I noticed the other day that the polls I operate on several of my blogs were not working. After a little snooping around on Blogger I discovered they've discontinued this gadget.
I find that frustrating.
I know there are only a handful of folks out there even reading this blog, but I try my best to keep the site fun. One of the ways I did that was by featuring new polls every couple of months to take you on a trip down memory lane - like "who is your favorite Toronto Blue Jay outfielder?" or "who is your favorite left-handed pitcher on the Phillies?"
Alas, there will be no more of that. I pay zero dollars to use Blogger as my website, so maybe I don't have room to complain, but it's frustrating nonetheless. Sorry everyone.
Game #715 - Toronto Blue Jays, 0 @ New York Yankees, 5
Doyle Alexander, one of the best starting pitchers in the American League this season, had an uncharacteristic rough day on the mound. In the bottom of the second inning he had Ken Griffey and Bobby Meacham on third and second base when Oscar Gamble reached on an error by Jorge Bell that scored Griffey. Willie Randolph followed up with an RBI single to plate Meacham.
In the third inning Roy Smalley launched a solo homer and Butch Wynegar later scored on a Mike Pagliarulo double to give the Bronx a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Yankees starter Dennis Rasmussen continued his strong start to the season by blanking the Blue Jays over seven innings of work.
Winning Pitcher - Dennis Rasmussen Losing Pitcher - Doyle Alexander Player of the Game - Rasmussen, 7IP, 0R, 5H's, 7K's, 4BB
Game #716 - Cincinnati Reds, 12 @ San Diego Padres, 7
There were seven total home runs in this game - let's take a look at each one!
Dave Parker hit a two-run job in the top of the first to give Cincy the early lead.
Dan Driessen hit a three-run homer in the third to give the Reds a 6-1 lead.
Gary Redus hit a solo shot in the top of the fourth to extend the Reds lead to 7-1.
Eddie Milner hit a two-run bomb in the top of the eighth, making it 11-1 for Cincinnati.
Dave Concepcion went back to back after Milner, and the Reds carried an eleven-run lead.
Kevin McReynolds went big-fly for the Padres in the bottom of the eighth with two other runners on board.
In the bottom of the ninth Luis Salazar ripped a solo shot, bringing the Padres within six runs of tying the game.
That's a lot of homers!
Winning Pitcher - Jay Tibbs
Losing Pitcher - Tim Lollar
Player of the Game - Dan Driessen, 3-5, 2B, HR, 4RBI, 2Rs
Game #713 - Atlanta Braves, 0 @ Los Angeles Dodgers, 4
Braves starter Rick Mahler got into trouble right away in the bottom of the first. Pedro Guerrero had an RBI ground out that plated Dave Anderson for the first run. Mike Marshall had an RBI ground out that plated Mike Scioscia for the second run. And then Ken Landreaux blasted a two-run homer to score himself and Greg Brock.
Alejandro Pena, meanwhile, was dealing the nasty stuff. He logged six innings of work, surrendering zero runs and just three hits and two walks. Carlos Diaz, Pat Zachry, and Tom Niedenfuer pitched a scoreless three innings of relief to to blank the hapless Braves.
Winning Pitcher - Alejandro Pena Losing Pitcher - Rick Mahler Player of the Game - Mike Scioscia, 3-4, R, threw out Claudell Washington when he tried to steal second base.
Game #714 - New York Mets, 10 @ Montreal Expos, 5
The Mets send eleven straight batters to the plate in the first inning before recording their first out. Expos starter Bill Gullickson was yanked after just facing nine hitters. Four Mets had doubles in the inning - Wally Backman, Darryl Strawberry, George Foster, and Keith Hernandez. It was 9-0 before it reached the bottom of the first!
Dwight Gooden didn't look good either, though. He gave up three runs in the bottom half of the inning, which included a Tim Wallach homer. He settled down after that and lasted six total innings before Ed Lynch came in for the final three frames. Wallach managed his second homer of the day in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to overcome that first inning onslaught.
