Notables:
- Fausto Carmona pitched 5 innings against the Royals and gave up 2 earned runs, in a no-decision. He didn't register a strikeout and walked two. He remains 12-14 with a 3.79 ERA.
- Mike Aviles stayed hot, going 2-5 with a solo shot and a stolen base. Since September 13th, he's batting .414 with 6 HRs, 12 RBI, and 3 stolen bases.
- Rick Porcello tossed 8 innings of 1-run ball against the Twins, in a win. He struck out 5, walked 1, and scattered 4 hits. In his last six starts he has a 23/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's now 10-11 with a 5.01 ERA.
- Shaun Marcum received a win, after he allowed 1 unearned run to the Orioles over 7 innings. He struck out 7, walked 2, and allowed only 4 hits. Minus his last start against Boston (5.1 innings 6 earned runs), Marcum has been pretty good lately. He's 13-8 with a 3.63 ERA.
- Luke French held the Rays to 2 runs over 5 innings in a win. He struck out 3, walked 3, and gave up 8 hits. French is 5-6 with a 4.20 ERA, but the Yankees will take the help in the standings any way they can get it.
- Jered Weaver pitched 6.2 innings, struck out 9 White Sox batters, walked none, and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in a loss. In the AL he's 5th in ERA (3.02), 1st in strikeouts (229), 3rd in innings (217.1), and 16th in wins (13).
- Colby Lewis held the A's to 1 run over 6 innings for his 12th win. He struck out 6, walked 1, and lowered his ERA to 3.72. In his last 4 starts he has yet to give up more than 2 earned runs.
- Phil Hughes & Daisuke Matsuzaka engaged in something of a pitcher's duel, but ultimately both ended up with a no-decision. Hughes pitched 6 innings and allowed just 1 run with 4 strikeouts and 4 walks. Matsuzaka pitched 8 innings, allowed 2 runs, struck out 7, and walked 1.
- Brandon Beachy made his second career start and struck out 9 Nationals batters, in place of Jair Jurrjens. He pitched 5 innings, allowed 2 earned runs, and walked 3 in the no-decision. In 45.2 innings at Triple-A this season, he had a 2.17 ERA with a 48/6 K/BB ratio.
- Carlos Beltran went 3-5 with 2 homers and 3 RBI against the Phillies. He was cold in July & August, but in September he has raised his average from .218 to .257 with 5 HRs and 12 RBI.
- J.A. Happ pitched 6 innings with 2 unearned runs, 4 strikeouts, and 2 walks in a loss to the Pirates. In 12 starts with the Astros he has a 5-2 record and 3.00 ERA.
- Chris Capuano pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball against the Marlins in a win. He left the game with a left groin strain in the 7th inning. He's now 4-4 with a 3.75 ERA, which is encouraging for a guy coming off of a slew of injuries.
- Ryan Braun went 2-4 with 2 homers, and 4 RBI. He's batting .307 with 25 HRs, 100 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He won't end up with the 30+ homers his owners expected, but he's still been very productive and played 150 games.
- Jake Westbrook got a win, after he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs to the Cubs. In 11 starts with the Cardinals he's 3-4 with a 3.88 ERA.
- Albert Pujols went 1-4 with a homer and 3 RBI. In the NL he's 4th in batting average (.311), 1st in homers (42), and 1st in RBI (116). With three players ahead of him in batting average (Car-Go .341, Votto .326, & Tulowitzki .321) the triple-crown race is all but over.
- Matt Cain pitched a complete game with 2 earned runs, 8 strikeouts, and 1 walk against the Rockies. The Giants couldn't have asked for much more in their battle to make the playoffs. They are currently 1st in the NL West by just a 1/2 game over the Padres. Cain is now 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA.
- Homer Bailey held the Padres to 2 runs over 7 innings in a win. He struck out 6, walked 1, and gave up 5 hits. It's Bailey's first win since the middle of August. The Reds magic number is one.
- Chad Billingsley struck out a season high 13 batters in a no-decision against the D-Backs. He pitched 7 innings, allowed 1 earned run, and walked 1 batter. His record remains 11-11 with a 3.61 ERA.
Save Chances:
- Ryan Franklin, converted (26). Pitched 1.2 scoreless innings.
- Juan Gutierrez, converted (14). Pitched a scoreless 9th.
- Matt Thornton, converted (7). Pitched 2 clean innings with 3 strikeouts.
- Drew Storen, converted (5). Pitched a clean 9th with 2 strikeouts.
- Jason Frasor, converted (4). Pitched 1.1 clean innings with 1 strikeout.
