2013 Final Regular Season Bullpen

ZTeam Bullpen

Team                         ReERA ReW ReL Sv

---------------------------   ---- --- --- --
Oakland A's (OAA)             2.82  23  11 51
Minnesota Twins (MNA)         2.98  19  20 40
Washington Nationals (WAN)    3.00  20  18 43
Arizona Diamondbacks (ARN)    3.03  20  30 39
San Francisco Giants (SFN)    3.08  26  12 47
Cleveland Indians (CLA)       3.33  22  13 49
Seattle Mariners (SEA)        3.42  22  20 47
Anaheim Angels (ANA)          3.43  22  17 38
Atlanta Braves (ATN)          3.47  20  24 39
Toronto Blue-Jays (TOA)       3.55  16  25 47
Houston Astros (HON)          3.78  23  27 66
Philadelphia Phillies (PHN)   3.92  22  20 50
New York Yankees (NYA)        3.95  19  18 36
Chicago White Sox (CHA)       3.97  24  20 45
Kansas City Royals (KCA)      4.03  26  27 33

Pittsburgh Pirates (PIN)      4.05  15  28 38

Los Angeles Dodgers (LAN)     4.13  28  25 45

Miami Marlins (MMN)           4.20  20  21 40

St. Louis Cardinals (SLN)     4.20  25  25 31

Boston Red Sox (BOA)          4.30  22  24 50

 

 

2013 Final Regular Season Clutch Hitting

Team Clutch Hitting

Team                         ClAB ClH ClHR ClRBI ClAvg
---------------------------  ---- --- ---- ----- -----
Seattle Mariners (SEA)        663 186   26   239  .281
Boston Red Sox (BOA)          627 163   24   219  .260
Oakland A's (OAA)             628 161   13   195  .256
San Francisco Giants (SFN)    679 171   29   236  .252
Chicago White Sox (CHA)       592 149   16   186  .252
Toronto Blue-Jays (TOA)       658 165   26   217  .251
Cleveland Indians (CLA)       659 165   25   205  .250
Kansas City Royals (KCA)      707 177   25   211  .250
Houston Astros (HON)          642 160   24   208  .249
St. Louis Cardinals (SLN)     608 151   17   196  .248
Arizona Diamondbacks (ARN)    619 151   25   197  .244
Atlanta Braves (ATN)          626 152   12   177  .243
Los Angeles Dodgers (LAN)     630 152   19   206  .241
Philadelphia Phillies (PHN)   625 150   16   200  .240
Miami Marlins (MMN)           612 145   16   181  .237
Anaheim Angels (ANA)          558 131   23   167  .235
Washington Nationals (WAN)    600 138   17   167  .230
Minnesota Twins (MNA)         640 147   21   199  .230
New York Yankees (NYA)        558 127   13   158  .228
Pittsburgh Pirates (PIN)      529 110   17   158  .208

Houston Outlasts Toronto

Clayton Kershaw pitched 6+ strong innings in game 7 of the Houston-Toronto playoff series to help lead the Houston Astros defeat the Toronto Blue Jays.  A recap of the series:

TOR 8, HOU 3 - Garrett Richards pitched 7 strong innings; Beltre, Cruz and Kinsler all hit homers for the Blue Jays

HOU 9, TOR 2 - Homer Bailey pitches 5+ scoreless innings for the win, Stanton and Napoli hit homers for Houston

TOR 5, HOU 4 (11) - Kevin Frandsen drives in the winning run with a RBI single in the bottomo of the 11th, Aroldis Chapman gets the win in relief by tossing 2 hitless innings while fanning 4

HOU 1, TOR 0 - Back and forth we go as the series is tied up again as Kershaw tosses 7 scoreless innings and Infante knocks in the only run with a RBI single in the 4th

TOR 4, HOU 3 (12) - Blue Jays win again in extra innings as Kole Calhoun gets the walk off RBI single

HOU 2, TOR 1 (11) - The Houston Astros, facing elimination, scored a walk off run via a Stanton double after a Blue Jay error

HOU 4, TOR 1 - Kershaw outduels the Blue Jays top draft pick Chris Archer.  Ellsbury, Kipnis and Parra all hit homers for Houston

The Astros now will face the San Francisco Giants in the Semi-Finals.

