Yesterday featured some dazzling pitching performances from Yu Darvish, Mat Latos, Hiroki Kuroda, Cole Hamels, Andrew Albers and Chris Sale in which they carried their teams to victory. Meanwhile, the Orioles and Diamondbacks were playing hot potato with win expectancy for the final three innings of their matchup. And the Rockies barraged the Padres in Colorado. All being said, there were eleven games on Monday, most of which featured some amazing performances!

The Smallest Sample Size -- Game Results for 8/12/13

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Rangers 2, Astros 1

Yu Darvish was pitching against the Astros yesterday so we were predictably treated to a dominant, high strikeout performance. Only allowing one hit, a homer off the bat of Carlos Corporan, and one walk, Darvish struck out a career-high 15 batters in eight innings (42% WPA). The Rangers were able to get two runs early in the first, which proved to be the only offense they could muster. Brett Oberholtzer was a hard luck loser, throwing six and two-thirds while striking out six and allowing two runs on nine baserunners. Joe Nathan took over for Darvish and entered a high leverage situation (2.52 pLI) but locked in a Shutdown to preserve the win for Texas. The score suggests the game was rather close but Darvish was practically untouchable throughout his entire outing.

Athletics 5, Blue Jays 1

J.A. Happ and Dan Straily were excellent yesterday. Happ (26% WPA) hurled seven innings of one-run ball with his only mistake being a leadoff homer to Chris Young to start the game. From there on, he only allowed two more hits and two walks while striking out six. Straily wasn't as efficient but was able to get one more out than Happ while allowing nine baserunners and five strikeouts (33% WPA). Ryan Cook came in as relief and the tying run crossed the plate on an error. Starting the eighth, Toronto had a 24.9% chance of winning the game since they were down 1-0, but once they scored and tied the game, their win expectancy bounced up to 67.2%, which was short lived. Casey Janssen came into the game and melted down by giving up four runs on four hits and an ill-advised intentional walk (-48% WPA).

Angels 1, Yankees 2

Hiroki Kuroda (54% WPA) pitched another gem last night with eight shutout innings that only included four baserunners while striking out seven. But the Yankees nearly blew another game in the ninth. With Mariano Rivera unavailable, Boone Logan came in to close out the game and gave up a leadoff single but bounced back to strikeout Kole Calhoun. Joe Giradi had seen enough though, yanking Logan out of the game in favor of David Robertson. Robertson came into the game and walked Mike Trout and then gave up a double to Josh Hamilton that scored a run. With only a one run cushion and men on second and third, the Yankees chose to intentionally walk Erick Aybar to get to Mark Trumbo. Luckily, it worked out as Robertson was able to bounce back and strike him and Chris Nelson out to preserve the win. Easily, Robertson was thrown into the most intense situation of the day (5.51 pLI) but was able to record a Shutdown despite walking two and allowing a hit.

On the other hand, Garrett Richards (12% WPA) was handed a loss despite only allowing two runs over eight innings. His offense just couldn't back him up as they amassed a terrible -62% WPA. Nelson and Trumbo combined for four strikeouts in eight plate appearances, two of which were in an extremely important, game winning situation in the ninth.

Phillies 5, Braves 1

Cole Hamels (39% WPA) continued his bounceback second half with nine innings of one-run ball to preserve Charlie Manuel's 1,000th win. Quieting one of the hottest offenses in the league, Hamels struck out nine and only allowed seven hits in his compete game. Lowering his FIP to 3.43, we should continue to see his ERA to drop from the 3.65 that it currently sits at as long as he continues to regress towards his career average with runners on base.

Opposing starter Julio Teheran (-12% WPA) pitched pretty well but gave up a deflating three run homer to Cody Asche in the sixth that sank the Braves' win expectancy from 29% to 7.7%. Scott Downs and Luis Ayala were able to keep the game from getting further out of reach but Anthony Varvaro allowed a run in the ninth. It didn't really matter as Hamels was excellent and the Atlanta offense simply couldn't figure him out.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Reds 2, Cubs 0

The matchup between the Reds and Cubs also featured another amazing pitching performance. Mat Latos (51% WPA) pitched eight shut out innings while striking out nine and only giving up six hits. Travis Wood (8% WPA) only allowed five baserunners in eight innings but gave up a two-run dinger to Brandon Phillips that proved to be the difference maker. Although Latos had only thrown 94 pitches, Dusty Baker decided to throw in Aroldis Chapman (9% WPA) to handle the ninth. As expected, Chapman struck out the side and recorded his 27th Shutdown. Clearly the Cubs offense couldn't figure out either Latos or Chapman and only Donnie Murphy was able provide any positive winning probability.

Indians 0, Twins 3

Andrew Albers (43% WPA) couldn't complete a complete game shutout in his first start but he was able to do it last night. Only striking out two and allowing two hits, Albers had a 2.60 FIP in a super small sample size. The Twins were able to pounce on Danny Salazar (-13% WPA) quickly and chased him after just four innings. He only allowed three hits but two of them were homers by Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe that did all of the damage. They weren't striking out but the Indians just couldn't get any luck with their batted balls as evident by a cruel team BABIP of .074.

Tigers 2, White Sox 6

Chris Sale (29% WPA) put the White Sox in an early hole by giving up a first inning homerun to the red-hot Miguel Cabrera and a run scoring double to Brayan Pena in second but he quickly settled down thereafter. He gave up nine hits in his complete game while only allowing the two early runs and striking out six. The White Sox were able to rally and come back into the game during the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back-to-back singles from Josh Phegley, Alejandro De Aza and Gordon Beckham. Doug Fister (-19 WPA) couldn't miss many bats and gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings

Marlins 2, Royals 6

Tom Koehler (-29% WPA) struggled last night and barely got through five and a third by allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks while only striking out one. Wade Davis (6% WPA) was able to complete six and gave up two runs on six hits and two walks. Justin Maxwell tripled home a run (15.1% WPA) and scored on a single (9.4% WPA) from Chris Getz to put the Royals up 2-0 in the fourth. The Marlins fought back and tied the game in the sixth and it looked like it could be anyone's game until another Kansas City triple (21.8% WPA), this time off the bat of Alcides Escobar, scored another run. From there on out, the Royals were able to pile on a couple more runs off of Koehler and Ryan Webb and conceivably ran away with a win.

Padres 2, Rockies 14

There was a complete blowout in Colorado last night. Edinson Volquez (-24% WPA) allowed eight runs on 12 baserunners while only recording just 13 outs. By the end of the second, the Rockies were already up 5-0 and had an 86.8% win expectancy. Jhoulys Chacin (24% WPA) was able to complete eight innings and gave up just seven baserunners and one run while striking out six. As you can imagine, the game never threatened to be close and Chacin didn't really face anything more than low leverage situations (.59 pLI). In the eighth, Colt Hynes gave up six more runs to make this game look even more lopsided than it did before.

Orioles 6, Diamondbacks 7

This game was back and forth for most of its duration, even after the Orioles had started to pull away with a 4-2 lead that continued into the seventh. Wade Miley (-10% WPA) threw seven innings but gave up four runs on eight baserunners and Scott Feldman (14%) struck out eight while only allowing one run on four hits and two walks. The Orioles bullpen netted four negative WPA appearances that included three Meltdowns from Troy Patton, Tommy Hunter and Darren O'Day. With a 4-2 lead, Tommy Hunter (-49% WPA) gave up three runs (two earned, one charged to Brian Matusz) on three hits and a walk. Now with the lead, J.J. Putz (10% WPA) came out and got Manny Machado and Adam Jones to fly out to right. Apparently Kirk Gibson didn't trust him to get a third consecutive out and pulled him for Joe Thatcher (-25% WPA), who promptly gave up a homer to Chris Davis that tied the game back up. To start off the eighth, Troy Patton (-17% WPA) gave up a homer to Will Nieves that put Baltimore back into the hole. Continuing the pattern of disappointing relief appearances, Brad Ziegler (-19% WPA) melted down and gave up the tying run in the ninth only for the Diamondbacks to win it on an Adam Eaton walk-off homer against Darren O'Day (-36% WPA).

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Mets 2, Dodgers 4

The Mets ran out to a quick 2-0 lead against Ricky Nolasco and the Dodgers last night but blew it in the sixth. Nolasco (-12% WPA) lasted six and a third with two earned runs and nine baserunners while Jenrry Mejia finished six innings but allowed three runs (two earned). An Adrian Gonzalez single that scored Carl Crawford and Mark Ellis thanks to an error on Juan Lagares proved to be the game changing play with a 36.2% swing in win expectancy. With a 3-2 lead, the Dodgers were able to get an insurance run from a Nick Punto homer off Carlos Torres in the seventh. In relief, Paco Rodriguez (14% WPA) and Kenley Jansen (12% WPA) were able to record shutdowns and struck out five of the nine batters they faced.

. . .

All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

Mike Mulvenna is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @mkmulv.

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Rangers 2, Astros 1: For the second time this season, Yu Darvish flirted with a no-hitter against the poor Astros, and for the second time this season, he fell short. Darvish allowed a one-out solo home run to Carlos Corporan in the bottom of the eighth inning. That came more than four months after he surrendered a two-out single to Marwin Gonzalez in the bottom of the ninth to end his no-hit bid in his first start of the season.

The Rangers picked up both of their runs in the first inning on run-scoring hits by Adrian Beltre and A.J. Pierzynski, who was thrown out of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Ron Kulpa after Darvish's attempt at a perfect game ended with a walk to Jonathan Villar.

Darvish allowed just the one run on one hit and struck out 15 batters.

