The pennant races are getting closer, the teams are at each other's throats and life is great when we have baseball to watch on a hot summer night.

I was 12 years old on May 7, 1957. I was huddled around the radio as I was every night growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. Herb Score was on the mound and he was one of my favorite players. The Tribe was playing the dreaded Yankees. Gil McDougald was the second man up in the inning. Herb Score's career changed with one swing of the bat. McDougald hit a vicious line drive screaming back to the mound. Score froze and the ball hit him in the eye. In my young mind it seemed he was on the ground for an eternity. There was no crowd noise. Nobody thought he'd ever see again let along pitch. As it turned out, Score returned to the mound after a lengthy rehab. He never really was the same pitcher. He went on to have a marvelous career as a play by play announcer and died recently in a suburb of Cleveland. He was probably one of the most popular Indians ever.

Tonight, I saw a similar incident with my own eyes. At Chase Field in Phoenix, Dodger pitcher Hiroki Kuroda was hit on the side of the head by a wicked line drive off the bat of pinch hitter Rusty Ryal. There is no way to describe the sound of the ball hitting Kuroda. I've never really heard anything quite like that before. if you can imagine this, after the ball hit Kuroda it bounded all the way to the backstop and bounced into the stands behind home plate.
That's how hard it was hit. Kuroda was placed on a stretcher and taken to St Joesph's Hospital where they have an outstanding trauma and neurological center. He was awake and alert and had no signs of internal bleeding Please keep Hiroki Kuroda in your thoughts.

That crash you might be hearing is the Dodgers falling from their perch above the National League West. They are giving ground to the surprising Rockies. Isn't Jim Tracy doing an outstanding job in Colorado? Joe Torre didn't seem very upset or unnerved in his pre-game press conferences the last two nights. Tonight, Jonathan Broxton gave up two home runs in the same game for probably his first time ever.

If you haven't given Miguel Montero a look at catcher, you may want to do so. He is a very steady hitter now, getting better every day. He hangs in against lefties and has taken the starting catching job away from Chris Snyder. Now you know why major league players don't always tell The Brass when they're hurt. Their job could be at stake. Snyder had a bad back and couldn't bend over. Hard to hide it. Snyder went on the DL. Montero went on a tear. And Snyder went to the bench upon his return to the roster.

Those of you who read me consistently know my thoughts about Alcides Escobar. He's off to a 6/15 start with Milwaukee and is running, as he should.
He's more advanced at the plate at this age (22) than Omar Vizquel was. Escobar will be 23 in December.

I wouldn't worry about Brian Matusz. As predicted, he'll scuffle a bit against major league hitters until he gets a comfort level with his new surroundings. His stuff is that good.

The Cubs found the Pirates at the right time, didn't they? Lou looks very tense to me.

Pablo Sandoval is not a surprise. Pablo Sandoval's power is a surprise. Most people thought he was strictly a free-swinging gap hitter. He's that alright. And more. I just get a kick out of watching him play. I sang his praises all pre-season, but I didn't predict the jacks. If they only had one more bat in that lineup. But they don't. By the way, in Tim Lincecum's last game this week, Raffy Furcal was out at first on a bang, bang play. It was clear as day on the replays I saw. Umpires are human. If that call goes a different way, Lincecum gets the win. It didn't and he didn't.

Think of this--Eric Wedge played Ryan Garko in right field earlier this season. Yes, he's a good athlete. But every time I think of that game earlier this summer I pin point the day Wedge showed panic. I thought it was a stretch when he put him in left several times, but right field? No way. Don't be tempted to do it Bruce Bochy.

Manny swung so hard tonight I thought his bat would turn to sawdust.

Yes, Zack Greinke is a very good pitcher. How can he ever win in Kansas City? I feel terrible for him. No run support and no defense. It's real tough to strike out every hitter. Runs up the pitch count.

There's reason to worry about these first round draft choices all being signed by Monday. Hope you did't bet the ranch on them in keeper leagues. Mr. Strasburg may not get the sun, the moon and the stars as a signing bonus. He may just be playing independent League Baseball like Stephen Drew did when Mr. Boras represented Mr. Drew. If he doesn't sign now he sits out a year and loses that much development time and salary.

The Diamondbacks have a heck of a decision to make about Mr. Brandon Webb, don't they? Of course, they were hoping they could see him on the mound this season in an effort to evaluate his health. That won't happen. They have to decide about his option from the information they have gleaned from medical reports. Shoulders are much tougher to evaluate than elbows. Exercise the option or pass. What would you do?

If he can stay healthy, Florida got one heckuva hitter in Nick Johnson.

Someone leaked the fact that Doug Davis was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had long conversations with the DBacks about Davis going in to the trading deadline. The DBacks asking price was too high. Now, they claimed Davis and had a window of opportunity to make a deal with the Brewers to get him. Window closed. No deal. Davis wants at least a two year deal in his next contract. He should just start every inning from the stretch. He constantly has men on base. But give him credit. He gets out of jams. He is slllllllllllllllllllllllllow on the mound. If the DBacks let him walk it will leave a huge hole in their already shaky rotation.

Doesn't the law of averages dictate that ARod will have a great post-season?

Tommy Hanson could be Rookie of the Year. Why not? In one of my very, very early Minor League Reports for Rotowire I wrote about Hanson. I saw him in the Fall League where he was dominant. Don't sleep on the Braves, Marlins or Rockies. This is going to get very interesting and it'll be loads of fun to watch. Pennant races are great. Especially if they happen in your city or with your fantasy guys on the teams.

I leave you tonight with this thought...Will we ever see the hitter that is supposed to be B. J. Upton? Good night!