While the baseball world mourns the postponement of the 2020 season, we are continuing our MLB season simulation.
Every day until the actual 2020 season begins, we will simulate one day of baseball on The Show and report back to you—the readers—about what went down during the simulation.
All reports and archives from this simulation can be found here.
Without further ado, March 28.
Yankees 5, Orioles 2
Luke Voit swatted three hits and knocked in a run while Gio Urshela contributed two RBI en route to a Yankee victory. Both Urshela and Miguel Andujar homered. For Baltimore, five players each notched two hits, but the club couldn’t plate enough runs. Luis Severino allowed one run on nine hits over seven innings while Aroldis Chapman recorded the save.
Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 4
Of the 11 Toronto batters who came to the plate, only two did not reach base. Teoscar Hernandez (three RBI) led the way for Toronto, joining Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., Randal Grichuk, and Derek Fisher as the four Toronto players who homered. Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts homered in an otherwise-lackluster effort for Boston. Shun Yamaguchi dazzled on the mound as he allowed just two hits and no walks over four innings of relief pitching, earning the win as the Blue Jays won in walkoff fashion.
Pirates 9, Rays 8
Tampa Bay scored eight runs from the second to fourth innings but the Pirates spaced out their scoring and efficiently earned their first victory. Kevin Kramer went three-for-four with three RBI while Josh Bell and Bryan Reynolds also impressed. Ji-Man Choi homered and Joey Wendle hit a grand slam, but it was not enough for the Rays after the Pirates’ bullpen bailed out Chris Archer (two innings, seven runs, six hits) and the Rays’ arms aided Blake Snell (4.1 innings, seven runs, nine hits).
White Sox 7, Royals 2
A Ryan O’Hearn homer was all the Royals boasted in the form of scoring as the White Sox dominated the late innings. Yasmani Grandal’s three-run double in the eighth separated the White Sox from the Royals and secured the victory. Dallas Keuchel went seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Reliever Trevor Rosenthal was hit with the loss after allowing four runs while failing to retire a batter. Finally, in a situation to monitor, Danny Duffy exited after facing just six batters, allowing one hit.
Indians 3, Tigers 2
All five runs in this one came in the first three-and-a-half innings. Niko Goodrum swatted a two-run homer for Detroit while a single and an error notched three runs for Cleveland. Mike Clevinger allowed two runs on seven hits and five walks over six innings but earned the win. For Detroit, Daniel Norris allowed three runs over five innings and Ivan Nova allowed zero runs over three relief innings.
Twins 11, Athletics 5
Six Twins players knocked in runs, including Miguel Sanó with his grand slam in the second inning. Mitch Garver and Max Kepler also homered. For Oakland, Matt Olson was three-for-four with a home run while Matt Chapman added a two-run blast. Chris Bassitt was chased out of the game after allowing seven runs on four hits and two walks over 1.2 innings. Both teams’ arms struggled in this one.
Angels 8, Astros 6
The Angels held off a late burst from the Astros as they secured their first win. Anthony Rendon hit a three-run bomb while Jason Castro was three-for-four with three RBI and a walk. Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, and George Springer added two RBI each for the Astros; the latter two homered.
Rangers 4, Mariners 2 (F/10)
The Rangers got their first win via an extra-inning burst on the road in the 10th. Danny Santana impressed, going two-for-five with three RBI. Mallex Smith’s two-run single accounted for all of Seattle’s scoring in their first loss. Mike Minor allowed two runs over 7.1 innings while Taijuan Walker answered with one run over seven innings. Dan Altavilla was tabbed with the loss as he allowed two runs in the 10th inning.
Braves 8, Diamondbacks 2
A five-run first was all the Braves needed to improve to 2-1. Every Braves hitter reached base while six added RBI. Ronald Acuña, Jr., Marcell Ozuna, and Charlie Culberson added homers. Arizona struggled with just five hits. Cole Hamels allowed just two runs over eight innings while Arizona fared worse, with Robbie Ray surrendering six runs over two innings and Mike Leake allowing two runs over five frames.
