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The Juice: Yu Darvish strikes out 10 Yankees in dominating win, Cubs walk Cards off again

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

Yu are so beautiful: This is probably how Yu Darvish imagined nirvana in the major leagues before he left Japan: Tossing 8 1/3 shutout innings and striking out 10 against the New York Yankees to beat a fellow expatriate in a 2-0 win. Throwing 119 pitches and 82 strikes, it was the longest scoreless outing against the Yankees by a Rangers pitcher since Bob Tewksbury went the full nine in a 1995 victory. In just a handful of starts over here at age 25, Yu is establishing himself as "Must-See TV."

''You hear a lot of guys get hyped and he was everything that you'd heard,'' Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said.

He was better than Hiroki Kuroda, who shouldn't feel any shame in allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings. Ian Kinsler started the bottom of the first with his 21st career leadoff home run and Josh Hamilton added an RBI single in the third.

It was 50 years ago today (give or take): For the second straight night, the Cubs foiled the Cardinals bullpen again, tying the score in the bottom of the ninth and winning in the 10th on Alfonso Soriano's two-out RBI single. According to Cubs record-keeper Ed Hartig, it marked the first time since July 26-27, 1961 that they beat the Cards with consecutive walkoff wins at Wrigley. Stan Musial and Ernie Banks!

Bryan LaHair tied the score in the ninth with a home run against Marc Rzepczynski, and the Cubs appeared to get some help from the umpires to keep their rally going in the 10th against Fernando Salas. Did Tony Campana get his hand on the bag to steal second base before the tag came down? Bill Welke said yes, but Cards manager Mike Matheny said no so vociferously that he was ejected. That play, along with the Cards walking LaHair intentionally to get to Soriano, set up victory. Watch the drama (or whatever you call it in April) unfold:

Angels pay the Price: Left-hander David Price tossed his second career shutout, a 5-0 victory for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Angels. That also means, ergo, that Albert Pujols still hasn't hit a home run this season in 69 at-bats.

To a "T": Mat Latos might have outperformed Matt Cain in a 9-2 victory for the Reds against the Giants, but as Grant Bisbee of the McCovey Chronicles points out: At least Matt Cain spells his first name all of the way.

Happy birthday, Larry! Chipper Jones became the fifth player to homer on his 40th birthday, joining Bob Thurman, Joe Morgan, Wade Boggs and Tony Phillips. The Braves needed the homer, too, in a 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

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Quote of the Day: "I didn't learn how to hit yesterday" — a smiling David Ortiz, who has five homers and 28 hits overall this month.

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Photo of the Day: A big lunch crowd is expected to roll into a Tokyo Hooters at any moment to watch Yu Darvish try and finish off the Yankees.


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Three facts for the water cooler

• Carl Crawford's strained left elbow will be examined back in Fort Myers, Fla., where the Red Sox train. Boston manager Bobby Valentine said Crawford wanted a second opinion. ("OK, you're still a bust with the Red Sox." But seriously.)

• The Kansas City Royals have lost 12 straight, the third-longest streak in team history, and manager Ned Yost actually said "It looks bad, 12 in a row, but we're playing good baseball."

• The Oakland Athletics ended a 16-inning scoreless stretch, scratching across a pair of runs in the eighth on their way to a 2-0 victory against the White Sox.

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