Strat MLB 2013 Replay

A cards & dice replay of the 2013 MLB season

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4/8/13: Reds Blank Cardinals

CIN: 000 201 000 // 3-8-0 (LoB: 6) STL: 000 000 000 // 0-9-0 (LoB: 8)

WP: Latos (2-0); LP: García (1-1); S: Chapman (2) HR: Votto (off García; 1 on)

The Red pieced together multiple base runners in just 2 innings, but on the power of 3 doubles and a 2-run home run, it proved to be enough to lead them to a 3-0 shutout victory to ruin the Cardinals home opener. Mat Latos scattered 7 hits over 7 innings for the win, outpitching Jaime García, who allowed just 6 hits over 6 innings but was hurt by those 4 extra-base hits. The Cardinals did get lead-off doubles in both the 1st and 2nd innings, and had the first 2 runners reach in the 4th inning with singles, but were unable to cash in, further ailed by hitting in 4 double plays - including a 5-4 double play that erased both of the lead runners in that 4th inning, and were unable to have a runner reach 3rd base in the loss.

(Strat notes: The Reds have really struggled offensively at the plate - I benched Jay Bruce today, and both Ryan Hanigan and Zack Cozart - who was already on the bench 2 games ago - have also been miserable. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are apparently top-10 in the league in BA thus far, but bottom 10 or 15 (I don't remember exactly) in runs scored, so something isn't translating. They did add David Freese back from the injured list, so that may help, and Daniel Descalsco is due back from his Strat-injury soon, so that may also help Maybe. )

Cincinnati 4-3; St. Louis 2-5 Next game in replay: NYY (Kuroda, 0-1) @ CLE (JIménez, 0-1)

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4/8/13: Royals Rally Past Twins

MIN: 000 100 000 // 1-7-2 (LoB: 6) KC: 000 030 00x // 3-8-0 (LoB: 7)

WP: Santana (1-1); LP: Correia (1-1); S: Holland (1) HR: Gordon (off Correia; 1 on)

Down 1-0 in the 5th, the Royals mounted a small 2-out rally - with a single followed by Alex Gordon's go-ahead 2-run home run, and then a walk followed by back-to-back singles to push home another run - providing just enough offense in the Royals 3-1 win in their home opener for the 2013 season. That offensive burst proved enough for Ervin Santana, who pitching 7 innings of 1-run ball, scattering just 6 hits - 3 of them in the 3rd inning, when the Twins were unable to push a run across and left the bases loaded - while striking out 7, and Royals hang on when closer Greg Holland struck out 3 straight batters after allowing the first two hitters to reach base in the 9th. For the Royals, it was a welcome win, as it snapped a 3 game losing streak.

(Strat notes: The Twins were without Joe Mauer, who got injured in the last strat-game and had to miss 1 game. Pedro Florimón had like his 5th error of the season, in just 7 games, which is absolutely bonkers - he did have 18 for the season in reality, which is really not good, but he's currently on pace for 116 if he plays the entire season. Which, of course, if that rate keeps up, he will not - or he'll be DH'ing most of the time, which the Twins can't afford with Doumit and Morneau also on the roster. )

Kansas City 2-5; Minnesota 4-3 Next game in replay: CIN (Latos, 1-0) @ STL (García, 1-0)

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4/8/13: BoSox Hold On, Win Home Opener

BAL: 000 000 013 // 4-9-0 (LoB: 10) BOS: 001 104 00x // 6-11-2 (LoB: 9)

WP: Buccholz (2-0); LP: Chen (0-2); S: Uehara (3) HR: none

What started as a pitching duel between Clay Buccholz and Wei-Yin Chen - with the Red Sox squeaking out just 2 runs through 5 and the Orioles failing to bring home any of their base runners through 7 - turned into a late offensive outpouring, with the Red Sox holding on to walk away with a 6-4 win. Chen started the 6th inning but loaded the bases without getting an out, and reliever Luis Ayala let all 3 runners score, plus another runner, to put the O's in a 6-0 hole. Then in the 9th, after the Orioles had gotten 1 run in the 8th thanks to an error and 2 singles, Buccholz was pulled after putting 2 runners on with just 1 out. Reliever Clayton Mortensen promptly tossed a wild pitch and then, after forcing a fly out, allowed a 2-run single that cut the lead to 6-3 and brought the tying run to the plate. Sox closer Uehara allowed a single that brought home 1 run, but he struck out Chris Davis to end the game.

