Indians 5, Reds 4. The Indians took the lead in the eighth on a risky play. With runners on first and third and two out Ezequiel Carrera laid down a drag bunt. He swerved to avoid the tag from Nick Masset, and I have to think he was at least close to running out of the baseline. But he did not, and Shin-Soo Choo scored. Also, that makes two RBI hit-by-pitches on Friday, as Choo got plunked in the sixth. Also notable about the sixth: Travis Wood did not allow a hit until that inning, but he made it only one out into the inning.

Indians 2, Reds 1. One inning contained all the offensive action here. The Reds scratched across a run on a ground out, but then the Indians answered when Travis Buck hit a two-run homer. Otherwise, it was all Josh Tomlin and Homer Bailey. Tomlin went seven, allowing just three hits and striking out three. Bailey also went seven, with four hits and four strikeouts.

Indians 12, Reds 4. Edinson Volquez stunk again, allowing seven hits and walking four through 2.2 innings. It’s hard to justify keeping him in the rotation at this point. Asdrubal Cabrera led the way for the Indians, going 5 for 5 with two homers and 5 RBI. Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo also had multi-hit games.

Also in this issue: Braves over Angels | Diamondbacks over Twins | Orioles over Nationals | Marlins over Rays | Red Sox over Cubs | Brewers over Rockies | White Sox over Dodgers | Phillies over Rangers | Pirates over Tigers | Cardinals over Royals | Mariners over Padres | Yankees over Mets | Giants over A’s | Astros over Blue Jays

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Is this mean? It feels a little mean. But it’s also a little funny.

Mariners 2, Angels 1

Moving the Needle: Carlos Peguero singles home the winning run, +.389 WPA. OK, so calling it a single was a bit generous. It was nothing but a routine fly ball, just a few steps away from Torii Hunter. But he lost it in the sun and fell to the ground.  

Notables

Doug Fister: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 10 GB. You might look at this line and think that even with the ground balls Fister is lucking his way into results. But despite his low K rate, he has a FIP and xFIP that aren’t too far off the mark.

Dan Haren: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K. He’s gone at least into the seventh in each of his last five starts, and he’s allowed 10 runs over that span. The Angels have won just two.

Also in this issue: Yankees 13, Orioles 2 | Diamondbacks 2, Braves 1 | Red Sox 4, Tigers 3 | Pirates 5, Reds 3 | White Sox 8, Indians 2 | Cubs 5, Marlins 1 | Royals 2, Rangers 1 | Giants 3, Dodgers 1 | Twins 11, A’s 1 | Mets 1, Nationals 0 | Rockies 7, Phillies 1 | Blue Jays 3, Rays 2 | Cardinals 4, Astros 2 | Padres 1, Brewers 0

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The mauling was divided between Johnson and Upton, and so wasn’t that bad. Also, yes, that is a Sean Burroughs sighting

Diamondbacks 5, Braves 4

Moving the Needle: Kelly Johnson ties the game back up in the 11th, +.479 WPA. Extra innings can break your heart. The Braves took the lead in the top of the 11th and sent out their closer to take care of the final three outs. He got the first, but then allowed four straight singles to end it. Johnson got the tying one, and then Justin Upton capped things.

(Of course, regulation can break your heart, too. The Braves had taken the lead in the top of the seventh, but let the Diamondbacks back in it when Scott Proctor uncorked a wild pitch.)

Notables

Justin Upton: 2 for 6, 1 HR. He got things started in the bottom of the first with a solo blast.

Chipper Jones: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 BB. He walked to lead off the 11th, but his pinch runner got nailed trying to take third on Dan Uggla’s single.

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

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Should of thrown to first.

Reds 7, Cubs 5

Moving the Needle: The Cubs beat themselves, -.759 WPA. I really have no better way to describe what happened last night than that. The Reds did put themselves in favorable positions, but the Cubs made it all too easy for them to cash in. We start in the first, when Carlos Pena, about whose schneid we talked earlier this week, hit a three-run homer. That would be great if he didn’t give all the runs back in the fourth. Edinson Volquez hit one that Pena probably should have fielded, but it bounced past him. Darwin Barney backed him up, but instead of throwing home to try and nab Scott Rolen, he threw to Matt Garza, who threw home. Only it was way off the mark, into the camera well, bringing home the trail runner and putting Volquez on third. Tie game.

The Cubs put up a pair later in the game, but then cost themselves again in the eighth. A pair of hits put runners on first and second with none out, and the Reds had Ryan Hanigan sacrifice them. Kerry Wood fielded it and tried to get the runner going to third, but threw it away. Not only that, but he threw it all the way into the left field corner, which allowed both runners to score easily and Hanigan to take third. The miscue set up Chris Heisey’s go-ahead sac fly.

