David Price complete game
In Tampa, the Rays won the series against the Toronto Blue Jays as they took the final game 6-0. Rays left-handed starter David Price was stellar as he pitched a complete game shutout. Price allowed just four hits, struck out nine, and walked just one as he threw 108 pitches. It was a pitcher’s duel early on between Price and Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow. Morrow did not allow a hit until the fifth when BJ Upton doubled.
Catcher John Jaso singled in two runs a batter later. The game stayed at 2-0 until the eighth when the Rays scored four runs off of Blue Jays reliever Jason Frasor, capped by a two-run double by Jason Bartlett.
The San Diego Padres had their eight game winning streak snapped in the final game of their series in Cincinnati. The Padres carried a 4-3 lead into the eighth but reliever Mike Adams could not hold on. The Reds scored two runs on three hits. The Reds bullpen pitched three no-hit innings behind starter Homer Bailey, who gave up four runs on seven hits while striking out eight in six innings.
After an extra-inning affair on Saturday afternoon, the LA Dodgers and Washington Nationals were locked in to a pitcher’s duel. The Nationals scored a run in the first inning on an RBI ground out from Adam Dunn. The Nationals pitching staff made that lone run hold up. Nationals starter Scott Olsen went seven shutout innings and allowed six hits while striking out eight.
Reliever Tyler Clippard pitched a perfect eighth and closer Matt Capps held on for his eighth save of the season. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley was the hard luck loser as he went six innings and allowed just the one run on four hits while striking out five.
The Baltimore Orioles finally won another game! After starting the day at 2-16, it took a ten inning battle at Fenway Park for them to earn their third win of the season. It was a pitching matchup of the O’s Dave Hernandez against the Boston Red Sox Tim Wakefield. The knuckleballer went into the seventh inning and allowed just two runs on seven hits.
Hernandez went five innings and allowed three runs on four hits. For the Red Sox, the bullpen could not hold the lead. Left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima allowed two runs on three hits, capped by the Miguel Tejada two-run homerun to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh.
Rhyne Hughes' RBI single
The game would go into the tenth tied and the Orioles scored three runs, as it took three Red Sox relievers to record three outs. O’s rookie Rhyne Hughes delivered an RBI double and catcher Matt Wieters (who was supposed to have the day off) added a two-run single. With a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the tenth, the O’s stayed with closer Jim Johnson, who was heading into his third inning of work.
Johnson struggled and gave up two runs to bring the Red Sox within one run. He was finally taken out for Clay Meredith with two men on base. Meredith quickly dispatched of the Red Sox to record the save.
Kelly Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks had four homeruns in the series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. He homered on Sunday to cut the Phillies lead in the fifth to 3-2 (after pitcher Rodrigo Lopez led off the inning with a single).
Mark Reynolds continued the Diamondbacks homerun barrage in the same inning as he blasted a three-run homerun into the left-centerfield porch area beyond the seats. This gave the D-Backs a 5-3 lead with all of the runs coming with no outs. Reynolds and Johnson now have 7 homeruns which is tied for first in the National League.
The Diamondbacks lead the National League in homeruns. All of this came when Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick was cruising along. The Phillies took an early 2-0 lead against Lopez as Greg Dobbs hit a two-run homer in the first inning (he was the second batter of the game). Then the Phillies went to work in the top of the sixth. Carlos Ruiz drove in two runs with two outs to re-take the lead 6-5. The D-Backs came back against the Phillies bullpen to win 8-6.
The Chicago Cubs blew through the host Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff. The Cubs swept the Brewers as they scored a run in just about every inning. They got to Brewers starter Paul Bush early as he did not make it through the fourth inning (he gave up nine runs on ten hits and four homeruns).
Cubs starter Randy Wells was dominant as he pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out six. The Cubs offense generated 18 hits capped by leadoff hitter Ryan Theriot’s 5-for-6 day. Kosuke Fukudome went 3-for-4 and rookie Tyler Colvin went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.