(Strat notes: Yikes, the Orioles just kept shooting themselves in the foot with bad at-bats (fine, unlucky dice rolls) every time they got someone on base. Manny Machado was put on the bench due to a slow start to the Strat-season; Matt Wieters may be next, and Adam Jones may have staved off the similar by getting 2 RBI singles in his last 2 at-bats of this game. Been a slow start for the team though - and Chris Davis, who hit 53 homers during the regular season, has 0 through 7 games now. The dice are not in their favor.)

Boston 5-2; Baltimore 2-5 Next game in replay: MIN (Correia, 1-0) @ KC (Santana, 0-1)

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4/8/13: Cubs Pound Brewers to Win First Game

MIL: 100 010 300 // 5-13-1 (LoB: 8) CHC: 504 020 00x // 11-10-1 (LoB: 5)

WP: Jackson (1-1); LP: Burgos (0-1) HR: DeJesus (off Burgos; 2 on); Valbuena (off Figaro; 1 on)

The Cubs entered their home opener is miserable 0-6, the last winless team in the league, with a struggling offense. They turned things around early in front of their hometown fans, sending 9 players to bat in the 1st inning on their way to 5 runs, before adding 4 more in the 3rd and cruising to an 11-5 win. For the Brewers, who have now lost 3 straight, the game was a wasted opportunity - they took a 1-0 lead in the first, but were done in by 3 double plays and additionally had a caught stealing and left the bases loaded in the 6th inning; defensively, an error in the 3rd led to all 4 runs scored in that inning by the Cubs being unearned, including DeJesus's 3-run home run. Hiram Burgos, making his first career start, had a night to forget; Edwin Jackson, meanwhile, returned from injury and was able to get through 5.2 innings.

(Strat notes: The Brewers remain attractive to the injury bug - they got Álex González back today, but then Yuniesky Betancourt got plunked in the 8th inning and will now miss 2 games. Hiram Burgos got the start because Marco Estrada is still on the IL. and he got slammed for 7 hits and 9 runs, 5 earned, in 2.2 innings in what technically would've been first ever MLB start. For all their hits, it was really Castillo and Lillibridge coming thru for the Cubs - Rizzo, Castro, and Soriano combined to go 3-15 with 5 strikeouts.)

Chicago 1-6; Milwaukee 2-5 Next game in replay: BAL (Chen, 0-1) @ BOS (Buccholz, 1-0)

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League Standings (Thru 4/7/13)

AL East Boston Red Sox 4-2 Toronto Blue Jays 3-3 Tampa Bay Rays 3-3 Baltimore Orioles 2-4 New York Yankees 1-5

AL Central Cleveland Indians 4-2 Chicago White Sox 4-2 Minnesota Twins 4-2 Detroit Tigers 3-3 Kansas City Royals 1-5

AL West Texas Rangers 5-1 Seattle Mariners 4-3 Anaheim Angels 3-3 Oakland Athletics 3-4 Houston Astros 1-5

NL East Atlanta Braves 5-1 Washington Nationals 4-2 Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 New York Mets 2-4 Miami Marlins 1-5

NL Central Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Cincinnati Reds 3-3 St. Louis Cardinals 2-4 Milwaukee Brewers 2-4 Chicago Cubs 0-6

NL West San Diego Padres 4-2 Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 Colorado Rockies 4-2 San Francisco Giants 3-3

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League Leaders (Thru 4/7/13)

HR: Adam Dunn (CWS) / Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) - 5 RBI: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) - 11 BA: Welington Castillo (CHC) - .500 SB: Juan Pierre (MIA) - 4

W: 6 pitchers - 2 K: Yu Darvish (TEX) - 21 S: Joe Nathan (TEX) - 4

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4/7/13: Day Recap

I figured I'd go to a "day recap" instead of blurbing out each game - but then TV and work and books got in the way, and it took over a month to play the games of Sunday, April 7. So that was unexpected. We'll see, I may have to find something between the prior and this.

