Tigers 9 - Twins 7

- Phil Coke has had a roller-coaster start to his season, but was able to give the Tigers 5.2 steady innings with only 2 earned runs.  He wasn't particularly dominant as he struck out 3 with 2 walks.  The last time he was a full time starter was back in '08 with the Yankees in Double-A, so some growing pains are to be expected.
- Scott Baker didn't bring his "A" game as he allowed 11 batters to reach base, en route to giving up 5 earned runs in just 4.1 innings.  He was actually doing ok, until the 5th inning when he gave up a 2-run double to Miguel Cabrera and then a 1-run single to Victor Martinez.
- Speaking of Victor Martinez, he went 3-4 in this game with two 1-run singles and a solo homer.  Since coming off the DL a week ago, he has been red hot with 5 doubles, 2 HRs and 13 RBI.
- Jason Kubel went 2-3 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 2 walks.  He's now batting .355/.414/.532 and is pretty much carrying the Twins lineup.  The next highest slugging percentage in the lineup was Denard Span's .353 and he was leading off, ouch.
- Matt Capps blew his second save of the season with 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings.  He had gone 5 straight appearances without allowing a run, before today's mishap and is still yet to issue a walk this season.
- It's getting harder and harder for me to defend this Twins team.  I don't know that we'll see Morneau, Mauer, and Nathan all healthy and performing well at the same time this season.  As for Liriano, who the heck knows.
- W: Joaquin Benoit (1-2), L: Matt Capps (1-2), SV: Jose Valverde (8), BSV: Matt Capps (2)
- HR: Jhonny Peralta (4), Victor Martinez (4), Jason Kubel (4)
- SB: Ryan Raburn (1); CS: Danny Valencia (2)

A's vs Rangers was postponed due to rain.

- This game actually got to the 4th inning, but was called when the storms rolled in for good.  Gio Gonzalez gave up 7 earned runs, 4 of which came via a Mitch Moreland grand slam.  I'm sure Gio's owners are happy the rain never let up as those runs were washed away when the game was called.   

Rays 8 - Indians 2

- David Price was dominant as he pitched 8 innings and allowed only 5 hits with no walks.  He struck out 7 as 94 of his 108 pitches were fastballs.  He gave up only 2 earned runs, both of which came in the 8th inning.  He took a liner off his wrist in the 6th, but stayed in the game. 
- In his return to the Tribe's rotation, Carlos Carrasco (elbow) gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings.  He ran into trouble in the 4th inning, when John Jaso, Sam Fuld, and Ben Zobrist all knocked in a run.  The loss snapped the team's 14 game home win streak.
- Justin Germano had one slip on him and pegged Evan Longoria in the back.  It looked quite painful.
- Matt Joyce just keeps on hitting.  In this one he went 2-5 with a homer to push his slash line to .358/.402/.575.  He needs to be owned in more leagues, come on people!
- Reid Brignac went 0-5 and is now batting .183/.221/.183.  Yep, no extra base hits this season.
- W: David Price (5-3), L: Carlos Carrasco (1-2)
- HR: Ben Zobrist (8), Matt Joyce (4)
- SB: Sam Fuld (11)

Royals 4 - Yankees 3

- A.J. Burnett held the Royals to 1 run over 7 innings, in a no-decision.  He walked 5 and struck out 6, but  only allowed 1 hit.  So far, so good with Burnett, who started to fall apart this time last season.  One thing that has not changed is his penchant for giving up homers.  He's on pace to meet the 25 homers he gave up last season and in '09.
- Vin Mazzaro made his 2011 debut with 2 earned runs in 4 innings of work.  He gave up 6 hits and issued 4 walks, so it could have been much worse. 
- Aaron Crow tossed 3 scoreless innings with 3 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts.  His 0.93 ERA won't last forever, but it does highlight how good he's been to date.
- Joakim Soria had trouble finding the plate and was saddled with a blown save, after giving up a run in the 10th.  Fortunately, the Royals scored in the 11th and he received a win.
- Eric Hosmer cranked out the first homer of his career.  He played hero in the 11th as his sac-fly put the team up for good.  He also took a walk and led the team with 31 pitches seen.  His eye at the plate is surprising to see from a Royals hitter.
- Who currently leads MLB in homers?  If you answered Curtis Granderson with 12, you'd be right. 
- W: Joakim Soria (3-0), L: Buddy Carlyle (0-1), SV: Louis Coleman (1), BSV: Joakim Soria (2)
- HR: Eric Hosmer (1), Curtis Granderson (12)
- SB: Jarrod Dyson (9), Melky Cabrera (4), Curtis Granderson (3), Eduardo Nunez (4); CS: Alcides Escobar (4), Brett Gardner (5)

