Tigers 5 - Blue Jays 2

- Brad Penny gave his first productive road performance of the season with 2 earned runs in 7.2 innings of work.  He induced a season high 15 groundballs with no walks and only 1 strikeout. 
- Jose Bautista played in his first game in a week and went 1-4 with a 2-run homer.  I'm not sure if he's the most feared hitter in the AL, but I certainly know that I hate when any of my pitchers face him.
- David Cooper made his first start at first base for the Blue Birds.  A little position flexibility for some of his owners.
- Austin Jackson went 3-5 with a 2-run homer.  That's now 6 hits in the last two days to push his batting line is up to .224/.283/.336.  That might not sound like much, but it's an improvement from where he was for much of April.
- Aaron Hill (hamstring) came off the DL and went 1-4 with a strikeout.  It was his first game since April 19th.
- W: Brad Penny (3-3), L: Jo-Jo Reyes (0-3), SV: Jose Valverde (7)
- HR: Austin Jackson (2), Jose Bautista (10)

Red Sox 9 - Twins 5

- Carl Pavano's start is best described using foul language.  The mustachioed pitcher gave up 7 earned runs over 5 innings for his 4th loss of the season.  He's been basically throwing batting practice this season as his ERA is north of 6.  In his last two starts combined, he's given up 22 hits.  Forget Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey can take Pavano's spot in the rotation.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits and 2 walks.  He staked the Twins to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but settled down after that allowing 3 men to reach base over the next five innings.  It's encouraging to see him compose himself like that, after such a rough first inning.
- Danny Valencia went 2-4 with a solo homer, 3 RBI, and a stolen base.  He's been starting to hit more doubles lately, so perhaps he's starting to find his stroke. 
- Jason Kubel went 3-4 with 2 RBI as he continues to be the best hitter in a depleted/slumping Twins lineup.
- Marco Scutaro finally went on the DL with a strained left oblique.  The team called up Jose Iglesias to take his roster spot.  Iglesias is known more for his glove than his bat.
- W: Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-3), L: Carl Pavano (2-4)
- HR: Danny Valencia (3), Adrian Gonzalez (4)
- SB: Denard Span (3), Danny Valencia (2), Jacoby Ellsbury (10)

Rays 5 - Orioles 3

- Wade Davis pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 5 walks.  It's the most walks he's had this season as he tries to pitch to contact more and work deeper into games.  His 3.07 ERA is great, but I have serious doubts he can keep this up, if he's walking just as many batters (19) as he's striking out (20).
- The Rays bullpen threw 4 scoreless innings with only 2 hits.  Rob Delany threw one inning, with Joel Peralta going 1.2, and Kyle Farnsworth nailing down a 4 out save.
- The Orioles bullpen went 4.1 scoreless innings with only 2 hits allowed, as well.  Clay Rapada, Jim Johnson, Mike Gonzalez, and Koji Uehara all throwing at least one inning.  This was in relief of Brad Bergesen, who got knocked around for 5 earned runs in 4.2 innings.
- B.J. Upton came up with a 2-run single in the fourth and fifth inning.  Not a bad day at the plate for Bossman Junior.
- Derrek Lee went 1-5 with a solo homer.  It was his second homer in the last three days and third this month.
- W: Wade Davis (4-2), L: Brad Bergesen (0-4), SV: Kyle Farnsworth (7)
- HR: Derrek Lee (4)
- CS: Brian Roberts (1)

Yankees 12 - Rangers 5

- Derek Jeter busted out of his early slump with a 4 hit game, two of which were homers.  Coming into this game, he had been struggling mightily with only 3 extra base hits all season.  He's going to need to start stringing together games like this (minus the power) to get his numbers back to what he and his owners are used to expecting.  On the season, he's batting .276/.331/.350.
- CC Sabathia met the minimum requirements for a quality start with 6 innings pitched and 3 earned runs allowed.  He left the game with a 2-run lead and saw that shrink to just one, before the Bronx Bombers piled on 6 runs in the 8th inning.  His 2 strikeouts are his lowest total since July 11th of last season. 
- Curtis Granderson cracked his MLB leading 11th homer, in a 3-4 effort.  He now has 5 homers off of lefties this season, which ties his career high for a season. 
- Francisco Cervelli got one hit, but that one hit was a grand slam.  If you've ever seen the show Mad Men, I'm convinced that Cervelli is Glen's biological father that we never see.  The resemblance is strong, if you ask me.
- Dave Bush made a spot start for the Rangers as Alexei Ogando continues to deal with blisters on his pitching hand.  Bush went 4 innings with 2 earned runs.
- Craig Gentry went 1-3 with a walk in his season debut with the Rangers.  He took the roster spot vacated by Nelson Cruz (quad). 
- W: CC Sabathia (3-2), L: Arthur Rhodes (1-2)
- HR: Derek Jeter (1, 2), Curtis Granderson (11), Mark Teixeira (9), Francisco Cervelli (1)
- SB: Derek Jeter (1), Brett Gardner (5), Ian Kinsler (7), Elvis Andrus (10), Craig Gentry (1), Julio Borbon (5, 6), CS: Julio Borbon (2)