Dodgers 4, Mets 2: The Dodgers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to improve to 38-8 since June 22, setting a new modern-era record for the franchise's best-ever 46-game run.

Ricky Nolasco got past a rocky second inning to earn his fourth victory in a Dodgers uniform. He allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 ⅓ innings. Adrian Gonzalez had three hits, including one that scored a pair of runs with the help of a throwing error by Mets center fielder Juan Lagares in the bottom of the sixth. Nick Punto added a solo home run.

Reds 2, Cubs 0:Brandon Phillips hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to break a scoreless tie and preserve Mat Latos' shot at a win. Latos tossed eight shutout innings, allowing six hits and racking up nine strikeouts. He outdueled former teammate Travis Wood, who gave up just two runs on four hits in eight innings of work.

Cubs third baseman Donnie Murphy was the only player to register more than one hit in the game. He went 2-for-3 with a double.

Yankees 2, Angels 1: Not too long after Mike Trout took to the sports radio airwaves to bash PED users, Alex Rodriguez's Yankees picked up a much-needed win thanks to a stellar effort from starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda tossed eight shutout innings, notching seven strikeouts and giving up just three hits.

Mariano Rivera was left in the bullpen after blowing three consecutive saves. Yankees manager Joe Girardi instead called upon David Robertson, who surrendered a hit and two walks but held on to earn his first save of the year.

Twins 3, Indians 0: Twins rookie starter Andrew Albers followed up his impressive big-league debut with an even better outing. Albers tossed a complete-game shutout, holding the Tribe to just two hits. Albers is now 17 ⅓ innings into his big league career and still hasn't allowed a run. He's given up just six hits, but has only managed to strike out four batters.

Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe each hit a solo home run off Indians' starter Danny Salazar, giving Albers all the support he would need.

White Sox 6, Tigers 2:Chris Sale got off to a rough start, giving up runs in each of the first two innings, including one on Miguel Cabrera's 37th home run of the season. However, Chicago's ace settled in and wound up pitching a complete game, scattering nine hits and registering six strikeouts.

Gordon Beckham and Jeff Keppinger had three hits apiece for the White Sox, who were able to shrug off an 0-for-4, seven-LOB performance from former Tiger Avisail Garcia, as well as this tremendous play by Jose Iglesias, who was involved in the same trade that sent Garcia to Chicago:

Athletics 5, Blue Jays 1: The A's scored four times against Jays closer Casey Janssen to break a tie and earn a victory in the first game of the day. That came after J.A. Happ and Dan Straily went toe-to-toe for seven-plus innings. Each hurler allowed just one run during their time on the hill.

Recently acquired Alberto Callaspo led the A's with a pair of hits and two runs batted in.

Phillies 5, Braves 1:Cole Hamels allowed a run on six hits en route to hurling his first complete game of the year and 13th of his career. Hamels struck out nine batters and issued just one walk to help improve his record to 5-13.

Cody Asche hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning off Braves' starter Julio Teheran to give the Phillies a four-run cushion. Asche finished with two hits, three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Royals 6, Marlins 2: Kansas City won for the 17th time in its last 20 games and moved ahead of Cleveland for second place in the American League Central. Chris Getz finished with three hits, Billy Butler hit a solo home run and Wade Davis allowed two runs on six hits in six innings to earn the victory.

Rockies 14, Padres 2: Colorado piled on with six runs in the eighth inning after a 1:03 rain delay to turn an 8-1 blowout into a 14-2 slaughter. The Rockies pounded out 17 hits and took advantage of four errors -- and numerous others that weren't scored as such -- by San Diego to notch their first four-game winning streak since April.

Jhoulys Chacin surrendered one run in eight innings, marking the fifth straight start in which he has lasted seven or more innings and allowed three or fewer runs. Padres outfielder Jaff Decker's solo home run, which was also his first big-league hit, represented the only damage against Chacin.

Diamondbacks 7, Orioles 6: Adam Eaton's first home run of the season was of the walk-off variety. The 24-year-old outfielder took Darren O'Day deep on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the ninth inning to help Arizona overcome a solid-but-short start by Baltimore starter Scott Feldman, as well as O's slugger Chris Davis' 43rd home run of the season.

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Bud Black on frustrations w/Edinson Volquez, msg to team in dugout & update on Carlos Quentinhttp://t.co/V1i3XE3C4Z

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) August 13, 2013

Bud Black interviewed by Darren Smith (MP3)

• Bud Black explains his angry march through the dugout at last night's game. 
  

  "I was trying to get a point across Darren, about a couple of things. The point was, I think kind of self explanatory how that inning or  actually how the entire game went.  What I said was for the team only.  I appreciate your curiosity, but it's probably not best to say word for word what I said to the guys."

  Black say his anger was team related, it wasn't intended for any one person. Black says while fans don't usually see that side of him, most of his stern conversations happen behind closed doors.
• Edinson Volquez has had an up and down season.  His previous 5 or 6 starts have been respectable, but last night was rough.  "He's been really erratic." It's been really frustrating for Black and pitching coach Darren Balsley that they haven't been able to maximize his potential.  Volquez is still scheduled for his next start but they are constantly talking about all players.
• Everth Cabrera was a big part of the team.  He was a true lead off hitter and one of the better defenders in the National League. "We miss his talent." 
  
• The players are professionals and don't stop playing hard even though know their season is over.  Black tells them to do their job and play.  "There's lots to get done the rest of the season."  Black says there's still a lot to play for, "our players know what their job is".  He says the player's effort is there, but they've made some mental mistakes that are frustrating for the coaches.
• Carlos Quentin will probably not be back after his 15 day disabled list stay expires.  "It's going to be a little bit longer than 15 days."  Black expects to see him back later this season.  He'd be surprised if he wasn't.
• Black congratulated Jaff Decker on his first hit and home run.  Black says he's seen worst haircuts than Decker's haircut.  "Darren, it's not a haircut I would go with."

The Padres' 14-2 loss last night was lopsided, but it could have been worse if not for Jedd Gyorko's 9th inning solo shot.  I looked up the worst lopsided losses in Padres history and thought you might also be interested.

Three times the Padres lost by 19 runs.  I think I vaguely remember the most recent in 2005, which was also against and in Colorado, just like last night's.  Here was Dex's blog post after the game where he describes it as "the biggest jock punch in the history of jock punches".  Those Gaslamp Ballers in the Game Thread took it all in stride.  We were super chill back then.

Andy Benes, Jake Peavy and Tim Stauffer all had three lopsided losses of 12 or more runs.  Current broadcaster Mark Grant had one.

The only other thing that I'm noticing right now is that the last loss of 12 runs or more, before last night, wasn't that long ago.  In fact it was August 13th, 2011.  Two years ago today!

Looking for their fifth straight win and to remain undefeated on  the current homestand, the Rockies will send Jeff Manship to the mound for the second game of a three-game set against the San Diego Padres.

Manship allowed two runs on four hits in five innings in his Rockies debut Thursday against the Mets at Citi Field. This will be the 28-year-old Manship's first career appearance at Coors Field.

The Padres will counter with southpaw Eric Stults, who was briefly a Rockie in 2011. This will be Stults' third start against the Rockies this year. In the first two, he allowed a total of two earned runs on 11 hits in 16 innings, walking three and striking out nine. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in seven innings in his last start against Baltimore.

The Rockies will once again be without Michael Cuddyer in the lineup because of illness, though he is available off the bench today. Charlie Blackmon gets the start in right field with right-handed hitting Charlie Culberson in left field against the lefty Stults.

Alexi Amarista will be in center field for the Padres tonight, moving Will Venable to right and Chris Denorfia to the bench. Ronny Cedeno also gets the nod at shortstop instead of Logan Forsythe.

Tonight's #Padres lineup against the Rockies: pic.twitter.com/bV72ydyNAd

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 13, 2013

#Rockies 8/13 vs. SD: Fowler 8, LeMahieu 4, Tulo 6, Rosario 2, Arenado 5, Helton 3, Culberson 7, Blackmon 9, Manship 1

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 13, 2013

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost to the Sacramento River Cats (Athletics), 6-4.

Kyle Hendricks's second Iowa start was not quite as good as his first one, but there were some positives. Hendricks allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings. The positive was that he struck out seven, but he also walked an uncharacteristically high three batters.

Alberto Cabrera allowed two runs in the top of the eighth to take the loss. Cabrera threw two innings total, allowing four hits. He struck out three and walked three, one intentionally.

Second baseman Edgar Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with an RBI. DH Dave Sappelt was 2 for 4 and scored once. Catcher Chad Noble went 2 for 4 with one run scored and one batted in.

First baseman Josh Vitters was 1 for 3 with a double, but he exited for a pinch-runner after going to third after the double.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies blinded the Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers), 4-1.

Eduardo Figueroa was sharp in getting his second win and first with the Smokies. Figuera tossed five scoreless innings, allowing six hits. He walked one and struck out one.

The Smokies put this game away with three runs in the seventh inning on an RBI single by second baseman Arismendy Alcantara and a two-run single by right fielder Rubi Silva. Both hitters were 1 for 4 and Alcantara scored on Silva's single.

Third baseman Christian Villanueva was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored one run. Center fielder Matthew Szczur went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

The win extends Tennessee's lead over second-place Birmingham to 4.5 games. However, since Birmingham won the first half title, their lead for the second playoff spot is actually 6 games over Jackson. If Birmingham wins both halves, the second playoff spot goes to the team with the second-best overall record. In that case, Tennessee has a 9.5 game lead over Jackson.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs split a doubleheader with the Clearwater Threshers (Phillies), winning game one 5-0 and dropping the second one 3-2.