Tribe Eliminate Red Sox in Six Games

Cleveland (AP) - It's been a long time since the Tribe had won a playoff series.  In fact, it was the 2005 season when the Indians beat Toronto in a quarter finals match.  This season, the Indians have a strong team and they disposed of the Boston Red Sox in a six game series.  A recap of the series:


Boston 8, Cleveland 2 - Chris Sale came through with a solid 9 innings at Rangers Ballpark as the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 8 to 2. Boston took the lead off Shelby Miller in the first inning plating an isolated run on 2 hits. Boston finished with 10 hits in the victory. The victory went to Sale(1-0) who went the distance allowing 2 runs. The loss was charged to Miller(0-1). Despite losing, he struckout 10 Boston batters in 7 and 2/3 innings. 

Boston 4, Cleveland 3 - Second baseman Emilio Bonifacio had 3 base hits as the Boston Red Sox came back to win one over Cleveland Indians, 4 to 3.  Boston scored the winning runs in the top of the 9th inning with 2 runs utilizing 3 base hits.  Jonathan Lucroy led off and started the attack as he
ripped a single.  Justin Upton followed next and he slapped a single.  Alexei Ramirez followed, but he was set down on strikes.  Bonifacio was up next and he banged out a single resulting in a run.  Ryan Raburn came to the plate and would ground out scoring the final run of the inning.  Both teams totaled 8 hits on the afternoon. 

Matt Thornton(1-0) went 2/3 of an inning allowing no runs for the victory. Joe Nathan gained credit for his 1st save.  A.J. Ramos(0-1) took the loss in relief.  
Cleveland 2, Boston 1 - Ricky Nolasco struck out 13 batters at Nationals Park as the Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox by the count of 2 to 1. Nolasco(1-0) simply dominated Boston.  He was stingy on the mound, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk in 8 and 2/3 innings.  The teams had been locked in a scoreless duel until the 7th inning.  Nolasco got relief help from Jim Henderson who gained credit for his 1st save.  Jose Fernandez(0-1) ended up with the loss. 

Cleveland 4, Boston 0 - Jhoulys Chacin whitewashed Boston as the Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox by a score of 4 to 0.  Chacin(1-0) was on top of his game.  He didn't give up much, just 4 hits and 4 walks in 9 innings.  Cleveland finished with 8 hits in the victory.  Matt Cain(0-1) was the loser.  He surrendered only 2 runs and 4 hits in 7 innings.
Cleveland 5, Boston 3 (10) - Second baseman Ben Zobrist hit one over the fence as the Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox in 10 innings by a score of 5 to 3.

Both teams were tied at 2 runs apiece after nine innings.  Cleveland came out on top in the 10th inning.  Zobrist began things off when he blasted a solo shot.  Erick Aybar was next to the plate, but was promptly struck out.  Pedro Alvarez then stroked a base-hit.  Marlon Byrd was up next and he slapped a one-base hit.  Matt Carpenter came up to bat and ripped a single bringing in another run.  After another out, Jay Bruce stepped up to the plate and he laced a base-hit scoring the final run of the inning.  Cleveland and Boston each finished the night with 9 hits. 

The win went to Tim Stauffer(1-0) who allowed no runs in 4 innings. Stauffer got help from Jim Henderson who was credited with his 2nd save.  Junichi Tazawa(0-1) ended up with the loss in relief.  He pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up 3 hits and no walks.
Cleveland 6, Boston 5 - The Cleveland Indians nipped the Boston Red Sox 6 to 5 at Rangers Ballpark in a hard fought contest.  Cleveland had 2 runs cross the plate in the bottom of the 6th inning when they had 5 base hits.  It was enough scoring to earn the victory.  Boston threatened in the 9th but Cleveland was able to put down the rally. 

