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Stay For a Nightcap - Catch & Release Edition


Angels 5 - Rays 1

- Dan Haren allowed 1 earned run over 7.2 innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks.  A solo homer to B.J. Upton was the only damage done.  In two starts, he now has a 12/0 K/BB ratio with a 1.23 ERA.  Haren was my pick for the AL Cy Young this year and so far he hasn't disappointed. 
- Jeremy Hellickson went toe-to-toe with Haren as he notched 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings.  He really had his changeup and curveball working, throwing 19 of his 99 pitches for strike.  It wasn't all roses though as he gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. 
- Newly minted closer, Jordan Walden pitched a clean 9th with 1 strikeout.
- Sam Fuld stole a base and registered half of the Rays hits with a single and double.  Fuld played LF with Johnny Damon sliding over to DH.
- Mark Trumbo went 3-4 and stole a base, the reason you drafted him.
- Brandon Wood did what Brandon Wood does, going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.
- We'll know more about the Rays closer situation once they win a game…
- The Rays are hitting a MLB worst .136 this season.
- HR: Alberto Callaspo (2), B.J. Upton (2); SB: Bobby Abreu (2), Mark Trumbo (1), Sam Fuld (1)

Rangers 7 - Mariners 3

- Felix Hernandez pitched well enough to get the win, but poor run support held him back… sound familiar?  He went 7 innings with 2 earned runs and 6 strikeouts.  Back-to-back errors by Jack Wilson didn't help either. 
- C.J. Wilson also went 7 innings with 2 earned runs allowed, but instead registered the win.  He struck out 2 with 2 walks. 
- Nelson Cruz stayed hot with a 2 RBI double and a run. 
- Yorvit Torrealba went 2-4 with a run, in place of Mike Napoli. 
- SB: Jack Wilson (3), David Murphy (1)

White Sox 10 - Royals 7

- Both Matt Thornton and Joakim Soria blew 9th inning save opportunities.  Soria's damage report was 4 runs on three singles, a double, and a walk.  Thornton gave up 1 run on a single and double.  He came back in the 10th to pitch a clean inning. 
- Jeff Francis pitched 6.2 innings with 2 earned runs, 4 strikeouts, and 1 walk.  Through two games, he now has an 8/2 K/BB ratio.  I still wouldn't use him if I'm streaming pitchers. 
- Post hype sleeper, Alex Gordon went 2-5 with a RBI and run.
- Mike Aviles went 0-7 and is now batting .115.  Hey, at least he got a RBI on a fielder's choice. 
- Carlos Quentin was 4-6 with his second HR of the season and 3 RBI.  Now if he can only stay healthy for the majority of the season.
- Chris Sale pitched two scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts to get the win in relief. 
- Jeremy Jeffress struck out and walked one, in a scoreless inning of work. 
- BSV: Matt Thornton (1), Joakim Soria (1); HR: Carlos Quentin (2), Ramon Castro (1); SB: Juan Pierre (2), Jarrod Dyson (3), Chris Getz (2)

Indians 8 - Red Sox 4

- Mitch Talbot needed 102 pitches to make it 4.1 innings against the Red Sox.  He struck out 7 and allowed only 2 earned runs, but those that own him probably wish he had been more economical with his pitches so that he could have qualified for the win.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings with 2 strikeouts and 3 walks.  The Red Sox are still looking for their first win…
- On the bright side, Carl Crawford stole his first two bases of the season.  There should be more where that came from.
- Shin-Soo Choo and Adrian Gonzalez hit their first homers.  The lesser owned Asdrubal Cabrera and Matt LaPorta did likewise. 
- Rafael Perez struckout 2 batters in the midst of 4 outs. 
- HR: Adrian Gonzalez (1), Asdrubal Cabrera (1), Shin-Soo Choo (1), Matt LaPorta (1); SB: Carl Crawford (1 & 2)

Yankees vs Twins was rained out. 

