Observations:
As an Astros fan, Sunday was rock bottom for me. And here's why...
- Lance Berkman got the day off because he was not "feeling 100|PERCENT| swinging right-handed," according to manager Brad Mills. His .361 wOBA leads the team by almost 30 points.
- Michael Bourn was out of the lineup because he's being platooned, but Mills just won't admit it saying, "With a left-hander (starting)... it's not a platoon situation, but I've told him that he is going to sit out (vs.) some left-handers." He's batting .196 against lefties this season.
- Just in terms of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) Berkman (1.5) and Bourn (1.4) are the two most important hitters on the Astros roster and it's not even close.
- Paul Maholm hurled a 3 hit shutout against the Astros on 103 pitches. The Astros didn't even put up a fight, as they drew 0 walks.
- Roy Oswalt had to leave the game after 4 innings because of a liner he took off of his right ankle.
- Chris Sampson and Wilton Lopez (you've probably never heard of either one) came in and each allowed 2 earned runs in 1 inning of work.
- Casey Daigle came in an got 1 out, but not before he gave up 3 earned runs. (He can go back to being Jennie Finch's husband now.)
- The 3 hits for the Astros came from Chris Johnson (1) and Angel Sanchez (2). I'd never even heard of Sanchez before today.
- The Pirates collected 9 runs on 19 hits and 1 walk. Every single one of their position players got a hit, including Ryan Church, who came in to pinch hit for Andrew McCutchen, who strained his shoulder while making a diving catch.
- If there is something positive to take away from this game, please let me know what it is.
Notables:
- Michael Brantley went 2-4 with a walk and a run. He also stole his 2nd base of the season. It'll be interesting to see how the Indians manager their outfield when Shin-Soo Choo returns. Austin Kearns should be the odd man out, but you never know with this Indians team... look how long it took them to play Matt LaPorta.
- Jhonny Peralta went 1-4 with 3 RBI and an inside-the-park home run. Ryan Raburn fell through the fence/wall while trying to catch the ball. You really need to see this play to believe it... not for Raburn's crash, but because you may never see Peralta moving this fast ever again.
- Carlos Pena went 2-5 with his 20th homer and 3 RBI. That's back-to-back games with home runs for Pena and 6 RBI in his last two games. His .213 batting average is the highest it's been since May 2nd (.224).
- David Price had his worst start of the season on Sunday, giving up 7 earned runs over 5 innings to the Yankees. He walked 4 and struck out 3. It's only the second time he's given up more than 3 earned runs this season.
- C.J. Wilson pitched 6.2 innings, allowed 1 earned run, and struck out 10 Red Sox batters in a win. He scattered 3 hits and walked 5 batters, but the 10 strikeouts were a season high for the converted starter. He now has 9 consecutive starts with 3 or less runs allowed.
- Jon Lester allowed 3 earned runs over 8 innings in a loss to the Rangers. He struck out 6, walked 3, and gave up 9 hits. The 9 hits allowed tied a season high for Lester.
- Yunel Escobar went 3-4 and hit his first homer of the season, a grand slam. It was the first grand slam for him at any level, including when he was a child, according to Escobar. His translator said, "A lot of people were asking him about it... doubting whether he could hit a [a home run] or not. He knows he can." Is this a joke and if not, who are these people?
- Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jack Cust, and Adam Rosales (aka the A's 3-4-5 hitters) all went 1-4 and hit home runs.
- Gordon Beckham went 4-4 with 2 RBI. Can you believe it? It's his first 4-hit game this season. Beckham is now batting .237, his highest batting average since April 18th (.240). He's got a 7 game hit streak going and has 12 hits over his last 5 games.
- Delmon Young played hero on Sunday afternoon. He went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI, and the game tying hit. The winning run scored on the same play, after a throwing error by Alex Rios. With 11 HR, 63 RBI, and a .308 batting average, Young is in the midst of a career year.
- Jason Vargas struck out a season high 9 batters, walked 1, and allowed 1 earned run over 7.2 innings, in a no decision against the Angels. Not to be outdone...
- Ervin Santana allowed 1 earned run over 7 innings in a no decision. He struck out 7 and walked 4 against the Mariners.
- Travis Wood continued his hot start and allowed 1 earned run over 6 innings. He took the loss, but pitched well, as he struck out 6, walked 4, and allowed 3 hits to a good Rockies team. It'll be interesting to see what the Reds do with Wood once Harang comes off the DL, now that Edinson Volquez is back.
- Rickie Weeks went 3-4 and hit 2 homers. He's now up to 17 HRs, 57 RBI, and a .272 batting average. The homers and RBI are both career highs and while the speed of old isn't there this season, at least he's hitting for a respectable batting average.
