Another Tragic Victim of Hanley Ramirez Disease:

- in the fourth inning, Adam Jones cranked a ball to the wall in center field. Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan went back and tried to make a leaping grab, only to have the ball deflect off his glove. Did he chase after the ball and hold Jones to a double or triple, and avoid the wrath of those who consider a lack of hustle a semi-deadly sin? Nope. Thinking he'd deflected the ball into the stands for a homer, Morgan slammed his glove to the ground in frustration, thus allowing Jones to race around for an inside-the-park home run. Talk about your self-fulfilling prophesies.

Dueling Second Fiddles:

- Matt Cain threw eight innings, giving up just one unearned run on five hits and a walk while striking out four... and took the loss, as Gio Gonzalez threw eight shutout innings, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out five. Cain and Gonzalez have to play sidekick for Timmeh Lincecum and Brett Anderson in their respective Bay area rotations (at least when Anderson is healthy), but there are a lot of teams in the league who would like to have either one at the top oftheir staff now that Gio has sharpened his control that one extra notch he needed.

Notables:

- Daisuke Matsuzaka no-hit the Phillies for seven and two-thirds innings before Juan Castro lifted a feeble liner over Marco Scutaro's outstretched glove to end the bid for history. As you'd expect from any Dice-K start his control left something to be desired, as he walked four and struck out five, but this time his owners aren't complaining.
- Jeff Francis continues his great comeback, tossing 6.1 shutout innings to win his first game of the season.
- Kendry Morales went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI.
- Kevin Frandsen also went 3-for-4 with two doubles, plus a run scored. Much as the Angels want to give Brandon Wood every chance to succeed, he might be their third-best option at third base once Maicer Izturis is healthy.
- Alexis Rios was a one-man army, giving Gavin Floyd all the offense he needed with a two-run home run, but adding another RBI and a stolen base for good measure.
- Brennan Boesch went 2-for-5 with a home run and a double off Jonathan Broxton, and three RBI.
- Casey Blake went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, his third jack in his last five games. He waited until I benched him in the Staff League to go on this tear. He's dead to me.
- Jay Bruce made some contact for a change, going 4-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI. His batting average is now an entirely respectable .277.

Save Chances:

- Matt Capps, converted (16). Two strikeouts in a perfect inning.
- Andrew Bailey, converted (7). Two K's, one hit, one walk in a scoreless inning.
- Bobby Jenks, converted (7). One strikeout in a perfect inning. He was cracking 97 mph on the US Cellular radar gun, and it was Jenks' first three up, three down save since last August. The big man might just be rounding back into top form.
- Manny Corpas, converted (3). One strikeout in a clean inning.
- Jon Rauch, blown in impressive fashion (2). Ron Mahay started the ninth with a four run cushion and failed to record an out, giving up two hits and a walk and prompting Rauch to get the call with the bases loaded. The Twins closer not only allowed all the inherited runners to score, he added two more runs of his own onto the fire, finally slinking off the mound having given up three hits and a walk.
- Carlos Villanueva, blown (1) in soul-crushing fashion after the Brewers scored five off Mahay and Rauch in the top of the ninth. Justin Morneau greeted Villanueva with a double, followed by a line drive single from Michael Cuddyer and a one-out ground rule double by Delmon Young before Villanueva could finally get out of the inning. He did throw a scoreless 10th to try and atone, but on a club desperate for something to go their way, this one hurt. Losing the game in the 12th was almost a foregone conclusion.
- Rafael Soriano, converted (12). One K in a perfect ninth.
- Jonathan Broxton, converted (10). He struck out two but did get touched for a run on three hits, and it could have been worse if Brennan Boesch's double hasn't been of the ground rule variety.
- Carlos Marmol, converted (8). He also coughed up a run, but it wasn't entirely his fault. Marmol walked David Murphy to start the inning, pinch-runner Elvis Andrus took second due to defensive indifference with two out, and then Ian Kinsler spanked a single.

Other Closer Outings:

- Leo Nunez needed all of one pitch to get the final out for the Marlins in a 4-1 loss. He hadn't pitched since the 16th. Going out on a limb here, but I think he'll be available if needed tomorrow.
- Francisco Cordero's bad week continued. He came into the game with a four run lead, and gave half of it back on three hits and a walk.

Non-Closer Outings:

- Fernando Rodney, one strikeout and a hit allowed in two-thirds of an inning.
- John Axford got the call in the eighth inning with the Brewers down 6-2, striking out two and walking one in a scoreless frame. He should be next in line for saves after Villanueva, even if only by default.
- Frankie Francisco struck out two in a perfect ninth inning, coming on in a tie game and keeping it that way. He seems to have Ron Washington's confidence again and has a 6:1 K:BB ratio in his last six innings, but Neftali Feliz is locked in as the Rangers closer.
- Joel Zumaya kept dealing, throwing two no-hit innings to keep the Tigers in the game, striking out three and walking one.

Lineup-o-logy:

- Mark Ellis returned to action for Oakland, batting sixth and going 0-for-3.
- Trevor Plouffe started at shortstop for the Twins, hitting eighth and going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts plus a sac fly. It's taken him a while to finally get to the majors, but he's still only 23 and there's a reason why he was a first round pick in 2004. Owners in deeper AL-only leagues should probably consider throwing a couple of bucks his way, just in case.
- Trevor Crowe hit leadoff for the Indians, going 1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, two RBI and a throwing error in center field. If Grady Sizemore misses an extended stretch, Michael Brantley's battle with Service Time-itis could give Crowe a lot more playing time than you'd expect.

Tough Days:

- Kyle Lohse coughed up six runs on seven hits and three walks over just 3.1 innings, striking out one. Dave Duncan seems to have run out of pixie dust for Lohse, whose ERA is now 5.89.
- Ryan Braun went 0-for-6 with two K's in a 12-inning loss to the Twins. Not to be outdone, Denard Span went 0-for-7 for Minnesota.
- Armando Galarraga coughed up six runs (five earned) in 4.2 innings, on eight hits (including two home runs) and a walk. The Tigers have rotation questions; he isn't an answer.

Injuries:

- Ivan Rodriguez left the game after three innings with a sore back. Jesus Flores still isn't close to coming back, and the Nationals can't afford for the old man to break down now.
- Joe Inglett sprained his ankle and was replaced in left field by Jody Gerut. He's day-to-day until we hear something different.

Stolen Bases:

- Rajai Davis (15); BJ Upton (14); Alex Rios (13); Drew Stubbs 2 (11); Ryan Theriot (8); Jay Bruce (5); Willie Bloomquist (4); Orlando Hudson (4); Brandon Phillips (4); Gordon Beckham (3); Edgar Renteria (2); Placido Polanco (2); Brendan Ryan (1)

Caught Stealing:

- BJ Upton (4); David DeJesus (2); Alexei Ramirez (2); James Loney (2); Willie Bloomquist (1)

Home Runs:

- Ty Wigginton (13); Vlad Guerrero (10); Nelson Cruz (9); Matt Kemp (9); Alex Rios (8); Corey Hart (8); Alfonso Soriano (8); Josh Willingham (7); Casey Blake (6); Adam Jones (5) - see above; Mike Napoli (5); Matt Holliday (5); Lance Berkman (5); Brennan Boesch (4); Laynce Nix (4); Travis Hafner (4); Troy Tulowitzki (3); Starlin Castro (2)