Twins 3 - White Sox 2

- John Danks deserves better than this.  He remains winless because the White Sox are offensively challenged.  In this game he went 8 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, sadly no strikeouts here.  He has now received 2 or less runs of support in four of his starts.
- Nick Blackburn held Ozzie's crew to 1 earned run over 6.2 innings for a win.  It was a typical Blackburn outing as he had 12 ground balls and no fly balls.  I'd like to see Kevin Slowey replace him in the rotation, when he's ready, but I'm not Ron Gardenhire.
- Matt Capps got a 5 out save here and still hasn't walked a batter this season.
- Alex Rios is starting to heat up.  He went 3-4 and hit his 3rd homer of the past five games in this one.
- The days of Rene Tosoni (1-4, 1 RBI) might be numbered with Ben Revere getting called up.
- W: Nick Blackburn (2-4), L: John Danks (0-5), SV: Matt Capps (5)
- HR: Alex Rios (3)
- CS: Denard Span (1), Alexi Casilla (1), Omar Vizquel (1)

Blue Jays 3 - Rays 2

- Brandon Morrow continued to own the Rays with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball.  Last season he pitched 22.0 innings against the Rays and had a 26/10 K/BB ratio with a 1.23 ERA.  That's pretty, pretty, pretty good.  He struck out 7 and walked 4 in this one.
- Jeff Niemann pitched 4 innings and allowed 3 earned runs, before he was removed due to back tightness. 
- The Rays bullpen pitched 5 shutout innings with Andy Sonnanstine throwing three of them.
- Frank Francisco put down save number one, but not before putting two men on base and receiving a gift from home plate umpire Chad Fairchild on a B.J. Upton called third strike that was obviously off the plate.
- Adam Lind went 4-4 with his 6th homer and 2 RBI.  He's been on a tear for about two weeks now and is up to a .316/.349/.513 batting line.
- In his second game back, Evan Longoria went 1-2 with 2 walks and a strikeout. 
- W: Brandon Morrow (1-1), L: Jeff Niemann (1-4), SV: Frank Francisco (1)
- HR: Adam Lind (6)
- SB: Rajai Davis (7), Casey Kotchman (1)

Tigers 4 - Yankees 0

- Max Scherzer pitched 8 shutout innings with 9 strikeouts.  That's five straight games with at least 7 strikeouts.  He's 5-0 with a 3.15 ERA and is looking like one of the best AL starters out there.  I wonder if the Diamondbacks wish they could have him back?
- Freddy Garcia allowed 4 earned runs over 7 innings with 10 hits and 2 walks allowed.  He struck out 8 and now has a 22/10 K/BB ratio in his four starts.  He sat 86-87 and topped out at 89, we'll see how long this lasts. 
- Magglio Ordonez went 2-3 and hit his first homer of the season, a 2-run jack.  He has four hits in his last two games and is hopefully pulling out of his early season funk.  He did this from the 6th spot in the lineup, so don't be surprised to see him stick there if he keeps on hitting.
- Scott Sizemore went 1-4 with a stolen base in his second game for the team.
- W: Max Scherzer (5-0), L: Freddy Garcia (1-2)
- HR: Magglio Ordonez (1)
- SB: Scott Sizemore (1), Alex Avila (2)

Angels 5 - Red Sox 3

- Of course in the 13th inning you turn to Daisuke Matsuzaka, right?  He was scheduled to start Friday, but was needed as this game could have lasted well into the night.  Then again, how many scoreless inning could Dice-K really have thrown in a row?  Apparently the answer was none tonight as a Bobby Abreu single plated two runs to end things.
- Josh Beckett started this game with 4.1 scoreless innings, before rain delayed this game for quite a while.
- Ervin Santana was lights out for 4.0 innings with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk, before the rain set in. 
- Vernon Wells went 2-6 with his 3rd homer.  It's his second homer in three games and possibly the beginning of true breakout from his slump.
- Dustin Pedroia went 0-6 with 4 strikeouts for the Golden Sombrero.  It went 13 innings, so this is kind of unfair.
- David Ortiz went 0-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.  Notice how we haven't had the "what's wrong with Papi" talks this season?  I think we'll have them, just later in the season.
- W: Trevor Bell (1-0), L: Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-3)
- HR: Vernon Wells (3)
- SB: Erick Aybar (5), Jacoby Ellsbury (8); CS: Maicer Izturis (3)

