Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Still perfect
The Orioles increased their winning streak on Tuesday with a 9–5 win over the Red Sox. They got some help from J.J. Hardy, who contributed two home runs in the win. Baltimore is the only undefeated team in the league, and if fans are thanking their lucky stars, here’s why they might want to thank the Seattle Mariners, too.
(In other O’s news, it’s been rumoured that executive vice president Dan Duquette is a candidate to land the job of Washington Nationals team president. But apparently that’s news to him.
Cubhouse
After a day off on Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs will take on the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. The NL Central–leading Cubs pulled off a come-from-behind victory in their home opener versus the Reds on Monday night.
The team has a new, underground clubhouse this year, and it’s been described by one writer as looking “part nightclub—it has the lighting for it—and part spaceship.” Here’s a look.
Dee Gordon, Dee
Noah Syndergaard took the mound for the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run on seven hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out 12. The 23-year-old got the no-decision, though, leaving the game tied 1–1. The Mets eventually lost to the Marlins, 2–1.
Miami has second baseman Dee Gordon to thank for their win. The 27-year-old faced off against New York reliever Jim Henderson in the eighth inning with the game tied, and the two endured a 16-pitch at-bat (the longest MLB at-bat in almost two years). Gordon eventually made it to first on a blooper to left field, then stole second, and finally made it home off a sacrifice fly courtesy of Martin Prado.
“He just battled,” said Marlins manager Don Mattingly of Gordon’s at-bat. “When you do that, and then end up with a hit—even if you don’t—it’s a great at-bat. But when you end up with a hit, it’s something that’s really uplifting to the club.”
Yankees’ bullpen? Dandy.
The Yankees bullpen has been, depending on a fan’s outlook, either awe-inspiringly or depressingly great so far this season. The team’s relievers were key in New York’s victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, and the bullpen now has an MLB-leading ERA of just 0.84 (they’ve allowed just two earned runs over 21.1 innings this year).
Considering that the Yankees’ ‘pen is this good without Aroldis Chapman, who is serving a 30-game suspension, it’s likely they’re going to improve—even with news that reliever Nick Rumbelow needs Tommy John.
“You figure they’re only going to get better once Chapman comes back,” said Toronto manager John Gibbons after Tuesday’s loss.
If there’s a silver lining for Yankees haters, though, it’s that the team didn’t come away unscathed from their win on Tuesday. Catcher Brian McCann took a foul tip off his left big toe and had to exit the game.
“It was sore, I’m thankful it’s not broken,” said McCann, adding that the toe injury was on his mind “the rest of the game.”
New York manager Joe Girardi said McCann is unlikely to make an appearance in Wednesday’s game, but Yankees fans should take heart from this: McCann actually homered after he fouled the ball off his toe. The guy’s a warrior.
The hand that sets the table
Angels catcher Geovany Soto hit a ninth-inning, two-run homer to lift Los Angeles over the A’s for a 5–4 victory on Tuesday. The win comes as a relief, with the Angels having lost four of their first five games of the season.
Soto credited Albert Pujols for really turning the game around. With L.A. down 4–1, Pujols hit a double that made it a one-run game, setting the stage for Soto’s heroics.
“That was the turning point right there,” said Soto. “It kept us within a cough to make something happen.”