Fantasy Baseball Stats and MLB Recaps: May 8, 2011, Edition
And a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and welcome to Recaps. There were multiple great pitching performances yesterday, including the season's second no-hitter and nearly a third, as well.
There were also a couple walk-offs tossed in just to spice things up.
Road team standouts are listed first, followed by home team standouts.
Rays 8, Orioles 2
1 of 15
W: Jeremy Guthrie (1-5)
L: Jeremy Hellickson (3-2)
Rays Standouts
Evan Longoria, 2-for-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI
B.J. Upton, 3-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Ben Zobrist, 4-for-5, 2B, 3 R
Johnny Damon, 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, R
Casey Kotchman, 3-for-5, 2B
Orioles Standouts
Nick Markakis, 3-for-4, 2 RBI
Recap
The Rays clubbed out 15 hits for their second consecutive win against the struggling Orioles. Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton were the main culprits, each homering and driving in a combined seven runs.
Jeremy Guthrie was the victim of the beatdown, going five innings and giving up seven runs on 10 hits. Jeremy Hellickson got the win for Tampa, pitching five shutout innings on three hits.
Commentary
While the Baltimore offense has struggled, one bright spot as of late has been Nick Markakis. Markakis has gone 10-for-30 with seven RBI in last seven games, raising his batting average 30 points.
Red Sox 4, Twins 0
2 of 15
W: Clay Buchholz(3-3)
L: Brian Duensing(2-2)
Twins Standouts
None
Red Sox Standouts
Jacoby Ellsbury, 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB
Adrian Gonzalez, 1-for-4, 2B, R
Jed Lowrie, 1-for-3, BB, RBI
Carl Crawford, 2-for-4, R
Recap
The Red Sox defeated the Twins despite having to wait two hours for rain to clear up before taking the field again. Due to the rain delay, Brian Duensing pitched just two innings for the Twins.
The only run he allowed was to Jacoby Ellsbury, who didn't waste any time extending his hit streak to 16 games. Ellsbury doubled in the first and later scoring on a Jed Lowrie single. He added a two-run single in the eighth.
That turned out to be all the Sox needed, as Clay Buchholz stayed on through the rain delay, pitching five innings and not giving up a run. Kevin Slowey took over for Minnesota after the delay and pitched four and one-third, allowing just one run.
Commentary
I'm looking forward to the matchup of the two all-or-nothing pitchers on Sunday—Carl Pavano v. Daisuke Matsuzaka. Both pitchers seem to deliver either remarkably impressive outings or get knocked around like pinballs in a hurricane.
And given that both offenses have shown a tendency to struggle at times (or in Minnesota's case, the entire season thus far), this one is a bit of a toss-up. I predict one of three outcomes: Twins win 6-0, Red Sox win 34-1, or a game that goes 15 innings.
Cubs 3, Reds 2
3 of 15
W: Marcus Mateo (1-1)
L: Francisco Cordero (2-1)
Reds Standouts
Drew Stubbs, 1-for-3, BB, RBI, SB
Cubs Standouts
Blake DeWitt, 2-for-4, HR, 2 R
Carlos Pena, 3-for-4, HR
Kosuke Fukudome, 3-for-4, BB, 2B, RBI
Recap
The Cubs rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth to upend the Reds. Carlos Pena started off the inning with a home run to tie the game. After the Cubs posted a single, a double and two outs, Kosuke Fukudome singled up the middle to end the game and give Chicago the walk-off win.
Casey Coleman started the day for the Cubs, going six innings and allowing two runs. Bronson Arroyo got the nod for Cincinnati, and surrendered just one run over seven and one-third.
Commentary
After hitting no long-balls in his first 25 games, Carlos Pena has three in his last four. The obvious importance of this is that Pena's average is currently at .195, and to be frank, it's not going to get a lot better (I give it 20-1 odds he breaks .250).
But he's theoretically good for hitting around 30 home runs each year, which is the only reason you bring a guy like that on. It's about time he started getting on top of that.
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Tigers 9, Blue Jays 0
4 of 15
W: Justin Verlander(3-3)
L: Ricky Romero (2-4)
Tigers Standouts
Austin Jackson, 3-for-5, 2B, R
Scott Sizemore, 1-for-3, BB, RBI, R
Victor Martinez, 2-for-5, 2 RBI
Jhonny Peralta, 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
Alex Avila, 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Ryan Raburn, 2-for-5, 2B, R
Brandon Inge, 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R
Blue Jays Standouts
Nope
Recap
Justin Verlander tossed his second career no-hitter, facing the minimum amount of batters as the Tigers trounced the Blue Jays. Verlander allowed just one baserunner—J.P. Arencibia, who drew a walk after a 12-pitch at-bat in the eighth.
