Pirates 3, Mets 1

- Paul Maholm (3-7) was at his best Monday, getting ground ball after ground ball for seven thee-hit shutout innings. Typical Maholm K:BB numbers -- four strikeouts, two walks. The Mets shellacked him two starts ago, but he's thrown shutout ball in three of his last four outings and is now sporting a shiny 3.12 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the year.
- Mike Pelfrey (3-5) pitched very well on the other end, to no avail. He only needed 81 pitches to get through seven efficient innings, allowing just two runs on four hits. Probably would have gone deeper if he got any offensive support. Big Pelf fanned six and didn't walk a batter for the second straight outing.
- There was a home run: Brandon Wood (2) off Pelfrey.
- The untouchable Joel Hanrahan collected his 17th save. Jason Bay almost got him for a homer, but, well, it's Jason Bay. Ball died on the warning track for the last out.

Tigers 2, Rays 1 in 10

- Alex Cobb, one of the week's more intriguing two-start pitchers, struck out seven over 5.2 innings of one-run ball. He did allow 10 baserunners, though (eight hits, two walks).
- Cobb was outpitched by Phil Coke, who threw 6.1 shutout, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out three. Coke's season numbers are starting to look fantasy-relevant. Unfortunately, Joaquin Benoit blew it for him in the eighth.
- David Purcey (1-0) earned the win in relief, while Kyle Farnsworth (2-1) made a small return to Earth, allowing Ramon Santiago's walk-off triple.
- Alex Avila punished the Rays today, collecting a single and a double, but more importantly, throwing out all three Tampa runners who tried to steal on him.

Indians 1, Yankees 0

- Carlos Carrasco (6-3) would like your attention, and he's probably got it, having shut the Yankees out on five hits and three walks over seven innings in Yankee Stadium. Strikeouts? Strikeouts. Seven of them. That's two gems in a row for Carrasco, who also won 1-0 his last time out, pitching into the ninth against Minnesota.
- A.J. Burnett (6-5) had tough luck on the other end, striking out eight batters over 7.2 innings of one-run ball. Just five hits and a walk for Burnett, who bounced back after getting pounded by Boston his last time out. Burnett vs. AL East: 7.13 ERA. Against everyone else: 2.59 ERA.
- Chris Perez struck out the side in order for his 16th save -- not bad for a guy who came in with a 13:12 K:BB.

Diamondbacks 12, Marlins 9

- Zach Duke maybe needs to focus less on his hitting. Staked to a 9-0 lead, thanks in part to his two-run homer (second of the year!), he gave seven back and couldn't make it out of the fifth inning, allowing 13 hits in all. He should ask his teammate Micah Owings how to get his pitching game back together.
- All those runs came at the expense of Ricky Nolasco (4-2), who allowed eight hits and four walks over just three innings of work. His owners will thank their lucky stars that only five of the runs were earned. Nolasco remains unpleasantly blowup-prone.
- J.J. Putz owners benefited from Florida's attempted comeback, as they got within three, allowing Putz to come on for a flawless ninth and his 18th save.
- Miguel Montero had a big day with the bat, doubling three times and driving in four runs.
- Gerardo Parra swiped his sixth bag.
- Justin Upton had three hits and drove in a couple.
- Emilio Bonifacio had an all-or-nothing day -- three hits, three strikeouts in six AB.

Cubs 1, Brewers 0

- Randy Wolf and Ryan Dempster battled to a stalemate over seven innings, each striking out seven batters and leaving with the score 0-0. Wolf allowed six hits; Dempster four hits and a walk (intentional). A classic pitchers' duel indeed.
- Kameron Loe, who is for some bizarre reason considered the best setup arm in the Brewers' bullpen despite a flair for losing, fell to 2-6, allowing a couple hits and the game's lone run in the eighth.
- That made a winner out of Jeff Samardzija (4-2).
- Carlos Marmol walked Prince Fielder (almost never a bad move), but struck out two and nailed down save No. 13.
- Ryan Braun stole his 15th base.
- Starlin Castro stole his seventh.

Astros 8, Braves 3

- Wandy Rodriguez (4-3) was wildly effective, walking four, but striking out five and allowing just two hits over six innings of shutout ball in his first start off the DL (elbow). The four walks were actually a season high for Wandy, who, before today, made major strides with his control this season.
- Derek Lowe (3-5) couldn't escape the sixth, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out just two and saw his ERA balloon back over four. Fourth time this year (and third in his last seven starts) that Lowe has allowed five runs.
- Hunter Pence, fresh off his day off to rest a balky back, went 3-for-4 with his ninth homer and four RBI, giving him a cool 50 on the year. Naturally, I've been a Pence owner every year BUT this year. Sometimes, I hate fantasy sports.
- Jordan Schafer contributed his first homer of the year, a three-run bomb to welcome Brandon Lyon back to the ninth inning.
- Lyon has allowed eight runs in two innings since returning from the DL. Think he'll be closing soon?

- Another day, another steal for Michael Bourn. That's an MLB-leading 27 on the year.

Padres 3, Rockies 1

- First career start for Anthony Bass (1-0) could have gone worse, as he navigated around five hits and a horrendous 4:1 BB:K over five innings, allowing just one run. Not bad for a Coors Field start. Bass compiled a 63:17 K:BB and 3.41 ERA over 68.2 minor league innings (almost all in Double-A) this year, so there is some interest there, especially with Aaron Harang hitting the DL and that friendly home park.
- Aaron Cook (0-1) wasn't bad, but wasn't good enough, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out just two and has a 6:6 K:BB in two starts since returning from the DL.
- The Rockies were off and running on the rookie: Troy Tulowitzki (5), Ty Wigginton (4) and Charlie Blackmon (3) all swiped bags. Blackmon also had a pair of hits and an RBI.
- Heath Bell worked around a walk for his 18th save.
- Cameron Maybin had a single and a triple in his return from the DL.

Angels 6, Mariners 3

- Dan Haren (6-4) struck out seven over six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Once again, no walks -- he has just 15 on the year.
- Jason Vargas (4-4) wasn't bad, but was touched up for a couple homers by Vernon Wells. His six hits and two walks (not to mention six strikeouts) over seven innings look good, but he allowed five runs, largely due to those homers.
- As mentioned, Wells went yard twice (6) and drove in three.
- The struggling Ichiro Suzuki delivered a couple hits and stole a couple bases (16).
- Jordan Walden nailed down his 15th save with a pair of strikeouts and no problems.

Reds 6, Dodgers 4

- Bronson Arroyo (5-6) struck out just one batter, but kept the Reds afloat while his offense went to work. He allowed four runs on six hits over 7.2 and didn't walk a batter.
- Hiroki Kuroda (5-8) pitched well, but didn't get much help from his defense, allowing four runs (two earned) over 6.1 innings. He allowed seven hits and struck out six without walking a batter.
- Joey Votto (9) hit a two-run bomb, and Chris Heisey (5) contributed a solo homer.
- Matt Kemp stole his 15th base; we're not much more than a third of the way through the year, and he already has what would be a season's worth of stats -- 20 homers, 15 steals -- for a lot of players. 162-game pace: .332, 47 HR, 133 RBI, 110 R, 35 SB. Sick.
- Francisco Cordero worked around a leadoff walk to Kemp and the steal, striking out the side in order after that for his 13th save.