Game of the Day

KC: 002 000 000 // 2-4-1 (LoB: 6) PHI: 000 000 003 // 3-3-1 (LoB: 3) W - Horst (1-0); L - Holland (0-1) PotG - M. Young (PHI): 1-4, 1 HR (walk-off), 2 RBI

Royals' spot-starter Yordano Ventura loses no-hitter in 9th inning, and Michael Young blasts a walk-off 2-run home run off reliever Greg Holland to hand the Royals the loss

Around the League

BOS: 110 010 000 // 3-12-1 (LoB: 13) TOR: 201 010 20x // 6-11-2 (LoB: 9) W - Dickey (1-0); L - Lester (0-1); S - Janssen (2) PotG - Arencibia (TOR): 2-4, 3 RBI

NYY: 000 010 000 // 1-6-0 (LoB: 7) DET: 012 000 10x // 4-11-1 (LoB: 10) W - Verlander (1-0); L - Sabathia (0-2); S - Benoit (2) PotG - Cabrera (DET): 2-2, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 BB, 1 HBP

PIT: 010 000 010 // 2-12-0 (LoB: 11) LAD: 201 001 00x // 4-9-0 (LoB: 7) W - Capuano (1-0); L - Locke (0-1); S - League (1) PotG - Uribe (LAD): 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB // Ryu injured, out 10 games

ARI: 000 201 100 // 4-10-0 (LoB: 12) MIL: 010 110 000 // 3-12-0 (LoB: 11) W - Ziegler (1-0); L - Wooten (0-1); S - Bell (1) PotG - Hill (ARI): 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 2 BB

SEA: 200 000 111 // 5-8-0 (LoB: 7) CWS: 010 101 100 // 4-7-0 (LoB: 7) W - Luetge (1-0); L - Jones (0-1); S - Wilhelmsen (2) PotG - Dunn (CWS): 3-4, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored

MIA: 100 000 000 // 1-8-2 (LoB: 9) NYM: 200 000 20x // 4-6-0 (LoB: 9) W - McHugh (1-0); L - Fernández (0-1); S - Parnell (1) PotG - Davis (NYM): 3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI // Wright injured, out 3 games

OAK: 020 202 300 // 9-10-0 (LoB: 6) HOU: 000 100 000 // 1-3-0 (LoB: 5) W - Chavez (1-0); L - Harrell (0-2) PotG - Chavez (OAK): 4.2 IP, 2 hits, 3 K, 1 ER // Anderson injured, out 15 games; Reddick injured, out 15 games

CHC: 100 000 000 // 1-5-0 (LoB: 5) ATL: 000 030 02x // 5-9-1 (LoB: 9) W - Hudson (2-0); L - Samardzija (0-2) PotG - Hudson (ATL): 9 IP, 5 hits, 4 K, 1 ER; 2-4, 1 double, 2 RBI

MIN: 120 040 001 // 8-12-1 (LoB: 7) BAL: 002 000 010 // 3-10-1 (LoB: 5) W - Hernández (1-0); L - Hammel (0-2); S - Pressly (1) PotG - Plouffe (MIN): 3-5, 1 HR (grand slam), 4 RBI

CLE: 200 000 000 // 2-6-0 (LoB: 5) TB: 100 100 02x // 4-8-0 (LoB: 9) W - Peralta (1-0); L - Allen (0-1); S - Rodney (3) PotG - Lobatón (TB): 2-4, 3 RBI, 1 triple

STL: 000 000 000 // 0-4-0 (LoB: 5) SF: 000 000 31x // 4-6-0 (LoB: 4) W - Cain (1-1); L - Wainwright (0-2) PotG - Cain (SF): 7 IP, 4 hits, 7 K, 0 ER

SD: 100 000 000 // 1-3-0 (LoB: 8) COL: 100 000 10x // 2-11-1 (LoB: 9) W - Chacin (1-0); L - Brach (0-1); S - Betancourt (2) PotG - Brignac (COL): 1-1, 1 HR (go-ahead, pinch-hit), 1 RBI

ANA: 201 000 001 // 4-8-0 (LoB: 7) TEX: 000 002 000 // 2-4-1 (LoB: 5) W - Weaver (1-0); L - Darvish (1-1); S - Frieri (2) PotG - Hamilton (ANA): 2-3, 1 HR, 1 double, 2 RBI

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4/6/13: Transactions

The Colorado Rockies have acquired pitcher Aaron Harang from the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Ramón Hernández.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have selected pitcher Will Harris from Oakland.