- Brian McCann went 2-4 with 5 RBI and hit his 11th homer. His .272 batting average is his highest of the season, since April 22nd. I wish he would have dropped the energy drinks sooner.
- Allen Craig went 2-4 with 3 RBI on his birthday. He played in place of Albert Pujols, who had the day off. He drove in the first two runs of the game for the Cardinals, to make the score 4-2, and then tied the game with his single in the ninth. Whatever, I'm always suspicious of people with 2 first names.
- Vicente Padilla pitched 6 shutout innings against the Cardinals. He walked 5 and struck out 1, but allowed only 1 hit. He also chipped in at the plate, going 1-2 with 1 RBI. Padilla has a 2.03 ERA in his 6 starts, since coming back from the DL.
- Mark Reynolds and Everth Cabrera almost engaged in Indian Leg Wrestling, after Cabrera got picked off of third base and Reynolds landed on top of him. They immediately stood up and Cabrera backed away as he surveyed the scene (aka realized he was in front of the Diamondbacks dugout). Cabrera got tossed from the game and rightfully so, as he kicked at Reynolds neck. No word on when the rematch is.
- Johan Santana pitched 8 innings of 1 run ball. He struck out 5, walked 1, and gave up 8 hits in the no decision. Santana has now allowed just 2 earned runs over his last 4 starts (31 innings) and his ERA for the season is now down to 2.87.
- Roy Halladay gave up 5 earned runs over 6 innings to the Cubs. He walked none, struck out 3, and gave up 2 homers in the loss.
- Ryan Howard went 1-4 with a 2-run homer and dropped a foul ball that was not ruled an error. Joe Morgan calls him underrated. At least that's what my closed captioning said because I had the TV on mute.
Save Chances:
- Heath Bell, converted (26). Struck out 2, walked 1, gave up 2 hits and 1 earned run in the 9th.
- Neftali Feliz, converted (24). Struck out 2 and gave up a solo shot to Mike Cameron.
- Leo Nunez, converted (22). Struck out 2 and gave up 2 hits in a scoreless 9th.
- Andrew Bailey, converted (20). A cheap, 1 out, 3-run save.
- David Aardsma, converted (17). Struck out 2, walked 1, and gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 10th.
- Huston Street, converted (6). Struck out 3 and gave up 2 hits in a scoreless 9th.
- Francisco Rodriguez, blown (5), win (3). Gave up a 2-run single in the bottom of the 9th. Came back out and pitched a scoreless 10th. He finished the 2 innings with 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout and 2 earned runs.
- Jonathan Broxton, blown (3). Tried to get a 4 outs save, but in the 9th with a 1-run lead, he gave up back-to-back one run singles.
- Sergio Santos, blown (1). In relief of Bobby Jenks, he walked Jason Repko, before he gave up a single to Delmon Young that scored 2 runs.
Other Closer Outings:
- Jose Valverde got 2 outs and gave up 1 earned run on 2 hits.
- Mariano Rivera got 1 out.
- Bobby Jenks squandered a 3-run lead in the bottom of the 9th. He walked 2, then gave up 2 hits, to score 2 runs. Sergio Santos came in and tacked on 2 more runs to Jenks' day.
- Brian Fuentes pitched a scoreless 9th with 1 strikeout.
- Billy Wagner got 2 outs, 1 via strikeout, in the 9th.
- Ryan Franklin pitched a scoreless 9th with 1 strikeout, 1 walk, and 1 hit. Received a win after Broxton blew the save in the bottom of the 9th.
- Brian Wilson took a loss after he gave up a 1-run double to Ike Davis.
Non-Closer Outings:
- Joba Chamberlain struck out 3 over 1.2 innings, but also gave up 1 earned run.
- Frank Francisco pitched 1 inning, struck out 2, and gave up 1 hit.
- Michael Bowden struck out 2 in a scoreless 9th. He was recently called up.
- Matt Thornton pitched a scoreless 7th.
- J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless 8th with 2 strikeouts and 2 hits.
- Brian Duensing pitched 4 innings and allowed 1 earned run, in relief of the often ineffective Nick Blackburn.
- Brandon League pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 1 strikeout. Received a win after Jose Lopez singled in Franklin Gutierrez in the top of the 10th.
- Fernando Rodney struck out 2, walked 1, and gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 8th.
- Arthur Rhodes pitched a scoreless 8th with 1 strikeout.
- Clay Hensley stuck out 1 and gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 8th.
- Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless 8th with 1 hit.
- Juan Gutierrez allowed 4 hits and 2 earned runs in the 8th.
- Luke Gregerson struck out 1 and gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 8th.
- Ryan Webb pitched a scoreless 7th.
Tough Days:
- Andrew Oliver pitched 3.2 innings and allowed 5 earned runs. A Jhonny Peralta 3-run inside-the-park homer didn't help. Oliver has yet to make it out of 5th inning in his last 3 starts.
