Rangers 2 - Indians 0
- C.J. Wilson held the Indians scoreless for 7.2 innings, in a win. He struck out 7 with 2 walks and 3 hits. I'm surprised how well Wilson has held up, after his move from the bullpen. He's already pitched more innings this season than he did in '09, his last season as a reliever.
- Mitch Talbot turned in a quality start with 6 innings and 2 earned runs allowed. He put 11 runners on base and allowed 2 homers, both solo shots, so he's lucky to just get away with just 2 runs allowed.
- Mitch Moreland went 2-4 with a homer to push his season line to .313/.384/.523. Chris Davis who?
- W: C.J. Wilson (6-3), L: Mitch Talbot (2-2), SV: Neftali Feliz (13)
- HR: Elvis Andrus (3), Mitch Moreland (8)
- SB: Nelson Cruz (3), David Murphy (5)
Red Sox 6 - A's 3
- John Lackey pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs, in his return to the Red Sox rotation. He struck out 2 and walked 2 in a win, his first since late April.
- Brett Anderson allowed 5 earned runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings. That's now back-to-back disaster starts for Anderson who has allowed 14 earned runs in his last 10.1 innings. I'm sure he's ready to get back to facing AL West foes and not the Yankees and the Red Sox.
- Carl Crawford went 1-2 with a 3-run homer, a walk, and a strikeout. His batting line of .248/.286/.389 is getting closer and closer to respectability.
- W: John Lackey (3-5), L: Brett Anderson (3-6), SV: Daniel Bard (1)
- HR: Kevin Kouzmanoff (4), Adrian Gonzalez (12), Carl Crawford (5)
- SB: Conor Jackson (3), Kurt Suzuki (2), Dustin Pedroia (13); CS: Jacoby Ellsbury (7)
Blue Jays 7 - Orioles 4
- Jo-Jo Reyes pitched 6.1 innings with 3 earned runs on 5 hits and 4 walks. That's now back-to-back wins for Reyes, who just got over a streak of 28 straight starts without one. Getting 18 combined runs of support in those last two games doesn't hurt.
- Jeremy Guthrie got torched for 6 earned runs in 5 innings. He allowed 9 hits, two of which were homers, to go with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. A 3-run homer by Yunel Escobar in the 4th did most of the damage. He's now 2-8 despite a 3.71 ERA. He's received zero run support in five of those loses, so it's not been all his fault.
- Edwin Encarnacion went 3-4 with a run and strikeout as the Blue Jays DH. It'll be interesting to see how he's used now that Adam Lind is back.
- W: Jo-Jo Reyes (2-4), L: Jeremy Guthrie (2-8)
- HR: Yunel Escobar (7), Adam Lind (8, 9), Mark Reynolds (9)
- SB: Jose Molina (2)
Tigers 7 - White Sox 3
- Brad Penny allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings to earn his 5th win of the season. He struck out 5 and walked 2, which is encouraging considering he came into this game with 29 strikeouts to 23 walks in 68.2 innings.
- Jake Peavy got run after he allowed 6 earned runs in the 4th inning. A Ryan Raburn grand slam was the death knell for him. Peavy walked 3 batters, after walking only 1 in his first 25 innings. He left the game with a groin strain, so a DL stint might be on the way.
- Paul Konerko went 2-4 with a RBI and walk. You don't hear too much about Paulie, but he's quietly hitting .313/.385/.525 this season and showing that last season was no fluke.
- W: Brad Penny (5-4), L: Jake Peavy (2-1)
- HR: Miguel Cabrera (13), Ryan Raburn (5), Gordon Beckham (6)
- SB: Brent Morel (2); CS: Juan Pierre (9)
Twins 6 - Royals 0
- Brian Duensing tossed 8 shutout innings on 6 hits and 1 walk, in the win. Three of his last four starts had been pretty awful, so this was a much needed performance.
- Jeff Francis allowed 4 runs (1 earned) over 7 innings for his 6th loss. The three unearned runs all scored in the first inning as Francis didn't run into trouble again until the 6th inning. For a guy that throws 85 mph with his fastball, I'm surprised he's doing this well.
- Delmon Young went 0-4 with a run and strikeout. He's now hitting .215/.248/.257, not exactly what owners expected after his breakthrough '10 season.
- W: Brian Duensing (3-5), L: Jeff Francis (2-6)
- SB: Alexi Casilla (8)
Yankees 5 - Angels 3
- Bartolo Colon pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs for his 4th win. He allowed 6 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. He's now struck out 66 batters in 71.2 innings this season, which is simply amazing for any 38 year old pitcher.
- Joel Pineiro took the loss, after he allowed 4 earned runs over 6.2 innings. A pair of Mark Teixeira homers did him in. He did manage to strikeout 4 batters, which is about the best anyone can hope for from Pineiro.
- Mark Trumbo went 1-4 with his 11th homer. How does one see only 7 pitches in 4 at-bats?