Tigers 7 - Orioles 3

- Justin Verlander struckout 9 over 8 innings of 3-run ball.  He walked 2 and allowed 4 hits in the win.  75 of his 108 pitches were for strikes.  His usual April struggles (5.02 ERA) don't seem to be affecting him this season. 
- Alex Avila did it all going 3-4 with a home run, stolen base, 5 RBI, and a run.  Stolen bases from catchers is like finding money in your laundry. 
- Miguel Cabrera went 2-4, while Victor Martinez was 3-5.  Both of them went yard off of Orioles reliever Josh Rupe
- Watching Mike Gonzalez on the mound makes me sea sick.
- Joaquin Benoit & Kevin Gregg tossed scoreless 9th innings. 
- HR: Miguel Cabrera (3), Victor Martinez (2), Alex Avila (1), Derrek Lee (1); SB: Alex Avila (1), Brian Roberts (1)

Blue Jays 5 - A's 3

- Yunel Escobar went 3-3, but had to leave the game due to dizziness.  He hit a triple and slide into Andy LaRoche's knee causing him to be down for a few moments.  It's possible he sustained a concussion, but we probably won't know until Thursday.  Hopefully his condition isn't serious.
- Jesse Litsch pitched 6.1 innings with 7 strikeouts in a win.  He allowed 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks.  It was his first start of the season.
- Travis Snider went 1-3 with a 3-run homer.  If you get a chance, check out his 'stache and mullet-type thing growing out the back of his helmet/hat. 
- Marc Rzepczynski struckout 3 batters over 2 scoreless innings.
- Jon Rauch got a 2 out save in relief of Rzepczynski. 
- SV: Jon Rauch (1); HR: Travis Snider (1); CS: Cliff Pennington (1), Rajai Davis (1)

Pirates 3 - Cardinals 1

- Chris Carpenter took the loss after allowing 1 earned run in 6 innings.  He struck out 6 and walked none, but the Cardinals offense let him down.  Still, he's got a 2.08 ERA with a 10/2 K/BB ratio. 
- Kevin Correia pitched 7 innings of shutout ball to get his second win.  He managed 3 strikeouts to 2 walks, but when the ERA is 1.38 after two starts, how can you complain? 
- Neil Walker with 2 more hits, one of which was a homer.  It's very, very early, but he leads the NL in RBI.
- Allen Craig was 1-4 and filled in for the still ailing Matt Holliday (appendectomy).
- SV: Joel Hanrahan (4); HR: Neil Walker (2); SB: Jose Tabata (2), Allen Craig (2)

Diamondbacks 6 - Cubs 4

- Ryan Dempster gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 10 hits.  This was better than his last outing (6 earned runs in 6.2 innings), but not by much.  Hopefully his 6 strikeouts to no walks leads to more success next time. 
- Willie Bloomquist went 2-5 and stole yet another base on Wednesday.  Don't feel dirty about adding him when the stats all count the same.  If he continues to hit, he could find himself in the lineup even when Stephen Drew comes back. 
- Alfonso Soriano hit his 3rd homer of the season.  I didn't hear too much noise about him coming into the season, did you? 
- J.J. Putz earned his second save of the season with a strikeout in a clean 9th inning. 
- SV: J.J. Putz (2); HR: Miguel Montero (2), Aramis Ramirez (1), Alfonso Soriano (3); SB: Willie Bloomquist (5)

Rockies 7 - Dodgers 5

- Chad Billingsley only lasted 3 innings as he gave up 5 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks.  Coming in he was 2-4 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.64 WHIP against the Rockies in 9 career starts.
- Troy Tulowitzki went 2-4 and hit his 2nd home run of the season.  He's just Tulowit to quit...
- Ian Stewart is still hitless after going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. 
- In his first game back off the DL (back), Casey Blake went 2-3 with a RBI and run. 
- With 2 strikeouts and some defensive help from Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street earned his 3rd save of the season.
- SV: Huston Street (3); HR: James Loney (1), Rod Barajas (1), Troy Tulowitzki (2), Todd Helton (1)

