Between a rainout and off-days, Thursday brought us a 10-game slate of baseball. Here is everything you need to know about Thursday's MLB action.
Thursday's scores
- Tigers 6, Angels 2 (box score)
- Athletics 7, Rays 3 (box score)
- Cubs 5, Mets 1 (box score)
- Cardinals 10, Pirates 8 (box score)
- Phillies 2, Dodgers 1 (box score)
- Braves 4, Nationals 2 (box score)
- Indians 9, Twins 8 (box score)
- Astros 4, Red Sox 2 (box score)
- Padres 8, Marlins 3 (box score)
- Mariners 6, Rangers 1 (box score)
- Yankees at Orioles -- POSTPONED
Astros take first game of ALDS rematch
Two of the best teams in baseball -- arguably the two best teams in baseball -- met Thursday night in Houston. The Astros are hosting the Red Sox for four games this weekend. These two clubs met in the ALDS last season, with the 'Stros edging out the BoSox in four games en route to their World Series championship.
Ken Giles made things interesting Thursday -- the Red Sox put the tying run on base in the ninth -- but, ultimately, he closed the game out for the series-opening win. Lance McCullers Jr. allowed two runs in six innings and Carlos Correa hit a home run on a pitch that would've shattered the bat of a mere mortal:
Pretty amazing Correa was able to tomahawk that elevated heater and keep it fair. It takes a special hitter to do that and Correa is as good as it gets in the box.
The Astros went into Thursday having lost four of their last five games, including some heartbreakers in Cleveland and New York. There's nothing quite like home cookin' though. Thursday's win improved the Astros to 18-11 in Houston this season.
Kershaw returns with missing velocity
Welcome back, Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers ace returned to the mound Thursday for the first time since going down with biceps tendinitis on May 1. He pitched well too, holding the Phillies to one run in five innings.
While the results were good, Kershaw's velocity was down noticeably Thursday night. His fastball averaged 88.4 mph and topped out at 90 mph. That's down from the 91.9 mph he averaged prior to the the biceps injury.
All 20 of Clayton Kershaw's four-seam fastballs were 90.0 mph or slower in his return from the DL tonight.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 1, 2018
Last year, not a single one of his 1,142 four-seam fastballs was 90.0 mph or slower. pic.twitter.com/dzzTRvYSAB
Missing velocity is always a red flag, and it turns out Kershaw exited Thursday's start with back tightness. He will go for tests. Keep in mind Kershaw spent nearly two months on the disabled list with back trouble in both 2016 and 2017. Now his back is acting up again in 2018. Worrisome.
The Dodgers are already without Rich Hill (blister), Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin), Kenta Maeda (hip), and Julio Urias (shoulder), so they're short on starters. Also, young Walker Buehler is on an innings limit this season. Losing Kershaw for any length of time is a big blow, and that is especially true right now.
Braves reclaim first place
By late May/early June standards, the Nationals and Braves are playing an important four-game series this weekend. The two teams are essentially tied atop the NL East and the upstart Braves want to show the veteran Nationals they're a force to be reckoned with all season.
Atlanta took the series opener Thursday night behind Sean Newcomb, who allowed two runs in seven innings. Freddie Freeman's double and Bryce Harper's throwing error allowed the Braves to score what proved to be the game-winning run in the third inning. To the action footage:
Setup man Daniel Winkler and closer Arodys Vizcaino slammed the door with authority, combining for five strikeouts in the eighth and ninth innings. Vizcaino recorded his 10th save of the year.
With the win, the Braves have moved back into first place in the NL East, though only by a mere half-game over Washington. Hey, it beats being a half-game back. These two clubs still have three more games to play this weekend.
Lindor makes history as Indians win sixth straight
Thursday's game was heading toward Very Bad Loss territory for the Indians. Cleveland took an early 8-0 lead against the Twins, but Minnesota kept chipping away, and, in the seventh inning, Miguel Sano swatted a game-tying three-run home run. The 8-0 lead had become an 8-8 tie. Ouch.
That's when Francisco Lindor came to the rescue. The Indians shortstop hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, giving his team a 9-8 lead the bullpen would ultimately protect. Here's the go-ahead homer.
Lindor went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs, three runs scored, and four RBI on Thursday night. It was his second game this season with multiple doubles and multiple homers. He did it against the Royals on May 12 as well. Lindor is only the fourth player with two doubles and two homers in a game on two occasions in a single season.
Francisco Lindor joins Adrian Beltre (2007), Jim Edmonds (2003) and Rafael Palmeiro (1993) as the only players in recorded MLB history with two homers and two doubles in a game twice in the same season.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 1, 2018
The Indians won their sixth consecutive game and they have scored at least seven runs in all six games. Seems the defending AL Central champs are starting to hit their stride.
Munoz walk-off caps big Cardinals comeback
Wow, what a spectacular meltdown by Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez on Thursday night. Pittsburgh took an 8-5 lead into the ninth inning and Vazquez did not record an out. His inning went double, reached on error, walk, single to score two runs, three-run walk-off home run. Ouch.