In the first game, starter Pierce Johnson improved his record in Daytona to 5-1 after he threw 5.2 scoreless innings, He allowed four hits and issued three walks. He struck out seven Threshers.

Armando Rivero got his first Daytona save and second overall save by pitching the rest of the way. Over his 1.1 innings, Rivera allowed one hit. He struck out one and did not walk anyone.

In his second at-bat for Daytona, DH Daniel Vogelbach crushed a two-run home run to center field. It was Vogelbach's 18th home run overall. Vogelbach was 2 for 3 and scored twice.

Left fielder Anthony Giansanti was 2 for 3 with one run batted in.

In the second game, starter Yao-Lin Wang pitched really well, but was the victim of non-support and his record fell to 3-4. Wang allowed two runs on four hits, including one solo home run, over 5.1 innings. What was impressive was that he struck out eight and didn't walk anyone.

In his second at-bat for Daytona, third baseman Kris Bryant hit a solo home run to center field. Yes, both Vogelbach and Bryant homered in their second at bats for the D-Cubs. (Bryant didn't arrive in time to play game one.) Bryant was 1 for 3.

Second baseman Wes Darvill was 2 for 3 and scored Daytona's other run in the second game.

Second-place Lakeland was swept in a double-header by Dunedin, so Daytona's lead in the North division was extended to 4.5 games.

Kane County Cougars

Off-day. Traveling to Burlington for a game tomorrow night. Trevor Gretzky was promoted to Kane County from Boise.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks shattered the Eugene Emeralds (Padres), 12-1.

Starter Duane Underwood allowed a run in the top of the first inning, but everything after that was all Hawks. Underwood allowed one run on three hits over three innings. He walked one and did not have a strikeout.

Paul Blackburn piggybacked Underwood and got the win because Underwood didn't go five innings. Blackburn tossed three scoreless innings, allowing four hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Trey Masek had two scoreless innings of relief and Eddie Orozco pitched a scoreless ninth.

Right fielder Yasiel Balaguert put Boise on top for good in the bottom of the first inning with a three-run home run, his seventh this season. Balaguert also doubled in a 2 for 3 night. He also walked twice and scored three times.

Left fielder David Bote was 3 for 4 with two doubles and a walk. Bote had four total RBI and scored twice. He also stole a base.

Second baseman Danny Lockhart was 2 for 5 and scored once. First baseman Jacob Rogers went 2 for 2 with three walks. Rogers scored twice.

Third baseman Jordan Hankins made sure the Hawks didn't miss Kris Bryant tonight by going 3 for 5 with a double. He scored once and had one RBI.

AZL Cubs

Off-day

After winning the first four games of their current homestand, the Rockies dropped a 7-5 decision to the San Diego Padres.

The Padres got on the board first against Rockies starter Jeff Manship when Yonder Alonso's single brought home Will Venable, who had singled and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts.

San Diego starter Eric Stults had allowed just two earned runs in 16 innings in two starts against the Rockies this season, but did not continue that success into his third start against Colorado as he gave up four runs and five hits in the first inning, the big blow coming via a two-run single from Wilin Rosario. Run-scoring singles by Todd Helton and Charlie Culberson extended the Rockies lead to 4-1 after the opening inning.

However, Manship could not hold the lead in the second, walking Jaff Decker to lead off the inning before giving up a two-run home run to Nick Hundley cutting the Rockies lead to 4-3. After a Ronny Cedeno pop out, Stults singled, Venable tripled, and Alexi Amarista singled to give the Padres a 5-4 lead. Jedd Gyorko extended his team's lead to 6-4 in the third with a solo homer.

The Rockies cut the lead to 6-5 in the fifth when Nolan Arenado tripled and scored on Culberson's sacrifice fly. Charlie Blackmon then singled, chasing Stults from the game, as Bud Black elected to bring in reliever Tim Stauffer to face pinch hitter Michael Cuddyer, who he retired on a weak ground out to first.

Manship and Stults combined to give up 11 earned runs on 19 hits in 9 2/3 innings, walking five and not striking out a batter. The bullpens fared much better, as the only run a reliever allowed came against Adam Ottavino in the sixth courtesy of Venable's RBI single.

The series finale is tomorrow afternoon as Andrew Cashner takes on Jorge De La Rosa in a 1:10 start that will be aired on ROOT Sports.

Source: FanGraphs

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There were a ton of close games yesterday so there were many events that made a difference in determining a team's win expectancy. Nobody was as vital as Paul Goldschmidt and his 76% WPA but there were a handful of clutch performances that you have to hear about!

The Smallest Sample Size -- Game Results for 8/13/13

Photo credit: Getty Images

Angels 7, Yankees 14

Last night, CC Sabathia (-1% WPA) gave up a two run homer in the first to Mark Trumbo but was able to keep Anaheim's bats in check thereafter. But he couldn't hit the strike zone. Overall, he was able to throw six innings but gave up three runs (two earned) and six walks alongside three hits and seven strikeouts. Jason Vargas (-29% WPA), making his return from the disabled list, but couldn't miss any bats. He survived through four and a third but allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk. Michael Kohn (-15%) gave up two more runs in the sixth that basically put the game away. To make things worse, Joe Blanton (-1% WPA) came in afterwards and proceeded to give up six more runs in just two innings while allowing nine (!!) baserunners. Alfonso Soriano went three-for-six with two homers and a 30% WPA.

Giants 2, Nationals 4

Despite only getting four innings from their starter due to a rain delay, the Nationals were able to win last night. Gio Gonzalez (21% WPA) only allowed six baserunners while recording just twelve outs but the Washington bullpen was able to string together five more innings while only allowing two runs (one earned). Tyler Clippard was able to navigate an intense situation (3.29 pLI) but still recorded a Shutdown. Meanwhile, the Giants couldn't get the same production from their relievers. Madison Bumgarner (6% WPA) threw four innings with four strikeouts and one run allowed via six baserunners. Guillermo Moscoso (-20% WPA) relieved him and melted down in his two innings with four base runners and two earned runs. Adam LaRoche smacked a two run homer that proved to be the difference which contributed to his 29% WPA.

Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2

Todd Redmond (28% WPA) watched the lead that he preserved dissipate once the ball was handed over to the Toronto bullpen. He tossed five and a third shutout innings while only giving up three hits. Ryan Dempster (29% WPA) pitched seven solid innings, only giving up one run and six baserunners, and left with the lead thanks to a series of clutch hits from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. Junichi Tazawa melted down (-16% WPA) thanks to giving up a solo shot to J.P. Arencibia. The Blue Jays had a couple other opportunities to put the game away but just couldn't capitalize. In extra innings, Shane Victorino smacked a two-run scoring single that shifted the win expectancy by 40.5% and Koji Uehara (13% WPA) was able to pitch a perfect inning to win the game for Boston.

Phillies 1, Braves 3

Kris Medlen provided a clutch double (12% WPA) to give the Braves a 1-0 lead and was able to throw seven innings of one-run ball, with his only mistake being a Domonic Brown single in the top of the sixth. As a pitcher, Medlen (22% WPA) provided a 22% WPA, only giving up five hits and one walk while striking out five. Meanwhile, Ethan Martin (-14% WPA) lasted just five innings and pitched decently, but was done in by a Chris Johnson two-run homer eventually sealed the game.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Mariners 5, Rays 4

Ben Zobrist (25% WPA) and Brad Miller (14% WPA) both smacked two homers in last night's game but the Rays couldn't muster any other kind of offense whereas the Mariners were put over the top with a clutch Dustin Ackley triple. Chris Archer (-36% WPA) has started to regress and gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in just five innings. Erasmo Ramirez (-32% WPA) wasn't much better as he allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk in five and a third. Yoervis Medina, Oliver Perez and Danny Farquhar were all able to preserve the one-run lead with Shutdowns and kept the Rays from getting back into the game.

Reds 6, Cubs 4

Jeff Samardzija's command has failed him over a couple of his previous starts and especially in this one. Shark (-16% WPA) allowed four runs, one of which on a wild pitch, along with four walks and six hits in six innings. Homer Bailey (-25% WPA) also had some trouble as he allowed four runs on six hits (three homers) and three walks over six and a third. This game ended up being a battle of bullpens and the Reds were able to get four straight Shutdowns while Eduardo Sanchez lost his control at the worst time and melted down (-41% WPA), leading to a Cubs loss.

Brewers 5, Rangers 1

Should Alexi Ogando (-10% WPA) remain in the rotation? Or would he be better suited for the bullpen? Last night, he gave up three homers and three other hits for a total of four runs in six and a third. Scooter Gennett, batting in the nine hole, clubbed two of the three homers and provided a 31% WPA for the Brewers. Marco Estrada pitched well as he only allowed one run on four hits in his six innings. The Milwaukee bullpen breezed into the eighth before running into some trouble but got out of it and kept the Rangers off the board.

Indians 5, Twins 2

Josh Willingham was able to get the Twins on the board early with a solo homer to lead off the second but from there on out, the Indians just poured on the offense as the Twins struggled to get anyone on base. Samuel Deduno (-21% WPA) struck out the side in the first, pitched a perfect second and then crumbled. Overall, he made it through six innings but gave up four runs on eight baserunners while only recording one strikeout after he sat down the first three batters he faced via the 'K.' Zach McAllister (18% WPA) was great, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Ryan Raburn's two run homer (19% WPA) in the sixth added some vital insurance to their 3-1 lead.

Tigers 3, White Sox 4

Should of kept Avisail Garcia!! With two important hits, one of which was a triple that turned into an three-run inside-the-park homer because of an error, and a walk that eventually became the winning run, Garcia provided a whopping 42% WPA for the White Sox. In fact, it seemed that he was the only one to really provide any help in win expectancy from the Chicago offense. Max Scherzer (-5% WPA) pitched decently through six innings but was tagged for two runs on seven baserunners. Hector Santiago (12% WPA) had some bouts with his control and was chased after five, giving up one run, four walks and six hits. Jim Leyland inexplicably removed Jeremy Bonderman for Phil Coke and not Detroit's best reliever, Joaquin Benoit, with the bases loaded. Coke (-16% WPA) faltered and gave up the walk-off hit to Alejandro De Aza.

Marlins 1, Royals 0

Yesterday featured a pitching duel between Bruce Chen and Jose Fernandez. Yes, that Bruce Chen, who now sports the lowest ERA of pitchers with 70+ innings thrown. Then again, he was facing the Marlins offense which may have helped his seven shutout innings become possible. Chen (44% WPA) struck out six, walked three and allowed three hits while Fernandez (44% WPA) matched his shutout innings but with two less walks. Neither offense could get a run across home until the tenth when Kelvin Herrera (-30% WPA) hit Jake Marisnick with a pitch, who then stole second and scored on Christian Yelich's (38% WPA) third hit of the night.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Pirates 3, Cardinals 4

As you can see, last night's matchup between the NL Central favorites was all over the place. The Pirates were expected to win with a 3-2 lead going into the ninth until Mark Melancon (-39% WPA) melted down and gave up a poorly timed RBI single to Allen Craig that swayed the Cardinals' win expectancy from 16.6% to an even 50%. Seth Maness (38% WPA) and Jeanmar Gomez (40% WPA) duked it out in extras and both were able to keep the opposing offense off the board. With Gomez removed from the game before the 14th inning, Jared Hughes (-37% WPA) came in and quickly lost the game by giving up two hits while only getting one out. Both offenses had their opportunities throughout the game but Adron Chambers' sole hit (31% WPA) of the night sent the Cardinals home with a win.

Padres 7, Rockies 5

Not many teams win when their starter allows eleven hits, three walks and five runs in just four and two thirds but the Padres found a way to last night. Jeff Manship (-22% WPA) was worse than Eric Stults (-13% WPA) as he gave up two homers and six runs in five innings. The Rockies had comforted him with a 4-1 lead after the first but it was quickly blown in the second as Manship gave up a homer to Nick Hundley, a triple to Will Venable and RBI single to Alexi Amarista. Colorado had a win expectancy of 70.5% to start the second but it shrank to 47% once the Padres rallied and took the lead. The Rockies threatened to get back into the game during the third with the bases loaded and nobody out but Charlie Blackmon flew out to center and Manship, who wasn't pinch-hit for, proceeded to ground into a double play. After that, the Padres had it in the bag.

Orioles 3, Diamondbacks 4

Have yourself a day, Paul Goldschmidt (77% WPA). There aren't many games that are carried by just one player but Goldschmidt did just that for the Diamondbacks last night. Down 2-3 in the ninth, Goldie, leading off, stepped to the plate and launched a game-tying homer off of Jim Johnson which eventually sent the game into extra innings. Neither team could get any runs across until Goldschmidt's turn to bat came up again. This time, leading off in the eleventh, he jacked another dinger to win the game. Absolutely incredible. Goldschmidt singlehandedly put the team on his back and evidently had a tremendous impact on the game as the core factor behind Arizona's win.

Astros 5, Athletics 4

Bartolo Colon, it's been fun. But yesterday proved to be another game of regression for the wily ol' vet. Lasting just four innings, Colon (-31% WPA) gave up five runs on seven hits and a walk; all that Houston needed to win the game. Jordan Lyles stifled Oakland through seven innings with one earned run on seven baserunners. The Athletics were only able to score one run until the eighth inning when Josh Reddick singled Jed Lowrie home and Yoenis Cespedes smacked a two-run homer. Even after the comeback and the score now at 5-4, the Athletics only had a 17.1% win expectancy. Chia-Jen Lo was able to settle everything down in the eighth and close out the game for a Shutdown (24% WPA).

Mets 2, Dodgers 4

The ace-off between Matt Harvey and Hyun-Jin Ryu turned out to be more one-sided than expected. Harvey (-26% WPA) labored through six innings and gave up four runs, eight hits and two walks while only striking out three. Ryu (20% WPA) only made one mistake, a first inning homer to Juan Lagares, and sailed through seven innings. Kenley Jansen's new attempt at a perfect nine innings was RUINED as he gave up a hit, walk and run in his inning of work.

. . .

All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

Mike Mulvenna is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @mkmulv.

More from Beyond the Box Score:

• Kenley Jansen channels Mariano Rivera
• A three true outcomes collision course
• Jeff Heath and the art of finishing strong
• Lineouts! 08/13/13: Abreu defects, Puig adjusts and Cy Young battles
• The Smallest Sample Size 8/13/13: Darvish dominates

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's nationally recognized best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by George Gale & Co. Ltd. HSB Premium Bitter English Ale.

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Now: Wednesday, Aug. 14 - WV MetroNews
Doug Rigg talks about the new mentality that the defense is playing with, while Travis Bell talks about the transition from safety to corner. Lastly, Kevin White talks about how he is starting to play with more confidence than he came in with.

West Virginia: The Mountaineer - The Best Mascots in College Football - SI.com
Angry, excitable and sunburnt. The Mountaineer sums up WVU perfectly.

New Ticket Features Introduced - WVU Athletics
A new ‘Select Your Seats’ feature and the option for mobile delivery method now available at WVUGAME.

IMG Adds Charleston Affiliate to Network - WVU Athletics
The West Virginia Mountaineers and IMG College announced today that LM Communications’ WMXE-FM in Charleston has signed on to the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG.

Kickoff Times Adjusted for Duke Nike Classic - WVU Athletics
Adjusted kickoff times for the WVU women's soccer games at the Duke Nike Classic have been announced.

Mountaineers Net Exhibition Win - WVU Athletics
The WVU women's soccer team opened its 2013 season with a 3-0 exhibition win over Rutgers.

2013 ESPN college football announcer teams revealed - SBNation.com
The familiar names are back for another year of calling games on ABC and the ESPN networks. Here's the full rundown.

WVU gets 'sweet' addition in Yankee Candle collection - Charleston Daily Mail
I'm disappointed that it doesn't smell like burnt upholstery and apple pie moonshine

Furfari: Moss great RB for Mountaineers in 1950s - Register-Herald
Robert "Bobby" Moss, who grew up in Huntington, was an outstanding halfback on West Virginia University’s 1952-53-54-55 teams.

News of Note:

Let’s go deep - WVU Sports with Mike Casazza
Players are still changing positions and injuries are shuffling certain lineups, but now that we’re in the middle of the preseason preparation that precedes the 2013 season, we are starting to get a clue where some pieces fit.

WVU still seeking starters - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
"There are a lot of position battles that are ongoing and will be throughout this week," head coach Dana Holgorsen said.

West Virginia Mountaineers Dana Holgorsen looking for QBs to separate - ESPN
Dana Holgorsen insisted at Big 12 media days last month he would name a starting quarterback when one emerged. Asked on what the plan was if a quarterback never truly separated himself, Holgorsen had no plans to entertain the suggestion. "He will," Holgorsen said.

WVU RB Buie: Smith Always Tried to Lead - BGN
He said that outsiders taking comments out of context have blown those comments out to be much more than they were meant to be.

Geno ‘leadership’ stir was a faux flap - WV MetroNews
"They just twisted the whole thing up," Spain said Tuesday

HERTZEL COLUMN: Leadership: In the end, it’s up to coaches - Times West Virginian
If college players really could be leaders, would not coaches name season-long captains to perform such duties rather than game captains, as almost all coaches now use?

Move to center no snap for WVU redshirt-freshman Tyler Orlosky - Register-Herald
A 6-foot-4, 296-pounder out of Cleveland, Ohio, Orlosky practiced mostly at guard last fall during his redshirt season, but he moved to center during the spring.

Seider gets backfield ducks in a row at WVU - Charleston Daily Mail
When third-year WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen announced Seider's return, he cited the assistant's recruiting ability and added that Seider's "background will be an asset to our program."

Kevin White Says Confidence Keys Strong Camp for WVU - WVillustrated
Junior receiver earns praise from coaches as he continues to develop into team's potential top target.

Williams is ‘sharp’ and ready for return - Charleston Daily Mail
On Aug. 7, 2012, Williams was injured in an Oklahoma drill. He missed all of last season.

Jenkins praises CBs ahead of him - WV MetroNews (autoplay video)
As of Tuesday, he was working with the second unit, playing behind converted safety Travis Bell and Ishmael "Icky" Banks.

Linebackers to spare? - Charleston Gazette
Last year’s worry could be this year’s boon

WVU’s Rigg comments on the speed of the Big 12 - Times West Virginian
"It had to be a tie between Oklahoma and Baylor," Rigg said, referring to two teams who put 113 points combined on the board against WVU. "Baylor moved so fast I honestly don’t remember the game. I have to watch it on film to see what happened. That’s how fast they were moving.

A Smorgasbord of WVU News and Notes - WVU Athletics
Notebook

Luck, Manziel, power shift, WVU hoops - Charleston Gazette
Ye olde notebook

A challenge: Can you top this? - WVU Sports with Mike Casazza
Let’s enlighten the world with other nicknames for the 2013 West Virginia football team.

WVU Football Player Quotes - WVU Athletics
Members of the West Virginia University football team addressed the media Tuesday morning.