Giants 8 - Padres 4

- Tim Lincecum dominated the Padres with 13 strikeouts over 7 innings.  He allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and no walks.  Timmay is sporting a minuscule 0.64 ERA. 
- Brian Wilson stumbled in his first appearance, since a season opening DL stint (oblique).  He got two outs, but not before allowing 1 run and loading the bases.  He was pulled in favor of Jeremy Affeldt, who was no better, giving up a two run double.  Eventually Ramon Ramirez came in and got the final out to shut things down.  Wilson ended his debut with 3 earned runs. 
- Nick Hundley continued to swing the bat well, going 1-3 with a solo homer off Lincecum.  He now has a hit in each of his 5 games. 
- One of Buster Posey's 3 hits left the yard for his first homer of the season.  He collected 4 RBI on the day.
- Brandon Belt was 2-5 with a run and 2 strikeouts.  He'll need to stay productive at the plate to not get sent down once Cody Ross returns as Aubrey Huff is a nightmare in RF.
- SV: Ramon Ramirez (1); HR: Buster Posey (1), Nick Hundley (1)

Phillies 10 - Mets 7

- Mike Pelfrey gave the Mets nothing as he got rocked for 7 runs (6 earned) in only 2 innings. 
- If Pelfrey was the Titanic, Joe Blanton was the Lusitania.  He allowed 7 earned runs over 4.1 innings with 6 strikeouts. 
- Ben Francisco went 1-4 with his second homer and 2 runs.  We've seen the power, now where's the speed? 
- Placido Polanco was 3-5 with 3 RBI and a run.  His elbow looks fine for now.
- Rule-5 addition, Brad Emaus was 2-3 with a walk.
- Francisco Rodriguez struckout 2 and walked 1 in a scoreless 9th.
- Jose Contreras nailed down his first save of the season with 1 strikeout and 1 walk.  Ryan Madson set him up with a scoreless 8th.
- SV: Jose Contreras (1); HR: Angel Pagan (1), Ryan Howard (2), Ben Francisco (2); SB: Jose Reyes (2), Raul Ibanez (1)

Marlins 7 - Nationals 4

- Chris Volstad & Livan Hernandez both pitched 5 innings, but neither received a decision as they both allowed 4 runs.  Hernandez had 5 walks and 1 strikeout, while Volstad notched 4 walks and 1 strikeout.  Sorry you had to read that.
- The Marlins bullpen pitched 4 scoreless innings in relief of Volstad.
- Ian Desmond hit leadoff and went 4-5 with 2 RBI.  With no hits or walks coming into the game, he needed it.
- Michael Morse was 0-4 and is now batting .118.  It's early...
- Chris Coghlan wrapped out 3 doubles and a single.  He scored 3 runs from the leadoff spot. 
- Leo Nunez struckout 2, walked 1, and allowed 1 hit in his first save of the season.
- SV: Leo Nunez (1); CS: Omar Infante (1)

Reds 12 - Astros 4

- Edinson Volquez was all over the place as he walked 5 and struckout 8 over 5 innings.  He received a win, despite allowing 4 earned runs because the Astros sent Nelson Figueroa to the mound.  His control is obviously still a work in progress.
- Jay Bruce went 2-5 with a RBI and 2 runs.  The breakout is coming…
- Paul Janish was 3-5 with 2 RBI, a run, and a stolen base.  Can the Reds face the Figueroa/Towles battery every night? 
- The Astros had 5 errors on the night… (sigh).
- Mark Melancon struckout 2 in 1.1 innings of relief.  I had to put one positive note in there about the 'Stro Show. 
- Francisco Cordero pitched a clean 9th with a strikeout.  Aroldis Chapman and two other relievers pitched scoreless innings. 
- SB: Michael Bourn (1), Angel Sanchez (1), Jay Bruce (2), Chris Heisey (1), Paul Janish (1)

Brewers 5 - Braves 4

- Mike Minor disappointed in his season debut with 5 earned runs over 4.1 innings.  He struck out 2 and walked 4 with 7 hits allowed.  Depending on the health of Jair Jurrjens, his stay in the big leagues may not last long. 
- Brian McCann went 3-4 and is now batting .409.  Every season McCann shows up on more of my teams than any other player.
- Jason Heyward was 1-3 and went yard with a 3-run missile.  Should he really be batting 6th? 
- Yuniesky Betancourt was 2-4 with a RBI.  His defense is still poor, just ask Rickie Weeks, who he was slow to flip a ball to for a force at 2nd.  Had he been any slower, Heyward would have knocked him out as he tried to break up a double-play. 
- Prince Fielder was 3-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs.  Contract year...
- John Axford walked one and struckout one in a scoreless 9th for a save. 
- SV: John Axford (1); HR: Jason Heyward (2)