Observations:
- B.J. Upton had a dreadful Sunday afternoon. For those that have yet to see the play, in the top of the 5th inning, on a ball hit by Diamondbacks' first baseman Rust Ryal to left-center, Upton chose to jog, rather than sprint, to pick up the ball. Ryal ended up with a triple and teammate Evan Longoria had some words for Upton, once they were both back in the dugout. The verbal exchange led to Upton having to be restrained, while Longoria walked away. To make matters worse, in the bottom of the inning, Upton drew a walk and was then picked off by pitcher Rodrigo Lopez. With a shot at redemption, Upton came up to bat in the bottom of the 9th with a man on and two out, down by 1 run. He hit a shot to deep left-center, but Chris Young tracked it down for the final out.
- Rather than talk about Upton's lack of effort/hustle on the play or what the Rays should/could do to better the team, which you can find here and here, I'd like to point out the opportunity that Upton now has before him. Upton can let the play affect his future at-bats and defense or he can use this play to fuel his fire to be the best player he can be. I know this sounds cliche, but it's true. He controls where his career goes from here. He can be known as the next Man-Ram, a guy who we never know how hard he's trying because he always seems sort of aloof, or he can be the next Charlie Hustle, a guy who would sprint to first base after drawing a walk. Man-Ram or Charlie Hustle, it's up to him.
- On top of Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs), Josh Beckett (back), and Dustin Pedroia (foot), the Red Sox now have Victor Martinez's fractured thumb to deal with. Ouch!
- Finally, I wonder if when Russell Branyan found out he was going back to the Mariners his first thought was the same as mine was: Why?
Notables:
- Shin-Soo Choo hit his 11th & 12 homers of the season. He's got 12 stolen bases and a .286 batting average this season too.
- Jonathan Niese and the Mets bullpen shutout the Twins. Niese pitched 6 innings with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks. Despite his last start against the Tigers, the month of June was good to Niese as he collected 4 wins with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.
- David Wright went 3-4 with a homer and stolen base. He now leads the NL in RBI with 61.
- Justin Verlander picked up his 9th win, after going 7 innings and allowing 4 earned runs to the Braves. He struck out 6, walked 2, and gave up 6 hits. He's now won 4 out of his last 5 games.
- Austin Jackson went 3-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, while fellow rookie Brennan Boesch went 2-5 with 2 runs, 3 RBI, and a homer, his 12th. For the season, Jackson is hitting .307, while Boesch is hitting .338.
- Jamie Moyer struck out 7 Blue Jays batters and walked none in a win. He pitched 7 innings, allowed 2 earned runs, and 6 hits. The 2 earned runs came on a Vernon Wells homer, his 19th. For Moyer, the homer has significance, as it puts him #1 on the all-time leaderboard, passing Robin Robers, for most homers allowed with 506. Moyer has now won his last 3 starts and 4 out of his last 5. With 267 wins for his career, Moyer might get to 300 yet. I know I'd love to see him get there.
- Wade Davis pitched a season high 7.1 innings and allowed 2 earned runs in a loss. He struck out 5 Diamondbacks batters, walked 3, and gave up 4 hits. Coming into Sunday's start, Davis had a .378 BABIP for the month of June. His BABIP was .250 in April and .269 in May.
- Ryan Dempster won his 6th game of the season, after he allowed 3 earned runs over 7 innings to the White Sox. He struck out 8, walked only 1, and allowed 9 hits. He's now 6-6 with a 23:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 3 starts.
- Paul Konerko hit his 20th homer of the season, tying him for the MLB lead. He now ranks 6th in RBI (56) and 5th in OPS (.984) in MLB.
- Mat Latos took a no decision after he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 1 earned run. He struck out 5 Marlins batters, walked 4, and allowed 5 hits. The 4 walks match a season high for Latos, who now carries a 0.99 WHIP, 3rd lowest in MLB. At 91.2 IP, it's probably only a matter of time till we hear talk about the Padres skipping one of his starts.
