Dallas Keuchel dominates the Yankees with complete game shutout
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel was in peak form Thursday against the New York Yankees. Keuchel was fantastic, going nine shutout innings during a 4-0 win.
Keuchel allowed just six hits. He walked one and struck out 12 during the contest. All of the Yankees’ hits were singles. The team didn’t have a base runner reach second until the top of the ninth inning.
Aside from the ninth, Keuchel was never really in trouble. With two outs, he allowed a single to Alex Rodriguez. A walk to Mark Teixeira put a man in scoring position for the first time all game. Carlos Beltran would also single, loading the bases.
With the bases juiced and two outs, Keuchel came through. Jose Pirela grounded out to third, ending the threat and the game.
After the game, Keuchel received some high praise from one of his rivals.
Rodriguez was one of the few players who managed a hit against Keuchel during the game, but he struck out in his other three plate appearances.
With the performance, Keuchel lowered his ERA to 2.17 on the season. The win moved the Astros to 43-32, good for first place in the American League West.
WHO WILL STOP THE ATHLETICS?
The hottest team in the American League is the Oakland Athletics. After picking up a 6-3 victory over the Texas Rangers, Oakland has won first straight games.
While the club sits at just 34-41, and remains nine games out of first place, there’s still some hope for a second half run. Oakland actually has the fourth-best run differential in the AL. The club has scored 41 more runs than they have allowed this year.
So, why have the A’s been so bad despite their strong run differential? Well, the team is just 6-18 in one run games. That type of thing tends to even out over the course of the season, so that could lead to more wins in the second half if the team’s luck turns.
That’s not always the case, though, particularly if a team has a poor bullpen. That’s exactly what has plagued Oakland early. The club’s relievers have posted a 4.16 FIP, which is good for 27th in the league.
There’s some hope Oakland makes things interesting by the trade deadline, but only if they can find some luck and pitch effectively in the late innings.
For now, the five game winning streak is a start.
DEGROM DOES IT AGAIN
The New York Mets might be calling up another pitcher soon, but do they really need one? Jacob deGrom was fantastic again, leading the Mets to a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.
deGrom went eight innings, allowing just four hits and striking out seven batters. He did not issue a walk during the outing. Following the performance, deGrom has a 2.15 ERA on the year.
The start helped the Mets in more than one way. Not only did they win the game, but the team also snapped a seven-game losing streak.
After his 2014 breakout, deGrom has been basically the same pitcher in 2015. He’s shown better control, however, which is partially responsible for his improved numbers.
Behind deGrom, New York improved to 37-37 on the year. The team is 3.5 games back of the Washington Nationals in the National League East.
GIANTS TRIPLE THEIR WAY TO VICTORY
The San Francisco Giants’ offense broke out in the big way Thursday against the San Diego Padres. San Francisco scored 13 runs during a 13-8 win.
The Giants managed the offensive feat without hitting a home run during the game. Instead, the team relied on the triple.
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San Francisco hit four triples during the contest. Brandon Belt was responsible for two of them, while Matt Duffy and Brandon Crawford each added one a piece.
Buster Posey, who hit a grand slam Wednesday, stayed hot at the plate Thursday. Posey went 3 for 5, with two doubles. He scored three runs and drove in three during the game.
With the win, the Giants improved to 40-34. They trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game in the National League West.
Want to see more from Thursday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
