Tigers 5, Rangers 4

- Josh Hamilton's broken shoulder bone is the big story coming away from this game. He's out six-to-eight weeks, and that's if everything goes well on the rehab. I'd argue that this is the third biggest injury of the fantasy year, behind Adam Wainwright and Chase Utley, the latter only bigger because of the indefinite time of his absence. David Murphy should get a lot of extra playing time with Hamilton out, just as he did last September. Mitch Moreland will play some outfield as well. At first I thought that Michael Napoli might get more playing time because of the injury, but now I'm less-convinced. Napoli can't play the outfield, and with the Rangers calling up Chris Davis, it's likely that Davis and not Napoli plays first base when Moreland plays the outfield.
- Speaking of Davis, I took a flier on him in Yahoo Friends & Family, though I admit I'm not that optimistic he'll succeed or even play a lot. But he was once again raking at Triple-A (four homers in his first five games), albeit with a 1:8 BB:K ratio. But my thinking is this - why not take a chance on him? If he pans out, I've got a sick source of power in a lineup that will score a lot of runs. If it doesn't work out, I cut him and move on to the next guy, with it being a 14-team mixed league, there will always be a next guy.
- Hey, look, there's another close Rangers loss where their best reliever never got into the game! Keep on managing by that save rule, Ron. Good luck finding a higher leverage situation than bases loaded, two outs in the ninth and Miguel Cabrera up.
- Darren O'Day really struggled with his command Tuesday - only half of his 22 pitches were strikes.
- The good news for the Rangers (besides having a fantastic starting rotation) is that finding good relief help isn't all that difficult. They can troll the waiver wire (where they found O'Day), convert one of their many live arms in the farm system, or trade for relief help without paying too much of a premium.
- Joaquin Benoit gave up his first run of the year, losing out on a good battle with Nelson Cruz.
- Jose Valverde got the win after throwing a scoreless top of the ninth when the game was tied.
- David Bush will start Wednesday for the Rangers because of last Saturday's doubleheader.
- SB: Elvis Andrus 2 (3), Michael Young (1), Donald Kelly (1), Brennan Boesch (1); CS - Julio Borbon was picked off by Brayan Villarreal, who didn't so much as throw a pitch. How many Rangers after the game asked Borbon what sort of stuff Villarreal had out there?

Nationals 7, Phillies 4

- This was Jayson Werth's first game against his former teammates, and he had a monster game, with a homer, double, walk, stolen base and two runs scored.
- Ryan Zimmerman (abdominal muscle) went on the DL before the game, and Adam LaRoche (groin and shoulder) and Michael Morse (flu) also were out of the starting lineup. Thus, the Nats' 4-5-6 hitters Tuesday night were Matt Stairs, Wilson Ramos and "D.J." Laynce Nix.
- With Zimmerman going on the DL, the Nats called up Jesus Flores and now have three catchers on the active roster. Given that they have Derek Norris coming up through the system, it behooves them to see what they have in Ramos and Flores as much as possible.
- Joe Blanton did nothing to dispel the concern that he's the weak link in the Phillies' rotation, giving up five runs over six innings, |STAR|lowering his ERA to 10.45.
- HR: Ryan Howard (3), Werth (2); SB: Werth (1), Rick Ankiel (2); S: Sean Burnett (3). Tyler Clippard got out of one jam in the 7th, but then gave up two runs in the 8th.

Braves 5, Marlins 0

- Tommy Hanson threw seven shutout innings, dropping his ERA by nearly three runs in the process.
- Jason Heyward, still batting sixth, hit his third homer of the season.
- Hanley Ramirez (shin) returned to the lineup and went 0-for-4, getting robbed once on a play in the hole by Alex Gonzalez. This was the first time that Ramirez and Michael Stanton were in the lineup at the same time since Opening Day.
- Chris Volstad couldn't get through the fifth inning, giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out three.
- HR: Heyward (3); Brian McCann (1).

Rays 3, Red Sox 2

- Strong outings from both David Price and Jon Lester on Tuesday, though Price only had three strikeouts in his 7.2 innings.
- The Rays used Joel Peralta and Kyle Farnsworth to close out the game. Jacob McGee was not used. Farnsworth got his second save of the season with a perfect ninth, striking out two. It was particularly impressive for Farnsworth, as the Red Sox had three lefties available on the bench to pinch-hit because they faced Price earlier in J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz.
- SB: Sam Fuld (6), Johnny Damon (3), Ben Zobrist (1); CS: Felipe Lopez (1), Carl Crawford (1) - picked off. HR: Darnell McDonald (1).

Astros 11, Cubs 2

- The James Russell as a starter experiment can't end soon enough - he was torched for five runs (four earned) on seven hits over only 1.2 innings. The sad part is that the short-term alternative is Doug Davis, who just signed with the organization. Maybe they should move Sean Marshall back to the rotation instead.
- Tyler "Bunny" Colvin started in right field again for the Cubs and hit a homer and then took in an inner-city high school kid and turned his life around. Colvin was starting in place of the injured Kosuke Fukudome, who was out with a hamstring strain.
- Angel Sanchez had four hits Tuesday after hitting his first career homer Monday. He's hitting .395/.438/.512 for the Astros, and he just got picked up by Yahoo's Brad Evans in Friends & Family, a 14-team mixed league.
- Chris Johnson's slump continues - his 0-for-4 dropped him down to .189, and he's already got a 1:11 BB:K.
- SB: Michael Bourn 2 (4).