Orioles 3 - Royals 2

- Jake Arrieta tossed 7 innings of 1-run ball with 8 strikeouts in a win, his fourth.  Not much more you can ask of Arrieta, who turned in his maybe his best start of the season.  The strikeouts are encouraging, considering he punched out just 2 in his last start.
- Adam Jones went 1-5, but made a very heads up play in the 8th, when a Mike Aviles ball was lodged in the outfield padding and Jones threw up his hands for relief.  The umpire granted Aviles a ground rule double, even though Jones was able to easily pick-up the ball after the ruling was made.  It kept a run from scoring and Aviles from advancing to 3rd.
- Jeff Francoeur went 1-3 with a solo homer.  He's up to 8 now and isn't slowing down.  That's three homers in his last three games.  I bought in a few weeks ago and just hope this lasts all season long.
- W: Jake Arrieta (4-1), L: Kyle Davies (1-4), SV: Kevin Gregg (6)
- HR: Nick Markakis (3), Jeff Francoeur (8)
- SB: Melky Cabrera (3)

A's 3 - Indians 1

- Grant Balfour put down his first save of the season with a scoreless 9th.  He walked 1 and struck out 2, in what might have become his closing job, until Andrew Bailey returns.  Brian Fuentes had worked three consecutive days, so we'll have to see where things go from here. 
- Trevor Cahill held the Indians to 1 run over 7 innings.  "Held" is the word I choose to use considering the offensive binge the Tribe has been on to start the season.  Cahill struck out 5 and lowered his ERA to 1.79.  With a 5-0 record, it's a good time to own Trevor.
- Josh Tomlin gave up 2 homers, both of which were solo shots by David DeJesus.  All 7 of his homers he's given up this season have been of the solo variety, which can't continue much longer.  Of course, this is what I said after the first five.
- Grady Sizemore went 1-5 with a double, for his 13th extra base hit since coming back.  That .305/.359/.661 batting line is impressive.
- W: Trevor Cahill (5-0), L: Josh Tomlin (4-1), SV: Grant Balfour (1)
- HR: David DeJesus (1, 2)
- CS: Cliff Pennington (5)

Rangers 5 - Mariners 2

- C.J. Wilson punched out a career high 12 batters in a complete game win.  He allowed 2 runs (1 earned) with 6 hits and 1 walk.  Even after you factor in the punchless nature of the Mariners lineup, this was an impressive feat.  He has a game with 9 K 1BB, 10 K 1BB, and now 12 K 1 BB.  This is the 5th game in which he's pitched 7 innings or more.
- Michael Pineda with 9 strikeouts and no walks, but 4 earned runs in 7 innings.  Both of his loses have come against the Rangers, but that's nothing to be down about.  His command is impressive and it's encouraging to see him work deep into games.
- Mitch Moreland crushed Pineda offering for a solo homer.  When you crush one at Safeco, you really connected.
- Chone Figgins went 2-4 and stole two bases. He's up to .217/.260/.304, his best slash line since the start of the season.
- W: C.J. Wilson (4-1), L: Michael Pineda (4-2)
- HR: Mitch Moreland (4), Chris Davis (1)
- SB: Ian Kinsler (6), Chone Figgins (4, 5); CS: Julio Borbon (1)

Reds 3 - Astros 2

- Brandon Lyon imploded with 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk to blow a 2 run lead.  It was his 4th blown save in 8 chances, which is, um, not good.  If you're speculating on saves, Mark Melancon, Wilton Lopez, and Jeff Fulchino are widely available.
- Aneury Rodriguez pitched five 1-hit innings for the 'Stro Show.  He's taken over the rotation spot that Nelson Figueroa once held.  At some point Jordan Lyles will make this spot his.
- Travis Wood allowed 2 earned runs over 6 innings in a no-decision.  It's probably enough for him to keep his rotation spot when Johnny Cueto returns this weekend. 
- Brett Wallace's 11 game hit streak ended as he went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. 
- J.R. Towles went 1-3 with a run and walk.  So what, he's J.R. Towles, right?  Well the Astros have the best batting average for their catchers at .303.  Towles is now batting .361/.465/.611, which is pretty damn good for a 2nd catcher in a NL league.
- W: Francisco Cordero (2-0), L: Brandon Lyon (3-2), BS: Brandon Lyon (4)
- CS: Jason Bourgeois (2)

Cubs 5 - Dodgers 1

- Although he didn't pitch in this game, the news of Jonathan Broxton getting a MRI on his right elbow is important.  He topped out at 93.1 mph on Monday night, so it was probably only a matter of time till the team ordered some tests to see why his velocity is so down.  Vicente Padilla, the likely best option, pitched a clean 9th with 2 strikeouts. 
- Big Z aka Carlos Zambrano was pretty lights out as he allowed 1 earned run over 8 innings.  He allowed 6 base runners and 70 of his 107 pitches were for strike.
- Andre Ethier got the day off, so the Dodgers went with a lineup of Gwynn Jr., Miles, Gibbons, Kemp, Uribe, Loney, Navarro, Mitchell, and the pitcher's spot.  You start to see why Big Z had so much success…
- Ted Lilly's alternating good start/bad start tour continued as he had a bad start with 5 earned runs in 6 innings of work.  As a fly ball pitcher things like this (see directly below) can happen from time to time. 
- Geovany Soto, Carlos Pena, and Marlon Byrd all went yard for all of the scoring the Cubs got.  It was Byrd's first homer of the season and one that was long overdue.  For Pena, it's back-to-back jacks and as anyone that has owned him knows, his homers come in bunches, so if he's available on your waiver wire, now might be the time to ride his hot bat. 
- Darwin Barney NL Rookie of the Month?  Darwin Barney NL Rookie of the Month.  He went 2-4 with a run in this game. 
- W: Carlos Zambrano (4-1), L: Ted Lilly (2-3)
- HR: Marlon Byrd (1), Geovany Soto (3), Carlos Pena (2)
- CS: Aramis Ramirez (1)

Braves 8 - Brewers 3 (Game 1)

- Tommy Hanson kept rolling with 6 innings and 2 earned runs allowed.  He has allowed 3 earned runs or less and 2 walks or less in all of his starts, which is awesome, but it'd be even better if he started going deeper into games.  He has now has a 3 game win streak going. 
- Marco Estrada went boom with 6 earned runs allowed in 5.1 innings.  He put on 11 base runners, which isn't exactly a recipe for success.  He'll likely get optioned after this as Zack Greinke is back.
- Dan Uggla was the only Braves starting position player to not get a hit.  Martin Prado led the way with 3 hits, 3 RBI, and 2 runs.
- W: Tommy Hanson (4-3), L: Marco Estrada (1-1)
- HR: Prince Fielder (7)
- SB: Rickie Weeks (3)

Braves 8 - Brewers 0 (Game 2)

- Tim Hudson pitched a complete game shutout with 1 hit and 1 walk allowed.  He threw a first pitch strike to 26 of the 29 batters he faced with 16 swinging strikes.  Quite simply, the Brewers had no chance against Hud.  He had 15 ground balls, 1 fly ball, 1 line drive, and 1 infield fly… exactly what a Hudson pitched game should look like.
- Zack Greinke made his Brewers and 2011 debut with mixed results.  He allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits and 1 walk in his 4 innings.  Most of the damage was done in the 4th inning on back-to-back 2-0 counts that went for a RBI double and 2-run homer.  He only threw 86 pitches in this one.
- John Axford got touched up for 2 earned runs in the 8th.  He had been much better as of late with 5 strikeouts, no walks, and no runs allowed in his last four appearances.  Still, he has a 6.35 ERA.
- It was deuces wild for Nate McLouth as he went 2-2 with 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, and a 2-run homer, his second of the season.
- W: Tim Hudson (4-2), L: Zack Greinke (0-1)
- HR: Nate McLouth (2)

Pirates 7 - Padres 4

- Kevin Correia pitched 6 innings with 2 earned runs for the Pirates.  He now has a third of all the team's wins this season at five.  How long he can sustain this level of success is to be seen.  He has a 2.91 ERA and that's likely due to his .233 BABIP that he had coming in.
- The Padres had a 3rd inning to forget as they allowed 6 runs to score on 3 hits and 2 errors.  The first two runs came on a Neil Walker single.  The other four runs came via a Ryan Doumit grand slam.
- Clayton Richard allowed 7 runs (1 earned) as he felt the brunt of the team's defense.  He's only really had one bat outing (6 earned runs in 5.1 innings), but you'd like to see more strikeouts.  As is, his 3.55 ERA and PETCO home are NL viable.
- Brad Hawpe hit a RBI double and a home run.  He'll need to have more days like this to keep Anthony Rizzo at bay.
- Andrew McCutchen went 1-5 with a run and is still sputtering along with a .221/.333/.389 batting line.
- W: Kevin Correia (5-2), L: Clayton Richard (1-3)
- HR: Ryan Doumit (2), Brad Hawpe (1), Eric Patterson (2)
- SB: Neil Walker (2), Will Venable (10), Chase Headley (3)