The winning pitcher was Ervin Santana(1-0) who allowed 4 runs in 7 and 1/3 innings. Jim Henderson gained credit for his 3rd save.  Jordan Zimmermann(0-1) ended up with the loss.  He was hit hard and gave up 13 hits and 3 walks in 5 and 2/3 innings.   

Redbirds Grab #2 Pick

Congrats to John Helmbrecht (St. Louis) for winning the #2 pick last night...number drawn was 005.

Royals Bag First Pick in Upcoming Draft

Congrats to Brooks Crandall (Kansas City) for winning the #1 pick last night!...number drawn was 925.

Mariners Sweep A's

The defending champs Seattle Mariners won their seventh straight post season series with a convincing 4 games to 0 zero sweep over the Oakland Athletics.  A recap of the series:

Seattle 6, Oakland 1 - Felix Hernandez pitched 8+ innings of 4-hit ball and Ryan Braun hit a pinch hit homer in the top of the 7th.

Seattle 5, Oakland 1 - Justin Verlander pitched 6 strong innings and Evan Longoria drove in 3 runs with 2 homeruns

Seattle 8, Oakland 5 - Jon Lester gets the win, Jed Lowrie hits homer and drives in 3 runs

Seattle 7, Oakland 6 - Jed Lowrie hits another homer, King Felix picks up another win; Oakland's rally in the 9th falls just short as they score two in the 9th to make the score close 

2014 Draft Lottery Info

2014 Draft Lottery Info

We will be conducting our draft lottery on Monday, April 11th and Tuesday, April 12th.....

The “Pennsylvania Daily Number Evening” lottery (http://www.palottery.state.pa.us/) on subsequent nights (7PM EST) will be used to decide who gets the #1 and #2 picks in the first round only. If the second pick yields the same result as the first night, then a third night’s lottery drawing will be used. The remaining 10 teams will draft in reverse order of record. So, the team with the poorest record can do no worst than pick third in the first round.

2014 Lottery Drawing Chances:
000 to 249 – St. Louis (67-95)
250 to 449 – Washington (68-94)
450 to 604 – Pittsburgh (70-92, 4-2 vs. Atlanta in tie-breaker)
605 to 724 – Atlanta (70-92)
725 to 814 – New York (73-89)
815 to 879 – Anaheim (74-88)
880 to 924 – Miami (75-87)
925 to 954 – Kansas City (77-85)
955 to 974 – Philadelphia (80-82)
975 to 986 – Arizona (81-81)
987 to 994 – Minnesota (82-80)
995 to 999 – Los Angeles (87-76)

(Click here for a history of previous lottery numbers selected.)

Giants Knock Out White Sox in Six Games

Brian Dozier and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Chicago White Sox 4 games to 2.  A recap of the series:



Game 1:  SF 7, CHI 2
Scherzer fired complete game while fanning 16, Dozier hit homer, scored 3 runs and had 3 hits

Game 2:  SF 7, CHI 5 (10)
After the White Sox rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, Coco Crisp hit a 2-run shot in the 10th for the game winner

Game 3:  CHI 5, SF 0
Scott Kazmir came through in the clutch by pitching 7+ scoreless innings, Will Myers hit a homer and drove in 3 runs

Game 4:  CHI 5, SF 1
Chicago evened the series at 2-2 as Sonny Gray struck out 8 in 6 strong innings.  Will Myers, batting .444 in the series so far, drove in his 5th run of the series.

Game 5:  SF 2, CHI 0
Adam Wainwright and Craig Kimbrel combined on a 4-hit shutout as the Giants pushed Chicago to the brink of elimination with a 2-0 win.  Wainwright struck out 10 and Kimbrel 2 in the dominant pitching performance.

Game 6:  SF 6, CHI 0
Giants eliminated Chicago as San Francisco pitchers tossed their second shutout.  Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 0.56 ERA) scattered eight hits in the CG performance.  Joey Votto knocked in both San Francisco runs.