Winning Pitcher - Dwight Gooden Losing Pitcher - Bill Gullickson Save - Ed Lynch Player of the Game - Keith Hernandez, 3-4, 2 2Bs, 2RBI, 2Rs, BB Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Gary Carter
Game #711 - Minnesota Twins, 7 @ Chicago White Sox, 6
In the top of the first inning a Scooter Fletcher error on a sharp grounder by Mickey Hatcher allowed Kirby Puckett to score the first run of the game. The Twins added two more runs in the top of the second on a Tim Teufel sacrifice fly and a Tom Brunansky single. Greg Luzinski knocked home Greg Walker in the bottom half of the inning to leave Minnesota up 3-1 after two.
The Twins scored once again in the third. Teufel plated Dave Engle and Dan Meier on a two-out single to extend their lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the fifth Vance Law took Ken Schrom deep to give Chicago their second run on the day.
By the bottom of the ninth the Twins were up 7-4 with Rick Lysander trying to end it. But Jerry Dybzinski, in the game as a defensive replacement, hit an unexpected homer to bring the White Sox within a run of tying the game. Alas, Ron Davis replaced Lysander to record the final out.
Winning Pitcher - Ken Schrom Losing Pitcher - Britt Burns Save - Ron Davis Player of the Game - Time Teufel, 3-4, SF, 4RBI Hall of Famers in the Game - Kirby Puckett, Carlton Fisk
Game #712 - Seattle Mariners, 9 @ Cleveland Indians, 11
Mark Langston was cruising through his first two innings of work, but with two outs in the third, Brett Butler hit a solo homer that just cleared the fence. Julio Franco then walked and scored two batters later on an Andre Thornton single.
By the bottom of the fifth Cleveland was up 3-0 when their offense erupted. They scored eight runs in the inning, including triples by Carmen Castillo (with the bases loaded) and George Vukovich (with one on). After that the team formerly known as the Spiders had one seemed to be an insurmountable 11-0 lead...
...but Seattle started chipping back! Al Cowens had one of his three double of the game in the sixth, scoring Alvin Davis. In the seventh Bob Kearney launched a solo homer for Seattle's second run. In the eighth Ken Phelps blasted a three-run job and suddenly it was just 11-5. In the top of the ninth reliever Roy Smith got abused by the Mariners. Alvin Davis ripped his third double of the game to plate Jack Perconte. Steve Henderson followed that with a 2-RBI triple to make it 11-8. Smith got yanked and one out later Mike Jeffcoat gave up an RBI double to Al Cowens. But Larry Milbourne and Barry Bonnell made the last two outs of the game, as Cleveland nearly squandered their eleven run lead.
Winning Pitcher - Rick Sutcliffe Losing Pitcher - Mark Langston Save - Mike Jeffcoat Player of the Game - Carmen Castillo, 2-5, 3B, 3RBI, R
Game #709 - Detroit Tigers, 3 @ Baltimore Orioles, 7
Storm Davis ran into his own storm in the top of the second inning. Chet Lemon led off with a solo homer and then he gave up four straight singles. Two more runs plated in part from an Al Bumbry error, giving the Tigers an early 3-0 lead.
Dan Petry, meanwhile, was on cruise control until the bottom of the seventh. He gave up five total runs on a bizarre combination of singles, walks, and a passed ball. Cal Ripken even chipped in with a sacrifice fly to score Bumbry. The O's would add two more in the eighth to put one in the win column.
Winning Pitcher - Storm Davis Losing Pitcher - Dan Petry Player of the Game - Davis, 7.2IP, 5Hs, 5Ks, ER Hall of Famers in the Game - Alan Trammell, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray Game #710 - Milwaukee Brewers, 8 @ Boston Red Sox, 6
This game was monumental for me because it was Mark Brouhard's first game back after being injured in the very first game of the season. That was over six years ago! He didn't do much in his return, though, going 0 for 3 with two whiffs.
The Red Sox launched four solo homers off starter Moose Haas. Not all at once, though Tony Armas and Rich Gedman went back to back in the second inning. In the top of the seventh Boston had a 6-4 lead when pinch-hitter Rick Manning plated Jim Sundberg and Robin Yount to tie the game. Sundberg slapped a double in the eighth to give them the go-ahead run off Bob Stanley. Meanwhile, Rick Waits, Tom Tellmann and Rollie Fingers blanked Boston over the final three innings to give the Brew Crew a victory.
Winning Pitcher - Tom Tellmann Losing Pitcher - Bob Stanley Save - Rollie Fingers Player of the Game - Ed Romero, 5-5, 2B, 3B, R, 2RBI Hall of Famers in the Game - Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice
