The Baseball Slate's Heroes & Zeroes from April 7th
April 8th 2010 11:56
Heroes
Edgar Renteria
Renteria went an impressive 5 for 5 at the plate in the final game of a three game series against the hapless Houston Astros. He also knocked in two runs as San Francisco completed a shockingly easy sweep. It wasn't exactly like Renteria was cold coming into Wednesday's game, as he was already hitting .500 and his five hits in five at-bats raised his season average to a .727 clip.
Ronny Paulino
The Marlins' backup catcher only had one at-bat last night but it was a big one. In the top of the 10th with the game tied against the New York Mets, Paulino singled home Wes Helms, giving his team their first win of the year.
Kelly Johnson
On Wednesday night, Kelly Johnson went 3 for 3 with two home runs and three RBI in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 5-3 win over the Padres. His first home run gave his team a 1-0 lead, and his second blast tied the score at three after Scott Hairston had helped the Padres take a 3-1 lead. All those things would be impressive on their own, but the fact that Johnson had gone 0 for 7 in his first two games makes his performance yesterday all the more impressive.
Chipper Jones
Jones had only one hit yesterday, but it was a biggie. With his team down 2-1 in the 8th inning, Jones took the third pitch he saw from reliever John Grabow and deposited it into the seats for a two-run home run. The Braves went on to win 3-2.
Curtis Granderson
Granderson hit his second home run of the season in the top of the 10th to give his team a 2-1 lead. The Yankees went on to win 3-1. Granderson has now hit two homers for his brand new team, and his homer last night was against the Redsox closer, Jonathan Papelbon.
Kurt Suzuki
Suzuki went 2 for 3 with two RBI against the Seattle Mariners. His first RBI tied the game at five, and his second RBI won the game in the bottom of the ninth. It was the second straight game the A's won in their last at-bat, and the second straight game in which Suzuki played a large part in that victory. On Tuesday, Suzuki's solo home run tied the game, and allowed the A's to win it in the 10th.
Zeroes
Joakim Soria
While the Royals were able to win in extra innings, Soria blew a ninth inning lead and allowed the Tigers to tie the game. It was the second straight game in which the Royals bullpen choked up the lead. Luckily the rest of the bullpen was able to hold the Tigers down, and Kyle Farnsworth eventually got the win.
John Grabow
Coming off a ridiculously bad 16-5 loss, the Chicago Cubs desperately needed a win in game two of the season to get back on the right track. That win appeared within grasp when Grabow came into the game in the eighth inning. The lefty reliever retired the first batter he faced, then gave up a ringing double to Martin Prado, and a two run blast to Chipper Jones coughing up the lead.
Troy Glaus
His team eventually won last night, but it certainly wasn't thanks to Troy. Glaus went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts, including two especially bad showings in which he swung at strike three over his head. Glaus also made what was, at the time, a key error on a soft grounder by Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. Glaus booted the ball, allowing Dempster to reach base safely, and the Cubs to score the tying run. Chicago scored the go-ahead run one batter later. It's pretty bad when your team is 2-0, and you were still hearing boo birds (at home) when you came to bat.
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