BGN Video: Working Out the Details - BGN
Hope & Rigg

VIDEO INTERVIEWS: WVU Football Players - WVillustrated
Smith, Hope, Rigg, White & Bell

WVU Football Player Interviews: 8.13.13 - DA Sports Blog
Rigg, Spain, Jenkins & Banks

VIDEO: Tyler Orlosky - EerSports
Offensive lineman Tyler Orlosky talks with the media this morning about the philosophy Ron Crook teaches, his switch to center and more.

MORE PHOTOS: 2013 WVU Football Training Camp - WVillustrated

Pro News:

NFL Preseason Week 1 Recap – WVU Pros | Prosreport
Every WVU Pro in football saw action this past week except for Jeff Braun with the Miami Dolphins and Joe Madsen with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s check in with our WVU Pros and see how they fared.

Stedman Bailey rising with the Rams | Prosreport
Drafted in the third round by the Rams, he joins a crowded wide receiver position behind Brian Quick, Austin Pettis, Chris Givens and Tavon Austin.

The Gyorko Diamond Review: 8/13 - ProsReport
Let's take a look at the Mountaineer slugger's week in review.

Around the League (and Beyond):

BIG 12 FOOTBALL: Not necessarily all about the offense. - Cowboys Ride For Free
While the focus, especially in recent years, is all about offensive production, defenses still hold a critical key in determining who wins championships.

2013 Position Previews: Defensive Ends - Our Daily Bears

CFTV: Richardson, Bundrage discuss a developing offense - Cyclone Fanatic

Whitehair expected to start at left guard for K-State: Coleman high on Curry Sexton at receiver - Abilene Reflector-Chronicle

Sooners Defensive End, D.J. Ward, Out For Up To Six Weeks - Crimson And Cream Machine

Oklahoma State season preview - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

Trey Hopkins emerging as key to offensive line - Burnt Orange Nation

College football countdown | No. 29: TCU - USA Today

Texas Tech's Bruce Jones won't back down - Lubbock Avalanche Journal

Best Offensive Players in College Football - Football.com

What's On Tap:

WVU prepares to welcome Class of 2017 on Move-In Day, Welcome Week - WVU.edu
Morgantown's version of "Carmageddon" happens Friday

Video of Interest:

Junior college transfer Dreamius Smith discusses his transition to WVU thus far, and how the backfield is splitting reps during camp.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

Hump Day Video of the Week:

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a British tabloid model. CLICK HERE for today's gallery of Lacey Banghard.

More from The Smoking Musket:

• Mountaineer Morning Links: Tuesday (8/13/13) Edition
• Mountaineer Morning Links: Monday (8/12/13) Edition
• West Virginia University Football Weightroom Renovations Gallery
• WVU Fans Feed The Troll: Clay Travis Edition
• Mountaineer Morning Links: Friday (8/9/13) Edition

As you're probably aware, the Rockies just endured probably their worst offensive month ever in July, producing only a .238/.293/.356 (BA/OBP/SLG) line as a team and scoring just 3.4 runs per game (their average from April to June was 4.7). In August the team hasn't been much better despite a couple of recent blowouts - .273/.330/.356 with 4.2 runs per game. The low slugging % is because the Rockies have only 5 home runs in 12 August games - their 22 extra base hits in 12 games puts them behind even the July rate.

Much has been made on this site of the Rockies' propensity to give many plate appearances to sub-replacement level hitters this season - and that obviously contributed to the offensive malaise over the last two months. However, one of the reasons the Rockies were so successful in the first three months of the year despite these players being in the lineup was that their elite players were mashing the ball. Unfortunately, the Rockies' best player has not been himself the last two months, removing the safety net that had been propping this offense up.

Until his rib injury on June 13th, Troy Tulowitzki was having the best year of his career. In the 61 games he played in before the injury, Tulo was worth 4 rWAR - hitting .347/.413/.635 with 16 HRs and 51 RBI. Since his return (with a few hitless games before the All-Star break), Tulo has been hitting at a below replacement level clip: he's batting just .220/.312/.390 in the season's 2nd half (93 plate appearances). In August his line is just .143/.318/.229.

The below table shows the depths of Tulo's struggles - he's striking out more, popping out more, and hitting for far less power:

This isn't the Tulo we know and love...the plate discipline is still there despite the higher K rate, but the ability to drive the ball has evaporated. What gives? I'm not going to play armchair doctor/psychologist on this one - it's just tough to watch your team's best player struggle like this. It's still a small sample size - but it's a worrisome trend.

I sincerely hope that Tulo starts raking again soon and still ends up with the best year of his career. If this team is to be successful in the next few years, the Rockies will need an offense powered by a potent Tulowitzki.

Los Links!

Tulo had some comments about his struggles for Troy Renck.

Closer Rafael Betancourt could be back with the team on Friday. Roy Oswalthopes to return soon as well.

Benjamin Hochman writes about the Rockies who have hit the ball the hardest this year.

Fangraphs' Dave Cameron writes about how to fix the MLB waiver system.

OFF-TOPIC.

More from Purple Row:

• Padres 7, Rockies 5: San Diego sinks Rockies' Manship
• Tuesday Rockpile: Nolan Arenado's offensive improvement more than just a fluke
• Padres, Rockies to duke it out for 3rd place
• DC in GJ Part 6: The story of Raimel Tapia
• Monday Rockpile: 46 games to learn from

Zack Wheeler's start against the Padres last night was the best of his young major league career. The same was said about Wheeler's previous start in Arizona on Saturday, but Wheeler surpassed that start with an even better one. He notched 12 strikeouts, walked none, and gave up just one run in six innings.

PITCHf/x Data (via Brooks Baseball)

Like Matt Harvey, Wheeler relies heavily on his fastball and goes to his slider most frequently among his offspeed pitches. The fastball generated a few swinging strikes—"whiffs" in the table above—but the slider was the most effective pitch in that regard. His curve, though thrown significantly less, was also very effective.

Here's what Wheeler's pitches looked like from the catcher's point of view.

GIFs

Strikeout 1: Will Venable, swinging

Strikeout 2: Chase Headley, swinging

Strikeout 3: Jedd Gyorko, swinging

Strikeout 4: Chris Denorfia, looking

Strikeout 5: Jaff Decker, swinging

Strikeout 6: Tyson Ross, looking

Strikeout 7: Will Venable, swinging

Strikeout 8: Jedd Gyorko, swinging

Strikeout 9: Ronny Cedeno, looking

Strikeout 10: Chase Headley, looking

Strikeout 11: Jedd Gyorko, looking

Strikeout 12: Ronny Cedeno, swinging

Historical Context

Wheeler's dozen strikeouts came in his twelfth game in the big leagues. Only three other Mets pitchers had ever struck out as many opposing hitters in the first twelve games of their careers: Dwight Gooden, Nolan Ryan, and Dick Selma.

Between his last two starts, Wheeler has 16 strikeouts, 2 walks, and has given up just 2 runs in 12.1 innings of work. The improvement in control is a welcome sight after he walked 4.97 hitters per nine innings in his first ten starts with the Mets.

Before tonight's game, the Mets as a team had only hit nine home runs in the month of August, good for 25th in MLB. Padres starter Ian Kennedy helped the Mets reverse that trend, as they took him deep three times in 4 2/3 innings, eventually winning 5-2.

The Mets got on the board in the second inning when Eric Young hit a weak grounder to second base with runners on the corners, making it 1-0. They would score more impressively in the third inning via a pair of homers. Marlon Byrd crushed a pitch over the center field fence to make it 2-0, and Ike Davis hit Ian Kennedy's very next pitch well over the wall in right, increasing the lead to three.

They would add two more in the fourth on yet another homer, this time by Daniel Murphy.

That would be more than enough for Jonathon Niese. He gave up one run, courtesy of a Will Venable homer in the third, in six innings, allowing just six hits and a walk while striking out nine. The Padres would add a second run in the eighth on a Yonder Alonso RBI single, but the duo of Carlos Torres and LaTroy Hawkins would keep them off the board the rest of the way.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFans4Decades; her effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

I've got to say, it's getting really hard to temper my enthusiasm for Javier Baez. It seems like he really can do whatever he wants.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got zapped by the New Orleans Zephyrs (Marlins), 5-2.

It was a pretty good start for Yoanner Negrin, who allowed two runs on nine hits over six innings. Negrin struck out seven and didn't walk anyone, so that's impressive. He did hit one batter. Still impressive.

Alberto Cabrera has struggled badly in August. Today, he allowed three runs in the seventh inning, the only inning he pitched. Cabrera surrendered two hits and he walked two. Cabrera fanned one.

Jae-Hoon Ha continues his strong finish to the season, going 2 for 4 with a double and a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. It was Ha's sixth home run and fifth for Iowa.

Shortstop Edwin Maysonet was 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies

Javier Baez hit a walkoff, two-run home run as the Tennessee Smokies blinded the Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers), 8-6.

Starter Matt Loosen put the Smokies in a 6-2 hole as he allowed six run on six hits over 4+ innings. His control was an issue as he walked five and struck out five.

Hunter Cervenka was the beneficiary of Baez's home run, as he had pitched a scoreless top of the ninth. Cervenka walked two, one intentionally, but didn't allow a hit. He struck out one.

Baez's home run was his 31st on the season and 14th for the Smokies. He was 2 for 4 with a walk and he scored twice. Baez also made an impressive diving catch in the top of the ninth.

Baez wouldn't have been in position to win it if it weren't for the efforts of second baseman Jonathan Mota. Mota hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 6-4 and a two-run single in the eighth to tie the score. Mota was 2 for 4 and it was his seventh home run this year.

Third baseman Christian Villanueva was 1 for 2 with two walks and a two-run double in the bottom of the first.. He scored once.