A's 5 - Royals 2

- Tyson Ross got the win, after he pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs.  He held the Royals scoreless for 5 innings, before a Hosmer double and Maier single plated two runs.  Ross is doing ok for now, but he's going to need to find a way to miss more bats if he's going to stick in the A's rotation.
- Jeff Francis allowed 2 earned runs over 6.1 innings, in a loss.  He's still winless this season, but at least he stopped his streak of giving up 5 earned runs in three straight starts. 
- Brian Fuentes pitched a perfect 9th with a strikeout for his 9th save.  Any time Fuentes pitches a clean inning for a save it's noteworthy.
- Eric Hosmer went 2-4 with a double, RBI, and run.  He hit 5th, behind Jeff Francoeur and ahead of Wilson Betemit.
- Conor Jackson wrapped out 3 hits with a RBI.  He's batting .291/.356/.405 and batting third, while splitting time in RF with David DeJesus.
- W: Tyson Ross (2-2), L: Jeff Francis (0-4), SV: Brian Fuentes (9)
- HR: Kurt Suzuki (4), Kevin Kouzmanoff (3)
- CS: Daric Barton (1)

Angels 6 - Indians 5

- Dan Haren held the Indians to 2 earned runs over 6.2 innings with 10 strikeouts, but was left with a no-decision as Fernando Rodney poo-pooed his lead in the 7th inning.  Haren is carrying a 1.87 ERA and superb 56 strikeouts to just 8 walks.
- Fausto Carmona tossed 7 innings with 3 runs allowed, although none of them were earned.  He should have gotten out of the 6th inning unscathed, but an Adam Everett error allowed the Angels to get on the board.  Carmona struck out 7, walked 1, and lowered his ERA to 3.83. 
- Grady Sizemore continued his comeback tour with a 3-5 game and his 5th homer of the season.  He also hit a double, to up his extra base hit total to 15.  He led the AL in extra base hits back in '06 with 92.
- Vernon Wells hit 4th and rewarded Mike Scioscia with an 0-4 effort with 1 run and a strikeout.  He continues to struggle with a .179/.220/.300 batting line.
- W: Fernando Rodney (2-1), L: Joe SMith (1-1), SV: Jordan Walden (6)
- HR: Grady Sizemore (5)
- SB: Orlando Cabrera (2)

White Sox 5 - Mariners 2

- Erik Bedard punched out a season high 9 batters and allowed 1 earned run in 5 innings.  The strikeouts are his most in almost 3 years (5/17/08).  Not surprisingly he did this against a White Sox team that is struggling offensively (see Liriano's no-no).
- Mark Buehrle turned in his third straight quality start with 8 innings of 2-run ball.  He struck out 3 and walked none against an offense that is just as punchless as his is right now.
- Brandon League took the loss on the chin, after giving up 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning.  It was the start of his second inning of work and one that came against the top of the White Sox lineup.
- Paul Konerko went 5-5 with a run to push his batting line to .323/.384/.543.  Just imagine how bad this lineup would be without him.  I know, it's scary.
- Adam Dunn went 1-5 with a run, RBI, and two strikeouts.  He's down to .167/.308/.302.  When's the last time Dunn's on-base percentage was higher than his slugging percentage?
- W: Sergio Santos (1-0), L: Brandon League (0-1)
- SB: Brent Lillibridge (4), Milton Bradley (4)