- W: Bartolo Colon (4-3), L: Joel Pineiro (2-3), SV: Mariano Rivera (16)
- HR: Mark Teixeira (17, 18), Nick Swisher (5), Mark Trumbo (11)
- SB: Curtis Granderson (9), Bobby Abreu (10), Mark Trumbo (6), Peter Bourjos (8); CS: Brett Gardner (7)
Mariners 9 - Rays 6
- Erik Bedard pitched well enough to win this game as he pitched 7 innings of 3-run ball. He allowed 8 hits with no walks and 7 strikeouts. How long till the Mariners try and cash out with a trade of Bedard? He hasn't exactly been the healthiest pitcher these past few years.
- Wade Davis gave up 5 earned runs in 7 innings, in a no-decision. Jamey Wright of the Mariners can be thanked for that. Davis wasn't all that bad as he gave up 5 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Considering the opponent, though, this can't be considered good by any stretch.
- Ichiro Suzuki went 2-5 with a triple, 2 RBI, and 1 run. He's now batting .264/.318/.309, which is well below his career line of .329/.374/.425. That .280 BABIP of his, is holding him back (career .354 BABIP).
- W: Jamey Wright (2-2), L: J.P. Howell (0-1), SV: Brandon League (16)
- HR: Miguel Olivo (7)
Brewers 6 - Marlins 5
- Anibal Sanchez had a rough outing as he allowed 5 earned runs over 5 innings on 8 hits and 1 walk. Considering the run he had been on lately (1.66 May ERA), this is just a bump in the road.
- Chris Narveson had similar troubles as he allowed 4 earned runs in 5.1 innings on 4 hits and 5 walks. That's now 15 earned runs allowed in his last 12.2 innings. He's been very streaky this season with stretches like this before, which isn't very friendly for head-to-head leagues.
- Rickie Weeks went 2-5 with a 2-run homer and a RBI single. He's hitting a career high .287/.357/.498 on the season. At 7 stolen bases, he should approach a 20/20 season, if not surpass it.
- W: Tim Dillard (1-0), L: Mike Dunn (4-3), SV: John Axford (16)
- HR: Rickie Weeks (11), Josh Wilson (2), Brett Hayes (2)
- SB: Emilio Bonifacio (3)
Dodgers 9 - Reds 6
- Chad Billingsley allowed 4 earned runs in 5 innings on 8 hits and 3 walks, in a win. He didn't pitch all that effectively, but Travis Wood helped him to a 3-run lead, anytime things got stressful. He also homered in the game to help his own cause.
- Travis Wood got bombed for 8 earned runs in 4.2 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 5 walks with 3 strikeouts. After a rough April (6.82 ERA), Wood picked it up in May (3.50 ERA), but this feels like he's back to square one.
- Jose Arredondo got 4 outs, 2 via strikeout. It wasn't too long ago that he was with the Angels and thought to possibly be their closer of the future. That was of course before his TJ surgery.
- Jerry Sands went 1-5 with a RBI and 3 strikeouts. It's hard out there for a rookie hitting .210/.301/.345. I recently saw him available in one of my NL scratch draft leagues. Can't say I blame his owner for cutting him loose. Also can't say that I won't try to add him to my team and see if things get better.
- W: Chad Billingsley (5-4), L: Travis Wood (4-4)
- HR: Matt Kemp (16), Chad Billingsley (1), Drew Stubbs (8)
- SB: Drew Stubbs (17), Joey Votto (6)
Phillies 7 - Pirates 3
- Roy Halladay cruised to his 8th win, after he allowed just 2 earned runs over 7 innings. He walked 1 with 6 strikeouts and really wasn't in trouble after he allowed a 2-run homer to Neil Walker in the 1st inning. Considering he's raised his strikeout rate to nearly 9.0 K/9, this could be Halladay's best season yet.
- James McDonald allowed 3 earned runs, but it was only over 4 innings. How much more fun would this start have been if it had been Charlie Morton (a Halladay copycat) instead? McDonald walked 5 and struck out 3, in what was a start reminiscent of those he produced in April (7.66 ERA).
- Chase Utley produced his first 3 hit game of the season and stole his third base. He's hitting just .239/.340/.326, but he's only had 46 at-bats since coming back.
- W: Roy Halladay (8-3), L: James McDonald (3-4),
- HR: Neil Walker (8)
- SB: Chase Utley (3)
Cardinals 3 - Cubs 2
- Chris Carpenter pitched 9 innings of 2-run ball, but was left with a no-decision. He allowed 7 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. Many were wondering what was wrong with him as he had been rocking an ERA in the mid fours, but if you look at his peripheral stats, it's mostly the work of a .343 BABIP. Over his last four starts he hasn't allowed more then 3 earned runs and has walked a total of 4 batters.
