How The Rivals Did: Brandon McCarthy Lifts Yankees

The AL East asserted their dominance on Saturday, winning every game they played. While it is good to give the league a reminder of which division is the best in baseball, it was not so good that despite a Tampa Bay Rays win, the team gained no ground in the division.

Baltimore Orioles 8, Oakland Athletics 4

The Orioles got going with a 4-run 1st inning, and they scored 4 more runs over the course of the game to best the A’s. The top two hitters were key for Baltimore, as Nick Markakis went 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored out of the leadoff spot and Steve Pearce went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the 2-hole. The Orioles did only get 5.0 innings out of starter Wei-Yin Chen, forcing them to use 3 relievers to finish off the game.

Toronto Blue Jays 4, Texas Rangers 1

The Blue Jays got a great start from young righty Marcus Stroman, who went 7.0 sc0reless innings while striking out 5. Former Ray Dan Johnson was the key cog for the Jays’ offense, as he would go 1 for 2 with a double and a pair of RBIs. The Jays also got some key performances for some more likely heroes, as Colby Rasmus, Melky Cabrera, and Jose Reyes all had multiple hits. The club has struggled offensively lately, only managing 3.1 runs per game in July, so for the Rays’ sake let’s hope this 12 hit performance is an aberration rather than a turnaround.

New York Yankees 7, Cincinnati Reds 1

Recently-acquired starter Brandon McCarthy had a solid start for the Yankees, going 6.0 innings and allowing 1 run. With confirmation today that CC Sabathia would miss the remainder of the season, McCarthy has even more pressure to be the quality pitcher that the Yankees desperately need. Offensively, Carlos Beltran smacked a home run for the Yankees as part of a 2 for 4 performance. Leadoff man Brett Gardner drove in 3 runs, and both Brian Roberts and former Ray Kelly Johnson had multi-hit nights.

Boston Red Sox 2, Kansas City Royals 1

The was a pitching duel between a pair of youngsters in Sox starter Rubby De La Rosa and Royals lefty Danny Duffy. A Mike Napoli solo shot over the Green Monster would be the difference maker, and that would propel the Sox to victory despite only managing 6 hits and going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. De La Rosa ended up going 7.0 innings while allowing 1 run while Duffy allowed 2 (1 earned) in 6.2 innings. Former Ray Jonny Gomes was involved in a couple of fielding gaffes in this game- one a minor collision with short stop Brock Holt that resulted in a dropped fly ball and the other a fly ball that he lost in the lights at Fenway.

Tampa Bay Rays 5, Minnesota Twins 1

Behind a nice outing from David Price, the Rays took this one from the Twins. Read more about the victory here.

With all 5 teams winning, the standings remain the same.

1. Baltimore (53-43) –

2. New York (49-47) 4.0 GB

3. Toronto (50-48) 4.0 GB

4. Tampa Bay (46-53) 8.5 GB

5. Boston (45-52) 8.5 GB