Marlins 8 - Nationals 0

- Anibal Sanchez fired 6 innings of no-hit ball at the Nationals, en route to 7 shutout innings and his 2nd win of the season.  He struck out 11, walked none, and ended with only 2 hits given up.  Earlier this season he threw a 1-hit complete game as he tried to notch his second career no-no. 
- The other Sanchez, Gaby Sanchez also had a great game as he went 4-4 with a 3-run homer, 3 runs, and a walk.  He's been outstanding this season with a .328/.414/.512 batting line and a team high 20 RBI. 
- Emilio Bonifacio led-off for the Marlins with Chris Coghlan hitting 2nd.  It was the first time Coghlan played and did not lead-off.  With a .381 OBP and more speed than Coghlan, this makes a bit of sense, at least until Bonifacio cools down. 
- Michael Morse went 2-4 with a strikeout, after being out of the lineup for four games with a right knee problem.
- W: Anibal Sanchez (2-1), L: Livan Hernandez (3-4)
- HR: Gaby Sanchez (5)
- SB: Hanley Ramirez (7)

Dodgers 4 - Mets 2

- Clayton Kershaw pitched 6.1 innings of 1-run ball with 8 strikeouts for his 4th win of the season.  After a Ronny Paulino RBI single in the first, it was mostly smooth sailing, until the 7th inning when Kenley Jansen came on relief with runners on the corners and only 1 out. 
- R.A. Dickey took the loss, after he allowed 3 earned runs over 7 innings.  The knuckleball wasn't knuckling so much as he gave up 10 hits and walked two batters.  His lone win this season was on his first start, back on April 3rd.
- Vicente Padilla nailed down his second save of the season with an earned run allowed on two hits.
- Andre Ethier went 2-4 with a 2-run homer.  And with that, perhaps he has started a new hit streak.
- After going 2-3 with a walk, Jerry Sands is batting .214/.286/.321.  If you're one of his owners worrying about him, consider that James Loney isn't doing much better and Marcus Thames is on the DL.
- Chris Young was put on the DL with tightness in his right shoulder, retroactive to May 2nd.  I'm a bit surprised it took this long for him to be on his second DL stint of the season.
- W: Clayton Kershaw (4-3), L: R.A. Dickey (1-4), SV: Vicente Padilla (2)
- HR: Andre Ethier (4)
- SB: Justin Turner (1)

Pirates 5 - Astros 4

- James McDonald pitched 6 innings of shutout ball with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks.  He was handed a no-decision, despite leaving with a 2-run lead.  This is his third straight quality start and music to the ears of those who stayed with him or added him, after he started the season with four sub-par to awful outings.  It probably helps that the Padres and Astros were his last two opponents. 
- J.A. Happ bounced back from a ho-hum start against the Reds with 2 earned runs allowed over 6 innings in this one.  He struck out 3 and walked 4, but was able limit the damage when the bases were loaded in the 1st  and 4th innings.
- Chris Johnson went 1-4 with a solo homer.  He's now tied for the team lead in homers with 4.  This should tell you all you need to know about the Astros power in their lineup.
- Jason Bourgeois was placed on the DL with a strained left oblique.  Just as he was starting to find more playing time…
- Ryan Doumit went 1-3 with a 3-run homer to put the Pirates up for good.  He's not the everyday catcher, but Doumit has some pop.  It's a little bit surprising to me at least, that he isn't getting more at-bats. 
- W: Daniel McCutchen (1-0), L: Fernando Abad (1-3), SV: Joel Hanrahan (10)
- HR: Chris Johnson (4), Ryan Doumit (3)
- CS: Jose Tabata (2)

Cardinals 3 - Brewers 1

- Kyle McClellan tossed 8 innings of 1-run ball at the Brew Crew and came away with his 5th win and still undefeated.  He only allowed 7 batters to reach base and the lone run was charged to him after he left in the 9th.  As a former relief pitcher, McClellan's 3.30 ERA has to be encouraging to the Cardinals, but how many guys can sustain success with a K/BB below 1.50?
- Chris Narveson pitched 4 quiet innings, before he gave up 2 runs in the 5th and an unearned run in the 6th.  He finished with 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts.  It's his third straight loss, but a much better performance than his last two. 
- Eduardo Sanchez came on in relief of McClellan with a runner on first in the 9th.  He labored, needing 29 pitches to get two outs.  Ultimately he left with the bases loaded in favor of Fernando Salas, who struck Rickie Weeks out to end things.  I think Sanchez would have been left in, had he not ran his pitch count up so high.
- Tyler Greene played second base and went 3-3 with a run.  Nick Punto maned third and went 1-3 with a run and RBI.  Between Greene, Punto, Daniel Descalso, and Allen Craig, Tony LaRussa has a variety of options at second and third.
- W: Kyle McClellan (5-0), L: Chris Narveson (1-3), SV: Fernando Salas (3)

