Stat Line of the Day: April 10th

Toronto  Blue  Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels: 14  innings,  16 pitchers, 29 hits

Maicer Izturis ended the game with an RBI single 
in the 14th inning, after five hours of play

This game had one of the more interesting swings I can remember seeing in a box score recently. Through the first four innings, the teams combined for 10 runs, 14 hits (in 35 at-bats, a .400 combined batting average), plus a couple of walks, an error, and a few sacrifices. In other words, for four innings, this game was quite the offensive show. However, after both starting pitchers--Brett Cecil (0-1, 7.20 ERA) of the Blue Jays and Matt Palmer (0-0, 7.71 ERA in his first start)--were taken out after the fifth inning, the offenses went dead. Tied at five when the starters left, the two teams combined for just 8 more hits over the next 9 innings--and only three hits between the sixth and twelfth innings! In fact, after getting 10 hits off Cecil, the Angels next hit was off Octavio Dotel, who pitched the 11th inning. The Blue Jays had slightly more success, with only three innings between a McDonald single to left in the sixth and a Juan Rivera infield single in the ninth inning. However, it was the Angels who finally got to the Blue Jays, getting three hits in the 13th and then finally breaking through in the 14th, when Maicer Izturis (above) ended the game by singling in Peter Bourjos.

Honorable Mentions

Ty Lawson (DEN): 31 min, 37 pts (11-16 FG, 10-11 3PT), 6 ast, 1 TO vs. MIN

No Chauncy Billups? No problem for these Nuggets, who might have found the next NBA star point guard in former Tar Heel Ty Lawson, who set an NBA record last night by making 10 straight threes over the first three quarters of the game. Unfortunately for Lawson, his one miss was a 28-foot chuck at the end of the third quarter--if not for that, he would have also set the NBA record for made threes without a miss (Latrell Sprewell had made 9-of-9 to set the record back in 2003). I get the feeling that Lawson will be happy with the win, as the surprisingly surging Nuggets nearly secured the 5th seed in the West, avoiding San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Dallas in the first round.

Zach Britton (BAL): 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 Ks vs. TEX

Gamescore-wise, this wasn't the best start of the evening: the Dodgers' Hideki Kuroda was only one out away from beating the Dodgers when he was lifted because of pitch counts, and he got a 74 for his performance, just four points higher than Britton. Kuroda, though, was facing the San Diego Padres--not exactly a terrifying lineup, the Friars have scored the second-fewest runs in the National League while batting only .212 through their first seven games. Compare that with the Texas Rangers Britton had to set down, hitting .281 through their first eight games, and who are 2nd in the AL in runs even after getting shut out yesterday. As further proof how impressive Britton was, we can look at how the Rangers did in the second game of yesterday's doubleheader, scoring 13 runs on 13 hits while chasing Jake Arrieta after just 3.1 innings and eight earned runs.