Phillies 7 - Nationals 4

- Vance Worley held the Nats to 1-run over 6 innings.  He struck out 7 and walked none, which is a bit surprising considering he struck out 5 and walked 4 in his last start.  He showed good control in the minors, so maybe this will last for another start, before Joe Blanton comes of the DL.
- Jason Marquis got lit up for 6 earned runs on 10 hits and 2 walks.  He was doing fine, until the 5th inning came around and he ceded three runs.  Then in the 6th he gave up 1 run, before he got pulled and Brian Broderick plated the other two.
- Danny Espinosa went 1-4 with 3-run homer.  It was his first extra-base hit in almost two weeks.
- Raul Ibanez went 3-4 with a solo homer.  It'll be interesting to see how Charlie Manuel manages his OF once Domonic Brown joins the team.
- W: Vance Worley (2-0), L: Jason Marquis (3-1)
- HR: Danny Espinosa (3), Raul Ibanez (2)

Giants 2 - Mets 0

- Tim Lincecum struck out 12 over 7 shutout innings for his third win.  Vintage Timmay as he got 17 swinging strikes and had all of his pitches working.  Timmay!
- Chris Capuano gave the Mets a quality start with 6.1 innings and 2 earned runs allowed.  His 3 walks were a season high in what has been an up-and-down start to the season for him.
- Aubrey Huff went 3-4 with a double.  In his last game he homered, which is hopefully a sign of things to come for him and his owners.
- W: Tim Lincecum (3-3), L: Chris Capuano (2-3), SV: Brian Wilson (10)
- SB: Darren Ford (2), David Wright (7); CS: Nate Schierholtz (2)

Marlins 8 - Cardinals 7

- Both Chris Carpenter and Javier Vazquez allowed 6 runs (4 earned) in this game.  Carpenter last 6 innings with 13 base runners allowed, while Vazquez went 5.2 with 10 base runners.  Things got a little testy between Carpenter and Hanley Ramirez, after Carpenter took exception to Ramirez sliding in hard at home to take out Yadier Molina on a throw to first. 
- Allen Craig started at 3B with Daniel Descalso at 2B as things are fluid with David Freese and Skip Schumaker out. 
- Mike Stanton crushed his third homer in the last four days.  This one was of the 2-run variety.  Yeah, he's heating up.
- Emilio Bonifacio continues to hit.  Wednesday night he collected three more hits to run his batting line up to .346/.398/.494. 
- Chris Coghlan, Gaby Sanchez, and Omar Infante all picked up at least two hits in this game.  At 19-10 this Marlins team has the 3rd best record in MLB. 
- Eduardo Sanchez served up Stanton's homer as the Red Birds' reliever woes continued.  That's their 9th loss from the bullpen, the most in MLB.
- W: Mike Dunn (2-1), L: Eduardo Sanchez (1-1), SV: Leo Nunez (11)
- HR: Mike Stanton (5), Jon Jay (2)
- SB: Hanley Ramirez (5); CS: Chris Coghlan (3)

Rockies 6 - Diamondbacks 4

- Jhoulys Chacin stopped his two game losing streak with 7 innings of 2-run ball.  He struck out 6, walked 4, and gave up 2 homers, both solo shots.  He produced 10 ground balls to just 3 fly balls which is in line with his vastly improved ground ball rate this season.
- Ian Stewart went 1-4 with a double and a strikeout.  It was his first start since coming back up.
- Juan Miranda with his 2nd homer of the season in a 1-3 effort.  I remember people predicting huge power numbers for him this season.  Either way, I'd like to see Brandon Allen back up and given the job every day. 
- Coming into this game Chris Iannetta had 81 plate appearances with 24 strikeouts, 19 walks, and 7 extra base hits.  Three true outcomes, but when was the last time Iannetta took walks like this?  In this game he went 1-4 with a 2-run homer.  These walks bear watching.
- W: Jhoulys Chacin (4-2), L: Barry Enright (1-3), SV: Huston Street (11)
- HR: Chris Iannetta (4), Kelly Johnson (4), Juan Miranda (2), Barry Enright (1)
- CS: Juan Miranda (1)