Programming Change:

- This is a recording. Apparently the word isn't yet out to all of our readers/listeners that RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today has switched channels. We're still on the air at the same time, 11-2 et on Monday-Friday, on XM/Sirius's new Fantasy Sports Channel - XM147, Sirius211 (which is a "best of XM" channel).

Meltdown of the Year, the Sequel:

- Arguably the Reds' blowup against the Braves on May 20 could have been worse, blowing a 9-1 lead and 9-3 in the ninth. But the Rockies' nine-run ninth inning comeback win over the Cardinals was pretty brutal, especially given how the Cardinals haven't played all that well lately. This one was also noteworthy because the Cardinals had to use two of their better relievers in Kyle McClellan and Jason Motte in the sixth and seventh innings, thanks in part to Trever Miller's failure to retire anyone in the seventh. Still, Motte needed just six pitches to get out of the seventh - arguably, he should have gone out for the eighth, instead of trying to extend Denny Reyes (who had pitched better recently after a rough patch earlier this season) multiple innings. Cards manager Tony La Russa recognized the danger by bringing in closer Ryan Franklin with a six run lead, but Franklin just didn't have it, giving up six runs on six hits and two homers, including the game-winner by Seth Smith. As is the cliche, the great thing about baseball is that they play the next day, and because the Reds got shut out, the Cards are still just two games back with a lot more home games remaining. Don't make more out of this than it is - it's an ugly, gut-wrenching loss, but it doesn't consign the Cardinals to the non-contenders pile by any means.
- How annoying must it be to own Todd Helton and/or Brad Hawpe, see that the Rockies won another Coors Field special, and then see that neither Helton nor Hawpe had anything to do with it? Hawpe once again didn't start, but did have a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning, accounting for the second out of the inning. Helton (back) didn't play at all.
- Jeff Francis was pretty awful again (4.0IP, 6H, 5ER, 2BB, 1K), but so was Jhoulys Chacin in relief (3.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 1BB, 3K). This fifth starter battle once Jorge De La Rosa returns won't be ultimately settled for another month.

I've Got Your All-Star Snub Right Here:

- Just as Joey Votto homered twice on Monday, so did Ryan Zimmerman on Tuesday, with the latter being a walk-off against Luke Gregerson.
- Delmon Young went 3-for-3 with a walk, RBI and run scored.
- Carlos Gonzalez went 4-for-6 with a homer, two runs and three RBI.

Is it Real, Or is it Memorex?

- Wandy Rodriguez K'd 10 while allowing one run over seven innings. But it was against the Pirates. He has won his last three starts and this was his high strikeout game of the year.

Buying Opportunity:

- Jake Peavy will almost certainly need to go on the DL for what is now being called a strained latissimus dorsi muscle. Dan Hudson will probably get the start in place - Hudson has 108 K's in 93.1 innings, but has served up 13 homers. That combo could make for quite a lot of variance, especially at home. If he gets Peavy's next start, it would be at home against the Royals.

Notables:

- Ian Desmond homered and threw a runner out at the plate, but also committed his 21st error of the season to allow the tying run to score for the Padres in the eighth inning.
- Matt Wieters doubled and tripled in the loss to the Tigers. He's had a miserable season so far - but I still believe in the talent, even if it takes awhile to develop. But what do you do about him in redraft mixed leagues that require you to start just one catcher?
- Jesse Litsch got pounded again, giving up five runs on seven hits (including two homers) over 5.1 innings. He didn't strike out a single batter, and his ERA sits at 7.30. When Shaun Marcum returns, it could be Litsch and not Marc Rzepczynski that loses the rotation spot.
- Carl Pavano gave up three homers among his eight hits to give up six runs. The only thing that kept it from being worse was that he didn't walk a batter - he has served up only 17 walks all year, and the Blue Jays are especially bad at drawing walks.
- Jeff Niemann held the Red Sox to one unearned run over six innings, giving up four hits and three walks while striking out five.
- Johan Santana threw a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits by the Reds while striking out five. The only time the Reds threatened was in the first inning, when Brandon Phillips had a leadoff double and got to third with one out.
- Justin Masterson crushed a lot of souls that had believed in him after his last start, giving up seven runs on nine hits and three walks over 5.1 innings against the Rangers.
- Madison Bumgarner got his first major league win, shutting out the Brewers over eight innings. He allowed three hits and three walks, striking out five.
- Carlos Silva and Livan Hernandez both annoy me when they do well. So yeah, I was annoyed on Tuesday night. That said, Silva had to leave with a calf muscle strain after six innings.
- Welcome to the fantasy-friendly world. Ramirez hit two homers and might finally be recovered from his thumb injury if Tuesday night is any indication.
- Trevor Cahill's strong run ended courtesy of A-Rod, who homered twice to account for five of the six runs that Cahill allowed.
- CC Sabathia was dominant against the A's, striking out 10 over 7.2 innings, giving up just one run.
- Zack Greinke was back in form on Tuesday night, holding the Mariners to one unearned run over seven innings. He struck out nine while allowing two hits and two walks. The Royals benefited from a fan interference call in the eighth inning that prevented the tying run to score on a Russell Branyan double against Blake Wood.