Orioles 4 - Mariners 2

- The Mariners were only able to scratch out 1 run against Chris Tillman in his 6 innings.  In his last start he gave up 8 earned runs in just 3.2 innings to the Royals, so this was needed.  If only every other struggling pitcher could face the Mariners lineup.
- Felix Hernandez wasn't his usual self as he gave up 4 earned runs in just 5 innings.  It doesn't help that he only got 1 run of support in this game, but what are you going to do? 
- David Pauley tossed 3 scoreless innings in relief of King Felix with 2 strikeouts and no walks. 
- Adam Jones went 4-4 with a 2-run triple to pace all hitters.  Three of those came off of Hernandez, which is tough to do.
- W: Chris Tillman (2-3), L: Felix Hernandez (4-3), SV: Kevin Gregg (7)
- HR: Michael Saunders (2)
- SB: Chone Figgins (7), Felix Pie (1); CS: Ichiro Suzuki (2)

Blue Jays 9 - Red Sox 3

- If you didn't like John Lackey's last start (4 IP 8 ER), then you certainly didn't like this start.  He gave up 9 earned runs over 6.1 innings on 9 hits and 5 walks.  Oh, and he had 1 strikeout.  That's 2 strikeouts and 8 walks over his last two starts.  I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if he ended up on the DL with an ERA related injury.
- Jesse Litsch improved to 4-2, after allowing 3 earned runs over 5.2 innings.  He gave up 2 homers, but they were both solo shots, so that helped limit the damage.
- Adrian Gonzalez stayed hot with a double and his 6th homer of the month, a solo shot.  He's batting a svelte .329/.378/.566. 
- Carl Crawford got 2 more hits to push his May line to .341/.357/.463.  Forget about his April stats, those are already in the bank.
- Rajai Davis went 4-4 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and 2 stolen bases.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia now leads the majors with 28 stolen bases allowed.  The sooner Boston addresses their catcher situation, the better.
- W: Jesse Litsch (4-2), L: John Lackey (2-5)
- HR: Adrian Gonzalez (7), David Ortiz (6), John McDonald (2)
- SB: Corey Patterson (5), Rajai Davis (10, 11); CS: Carl Crawford (3)

White Sox 6 - Angels 4

- Jake Peavy made his 2011 debut with 6 innings pitched and 4 earned runs.  He gave up 7 hits, but didn't walk anyone and came away with 4 strikeouts.  He threw 64 of his 87 pitches for strike and first pitch strikes to 16 of the 25 batters he faced.  All told, an encouraging start for him to build on.
- How long do you think this 6-man rotation lasts?
- Tyler Chatwood held the White Sox to 1 run over 6.1 innings.  The bullpen imploded and saddled him with a no-decision.  He walked 3 and gave up 8 hits, so things certainly could have been worse. 
- Fernando Rodney pitched the 8th and gave up 1 earned run.  Jordan Walden then came in and pitched the 9th and gave up 2 earned runs to blow the save and tie the game.  Kevin Jepsen then came in for the coup de gras in the 10th and lost the game with 2 earned runs given up.  A pretty crappy way to end the day for the Angels.
- Kendrys Morales will need more surgery on his ankle to fix scar tissue that has built up.  Another tough blow to a guy who had to deal with a rough defection from Cuba, his agent stealing from him, and the home run jump/celebration that broke his ankle in the first place.  He's out for 6 more months and can safely be dropped in all non-keeper leagues. 
- Adam Dunn went 4-5 with a double, homer, 3 runs, a walk, and a strikeout to fill up the box score.  He now has 6 extra base hits in his last five games.  I have a feeling he's about to go on a tear.
- Sergio Santos pitched scoreless 8th & 9th innings for the win and Matt Thornton picked up his first save of the season in the 10th.
- W: Sergio Santos (2-0), L: Kevin Jepsen (0-2), SV: Matt Thornton (1), BSV: Jordan Walden (2)
- HR: Adam Dunn (4)
- SB: Paul Konerko (1), Erick Aybar (10), Maicer Izturis (4), Howie Kendrick (4)

