APRIL 12: PITCHERS RULE THE DAY

Verlander K'd 10 in a shutout

What do you get when names such as Buehrle, Verlander, Weaver, Kershaw, Cahill Hamels, Price, Halladay and Kennedy all pitch on the same day? Most hitters would have done well to call in sick…

The afternoon began with Brooklyn hosting Arizona. Mark Buehrle and Justin Verlander got the call. Let’s put it this way: Verlander did what Cy Young/MVP winners do. A three-hit, four-walk and 10-strikeout shutout outdueled Buehrle’s two hits and two walks allowed over seven frames. Buehrle’s one mistake was allowing a first-inning double to Troy Tulowitzki after walking Jacoby Ellsbury with two out.

The Rattlesnakes had a chance in the ninth as Joe Mauer walked with one out and pinch runner Mike Aviles stole second, but Adrian Gonzalez struck out and Torii Hunter grounded into a force after an intentional walk to end it.

FINAL: BROOKLYN 1, ARIZONA 0

Next up was, potentially, the matchup most were looking forward to: Central California and Jered Weaver heading south to face Clayton Kershaw and the Riverside Rum Runners.

Both aces lived up to their billing. No player reached base for either side until Josh Hamilton stroked a two-out, two-strike single to center field in the fourth inning. Alex Gordon, in turn, broke up Kershaw’s perfect-game bid with a solid single in the fifth.

Both teams worked their way to more runners on base, and the .45s even loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. Chris Iannetta, however, couldn’t catch up to Kershaw’s two-strike fastball before Jamey Carroll flied out to center to end the threat.

To start the bottom of the eighth, Rum Runners manager Mike Scioscia sent Mark Trumbo to pinch-hit for Alex Gonzalez, and Trumbo came through with a single up the middle. That meant it was time to play “Name that Molina!” Obviously, the correct answer is “YADIER!” The youngest of the catching Molina brothers hit a 1-0, get-it-in fastball from Weaver down the line and….OFF THE FOUL POLE!

The first blemish on either hurler caused the home crowd to go wild. Kershaw finished off his shutout in the ninth by inducing a Dan Murphy double play.

FINAL: RIVERSIDE 2, CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 0

Most of the other games of the day featured good pitching, but none of the games came close to the first two.

Frostbite Falls lefty Cole Hamels allowed one run (a Rod Barajas homer) in eight innings to outduel Los Angeles’ Trevor Cahill, 3-1.

“Doc” Halladay all-but shut down the potent Yuma lineup, giving up two runs over eight frames and getting just enough support from his own offense in a 2-1 New England victory.

Finally, youngster Vance Worley struck out 10 Worcester batters over seven innings and was in line for a win over Ian Kennedy (two runs, 7.2 IP), but Heath Bell imploded: a solo shot from Paul Goldschmidt tied the game with one out in the ninth, and Jason Kubel and Russell Martin walked in front of Hanley Ramirez to start the 10^th. Ramirez got a hold of the 2-0 pitch and crushed it to left, a walk-off shot to keep the Eliminators just one game off the pace in the East. Casselton, despite the loss, remained on top in the Central division.