Now that all the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day is behind us, itâs time to get back to the day-to-day grind of the long marathon that is Major League Baseballâs regular season. Here is look at the notable events around the league from Wednesday.
Final scores and boxes
Tigers at White Sox (postponed)
Cubs at Cardinals (postponed)
Twins 9, Royals 1 (box score)
Indians 9, Rangers 6 (box score)
Brewers 6, Rockies 1 (box score)
Red Sox 3, Pirates 0 in 12 innings (box score)
Braves 3, Mets 1 in 12 innings (box score)
Rays 4, Yankees 1 (box score)
Reds 2, Phillies 0 (box score)
Orioles 3, Blue Jays 1 (box score)
Nationals 6, Marlins 4 (box score)
Astros 5, Mariners 3 in 13 innings (box score)
Dodgers 3, Padres 1 (box score)
Diamondbacks 8, Giants 6 (box score)
Angels 5, Athletics 0 (box score)
The Royals have a bullpen problem
En route to winning back-to-back AL pennants in 2014-15 and a World Series championship in 2015, the Royals boasted the gameâs best and deepest bullpen. High-end relievers like Greg Holland, Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, and Luke Hochevar, among others, gave manager Ned Yost plenty of options. If you trailed the Royals after five innings, you were in trouble.
Through two games against Minnesota this season, Kansas Cityâs bullpen has allowed 12 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in five innings. Theyâve struck out five. Egads. The Twins arenât exactly projected to be an offensive powerhouse this season, either.
This is how bad things have been so far:
In April 2017, the Royals' bullpen has given up 12 runs.
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) April 5, 2017
In April 2015, the Royals' bullpen gave up 8 runs.
It's April 5th.
Of course, no bullpen is truly this bad -- fans of the 2016 Reds might beg to differ! -- so the Royals are due to get some scoreless innings from their relievers soon. Through two games, though, Kansas Cityâs bullpen has been a major weakness, which is a new feeling for Yost and his team.
The Rangers are having some bullpen problems, too
For the second time in their first three games this season, Rangers closer Sam Dyson let a winnable game slip away in spectacular fashion. On Opening Day he entered a 5-5 game in the ninth inning, then allowed three runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning. Then, on Wednesday, Dyson entered the ninth inning with a 6-4 lead, and promptly allowed five runs on three hits and two walks. He recorded one out.
One of those three hits was Francisco Lindorâs go-ahead grand slam:
Down 1 in the 9th?
— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2017
Frankie says RELAX. https://t.co/mnEVhx7yDw#PapaSlampic.twitter.com/poZIDr2aR8
The defending AL champions are a perfect 3-0 in the early going so far this season.
Happy Thames are here again
Sorry, I couldnât resist that subhead. Anyway, Eric Thames, who signed with the Brewers over the winter after spending the previous three seasons in Korea, hit his first home run of the season on Wednesday. Hereâs the video:
Thames, 30, hit .349/.451/.721 with 124 home runs in 390 games in Korea from 2014-16. He was a monster. Thames was a good prospect with the Blue Jays back in the day, but he had a hard time with big-league pitching initially, which is why he wound up overseas. Now heâs back in MLB, and as we learned on Wednesday, Thames is ready to do damage.
Bartolo Colon gets huge ovation in New York
As luck would have it, veteran righty Bartolo Colon made his first start as a member of the Braves back in New York, against the Mets at Citi Field. He held his former ballclub to one run on two hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six. The fans at Citi Field gave him a huge ovation before his first at-bat.
Chris Sale makes strong first impression in Boston
In his first start with the Red Sox, Chris Sale held the Pirates to three singles and one walk in seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven and did not allow a runner to reach second base. Sale did not get the win, however. The game remained scoreless until Sandy Leon cranked a walk-off three-run home run in the 12th inning. To the video:
Heck of a night at Fenway Park.
Dylan Bundy dominates the Blue Jays
Thanks to a bevy of right-on-right changeups, Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy held the high-powered Blue Jays to one run in seven innings Wednesday night. He set a career high with 17 swings and misses, including a whopping 14 on his changeup.
