Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Two hits
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw threw a complete-game two-hitter on Monday in his team’s 1–0 victory over the Reds.
The performance came as a relief for LA’s overworked bullpen. Said manager Dave Roberts: “I wish we had 25 of him.”
Two homers
Miguel Cabrera hit two home runs in the Tigers’ 5–4 win over the Phillies. After a rough patch, Detroit is looking hot.
“We were in a drought for a while,” said manager Brad Ausmus. “But I think we’re coming out of the drought and I think we’re scoring runs like we thought we would have and Miggy’s a big part of that.”
Four hits
Ichiro Suzuki collected four hits on Monday in the Marlins’ 7–6 win over the Rays. The performance marked Ichiro’s second four-hit game in three days. The 42-year-old is on a quest to reach 3,000 career hits; he’s now at 2,960.
First time
Randal Grichuk hit his first career walk-off homer on Monday, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4–3 win over their dreaded rivals, the Chicago Cubs.
Grichuk, whose team rallied from a 3–1 hole, remarked after the game that he wasn’t shooting for a home run.
“I was trying to battle and get a pitch I could hit, and put good wood on it and get on,” he said. “A homer was icing on the cake.”
Done for the year
On Monday, news broke that Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will undergo surgery on his left knee. The 35-year-old is expected to miss the remainder of the season (he has not made an appearance in the majors this year).
The Rangers lost to the Angels on Monday, 2–0. Albert Pujols hit his 569th career homer.