 

Game #164 - Blue Jays Secures Final Playoff Spot

The Toronto Blue Jays nailed down the final playoff spot for this postseason as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in a tense game.  Koji Uehera, who has been brilliant all season for the Blue Jays notched his 40th save.  Koji finished the season with a superb 0.91 ERA.  Miguel Cabrera hit his 50th homer for the Dodgers in a losing cause.

BOXSCORE: 2013 Toronto Blue-Jays At 2013 Los Angeles Dodgers        9/19/2013

 

  Blue-Jays          AB  R  H RBI AVG     Dodgers            AB  R  H RBI AVG

  N.Swisher LF        3  0  1  0 .225     J.Jaso C            4  0  0  0 .264 

F-D.Robinson PH,LF,RF 2  0  1  0 .296     S.Van Slyke 1B      2  0  0  0 .274 

  K.Frandsen 1B       3  1  0  0 .333   D-G.Sanchez PH,1B     0  0  0  0 .207 

H-E.Chavez PH,1B      2  0  0  0 .290   L-M.Carp PH           0  0  0  0 .299 

  A.Beltre 3B         5  1  2  1 .300   M-W.Rosario PH,1B     1  0  0  0 .244 

  N.Cruz RF           3  0  2  0 .284     C.Utley 2B          3  0  0  0 .301 

N-A.Dirks LF          0  0  0  0 .277   O-J.Elmore PH         1  0  0  0 .125 

  C.Gomez CF          3  0  0  0 .267     M.Cabrera 3B        3  1  2  1 .328 

  J.Peralta SS        2  1  1  0 .289     M.Joyce RF          2  0  0  0 .243 

I-M.Kawasaki PH,SS    0  0  0  0 .265   E-C.Ross PH,RF        1  0  0  0 .324 

  I.Kinsler 2B        3  0  2  1 .243     C.Allen P           0  0  0  0 .000 

J-D.Ackley PH,2B      1  0  0  0 .297     S.Romo P            0  0  0  0 .000 

  R.Doumit C          2  0  0  0 .270     S.Lecure P          0  0  0  0 ---- 

B-J.Shuck PH          0  0  0  1 .278     E.Bedard P          0  0  0  0 .000 

  A.Torres P          0  0  0  0 .000   P-W.Bloomquist PH     1  0  0  0 .356 

K-K.Calhoun PH        1  0  0  0 .291     G.Blanco LF         4  1  1  0 .264 

  H.Street P          0  0  0  0 .000     J.Schafer CF        2  0  0  0 .223 

  A.Chapman P         0  0  0  0 ----     A.Simmons SS        3  0  2  1 .242 

  K.Uehara P          0  0  0  0 ----     M.Buehrle P         1  0  0  0 .159 

  M.Estrada P         2  0  0  0 .111     S.Casilla P         0  0  0  0 .000 

  D.Otero P           0  0  0  0 ----   A-C.Denorfia PH       1  0  0  0 .249 

C-B.Pena PH,C         2  1  1  1 .311     A.Warren P          0  0  0  0 .300 

                                          D.De La Rosa P      0  0  0  0 ---- 

                                        G-J.Ruggiano RF       1  0  0  0 .234 

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      34  4 10  4                 Totals      30  2  5  2

 

A-Pinch Hit For Casilla In 5th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Doumit In 6th Inning

C-Pinch Hit For Otero In 6th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Van Slyke In 6th Inning

E-Pinch Hit For Joyce In 6th Inning

F-Pinch Hit For Swisher In 7th Inning

G-Subbed Defensively (RF) For De La Rosa In 7th Inning

H-Pinch Hit For Frandsen In 7th Inning

I-Pinch Hit For Peralta In 8th Inning

J-Pinch Hit For Kinsler In 8th Inning

K-Pinch Hit For Torres In 8th Inning

L-Pinch Hit For Sanchez In 8th Inning

M-Pinch Hit For Carp In 8th Inning

N-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Cruz In 9th Inning

O-Pinch Hit For Utley In 9th Inning

P-Pinch Hit For Bedard In 9th Inning

 

