Game Day: Monday, June 15

There wasn't a single sweep over the weekend and that says a lot about the teams as we head into the third week of June.  All 30 teams are fighting for wins.  More than a few defended the brooms on Sunday and let's give credit where credit is due.

Rays at Angels

Heading into Sunday, the Rays had dropped two in a row in Anaheim and were getting sized-up for the dust pan.  Tampa didn't have a starting pitcher available.  It was a bullpen game and it went as well as could have been expected.  The Rays' relievers held the Halos to three runs over nine innings.  Los Angeles was in the game late despite a lack of offense.  It was a 3-3 game into the eighth when Tampa's offense exploaded for five runs on a pair of home run balls from Junior Caminero and Victor Mesa Jr.  The Rays were very close to getting swept out of Anaheim before Junior and Junior played knick knack for five.  It's an 8-3 Rays win.  Rays keep their jive alive into a difficult series with the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine to begin the week.  The Angels win a series and pack their bags for the short trip to Phoenix.  It's Halos and Snakes from the desert on Monday night.

Rangers at Red Sox

The Red Sox handled the Rangers in the first two games of their series this weekend but couldn't land the knockout blow on Sunday afternoon. Texas came out swinging, landing a one-two combination in the first and second inning. Designated hitter Wyatt Langford hit a solo shot in the first and catcher Kyle Higashioka went deep in the second, a three run blast, that put the Rangers ahead early.  Connelly Early, the Red Sox rookie hurler, allowed another pair of runs in the fourth inning and was charged with six earned before exiting the game in the fifth.  Six runs was good. Nathan Eovaldi pitched 7.0 innings for the Badges to set his team up for the win.  Texas avoids the sweep and returns home to host the Twins for three games at Globe Life Field to begin the week.  Boston has a day off on Monday and is back at Fenway for an AL East showdown with the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Tuesday.

Cubs at Giants

The Northsiders had the Giants on the ropes but Cubs' starter Colin Rea couldn't match the efforts of Javier Assad and Ben Brown.  Both starters held San Francisco to one run in wins on Friday and Saturday.  Logan Webb, the Giants' ace, returned the favor on Sunday with 8.0 innings, allowing only one unearned run, to collect his fourth win of the season.  Caleb Killian has moved into the closer's role for San Francisco and although it wasn't a save opportunity, Killian pitched a clean ninth inning, racking a pair of strikeouts.  The Giants escape Chicago with a victory and travel to the Southeast for a three-game series with Atlanta.  Chicago is back at the Friendly Confines to host the Colorado Rockies in a series that begins Monday night.

Rockies at Athletics

Speaking of the Rockies, they were facing the broom in Las Vegas on Sunday.  It was the final game of a six-game home stand for the Athletics from the Las Vegas Ballpark in Las Vegas, NV.  The A's were in their future home town to wet the appetites of the Las Vegas locals.  The Rockies let them have some mountain water, pouring on 23 runs in what was a very long day in the hot Las Vegas sun.  The A's scored nine runs on a pair of dingers but fell well short in this game.  The ball really flys in Las Vegas.  Eight homers in this game.  A's are back in Sacramento on Monday for a three-game series with the Pirates.  Colorado travels to Chicago for some toddling.  You can toddle if you hit the ball out of the ballpark. 

Astros at Royals

The Astros slugged it out to win the first two games of the series, a 10-8 win on Friday and an 8-7 win on Saturday.  The Astros' bats have been hot and cold all month and that trend continued on Sunday. After scoring 15 runs in the first two, the Astros laid a goose egg.  Royals starter, Stephen Kolek, shut them out over 7.1 innings to record his fourth victory.  Kolek has been impressive posting a 2.68 ERA on the season.  Bobby Witt Jr., Jack Caglinone and Maikel Garcia are carrying this Royals' team offensively and did it again on Sunday, driving in all four Royals' runs in a 4-0 win that helped KC avoid the sweep.  Astros travel home for a series with the Tigers and the Royals visit our nation's capital in Washington D.C. to square up with the Nationals.

Five opportunities for a sweep on Sunday and the brooms go 0-5 this weekend.  I was rooting for the sweeps and had wanted to see how it affected the winners and the losers over the next two weeks as the teams enter July.  With no sweeps to follow up on, my plan is dashed.

Two other series winners of note this past weekend, the White Sox won a series against the Dodgers and that is something special for a team that still has many detractors, myself included.  Are the White Sox for real?  I still say no but they aren't far worse than the Guardians and they might be better than the Tigers.  The AL Central is up for grabs.

The Mets took two of three from Atlanta and kept their season alive.  If they can win 10 more games into July they will be 42-45 and that will have them within striking distance of .500 into the All-Star break.  That would be a miracle and would certainly light a burner on the stove.

That's it for Game Day on Monday.  It was a struggle today, not because I am tired so much, I had a nice weekend off, but a day or two off from the writing seems to disconnect me from my flow and some sort of stream of consciousness.  

No more days off until the All-Star break.  27 game days in a row into July 13th.  I'm going to try and post a pick everyday too.  Let's see how it goes.

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