The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs stood out in an intruiging Saturday of MLB action.
Boston took home a 10-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays for their seventh straight win since their bullpen blew an eighth-inning lead in the season opener.
The Red Sox have been succeeding on the back of their starting pitching and Saturday was no different. Rick Porcello tossed 7 1/3 innings and allowed just three runs, giving him two wins to start the year. Xander Bogaerts' six RBIs were a big help as well.
.@RickPorcello getting it done today! 👊 pic.twitter.com/rxUKL3eLGp
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 7, 2018
Meanwhile, the Cubs have been remarkably up and down so far this season and it took a two-run single from Ian Happ in the ninth to break the game open in their 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
After leading off the season with a home run on the very first pitch of 2018, Happ had struck out in 16 of his next 24 at-bats. He was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts on Saturday before stepping to the plate in the ninth and the big hit came as a relief to the former first-round pick.
When a reporter asked an obvious question, about whether his slump was frustrating, Happ had an obvious response. "Uh, yeah," he replied.
This is my W. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/8kVZR0MyK0
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 7, 2018
GIANTS EDGE OUT DODGERS, COLE SHINES FOR ASTROS
Andrew McCutchen went 6 for 7 with four RBIs and a walk-off, three-run home run in the 14th inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 7-5 win over the LA Dodgers.
Great moments ... are born from great opportunity.#walkoff pic.twitter.com/MIVhdOVmxX
— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2018
It was the first six-hit game of the season in MLB; the most recent such performance came from Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon on April 30, 2017.
Gerrit Cole threw seven innings of five-hit, shutout ball with 11 strikeouts in the Houston Astros' 1-0, 10-inning win over the San Diego Padres. Cole has struck out 22 batters in two starts for Houston.
The Cole Train keeps rolling. His 22 strikeouts in his first two starts with the #Astros is a franchise record. 🔥 #NeverSettle pic.twitter.com/8Y5DcEYH4u
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 8, 2018
MARLINS MASTERED IN PHILADELPHIA
The Philadelphia Phillies hung a truly cooked number on the Miami Marlins, winning 20-1 on Saturday. Third baseman Maikel Franco and outfielder Aaron Altherr both hit grand slams to lead the Phillies' fireworks.
Well, that was fun: https://t.co/5sx2mI8pmx#RingTheBell | #BeBold pic.twitter.com/QuKmgIBVCk
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 8, 2018