Notables

Scott Rolen: 2 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB. His double to lead off the eighth got the ball rolling.

Edinson Volquez: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 HR. No, it’s not standout, but those nine strikeouts are a season high. So there’s that, at least.

Also in this issue: White Sox 4, Rangers 3 | Diamondbacks 6, Padres 1 | Indians 7, Royals 3 | Braves 3, Astros 1 | A’s 14, Angels 0 | Yankees 6, Rays 2 | Twins 2, Mariners 1 | Rockies 5, Giants 3 | Dodgers 3, Brewers 0 | Cardinals 2, Phillies 1

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These are poses of men who know this game is ovah.

Red Sox 8, Orioles 7

Moving the Needle: Adrian Gonzalez caps the comeback with a double +.648 WPA. Last year was something of a blip. Boston went 9-9 against Baltimore after years of dominance (including 16-2 in 2009). Baltimore took the first series of the year two games to one, which meant that the Red Sox were, in the most fallacious way, due. The Orioles took a 6-0 lead, but in the bottom of the sixth the Red Sox rallied for five. They then traded a pair in the seventh before Boston made its final move in the ninth. Kevin Gregg walked both Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, and then served up a fat one for Gonzalez, who launched one off the monster and brought them both around.

Notables

Kevin Youkilis: 2 for 4, 2 2B, 1 BB. That’s two doubles and two homers in his last four games. Also, each of the Red Sox first seven hitters drew a walk in the game.

Vladimir Guerrero: 3 for 5, 2 2B. He’s 11 for his last 25 with five doubles and, gasp, a walk. Reports of his demise, greatly exaggerated, etc.

Also in this issue: Padres 8, Diamondbacks 4 | Rangers 4, White Sox 0 | Braves 3, Astros 2 | Blue Jays 4, Tigers 2 | Reds 7, Cubs 4 | Indians 19, Royals 1 | Rockies 7, Giants 4 | A’s 5, Angels 4 | Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 | Twins 5, Mariners 2 | Nationals 4, Pirates 2 | Rays 6, Yankees 5 | Marlins 2, Mets 1 | Cardinals 3, Phillies 1

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Trying something a little different today. I think I like this better for the weekends.

Indians over Mariners, 1 game to 0

FridayIndians 5, Mariners 4. The Mariners had a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Brandon League blew it again. A pair of doubles cut the lead to 4-3, and then, with two outs, Travis Hafner channeled his inner Pronk and blasted a two-run homer to dead center.

The rest of this series got washed out, which is always a pain with a non-division opponent.

Also in this issue: Blue Jays over Twins | Braves over Phillies | Red Sox over Yankees | Reds over Cardinals | White Sox over A’s | Padres over Rockies | Orioles over Rays | Mets over Astros | Rangers over Angels | Diamondbacks over Dodgers | Brewers over Pirates | Marlins over Nationals | Giants and Cubs split a pair | Tigers over Royals

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He won us the game! Maul him!

Orioles 2, Mariners 1

Moving the Needle: J.J. Hardy comes up with the walk-off single, +.463 WPA. This game came in two acts. First was regulation, in which the two pitchers dueled to a stalemate. The second was a series of one-inning playoffs. The Mariners struck first, scratching across a run in the top of the third playoff. They went to their closer, since it they were on the road and it was no longer a tie game. Brandon League immediately allowed a single and then plunked two straight batters. His shortstop, Luis Rodriguez, who absolutely deserves a mention, saved at least a run, and maybe the game, with a diving catch on a line drive. League wouldn’t get so lucky with Hardy at the plate. He grounded one up the middle and brought both runners home. Both acts were rich entertainment.

Notables

Justin Vargas: 9 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 12 GB. Coming into the game Vargas had an ERA inflated by a couple of bad starts. But in four of his seven starts he allowed two or fewer runs. That ERA dropped from 4.68 to 3.87. Despite the eight base runners, he never really got too deeply into trouble, which, I suppose, is why he was able to hold them scoreless for nine.

Zach Britton: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 12 GB. Game Score goes to Britton on this one. He faced 29 batters and only used 108 pitches to get through those nine innings. In five of his eight starts he has given up 1 or zero runs, combining for a line of: 34.2 IP, 20 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 11 BB, 16 K, 52 GB.

Also in this issue: Braves 6, Nationals 5 | Rays 7, Indians 4 | Cardinals 9, Cubs 1 | Royals 11, Yankees 5 | Mets 9, Rockies 5 | Giants 3, Diamondbacks 2

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Guess where that one’s headed.

