Light Schedule but Plenty of Runs

There were only 3 games in the West on Monday but 2 outta those 3 were scoring-fests. The other actually had a pretty good pitching duel. While Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks gave up 2 early runs to the Giants (and those were on one bad pitch to Steven Duggar), they were the only runs scored in the game. His counterpart, Chris Stratton, pitched 8 innings giving up only 5 hits and no runs.

Of the scoring-fests I was interested in both as one featured my Angels and the other was a showdown at the top of the AL West between the A’s and the Astros.

34 Runs in 3 Games

Rockies 7, Angels 10
Athletics 4, Astros 11
D-Backs 0, Giants 2

I’ll start with the game I actually watched on the edge of my seat – Angels, Rockies. This game saw 4 HRs, 17 runs, and 21 hits, and there were also 10 walks so base runners were plentiful…and this game was in Anaheim, not Colorado. For the Angels, Calhoun went 3 for 4 with a double, Shohei Ohtani smacked a 3-run HR and went 2 for 5, and Mike Trout went 2 for 3 with a solo HR, 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored – quite an offensive night. It was Eric Young Jr.’s single that put the Angels ahead for good though. His 2 out liner up the middle plated Ohtani and Jefry Marte to put the Angels up 8–7. He later scored on an error. For the Rockies, DJ LeMahieu hit his 12th HR on the year, a grand slam earlier in the 8th that had put the Rockies in the lead. In all, the 8th inning was pretty crazy.

In the big game of the day though, it was all Oakland early then Houston laid down two big innings. The Athletics went up in the 2nd with Marcus Semien’s 11th HR that drove in Khris Davis. The added to that in the top of the 3rd as Matt Chapman, who went 2 for 4, smacked his 21st HR, knocking in Ramon Laureano in the process. Up by 4, Brett Anderson came to the mound in the bottom of the 3rd and had a meltdown. He gave all the runs back and then some as Houston scored 5 runs on 4 singles and 3 doubles. That was all the Astros needed but they didn’t stop there – they added another 6 runs in the 8th on 3 walks, 2 HR, and a single and left the game with an 11–4 victory. Alex Bregman lead the night with a 4 for 5 showing with a double, a HR, 2 runs, and 4 RBI. The win puts the Astros 2 1/2 games up on Oakland in the AL West and increases their win streak to 6 games during this important stretch of late August.

Pitcher of the Day: Chris Stratton, Giants – 8 innings, 5 hits, 6 K, 0 ER
Player of the Day: Alex Bregman, Astros – 4–5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI

Daily Ramble 244.2 | Sports – West Coast Baseball – Light Schedule but Plenty of Runs