Twins 4, Royals 3

- Jeff Francis for the third time this season pitched well but walked away with a no-decision. He gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk, striking out five.
- The Royals are starting to make all sorts of weird starting lineup decisions. Wilson Betemit took away the third base job from Mike Aviles, which is a bit of a short-fuse, but then they sat Kila Ka'aihue for Aviles as the DH on Tuesday. Ka'aihue is out again Wednesday.
- Ruben Tejeda got the loss in relief in the 10th inning, failing to retire a batter. He'll lose out on high-leverage innings soon enough to Tim Collins and Aaron Crow, among others.
- Brian Duensing took a ground ball off his shin and left the game, but it appears that he'll be ok for his next start.
- SB: Alexi Casilla (2).

White Sox 6, A's 5

- Alexei Ramirez hit a walk-off homer for his second homer of the game and third on the year.
- The pitching matchup between Trevor Cahill and Edwin Jackson was a bit of a letdown, with neither starter getting through five innings.
- Even with the game going 10 innings, it's worth noting that Matt Thornton didn't get into the game, with Sergio Santos and Chris Sale both throwing two innings instead.
- Coco Crisp left with back stiffness.
- Alexis Rios was the latest White Sox outfielder to drop a fly ball, though at least this one didn't contribute to a blown save.
- Adam Dunn went 1-for-4 with a walk in his return from an appendectomy.
- Cliff Pennington sat with an infected sweat gland. Ugh. Apparently he was hanging out with the 2009 Cleveland Browns' training staff, emphasis on the word "staph."
- HR: Kevin Kouzmanoff (1), Alexei Ramirez 2 (3).

Diamondbacks 13, Cardinals 8

- Justin Upton hit a homer roughly to planet Neptune, though officially it went 480 feet. I hadn't known that there was a Fatburger stand at Chase Field until I saw the highlights of that homer. Chris Carpenter gave up that homer and allowed eight runs in four innings of work, after previously having his way with the D-Backs in earlier starts.
- Armando "the little cat" Galarraga notched perhaps the worst win of the year, giving up five runs on nine hits (including three homers) and two walks over five innings.
- The Cardinals lost two relievers to injuries Tuesday - Brian Tallet had a significant right wrist injury on a collision, and Bryan Augenstein had to be helped off the field with a significant groin strain. The Cards' bullpen is already thin because of Kyle McClellan's move to the starting rotation.
- Kirk Gibson got ejected for arguing a checked swing call with Balkin' Bob Davidson, who has never been wrong about anything, … ever.
- Early season surprises Willie Bloomquist and Ryan Roberts are getting extended playing time in left field and third base respectively for the Diamondbacks.
- HR: Colby Rasmus (2), Lance Berkman (3), David Freese (2), Justin Upton (3), Chris Young (3), Juan Miranda (1) - a pinch-hit homer.
- In a 13-8 game, David Hernandez and J.J. Putz combined to throw three shutout innings. The rest of the Diamondbacks' bullpen is a mess, however.

Reds 8, Padres 2

- The third extra-innings game of the night, the Reds dodged bullets in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings and then took advantage of their opportunities, all with two outs, in the 11th. The Reds continue to win with defense - big plays by Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce ended the eighth and ninth, and then Jonny Gomes misplayed a line drive to make it look like a great running catch to end the 10th.
- Sam LeCure for once didn't have to face an opposing ace, after five consecutive starts against opposing teams' first starters, dating back to last season. He pitched great, retiring the last 12 batters he faced, only to see Nick Masset blow another lead in the eighth.
- Jay Bruce had two walks and a hit, showing little baby signs of breaking out of his slump.
- For the second day in a row, playing "smallball" in the late innings cost the Padres. On Monday a bunt attempt with a runner on second resulted in the runner getting thrown out at third. On Tuesday, after Orlando Hudson led off the ninth with a double, Chase Headley followed with a pop-out bunt.
- Aroldis Chapman topped out at "only" 98 mph.
- Jason Bartlett sat out for the third time in a row with a bad back, with Alberto Gonzalez starting in his place.
- HR: Drew Stubbs (2).

Angels 2, Indians 0

- Dan Haren is good at baseball. He allowed only one hit and two walks while striking out eight in a complete game shutout.
- The Indians didn't get a single runner to second base.
- Mark Trumbo finally hit his first major league homer after tearing it up in spring training.
- The Angels are 6-0 when Haren or Jered Weaver starts, 0-5 otherwise.
- Vernon Wells, in the middle of a 4-for-44 slump, got the day off, with Reggie Willits starting in his place.

Mariners 3, Blue Jays 2

- This was another great pitching duel, this time between Michael Pineda and Ricky Romero.
- Pineda topped out at 99 mph and had his slider working too, though his command was occasionally off.
- I bet you didn't know that Ryan Langerhans already has three homers.
- Justin Smoak made a sweet play to catch a pop up by Jose Bautista and then gun down Corey Patterson at the plate.
- David Aardsma threw a 25-pitch simulated inning before the game. He'll have one more such outing before beginning his rehab assignment.
- Jack Wilson started at second base for the second game in a row - he's no longer in the doghouse, though the team certainly wouldn't mind moving him.
- SB: Patterson (1), Wilson (4); HR: Ryan Langerhans (3); S: Brandon League (2).

Giants 5, Dodgers 4

- Chad Billingsley was given a 3-0 lead and couldn't hold it. Not good, considering all of the Dodgers' offensive woes.
- Tim Lincecum was robbed of a win when somehow Bruce Bochy left Jeremy Affeldt, a lefty, in the game to face Marcus Thames, who homered.
- Brian Wilson got his first save of the year, striking out the side in the process.
- Matt Kemp finally got caught in a stolen base attempt, after seven successful swipes to start the season.
- Casey Blake (thigh) remained out again for the third game in a row. Aaron Miles played second base in his place, with Juan Uribe moving over to third.
- HR: Thames (1); SB: Brandon Belt (2); CS: Kemp (1), Miguel Tejada (1).