Blue-Jays....... 0 0 0  1 1 1  0 0 1  -  4 10  0

Dodgers......... 0 0 0  1 1 0  0 0 0  -  2  5  0

 

Blue-Jays (88-76)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA

M.Estrada                 4 1/3   4   2   2   0   3   1   2.47

D.Otero WIN(1-6)          0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   3.86

A.Torres HOLD(6th)        2       0   0   0   0   1   0   1.16

H.Street HOLD(5th)        0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   4.50

A.Chapman HOLD(21st)      0 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   4.19

K.Uehara SAVE(40th)       1       1   0   0   0   1   0   0.91

Totals                    9       5   2   2   0   8   1

 

Dodgers (87-76)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA

M.Buehrle                 4 2/3   6   2   2   1   1   0   4.21

S.Casilla                 0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.43

A.Warren LOSS(5-6)        0 1/3   2   1   1   0   0   0   4.72

D.De La Rosa              0 2/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   3.16

C.Allen                   1       0   0   0   1   1   0   4.95

S.Romo                    0 1/3   0   0   0   1   0   0   4.28

S.Lecure                  1 1/3   1   1   1   0   0   1   6.75

E.Bedard                  0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.03

Totals                    9      10   4   4   3   2   1

 

ATTENDANCE- 13,063 DATE- Thursday, September 19th 2013 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Alfonzo Marquez, Scott Packard, Jeff Nelson, Derryl Cousins

T- 2:38

LEFT ON BASE- Blue-Jays: 8  Dodgers: 4

DOUBLE PLAYS- Blue-Jays: 1  Dodgers: 1

DOUBLES- A.Beltre(36th), N.Cruz(22nd), I.Kinsler(17th)

HOME RUNS- B.Pena(3rd), M.Cabrera(50th)

RBIs- A.Beltre(115st), I.Kinsler(55th), J.Shuck(35th), B.Pena(24th),

      M.Cabrera(135th), A.Simmons(62nd)

STOLEN BASES- G.Blanco(10th), A.Simmons(7th)

CAUGHT STEALING- D.Robinson

SACRIFICE HITS- J.Schafer

SACRIFICE FLIES- J.Shuck

WALKS- N.Cruz, J.Peralta, M.Kawasaki

HIT BY PITCH- C.Gomez, G.Sanchez, M.Cabrera

STRIKE OUTS- E.Chavez, C.Gomez, J.Jaso, S.Van Slyke, W.Rosario, J.Elmore,

             M.Joyce, C.Ross, M.Buehrle, C.Denorfia

GIDP- R.Doumit, J.Jaso

2-out RBI- M.Cabrera, A.Beltre

RLISP 2-out- R.Doumit, N.Cruz, J.Jaso, B.Pena, K.Calhoun

TEAM RISP- Blue-Jays: 1 for 10  Dodgers: 1 for 3

 

In a tight game it was the Toronto team 4, the Los Angeles Dodgers 2 at Dodger

Stadium.

 

Dan Otero(1-6) came through for Steve Fidler with an excellent relief stint.

He was flawless in relief in his 2/3 of an inning.  Toronto had 10 hits

overall, while Los Angeles had 5. 

 

Otero got relief help from Koji Uehara who gained credit for his 40th save.

The loss was charged to Adam Warren(5-6) in relief. 

 

Game #163 - Red Sox Win and Become #7 Seed

Boston won a very exciting Game 163, 7-6 over Toronto.  It was a very good and close game.  Toronto took a quick 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st off Jose Fernandez but Boston battled back to tie it in the top of the 5th.  After 6 innings with the score tied at 5-5, Chris Davis hit a 2-run home run off Aroldis Chapman to give the Red Sox the lead, which they hung on to thanks to 4 outs from Joe Nathan. 