Zach Britton recorded his 50th consecutive save
Thanks in large part to Bundyâs gem, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays on Wednesday night to improve to 2-0 on the season. Ace closer Zach Britton made a bit of a mess in the ninth inning -- Toronto loaded the bases with one out -- but he escaped the jam to notch his first save of the season. It was also his 50th consecutive successful save dating back to last season.
Britton is only the fifth pitcher in baseball history to convert at least 50 consecutive save opportunities. Here are the five:
- Eric Gagne, 2002-04 Dodgers -- 84 straight savesi
- Tom Gordon, 1998-99 Red Sox -- 54 straight saves
- Jeurys Familia, 2015-16 Mets -- 52 straight saves
- Jose Valverde, 2010-11 Tigers -- 51 straight saves
- Zach Britton, 2016-17 Orioles -- 50 straight saves
A good week or two, and Britton could own the second longest consecutive saves streak in baseball history. He has a very long way to go to catch Gagne, however. Britton will have be perfect basically the entire rest of the season to set a new record.
Garrett Richards left his first start with an injury
For four innings and change Wednesday, Angels ace Garrett Richards looked excellent, so much so that he was throwing 91 mph sliders:
It seems like everyone has a hard Slider these days, but don't forget about Garrett Richards' slide piece at 91mph pic.twitter.com/snAIp5xbT7
— Pitcher List (@ThePitcherList) April 6, 2017
Richards had to exit the game in the fifth inning with an injury, however, which is notable because a partially torn elbow ligament limited him to only six starts in 2016. Richards rehabbed the injury with an stem cell procedure rather than undergo Tommy John surgery. Fortunately, Wednesdayâs injury was only a biceps cramp and not something more serious.
Denard Span is close to returning to the Giants
The Giants have been without center fielder Denard Span the past two games due to nagging left hip soreness, but it is not a serious issue. The hope is he can be available off the bench Thursday and get back in the starting lineup Friday.
Denard Span said his hip is better and doctors were not alarmed after examining him. But no baseball activities yet.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) April 5, 2017
Bochy hoping he can use Span off bench tomorrow and start him Friday in San Diego.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) April 6, 2017
Span, who is in the second year of a three-year deal worth $31 million, went 2 for 5 on Opening Day. He had season-ending surgery on his left hip back in 2015, so a little soreness here and there isnât surprising.
Hunter Renfroe loves playing the Dodgers
Padres rookie outfielder Hunter Renfroe has hit five home runs in 14 MLB games, and four of the five home runs have come against the Dodgers. He took Kenta Maeda, Louis Coleman and Jose De Leon deep in the span of two days late last season, and on Wednesday, he connected against Rich Hill as well:
The Padres first run of the game was a loud one, thanks to @Hunter_Renfroe. #LetsGoPadrespic.twitter.com/tmxnKWKJmb
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 6, 2017
The Padres donât figure to be any good this season, but they could be a real thorn in the side of the Dodgers and Giants, and any other NL team with postseason aspirations.
Mets, Brewers, Orioles add depth players
Three teams added low-cost depth players to their organizations on Wednesday. Hereâs a recap:
- Mets sign Desmond Jennings. Itâs a minor-league contract. Heâll head to Triple-A for the time being. The Mets lost Juan Lagares to an oblique injury late in spring training, so Jennings gives them another right-handed hitting center fielder should Lagaresâ injury linger.
- Brewers claim Nick Franklin. This is simply a rebuilding team taking a chance on a former top prospect. The Rays designated Franklin for assignment -- he is out of options and had to go on waivers to be sent to Triple-A -- and the Brewers claimed him. The switch-hitter will get some playing time all around the infield for Milwaukee.
- Orioles sign Edwin Jackson. Kevin Gausman and Bundy threw very well in the first two games of the season, but the Orioles are not blessed with great rotation depth. They brought in Jackson on a minor-league contract to see what he can do at Triple-A. If they like what he has to offer, theyâll call him up. If not, theyâll move on.
The Mets are another club that could soon be in the market for rotation depth. Both Steven Matz and Seth Lugo will miss several weeks with elbow issues, and Noah Syndergaard is currently dealing with a blister. General manager Sandy Alderson told MLB.comâs Anthony DiComo he will âsniff aroundâ for pitching depth. Doug Fister and Jake Peavy are among the unsigned free-agent pitchers at the moment.