The win was Tennessee's seventh straight. Second-place Jackson won, so their lead remains at six games.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs harpooned the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 5-1.

A strong start for Corey Black, who allowed only one run over five innings for his second Cubs win and fifth in the Florida State League. Black surrendered eight hits. He struck out eight and only walked one.

DH Dustin Geiger hit a two-run home run in the third inning, his fourteenth of the season. Geiger was 1 for 4.

First baseman Dan Vogelbach and third baseman Kris Bryant were both 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars were swarmed by the Burlington Bees (Angels), 5-1.

Starter Felix Pena didn't pitch poorly, but took the loss anyway. Pena retired the first nine batters of the game and lasted six innings and allowed three runs, only two of which were earned, on three hits.  Pena struck out five and didn't walk anyone.

Kane County's only run came on a home run by catcher Willson Contreras in the third inning. It was Contreras's 11th home run of the season. Contreras went 2 for 4.

Center fielder Oliver Zapata was 2 for 4 with a double.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks cleaned up the Tri-City Dust Devils (Rockies), 6-2.

Jose Rosario got his first win of the season by allowing one run over five innings. He surrendered three hits while walking one and striking out three.

Jose Arias threw three innings of relief without allowing a hit and a walk, although he did allow two baserunners with a  hit batsman and an error. Arias struck out three.

First baseman Jacob Rogers had a two-run double in the third and an RBi double in the ninth as part of a 2 for 4 game. He also walked once.

Center fielder Kevin Encarnacion went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored twice.

DH Shawon Dunston was 1 for 2 with a double and three walks. He stole a base and scored twice.

Salem-Keizer won, so Boise remains a game out of first place. However, since Salem-Keizer won the first half, Boise has a 12 game lead over Eugene for the second-best overall record. That would come into play if Salem-Keizer won both halves. So for Boise is really concerned about Salem-Keizer's four game lead over Hillsboro at this point.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Padres, 6-0.

The Mets scored three runs before the Padres scored any, and that would have been enough. The starters took the decisions, with Jon Niese improving to 5-6 and Ian Kennedy falling to 4-9.

Kennedy gave up three homers and all five of the Mets' runs before being pulled with two outs in the fifth. Niese lasted six innings and only allowed one run on a solo blast by Will Venable in the third inning. The homer extended his career high in home runs to 16 and his present hit streak to 13 games.

Chase Headley doubled in the eighth and was singled in by Yonder Alonso but it was too little, too late. The Padres lost by the final score of 5-2.

Axion led all commenters with 63. I was second with ten less and Friar Fever rounded out the top-three with 50. I got eight recs on seven different comments, and Axion got four on three. Friar Fever and raw_toast each got three recs.

In tonight's matchup, it was the battle of two Opening Day starters who had lost a lot of their luster in 2013. Jonathon Niese had missed much of the season due to shoulder soreness and had been ineffective when he was healthy. Ian Kennedy's story was even worse, having gone from being the Diamondbacks' ace to pitching so poorly that the team traded him for a LOOGY.

It turned out to be a one-sided matchup, as Niese dominated the Friars and Kennedy gave up three homers in less than five innings, as the Mets prevailed 5-2 in the second game of their series with the Padres. In his second start off the disabled list, Niese allowed just a single run over six innings while notching nine strikeouts and exhibiting better control and velocity than he had at any point this season.

This was Kennedy's second start of the season against the Mets. The first time around, on July 4, he allowed just two runs in seven innings while striking out eight. It was clear from the get-go that this outing wouldn't be so smooth. After retiring the first two batters of the game, Kennedy walked Marlon Byrd and Ike Davis, and then gave up an infield hit to Josh Satin to load the bases. However, the Mets would be unable to cash in as Mike Baxter popped up to Chase Headley to end the threat.

Niese, perhaps jealous of Zack Wheeler's 12 strikeout masterpiece the night before, followed a leadoff single to Chris Denorfia by striking out the next three batters, all swinging.

The Mets again made life difficult for Kennedy in the second. Anthony Recker, playing in place of John Buck who left on paternity leave, led off the inning with a double off the wall in left-center. Omar Quintanilla followed with a looper into right, putting runners on the corners. After a failed Niese bunt, Eric Young hit a slow grounder to the right side, allowing Recker to score from third and make it 1-0 Mets. Daniel Murphy would ground out to end the inning.

Jedd Gyorko hit a leadoff double in the second, but Niese once again struck out the next three batters to strand the runner.

Having tired of the whole "small ball" routine, the Mets decided to go the old-fashioned route for runs in the third: homers. Byrd hit Kennedy's second pitch of the inning over the wall in dead-center, making it 2-0. Davis followed that by blasting Kennedy's first pitch to him well into the seats in right. It was the fourth homer for Davis off Kennedy in eight career at-bats.

The Padres decided to get in on a little of the action as Will Venable hit a solo shot off Niese in the bottom of the third to cut the Mets lead to 3-1.

Kennedy took the very smart route of walking Niese to lead off the fourth, and it came back to bite him two batters later, as Murphy hit a shot just inside the right field foul line, making it 5-1 Mets

The Padres put two on in the fourth and the fifth, but Niese was able to make it out of both innings unscathed. Niese finished off his night by striking out Rene Rivera with a runner on.

The Mets had a chance to add to their lead in the seventh, but wasted it by having two runners thrown out trying to steal.

San Diego would cut their deficit in the eighth as Headley led off with a double against Scott Rice, and Alonso followed with an RBI single, making it 5-2. However, Carlos Torres would come in and retire the next three batters without any trouble.

LaTroy Hawkins, coming off his "delicate" injury in Los Angeles, would pitch the ninth for the Metropolitans. Jaff Decker hit a single to lead off the inning, but Hawkins would set down the next three batters, ending the game by getting Venable to chase a pitch in the dirt.

The Mets continue their four-game series with the Padres tomorrow night, as Mets catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud makes his MLB debut.

SB Nation Coverage

* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Gaslamp Ball Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Jonathon Niese, +15.1%, Marlon Byrd, +11.5%
Big losers: Mike Baxter, -9%, Jonathon Niese (as a batter), -5.2%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Daniel Murphy two-run homer in fourth, +13.7%
Teh sux0rest play: Will Venable solo homer in third, -8.8%
Total pitcher WPA: +21.7%
Total batter WPA: +28.3%
GWRBI!: Ike Davis

Yankees 10, Red Sox 3:Alfonso Soriano was at it again on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in the Yankees' rout of Boston. Soriano knocked in four runs, bringing his total over his last four games to 18. He also had a dozen hits during that stretch, becoming the first player with at least 12 hits and 18 RBI in a four-game span in major league history.

Soriano is also the first Yankee with four consecutive three-hit games since Johnny Damon did it in 2006.

Alex Rodriguez had a pair of hits and Mark Reynolds hit his first home run since joining the Yankees. Andy Pettitte earned the win by allowing three runs -- none earned -- on six hits in 6 ⅔ innings.

Dodgers 4, Phillies 0: Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run to give the Dodgers their ninth consecutive win and spoil Ryne Sandberg's big-league managerial debut. The Phillies' offense mustered up just three hits against Zack Greinke, who worked around four walks to toss seven shutout innings.

Cliff Lee struck out six batters in eight innings, but allowed three runs on five hits en route to the Phillies' 20th loss in their last 24 games.

At least the cameramen at Citizen's Bank Park were on their game:

Braves 3, Nationals 2:Justin Upton hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to send Atlanta to its 18th win in 20 games. The win also gave the Braves a 15 ½-game lead over the Nats in the National League East.

Alex Wood was brilliant in 6 ⅓ innings, racking up nine strikeouts while allowing a run on five hits. Upton, Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons had two hits apiece. Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper went 1-for-2 and reached base via hit-by-pitch twice.

Royals 2, Tigers 1: Kansas City hurler Danny Duffy outdueled Justin Verlander, holding the Tigers scoreless for six innings while allowing just one hit. Verlander gave up only two runs in eight innings, but surrendered a home run to Eric Hosmer and allowed a run-scoring ground-rule double to Emilio Bonifacio in what proved to be the deciding run.

Ramon Santiago's eighth-inning solo home run was one of just two hits the Tigers had in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Billy Butler and Justin Maxwell had two hits apiece for the Royals.

Royals 3, Tigers 0 (Game 2):James Shields tip-toed around four walks to make it through seven innings without allowing a run. The Tigers finished with just four hits in Game 2, meaning they had six hits in 18 innings on Friday.

Hosmer homered again in the nightcap, taking Tigers starter Jose Alvarez deep in the third inning to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. Kansas City cut its deficit in the AL Central to 6 ½ games with the sweep of first-place Detroit.

Rays 5, Blue Jays 4:Jose Lobaton had three hits, including a walk-off triple in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull Tampa Bay to within one game of the AL East-leading Red Sox. The Rays won despite being outhit by Toronto, 13-8. Maicer Izturis led the Jays with three hits, while Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie finished with two apiece.

Pirates 6, Diamondbacks 2:Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen each had two hits and Jose Tabata hit a two-run home run off J.J. Putz to seal the win for Gerrit Cole, who struck out five in six innings of two-run ball.

Arizona finished with just five hits, two of which came off the bat of Martin Prado. Brandon McCarthy took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 ⅔ innings.

Brewers 7, Reds 6: Jonathan Lucroy, who was 0-for-5 with five strikeouts against Aroldis Chapman entering Friday, hit a two-run, walk-off homer against the Reds' closer to cap off a three-hit performance.