BOXSCORE: 2013 Boston Red Sox At 2013 Toronto Blue-Jays             9/18/2013
  Red Sox            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Blue-Jays          AB  R  H RBI AVG
  B.Gardner CF        4  1  1  0 .279     K.Calhoun DH        3  1  1  0 .293 
  J.Lucroy C          5  1  1  1 .271     J.Shuck LF          3  1  1  2 .278 
  J.Donaldson 3B      3  2  2  1 .303   A-C.Gomez PH,CF       2  0  0  0 .268 
  C.Davis 1B          4  2  2  2 .270     A.Beltre 3B         5  1  1  0 .299 
  J.Upton RF          4  0  0  1 .229     N.Cruz RF           5  1  1  1 .282 
  A.Ramirez SS        4  0  0  1 .260     E.Chavez 1B         4  0  0  0 .293 
  E.Bonifacio 2B      4  0  3  0 .255     A.Dirks CF,LF       4  2  3  0 .277 
  R.Raburn LF         3  1  0  0 .273     I.Kinsler 2B        3  0  1  1 .241 
B-C.Blackmon LF       1  0  1  0 .299     B.Pena C            3  0  1  1 .309 
  J.Martinez DH       4  0  1  1 .252   C-J.Peralta PH,SS     1  0  0  0 .288 
                                          M.Kawasaki SS       3  0  1  0 .265 
                                        D-K.Frandsen PH       1  0  0  0 .341 
                                        E-R.Doumit C          0  0  0  0 .272 
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     
         Totals      36  7 11  7                 Totals      37  6 10  5
A-Pinch Hit For Shuck In 6th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Raburn In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Pena In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Kawasaki In 8th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Frandsen In 9th Inning
Red Sox......... 0 0 0  2 2 1  2 0 0  -  7 11  1
Blue-Jays....... 4 0 0  0 1 0  0 1 0  -  6 10  0
Red Sox (88-75)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
J.Fernandez               5 2/3   8   5   3   2   5   2   2.72
M.Thornton WIN(2-3)       0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.58
J.Tazawa HOLD(8th)        1       1   0   0   0   1   0   3.55
G.Balfour HOLD(16th)      0 2/3   1   1   1   1   1   0   5.31
J.Nathan SAVE(40th)       1 1/3   0   0   0   0   2   0   2.01
Totals                    9      10   6   4   3   9   2
Blue-Jays (87-76)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
H.Alvarez                 6       7   5   5   3   4   0   2.42
D.Otero LOSS(0-6)         0 2/3   0   1   1   1   1   0   3.92
A.Chapman                 0 2/3   3   1   1   0   2   1   4.21
H.Street                  0 2/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   4.55
K.Uehara                  1       1   0   0   0   2   0   0.93
Totals                    9      11   7   7   4   9   1
ATTENDANCE- 10,899 DATE- Wednesday, September 18th 2013 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
UMPIRES- Bill Welke, Fieldin Culbreth, Andrew Fletcher, Mike Winters
T- 3:04
LEFT ON BASE- Red Sox: 6  Blue-Jays: 7
DOUBLE PLAYS- Red Sox: 1  Blue-Jays: 1
ERRORS- A.Ramirez
DOUBLES- B.Gardner(41st), J.Lucroy(17th), J.Donaldson(38th), C.Davis(45th),
         J.Martinez(7th)
HOME RUNS- C.Davis(59th), J.Shuck(4th), N.Cruz(40th)
RBIs- J.Lucroy(75th), J.Donaldson(107th), C.Davis-2(134th), J.Upton(91st),
      A.Ramirez(62nd), J.Martinez(6th), J.Shuck-2(34th), N.Cruz(98th),
      I.Kinsler(54th), B.Pena(23rd)
WALKS- B.Gardner, J.Donaldson-2, C.Davis, K.Calhoun-2, I.Kinsler
STRIKE OUTS- B.Gardner, J.Lucroy, C.Davis-2, J.Upton-2, A.Ramirez, R.Raburn,
             J.Martinez, C.Gomez, A.Beltre, N.Cruz-3, E.Chavez-2, I.Kinsler,
             J.Peralta
GIDP- J.Martinez, E.Chavez
BALKS- H.Alvarez
WILD PITCHES- J.Nathan
2-out RBI- I.Kinsler, B.Pena, J.Lucroy, J.Donaldson, J.Martinez, C.Davis-2
RLISP 2-out- C.Davis, M.Kawasaki, J.Upton, C.Gomez, K.Calhoun
TEAM RISP- Red Sox: 1 for 7  Blue-Jays: 2 for 7