The Oakland Athletics have purchased catcher Stephen Vogt from Tampa Bay.

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4/6/13: Early Offense Proves Enough for Cleveland

CLE: 040 010 001 // 6-8-0 (LoB: 5) TB: 030 000 000 // 3-6-1 (LoB: 7)

WP: Kluber (1-0); LP: Cobb (0-1); S: Pérez (3) HR: Gomes (off Cobb; 2 on); Duncan (off Kluber; 2 on); Raburn (off Cobb; 0 on)

Yan Gomes hit a 2-out, 3-run home run in the top of the 2nd inning - made possible due to an error by Yunel Escobar that kept the inning alive - capping a 4-run inning and giving Cleveland a quick start to the scoring. Tampa answered back, partially, in the bottom of the inning, with back-to-back-to-back hits - a single, a double, and Shelley Duncan's 3-run home run - to cut the lead to 4-3, still with no outs in the inning. But Corey Kluber settled in after that, allowing just a 1-out walk later in that inning before retiring 16 straight batters. The Rays finally broke through for another hit - actally, back-to-back 2-out hits - in the 7th that chased Kluber, with Cleveland now up 5-3. But they were unable to break through against the Cleveland bullpen, falling 6-3. After that 2nd inning offensive outpouring, both pitchers settled down: Kluber went 6.2 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7, while Cobb went 7 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8; those 3 unearned runs in the 2nd inning, however, came back to bite him and the Rays. The Rays will look to avoid the home sweep in tomorrow's series finale, while the Indians will be looking for a 4th straight win.

(Strat notes: Early offensive output, late game pitcher's duel. That seems to be happening pretty frequently. For Cleveland, no Lou Marson - cardless - so Yan Gomes got the start today, and obviously got the big 3-run home run early. In reality, I think Marson got hurt in this game and was out for a bit. The other big change is Kluber getting the start - his first start of the season in reality wasn't until much later, but Trevor Bauer is also cardless. Carrasco was in consideration, but he'll start in a few days; Scott Kazmir was also considered, but in reality he's currently on the DL. Plus, Kazmir - and also David Huff, who I also considered "calling up" for this start - are both lefties, and that would've required more readjustment of the Rays lineup. For the Rays, Sam Fuld started in left instead of Kelly Johnson, because Johnson has struggled thus far this replay.

With that, Saturday, April 6 is over. Sunday starts with the next game - gotta figure out if I still want this sort of game-by-game recap, or maybe if I want to switch to something like "game of the day" plus a quick 1-line recap of all the games of that particular day.)

some pieces around for the Cubs today, as they’ve been very poor offensively to start: Soriano and Castro started on the bench, and Sappelt and Murphy got the starts. Murphy was still in the minors in reality, but since I’m a player short for the Cubs - Steve Clevenger is cardless, and there is no other catcher available amongst their cards, I called up Murphy. Murphy went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts, and Sappelt was 1-4 with a run scored; funnily enough, in pinch-hit appearances, Soriano went 1-1 with a RBI, and Castro went 1-1 and stole a base. For the Braves, Pastornicky started at 2nd because Uggla was hurt in the last game and will be out a few more.)

Cleveland 4-1; Tampa Bay 2-3 Next game in replay: BOS (Lester, 1-0, 3.00) @ TOR (Dickey, 0-0, 0.00)

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4/6/13: Braves Win, Cubs Losing Streak at 5

CHC: 002 011 000 // 4-7-0 (LoB: 8) ATL: 300 200 01x // 6-12-1 (LoB: 11)

WP: Teherán (1-0); LP: Villanueva (0-1); S: Kimbrel (2) HR: J. Upton (off Villanueva; 2 on); Schierholtz (off Teherán; 1 on); DeJesus (off Teherán; 0 on)

It was a tale of two 1st innings. The Cubs alternated base runners and out, putting them in a bases loaded, 2-out situation, but were unable to capitalize and left the bases stranded against Julio Teherán. In their half of the 1st, the Braves drew back-to-back walks to start off the inning, and Justin Upton followed with a monster 3-run home run that gave the Braves the early 3-0 lead. The teams alternated runs after that point, but the Cubs inability to cash in on a golden opportunity to begin the game came back to bite them, as they fell 6-4. The Cubs have opened the season with 5 straight losses.

(Strat notes: Moved some pieces around for the Cubs today, as they've been very poor offensively to start: Soriano and Castro started on the bench, and Sappelt and Murphy got the starts. Murphy was still in the minors in reality, but since I'm a player short for the Cubs - Steve Clevenger is cardless, and there is no other catcher available amongst their cards, I called up Murphy. Murphy went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts, and Sappelt was 1-4 with a run scored; funnily enough, in pinch-hit appearances, Soriano went 1-1 with a RBI, and Castro went 1-1 and stole a base. For the Braves, Pastornicky started at 2nd because Uggla was hurt in the last game and will be out a few more.)

Atlanta 4-1; Chicago 0-5 Next game in replay: CLE (Bauer*, 0-0) @ TB (Cobb, 0-0)

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4/6/13: Phillies Stun Royals

KC: 000 110 001 // 3-13-0 (LoB: 11) PHI: 000 002 02x // 4-2-1 (LoB: 3)

WP: Cloyd (1-0); LP: Herrera (0-1); S: Papelbon (2) HR: Gordon (off Lannan; 0 on); Utley (off Herrera; 1 on)

In one of the weirder games that we'll probably see this season, the Phillies walked away with a 4-3 victory over the Royals despite being no-hit for 5.2 innings and only managing 2 hits for the entirety of the game. The Royals fall to 1-4 with the hard-luck, almost improbable loss.

The Royals jumped ahead first, taking advantage of back-to-back hits in the 4th to jump up 1-0, and then got a 1-out home run from Alex Gordon in the 5th to go up 2-0. Both innings, however, also ended with the Royals stranding 2 runners on base - in the 4th inning, they had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, after already plating the first run of the game, and came away without any more runs - which was the Royals' doing in in the game. In total, the Royals left 11 runners on base - including 2 runners stranded in 4 separate innings, and 1 runner each in the last 3 innings; of there, 8 were stranded in scoring position, 5 of them stuck on 3rd base. The Royals did string together a couple of 2-out hits in the 9th inning to add a run, but it was too little, too late.

The Phillies, meanwhile, were no-hit by Luis Mendoza through 5, managing just 2 walks. In the 6th, however, back-to-back walks to start the inning spelled some trouble, and the runners advanced 90ft on a ground out, setting up Ryan Howard for a 2-RBI sharply hit single up the middle that plated both runners and knotted the game at 2 - on the Phillies first hit of the game. Herrera was lifted after the inning, finishing the night with 6 innings pitched with 4 walks, 1 strike out, and just the 1 hit allowed. Then in the bottom of the 8th, against Kelvin Herrera, Jimmy Rollins drew a 2-out walk, and Chase Utley followed a 2-run home run to give the Phillies the 4-2 lead on what was just their second hit of the game. Jonathan Papelbon entered in the 9th and allowed the 1 run with 2-outs, but closed the door on the Royals, who ended up with the loss despite managing 13 hits to the Phillies 2.

(Strat notes: Wowza! What a follow-up to the no-hitter by Tillman! The dice have clearly been favoring the pitchers over the last couple of games. John Lannan wasn't as lucky when it came to allowing hits, but he working out of jams time and time again. And Mendoza was on a roll until the 6th, but that is his PoW inning - so the 2 walks and the homer combined to fatigue him. He got the last out of the inning, but I wasn't ready to put him thru another inning given the fatigue status [and my tendency to keep the pitchers in for a couple batters too long burned into my mind]. Herrera just got hit with a bit of 2-out bad luck; though, maybe I should've switched from Herrera to a lefty to face Utley there. Maybe. The Royals, meanwhile, had 1 home run and 5 doubles - 2 by Miguel Tejada - and even had Mendoza reach once on an error by Humberto Quintero that moved a runner to 3rd, but just consistently struggled to hit in the clutch. Speaking of which, Howard's 2-RBI single actual came on an 'out' roll - but he was saved by the 'clutch' omega symbol next to that roll, which turned it into a single**.

