As always, there is a full slate of baseball this weekend, including an important series between a pair of NL East rivals. Important by mid-April standards, that is. Here is a rundown of everything you need to know from the world of baseball Friday.
Friday's scores
- Orioles 2, Red Sox 0 (box score)
- Pirates 6, Yankees 3 (box score)
- Phillies 4, Braves 3 (box score)
- Nationals 4, Mets 3 in 11 innings (box score)
- Astros 6, Rays 3 (box score)
- Cubs 6, Reds 5 in 11 innings (box score)
- Rangers 6, Royals 2 (box score)
- Twins 6, Tigers 3 (box score)
- Indians 3, White Sox 0 (box score)
- Cardinals 6, Brewers 3 (box score)
- Rockies 6, Giants 5 (box score)
- Diamondbacks 13, Dodgers 5 (box score)
- Athletics 3, Mariners 1 (box score)
- Blue Jays 8, Angels 7 in 13 innings (box score)
- Padres 5, Marlins 3 (box score)
The Comeback Cubs strike again
After four straight losses, it was safe to say the Cubs didn't quite look like themselves in the early-going this season. They were 6-7 and then fell behind on Tuesday night to the Brewers, 5-0. They would end up coming back to win that one late. On Wednesday, they were down 4-1 and then trailed by a run entering the ninth. They'd win on a walk-off homer from Addison Russell.
Fast-forward to Friday in Cincinnati, and the Cubs did it again. They entered the ninth inning trailing 5-2, having left a small village on the bases, scoring only on solo shots from Jason Heyward (a mammoth 434-foot shot, by the way) and Javier Baez.
Miguel Montero led off the ninth with a single to right to stay white hot (he's hitting .350/.381/.500 so far). After an Albert Almora strikeout, Kyle Schwarber would drop a blooper down the left field line for a double. Kris Bryant would softly line out to set the table for Anthony Rizzo's two-out heroics:
So that tied it up. The game would go to 11, which is when Almora drew a one-out walk before Kyle Schwarber tomahawked a ball that was about eye-high to right for a single that moved Almora to third. Bryant hit a shallow fly, but it was enough for Almora to score with a nice hook-to-the-inside slide (video here).
Wade Davis worked a perfect 11th, striking out two. And the Cubs have won three straight, coming from behind in the late innings all three times. They still haven't really played overly well, but they are 9-7 and just took first place in the NL Central from the Reds.
Bundy's hot start continues
Orioles starter Dylan Bundy has been awesome so far this season and could well be growing into the ace they envisioned when taking him fourth overall in the 2011 draft. It was on display Friday against a very good Red Sox team, as Bundy dealt for seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits and one walk.
Bundy only struck out three, instead inducing weak or fortunate contact in big spots. He got three double plays and in the top of the sixth, got out of a two-on, no-out jam with the last two outs coming on infield pop-ups.
Bundy moves to 3-1 on the young season, pitching to a 1.37 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 20 strikeouts against only four walks. He's walking far fewer hitters while getting more soft contact than previously in his career. So far, it's a formula that has worked wonders and he's establishing himself as the ace of a first-place team. In fact, the Orioles sport the best record in baseball at 11-4.
Of course, Bundy wasn't the best starting pitcher on Friday night ...
Kluber returns to form
We know all about what the 2014 Cy Young winner can do on the hill, but Indians ace Corey Kluber entered Friday with a 6.38 ERA in three starts so far this season.
No matter.
Kluber would stifle the White Sox in a shutout, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out nine. In the process, he dropped his ERA over two full runs to 4.28.
The Indians only mustered three runs on six hits, but they didn't even need all of that. Just one run would've sufficed for Kluber and it looked like that would be the case pretty much from the get-go, as Kluber would get three groundouts, two strikeouts and one infield pop out during the first two innings. No White Sox player reached third base. Hell, only one reached second, and that was thanks to a wild pitch.
Kluber was as dominant Friday as any pitcher we've seen this entire season. Here are some highlights:
Wild Familia hands Nationals win in extras
The Mets entered this all-important (well, as important as it can be in April) series against the Nationals so injured that we nearly could have created a lineup of injured players. They only had one available bench player, putting them in situations to use Zach Wheeler as a pinch hitter, Robert Gsellman as a pinch runner and catcher Kevin Plawecki as a pinch runner.
Still, the Mets played the Nationals even for 10 innings, thanks in part to a previously unscheduled start by Matt Harvey and some power from Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson.
The undoing actually had nothing to do with their injuries. All-Star closer Jeurys Famillia, making his second appearance since returning from a domestic-violence suspension, entered the game with one out and two on in the top of the 11th and immediately walked two in a row, throwing just two strikes in those at-bats. That second walk came with the bases loaded, plating the run for Washington that would prove to be the game-winner.
The Nationals move to an NL-best 11-5 while the Mets fall to 8-9.
The Rockies' historic fourth inning
With a 6-5 win over the Giants, the Rockies maintain their hold on first place in the NL West at 11-6 while the last-place Giants (even with it being early that just sounds weird) sitting at 6-11.
