J.D. Martinez robs homer, hits homer in Tigers win against Orioles
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.
J.D. Martinez came out of the All-Star break on fire in Detroit’s 7-3 victory against the Baltimore Orioles. The Tigers All-Star outfielder was a star with the bat, which has been the case all season, and also with the glove, as he robbed Chris Davis of a would-be game-tying homer in the third inning.
The robbery came at a key time as Detroit held just a two-run lead. That would obviously be expanded as Detroit’s offense overall looked very good on Friday.
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Victor Martinez got the offense going with a two-run homer in the first inning. All-Star Jose Iglesias added a three-run shot in the fourth. Then J.D. Martinez capped the scoring with a solo shot in the fifth, his 26th of the season.
Martinez’s all-around effort was obviously a major catalyst in Detroit’s win. It’s also put him in interesting company among outfielders this season.
On the other side of that, Chris Davis has now been robbed of a home run three times in the last two weeks. Avisail Garcia got him with this incredible catch back on July 4. One day later, Davis was robbed again, this time by Chicago’s J.B. Shuck.
Advice for Davis on Saturday. Hit them higher and hit them farther.
A-ROD DELIVERS GO-AHEAD HOMER IN YANKS WIN
Alex Rodriguez wasn’t an All-Star this season because it’s clear not all has been forgiven within MLB. With that said, he’s still a difference maker, and that was once again proven during Friday’s 4-3 win against the Seattle Mariners.
With the game tied in the seventh inning, Rodriguez launched a go-ahead home run off left-hander Joe Beimel — his 19th of the season and the 673rd of his storied career — and that one run would hold up as the difference.
Rested and healthy following the break, A-Rod finished the game 2 for 4 with two runs scored. Veteran outfielder Chris Young was also 2 for 4 with a homer as the Yankees helped Masahiro Tanaka earn his sixth victory of the season.
[On this week’s StewPod: Everything you need to know about the All-Star game.]
Tanaka pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Two of those hits were home runs by Kyle Seager, who became just the second major leaguer with a multi-homer game against Tanaka.
KYLE SCHWARBER’S RETURN A MIXED BAG FOR CUBS
With starting catcher Miguel Montero out up to six weeks with an injured thumb and backup David Ross dealing with a concussion, the Chicago Cubs had little alternative but to turn back to top prospect Kyle Schwarber.
Though the Cubs would obviously prefer to develop Schwarber’s defensive skills and game-calling in the minors, he’s a good bet to at least replace Montero’s offense, which was evidenced by his three-hit performance Friday night against Atlanta. But Schwarber’s defense was clearly an issue as well as he committed two errors.
Schwarber’s first error came on Nick Markakis’ first-inning steal when his throw ended up in the outfield, allowing Markakis to take third. Markakis would later score on Kelly Johnson‘s single, which he probably could have done from second base. The error may not have been the issue, but the steal was as it was only Markakis’s second attempt all season.
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The other error came on catcher’s interference in the sixth, which also didn’t directly lead to a run. But it definitely confirmed there’s some important development left.
The Cubs would go on to lose the game 4-2 on Eury Pere’z two-run single in the eighth. As a team, the Cubs only mustered seven hits, including Schwarber’s two singles and double.
GIANTS USE 10 PITCHERS, WIN IN 12 INNINGS
Friday night it was all hands on deck for the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. The two teams combined to use 17 pitchers in their second half opener, which worked out fine fresh out of the All-Star break, but in the end it was San Francisco that prevailed 6-5 in 12 innings.
Ten of those pitchers, by the way, were Giants, which established a new record of sorts.
After starting pitcher Matt Cain lasted just five innings, manager Bruce Bochy attempted to mix and match his way to the end by using six relievers for less than three outs. In the end, he turned to usual starter Ryan Vogelsong, who pitched the final two innings in relief. All the moves paid off, but it would have been interesting to see just how long he would have been willing to push Vogelsong under those circumstances.
Vogelsong hadn’t pitched since July 11 and isn’t scheduled to pitch again until Tuesday, July 22, so perhaps he was good to go for the long haul.
The what ifs don’t matter much now. San Francisco was able to break through in the 12th after loading the bases with one out. The winning run crossed on Cliff Pennington’s throwing error at home, allowing Angel Pagan to slide in safely.
Want to see more from Friday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