Verlander had the benefit of consistently good defense backing him up and also had the good fortune of pitching against a Jose Bautista-less Toronto lineup. But even with a bit of good luck on his side, Verlander was outstanding throughout the game, throwing 74 strikes out of a mere 108 pitches.
The Tigers Ricky Romero started for the Jays and was pulled from the game after allowing six runs in just three and a third.
Commentary
Disclaimer: I try to keep these as unbiased as possible, but I'm a diehard Twins fan. This being said, Verlander's no-no was FAR more impressive than Liriano's earlier this week. It wasn't a contest. While Liriano's was human, Verlander's was sheer dominance. That being said, both were fun to watch.
Here are a few notes I jotted down toward the end of the game:
-This wasn't just Verlander's eighth start—it was his eighth quality start.
-The aftermath was hilarious. Verlander got a Gatorade bath and the announcer who was about to interview him got a splash of it, too—enough such that he was dripping wet for the entritety of said interview.
-If I would've known a rookie was going to spoil my no-hitter, I'd have just hit him in the back with a fastball (which in the eighth inning, was still running consistently in triple-digit speeds).
-The defense really backed up JV today. Lots of hard hit balls and decent plays. Nothing really highlight reel-esque, but very strong D nonetheless.
-Toronto fans were very classy. Place went nuts afterwards for Verlander. He even showed the mutual class of tipping the cap.
-Two no-hitters in less than a week. Just awesome.
Brewers 4, Cardinals 0
5 of 15
W: Yovani Gallardo(3-2)
L: Kyle Lohse(4-2)
Brewers Standouts
Carlos Gomez, 2-for-3, BB, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Casey McGehee, 3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, R
Cardinals Standouts
Kyle Lohse, 8 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 SO
Recap
Yovani Gallardo ended the Brewers seven-game losing streak in a big way, taking a no-hitter into the eighth and shutting down the Cardinals offense.
The no-hitter was broken up when rookie Daniel Descalso led off the eighth with a single to center. Gallardo finished the inning and allowed Jon Axford to finish off the ninth. Kyle Lohse pitched admirably for the Cards, allowing just one run over eight innings.
Commentary
It's all well and good that Gallardo nearly threw the second no-no of the day, but he has yet to find his consistency. He's had two great outings this season (this, and a complete game against the Braves a month ago), but otherwise has been unspectacular to say the least.
Remove those two outings, and he has a 7.85 ERA. And being an ace usually means you post more than one great outing a month.
Phillies 3, Braves 0
6 of 15
W: Kyle Kendrick (2-2)
L: Jason Teheran (0-1)
S: Ryan Madson (3)
Braves Standouts
None
Phillies Standouts
Ryan Howard, 1-for-4, HR
Shane Victorino, 1-for-4, 3B, RBI
Jimmy Rollins, 1-for-3, BB, R
Recap
Kyle Kendrick filled in for an injured Roy Oswalt and pitched admirably for the Phillies, helping them shutout the Braves. Kendrick pitched five innings of two-hit, shutout ball.
For the Braves, Julio Teheran made his major league debut, pitching four and two-thirds and giving up three runs on four hits. Ryan Howard hit his seventh home run of the season, making him the second player in the majors to reach 30 RBI this season (the first was Lance Berkman).
Commentary
I haven't heard much about Julio Teheran other than he has good control of a decent fastball. Going just under five innings and allowing only three runs against a potent Phillies offense is nothing to be ashamed of, even if he took the loss.
Pirates 6, Astros 1
7 of 15
W: Charlie Morton (4-1)
L: Bud Norris (2-2)
Astros Standouts
Michael Bourn, 2-for-4, 2B, R
Pirates Standouts
Andrew McCutchen, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Lyle Overbay, 1-for-4, HR
Chris Snyder, 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R
Brandon Wood, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Recap
The Pirates silenced the Astros bats, giving the Pirates their fourth win in six games. Charlie Morton picked up his fourth win, pitching seven and two-thirds innings and allowing just one run.
Bud Norris started the day for the 'Stros, striking out nine and conceding three runs over seven innings.