Redbirds Ian Kennedy Fires No-Hitter

For the Cardinals, it has been a forgettable season.  But, for Ian Kennedy, it has been a memorable one as he pitched a no-hitter.  Going into the game, Kennedy was 4-9 with an ERA above 5.00 making him an unlikely pitcher to throw a no-hitter.  Although walking five and hitting a batter, Kennedy kept the Yankee batters off balance all night.

Matt Harvey Fires No Hitter!

Pittsburgh's Matt Harvey tossed the league's second no-hitter of the season as Pittsburgh beat Arizona 9-0.  The Bucco righthander struck out 11 batters in his gem.

Giants Cingrani Spins No-No

San Francisco's Tony Cingrani thrilled the fans at Busch Stadium as he crafted a no-hit masterpiece against Toronto on April 12.  Cingrani had an evening to remember as he fanned 12 batters in a dominant performance.

Seattle Mariners are Champs Again!!

Click here for box scores.

Game 1:  Los Angeles 2-0

David Phelps vs Justin Verlander

Gregor Blanco leads off the game with a double and John Jaso singles him in the next pitch for quick strike lead against Verlander.  Matt Joyce doubles in the second and is knocked in by a Jordan Pacheco single in the second for another Dodger run. 

Phelps goes 5 strong innings allowing 3 hits and striking out 6 before leaving handing it off to the bullpen.  Five Dodger relievers keep the Mariners off the board and 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position as Verlander loses for the first time in the post season. 

Game 2:  Seattle 5-2

Matt Garza vs. Felix Hernandez

Albert Pujols put the Mariners out front early with a 3 run blast in the first.  Brandon Phillips adds a couple of solo home runs in the 4th and 8th to stretch the lead to 5.  King Felix tries to go the distance but tires in the 9th.  Dodgers add 2 runs and put a man on first to make it exciting.  K-Rod comes and strikes out Justin Ruggiano to end the game.

 

Game 3:  Seattle 6-4

Matt Moore vs AJ Burnett

Yadier Molina opened the scoring with a 2nd inning HR.  Mariners add another run in the 4th and 5th to extend the lead to 3.  The Mariner hit parade continued against Burnett as every Mariner registered a hit.  The 8th inning was especially damaging as the Mariners added three more runs helped by three singles and two walks in the inning to increase the score to 6-0 Seattle.  The Dodgers did not give up as they chip away with 2 runs helped by Matt Moore and Jose Reyes miscues.  In the 9th, Dodgers show they have more fight.  Dodgers manufacture a run and Chase Utley hits a bomb to close within 2.  K-Rod comes on and gets Gregor Blanco to ground out to end the game with Miguel Cabrera on deck.  Mariners squeak by with a 6-4 victory as they go 5-11 with RISP.

 

Game 4:  Los Angeles 4-1

Justin Verlander vs Mark Buehrle

Dodgers jump on Verlander early again.  Matt Joyce hits a 2 run blast in the 2nd inning.  Dodgers add 2 more in the 7th with help from a Evan Longoria error, which ends Verlander's day.  Albert Pujols answers in the 8th with a solo blast to make it 4-1.  Mark continues to utilize his bullpen matchups with five relievers over 3.3 innings to close out the 3 hitter and hold on to the 4-1 Dodger victory.   