- Carlos Zambrano pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball, but was also left with a no-decision. He vented his frustrations after the game in a verbal manner (as opposed to a drink machine manner) calling the team "embarrassing." After watching them get swept by the Astros and then getting swept by the Cardinals, who can blame him? The Cubs have the 2nd worst record in the NL.
- Albert Pujols did it again. He hit another walk-off shot to demoralize the Cubs one more time. That's now 4 homers and 7 RBI in his last three games. Remember when there was talk about how he was slumping? Yeah, I don't either.
- W: Fernando Salas (3-0), L: Rodrigo Lopez (0-1), BSV: Carlos Marmol (4)
- HR: Albert Pujols (13)
Giants 2 - Rockies 1
- Ryan Vogelsong kept his magical season going as he allowed just 1 earned run over 8 innings, in a win. He struck out 7 and walked 1 with 4 hits allowed. He allowed 1 homer, but it was a solo shot to Chris Iannetta. I don't know how long this will last, but it sure is interesting to track. The last time he pitched in the majors was in '06, so it's not like there's some map for this.
- Jason Hammel almost matched Vogelsong's effort as he pitched 7 innings and allowed just 1 run. He walked 2 and struck out 4 as the Giants were only able to get 2 hits off him all afternoon. His last start was a disastrous one as he allowed 7 earned runs over 4.2 innings, so this was surely welcomed by the Rockies and his owners.
- Eric Young Jr. went 0-4 with a strikeout and saw his batting line slide to .258/.250/.258. That's not going to cut it as a leadoff hitter. I wonder how long it'll be till Charlie Blackmon gets the call to help their centerfield problem.
- W: Ryan Vogelsong (4-1), L: Matt Lindstrom (0-1), SV: Brian Wilson (17)
- HR: Chris Iannetta (8)
Nationals 9 - Diamondbacks 4
- Ian Kennedy held the Nationals to 1 run over 7 innings in a no-decision. He allowed 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. Coming into this game his home ERA this season was 4.27, partially due to the fact that he had given up 5 homers there.
- Jason Marquis pitched 5.1 scoreless inning with 3 hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. You want to see a real home/road split check out Marquis who had a 1.86 ERA at home and 5.75 ERA on the road. Of course he reversed course in this one and was quite effective. His ERA is now 3.84 on the season and I'm sure has the Nats trying to shop him around to teams still in it.
- Drew Storen got the last out in the 8th, then came back for the 9th with a 3-run lead and completely melted down. He allowed two singles and then walked the next two batters to leave things a mess for Todd Coffey and ultimately Sean Burnett. Eventually the 3-runs that scored all got charged to him. Hey, at least he got a hold. Burnett pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, but issued a walk that tied the game at 4-4 in the 9th and got charged with the blown save.
- Mike Morse went 1-4 with a grand slam in the 11th to extend the Nationals' 1-run lead to a 5-run lead. He's hitting .301/.337/.503 and this is after he hit .211/.253/.268 in April.
- W: Sean Burnett (1-2), L: Joe Patterson (0-1)
- HR: Mike Morse (8), Wilson Ramos (4), Kelly Johnson (11)
- SB: Danny Espinosa (5)
Padres 7 - Astros 2
- Mat Latos allowed 2 earned runs over 5 innings for his 4th win. He issued 2 walks to go with his 3 strikeouts. He still really isn't working that deep into games, but it's tough to argue with the results, considering they've been much better as of late. Still, his owners were probably expecting a bit more than this against the Astros.
- Jordan Lyles stumbled in his start with 4 earned runs in 4 innings. A 3-run first inning wasn't the way he wanted to start the game, I'm sure. In all it was 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. He probably only has one more start left, before Wandy Rodriguez gets back.
- Jason Bourgeois stole his 13th base in a pinch hit role. It was his first at-bat since coming off the DL from an oblique injury.
- Hunter Pence drove in his 44th RBI on the season in this game, which is 5th highest in the NL. I don't think it'd be that crazy to send him and Michael Bourn, who leads the NL in stolen bases with 25 to the All-Star Game. Then again, the All-Star selection process is screwed up anyhow (see Derek Jeter).
- W: Mat Latos (4-6), L: Jordan Lyles (0-1)
- SB: Michael Bourn (24, 25), Jason Bourgeois (13), Chase Headley (7), Rob Johnson (1)
Mets 6 - Braves 4
- R.A. Dickey pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball in a win, his third. The 1 run did that did score was on a solo shot from Brian McCann. The knuckled was knuckling as Dickey allowed just 4 hits all night to go with his 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.
- Tim Hudson got roughed up for 5 earned runs in just 4 innings on 7 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. He got 6 ground balls to 4 line drives, which is never a ration you like see. He came in with a 4.11 road ERA and leaves with a 4.93 road ERA.
- Dan Uggla went 0-3 with a strikeout as his poor start is slipping into a bad season. He's now batting .172.240/.312.
- W: R.A. Dickey (3-6), L: Tim Hudson (4-5)
- HR: Brian McCann (7), Diory Hernandez (1)