- Anibal Sanchez also took a no decision in that game. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 1 earned run, 4 walks, and 4 hits. He struck out only 1 batter, his lowest total since April 22nd.
- Albert Pujols hit his 16th homer and stole his 7th base of the season, against the Royals. Pujols is now batting .306 with 51 RBI.
- Colby Rasmus also hit his 16th homer of the season, in the same game. According to Hit Tracker it went 483 ft and was the 2nd longest homer this season. I'll discuss the longest homer of the season, later in the Nightcap.
- David DeJesus, who has been the subject of many trade rumors, went 3-5 with 2 RBI. He's now batting .331 on the season.
- Jhoulys Chacin struckout a season high 12 batters in a loss to the Angels. He pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 earned runs, 3 walks, and 5 hits. According to Keith Law, "Only 15 other pitchers have gone 6 or fewer IP with 12+ Ks and been given the loss." Chacin now has 1 win in his last 6 starts and could be moved to the bullpen once Jorge De La Rosa comes back.
- Ervin Santana didn't pitch as well as Chacin, but came out with a win none-the-less. He allowed 3 earned runs over 6.2 innings with 7 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 8 hits. Over his last 3 games, Santana has 2 wins and a 19:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Jason Vargas allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings in a loss to the Brewers. He struck out 2, walked 1, and allowed 7 hits. He's yet to walk more than 3 batters in any of his starts this season and now carries a 2.80 ERA, good for 6th lowest in the AL, among starting pitchers.
- Rickie Weeks went 4-5 with a homer, his 13th. He's now tied with Kelly Johnson for the most homers among NL second basemen.
- Gio Gonzalez allowed 1 run over 6 innings in a no decision. He struck out 2, walked 4, and allowed 4 hits. Lately, wins have been hard to come by for Gonzalez, who has 1 win, 4 no decisions, and 2 losses since May 22nd.
- Jon Lester was on his game Sunday against the Giants. He struck out 9 batters, walked only 1, and gave up 5 hits over 9 innings in a win. In the AL, he now ranks 4th in wins (9), 2nd in strikeouts (111), and 8th in ERA (2.86). With innings limits likely to come for Price, Hughes, and Buchholz, Lester has a great shot to win the AL pitching triple-crown.
- David Ortiz went 1-4 and hit his 16th homer of the season. In April he was ice cold with a .232 wOBA, .524 OPS, and 1 HR. In May he was red hot with a .502 wOBA, 1.211 OPS, and 10 HRs. This June he's been warm with a .350 wOBA, .818 OPS, and 5 HRs. For his career, July is Ortiz's best month as he has a .437 wOBA and 1.049 OPS.
- Clayton Kershaw gave up 2 earned runs to the Yankees over 7 innings. He struck out 5 and walked none, in a no decision. The zero walks is a first for Kershaw this season.
- Josh Hamilton hit a 485 ft bomb off of Roy Oswalt. According to Hit Tracker it was the longest homer hit this season. To my surprise, Jason Heyward's opening day 476 ft homer was the longest homer this season, before Sunday. Back to Hamilton, he ranks in the top 5 in all of the AL hitting Triple Crown categories with 18 HRs, 57 RBI, and a .346 batting average. Miguel Cabrera is right there with him, as he has 20 HRs, 64 RBI, and a .332 batting average.
Save Chances:
- Andrew Bailey, converted (14). Gave up 2 hits and walked one. This game ended after Pedro Alvarez was hit in the foot with the ball from teammate Jose Tabata's bat. In the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs, Kurt Suzuki popped out to Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo, but he dropped it. With his at-bat still alive, Suzuki then homer to give the A's the lead 3-2. You can't make this stuff up...
- Alfredo Simon, converted (9). Struck out 1 and conceded 1 walk in a scoreless 9th.
- John Axford, converted (7). Struck out 3 and allowed 1 hit in a scoreless 9th. Trevor Hoffman who?
- Kerry Wood, converted (6). Struck out the side in what was probably his best appearance of the season.
