Saturday was highlighted by offensive milestones and a pair of major league pitching debuts, all of which contributed to an exciting day of baseball.
Baltimore slugger Chris Davis belted his 29th and 30th home runs of the season on Saturday, becoming the first player since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 to slug 30 long balls on or before June 29.
Colorado’s Michael Cuddyer extended his hitting streak to 26 games, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the Rockies’ 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Washington’s Taylor Jordan also made his big league debut, working 4 1/3 innings and surrendering three runs (one earned) in a losing effort, as the Nationals fell to the New York Mets by a score of 5-1.
Below are the recaps and highlights of Saturday’s major league games:
Games in AL Stadiums
New York 3, Baltimore 11
Baltimore scored four runs in first and added five more in the third in an 11-run effort to upend the Yankees on Saturday, which was highlighted by Chris Davis’ 29th and 30th home runs of the season. Saturday’s contest was the third multi-home run game for Davis this season and the sixth of his career, as he is also the first player to hit 30 home runs on or before June 29 since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001.
Los Angeles 7, Houston 2
The Angels struck first with four runs in the fourth, which came on a pair of two-run singles by Alberto Callaspo and Erick Aybar. Houston would counter with two runs in the seventh on a two-run blast by Brett Wallace, but the Angels would plate two more runs in the eighth and walk away with a 7-2 victory at Minute Maid Park.
Kansas City 2, Minnesota 6
Kyle Gibson made his big league debut for the Twins, working six innings of two run ball en route to his first career victory. Gibson was just the tenth player in Minnesota franchise history to earn a victory in their major league debut and the first since Anthony Swarzak in 2009.
Cleveland 4, Chicago 3
With both of yesterday’s wins in Friday’s doubleheader in Chicago, Cleveland has now scored three victories against the White Sox in less than 24 hours, as the Indians pulled off a 4-3 win on Saturday. The score remained tied 3-3 after seven innings, however, Nick Swisher broke open the game in the eighth with an RBI single, giving the Indians the go-ahead 4-3 lead and eventual victory.
St. Louis 7, Oakland 1
Adam Wainwright was dominant on Saturday, turning in his fourth complete-game of the season (most in the majors this season) in the Cardinals’ 7-1 victory over Oakland. Wainwright surrendered just five hits and struck out eight en route to his NL-leading 11th win of the season, as he was backed by Matt Adam’s two home run performance, the first multi-home run game of his career.
Toronto 6, Boston 2
The Red Sox were able to tie the game 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single by Shane Victorino, however, the Blue Jays would counter with a two-run homer by Jose Bautista in the eighth and two more runs in the ninth, cementing a 6-2 victory after having won just one of their last five games coming into Saturday’s contest.
Chicago 5, Seattle 2
Seattle was able to stay alive with an RBI single by Endy Chavez in the bottom of the ninth to force extras, but Alfonso Soriano would respond with a two-run blast in the top of the 11th to propel the Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the Mariners.
Detroit 3, Tampa Bay 4
Luke Scott‘s go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the eighth tied the game at 3-3, later forcing the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, Yunel Escobar would rip a single to deep center, scoring Sam Fuld and giving the Rays the 4-3 walk-off victory against the Tigers.
Cincinnati 6, Texas 4
The Reds and Rangers would take a 4-4 tie into extra innings on Saturday, which would end on a Devin Mesoraco two-run homer in the top of the 11th, the fourth of the season for the Cincinnati catcher.
Games in NL Stadiums
Milwaukee 1, Pittsburgh 2
Francisco Liriano turned in another strong start for the Pirates, tossing six innings of one-run ball and striking out six en route to his seventh win of the season. With the 2-1 victory, the Pirates became the first team in the majors to reach 50 wins this season, as they boast a 50-30 record through 80 games.
San Diego 1, Miami 7
Jacob Turner turned in a strong performance on Saturday, surrendering just one run in a complete-game effort, the first of his career and the first for a Marlins starter this season. In six starts this season, Turner has posted a 2-0 record and 1.76 ERA in 41.0 innings of work for a Miami ball club that has struggled with consistency all season long.
San Francisco 1, Colorado 2
Michael Cuddyer went 1-for-4 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 26 games, as the Rockies walked off win a victory over the Giants on an RBI single by Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the ninth. The Giants have now lost five straight games at Coors Field and have been outscored 31-13 in those contests.
Arizona 5, Atlanta 11
Trailing 4-5 heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Braves rallied to score seven in the frame and take the go-ahead 11-5 lead and eventual victory over the Diamondbacks. The rally would get started on an RBI double by Jason Hewyard that would score an additional run due to an errant throw by Arizona’s Jason Kubel, which would be followed by a two-run single by Brian McCann.
Washington 1, New York 5
The Nationals committed three errors in the game, two of which occurred on the same play between Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond in the fifth inning, which would account for a run (and an additional run later in the inning). The Mets would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a Marlon Byrd RBI single, that would give New York the 5-2 lead and eventual victory over Washington.