Save Chances:

- Billy Wagner, converted (18). I still don't like how the Braves gave up the draft pick to get wagner as opposed to just keeping Rafael Soriano, but at least you can't argue with Wagner's performance.
- Alfredo Simon, blown (2). Simon gave up a game-tying homer to Miguel Cabrera, blowing Jake Arrieta's win. Simon's competition for the closing job, at least until Mike Gonzalez returns, all bonked on Tuesday too - Jason Berken and David Hernandez both gave up two runs, including a walk-off homer by Johnny Damon against Hernandez.
- Jon Rauch, converted (19). He's one of a handful AL closers bought on the cheap that's really panned out - along with Neftali Feliz and Rafael Soriano (your definition of "cheap" may vary on him).
- Rafael Soriano, converted (23). This was a bumpy one - he gave up a run on a hit and two walks. Thanks to an insurance run provided by Carl Crawford, he was able to escape with the save. One of the walks was an intentional walk to David Ortiz, who got the free pass three times.
- Bobby Jenks, converted (18). Jenks gave up a single but otherwise no damage, striking out one.
- Carlos Marmol, converted (16). Marmol is illegal in 37 states. He struck out five in 1.2 innings, giving up one hit. He has a whopping 77 K's in 40.2 innings. Owning him turns your second-tier starter into a first-tier one, thanks to the crazy-good K-rate. Would you rather have Evan Meek than Marmol on the All-Star game? If not, your name might not be Charlie Manuel.
- Jonathan Broxton, converted (18). Credit Joe Torre's skittish nature with non-closer relievers for this one - the ninth started out 7-2, and Travis Schlichting gave up three singles while retiring one batter before Torre turned to Broxton with a four-run lead. Because of the "tying runner on-deck" rule, Broxton came into a save situation.
- Joakim Soria, converted (24). Two strikeouts, one single allowed in a scoreless inning.

Other Closer Outings:

- Brad Lidge pitched a clean ninth inning in a tie game, striking out two.
- Matt Capps got the win when he pitched a scoreless ninth in a tie game (despite giving up two hits) and Ryan Zimmerman homered in the bottom of the inning.
- Ryan Franklin (see above).
- Aaron Heilman is doing his best argument that he shouldn't close, giving up a two-run homer to turn a two-run deficit to a four-run one.

Non-Closer Reliever Outings:

- Tyler Clippard struggled again, giving up a run on two hits and an error while retiring just one batter.
- Luke Gregerson gave up a game-winning homer to the first batter he faced after being unavailable on Sunday due to a sore back.
- The White Sox's bullpen did yeoman's work after Jake Peavy's injury. Tony Pena gets a special gold start for going 4.1 innings, giving up one run to get the win. J.J. Putz and Matt Thornton did their usual business before Bobby Jenks closed it out.
- Manny Corpas threw two shutout innings while down six runs. His effort got rewarded with the win following the Rockies' rally.

Lineup-o-logy:

- Felix Pie came off the DL and started in left field, but instead of batting leadoff, he hit seventh. Corey Patterson stayed in the leadoff spot, as the DH. Until Luke Scott returns, the playing time battle will be between DH/1B/2B, between Patterson, Ty Wigginton (he'll play, just a question of where), Julio Lugo and Jake Fox. Once Scott returns, that picture gets muddled further.
- Austin Jackson got a routine day off - there's no injury here. Don Kelly started in CF and leadoff in his place. The O's certainly didn't mind Jim Leyland spotting a .260 OBP guy at the top of the order.
- All-Star Omar Infante got the start in right field for the Braves, batting second.
- Jose Reyes (oblique) was back in the lineup in the leadoff spot, but can only bat right-handed for a few days.
- J.J. Hardy was kept out of the starting lineup but later came in for defensive purposes.
- Michael Cuddyer once again started at third base - this arrangement allows them to get the bats of Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Jim Thome all in the lineup without removing Cuddyer.
- Michael Young and Elvis Andrus were given the night off. Their replacements, Andres Blanco and Joaquin Arias, went a combined 5-for-10 with six RBI and three runs scored.
- Brent Lillibridge once again started at second base, despite a vote of confidence in Gordon Beckham from the White Sox.
- As promised by manager Ken Macha, Alcides Escobar was benched in favor of Craig Counsell, who went 0-for-2 with two walks, but with, yep, an error that put the Giants ahead of them.
- With Buster Posey behind the plate and Juan Uribe (finger) banged up, Travis Ishikawa once again started at first, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Injuries:

