MLB Scores and More: May 3

Friday’s Scores:

Reds 6, Cubs 5: Aroldis Chapman faltered badly giving up three runs in the ninth inning, to turn a non-save situation into a nail-biting finish but J.J. Hoover rescued the Reds with a game-ending strikeout of Darwin Barney with the bases loaded.

Phillies 4, Marlins 1: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Domonic Brown all homered to lead off innings and rookie starter Jonathan Pettibone threw 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing one run on five hits, with three strikeouts to beat the Marlins. Donovan Solano provided the only Marlins run with a solo home run in the fourth.

Indians 7, Twins 6 (10 innings): Drew Stubbs capped off a back-and-forth battle when his forth hit- and third triple- of the game brought in Mike Aviles for the walk off win. Chris Parmelee gave Minnesota a late lead with a three-run home run in the seventh, putting the Twins up 6-5, but Mark Reynolds' solo blast in the eighth tied things up again

Athletics 2, Yankees 0: A.J. Griffin shut down the Yankees offense with seven shutout innings scattering six hits and one walk and punching out four to outduel C.C. Sabathia. The Yankee lefty allowed just two runs in six innings in a losing effort. Adam Rosales home run to lead of the game was all the support Griffin and the Athletics needed, but Derek Norris added some insurance with an RBI-singe in he sixth.

Pirates 3, Nationals 1: Rookie Jordy Mercer broke up a one-one tie in the fifth with a two-run home run off Ross Detwiler in support of a strong outing from A.J. Burnett. The Pirates righty struck out nine over seven innings of work allowing just one run on five hits and one walk. Pirates closer Jason Grilli struck out the side to end the game and earn his MLB-best twelfth save.

Mariners 4, Blue Jays 0: Felix Hernandez threw eight scoreless innings striking out seven as the Blue Jays woes continue. Jays’ starter Ricky Romero lasted just four innings, giving up a two run shot to Kyle Seager in fourth and then loading the bases with a hit batter and two walks ahead of a Dustin Ackley RBI-single.

New York 7, Braves 5 (10 innings): When the Mets win in extra-innings, chances are Jordany Valdespin is at the center of things. The pinch-hitter-extraordinaire got the call in the tenth and drew a walk and stole second to put himself in position to score the go-ahead run on Ruben Tejeda’s single to center. David Wright and Marlon Byrd both hit game-tying home runs to keep the Mets in this one in the late innings.

Rangers 7, Red Sox 0: Adrian Beltre led the Rangers beat down of Felix Doubront and the Red Sox with four hits and three RBIs. Derek Holland was excellent allowing six hits and one walk over eight innings while striking out nine. Doubront lasted just 3 2/3 innnings for the Red Sox as a lack of velocity left him looking extremely hittable.

Tigers 4, Astros 3: The Tigers fought back after a seventh-inning rally by the Astros, winning on Alex Aviles’ two-run home run in the top of the ninth. Starter Doug Fister cruised through six innings, but ran into trouble in the seventh, giving up three runs on four hits and an error by second baseman Omar Infante. Aviles homer spoiled a strong start by Bud Norris, who received no decision after giving up two runs in seven innings and striking out seven.

Cardinals 6, Brewers 1: Kyle Lohse was hit hard by his former team allowing four runs on eleven hits, including a two-run shot by Matt Holliday, on his way to the loss. Shelby Miller held the Brewers to one run on seven hits and one walk. Holliday went 3-4 with a walk and scored three runs and John Jay went 2-3 with two RBIs to lead the Cardinals offensive attack.

Rays 7, Rockies 4 (10 innings): The Rays got three runs in the tenth on an Evan Longoria RBI single and a two-run home run from Kelly Johnson to beat the Rockies. Michael Cuddyer and Josh Rutledge both homered for the Rockies.

Angels 4, Orioles 0: Jason Vargas needed just 107 pitches in this complete game effort, allowing just three hits and two walks. Mike Trout provided the bulk of the offense, with a two-run home run in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh. Mark Trumbo also went deep for the Angels, leading off the second inning with a solo shot.

Padres 7, Diamondback 6: Gerardo Parra’s three run blast in the ninth brought the Diamondbacks to within one, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Padres. San Diego took the lead in the fifth with on a two-run home run from Yonder Alonso and they kept adding to it, getting a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth, providing them with just enough insurance to survive Brad Brach and Huston Street’s ninth-inning struggles.

Giants 2, Dodgers 1: Buster Posey put the finishing touch on a night of Dodgers suffering with a walk-off home run. This one had to be hard for Dodgers fans to take. They began the game missing Carl Crawford, Mark Ellis and Adrian Gonzalez thanks to injuries and in the sixth inning, they lost Hanley Ramirez to a hamstring pull. Despite all those missing players, Clayton Kershaw gave them an excellent chance to win, allowing just one run over seven innings. However, the depleted offense couldn't manage any better against Barry Zito and the Giants bullpen, leaving the game tied at 1-1 in the ninth and setting the stage for Posey's heroics.

White Sox vs Royals postponed

The Big Three

The Dodgers did not get to enjoy having Hanley Ramirez back for very long. Just four games after returning from off-season thumb surgery, Ramirez pulled his left hamstring. Adrian Gonzalez could also miss time as a neck injury forced him out of Friday night’s game. The Dodgers now have seven players on the DL and Ramirez is likely to be number eight. Mark Ellis, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez are also battling injuries and listed as day-to-day. The Dodgers were expected to contend this season, but the incredible rash of injuries is already putting those hopes in serious jeopardy. At 13-15, the Dodgers are fourth in the NL West and 3.5 games back. With a difficult May schedule ahead of them, this is a bad time for them to be missing several of their top offensive producers.

The Orioles could be without their best player for some time if the MRI on Chris Davis’ knee reveals serious damage. Davis has been fantastic so far this season, leading the league with a .690 slugging percentage and nine home runs. Davis has started every game at first for the Orioles and he currently has the best OPS on the club. With the Red Sox back in contention after a dreadful 2012 season and the Yankees showing players like Vernon Wells the way to the fountain of youth, the AL East is going to be a wide-open battle. Losing a player like Davis could be just enough to push out of the playoffs given how little difference there is between these clubs.

The Phillies are reportedly targeting Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. Even though the Marlins consistently deny that they are shopping the 23-year-old slugger, the Stanton-trade rumors keep rolling in. The Phillies have an obvious need for Stanton; their best position players are all growing long in the tooth and they rank eleventh in the National League in runs per game. So, they are targeting Stanton. That is understandable. What is more difficult to understand is how they think they could lure one of the best young players in the game away from a division rival with a farm system that Baseball America ranks at 23^rd in the game. GM Ruben Amaro has sent almost every high-upside player that has come through Philadelphia away in trades for players like Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Ben Revere. If they were only team out to land Stanton, maybe they could find a way to get him, but if Stanton ever does become available, almost everyone else in the game has a better chance of swinging a deal.

Other News…

The Cardinals Jason Motte will receive Tommy John surgery and that fate seems likely for the White Sox Gavin Floyd as well.

Aramis Ramirez returned to the Brewers last night going 2-3 after returning from a knee-sprain.

The Giants also got a veteran player back from injury yesterday. Reliever Jeremy Alffelt was activated from the DL along with prospect Francisco Peguero.