Game 5:  Seattle 5-4

Felix Hernandez vs David Phelps

Jose Reyes leads off the game by clearing the fence against Phelps.  After the HR, Phelps settles down by only allowing one more hit over five innings and leaves with the lead, thanks to Chris Nelson.  Nelson hits a 2 out, 2 run single in the 5th.  Mariners tie it up in the 6th off Sergio Casilla and George Kontos.  In the 7th, Mariners try for the lead but Evan Longoria is gunned at the plate by Gregor Blanco.  Mariner bats stay hot as they plate 3 in the 8th of Jamey Wright and Jordan Norberto, keyed by a 2 out Jose Reyes double.  King Felix starts the 9th but runs into trouble.  Gee, did we hear that in game 2?  After allowing a hit, he leaves with 10 strikeouts and hands the ball to K-Rod.  K-Rod allows a hit to make the game more exciting.  The Mariner defense is back which allows the Dodger runners to advance as the next to batters hit ground balls which the batters advance and score 2 runs.  Matt Joyce strikes out to end the game as the Mariners win the nail biter 5-4 and the lead series 3-2 going back to Seattle.

 

Game 6:  Los Angeles 7-1

Matt Garza vs Jeff Samardzija

Matt Joyce starts the scoring with a 2 run HR in the second then singled in 2 more in the third inning.  Miguel Cabrera hit a 2 run HR in the fifth to make it 6-0 Dodgers.  Garza pitches 5 shutout innings and Mark uses bullpen matchups with 4 relievers to finish up the game as the teams trade a run in the 8th.  Dodgers coast 7-1.  Matt Joyce is the hero 3-3 with 4 RBI to force game 7. 

Game 7:  Seattle 5-4
AJ Burnett vs Justin Verlander

Dodgers previous two series went 7 games in which they obvious were victorious. 

Match up preview: Burnett got hammered in game 3 while the previously unbeatable Verlander has been beat twice by the Dodgers.  One of these pitchers has to win!

 

Dodgers strike early against Verlander again!  For the 3rd time!  In the 3rd inning, Gregor Blanco walks, Chris Nelson singles, John Jaso singles and knocks in Blanco.  Miguel Cabrera doubles which scores Nelson and Jaso.  Will Venable misses the cut off man to get Cabrera at third and throw it into the stands as Cabrera circles the bases and gives the Dodgers a early 4 run lead.  Mariners answer with one in the bottom half to make it 4-1 after 3.

 

In the 4th, Venable tries to make up for his miscue and hits a 2 run blast to close the gap 4-3 Dodgers.  In the 5th, a Jose Reyes double, Brandon Belt single, set up a 2 run Albert Pujols single to put the Mariners up 5-4.  Burnett left after 5 innings allowing the 5 runs and striking out 8.  Mark went back to his bullpen match up strategy to keep the game close.  George Kontos and Jon Rauch finish up the 6th inning.  Mariners continue to ride their SP late into games as Verlander continued to throw heat but did show some control issues with some walks.  7th inning was harmless for the Mariners as Rauch and Jamey Wright shut them down.  Verlander allows a walk but no hits in the 7th.  Sergio Romo comes in for the Dodgers in the 8th and allows a Brandon Belt single and a Pacecho error but no damage is done.  Verlander allows a Justin Ruggiano single in the 8th but finishes the inning with 10 strikeouts and not allowing another run.  K-Rod comes in with a 5-4 lead to close out the season...

 

K-Rod walks Andrelton Simmons.  Tony Campana pinch runs for Simmons.  Has a good chance for lead but can't get it.  Gregor Blanco sacrifices him to second.  Chris Nelson wiffs on the high heat for the second out.  John Jaso then grounds it to Evan Longoria to end the game and a great series as the Mariners hold on to the 5-4 victory and 4-3 series victory.

 

Fantastic series between these two teams.  Dodgers fought to the last out in each game while the Mariners took game 6 off.  Bullpen management was the key for the Dodgers which kept them close in the series as their line up did not have the same fire power.  In a couple of the games, Miggy was either on deck or in the hole as the game ended.  With a game changer like in a close game,  it added to the excitement.  A fun series in a fun league.

 

Congrats to the Los Angeles Dodgers on coming within 1 win of their second championship. 

Seattle is proud to hoist their 4th championship in the MSL.