- Aaron Heilman, converted (2). Allowed 1 walk in a scoreless 9th. Since May 11th, he's had only 1 appearance in which he hasn't given up a hit or walk.
- Luke Gregerson, converted (1). Struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 9th inning. Heath Bell had the day-off.
Other Closer Outings:
- Mariano Rivera pitched 2 scoreless innings, struck out 3 Dodgers hitters, and walked 1. He got a win after the Yankees took the lead in the top of the 10th. Rivera now has a 0.92 ERA and is probably made from the same liquid metal stuff the T-1000 was made from.
- Jonathan Broxton was very un-Broxtonian as he allowed 4 earned runs, 2 walks, and 4 hits in 1 inning. He wasn't charged with a blown save, as the Dodgers held a 4-run lead when he came into the game, but make no mistake, he blew the game for the Dodgers. Broxton had given up 3 earned runs all season, prior to this game. The last time he gave up 4 earned runs was May 11th... of 2008.
- Jose Valverde struck out 1 and gave up 1 hit, in a scoreless 9th.
- Carlos Marmol gave up 3 earned runs on 3 walks and 2 hits. He also struck out 2 batters.
- Leo Nunez struck out 1 and walked another in a scoreless 9th.
- Neftali Feliz walked 1 batter in a scoreless 9th.
Non-Closer Outings:
- Matt Guerrier & Jose Mijares each threw 1-2-3 scoreless innings.
- Tyler Clippard took a loss after he allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and 1 walk. The loss, his 5th, now gives him 13 decisions on the season.
- David Hernandez picked up his 3rd win of season, after striking out 2 Nationals batters in the 8th.
- Joaquin Benoit struck out the side in the 9th. He's now got a 0.86 ERA.
- Sean Marshall pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning.
- Kyle Farnsworth pitched 2 scoreless innings for the Royals. He now has a 2.27 ERA.
- Kevin Jepsen struck out 1 in a scoreless 8th.
- Evan Meek was the pitcher who gave up the go-ahead homer to Kurt Suzuki in the bottom of the 8th, after Jaramillo dropped what would have been the final out of the inning. Meek did however strikeout 4 A's batters over the 2 innings he pitched.
- Craig Breslow struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 8th inning.
Tough Days: AKA Justin Rose's Final Round
- Tim Lincecum lasted only 3 innings against the Red Sox. He gave up 4 earned runs on 3 walks and 5 hits. He struck out only 4 batters, in his shortest outing since opening-day last season. The loss snaps a string of 3 straight wins.
- Roy Oswalt had his worst start of the season, Sunday night against the Rangers. He pitched 4.2 innings, gave up 7 earned runs, 4 walks, and 7 hits in the loss. His record is now 5-10, but his 3.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP help shed light as to how good he has really been this season. As a life-long Astros fan, I hope Roy-O gets traded to a team that can give him legit run support.
- Tommy Hanson got lit up by the Tigers. He allowed 5 earned runs over 3.2 innings, on 8 hits and 2 walks. That's now back-to-back rough outings for the sophomore.
- Scott Baker gave up 6 earned run on 11 hits, over 4.1 innings. He did strikeout 6 Mets batters and walk none, however. His ERA is now 4.97.
- Jaime Garcia managed to get only 6 outs, but not before he gave up 5 earned runs on 2 walks and 4 hits against the Royals.
- Franklin Morales & Manny Corpas combined to give up 5 earned runs over 2 innings. The Rockies really need Huston Street to step up right now.
- Jayson Werth went 0-5 with 2 K and 0 runs, out of the 3 hole in the lineup. The Phillies as a team got 13 hits and scored 11 runs.
- Jeff Mathis went 0-4 with 4 K for the Golden Sombrero. In the same game, Mike Napoli hit a 3-run homer and took 2 walks. There's a rumor floating around that the Angels may trade Napoli for a first baseman. Mike Scioscia and his catchers...
