The beggining of the final two months of baseball was absolutely crazy. The Boston Red Sox highlighted the day with an improbable comeback, but that was only one of the headlines from Thursday's action. Here are some of the top stories after the conclusion of all the games on the first of August.
Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners
(8-7): The Red Sox left their best hitting for the end as they rallied to score six runs in the bottom of the ninth to spoil a wonderful start by Felix Hernandez. Ryan Dempster got socked by the Mariners, giving up seven earned runs in six innings pitched. The Red Sox got him off the hook and then gave Steven Wright the win as Daniel Nava punched in the game winning run with a hit to center field.
Yu Darvish K's 14 D'Backs
Paul Goldschmidt and Geraldo Parra truly hated Yu Darvish as they struck out three times each, but they made up less than half of his total for the night. It was Darvish all night long. He struck out 14 Arizona Diamondbacks in seven innings pitched and only gave up five hits all night without any walks. Pure control from the Japanese righty.
St. Louis Cardinals Fly Past Pirates
Just when the Pirates though they had the five-game sweep in tact, the Cardinals exploded for 13 runs. Not only was their offense unstoppable, but their pitching was dominant as well. The 25-year-old Joe Kelly went six innings allowing no runs on three hits, while walking and striking out four batters. The Cardinals remain 1.5 games from first place behind the Pirates.
Braves Chop & Sweep Rockies
The Atlanta Braves continued their assault on MLB pitching. The Rockies once again could not find an answer to calm the Braves' bats. Justin Upton woke up, hitting two home runs, driving in five runs on Thursday. Jason Heyward is also waking up, smacking his 10th home run of the year. The final score was 11-2 Braves and for the fourth consecutive game, they have scored more than nine runs in a game. The Braves have now won seven straight.
The Royal Streak Continues
Speaking of win streaks, the Kansas City Royals do not comprehend losing. They won their ninth straight ball game behind James Shields, who went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. The Royals acquired Justin Maxwell and that deal paid off immediately as the outfielder drove in a run in his first game with Kansas City.
Click here to check out other scores from Thursday's action.