Cardinals rookie utility man Yairo Munoz had the walk-off dinger. To the action footage:
Two things about this. One, how was Vazquez left in long enough to blow that game? Two, why is Vazquez pitching for the third consecutive day -- not to mention the fourth time in five days -- after he exited a game with forearm discomfort earlier this week? That's a really heavy workload for a healthy pitcher. For a guy with a recent forearm (i.e. elbow) scare? Yikes.
The Pirates, by the way, have now lost 10 of their last 13 games. They're in fourth place in the NL Central and 6 1/2 games back of the first place Brewers.
Mengden flirts with another shutout
Last time out, mustachioed A's righty Daniel Mengden twirled a two-hit shutout against the Diamondbacks. He nearly threw another one Thursday afternoon. Mengden took a shutout into the ninth inning against the Rays before allowing three straight hits. The bullpen allowed the inherited runners to score.
Those three ninth-inning runs caused Mengden's ERA to rise Thursday, from 2.85 to 2.91. After the eight shutout innings, his ERA was down to 2.54. All told, Mengden went 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA in six May starts. That should earn him plenty of consideration for the AL Pitcher of the Month award and, potentially, the All-Star Game.
Oh, and by the way, the final out of Thursday's game was a circus catch by shortstop Chad Pinder. Check it out:
Neat catch. Also a pretty important catch, because if that ball drops in, at least one run scores (probably two) and the tying run is at the plate.
Baez draws a rare walk
Javier Baez did something during Thursday night's win over the Mets he hasn't done often this season: He drew a walk. For real. Baez took four wide ones from rookie righty Gerson Bautista in the ninth inning. Here are the pitch locations:
Yep, the first ball was right down the middle. It was called a ball because Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco caught it awkwardly, and when you do that, the umpire is liable to call a clear strike a ball. We've all seen it.
Anyway, how rare are walks for Baez? Thursday's was his first since April 11. Yes, April 11. He'd gone 183 plate appearances between walks, the longest walk-less stretch by a Cubs player since Corey Patterson went 215 plate appearances between walks in 2002.
Of course, Baez is hitting .271/.304/.562 on the season. The Cubs are more than willing to overlook the lack of walks as long as he continues slugging the ball like he has this year.
Angels close disappointing road trip
The Angels' 10-game road trip started with them taking two of three in Toronto. They managed just one of three in the Bronx, but that's understandable against a powerhouse Yankees team. It was fine to be 3-3 through those first six games.
Then they hit Detroit. An expected contender going there to face the rebuilding Tigers and losing three of four is pretty bad. That's a 4-6 road trip.
The good news for the Angels is they head home for a six-game homestand against the Rangers and Royals.
Quick hits
- The Cardinals have placed RHP Alex Reyes on the 10-day DL with a lat strain. He is expected to miss several weeks. Reyes made his first start back from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, and his velocity dipped in the middle innings.
- The Rangers activated 3B Adrian Beltre off the 10-day DL, the team announced. Beltre missed roughly two weeks with a hamstring issue. UTIL Ryan Rua was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
- Mets captain 3B David Wright played catch Thursday and is expected to begin baseball activities within a few weeks, reports the New York Post. Wright has not played since May 2016 due to back and neck surgeries.
- The Mariners activated 2B/CF Dee Gordon off the disabled list, the club announced. He missed 10 days with a fracture in his right big toe. IF Gordon Beckham was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
- Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez is expected to rejoin the rotation Tuesday, reports The Athletic. He is out with a lat injury and will make a minor league rehab start Thursday. If all goes well in the rehab game, Martinez will return next week.
- Red Sox OF Mookie Betts remains sidelined with a side issue. Thursday's game is his fifth straight game out of the lineup. He is not on the disabled list and the Red Sox say he is day-to-day.
- Cardinals C Yadier Molina is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this week, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He has been out since May 5 following emergency groin surgery.
- Phillies 1B/LF Rhys Hoskins does not need surgery on his fractured jaw, reports NBC Sports Philly. His recovery timetable is unknown. Hoskins fouled a pitch into his jaw earlier this week and was placed on the disabled list.
- The Dodgers are pushing RHP Alex Wood's next start back from Friday to Sunday, reports the Los Angeles Times. The team wants to give him some extra rest. The Dodgers are likely to use a bullpen day Friday instead.
- Twins 1B Joe Mauer experienced concussions symptoms during a workout Thursday, reports MLB.com. The team hoped to get him back this weekend, but his return may now be delayed. Mauer is on the disabled list with a concussion.
- The Reds acquired C Curt Casali from the Rays for cash considerations, the team announced. He will take over as Tucker Barnhart's backup in the wake of the Devin Mesoraco trade. Tony Cruz was sent down in a corresponding move.
- The Nationals activated RHP Ryan Madson off the disabled list, the team announced. He'd been out a little less than two weeks with a pectoral strain. RHP Trevor Gott was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
- Pirates IF Jung Ho Kang will begin playing in minor league games Friday, reports MLB.com. Kang received received a visa following all his legal trouble and is now working himself back into baseball shape.
- The Angels claimed RHP Oliver Drake off waivers from the Indians, the team announced. LHP Ian Krol was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Drake has a 7.94 ERA in 15 appearances for the Brewers and Indians this year.
