@Yankees 5, Indians 4: On a day that left a big hole in the pinstriped rotation, Freddy Garcia and Robinson Cano made sure that the Wins column, at least, got filled. Garcia cleaned up the last of a mess made by 3 pitchers in the 5th, when Cleveland grabbed the lead, and retired all 7 men he faced through the 7th. Cano got the lead back with his 10th June HR, a 2-run drive in the 6th on a 1-and-2 pitch from Ubaldo Jimenez.
Mets 17, @Cubs 1: All the Mets’ runs were batted in by just 4 men, distributed 4, 4, 4 and 5. Never before did the Mets have more than 2 players with 4+ RBI in a game, and just once had 4 players with 3+ RBI.
@Reds 4, Brewers 3: While Bronson Arroyo was holding Milwaukee hitless through 7, winless Marco Estrada was racking up 12 strikeouts through 6 innings. But Estrada was bitten again by his pet varmint, the gopher — a 3-run shot by Jay Bruce in Estrada’s final stanza. It was Bruce’s 3rd HR (and second 3-run job) in 11 ABs off Estrada, who has now allowed 10 HRs in 42 IP. His rate of 2.14 HR/9 IP is so high that a 1-HR stint actually lowered his average, but it’s still the highest among those with at least 40 IP.
As if crafting the first double-complete-game in almost a calendar year wasn’t enough, Luke Hochevar and Alex Cobb enhanced the oddity by taking opposite paths to that end: no runs, 7 singles, 8 Ks for Luke; 8 runs, 13 hits, 1 K for Alex. It was the first CG since 1998-07-05 allowing that many runs, and the first with that many hits since 2010-06-30. For Hochevar, it was his 2nd shutout and 4th CG in 111 career starts, and his first-ever consecutive scoreless starts. Both hurlers used 113 pitches, and Cobb (no walks; first CG) threw one more strike than Hochevar (74-73).
Sunday
@Rangers 4, Rockies 2: An otherwise humdrum Colorado loss (their 14th in 17 games) was jazzed up by a 9th-inning rally that self-destructed in a baserunning/fielding blooper reel with compound gaffes by both sides. It’s not often you get one play that can illustrate four separate Little League teaching points, but here we go: Marco Scutaro, (1) Always watch the runner ahead of you, and (2) Never give yourself up until the umpire says you’re out; and as for you, Mike Napoli, (3) Don’t throw the ball until the runner fully commits towards a base, and you, Michael Young, (4) Don’t chase a runner towards the next base, and especially not the trail runner. What a sorry display by both sides; it’s a shame either team had to come out ahead.
@Orioles 2, Nationals 1: After Washington equalized on an error in the 5th, J.J. Hardy answered with a 2-out scoring double in the home half, ending an 8-game RBI drought. Hardy had been 3 for 18 (all singles) with 2 outs and RISP.
With R.A. Dickey scheduled to start Sunday night on 5 days’ rest, let’s look at the “days of rest” splits of the most prominent recent knuckleballers (in starts only). I have included all splits that cover at least 10 starts, but my comparative statements are based only on those lines with at least 30 starts.
Even if you care nothing for this topic, I urge you to savor the line of Wilbur Wood on 2 days’ rest.
I haven’t kept up with the recaps due to a busy week — haven’t seen a single pitch since Dickey’s last. Here’s what I’ve got for tonight, with assorted scraps from the last few days:
Thursday
@Pirates 9, Twins 1: The first complete game of James McDonald‘s career was also the first by a Pirate since last July. The middle of the order brought the lumber, led (as usual) by Andrew McCutchen, who went 4-2-3-3, 3B, 2B.
Asked right after the Tampa game how it felt to lose his Mets-record scoreless string on an unearned run in the 9th, the ever-placid Dickey said only, “It’s a good time to start another one.”
I’ve added 3 games at the top of the post, and an overanalysis of one move at the very bottom.
Red Sox 7, @Cubs 4: Franklin Morales was spot-on in a spot start, his first time in that role since 2009: 5 IP, 9 Ks (3 more than his best from 15 prior starts), no walks, 65 strikes in 80 pitches. The strike percentage was the highest in almost a year in a start of 5+ IP. He had just one 3-ball count, and fanned 5 of his last 6 batters.