Marlins 7, Phillies 0
The Marlins’ first win was aided by a pair of three-run innings. Philly was silenced to three singles and a double. Meanwhile, eight of Miami’s nine hitters notched hits, with five of them tallying RBI. Brian Anderson and Jesus Aguilar homered. Pablo López allowed just four hits over seven innings while Brandon Kintzler finished the shutout with two hitless frames.
Nationals 4, Mets 1
A four-run seventh boosted the Nats to their first victory in the Big Apple. Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, Juan Soto, and Eric Thames had multi-hit games. On the other side, New York added four hits, with their lone run coming from a Robinson Cano blast. Stephen Strasburg’s one run over seven innings was superior to Noah Syndergaard’s three runs through 6.1 frames.
Cubs 4, Brewers 2
The Cubs improved to 2-0 on the road. Willson Contreras plated a run on two hits, including a homer, while the rest of the offense combined for just three hits. Milwaukee tallied nine hits but just two runs: a Avisail García homer and Justin Smoak RBI single. Yu Darvish pitched six innings and allowed just two runs; the rest of the ‘pen threw scoreless frames. The story was similar for Milwaukee, with Freddy Peralta allowing four runs over five innings while the bullpen succeeded in holding the Cubs to zero runs.
Cardinals 4, Reds 3
St. Louis notched their first win after a late surge in this neck-and-neck affair. Dexter Fowler added an RBI on two hits while Matt Carpenter homered; those three hits were the only hits for St. Louis, despite the four runs. For Cincinnati, Josh VanMeter went three-for-five but didn’t plate any runs as the Reds totaled three runs on nine hits. Both starters (Carlos Martínex and Luis Castillo) were shaky, allowing five walks each.
Padres 9, Rockies 1
The Padres improved to 3-0 thanks to a late surge. Colorado’s lone run came on a Daniel Murphy double as the team notched five hits. Eric Hosmer shone with four hits (including a homer) and three RBI for San Diego, while Manny Machado added a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Josh Naylor also went yard. Garrett Richards went eight innings, allowing four hits and a walk plus one earned run. José Castillo earned the save.
Dodgers 2, Giants 1 (F/13)
The Dodgers improved to 3-0 via their second walkoff in three days. The lone San Francisco run came on an Evan Longoria blast. Mookie Betts homered for Los Angeles while Will Smith secured the entertaining walkoff hit by pitch. Drew Smyly and Julio Urias both allowed one run over seven innings with three hits and one hit, respectively. Tony Watson entered the game and hit Smith—the only batter he faced—to end the game.
Key Transactions
- Pirates’ Martin tears Achilles.
Pittsburgh Pirates left-fielder Jason Martin has been placed on the 60-day IL with a torn Achilles tendon. - Orioles send Chris Davis to minors.
Veteran first baseman Chris Davis’s run in the majors has come to an end. Baltimore sent him outright to Triple-A Norfolk.
Player of the Day
Eric Hosmer was the game’s star as he went four-for-five with a homer and three RBI for San Diego as they beat the Rockies and improved to 3-0, which is tied with the Dodgers for the best record in all of baseball.
Standings
AL East
Yankees (2-0)
Blue Jays (2-1)
Rays (1-1)
Red Sox (1-2)
Orioles (0-2)
AL Central
Twins (3-0)
Royals (1-1)
Tigers (1-1)
Indians (1-1)
White Sox (1-1)
AL West
Astros (2-1)
Mariners (2-1)
Rangers (1-2)
Angels (1-2)
Athletics (0-3)
NL East
Phillies (2-1)
Braves (2-1)
Mets (1-1)
Nationals (1-1)
Marlins (1-2)
NL Central
Cubs (2-0)
Reds (1-1)
Pirates (1-1)
Cardinals (1-1)
Brewers (0-2)
NL West
Padres (3-0)
Dodgers (3-0)
Diamondbacks (1-2)
Giants (0-3)
Padres (0-3)