Lineup wise, the Strat-Phillies started Freddy Galvis instead of the struggling Domonic Brown in left - he only had 1 FB()X hit to him, which he handled luckily, because his e25 is a scary proposition, especially when the pitcher's card is full of 'X' opportunities. Galvis also had a hit that fell within the HR/out diamond split - batting lefty against the righty Mendoza, the d20 roll was a 20: the weather/ballpark chart actually had 1-20 HR, but on the 20, he was done in by the "OF robs the HR" bit. To be honest, I'm not sure if that still qualifies on a 1-20 HR, since technically there is no 'out' option, but as it came up with a 20 [the last number in the HR range], I played it as such anyways. Sorry, Freddy, if I did that wrong.)

Philadelphia 3-2; Kansas City 1-4 Next game in replay: CHC (Villanueva, 0-0, 0.00) @ ATL (Teherán, 0-0)

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4/6/13: Tillman No Hits Twins

MIN: 000 000 000 // 0-0-1 (LoB: 2) BAL: 000 220 10x // 5-6-0 (LoB: 5)

WP: Tillman (1-0); LP: Worley (0-1) HR: Markakis (off Worley; 0 on); Machado (off Worley; 1 on); McLouth (off Swarzak; 0 on)

Chris Tillman, called up from AAA before the game, threw the season's first no-hitter, allowing just 2 walks while striking out 8, leading the Orioles to a 5-0 win. He was backed by an offense that hit 3 home runs and knocked Twins starter Vance Worley out after 4.2 innings. For Worley, making his second start of the season, it marks the second time he's been pulled after 4.2 innings. After making it thru 3 innings without much trouble, he ran into trouble in the 4th - Nick Markakis led off with his first home run of the season, and the Orioles added another run using the combination of a walk, wild pitch, and a 2-base error by Pedro Florimón. In the 5th, Nolan Reimold led off with a double, and after an out, Manny Machado launched a no-doubter for his first home run of the season. Worley subsequently allowed back-to-back 2-out walks, ending his night. The Orioles added another run in the 7th, with Nate McLouth launching a lead-off home run, his 3rd of the season.

But for all the offense, the story of the night was Chris Tillman, who tossed his first major league no-hitter. The only base runners to reach were Ryan Doumit, who walked with 1 out in the 2nd, and Chris Parmelee, who walked with 2 outs in the 5th. He kept the Twins off balance all night, getting essentially an even mix of strikeouts (8), outfield flies (8), and infield ground outs/line outs/foul outs (11). The no-hitter is the Orioles first since a combined no-hitter against the A's in 1991.

(Strat notes: First no-hitter in my Strat life - and of this replay/2013 season, of course! For his career, Tillman did not throw a no-hitter in the MLB - though he did toss one in AAA in 2010. For the MLB season in 2013, there were 3 no-hitters: Henderson Alvarez, Tim Lincecum, and Homer Bailey; the first one, however, didn't come until July. For the Orioles, their only no-hitter, to date, since that combined no-hitter in 1991 is by John Means in 2021.

Tillman was 'called up' to make this start in reality, and in this Strat replay. Pedro Strop is out with injury for a couple of games, and Luis Ayala is just a few days away from being traded away, so there will be shuffling betwixt the 3 of them to keep the roster at 25. Machado's homer today was big because he'd started slow and I had considered sitting him for a game, and the same is true for Markakis; Wieters, meanwhile, may need a day off. For the Twins, Hicks, Mauer, and Morneau probably need days off.)

Baltimore 2-3; Minnesota 3-2 Next game in replay: KC (Mendoza, 0-0, 2.45) @ PHI (Lannan, 0-0)

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4/6/13: Two 3-Run Homers Lead Padres to Win

SD: 030 400 110 // 9-13-0 (LoB: 6) COL: 310 000 200 // 6-13-0 (LoB: 8)

WP: Ross (1-0); LP: Garland (0-1); S: Street (2) HR: Hundley (off Garland; 2 on); Venable (off Garland; 2 on)

The Padres hit two 3-run home runs - the first in the 2nd to wipe out a 3-0 deficit, the second in the 4th to break a 4-4 tie - and walked away with a 9-6 victory in the middle game of this 3-game series. Things didn't start ideal for the Friars, as the Rockies were able to turn a 'man on 1st, 2 outs' situation in the bottom of the 1st into 3 runs on the power of a walk and then back-to-back-to-back hits, getting to Tyson Ross early. But the Padres answered back immediately, getting a Nick Hundley 3-run home run to tie things up. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Rockies responded with a run to go up 4-3. That lead lasted for an inning, before Will Venable hit a 2-out, 3-run home run in the 4th, on the heals of a Everth Cabrera RBI that had tied the game at 4, to go up 7-4. Both teams added a couple of runs late, but the Padres held on amongst the parade of relievers to bounce back from yesterday's series-opening loss.