Jean Segura also had three hits and Juan Francisco hit his 18th home run of the season for the Brewers. Chris Heisey and Todd Frazier homered for Cincinnati, which lost to Milwaukee for just the fourth time in 11 games in 2013.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 0: The Cubs jumped on St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook for three runs in the first and wound up scoring all seven of their runs off the veteran sinkerballer. Donnie Murphy, Welington Castillo and Darwin Barney had three hits apiece for the Cubs and Nate Schierholtz knocked in three runs.

Jake Arrieta surrendered just two hits in seven shutout innings, striking out seven batters and walking two. Carlos Beltran had both of the Cardinals' hits.

Mariners 3, Rangers 1:Hisashi Iwakuma baffled the Rangers for seven innings, registering eight strikeouts while giving up a run on four singles. Justin Smoak provided a large chunk of Seattle's offense, which accounted for all three of its runs in the final two innings. Smoak went 2-for-3 with a ninth-inning solo home run and Corey Seager shouldered the rest of the Mariners' offensive load with his two-run homer in the eighth.

Texas' bullpen spoiled a solid performance from starter Derek Holland, who tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed only two hits.

Rockies 6, Orioles 3: The Rockies used the help of four home runs to earn just their second win in their last 11 tries on the road. Charlie Culberson hit his first career dinger and Todd Helton launched his 362nd. Charlie Blackmon and Wilin Rosario homered in between.

The Orioles got home runs from Nate McLouth and Matt Wieters, but went without a hit from Adam Jones' one-out single in the third inning until Wieters' long ball with one out in the ninth.

Giants 14, Marlins 10: San Francisco scored 11 runs off Miami starter Nathan Eovaldi but needed a solid bullpen performance to get out of Marlins Park with a win.

Hector Sanchez hit his second home run in as many days, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that gave the Giants an 11-4 advantage. Justin Ruggiano homered twice for the Marlins to keep it respectable, but 19 hits by the Giants -- including four apiece from Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval and three from Hunter Pence -- proved to be too much to overcome.

Ruggiano, Christian Yelich and Donovan Solano each had three hits for Miami in the loss.

White Sox 5, Twins 2: Joe Mauer homered to cap off a three-hit day, giving him nine knocks over his past three games, but it wasn't enough for the Twins, who scuffled against White Sox starter Jose Quintana. Quintana struck out seven and allowed two runs on six hits in 6 ⅔ innings to earn his seventh win of the season.

Adam Dunn hit his 28th home run of the year and Jeff Keppinger added a solo homer. Both players, as well as Dayan Viciedo, finished with two hits.

Athletics 3, Indians 2: Asdrubal Cabrera lined into a game-ending double play with one out and runners on first and second to end Cleveland's rally attempt in Oakland. Yoenis Cespedes got the A's started on the right foot, blasting a two-run home run in the first inning.

A.J. Griffin issued five walks but gave up just four hits in five innings of one-run ball. Sean Doolittle ended Griffin's shot at a win when he allowed a game-tying single to Nick Swisher in the seventh inning, but Eric Sogard saved the day for the A's with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning.

Mets 5, Padres2: Jon Niese scattered six hits and a walk while allowing just a run to pick up the win for New York. Meanwhile, his club teed off on San Diego starter to the tune of three home runs: Marlon Byrd and Ike Davis each had solo shots in the third, and Daniel Murphy drove in two with a blast in the fifth.

Will Venable hit a solo home run of his own for the Padres.

Astros 8, Angels 2: Houston broke open a close game with back-to-back ninth-inning home runs by Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez. Dominguez and L.J. Hoes each had three hits. Brad Peacock allowed two runs, neither earned, on four hits to get the win.

Hank Conger had two hits and drove in a run. L.A. Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen left in the seventh after being hit on the hand by a ball.

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Minor League Player of the Day– Joc Pederson (AA) - 1 for 2, 1 HR, 3 runs scored, 2 walks. Another slow day so a nearly duplicate performance by Pederson gets him a back to back Player of the Day.

AAA– As their playoff hopes begin to fade the Isotopes lost the first game of an important series against the Oklahoma City Redhawks (Astros) by a 3-2 score. Red Patterson had a serviceable 6 inning start, allowing 2 runs but just 2 hits. 4 walks and 5 strikeouts completed his box score. Onelki Garcia took the loss in his third game in AAA. With only 3 hits, there wasn't much offense for the Isotopes, Alex Castellanos went 1 for 2, with a run scored and 2 walks.

AA – The Lookouts lost a 4-run lead to the Smokies (Cubs) losing 8 to 6. After taking an 6-2 lead to the bottom of the 6th, the Smokies scored 2 runs in the 6th, 8th and bottom of the 9th to win the game. Rob Rasmussenallowed a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 6th, as he gave up 4 runs (2 earned), 4 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Yimi Garciatook the loss, giving up a 2-run walkoff home run. Joc Pederson secured a second straight Player of the Day as he homered again, scored 3 runs and walked twice.

HiA – The Cal League lived up to its offensive explosiveness reputation as the Quakes football scored the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 13 to 7. The bullpen provided 6 innings of solid relief work, giving up just 1 run. Raydel Sanchez got the win putting up 3 scoreless frames with 1 hit, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. For the guys at the plate, all 9 batters had at least one hit, 8 scored at least one run and 7 drove in at least one run. Darnell Sweeney led the team with 3 hits, including a double. A pair of Scotts each homered, Scott Wingo went 2 for 5 with his home run and 3 RBI while Scott Schebler hit his 26th home run going 2 for 5 and 2 RBI. Corey Seagerwent 1 for 2 and also walked 3 times.

LoA– Zachary BIrd didn't have a successful return to the Loons as he had a difficult start and took the loss to the Dragons (Reds) by an 8 - 3 final. Sloppy play didn't help Bird as 3 of his 5 runs allowed were unearned but he also allowed 4 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings of work. Aaron Miller and Jeremy Rathjen each went 2 for 4 for the Loons.

Rookie Ogden– After falling behind 9-5 and later 12-6, the Raptors battled back to tie the game at 12 only to lose to Great Falls (White Sox) 15-12. Raptor pitchers allowed 21 hits and 4 walks and only Jackson Mateo allowed no runs in his 1.1 innings. Jesmuel Valentin is slowly putting together a nice full first season. Though he only went 1 for 4, the shortstop walked twice and has been hitting .327/.422/..419 in August. Adam Law went 4 for 6 with a double, Law has hit in both Arizona and Ogden but has no home runs. However he is an impressive 30 out 33 in stolen bases. Jacob Scavuzzo and Alex Santana also each had 2 hits.

Rookie Arizona– The Arizona Dodgers scored 3 runs in the last two innings to defeat the Athletics 6 to 5. Bladimir Franco got the win for the Dodgers. Jaylen Harris and Josmar Cordero each had 2 hits.

DSL –The Dominican Dodgers couldn't hold on to an early 2-run lead in their 3-2 loss to the Athletics. Angel German started and had 3 scoreless innings. Ibandel Isabel continued an impressive summer with 2 more hits.

Coming up– Angel Castrowill try to right the atom for the Isotopes, Ross Striplinggoes for the Lookouts, Lindsey Caughel will take the ball for the Quake, Julio Urias makes one of his last remaining starts for the Loons and Jose De Leon will make his debut for the Raptors.

Minor League Transactions – AAA: Albuquerque activated C Damaso Espino from the 7-day disabled list, OF Scott Van Slyke recalled by Dodgers, SS Dee Gordon optioned from Dodgers to Albuquerque.

Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)

Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)

Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)

Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)

Dominican Dodgers Box Score (DSL)

Minor League Central - Daily Dodger Recap

In the last six games, the Rockies starting pitchers have given up more than two runs twice: three runs by Juan Nicasio in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Pirates and six runs by Jeff Manship in the 7-5 loss against the Padres. The total of 16 runs given up by the starters over the six games gives them a 3.82 ERA for the week.

While the Rockies bats certainly helped by averaging over six runs per game this week and the bullpen gave a strong contribution with a 2.20 ERA, the starters got the job done this week. They are the main reason the team was able to win games when they only scored three and four runs, something that has not been the norm throughout the season.

The pitching success is not due to the starter's dominating the opposing lineups this past week. Other than Jhoulys Chacin's eight inning gem when he struck out six and only allowed one earned run, the Rockies pitchers have had to deal with traffic on the bases and, for the most part, worked themselves out of jams. None more Houdini-like than Juan Nicasio only allowing one run while getting two outs with the bases loaded last night in the third inning. This clutch pitching helped the Rockies only lose one game despite the offense getting more hits than the opposing team only twice this week.

Another contributing factor for the team's pitching success this week was the defense. Seven double plays have eliminated base runners. Meanwhile, the two errors committed by the team, one by Troy Tulowitzki and one by Wilin Rosario, did not lead to runs scored. It is common knowledge but bears repeating: strong starting pitching, good defense, and a little bit of hitting makes for a successful baseball team.

With Tyler Chatwood and Roy Oswalt scheduled to throw bullpen sessions today, the rotation could get even stronger for the last month and a half. While the (Jeff) Manship is the probably the best option with the current injuries, it will be a benefit if even one of the injured starters can return to take his place.

Here are the starting pitchers statistics over the last six games followed by the weekly good, bad, and ugly picks for Rockies baseball.

The Good

While this week has belonged to the young bats of Corey Dickerson (1.500 OPS), Charlie Culberson (1.135), Nolan Arenado (.982), and Charlie Blackmon (.977), it's the hits of Todd Helton that have carried the most weight in terms of Rockies history. As Thomas Harding wrote on mlb.com, Helton's home run last night moved him ahead of Fred McGriff to 97th all time for hits and gave him more home runs than Joe DiMaggio as he moved up to 76th all-time on that list.

