How The Rivals Did: Manny Machado’s 2 RBIs Propel Orioles

Once again it was a key day for the AL East, with four of the teams playing against each other. After all the dust settled, the Rays and Yankees found themselves dropping back a game while the Orioles, Red Sox, and Blue Jays all held their ground.

Baltimore Orioles 3, Seattle Mariners 3 (10 innigns)

This game was literally back-and-forth, with each team trading single runs over the course of the game. Unfortunately for the rest of the East, it was the first-place Orioles who scored last in this battle, plating a run in the top of the 10th to take the lead. Despite 3-hit performances from Mike Zunino and Dustin Ackley, O’s starter Miguel Gonzalez threw 6.0 innings of 1-run ball and the bullpen followed by giving up a run in the final three frames. The O’s actually got one less hit than the Mariners, but Manny Machado pulled through in the clutch by going 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs. Machado has been the subject of some controversy and poor performance this season. However, when he is on like he was in this game, he can single-handedly turn the offense from good to great.

Toronto Blue Jays 5, New York Yankees 4

The Blue Jays kept pounding out the hits in this one, managing 12 hits and scoring a single run in 5 different innings. It was more of a team effort than an individual one, as every Jays starter except Jose Bautista had at least one hit and all 5 RBIs were by a different player. Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera did each go 2 for 5 out of the top two spots in the lineup. Pitching-wise, J.A. Happ wasn’t awe-inspiring, giving up 3 runs in 5.1 innings. Brett Cecil, Aaron Sanchez, and Casey Janssen did a good job in relief, with Sanchez allowing the only run of the group. Sanchez, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball who was just recently promoted, could play a key role in the Jays’ bullpen down the stretch.

The Yankees offensive performance was also a team effort, with 7 different players accounting for their 7 hits. Both Chase Headley and Francisco Cervelli smacked homers, but in the end the offense came up just short. Shane Greene was the starter for the Yanks, giving up 3 runs in 5.1 innings. Greene has been somewhat of a surprise for the Yanks so far, posting a 3.28 ERA in his first 24.2 innings of big league action. Of course, that is a small sample size, but the Yankees need all the pitching help they can get and Greene has stepped up so far.

Boston Red Sox 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2

Chris Archer made one bad pitch to David Ortize that resulted in a 3-run homer, and that would be enough to beat the Rays on an off-day for the offense. Check out our recap of last night’s game for some analysis of the game.

With the Orioles winning and the other 4 AL East teams squaring off against each other, it was a fight to stay put in the standings. Here’s an updated look at the East after yesterday’s games.

1. Baltimore (58-46) —
2. Toronto (56-50) 3.0 GB
3. New York (54-50) 4.0 GB
4. Tampa Bay (51-54) 7.5 GB
5. Boston (48-57) 10.5 GB

Tomorrow’s pitching matchups are as follows as each team begins a new series except the Baltimore Orioles, who are off.

7:10 PM- Milwaukee Brewers (Kyle Lohse) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Jake Odorizzi)
7:10 PM- Toronto Blue Jays (R.A. Dickey) vs. Boston Red Sox (Clay Buchholz)
8:05 PM- New York Yankees (David Phelps) vs. Texas Rangers (Yu Darvish)