Lineup-ology:
- Bobby Jenks was placed on the bereavement list. Matt Thornton & JJ Putz should take over the late inning pitching situations.
- Mike Sweeney was placed on the DL with back spasms.
- Juan Uribe was not in the lineup for the Giants. With Edgar Renteria back, Freddy Sanchez at 2nd, and Pablo Sandoval at 3rd, Uribe has shifted to a utility role.
- Aaron Rowand did not start for the Giants. He just hasn't been productive enough to prove worthy of everyday at-bats.
- Adrian Beltre hit a pinch-hit homer for the Red Sox. He came off the bench, with David Ortiz starting at 1B and Kevin Youkilis at 3B.
- Derrek Lee hit out of the DH spot for the Cubs. He's day-to-day with a back issue.
- Matt Joyce again played in place of Carl Crawford, who continues to deal with a shoulder injury.
- Dayan Viciedo was not in the lineup as Omar Vizquel started at 3B and Paul Konerko was the DH.
- Garrett Atkins was designated for assignment by the Orioles... surprise, surprise.
- Ty Wigginton was back in the Orioles lineup. He had been dealing with a back injury.
- Everth Cabrera was back in the lineup for the Padres. He recently came off the DL.
- Angel Pagan was out of the Mets lineup. He's been dealing with a sore oblique. Jesus Feliciano replaced him.
- Eric Patterson will reportedly join the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Young Money:
- Emilio Bonifacio got a rare start at CF for the Marlins, as the struggling Mike Stanton got the day off. And I was like, Emilioooo!
- Jason Heyward will be out of the lineup for the Braves on Monday. He's got a nagging thumb issue that's being looked at.
- Pedro Alvarez got the day off for the Pirates. He's batting .114 with a .151 wOBA. Striking out almost half the time (48.6|PERCENT| K rate) will do that.
Comings/Goings:
- Coming: Matt LaPorta (Indians), Bill Bray (Reds), Erick Threets (White Sox), David Pauley (Mariners), & Koji Uehara (Orioles).
- Going: Sam LeCure (Reds) & Mike Carp (Mariners).
- Traded: Russell Branyan to Seattle & Eric Patterson to Boston.
Injuries:
- Watch: Mike Cameron (abdomen), Victor Martinez (foot & thumb), Carl Crawford (shoulder), Brad Hawpe (bruised ribs), Clay Buchholz (hamstring/knee), & Jason Heyward (left thumb).
- DL Bound: Mike Sweeney (back spasms), & Mark DeRosa (wrist - moved from 15 to 60 day DL).
Chicks Dig the Long Ball:
- Paul Konerko (20), Vernon Wells (19), Albert Pujols (16), Josh Hamilton (18), Joey Votto (16), Colby Rasmus (16), David Ortiz (16), Robinson Cano (15), David Wright (14), Mike Napoli (13), Rickie Weeks (13), Shin-Soo Choo (11 & 12), Brennan Boesch (12), Adrian Beltre (12), Alex Rodriguez (11), Michael Young (11), Alfonso Soriano (11), Tyler Colvin (10), Kurt Suzuki (10), Ike Davis (9), Ian Stewart (9), Jeff Francoeur (8), Will Venable (8), Roger Bernadina (5), Carlos Santana (4), Brandon Wood (3), Wilson Betemit (3), Gerardo Parra (2), Ronnie Belliard (2), & Lastings Milledge (1).
Stolen Bases:
- Juan Pierre (29), Scott Podsednik (21 & 22), Alex Rios (21), Chone Figgins (21), Andres Torres (12 & 13), David Wright (13), Evan Longoria (12), Johnny Damon (6 & 7), Albert Pujols (7), Brendan Ryan (5 & 6), Kelly Johnson (6), Jamey Carroll (6), Brooks Conrad (4), Martin Prado (3), Emilio Bonifacio (2), & Gerald Laird (2).
Caught Stealing:
- Alex Rios (7), Tony Gwynn Jr. (4), Austin Jackson (3), Marco Scutaro (3), & Clint Barmes (1).