Danny Espinosa rounds the baes

It was a great day in Washington as the Nationals pummeled the NY Mets 13-3. The best part was that the Nationals fans forgot that phenom Stephen Strasburg will miss all of next season. The future is beginning to arrive and that was certain on Monday. Rookie Danny Espinosa continued his torrid first week in the Majors as he went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and six RBIs. He hit a solo homerun in the 3rd inning off Mike Pelfrey and a grand slam in the 6th inning off Ryota Igarashi. In five games, Espinosa is 9-for-16 with three homeruns, three doubles, and ten RBIs.

Yesterday he got the start at shortstop (instead of second base) and made an error in the 1st inning that cost the team and starter Jordan Zimmerman two runs (though Espinosa more than made up for it). Zimmerman was not sharp but it is to be expected from someone in his third start back after Tommy John surgery. Scott Olsen relieved him and earned the win, going four hitless innings.

The Chicago White Sox continue to keep pace with the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins. The White Sox have now won seven in a row, as they defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-4 in ten innings. The Tigers had thought they had taken the lead in the 8th inning off rookie White Sox reliever Chris Sale, but replays overturned the original ruling on the field of a two-run homerun to Brandon Inge (it was ruled foul).

Instead, the game stayed tied until Manny Ramirez’ third hit of the day set up AJ Pierzynski’s RBI single in the 10th inning (his third RBI of the day). Sale pitched 2.2 perfect innings for his first MLB victory. The White Sox remain 3.5 games behind the Twins but moved to six games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the wild card.

The Rays have now lost three in a row as they lost to Boston 12-5. Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester struggled early, but the Rays could not capitalize on all the baserunners. The Red Sox jumped all over Rays starter Jeff Niemann for six runs in the first two innings, capped by back-to-back homeruns from David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre. Niemann has allowed 23 runs in his last three starts since coming off the DL. In the 4th inning, the Red Sox broke the game wide open as rookie outfielder Ryan Kalish hit his second career grand slam off Rays reliever Andy Sonnanstine.

Lars Anderson's debut

The Red Sox saw their 49th and 50th players this season, with rookies Lars Anderson and Robert Coello making their MLB debuts. Anderson started at first base and batted eighth as he went 0-for-4 though he made a few nice plays at first. Coello allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in just 0.1 inning.

The San Diego Padres broke their slide as they defeated the LA Dodgers 4-2. Padres catcher Nick Hundley went 2-for-3 with two RBIs (including a solo homerun). The Padres were carried by their bullpen as reliever Tim Stauffer made the spot start by going four innings. He allowed one run on four hits. The Padres stayed one game up on the SF Giants and 4.5 games up on the Colorado Rockies.

The Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in 11 innings. The game stayed scoreless until the 11th inning when Nate Schierholtz delivered a two-run triple to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. Closer Brian Wilson closed out the game for his 41st save. Rookie Madison Bumgarner allowed five hits through 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts for the Giants, while Ian Kennedy allowed just two hits through eight innings for the Diamondbacks. Kelly Johnson of the Diamondbacks collected two of the Dbacks five hits.

The Rockies defeated the Cincinnati Reds 10-5. Ubaldo Jimenez won his 18th game but was wild, as he walked six through just six innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out eight. The Rockies pounded out 13 hits with Troy Tulowitzki going 2-for-5 with a triple and a homerun and Carlos Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Adalberto Mendez

The Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins played a day-night doubleheader, with the first game between two rookies making their first MLB starts. Adalberto Mendez of the Marlins was making his debut and Vance Worley of the Phillies was making his first start (he made one relief appearance earlier in the season). Mendez was dominant as he allowed just one hit through six innings. He exited the game after collecting his first MLB hit in the 7th inning (he left due to a leg injury). Worley was a little shaky early on, but settled in to allow just two runs through five innings (though he took the loss because the Phillies offense was nonexistent).

In the second game, the Phillies offense awoke against Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez. They scored five runs in the second inning. Phillies starter Roy Oswalt gave the Phillies just enough as he allowed three homeruns in seven innings. The Phillies moved to within a ½ game of the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves.