 SB
Adrian Gonzalez, 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
David Ortiz, 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Kevin Youkilis, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Recap
Red Sox beat up Jered Weaver and dismantled the Angels' bullpen, taking the first of their four-game set.  In the mere two innings Anaheim's relief had the mound, they allowed six runs off of five hits.  Clay Buchholz started the Angels, pitched six and two-thirds, surrendering two runs.

Commentary
Someone finally got to Weaver.  It was the first start he's had this season that didn't end in a win.  One of the major factors in that was pitch count—118 over just six innings.  Given that pitchers are usually shooting between 12-15 per inning, an average of 20 is a bit high.

Astros V. Reds: Postponed

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

CINCINNATI - MARCH 31: Fans sit through a steady rain before the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 31, 2008 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Game was called off due to rain, was rescheduled for Thursday May 5th at 12:35 EST.

Braves 6, Brewers 2

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21: Jair Jurrjens #49 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 21, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

W: Jair Jurrjens (3-0)
L: Yovani Gallardo (2-2)

Brewers Standouts
Yuniesky Betancourt, 2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI

Braves Standouts
Alex Gonzalez, 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Chipper Jones, 2-for-3, BB, 2B, R
David Ross, 2-for-4, HR
Dan Uggla, 2-for-3, BB, R

The Braves tagged Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers for four runs in the fourth as Atlanta cruised passed Milwaukee.  Jair Jurrjens started for the Braves, going seven and two-thirds and conceding just two runs.  Gallardo had his fifth consecutive subpar outing, allowing five runs in as many innings.

Commentary
Not sure what's going on with Gallardo.  He's giving up the same number of walks, but his strikeout total is down from last year.  And while his ERA is bad enough (6.10), the very frightening stat is his BAA: .324.

White Sox 6, Orioles 2

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 01: Paul Konerko #14 of the Chicago White Sox prepares to swing against the Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field on May 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Orioles defeated the White Sox 6-4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

W: Mark Buehrle (2-3)
L: Jeremy Guthrie (1-4)
S: Sergio Santos (3)

Orioles Standouts
Derrek Lee, 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Adam Jones, 3-for-5, 2B

White Sox Standouts
Paul Konerko, 2-for-3, SF, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Alex Rios, 2-for-4, HR, 2 R


Recap
Mark Buehrle pitched six and two-third shutout innings as the White Sox posted their first win in six games.  Jeremy Guthrie got the start for the Orioles, allowing four runs in seven innings.  Paul Konerko led the way for the Chicago offense, knocking two home runs and four RBI.

Commentary
The young Chris Sale gave up Baltimore's only two runs in the ninth.  While the runs may have been inconsequential, given the White Sox six-run lead, he's quickly becoming a hindrance to the Chicago bullpen.  He's allowing a lot more baserunners this year, as opposing batters are hitting .289 against him with a .349 OBP and a whopping .533 slugging percentage.  What's truly frightening is his 7.15 puts him smack in the middle of the Chicago relief pitchers.

Marlins 6, Cardinals 5

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - APRIL 26: Gaby Sanchez #15 of the Florida Marlins is congratulated by Mike Stanton #27 after hitting a HR during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Sun Life Stadium on April 26, 2011 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike E

W: Edward Mujica (3-1)
L: Mitchell Boggs (0-2)
S: Leo Nunez (10)

Marlins Standouts
Mike Stanton, 3-for-5, HR, 3B, 2 R
Gaby Sanchez, 2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI

Cardinals Standouts
Lance Berkman, 2-for-3, HR, 4 RBI
Yadier Molina, 1-for-3, BB, RBI

Recap
Gaby Sanchez hit a grand slam as the Marlins snuck a win out of St. Louis.  Both starting pitchers gave up five runs—Chris Volstad over five innings and Kyle Lohse over six.  Mike Stanton had three hits and was a double short of the cycle.  Lance Berkman had his 14th multi-hit game(out of 26 played) including a three-run blast in the third.  The Marlins scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on a sac fly by Greg Dobbs, scoring Stanton.

Commentary
Berkman's ultra-hot streak continued.  He is now second in the NL in RBI  (27, just behind Ryan Howard with 28) and batting average (.406, just behind teammate Matt Holliday's .410).

Pirates 4, Padres 3

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

DENVER, CO - MAY 01: Xavier Paul #38 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a two RBI triple off of starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead in the second inning at Coors Field on May 1, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (P

W: James McDonald(2-2)
L: Aaron Harang (4-2)
S: Joel Hanrahan (9)

Pirates Standouts
Garrett Jones, 1-for-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI
Chris Snyder, 1-for-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI
Xavier Paul, 2-for-4, R, SB

Padres Standouts
Jorge Cantu, 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI

Recap
The Pirates inched to within a half game of .500 by besting the Padres last night.  James McDonald started for Pittsburgh, going six innings and giving up two.  Aaron Harang got the nod for San Diego, went five innings and allowed four.   The Padres had the tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth, but Joel Hanrahan got Will Venable to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game and notch his ninth save.

Commentary
The Padres offense has remained anemic, at best.  They're last in the National League with 87 runs scored and last in the majors with a team .213 BA.

Dodgers 5, Cubs 2

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES - MAY 2: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs on May 2, 2011 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

W: Clayton Kershaw (3-3)
L: James Russell (1-4)
S: Jonathan Broxton (7)

Cubs Standouts
Alfonso Soriano, 2-for-4, HR
Geovany Soto, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

Dodgers Standouts
Juan Uribe, 2-for-4, 2B, RBI
Jerry Sands, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Recap
Alfonso Soriano's league-leading 11th home run wasn't enough offense for the Cubs as Chicago dropped the first of a three-game set with Los Angeles.  Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers, going seven innings and giving up two runs.  James Russell had a much rougher day, allowing five runs in less than five innings.  This was the Cubs' eighth loss in eleven games.

Commentary
And of course, the mandatory "Andre Ethier extended his hit streak to __ games" part of the column.  Ethier poached an infield single in the fifth to make it 28 games in a row.