- Vinnie Pestano, converted (1). Um, who? With Chris Perez gone for the birth of his son, Pestano came in for the save chance. He had 1 strikeout and 1 walk in a scoreless 9th. Pestano had 14 saves this season in Triple-A with a 1.55 ERA and 59/14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Jonathan Papelbon, blown (8). He allowed 3 hits and a walk to blow the 1 run lead.
- Mariano Rivera, blown (5). Pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 2 earned runs.
Other Closer Outings:
- Jose Valverde pitched a clean 9th with 1 strikeout. It was his first appearance since 9/15 and only his second since the 9/6.
- Hisanori Takahashi pitched a scoreless 9th.
- Evan Meek pitched 1 inning with and gave up a 2-run homer to Hunter Pence.
- Francisco Cordero pitched a scoreless 9th with 1 strikeout.
Non-Closer Outings:
- Rafael Perez got a vulture win, after he pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with 2 walks.
- Brandon League pitched a clean 9th.
- Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.
- Sean Burnett pitched 2 clean innings with 3 strikeouts and got a vulture win out of it.
- Jose Contreras pitched a clean 8th with 2 strikeouts.
- Rafael Betancourt pitched a clean 9th with 2 strikeouts.
Tough Days:
- Trevor Cahill gave up 7 earned runs over 4 innings against the Rangers. He was far too hittable (12 hits) and gave up 2 homers. The rest of the A's pitchers who came in after him weren't much better as they gave up 7 earned runs in 5 innings.
- Cole Hamels gave up 5 earned runs over 4 innings to the Mets. He served up 2 homers to Carlos Beltran, of all hitters. Hamels hadn't gone less than 5 innings or given up 4 earned runs since late June.
- Adalberto Mendez gave up 4 homers on his way to allowing 6 earned runs over just 2 innings to the Brewers. He allowed just 1 earned run over 7 innings in his last start (Mets), but it came with 10 hits.
- Jeff Samardzija pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 8 earned runs to the Cardinals. He had given up just 3 earned runs in his last two starts combined, but today was just not his day. His 7 walks and 2 strikeouts should tell you all you need to know... he lacks control of his pitches.
- Clayton Richard allowed 6 earned runs over 5 innings to the Reds. He came up small in a big spot, as the Padres are in the thick of the hunt for a NL West title. They are now 1/2 game behind the Giants.
Lineup-ology/Injuries:
- Ian Kinsler served his one game suspension on Sunday. With the division won, why not? Many of the regulars for the Rangers were out of this game as well, to get some rest before the playoffs start.
- Chris Capuano left his start in the 7th inning with a left groin strain.
- Jay Bruce wasn't in the Reds lineup so that he could get some rest. He's been dealing with a tight right side lately.
- Denard Span didn't play for the Twins as he deals with a sore left foot and sore shoulder.
- Jose Valverde (elbow) pitched for the first time since 9/15.
- Josh Hamilton took some swings with one hand. The Rangers are still hoping to get him some game action before the playoffs start.
- Freddy Sanchez will get a MRI on his shoulder Monday.
- Gavin Floyd might be shutdown for the season due to his shoulder.
Home Runs:
- Albert Pujols (42), Miguel Cabrera (38), Joey Votto (37), Prince Fielder (32), Adrian Gonzalez (30), Alex Rodriguez (29), Chris Young (27), David Wright (26), Ryan Braun (24 & 25), Hunter Pence (25), Delmon Young (19), Brandon Phillips (17), Rod Barajas (17), Chase Utley (16), Cody Ross (14), Jeff Francoeur (13), David Murphy (12), Shelley Duncan (11), Mike Aviles (8), Chris Heisey (8), Carlos Beltran (6 & 7), Mitch Moreland (6 & 7), Freddy Sanchez (7), Yorvit Torrealba (7), Melvin Mora (7), Rick Ankiel (6), Matt Carson (4), Ramon Santiago (3), Josh Wilson (2), Lorenzo Cain (1), Tony Abreu (1), & Steve Tolleson (1).
Stolen Bases:
- Juan Pierre (61), Franklin Gutierrez (25), Jose Tabata (18), Sean Rodriguez (13), Troy Tulowitzki (11), Mike Aviles (10), Matt Holliday (9), Orlando Hudson (9), Eric Patterson (9), Bill Hall (7 & 8), Ryan Kalish (5 & 6), Adam Jones (6), Travis Snider (6), Jarrod Dyson (6), Willie Harris (5), Eduardo Nunez (5), Jonny Gomes (4), Esteban German (3), & Bobby Scales (1).
Caught Stealing:
- Jose Reyes (10), B.J. Upton (9), Brett Gardner (9), Omar Vizquel (7), Brendan Ryan (4), Peter Bourjos (3), & Danny Espinosa (2).