The Rockies did all their work in the fourth inning in this one and it was a pretty fun way to go about it.
Carlos Gonzalez singled, as did Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra before Trevor Story went yard. Yes, a grand slam. It was the first grand slam allowed in the entire career of Johnny Cueto.
Things didn't end there, though. Tony Wolters singled and a few batters later, Charlie Blackmon homered. It didn't leave the yard, though.
Via the Rockies' PR department, this was the first time a team had a grand slam and inside-the-park home run since the Red Sox did it in 2011. It was the first time in the NL since 1950, when the Giants did it. The New York Giants, that is.
While we're here, let's note that Greg Holland recorded the save, meaning he's leading the majors with nine saves in nine chances after missing all of 2016. It's looking like a pretty nice signing so far.
Dodgers bullpen melts down in eighth
Though only Kenley Jansen has the star power in the Dodgers' bullpen, the group has been rock solid for the season, at least it was heading into Friday. Before Friday's game with Arizona, the L.A. 'pen was sporting a 1.33 ERA in 54 1/3 innings, having struck out 66 and held opposing offenses to a .169 batting average. By nearly every measure, this group had been dominant.
So when the Dodgers entered the eighth inning with a 5-4 lead, surely many thought it was safe.
Instead, the Dodgers lost 13-5.
You can read all about the complete meltdown in the eighth inning here.
Pitchers who rake: Adam Wainwright
Cardinals starter Wainwright is a very good hitting pitcher. He has been for a while. He brought a career .200/.227/.302 line into the game with 32 doubles, two triples and eight homers in 586 at-bats. Again, that's good for a pitcher. On Friday night in Milwaukee, he did the job at the plate as if he were a position player.
In a 6-3 Cardinals win, Wainwright was 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBI. Here's the homer:
He wasn't too bad on the hill, either, giving up two runs in five innings while striking out nine and walking none. He needed help from the bullpen, of course, but overall Wainwright was the main reason the Cardinals won their fourth game in the last five to climb to 7-10 after that dreadful 3-9 start.
Verlander fights control woes
Tigers ace Justin Verlander should have earned his first win of the season, but he wasn't exactly himself. Sure, he had good stuff, even pumping up 95 miles per hour when he was around 100 pitches. He just had a total loss of control, notably in the sixth inning, when he walked three straight hitters before a single chased him.
The final line for Verlander: 5+ IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 4 K.
This marked only the second time in Verlander's career that he walked at least six hitters. The last time came over a decade ago, on Aug. 16, 2006. Remember, last time out, Verlander had one of the worst outings of his career, giving up nine runs on 11 hits, including three homers.
In terms of this specific game, the Twins took advantage in the sixth with six runs and that's all they'd need to win after facing a 3-0 deficit heading into the sixth.
The loss moves the Tigers to 8-8 on the year with their fourth straight loss and they have to be concerned with Verlander.
Quick hits
- Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor reportedly rejected a long-term contract extension that would have paid him approximately $100 million.
- The hottest team in baseball? The Astros have won eight of their last nine.
- Of course, the Nats have won five straight while the Indians and A's have each won four in a row.
- Rangers slugger Joey Gallo hit the longest and hardest ball of the year.
- The Cardinals have not ruled out playing Matt Carpenter at third base while Jhonny Peralta is on the disabled list, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch. That would allow them to give Matt Adams more at-bats.
- The Denver Post reports Rockies first baseman Ian Desmond has started hitting off a tee and could soon begin taking batting practice. Desmond is on the disabled list with a broken hand. He was hit by a pitch in spring training.
- The Tigers have placed shortstop Jose Iglesias on the seven-day concussion disabled list, the team announced. He stumbled and took a knee to the chin Wednesday night.
- Kris Bryant and other Cubs players sit atop the list of the best-selling MLB jerseys at the moment.
- Madison Bumgarner had a dirt bike accident and it's going to cost him six to eight weeks with an injured shoulder.
- Matt Garza will come off the DL and start Monday for the Brewers, with Tommy Milone moving to the bullpen, per the club.
- Mariners shortstop Jean Segura is starting a rehab assignment Friday and will play 2-3 games before re-joining the big-league club (Greg Johns).
- Mariners reliever Steve Cishek is pitching for Triple-A Tacoma on Friday and could be back within a week (Ryan Divish).
- The Rangers have placed pitcher A.J. Griffin on the DL with a case of the gout.
- The White Sox have placed James Shields on the DL (lat injury). Mike Pelfrey comes up as the corresponding move.
- Cardinals center fielder Dexter Fowler was taken out of Friday's game due to heel bursitis.
- Melvin Upton Jr. had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb and will miss eight weeks of action, Giants GM Bobby Evans told reporters (via Andrew Baggarly).
- White Sox ace Jose Quintana is the starting pitcher many believe will be the prize of the trade deadline this coming summer, but he's now 0-4 with a 6.17 ERA.