- Brian Matusz got shelled for 6 earned runs and only got 5 outs. He gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 3. In his last 2 starts, Matusz has given up 10 earned runs in only 4.2 innings.
- Manny Parra got Braves hitters to put 22 balls in play and 10 fell for hits. In 5.1 innings, he gave up 10 earned runs. Parra walked 2 and struck out 4. In his last 5 starts, he has failed to pitch 6 innings.
- Jeff Francoeur went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts and is batting .246. He's now 1 for his last 19.
- Jake Fox also went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts and is batting .215. He filled in a catcher, with Matt Wieters on the DL and Craig Tatum getting the day off.
Lineup-ology/Injuries:
- Mike Lamb (Marlins), Nick Green (Blue Jays), & Gustavo Molina (Red Sox) were designated for assignment.
- Shaun Marcum was activated from the 15-Day DL. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 1 earned run with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts in a win.
- Michael Bowden was brought up by the Red Sox.
- Paul McAnulty was designated for assignment by the Angels. Maicer Izturis should take his roster spot.
- Scott Kazmir will go on the 15-Day DL with shoulder fatigue.
- Andy Pettitte pitched 2.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. He's headed to the disabled list with Grade 1 groin strain. Pettitte could be on the shelf for 4 or more weeks.
- Justin Masterson had his start on Sunday pushed back to Tuesday, due to an ankle injury.
- Carlos Quentin might miss a game or two, after he bruised his right hand on a slide into third base.
- Roy Oswalt took a line drive off of his right ankle. He stayed in and finished the inning, but did not return after that. Oswalt and the Astros are hopeful that he will not miss his next start.
- Andrew McCutchen suffered a mild shoulder strain after he dove to make a catch. No word on how many games he will miss.
- Emilio Bonifacio filled in for Chris Coghlan (lower back) and went 1-4 with 1 run, out of the leadoff spot.
- Allen Craig played first base, Jon Jay played center field, and Jason LaRue manned catcher for the Cardinals. It was just a routine day off for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. Colby Rasmus was out with a sore hamstring.
- Ronnie Belliard played first base, while Jamey Carroll played third for the Dodgers. James Loney was out due to leg cramps he suffered Saturday night. Casey Blake was receiving a routine day off.
- Carl Crawford hit out of the DH spot for the Rays. Gabe Kapler filled in for him in left field as Crawford deals with shoulder tightness.
- Scott Rolen was out due to an illness. He apparently picked something up from his kids. Dusty Baker claims "He's in quarantine." I'd like to hear Baker spell "quarantine."
- Chipper Jones was out due to a sore hamstring. All-Star Omar Infante filled in for him.
- Matt LaPorta hit out of the DH spot, while Andy Marte played first base. Travis Hafner got the day off.
- Ian Desmond was the odd man out for the Nationals as it was Cristian Guzman and Adam Kennedy's days to play in their rotating middle infield.
Chicks Dig the Long Ball:
- Prince Fielder (22), Ryan Howard (21), Carlos Pena (20), Rickie Weeks (16 & 17), Alfonso Soriano (17), Mike Napoli (16), Alex Rodriguez (15), David Wright (15), Justin Upton (15), Kelly Johnson (15), Garrett Jones (12), Brian McCann (11), Delmon Young (11), Geovany Soto (11), Kevin Kouzmanoff (9), Jhonny Peralta (7), Chris Iannetta (7), Adam Rosales (7), Jack Cust (5), Chris Denorfia (3 & 4), Mike Cameron (4), Greg Dobbs (4), Matt Diaz (3), Ben Francisco (2), Gabe Kapler (2), & Yunel Escobar (1).
Stolen Bases:
- Carl Crawford (32 & 33), Brett Gardner (26), Elvis Andrus (24), Tony Gwynn Jr. (14 & 15), Franklin Gutierrez (12 & 13), Justin Upton (13), Derek Jeter (10), Julio Borbon (9), Cody Ross (9), Jose Tabata (9), Coco Crisp (6 & 7), Jimmy Rollins (5 & 6), Jayson Werth (6), Aubrey Huff (4), Ryan Langerhans (4), Cristian Guzman (4), Starlin Castro (3), Michael Brantley (2), Ryan Zimmerman (2), Luis Durango (2), & Carlos Quentin (1).
Caught Stealing:
- Nyjer Morgan (13), Scott Podsednik (12), Elvis Andrus (11), Alex Rios (10), Rajai Davis (6), Everth Cabrera (4), Jerry Hairston Jr. (4), Ryan Braun (2), Matt Holliday (2), Andy Marte (2), Mark Ellis (2), & Adam Rosales (2).