The Bad

While the entire bullpen had a great week (with the previously mentioned 2.20 ERA), Rex Brothers had accounted for two of the four runs given up by the relievers and had a ERA and WHIP of 4.50/1.75 for the week. He didn't blow a save and struck out six, so this little bit of regression turned out to not hurt the Rockies. I hope that there is nothing more to it than that, although being used five times in eight days (including three days in a row) may be pushing him a bit.

The Ugly

The Rockies best hitters, Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer, went a combined 5 for 32 this week, a .156 average. Tulo may have gotten over his slump, collecting all of his four hits for the week in the last three games while Cuddy is returning from illness and could bounce back quickly. Let's hope so because with Cargo still a week away from swinging a bat, the team will need these two to help the offense produce.

The Mets lost to the Padres on Saturday night as Travis d'Arnaud made his major league debut. Jenrry Mejia was effective, if inefficient, through three innings, but a few pitches into the fourth, he grimaced after a pitch and was pulled from the game with elbow discomfort. Here's hoping Mejia's injury was merely a flare up of the bone chips floating around in his elbow.

As for d'Arnaud, he went 0-for-2 with two walks and had a passed ball behind the plate. It wasn't a spectacular debut by any means, but he didn't look out of place playing in a big league game.

The game was tied at one halfway through the third inning, but San Diego scored three runs in the fourth. Although the Mets scored one run in the fifth, San Diego answered with a run in the bottom of that inning and blew things open on a three-run home run by Jedd Gyorko in the eighth inning.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Sunday featured a ton of starters getting shelled but it seems that they weren't helped too much by the defense behind them. The Dodgers could directly see that their game was lost on two errors by Hanley Ramirez in the worst situation!

The Smallest Sample Size -- Game Results for 8/18/13

Photo credit: Getty Images

Tigers 6, Royals 3

A matchup between a great lineup that features the best hitter in baseball versus a soft tossing pitcher due for some serious regression turned out just like you'd expect it to. Bruce Chen (-20% WPA) gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk in five and a third. Max Scherzer (29% WPA) didn't really face much competition (.66 pLI) and cruised through eight innings, only allowing two runs on five hits. The who-can-hit-the-most-homers battle between Miguel Cabrera (24% WPA) and Chris Davis continued yesterday as both smacked dingers.

Giants 5, Marlins 6

Tom Koehler (-28% WPA) and Madison Bumgarner (-30% WPA) were both erratic yesterday and gave up the leads that their offense had staked for them quickly. Koehler walked four and gave up seven hits over five innings but was only tagged for three runs. Bumgarner walked four as well but gave up two less hits yet was charged with four runs. With a 4-3 lead, Mike Dunn (-40% WPA) melted down, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while only recording two outs. Of course, the Giants continued the trend that was going on all game and Guillermo Moscoso (-30% WPA) gave the lead up. Jeff Mathis (36% WPA) had a 1.121 wOBA in a super small sample size of four plate appearances and had the game winning double that scored Ed Lucas from first.

Diamondbacks 4, Pirates 2

Pittsburgh had quite the rare achievement yesterday. Technically, they received two quality starts in one game! Charlie Morton (8% WPA) only gave up two runs over seven innings with ten base runners and Kris Johnson (15% WPA) pitched another six innings and gave up the other two runs on five hits and two walks. Adam Eaton had four hits in eight plate appearances, good for a 51% WPA, 42% of it coming from the 16th inning double that scored two runs to ice the game. The Diamondbacks were able to get five Shutdowns from their bullpen after Wade Miley exited and kept the game alive long enough for the clutch double.

Rockies 2, Orioles 7

Baltimore was led by tremendous performances from Adam Jones and Chris Davis and breezed through Jhoulys Chacin (-11% WPA) and the Rockies. With two homers between them, they combined for a 30% WPA and Scott Feldman (15% WPA) kept the Colorado offense from getting them back into the game.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers 2, Phillies 3

If you take Carlos Ruiz (33% WPA) out of yesterday's game, the Phillies only managed three hits and two walks but still came away with a win. Cole Hamels (14% WPA) continued his second half surge, allowing just two runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts. Ricky Nolasco tossed a quality start as well but the game was eventually lost on two Hanley Ramirez errors on routine groundballs to short. Hey, at least the Phillies scored a legitimate run for Ryne Sandberg!

Nationals 1, Braves 2

Despite the score being 2-1, Atlanta was in complete control for nearly the entire of the game. Their win expectancy only dropped below 75% after the fourth inning once, when Jayson Werth singled in the lone run for Washington. Julio Teheran (32% WPA) was lights out and tossed six shutout innings with five strikeouts. Gio Gonzalez threw a quality start with seven innings of two-run ball and nine strikeouts but the Nationals just couldn't figure out Teheran and the impressive Atlanta bullpen. It really is amazing what the Braves have gotten out of their bullpen since the losses of Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters.

Blue Jays 1, Rays 2

Ice cream for Jose Lobaton! Todd Redmond only gave up one run over six innings but still posted a -11% WPA, likely because Chris Archer (20% WPA) was lights out until the seventh when he surrendered a solo homer to Edwin Encarnacion. The Tampa bullpen was excellent, recording three Shutdowns in relief of Archer's great start. Brad Lincoln (-38% WPA) only recorded one out before melting down and allowing the solo dinger (43% WPA) to Lobaton.

White Sox 5, Twins 2

The White Sox staked out their lead early and Hector Santiago (14% WPA) almost gave it away but was able to hold on for six innings of two-run (one earned) ball. Samuel Deduno (-28% WPA) was torched for five runs and eight hits through five innings. Both offenses end up being silenced after the fifth. Chicago scored five runs but only two batters posted positive additions to their win probability: Alexei Ramirez (29% WPA) and Avisail Garcia (12% WPA).

Reds 9, Brewers 1

The score speaks for itself. The Reds' win expectancy didn't drop below 98% after the fifth inning. Wily Peralta (-30% WPA) was having a nice start to the second half but has fallen off as of late, culminating in yesterday's implosion of seven runs on 12 baserunners in four and a third. The only batter that recorded a negative WPA for Cincinnati was Cesar Izturis, making him the perfect two-hole hitter for Dusty Baker. Homer Bailey (17% WPA) may not have broke a sweat all game (.27 pLI), allowing just three hits and a run with eight strikeouts over eight innings.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 1

Edwin Jackson (-11% WPA) struggled with control, walking four, allowing six hits and three runs (one earned) over six innings and could be considered a hard luck loser thanks to Adam Wainwright's downright dominant performance. Apparently not wanted to be bested by Clayton Kershaw's dominance from Saturday night, Waino (24% WPA) struck out eleven and gave up five hits and a run over seven innings. Jon Jay (19% WPA) stuffed the score sheet with two hits (double + homer) and a walk in five plate appearances.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Mariners 4, Rangers 3

Erasmo Ramirez struggled to strikeout batters but maintained his control whereas Yu Darvish struggled to keep his control while maintaining his elite strikeout rate. Three runs were tagged on Darvish (10% WPA) who walked four and allowed seven hits in just seven and a hit. Ramirez (16% WPA) gave up four hits and two runs (one earned) but just struck out two batters. The game was tied going into the ninth, but for some reason, closers continue to struggle in non-save situations. Joe Nathan (-28% WPA) earned himself a rare Meltdown (2013 30:2 SD/MD ratio before yesterday) by giving up the eventual game winning run on two hits and two walks.

Astros 7, Angels 5

The win expectancy chart illustrates that the Astros ruled the first third of the game, the Angels came back and maintained a 50% chance of winning for the middle only for Houston to come back and win the game. Jason Vargas (-3% WPA) pitched averagely, allowing three runs on ten baserunners in just five and a third but J.C. Gutierrez (-36% WPA) melted down and gave up a three run homer to Matt Dominguez that sealed the game in the seventh. Dominguez actually had himself a game yesterday, contributing four hits in five plate appearances and a whopping 48% WPA.

Indians 3, Athletics 7

Looks like Scott Kazmir may still be dealing with a little bit of dead arm. Yesterday, Kazmir (-44% WPA) gave up ten hits, two of which were homers, that led to five earned runs in five innings. Tommy Milone wasn't very efficient and lasted just four and two thirds for a -17% WPA with three runs (one earned) given up. The Oakland bullpen managed to shut down the Indians for the remaining five and a third. There was a short-lived rally in the fifth that chased Milone but otherwise Cleveland struggled to get any kind of advantage in win expectancy.

Mets 3, Padres 4

Matt Harvey, somehow, keeps lowering his FIP. After yesterday's 1.54 FIP in six innings that included two runs and six hits along with six strikeouts, Harvey now sits at an even 2.00. But because he gave back the lead and left with the score tied, he only provided 4% to the Mets' win probability. Eric Stults (-16% WPA) allowed eight baserunners in six and two thirds and gave up three runs. Offense came and went through the game but Will Venable's walkoff homer (38% WPA) that led the ninth against Pedro Feliciano was able to keep this game from becoming an extra innings affair.

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6

Ryan Dempster, inexplicably, wasn't ejected after (clearly) purposely beaning Alex Rodriguez in his first at bat. Joe Giradi quickly realized the pitcher's intentions and stood up for his controversial third basemen but to no avail, eventually being thrown out of the game. It was all downhill for Dempster after that. A-Rod scored after the HBP and six more runs crossed home and were attached to Dempster after nine hits and a walk in just five and a third (-23% WPA). CC Sabathia (-35% WPA) wasn't much better, having allowed six runs on five walks and seven hits while recording just six strikeouts but was somehow credited with a win (Kill the win).

. . .

All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

Mike Mulvenna is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @mkmulv.

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