(Strat notes: Carlos Quentin remains hurt, so Mark Kotsay got the start in his place. Additionally, I made the managerial decision to sit Cameron Maybin today, due to early season struggles - with result being Alexi Amarista starting at CF instead of 2nd, Jedd Gyorko starting at 2nd instead of 3rd, and Cody Ransom getting the start at 3rd - Ransom went 1-4 with a RBI double in the start. The offenses were flying early and often in this one, so Garland only made it 4 innings while Ross was able to get thru 6.)

San Diego 4-1; Colorado 3-2 Next game in replay: MIN (Worley, 0-0, 5.79) @ BAL (Tillman, 0-0)

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4/6/13: Diamondbacks Crush Brewers

ARI: 120 220 201 // 10-12-0 (LoB: 5) MIL: 100 000 000 // 1-4-1 (LoB: 4)

WP: Corbin (1-0); LP: Hand (0-1) HR: Parra (off Hand; 0 on); Chávez (off Hand; 1 on); Goldschmidt (off Hand; 1 on); Hill (off Gorzelanny; 1 on); Goldschmidt (off González; 0 on)

Patrick Corbin tossed a complete game, allowing just 4 hits with multiple batters reaching base only in the 1st and 9th innings, and the Diamondbacks offense backed him with 5 home runs - including a lead-off home run by Gerardo Parra - in a 10-1 drubbing for the Brewers. After Parra's home run, the Brewers tied things up in the bottom of the 1st with a runner coming home on a wild pitch; Corbin allowed only 2 more hits and base runners - 1 in the 2nd, 1 in the 5th - until the 9th inning, when a lead off single and a subsequent walk put 2 on with no outs, but a fly out and a double play ended the game.

For the Diamondbacks, Paul Goldschmidt hit 2 home runs, and the time combined for 3 2-run shots in addition to Parra and Goldschmidt's solo home runs.

(Strat notes: With both Aramis Ramírez and Álex González injured in this replay - Álex got the start in real-life - Jeff Bianchi started at 3rd base for the Brewers in today's game. The real-life starter for the Brewers was Mike Fiers, but as he has no card, I chose to start Donovan Hand for the Brewers. Other options were Hiram Burgos and Alfredo Fígaro, but I think they'll be getting starts soon anyways - one started an upcoming in real life, if I remember correctly, and someone will have to start for Marco Estrada, who will be out for a while longer in this replay. Other than that, not much for changes. The Diamondbacks really went HR-happy in this game; in one of the non-HR-related runs, Hand allowed a lead-off single, got a force play on a grounder and then a strikeout to make it runner on 1st with 2 outs - and then proceeded to walk 3 straight batters, including the pitcher, to drive in a run, and then tossed a wild pitch to allow another run to score. Just not an ideal outing for him.)

Arizona 3-2; Milwaukee 2-3 Next game in replay: SD (Ross, 0-0) @ COL (Garland, 0-0)

[stratverse]

4/6/13: A's Crush Astros

OAK: 010 420 011 // 9-13-1 (LoB: 8) HOU: 000 000 012 // 3-10-2 (LoB: 5)

WP: Colón (1-0); LP: Norris (0-2) HR: Smith (off Norris; 0 on); Moss (off Norris; 1 on)

The A's jumped hit Bud Norris hard, jumping ahead 7-0 after 5 on the power of 7 hits, including 5 extra-base hits, and avoided a late meltdown to even the series at 1 game apiece. The A's were also able to take advantage for 2 errors and 2 wild pitches to keep the pressure on for the entirety of the game. For the Astros, Bartolo Colón limited them to 6 hits, 2 of which came to lead off of the 8th inning and, aided by an error, led to their first run of the game. The Astros tried to make things interesting in the 9th: with 1 out, the 'Stros strung together 5 straight base runners - a walk and 4 singles - to bring home 2 runs. But with it 9-3 and the bases loaded, Matt Dominguez grounded into a 5-4-3 game-ending double play, the 4th double play of the game for the Astros offense.

