After nearly no-hitting the Astros twice last season (including coming one out from a perfect game), Yu Darvish was nearly unhittable against Houston again on Friday night.
MLB news: Yu Darvish just misses a no-hitter, Jose Fernandez is human
For the third time in the past two seasons, Yu Darvish nearly no-hit the Astros, as he gave up just a single base knock to Houston on Friday. Jose Fernandez, meanwhile, struggled for the first time in what seems like forever against the Phillies.
Drew Hallowell
The Rangers ace Darvish struck out nine Houston hitters on Friday night and walked just one. No Astro reached second base while Darvish was on the mound. In seven career outings against the Astros, Darvish has given up just 13 earned runs, while striking out 4.8 times as many batters as he has walked.
Fernandez shows he's human against Phillies
Over his last 13 starts, Jose Fernandez had allowed no more than two earned runs in each outing, a phenomenal run of form that ranks among the longest such streaks for a starter dating back to 1914.
Through two starts this season, moreover, Fernandez had shown no signs of slowing up, allowing one earned run over 12⅓ innings, while striking out 17 batters and walking just two. An outing against the Phillies on Friday night looked like a sure bet for Fernandez to extend his streak, but then baseball’s unpredictability reared its head.
The Marlins right-hander surrendered three hits in the first inning, leading to two Philadelphia runs and then walked Ryan Howard with the bases loaded in the third inning to give up his third run on the night. Fernandez proceeded to strike out the side in the inning, but the damage was done and the streak over.
Despite striking out the side again in the fourth, Fernandez couldn’t escape the fifth inning and ended up allowing a career-high six earned runs against Philadelphia.
Zack Greinke, who starts for the Dodgers on Saturday, currently has a streak of 14 straight starts without allowing more than two earned runs, which is just one behind the longest streak since 1914, set by Mat Latos in 2010.
Bumgarner the power hitter
Giants starter Madison Bumgarner fell behind 3-0 to the Rockies on Friday night but did his work at the plate. He nearly hit a two-run home run in the third inning, settling for a sacrifice fly caught at the base of the left field wall. Then, one inning later, Bumgarner did this:
Bumgarner’s home run was the first grand slam by a Giants pitcher since Shawn Estes on May 24, 2000.
Angels going all right in pen
The Angels activated Dane De La Rosa from the 15-day disabled list, sending left-handed reliever Nick Maronde down to Triple-A Salt Lake. Last season for the Angels, De La Rosa posted a 2.86 ERA in 75 relief appearances, striking out 2.3 times as many batters as he walked. The move is significant in that the Angels will have no left-handers in their bullpen for the time being, although they do have three lefty starting pitchers in C.J. Wilson, Tyler Skaggs, and Hector Santiago.
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