Commentary
Morton has a few good stats for the season: a respectable 3.13 ERA, a decent .243 BAA, and has only given up two home runs in 46 innings. But his WHIP is 1.41 because he's allowed a ridiculous 24 walks—the same amount of strikeouts he's amassed.
If Morton could get his walk total down, he might have a decent future in front of him, but I'm not holding my breath.
Royals 4, Athletics 3
8 of 15
W: Joaqin Soria (2-0)
L: Brandon McCarthy (1-3)
Athletics Standouts
Cliff Pennington, 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI
Hideki Matsui, 2-for-4, 2 2B
Royals Standouts
Melky Cabrera, 1-for-4, RBI, R
Alex Gordon, 1-for-3, RBI, SB
Recap
Mike Aviles hit a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth to plate Jarrod Dyson and give the Royals the W against the Athletics. Kansas City led the game 3-0 going into the eighth, but a three-run blast by Cliff Pennington knotted it up.
Luke Hochevar started the day for the Royals, going seven innings and giving up just one. Brandon McCarthy started and ended the day for the A's, going eight and one-third and surrendering four.
Commentary
Brandon McCarthy is a great pitcher, but the second Billy Butler singled, I would've called in some relief. His pitch count hadn't quite hit a hundred yet, but the guy's kept you in the game for eight innings—he's done his job. Let someone else take a crack at it.
Mets 4, Dodgers 2
9 of 15
W: Tim Byrdak (0-1)
L: Mike MacDougal (0-1)
S: Francisco Rodriguez (9)
Dodgers Standouts
Dioner Navarro, 1-for-3, BB, HR
Jamey Carroll, 3-for-3, BB, 2B, R
Justin Turner, 1-for-1, 2 RBI
Mets Standouts
Jason Pridie, 2-for-3, 2B, 2 R
Justin Turner, 1-for-1, 2 RBI
Recap
Andre Ethier's 30-game hit streak came to an end on Saturday, as the Mets took their second in a row from the Dodgers. With the game tied at two apiece in the bottom of the eighth, Justin Turner cracked a two-run single, plating Jasons Bay and Pridie to give the Mets the victory.
Chris Young was supposed to start for the Mets, but had trouble loosening up before the game. Instead, Dillon Gee took the hill and pitched five and one-third innings, allowing two runs. For the Dodgers, Jon Garland was on the mound and gave up two over six innings.
Commentary
I had Ethier's streak ending at 31. Dang.
Nationals 5, Marlins 2
10 of 15
W: Tom Gorzelanny (2-2)
L: Chris Volstad (2-2)
S: Drew Storen (7)
Nationals Standouts
Adam LaRoche, 1-for-3, BB, 2 RBI
Roger Bernadina, 2-for-4, BB, R, SB
Ian Desmond, 2-for-4, SF, 3B, RBI, 2 R
Danny Espinosa, 1-for-3, BB, 3B, R
Marlins Standouts
John Buck, 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Recap
The Nationals took their second in a row from the Marlins, benefitting from another strong outing by Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzelanny allowed two runs on just two hits through seven innings, giving him his second consecutive win.
Chris Volstad posted a quality start for Florida, going six innings and giving up three.
Commentary
If you disregard Gorzelanny's rough first outing of the season, he has an ERA of 1.93 with four of his six starts being quality ones. His WHIP and BAA are fairly frightening to look at, as well (.90 and .162, respectively).
Rangers 7, Yankees 5
11 of 15
W: Arthur Rhodes (1-1)
L: Boone Logan (1-2)
S: Netfali Feliz (6)
Yankees Standouts
Nick Swisher, 1-for-3, BB, HR
Mark Teixeira, 2-for-4, RBI, R
Robinson Cano, 1-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI
Derek Jeter, 1-for-5, 2B, R
Rangers Standouts
Michael Young, 4-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
David Murphy, 2-for-4, HR
Mitch Moreland, 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R
Julio Borbon, 2-for-3, 3B, 3 RBI, R
Recap
Led by Michael Young' perfect day at the plate, the Rangers outlasted the Yankees. Texas amounted 14 hits in the victory and knocked starting pitcher Bartolo Colon from the game after just four and a third innings.
Derek Holland's day was even shorter—retiring as many hitters as he allowed baserunners (nine).
Commentary
This sounds ridiculous, but any time these two teams play and neither scores 10 runs, I'm actually a little disappointed. Both teams are built to club other teams to death, and neither pitching rotation is all that frightening.