Padres 13 - Brewers 6

- Two grab bags of fail in this game as Tim Stauffer and Randy Wolf both got shelled.  Wolf lasted only 3.1 innings and gave up 5 earned runs on 12 hits and 2 walks.  Giving up 12 hits to the Padres is like giving up 30 hits to an AL East team.  Stauffer managed to go 5.1 innings, giving up 6 earned runs in the process.  He did manage 7 strikeouts, which is a decent consolation prize for his owners.
- Mitch Stetter, Kameron Loe, & Mike McClendon combined for 2 innings and 8 earned runs.  Hopefully none of those guys are on your roster.
- The Friars finished this game with 23 hits… Chris Denorfia 3-4, Jason Bartlett 4-6, Cameron Maybin 4-6, Ryan Ludwick 3-6, Alberto Gonzalez 2-5, heck even Stauffer went 2-3. 
- W: Chad Qualls (2-2), L: Kameron Loe (2-4)
- HR: Chris Denorfia (3), Ryan Ludwick (5), Prince Fielder (8), Yuniesky Betancourt (2)
- SB: Jason Bartlett (6, 7), Brandon Boggs (1)

Astros 4 - Reds 3

- Edinson Volquez was all over the place in this start.  In the 2nd inning he walked Matt Downs, Brian Bogusevic, and Clint Barmes back-to-back-to-back, before Wandy Rodriguez flied out and Michael Bourn singled in two runs.  Anyone who walks that trio has some control issues to be sure. Volquez ended the game with 4 innings, 3 earned runs, and 3 strikeouts.  His walk rate is now higher than some pitcher's strikeout rate.
- Wandy Rodriguez turned in this third straight quality start with 7 innings of 3-run ball.  He left with a no-decision, but it's hard to fault him when going up against one of the league's better offenses.  He has now pitched at least 7 innings in 6 of his 8 starts this season.
- Mark Melancon hasn't officially been named the Astros closer, but there he was in the 9th inning of a tied game facing Chris Heisey, Drew Stubbs, and Edgar Renteria.  He retired all of them on ground outs and got the win, after a Hunter Pence double won it in the bottom of the inning.  Wilton Lopez pitched a clean 8th to set him up.
- Drew Stubbs went 2-5 with a homer and stolen base to push his batting line to .271/.352/.465.  Kid is a roto-monster and plays excellent defense. 
- W: Mark Melancon (3-1), L: Mike Leake (3-2)
- HR: Drew Stubbs (7), Chris Heisey (3)
- SB: Drew Stubbs (12)

Mets vs. Rockies was postponed due to rain.

Dodgers 2 - Pirates 0

- Hiroki Kuroda tossed 7 scoreless innings against the Buccos with 8 strikeouts.  He got roughed up by the Mets in his last start, so this was encouraging to see.
- Paul Maholm took the loss, after he went 6 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs.  He was erratic with 5 walks and 3 strikeouts.  He's got a 3.60 ERA on the season, but unless the command comes around, this likely won't last that long.
- The Dodgers put Hong-Chih Kuo on the DL with anxiety disorder.  He dealt with back issues and the yips earlier this season.
- Vicente Padilla pitched a scoreless 9th with 2 strikeouts for his 3rd save of the season.  His recent performance compounded with Broxton & Kuo's injuries should give him a decent leash to work with.
- Pedro Alvarez went 1-4 with a double and of course, a strikeout.  It was his first extra base hit in over two weeks.  With this he's batting .204/.271/.278 and is a serious funk as he deals with a quad injury.
- W: Hiroki Kuroda (4-3), L: Paul Maholm (1-5), SV: Vicente Padilla (3)
- SB: Matt Kemp (12), Xavier Paul (3)

Nationals 7 - Braves 3

- Tommy Hanson pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 1 earned run on 5 hits and 2 walks.  He lowered his ERA to 2.51, but was left with the no-decision after Craig Kimbrel blew the save.  That's his 8th straight start with 3 earned runs or less allowed.
- John Lannan was decent with 6 innings pitched and 2 earned runs.  He walked 3, struck out 3, and also took a no-decision.  It was almost a loss as he only got 1 run of support from the Nats offense.  He now has 4 total runs of support in his last 4 starts combined. 
- Craig Kimbrel blew his 3rd save of the season when he loaded the bases and gave up a 2-run single to Alex Cora.  In true Kimbrel fashion, he got all the outs that inning via strikeout. 
- Roger Bernadina went 0-3 from the lead-off spot.  Danny Espinosa went 0-4 with a walk and 3 strikeouts from the 7th spot. 
- Laynce Nix went 3-5 with a double and is now hitting .284/.294/.507.  He's shown good power this season, but still has 0 walks on the season. 
- Brian McCann went 2-5 with two doubles to raise his batting line to .314/.382/.405. 
- W: Drew Storen (3-1), L: Scott Linebrink (0-1), BSV: Craig Kimbrel (3)
- HR: Jayson Werth (6), Eric Hinske (4)
- SB: Ian Desmond (11, 12), Jayson Werth (5), Danny Espinosa (3); CS: Jerry Hairston Jr. (2)