- Shin-Shoo Choo has avoided surgery for his thumb injury, at least for now. There isn't a timetable yet for his return, and of course players that come back from thumb injuries frequently struggle at the plate initially after returning.
- Kevin Youkilis left the game with right ankle pain. This might render moot his legitimate argument for being on the AL All-Star squad. Niuman Romero replaced Youkilis and went 0-for-4 afterward, leaving six men on base.
- Josh Beckett threw 65 pitches in a simulated game on Tuesday and will have a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday. Jacoby Ellsbury has resumed throwing and could rejoin the team over the weekend.
- Troy Glaus returned after missing three games with a sore knee.
- Aaron Hill sat out with the stomach flu. Nick Green started in his place. Vernon Wells also didn't start because of flu symptoms, but later came on as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement.
- Matt LaPorta (head injury) did not have a concussion, but was held out anyhow on Tuesday for precautionary purposes.
- Geoff Blum will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow on Wednesday.
- Juan Rivera (blurry vision) returned to the lineup and went 1-for-4.
- Carlos Quentin sat out with a sore knee following a diving catch on the warning track the previous day.
- Brad Penny kicked off "bad news Tuesday" for the Cards by having a setback in his simulated game, having to stop early with pain in his back in the same area as the original injury.
- Jorge Posada returned from an injured left ring finger.
- Alfredo Aceves had to have another epidural, his third, for his ailing back.
- Erik Bedard has a slight inflammation in his pitching shoulder, which delayed his return from the DL.
- Jose Guillen pulled up lame running to first in the eighth inning and had to leave the game.

Stolen Bases:

- Jimmy Rollins (3); Nyjer Morgan (19); Fred Lewis (8); Jason Bartlett (4); Marco Scutaro (2); Angel Pagan (16); Cesar Izturis (6); Michael Bourn (26); Juan Pierre 2 (31,32); Andres Torres (17); Freddy Sanchez (1); Curtis Granderson (7); Coco Crisp (5); Rafael Furcal (13); Matt Kemp 2 (12,13); Blake DeWitt 2 (1,2); Jack Wilson (1).

Caught Stealing:

- Aaron Cunningham (2); Adam Jones (5); Felix Pie (1); Ruben Tejada (1); Michael Brantley (1); Torii Hunter (9); Juan Rivera (2); Adam Rosales (1); Chris Coghlan (3).

Home Runs:

- Raul Ibanez (7); Johan Santana (1); Martin Prado (8); Ryan Zimmerman 2 (15, 16); Ian Desmond (5); Nick Markakis (5); Joe Mauer (4); Justin Morneau (18); Jason Kubel (11); DeWayne Wise (2); Lyle Overbay (9); Edwin Encarnacion (10); Eric Hinske (6); Johnny Damon (5); Miguel Cabrera (21); Carl Crawford (8); Jayson Nix (5); Vladimir Guerrero (19); Josh Hamilton (21); David Murphy (3); Nelson Cruz (11); Lance Berkman (9); Carlos Lee (11); Alex Rios (14); Andruw Jones (11); Felipe Lopez (5); Matt Holliday (12); Carlos Gonzalez (15); Seth Smith (12); Chris Iannetta (5); Kelly Johnson (14) - it was Johnson's first homer since June 8; Kosuke Fukudome (8); Aramis Ramirez 2 (7,8); Alex Rodriguez 2 (13,14); Michael Stanton (3); Matt Kemp (16); Andre Ethier (14); Casey Blake (9); Wilson Betemit (4).

Transactions:

- The Brewers put Yovani Gallardo (oblique) on the 15-day DL.
- The Reds did the same with Aaron Harang (back), who was unable to pitch once again on Tuesday night - they had to make room for Matt Maloney to come up. Maloney's promotion allows the Reds to stay on target with their decision to keep Edinson Volquez down for at least one more rehab start.
- The Orioles put Kevin Millwood on the DL to make room for Felix Pie to come off the DL.
- The Phillies activated J.A. Happ and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
- The Marlins optioned Chris Volstad to Triple-A New Orleans after the loss to the Dodgers. He gave up five runs over three innings on Tuesday, giving up five hits and three walks, with two killer homers along the way. However, his overall numbers are actually better than last year, with his ERA and WHIP both down. I think some order-setting is at work here besides just a case of getting Volstad "straightened out." If not, then this is an overreaction by the Marlins.
- The Tigers optioned Armando Galarraga to Triple-A Toledo following Tuesday's start - this one was more of a nod to keep him on schedule over the All-Star break, as the team doesn't need a fifth starter again until July 20.