Daily Roundup: 04/03/11

- So, Rangers/Red Sox.
– Texas slugged .779 in this series.
— The Rangers set a franchise record for XBH in a series, including 11 HR. This team can hit, but that is crazycakes.
—- Clay Buchholz gave up nine home runs all of 2010. He gave up four TODAY.
—– The Red Sox allowed at least three home runs in all three games. Last year they didn’t allow three home runs in back-to-back games.
—— Texas already has more home runs than the Mariners or Astros had all of last April

- Jose Bautista has two HR already. Maybe eventually we should stop including him here. Nah.

- The Pirates won four road series in 2010, and two were at Wrigley. They already have won a road series in 2011… at Wrigley.
– the Pirates won because Carlos Marmol blew a save in the top of the ninth. This isn’t THAT odd in itself, but there were some rarities:
— the tying and go-ahead runs scored … on an infield single. … by Pedro Alvarez.
—- Marmol struck out no one.
—– Also, NL Central closers are apparently cursed. Apart from Joel Hanrahan.
—— Also also in this game, Cubs’ pitcher Matt Garza’s line: 7 IP, 12 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. He’s only the third pitcher since 1919 to have 12 hits given up and 12 strikeouts in the same game. He currently has an -0.32 FIP, thank you to @benbadler for that last one. (Also, the third pitcher since 1995, when Mel Stottlemyre did it, and it happened to Curt Schilling in 2001. But let’s face it, “since 1995″ isn’t as impressive as “since 1919.” And none of those pitchers walked anyone, either.)
——- Everyone in the Pirates’ lineup had at least one hit and struck out at least once. Everyone. Including the pitcher.

- Speaking of things that haven’t happened in a while, the Phillies swept the Astros today. This was the first time the Phillies have opened at home with a three-game sweep since 1899 (!!!).
– And the Rays started out 0-3. This is the first time in franchise history they’ve ever done that, even when they had some truly awful teams prior to 2008.
— They were swept by the Orioles, and the Rays scored three runs in the whole series.

- Speaking of winning road series, the Mets didn’t win a road series against an NL team until August of last season. They did it in their first try this year.

- The Cardinals won today, salvaging their three-game set with the Padres, but Pujols was two-for-thirteen with four GIDPs in the series. Not that it really matters because I’m pretty sure he’ll be juuust fine.

- the Tigers’ Max Scherzer gave up four home runs, and has an ERA over nine, and got the ~win~
– He’s the first Tigers pitcher to give up four home runs and win in almost four years.

- Matt Treanor was traded from the Rangers to the Royals on March 28. Today, he hit a walk-off HR for his new team.