Giants 5, Nationals 4

Moving the Needle: Freddy Sanchez ends it in the 13th with a walk-off hit, +.372 WPA. The Nats had a 4-0 lead through six, and they were up 4-1 through seven. But the bullpen blew it in the eighth. The Giants picked up three to tie, and then nearly walked off with the win in the ninth. Both teams had their chances in extras, but it wasn’t until the 13th that the Giants finally came through. A walk and hit set up Sanchez, who hit an easy double down the right field line. Of course, he gets credit for only a single, but I don’t think that much matters.

Notables

Aaron Rowand: 1 for 6, 1 HR. His seventh-inning shot got the Giants rolling.

Mike Morse: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 HR. In 465 PA in the last two seasons he has a .371 wOBA.

John Lannan: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K. It’s the same old peripherals, same old results for Lannan. It’s still a wonder how he keeps his ERA below his FIP. (Except last year, of course.)

Also in this issue: Rays 5, Angels 1 | Reds 8, Cubs 2 | Orioles 4, A’s 2 | Brewers 7, Marlins 2 | White Sox 3, Mariners 1 | Phillies 3, Dodgers 1 | Twins 6, Indians 4 | Rockies 3, Padres 0 | Royals 3, Blue Jays 2 | Tigers 13, Rangers 7

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Cardinals 3, Cubs 2

Moving the Needle: Ryan Theriot ties the game in the ninth with a double, +.512 WPA. Damn WPA and its favoring of dramatic, game-tying moments in the later innings. If it weren’t for Teriot tying the game, though, there wouldn’t have been a chance for Albert Pujols to hit his second walk-off homer in two days. But let’s for a second step back and praise Theriot, who extended the game by an inning with his double. Really, even if you’re a Cards fan you have to appreciate that, if for nothing other than the feel-goodness of the walk-off.

Notables

Albert Pujols: 2 for 4, 1 HR, 1 BB. For the series he went 6 for 11 with a double and four homers. Back?

Chris Carpenter: 9 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K. He was just setting ’em up for Pujols, anyway.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 1
Cardinals 5, Cubs 4

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Mets 9, Pirates 8

Moving the Needle: Ruben Tejada takes home on a passed ball, +.180 WPA. Remember two nights ago, when the Pirates got like six straight lucky breaks and took the lead against the Mets? Well, the baseball gods apparently felt bad about that whole ordeal and decided to turn the tables in yesterday’s game. The Pirates jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, and in the third they scored their seventh run. The Mets started the comeback in the bottom half when Carlos Beltran belted a three-run shot off the facing of the second deck in left-center. It was in the sixth when the Mets would get their breaks. They worked for the runs, no doubt, riding a double and two walks to a bases loaded, two outs situation. Two singles made it 7-6. Chris Resop came in to relieve Paul Maholm, and on the first pitch he kinda missed the target — though it was just to the other side of the plate. In any case, Dusty Brown missed it, and it hit off his glove, bouncing far enough away that Tejada scored easily, tying the game. Tejada would later hit the go-ahead sac fly. He drove in three in the game.

Notables

Neil Walker: 2 for 5, 1 HR. After a hot start to his sophomore season he’s been pretty mediocre since. Even on his current seven-game hit streak he’s just 10 for 30 with a double and that homer.

Also in this issue: Rangers 7, Indians 4 | Nationals 6, Diamondbacks 1 | Twins 8, Royals 2 | Mariners 8, Rays 2 | Giants 12, Cardinals 7 | Astros 7, Padres 4

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Reds 4, Brewers 3

Moving the Needle: Joey Votto’s two-run blast gives the Reds the lead late, +.608 WPA. You can try to hold back the Reds, but when they have Votto and Jay Bruce hitting 3-4, chances are you’re going to get burned at some point. The Brewers jumped out to an early lead and were holding on at 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Votto single, Bruce homer. Simple as that, and it took just six pitches. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on first and two outs, Votto annihilated a pitch. As in, it was going to dead center, but he still did the subtle bat flip at the plate. It hit off the deck well above the 404 sign. I can’t wait to see what that registers on Hit Tracker.

Notables

Shaun Marcum: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HR. When your only infraction is a homer to Bruce, you’re probably OK.

Rickie Weeks: 2 for 4, 1 HR. His homer came on the second pitch of the game, and was his 10th of the season.

Also in this issue: White Sox 7, Red Sox 4 | Diamondbacks 6, Marlins 5 | Tigers 4, Twins 2 | Braves 4, Padres 3 | Royals 2, Angels 0 | Astros 3, Cubs 1 | Yankees 4, A’s 2 | Rockies 3, Dodgers 0 | Orioles 2, Mariners 1 | Rangers 3, Rays 0 | Nationals 2, Phillies 1 | Indians 13, Blue Jays 9 | Pirates 9, Mets 3 | Giants 7, Cardinals 5

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Mariners 3, Orioles 2

Moving the Needle: Justin Smoak ruins Jeremy Guthrie’s start with a three run homer, +.750 WPA. That’s one of the biggest swings you’ll see without a walk-off. Through seven Guthrie was rolling. He had struck out eight and allowed just three hits. Even in the eighth he should have been out of it, though it was kind of his own fault. With two down he got Ichiro to hit one on the ground. Luke Scott dived to field it and led Guthrie with a throw from his knees, but Guthrie didn’t catch it. Brendan Ryan followed with a single, and then Smoak hammered a hanger over the right field wall to flip the 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

Notables

Erik Bedard: 6.1 IP, 6 H 2, R, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR. With Bedard healthy and effective, it’s little surprise that the Mariners have allowed the second fewest runs per game in the AL.

Also in this issue: White Sox 10, Red Sox 7 | Marlins 5, Diamondbacks 2 | Tigers 8, Twins 7 | Padres 5, Braves 4 | Royals 7, Angels 3 | Astros 7, Cubs 3 | Yankees 10, A’s 3 | Brewers 7, Reds 2 | Dodgers 8, Rockies 2 | Rays 5, Rangers 4 | Nationals 10, Phillies 2 | Indians 6, Blue Jays 3 | Pirates 5, Mets 1 | Cardinals 4, Giants 3

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Sorry for the lack of screen cap. MLB.com now allows video embedding, but it’s apparently not working here.

Angels 10, Royals 8

Moving the Needle: Torii Hunter caps the late comeback with a go-ahead homer in the ninth, +.640 WPA. For the home team, the above graph ranks among the saddest. The Royals built up a 6-1 lead after two, and even after seven innings they led 8-5. A pair of solo homers in the eighth put the Angels to within one, and then Hunter’s two-run shot gave the Angels the lead. It was Hunter’s second of the game, and his fourth RBI. Joakim Soria continues to struggle. He has just six 1-2-3 innings in his 23 appearances this year.

Notables

Bobby Abreu: 4 for 5, 2 2B. He drove in two and scored following both doubles.

Eric Hosmer: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 HR. He drove in half the Royals’ runs. It appears as though selectivity is the only thing holding him back from monster numbers right now.

Also in this issue: White Sox 7, Red Sox 3 | Diamondbacks 15, Marlins 4 | Tigers 6, Twins 5 | Padres 3, Braves 2 | Astros 12, Cubs 7 | Yankees 5, A’s 0 | Reds 7, Brewers 3 | Mariners 4, Orioles 3 | Dodgers 7, Rockies 1 | Rangers 11, Rays 5 | Phillies 5, Nationals 4 | Blue Jays 11, Indians 1 | Mets 7, Pirates 3 | Giants 7, Cardinals 3

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Gotta eat that throw, Juan.

White Sox 3, Blue Jays 1

Moving the Needle: Juan Pierre singles, but Juan Rivera’s error costs the Jays, +.405 WPA. This is the kind of thing that probably wouldn’t happen if the Jays had an actual first baseman playing first. With runners on second and third in the top of the ninth, Pierre slapped one down the first base line. Rivera, playing behind the bag, fielded it cleanly, but clearly did not have a play on Pierre. Yet he still tossed it underhand to Marc Rzepczynski, who was running to cover. It was a bad throw, and it caused Rzepczynski to crash into the bag. More importantly for the game’s outcome, it caused the ball to roll away and allow the runner from second to score. That made it 3-1, and the Sox held on in the bottom half to win it.

Notables

Brandon Morrow: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K. He ran into trouble from time to time, but he worked out of it. This was the first time he’s finished seven innings this season.

Phil Humber: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR. The White Sox have six men in the rotation, and surprisingly Humber probably isn’t the guy who gets knocked to the pen when they pare down to five.

Also in this issue: A’s 4, Angels 3 | Cubs 9, Mets 3 | Orioles 6, Royals 5 | Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3 | Red Sox 14, Tigers 1 | Phillies 10, Reds 4 | Marlins 1, Giants 0

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It is, quite literally, a new ballgame.

Phillies 5, Reds 4

Moving the Needle: Ryan Howard matches Jay Bruce with an extra innings homer, +.440. It’s kind of disappointing to have a game go to 19 innings, and the walk-off hit doesn’t even top the WPA chart. Of course, it’s the same story we see in many other walk-off situations: the Phillies had loaded the bases with one out, and a sac fly won it. Their biggest boost came in the bottom of the 10th, when, trailing 4-3 thanks to a Bruce homer in the top of the inning, Howard blasted one out to center. Little did they know that they’d essentially play another full game after that.

Notables

Jay Bruce: 3 for 8, 1 HR, 3 RBI. The surge continues.

Ben Francisco: 1 for 4, 1 HR. His first-inning two-run homer made it feel as though Philly would run away with this one, especially with Halladay on the mound.

Also in this issue: Angels 4, A’s 1 | Mets 7, Cubs 4 | Orioles 9, Royals 2 | Diamondbacks 2, Rockies 1 | Red Sox 14, Indians 2 | Astros 2, Dodgers 1 | Mariners 3, Twins 0 | Brewers 6, Nationals 4 | Yankees 7, Blue Jays 3 | Rangers 2, White Sox 1 | Braves 4, Pirates 2 | Padres 3, Cardinals 1 | Marlins 7, Giants 6

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Kickin’ up some chalk.

Brewers 7, Nationals 6

Moving the Needle: Jonathan Lucroy gives the Brewers the lead in the eighth, +.550 WPA. A little inside-out swing is all it took. Lucroy’s bloop hit the foul line and, to the Brewers’ benefit, did not bounce into the stands. It allowed the trail runner, Brandon Boggs, to score. The throw actually beat him, but Wilson Ramos could not hang on. That put the Brewers up 7-6, and John Axford would come on to save the win. Lucroy also hit a solo homer in the game.

Notables

Corey Hart: 2 for 4, 1 HR. That’s four homers in two days for Hart. He’s just a bit better fit in the two-hole than Carlos Gomez.

Mike Morse: 3 for 5, 1 2B, 1 HR. Nothing much really to say; it’s been kind of a blah season for Morse.

Also in this issue: A’s 6, Angels 1 | Cubs 11, Mets 1 | Orioles 5, Royals 3 | Rockies 12, Diamondbacks 4 | Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 2 | Red Sox 4, Indians 2 | Tigers 7, Rays 6 | Dodgers 5, Astros 4 | Twins 4, Mariners 2 | Yankees 5, Blue Jays 4 | Reds 6, Phillies 3 | White Sox 8, Rangers 6 | Braves 2, Pirates 0 | Cardinals 3, Padres 2 | Marlins 5, Giants 1

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It’s not quite a chest bump, but it’ll do.

Astros 4, Dodgers 3

Moving the Needle: Michael Bourn doubles home the tying runs and sets up the victory, +.469 WPA. In a way, it was compensation for an error that cost his team a run. In the seventh, the Dodgers had runners on first and second with two out when Andre Ethier grounded one up the middle. Bourn charged, probably in an attempt to nab the slow Dioner Navarro trying to score from second. But he missed the ball. By the time he recovered the Dodgers had scored two. When he came up in the ninth he was in the same situation, first and second with two outs, but Bill Hall did him a solid by starting a double steal. Bourn then doubled down the right field line to tie the game, which put him in position to score when Hunter Pence singled.

Notables

Bill Hall: 2 for 4, 2 2B. His Astros tenure hasn’t gone well so far, but he played a huge part in this win.

Clayton Kershaw: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K. He was at only 84 pitches, but he was lifted in the top of the seventh for Ethier.

Also in this issue: Angels 4, A’s 1 | Indian 3, Astros 2 | Brewers 11, Nationals 3 | Tigers 6, Rays 3 | Phillies 10, Reds 3 | Mariners 8, Twins 7 | Cardinals 3, Padres 1 | Blue Jays 7, Yankees 3 | Rangers 4, White Sox 0

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