MLB Thursday Recap: Yankees, Red Sox Among Home Favorites to Win on Thursday
Surprising Pirates Pick Up Lucky Win No. 13 To Open Four-Game Series With Cincinnati
Late Grand Slam Helps Los Angeles Dodgers Reach .500 Mark
It was a light schedule when it comes to the MLB scores on Thursday with seven games. Most of the attention was focused on the final game in the series between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees with the last two American League Most Valuable Players the headliners in the action for the MLB Thursday recap.
There was some late drama as the Los Angeles Dodgers needed a grand slam in the ninth inning to get by the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar pitched a perfect ninth inning. When looking at the MLB team standings, the Pirates improved to 13-7 after needing 30 games to hit the 13-win mark last season.
Four of the seven games finished over the total after the last two games of the night had combined totals of 12 and 13 runs.
Things will be much busier on Friday with all 30 teams slated to be in action.
Checking In On the Home Favorites
When looking at the MLB Thursday recap, the home teams were favored in four of the seven games played on Thursday and in three of them came home as winners.
The Boston Red Sox got things rolling with a matinee against the visiting Minnesota Twins. Five of Boston’s 11 hits went for extra bases in the 11-5 win. The No. 7, 8 and 9 hitters (Connor Wong, Jarren Duran and Yu Chang) combined to drive in seven runs and that was one more than they had coming into the game.
Boston leads the majors with 14 of its games finishing over the total so far this season.
There were no home runs in the final game in a series featuring Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. However, a three-run double by Jose Trevino and three hits by Anthony Rizzo was enough to lift the New York Yankees to the 9-3 win as New York improved to 8-5 at home.
The Pittsburgh Pirates scored four times in the first inning and then held on for the one-run win against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates are now 12-8 against the run line this season with the Reds falling to 12-7. Roansy Contreras allowed one run while pitching into the seventh inning.
The only road underdog to win was the Colorado Rockies as Ryan Feltner allowed three hits and no runs in 5.2 innings in a 5-0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies as Colorado snapped an eight-game losing streak. C.J. Cron’s two-run homer in the first inning was all the offense the Rockies would need. It was just the fifth time all season that the Rockies covered against the run line in 2023.
The matchup between the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs was listed as a Pick’em in multiple books. The game played out that way until James Outman’s grand slam in the ninth inning lifted the Dodgers to the 6-2 win. Michael Fulmer, the sixth of seven Chicago pitchers, took the loss as he allowed four runs and retired just one batter.
Saving the Best For Last
The final two games played on Thursday saw the road team favored and in both cases, those who went with the visitors were rewarded.
The San Diego Padres, priced between -129 to -142, topped the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 in one of the more intriguing games in the MLB Thursday recap.
The headlines surrounded Fernando Tatis Jr. making his 2023 MLB debut after serving a suspension for a violation of the rules on the use of performance-enhancing substances. Tatis, who led off and played right field, was 0-for-5. He did make a key defensive play in the game.
No. 4 hitter Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run home run and centerfielder Trent Grisham, hitting eighth, had a pair of two-run doubles. The Padres won despite starter Michael Wacha giving up 10 hits and five runs in four innings.
The Mets used home runs by Pete Alonso and Eduardo Escobar in a five-run fourth inning to roll past the host San Francisco Giants 9-4.
Kodai Senga got the win despite allowing four runs in five innings. Four relievers combined to limit the Giants to two hits and one run over the last four innings.
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