(Strat notes: Due to his struggles, I kept Justin Maxwell on the bench for the 'Stros - despite his sole hit of the season coming in the previous game - and started Brandon Barnes. That backfired, as Barnes went 0-3 with a K, and on pinch-hitting in the 9th, gave me the middle finger and snocked a single that loaded the bases.)

Oakland 2-4; Houston 1-4 Next game in replay: ARI (Corbin, 0-0) @ MIL (Fiers, 0-0)

[stratverse]

4/6/13: Jansen Slams Door On Pirates

PIT: 000 000 200 // 2-6-1 (LoB: 9) LAD: 300 000 00x // 3-7-0 (LoB: 5)

WP: Kershaw (2-0); LP: Burnett (1-1); S: Jansen (3) HR: none

The Dodgers hit AJ Burnett early, getting back-to-back lead off singles in the first and then, after Burnett got 2 outs, back-to-back hits with a RBI double and a 2-RBI single to go up 3-0 after 1 inning. That ended up being all they could get against Burnett and 2 relievers, who limited them to 7 hits and a walk, but it proved to be enough as the Pirates could not get anything going against the Dodgers pitchers. Clayton Kershaw went 6.2 inning and gave up just 4 hits, departing in the 7th with 2 outs after a RBI single by Clint Barmes cut the lead to 3-1 and put the tying run on base. A wild pitch by Stephen Fife allowed one of the inherited runners to score, but he struck out Starling Marte to end the inning. The Pirates threatened again in the 8th - with 1 out, a single and a double put runners on 2nd and 3rd. The Dodgers turned to Kenley Jansen, and he struck out 2 batters, sandwiching an intentional walk, to end the threat. The Pirates got a man to 2nd in the 9th with 2 outs, but a ground out ended the game. Kershaw picked up his second win of the season; Jansen picked retired the last 5 to pick up his 3rd save.

(Strat notes: Matt Kemp got hurt in the last game of this replay and is out for a bit, so I shifted Ethier from left to center and started Skip Schumaker in RF [lefty, against the righty pitcher]. Otherwise no changes for this game. Neil Walker managed to step to the plate 5 times, twice with a man on second - including in the 9th inning, with 2 outs - and managed to ground out/line out to shortstop 4 of those 5 times. Crazy.)

Los Angeles 3-2; Pittsburgh 4-1 Next game in replay: OAK (Colón, 0-0) @ HOU (Norris, 0-1, 1.35)

[stratverse]

4/6/13: Tigers Explode Late, Beat Yankees

NYY: 200 000 000 // 2-5-0 (LoB: 6) DET: 000 032 11x // 7-14-0 (LoB: 8)

WP: Scherzer (1-0); LP: Hughes (0-1) HR: Jackson (off Hughes; 1 on)

The Yankees struck first, knocking 3 extra-base hits (2 doubles and a triple) in the second inning to jump ahead of Max Scherzer and the Tigers, 2-0. In the 3rd, aided by a passed ball, the Yankees had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs - but were unable to cash in, wasting what ended up being their last great opportunity of the game. Scherzer settled in after that, retiring 10 straight and only allowing 2 base runners in the final 6 innings - a walk in the 7th and a 2-out hit in the 9th - as he pitched the complete game, striking out 11 in the process.

Offensively, the Tigers were quieted by Phil Hughes early, but things fell apart for the Yankees in the 5th. Hughes allowed 3 extra-base hits, the final of them being a go-ahead 2-out, 2-run home run by Austin Jackson; Hughes finished the night allowing 3 runs and 5 hits in 5 innings. The Yankees bullpen came in to start the 6th, and between 3 relievers, allowed 9 hits and 4 runs over 3 innings.

(Strat notes: Yankees still without Overbay; reality saw Wells at LF with Overbay in the line up. They also had started Boesch in right and had Ichiro on the bench, maybe because he'd been slumping. He isn't slumping here, though, so he started in LF and Wells took over at 1st for Overbay. Though the L/R match-up for Ichiro/Scherzer was a dud offensively, as Ichiro went 0-3. For the Tigers, I kept Avila on the bench - he's 0-14 coming in - and started Brayan Peña, who went 2-4 with 2 RBI.)

Detroit 2-3; New York 1-4 Next game in replay: PIT (Burnett, 1-0, 1.35) @ LAD (Kershaw, 1-0, 1.13)