Nine innings of Gray: Sonny excellent in shutout against Dodgers
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.
The Oakland Athletics may be selling off parts, but pitcher Sonny Gray is here to stay. The right-hander was excellent during a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
[Play a Daily Fantasy contest for cash today!]
Gray was so good that the Athletics didn’t need to use any other pitcher during the contest. He went the distance, giving up just three hits during a complete game shutout. Gray struck out nine and walked one during the performance.
It was Gray’s fourth career shutout. Two of those have come this month.
Gray apparently wasn’t satisfied with just dominating on the mound. He actually picked up his first major-league hit during the contest.
Gray singled on a 96 mph fastball from Pedro Baez to open the eighth inning. Though he had an outside chance at a double, Gray showed excellent awareness, opting not to test Yasiel Puig’s arm.
Gray, who had been sharing a bat with Scott Kazmir all season, used one of Billy Butler’s bats for the hit. Though he said it was too heavy, Butler told Gray he could keep the bat.
Gray improved to 11-4 with the win. The Athletics are currently 45-56, which puts them in last place in the American League West.
YANKEES EXPLODE FOR 21 RUNS
The New York Yankees came to play Tuesday night. The club exploded for 21 runs during a blowout of the Texas Rangers.
Though New York eventually wound up on top, things didn’t look so rosy early. Starter Chris Capuano couldn’t make it out of the first inning, giving up five runs.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]
It didn’t take long for the Yankees to strike back. In the second inning, the team scored an incredible 11 runs. Six different players accounted for run-scoring hits in the frame. Both Chase Headley and Brendan Ryan each had two run-scoring hits.
While the output of the second inning wouldn’t be topped, the Yankees didn’t let up. The club scored four more runs in the third, three in the sixth and two in the ninth.
Pretty much every player on the team turned in a big offensive game. Four Yankees had at least three RBIs, two walked three times and six wound up scoring multiple runs.
With the win, New York improved to 57-42 on the year.
SYNDERGAARD LOOKS SUPER
New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard is nicknamed after a superhero, and now he’s starting to pitch like one. Syndergaard was fantastic during the club’s 4-0 win over the San Diego Padres.
Syndergaard tossed eight shutout innings, giving up just three hits during the contest. He struck out nine and did not issue any walks.
The rookie has been on a tremendous run lately. Over his last six starts, he’s allowed just six earned runs. Syndergaard has started throwing a slider more often during his last two starts, so that could be a reason for his recent success.
While he’s been great lately, it’s tough to argue against Tuesday being his best start of the season. Syndergaard had a perfect game entering the seventh inning. That was broken up by a Will Venable single to lead off the frame.
With the win, the Mets improved to 52-48 on the season.
THE WHITE SOX WON’T LOSE
The Chicago White Sox are certainly making things interesting at the trade deadline. The club ripped off another win Tuesday, picking up the 9-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
With the victory, the team now has a six-game winning streak. Due to the club’s recent success, some are starting to wonder whether pitcher Jeff Samardzija will actually be dealt at the deadline.
Though the White Sox’s record is just 48-50, the club remains 3.5 games out of the second wild card spot. Given how horrible they’ve looking to open the year, that’s pretty shocking.
[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for even more baseball awesomeness.]
The White Sox have two more games against Boston before the trade deadline. If they can continue to extend their winning streak, they may not sell like everyone expected.
Want to see more from Tuesday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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