Hence, even 7-5 seems lackluster. If I don't see a game between these two that's somewhere in the vicinity of an average football score, I'm going to start busting heads.
Diamondbacks 6, Padres 0
12 of 15
W: Daniel Hudson (3-4)
L: Dustin Moseley (1-4)
Diamondbacks Standouts
Ryan Roberts, 3-for-5, 3 R, SB
Stephen Drew, 1-for-3, RBI, R
Justin Upton, 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Padres Standouts
None
Recap
The Diamondbacks rode Daniel Hudson's seven shutout innings to a victory over the Padres. Dustin Moseley was handed his first smackdown of the season, lasting five innings and giving up six runs.
Justin Upton added his seventh home run of the season in the victory.
Commentary
Silver lining for the Padres: they're still not last in the league in runs. That distinction is still being held by Minnesota (Padres: 101, Twins: 98).
Indians 4, Angels 3
13 of 15
W: Alex White (1-0)
L: Jered Weaver (6-2)
S: Chris Perez (10)
Indians Standouts
Shin-Soo Choo, 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Asdrubal Cabrera, 1-for-3, BB, R
Carlos Santana, 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R
Angels Standouts
Vernon Wells, 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI
Howie Kendrick, 2-for-4, R
Recap
Jered Weaver was dealt his second consecutive loss as the Indians snuck by the Angels. Weaver went six innings, allowing four runs off of seven hits.
His counterpart, Alex White, accumulated his first major league win and second consecutive quality start, tossing six innings and giving up three. White has been subbing for the injured Carlos Carrasco.
Commentary
Alex White is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the Cleveland farm system's starting pitchers go. In case anyone else falters or gets injured, they have talented players like Jason Knapp, Joe Garnder and the heavily touted Drew Pomeranz.
Most scouts were expecting the Indians' starting pitching to excel once they came into their own, but no one foresaw it happening this quickly—especially since none of their starters are over the age of 27.
Giants 3, Rockies 2
14 of 15
W: Brian Wilson (2-1)
L: Felipe Paulino (0-3)
Rockies Standouts
Todd Helton, 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Giants Standouts
Aaron Rowand, 2-for-4, 2 R
Freddy Sanchez, 3-for-5, 2B, RBI
Mike Fontenot, 1-for-4, SF, RBI
Recap
Mike Fontenot hit a sac fly in the ninth to plate Aaron Rowand, giving the Giants their second consecutive walk-off victory against the rival Rockies.
Both starting pitchers—Madison Bumgarner for Frisco and Clayton Mortensen for Colo—had eerily similar stat lines: 6 IP, 2 R, 1 ER. Neither was credited with a decision.
Commentary
The second straight win versus Colorado guaranteed a second series win for the Giants against the NL West leaders. San Francisco seems to be the only team the Rockies haven't been able to figure out as of yet, with only one win in five attempts against the reigning world champs.
More likely than not, this division is going to come down to these two teams, and Colorado hasn't proven they're ready to make the leap to legit contender.
White Sox 6, Mariners 0
15 of 15
W: Gavin Floyd (4-2)
L: Doug Fister (2-4)
White Sox Standouts
Juan Pierre, 2-for-3, RBI, R
Adam Dunn, 2-for-4, SF, RBI, R
Paul Konerko, 2-for-4, RBI
Alex Rios, 4-for-4, 2B, 2 R
Gordon Beckham, 3-for-4, RBI, 2 R
Brent Morel, 3-for-4, 2B, RBI
Mariners Standouts
Ichiro Suzuki, 2-for-4, SB
Recap
The White Sox earned just their second win in the past 10 games, shutting out the Mariners Saturday night. The Chicago offense pummeled Seattle's pitching, with six of their nine batters cracking multiple hits.
Doug Fister allowed 14 of the Chi-Town's 17 hits, allowing five runs along the way. Gavin Floyd started for Chicago, going eight innings in the win.
Commentary
I've noticed on days when no-hitters are thrown, there always seem to be one or two outings by a different pitcher that are completely overshadowed by the aforementioned accomplishment.
Not only did Yovani Gallardo have a near no-no himself, but Gavin Floyd pitched eight innings of shutout ball and allowed only three hits. Floyd has had a few rough outings this season, but they are more than outweighed by the quality starts he's put up against the Yankees and twice against the Rays.
With Chicago's pitching staff failing to do much of anything correct, Floyd has been consistently reliable.
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