Reds 2 - Cubs 0

- Johnny Cueto's first start off the DL (shoulder) was a beauty as he tossed 6 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk.  He threw 99 pitches in his final rehab start, so it wasn't a stretch for him to throw 102 in this game.  If you played it safe and kept him on your bench, you missed out.
- Ryan Dempster pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 5 hits and no walks.  After a string of abysmal starts, Dempster has now turned in back-to-back above average starts with 3 earned runs in 14 innings.  He was also very efficient as he only used 80 pitches to make it through the 7 innings with 61 of them going for strikes.
- Drew Stubbs went 2-4 with a double and a homer, his 6th of the season.  He's now slugging .457, not bad for a leadoff hitter.
- W: Johnny Cueto (1-0), L: Ryan Dempster (1-4), SV: Francisco Cordero (6)
- HR: Drew Stubbs (6)

Padres 4 - Diamondbacks 3

- Aaron Harang went 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 8 hits and 1 walk.  A notorious fly ball hitter, Harang has only pitched one game at Petco this season with more fly balls than ground balls.  In this game he induced 10 ground balls to 9 fly balls.  His ERA is now 4.07, which is mostly the product of the 8 earned run game he had against Atlanta. 
- Jorge Cantu went 2-4 with a 3-run homer in the second inning.  That was all the Friars needed as Harang and the Padres bullpen made the lead stand up.  Cantu and Brad Hawpe are going to have to keep on swinging a hot bat to keep Anthony Rizzo in the minors.  Today's effort is a step in that direction.
- Xavier Nady, not Juan Miranda or Russell Branyan, started at first base for the D-Backs.  Miranda had played four of the last five, leading to speculation that perhaps he was becoming the team's everyday first baseman.  Nady went 0-3 with a sac fly.
- W: Aaron Harang (5-2), L: Joe Saunders (0-4), SV: Heath Bell (8)
- HR: Jorge Cantu (3)
- SB: Chris Denorfia (2), CS: Chris Young (2)

Giants 3 - Rockies 0

- Ryan Vogelsong improved to 2-0 after he pitched 6.1 innings of 1-hit ball.  He struck out 4 and walked 1 in the 99 pitch outing.  He's in the rotation in place of the injured Barry Zito.
- Jorge De La Rosa took his first loss of the season, after he allowed 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 5 walks.  He pitched 6 innings with 7 strikeouts, but needed 115 pitches to get there.  The strikeouts are there, but the control has yet to stick. 
- Mike Fontenot went 0-3, but he did so from the 3rd spot in the lineup, where he's been hitting for the last 6 games.  With position flexibility and a prime spot in the lineup, I found myself adding him yesterday morning in one of my NL leagues.
- Troy Tulowitzki went 0-4 as his slide continues.  He's now down to .248/.343/.521.  It's not terrible, but this is what comes with the streaky short stop.
- W: Ryan Vogelsong (2-0), L: Jorge De La Rosa (4-1), SV: Brian Wilson (11)
- HR: Cody Ross (1)
- CS: Aaron Rowand (2)

Braves 5 - Phillies 2

- Jair Jurrjens held the Phillie to just 1 run over 6.1 innings for his 4th win of the season.  He walked 1, which is great, but his owners would really like to see his strikeout rate rise.  That's now five straight starts with 2 or fewer runs allowed and 2 or fewer walks allowed. 
- Cole Hamels gave up a 2-run homer in the 2nd and a solo shot in the 5th inning, but was pretty lights out other than that.  That might sound odd, but he allowed 5 hits all game with 1 walk and 9 punch-outs. 
- Ben Francisco went 0-3 and is now batting .232/.341/.384 on the season.  Raul Ibanez went 2-4 and now has a .212/.276/.336 batting line.  The two are going to need to pick up, if they don't want to lose significant at-bats to Domonic Brown, who is almost ready to come back up.
- W: Jair Jurrjens (4-0), L: Cole Hamels (4-2), SV: Craig Kimbrel (8)
- HR: Freddie Freeman (4), Alex Gonzalez (5), Eric Hinske (3)
- CS: Martin Prado (3)