Sunday, September 24, 2006
9/23/06 recap
American LeagueThe Angels kept their playoff hopes alive with a 6-2 victory over the A’s. Their offense was led by Juan Rivera, who hit the go ahead 3 run double in the top of the 6th. Oakland now has a 7 game lead with 8 games to go, so multiple A’s wins or Angels losses locks up the division for them.
The Tigers scored 10 runs in the first inning of their game against the Royals and coasted on to a 15-4 victory. Curtis Granderson, after just one inning, had a homer and a triple, but was hitless in his last 4 plate appearances. The Tigers victory kept them 1.5 games ahead of the Twins. The White Sox overcame a 7-2 deficit against the Mariners, taking an 8-7 lead on Paul Konerko’s 8th inning home run, and went on to win 11-7. The White Sox didn’t cut away any of the 5.5 game lead the Twins hold in the Wild Card, however, as the Twins defeated the Orioles 8-5. Closer Joe Nathan picked up his 34th save of the season.
The Red Sox 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays eliminated them from any chance of making the playoffs. The Twins, White Sox, and Angels remain as the only teams not eliminated from the Wild Card race.
National League
The Padres have taken a 1.5 game lead in the NL West with their 2-1 victory over the Diamond Backs, combined with a 9-3 Dodger loss. Padres’ All-Star Closer Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect 9th for his 478th career save, tying Lee Smith at the top of the all time saves list. The Phillies also won today, 8-4 over the Marlins, to take a half-game lead over the Dodgers in the Wild Card race. Ryan Howard hardly got a chance to hit another home run, as he was intentionally walked twice and hit by a pitch once.
The Mets defeated the Nationals 12-6, and David Wright was 3 for 5 with 3 runs driven in and was just a double shy of the cycle.
The Brewers picked up a 10-8 victory in another wild game with the Giants. Milwaukee scored 5 runs in the 1st, and another in the 2nd, to jump to an early 6-1 lead. Brewers pitcher Chris Capuano allowed 2 runs in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th, and Dan Kolb allowed one in the 7th, giving the Giants an 8-6 lead. It was the second consecutive day that the Giants have rallied back from a deficit of 5 or more runs, only to lose. It was the Brewers 11th first inning run in 3 games, and the 56th run between the two teams in the series.
The Astros inched closer to the Cardinals with a dramatic walk-off 3 run shot by left fielder Luke Scott. Scott swung at a 1-1 pitch from Cardinals’ lefty Tyler Johnson and sent it over the outfield wall for the Astros’ 4th consecutive win. It was also the Cardinals 4th consecutive loss, bringing the Astros to just 4.5 games back.
The Cubs lost 11-4 to the Reds as Carlos Zambrano was unable to hold the early 3-0 lead the Cubs gave him. The 3 run homer he allowed to Brandon Phillips in the 2nd inning was the first home run he had allowed in 28 innings.
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