Tigers 9, Twins 7

Moving the Needle: Jhonny Peralta homers to put the Tigers back on top, +.467 WPA. Do you like high scoring games? Do you like multiple lead changes? Then you probably should have been watching the Tigers and Twins square off yesterday afternoon. Only one inning passed without either team scoring a run, the sixth, and even then both teams loaded the bases. In the eighth, with the Twins on top 6-5, the Tigers seemingly struck the definitive blow when Jhonny Peralta hit a long two-run homer to left. It flew farther than the two-run shot that topped the charts in Tuesday’s game. The Twins caught a break in the bottom of the inning when they scored on an error, but the Tigers again struck in the ninth, this time holding the lead and taking the game.

Notables

Jason Kubel: 2 for 3, 1 HR, 2 BB. That’s only his fourth home run of the year, yet his wOBA has crossed the .400 mark.

Victor Martinez: 3 for 4, 1 HR, 1 BB. He has three hits in each of his last three games, including four doubles, two home runs, and three walks. That’s one way to compensate for missed time.

Brandon Inge: 2 for 5, 1 3B. His ninth-inning triple put the Tigers on top for good.

Also in this issue: White Sox 6, Angels 4 | Nationals 7, Braves 3 | Orioles 4, Mariners 2 | Cubs 11, Cardinals 4 | Rays 8, Indians 2 | Phillies 5, Marlins 3 | Astros 4, Reds 3 | Royals 4, Yankees 3 | Padres 13, Brewers 6 | Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 3 | Dodgers 2, Pirates 0 | Giants 4, Diamondbacks 3

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Dude, seriously?

Orioles 7, Mariners 6

Moving the Needle: Felix Pie ties the game in the 13th, +.489 WPA. After three scoreless extra frames, the Mariners finally came through with a run, capitalizing on a double that led off the 13th. They had a chance for more, too, but they couldn’t scratch across that one insurance run. Too bad, say the Orioles. They started off the inning strong as well, putting runners on first and second with one out. Pie came through with a single up the middle, and then, after Jake Fox got cut down at the plate trying to score the winning run, Matt Wieters came through with the game winner.

Fun: Both teams had potential go-ahead (or winning) runs cut down at the plate. The Orioles looked silly trying to score in the ninth, while the Miguel Olivo just wasn’t fast enough to score in the 12th.

Notables

Adam Jones: 3 for 6, 2 2B. He had only three doubles on the season heading into the game.

J.J. Hardy: 4 for 5, 1 HR, 1 BB. That’s a nice welcome back from the DL. His first homer of the year, yes. Further he had more hits in this game than he did in in his first six games of the season cobined.

Also in this issue: Angels 6, White Sox 2 | Nationals 7, Braves 6 | Cardinals 6, Cubs 4 | Indians 5, Rays 4 | Mets 4, Rockies 3 | Tigers 10, Twins 2 | Marlins 2, Phillies 1 | Rangers 7, A’s 2 | Brewers 8, Padres 6 | Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 6 | Dodgers 10, Pirates 3 | Giants 1, Diamondbacks 0 | Yankees 3, Royals 1 | Reds 7, Astros 3

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Sorry for the lack of graphs. The site apparently thinks it is yesterday morning. This post should update soon after things get sorted out.

Youk’s idea of a celebration: tackling the dude to the ground and rolling around in the grass with him. Awk-ward.

Red Sox 2, Twins 1

Moving the Needle: Carl Crawford doubles home the winning run from first, +.356 WPA. It almost didn’t get this far. It took a balk and some help from the luck dragons to push across the tying run in the top of the eighth. Scoreless they remained until the bottom of the 11th, when Jed Lowrie drew a one-out walk. Jose Iglesias stepped in as the pinch runner, and when Carl Crawford flied one towards the Monster, Iglesias was off. (He was running with the pitch, but had to pause momentarily at second to make sure the ball would indeed hit the wall.) Ben Revere’s poor throw didn’t help, and Iglesias scored with relative ease, giving the Sox the game and a 3-1 series victory, after dropping the first game.

Notables

Josh Beckett: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 9 GB. Not his strongest start of the year, but it was, on a normal night, good enough to win in regulation. He has given up just 10 runs in 45.1 IP this season.

Also in this issue: Pirates 4, Dodgers 1 | Tigers 10, Blue Jays 5 | Phillies 6, Marlins 4 | Reds 6, Astros 1 | A’s 7, Rangers 2 | Brewers 4, Padres 3 | Rockies 2, Mets 1 | White Sox 8, Angels 0

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