Phillies 5 - Marlins 3

- Cliff Lee allowed 3 earned runs over 6 innings with 4 strikeouts and no walks.  He's winless in his last 5 starts, which says little about how he's pitched as he's received a total of 5 runs of support in those games.  He has a 64/7 K/BB ratio this season.  His command always amazes me.
- Ricky Nolasco pitched 6.1 innings with 2 runs (1 earned) and 6 strikeouts.  He too took a no-decision as the Marlins bullpen poo-pooed his effort.  That's now back-to-back outings where he has not allowed a homer, which is a streak that will hopefully not come to an end any time soon.  Knowing Nolasco, that seems doubtful.
- Leo Nunez took the loss after giving up a 2-run single to Jimmy Rollins in the top of the 9th.  He still doesn't have a blown save to his name, but his ERA has steadily risen this month to his current 3.38.
- Brian Schneider rounded 3rd and grabbed at his hammy.  With Carlos Ruiz due back Friday, the Phillies probably aren't too worried, but it's still an injury they'll have to address.
- Hanley Ramirez hit his 2nd homer of the season in this one.  He went 2-4 with 2 runs for the game, but is still batting int he low .200s with a slugging percentage barely above .300.
- W: Kyle Kendrick (3-2), L: Leo Nunez (0-1), SV: Ryan Madson (5)
- HR: Shane Victorino (6), Hanley Ramirez (2)

Cubs 11 - Cardinals 4

- Bit of rain in this game delayed things, but Matt Garza walked away with his 2nd win of the season in the end.  He pitched 5 innings of 1-run ball with 7 strikeouts, to give him 65 on the season, which is 1 behind Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum.  You've heard of those guys, right?  Garza surprisingly only got 1 ground ball in this game.  His season ground ball rate is 48|PERCENT|.
- Jake Westbrook wasn't long for this game as he left after 2.1 innings.  He gave up 5 earned runs on 6 hits and 1 walk.  He loaded the bases in the 3rd and could get out of it.  He was pulled in favor of Jason Motte, which should tell you what Joe Pettini, interim manager, thinks of him.  Tony La Russa is still away from the team dealing with shingles. 
- Ryan Franklin did his best to remove his name from any future closer talk by giving up 4 earned runs in 3 innings of work.  Mitchell Boggs pitched the 7th and gave an earned run on 2 hits.  Miguel Batista finished the night off with a clean 8th.  Scary as it may sound, Batista may be working his way towards more responsibility with his 0.56 ERA.  Eduardo Sanchez and Fernando Salas are rising to the top of the pecking order.
- Starlin Castro went 4-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs and is starting to break out of his slump that has him hitting .138 this month. 
- Alfonso Soriano went 2-4 with 2 RBI and now makes routine defensive mistakes that leave you just shaking your head.  Tuesday night he basically laid down and tried to catch a ball, that was hilariously ruled a hit.  Last night he had a ball roll right by his legs as he held his glove down between his legs.  The ball wasn't moving that fast either, he just completely mis-judged the path the ball would take by a few feet.  Again, the ball was not moving that fast.  He turned around and picked it up as Rasmus advanced to third.  It was embarrassing.  Watching him play LF is almost as fun as watching Lance Berkman play RF.  You grab a drink and wait for the laughs because you know they're coming.
- W: Matt Garza (2-4), L: Jake Westbrook (2-3)

Giants 4 - Diamondbacks 3

- Jonathan Sanchez gave the Giants a quality start with 6 innings and 3 earned runs for his 3rd win of the season.  He struck out 7 and walked just 2, which is nice as his control has been pretty shaky in his last two starts.  All of the runs he gave up came via Henry Blanco's bat, which says all you need to know about the D-Backs offense in this game.
- The Giants bullpen tossed 3 scoreless innings with only 1 hit and 1 walk allowed. 
- Mike Fontenot played SS and went 0-4, while Miguel Tejada went 3-4 and played 3B.  I don't have many complimentary things to say about the left side of the Giants infield and with Mark DeRosa joining the team soon, hopefully that will change. 
- Andres Torres went 2-3 with a RBI, walk, and strikeout from the leadoff spot.  It was only his 2nd game back and his first RBI of the season.
- W: Jonathan Sanchez (3-2), L: Armando Galarraga (3-3), SV: Brian Wilson (12)
- HR: Henry Blanco (2), Aubrey Huff (4)
- SB: Kelly Johnson (6), Ryan Roberts (5), Gerardo Parra (4)

You can follow me on Twitter @andtinez.  It's mostly baseball, college football, college basketball, and ramblings about the Astros.  Jim Crane, do the city a solid and bring some life to the team.

Tonight @OzzieGuillen tweeted out "Mlb always put what I said out of content"  I love Ozzie.