“Any cardboard cutout can go to Opening Day. The second game of the season is when the diehard cardboard cutouts show up.” - Anthony Castrovince
Game recaps, fun facts from around MLB ( games played on 7/25 ) …
Gosselin, Yelich, Ozuna & Goldschmidt - they all went yard ... plus a few other tidbits
Phillies 7 ( 1-1 ) Marlins ( 1-1 )
Phil “Barrels” Gosselin hit two home runs and had three hits ... JT Realmuto hit a three run home run and Didi Gregorius homered.
Zach Wheeler pitched seven strong innings allowing just one run on five hits and two walks to post his first Phillies victory
Other notes : My son Dan purchased one of the fan images that will be put in the stands at CBP ... he chose to use the photo of his grandmother who passed away last December ... she was a big Phillies fan 👍⚾️
Brewers 8 (1-1 ) Cubs 3 (1-1 )
Justin Smoak and Christian Yelich each hit two run home runs for Milwaukee. Lorenzo Cain led the Brewer offense with three hits ( including a double ).
Kyle Schwarber homered for the Cubs ... eleven pitchers ( Cubs - 6, Brewers - 5 ) tossed in the game with neither starter going beyond four innings.
Orioles 7 (1-1 ) Red Sox 2 (1-1 )
Orioles RHP Alex Cobb went 5 1/3 innings allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out six batters. Second Baseman Hanser Alberto had three hits including a double and scored twice ... shortstop Jose Iglesias had two knocks as did centerfielder Austin Hays
Right Fielder Alex Verdugo had three hits for Boston.
White Sox 10 ( 1-1 ) Twins 3 (1-1 )
The White Sox hit five home runs including two by second baseman Leury Garcia who had three hits total and four RBIs. Catcher James McCann also had three hits including a home run.
LHP Dallas Keuchel went 5 1/3 innings allowing two runs on three hits.
DH Nelson Cruz hit a three run homer to account for the Twins runs.
Cardinals 9 ( 2-0 ) Pirates 1 ( 0-2 )
Cardinals starter RHP Adam Wainwright went six innings allowing one run on three hits and a walk while punching out five. Three St. Louis relievers tossed no hit baseball to finish it out.
Paul Goldschmidt hit his first home run of the season and had two hits in the game. Shortstop Paul DeJong had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice.
Rays 4 ( 1-1 ) Jays 1 ( 1-1 )
Tampa scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie ... Brandon Lowe delivered a two run triple and then scored on a balk. He had two of the Rays five hits.
Rays starter LHP Ryan Yarbrough went 5 1/3 scoreless allowing only four hits.
Four Tampa relievers closed out the win.
Jays starter RHP Matt Shoemaker pitched well - 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K’s
Did ya know 🤔 ... the Blue Jays starting infield of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, and Travis Shaw is the first starting infield in MLB history with all four positions occupied by sons of former MLB All-Stars.
Rockies 3 ( 1-1 ) Rangers 2 ( 1-1 )
Nolan Arenado had a hit, two walks and scored for the Rockies ... they used five pitchers to post their first win ... DH Matt Kemp got his first RBI as a Rockie
Right Fielder Joey Gallo led the Rangers with two hits and a walk. Lefty Mike Minor went five innings ( 2 R - 1 earned , 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K’s )
Braves 5 ( 1-1 ) Mets 3 ( 1-1 ) - 10 innings
Atlanta put up three runs in the top of the 10th against Hunter Strickland after tying the game in the ninth against Edwin Diaz who was charged with a blown save.
Marcel Ozuna took Diaz yard in the ninth ... rookie Catcher William Contreras had a key double in the tenth for Atlanta ...
Mets starter RHP Steven Matz went six innings allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out seven ... Michael Conforto had three hits ( including a double ) for New York
Angels 4 ( 1-1 ) A’s 1 ( 1-1 )
Angels starter RHP Dylan Bundy went 6 2/3 innings yielding one run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven to earn the win.
Justin Upton homered in the game for LA ... A’s center fielder Ramon Laureano stayed hot with two more hits ... he’s 4 for 7 in the first two games
Other Notes :
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon ( oblique injury ) took groundballs before the game. He's feeling better according to skipper Joe Maddon who said they'll have a better indication after the workout when he might be ready.
Astros 7 ( 2-0 ) Mariners 2 ( 0-2 )
Lance McCullers Jr went six innings allowing two runs on five hits and three walks to pick up the win. Yuli Gurriel and George Springer homered for Houston ... Kyle Seager had two doubles for Seattle.
Giants 5 ( 1-2 ) Dodgers 4 ( 2-1 )
The Giants scored all their runs in the first four innings and held on from there to record their first win under skipper Gabe Kapler. Mike Yastrzemski had two hits for San Francisco and Ex Phillie Darin Ruf got his first knock ( a single ) as a Giant.
Justin Turner and Chris Taylor had two hits each for the Dodgers
Did Ya Know 🧐 ..
The bat used by the Giants Hunter Pence on Opening Day made history as he became the first designated hitter to bat in an all-National League game, it was sent to Cooperstown and will become part of the Hall of a Fame.
Royals 3 ( 1-1 ) Indians 2 ( 1-1 ) - 10 innings
Maikel Franco hit a sac fly in the top of the tenth inning to plate what turned out to be the winning run ... the placed runner was moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on Maikel’s fly ball.
Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez each hit solo home runs for the Royals.
KC starter RHP Brady Singer went five innings ( 2 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K’s ) in his big league debut ... Indians starter RHP Mike Cleavinger went seven frames allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out six batters.
Tigers 6 ( 1-1 ) Reds 4 ( 1-1 )
Jacoby Jones hit a two run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give Detroit it’s first win of the season. Miguel Cabrera had hit a two run home run in the seventh inning to tie the score.
Second Baseman Jonathan Schoop led the Tigers offense with three hits. Joey Votto homered for the Reds ... Ex Phillie Freddy Galvis hit a two run home run for Cincinnati in the second inning.
Reds starter RHP Luis Castillo struck out eleven batters in six innings allowing just one run on six hits.
Nationals 9 ( 1-1 ) Yankees 2 ( 1-1 )
Former Phillie Asdrubel Cabrera had three hits including a home run, two RBIs and scored twice. Victor Robles also had three hits for the Nationals with a home run and four RBIs
Five Washington pitchers combined to hold the Yankees to two runs on seven hits. Giancarlo Stanton had two of the hits including his second home run of the season.
Yankees starter LHP James Paxton only went one inning giving up three runs on five hits and a walk.
Other Notes :
Stephen Strasburg was scheduled to start but was scratched due to a nerve issue with his right hand.
Skipper Dave Martinez said that there is no update with Juan Soto as of now ( on illness list ). The Nationals are waiting on test results to determine next steps. Martinez says that Soto has stood in front of the TV with a bat taking pitches during quarantine.
Josh Harrison is reportedly close to signing a major league contract with Washington
Padres 5 ( 2-0 ) Diamondbacks 2 ( 0-2 )
San Diego DH Wil Myers hit a three run home run in the fourth inning and third baseman Manny Machado hit a two run blast in the seventh to propel the Padres to victory.
Padres starter RHP Dinelson Lamet went five innings allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out eight batters. Conversely D-Backs starter LHP Robbie Ray went three and two thirds and was tagged for three runs on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Center Fielder Starling Marte had two hits for Arizona.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
Back at em on Sunday !
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