Yankees 12 - Rangers 4

- Ivan Nova pitched 5.2 innings, allowed 4 earned runs, and let his offense do the rest.  He walked 3 batters, struck out 2, and gave up 7 hits.  His ERA is now 4.46 with a 37/32 K/BB ratio, which is not what you want out of your starting pitcher.
- Derek Holland showed no command as he allowed 6 earned runs in 5 innings with 7 hits, 5 walks, and no strikeouts.  He had 15 strikeouts to just 2 walks in his last two starts, but that was against Cleveland and Minnesota, not exactly the Yankees. 
- Mark Teixeira went 3-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBI, and 3 runs.  He's batting just .257, but that comes with a .372 OBP and a .560 SLG.  When he gets hot, he stays hot, so don't be surprised if this is the start of something.
- Eduardo Nunez went 2-4 with a solo homer, a walk, and a stolen base.  See, who needs that #2 guy?
- Ian Kinsler went 2-3 with a solo homer, 2 runs, and 2 walks.  The second baseman is batting .236/.354/.409 and is currently healthy.
- W: Ivan Nova (6-4), L: Derek Holland (5-2)
- HR: Ian Kinsler (8), Mark Teixeira (20, 21), Robinson Cano (14), Eduardo Nunez (2), Ramiro Pena (1)
- SB: Ian Kinsler (13), Alex Rodriguez (4), Robinson Cano (6), Eduardo Nunez (7, 8), Francisco Cervelli (3)

Indians 6 - Tigers 4

- Fausto Carmona pitched 5 innings with 4 earned runs, in a win, his 4th.  He allowed 8 hits with 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts.  A solo homer and 2-run single in the first inning got him off to a rough start, but his offense and bullpen carried him home.
- Brad Penny was roughed up for 4 earned runs in just 3.1 innings on 8 hits and 2 walks.  A 4-run fourth inning sent him packing.  He's now up to 36 strikeouts to 27 walks in 84 innings.  A lat injury later, his fastball velocity is down almost 2 mph from where it was last season.
- Brennan Boesch went 1-4 with a solo homer and a walk.  He's batting .282/.344/.466 in his sophomore campaign.
- Alex Avila did what Alex Avila does by going 2-2 with 2 RBI and 2 walks.  He's batting .304/.367/.550 and should probably be batting higher than 7th. 
- Shin-Soo Choo went 2-4 with 3 runs and a walk.  He's struggling with a .236/.316/.343 batting line.  At what point does a slow start become a bad season?
- W: Fausto Carmona (4-8), L: Charlie Furbush (1-1), SV: Chris Perez (17)
- HR: Brennan Boesch (9)

Blue Jays 4 - Orioles 1

- Ricky Romero evened his record, after pitching 8 innings of 1-run ball with 12 strikeouts.  Is there a more underrated lefty out there?  He's rocking a 3.01 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 95.2 innings.
- Jake Arrieta took the loss, but had a quality start with 6.2 innings pitched and 3 earned runs.  He got lucky as the two homers he served up were both solo shots.  He had 5 strikeouts with 2 walks, which might not sound like much, but is the best command he's shown his last three starts.
- Adam Lind went 2-3 with a 2-run homer, a walk, and a strikeout.  He's been on a pretty decent run since coming back from a lower back strain.  He's batting .337/.382/.614 on the season.
- W: Ricky Romero (6-6), L: Jake Arrieta (8-4), SV: Frank Francisco (6)
- HR: Yunel Escobar (8), Adam Lind (13), Juan Rivera (5)

Red Sox 3 - Rays 0

- Josh Beckett flat out dominated the Rays with a complete game 1-hit shutout.  He walk none and struck out 6 in his 6th win.  His ERA is down to 1.86 as his comeback tour continues to roll on.  Coming into this game he was sporting a career low HR/9 (4.4|PERCENT|) and BABIP (.235).
- Jeremy Hellickson pitched 7 innings with 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks.  A 3-run from Kevin Youkilis in the 7th inning was the death blow.  He walked 2 batters and struck out 2 batters, which isn't all that bad considering the opponent. 
- Dustin Pedroia went 2-4 with a triple and a run.  The Laser Show has been batting .364 this month.
- W: Josh Beckett (6-2), L: Jeremy Hellickson (7-5)
- HR: Kevin Youkilis (10)
- CS: Jacoby Ellsbury (9)

Twins 4 - White Sox 1

- Carl Pavano pitched a 1-run complete game with 6 hits, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts.  It's arguably his best start of the season.  He has now gone at least 7 innings in each of his last 6 starts.  With a 4.20 ERA, is he back in your good graces?
- Gavin Floyd also pitched a complete game, although his came with 8 innings and 4 earned runs.  He allowed 11 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.  His strikeouts are his most in almost a month.  With a 3.94 ERA, he's in mid-season form.
- Michael Cuddyer stole three bases as a part of a 5 stolen base night for the Twins.  With two more bags Cuddyer will have a career high in stolen bases.
- Adam Dunn went 1-2 with a walk.  He's still below the Mendoza Line as he's batting .183/.327/.342. 
- W: Carl Pavano (4-5), L: Gavin Floyd (6-6)
- SB: Ben Revere (6), Alexi Casilla (10), Michael Cuddyer (4, 5, 6)

A's 2 - Royals 1

- Josh Outman lived up to his name as he held the Royals scoreless for 7 innings.  He had 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to go with 4 hits.  In his five starts this season he has a 3.14 ERA with 12 strikeouts and 11 walks in 28.2 innings.  He's going to need to strikeout more batters to maintain that ERA.
- Luke Hochevar also pitched 7 innings, but his came with 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 2 walks.  He posted no strikeouts, which shouldn't be that surprising considering he entered with a 4.15 K/9. 
- Andrew Bailey registered his 2nd save of the season with a clean 9th inning.  His last appearance was on the 10th (also a converted save), so hopefully he gets more work in, moving forward.  Brian Fuentes set him up with an earned run on 3 hits in the 8th… par for the course for him.
- Jemile Weeks stole his first base in a 1-3 effort.  He had 10 stolen bases in 217 plate appearances in Triple-A, prior to being called up this season.
- W: Josh Outman (2-1), L: Luke Hochevar (4-7), SV: Andrew Bailey (2)
- SB: Alcides Escobar (10), Jemile Weeks (1); CS: Melky Cabrera (2)

Marines 3 - Angels 1

- Erik Bedard pitched like it he was back with the Orioles.  He fired off 7 shutout innings with 3 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts.  With a 3.16 ERA, you'd think the Marines would be looking to move him, but alas they are just 1 game out of first place.
- Ervin Santana allowed just 2 runs over 6.2 innings, but was saddled with the loss.  He allowed 8 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts.  This is some of the better command he has shown this season, yet a 2-run single in the 7th did him in. 
- Ichiro Suzuki went 2-4 with a run, walk, and 2 stolen bases.  Speed is about all he's given owners this season as he's batting .269/.320/.325.  Maybe he's been hanging out with Chone Figgins too much.
- W: Erik Bedard (4-4), L: Ervin Santana (3-7), SV: Brandon League (19)
- HR: Greg Halman (1)
- SB: Ichiro Suzuki (17, 18)

Phillies 8 - Marlins 1 (Game 1)

- Kyle Kendrick held the Marlins to just 1 run over 7 innings for his 4th win.  He walked 1 batter and struck out 5 with the lone run coming off of a Logan Morrison homer.  The strikeouts are a season high for Kendrick as he's flirted with a 1:1 K:BB ratio all season long.
- Elih Villanueva came up from Triple-A and made a spot start for the Marlins with dire results.  He was pounded for 8 earned runs in just 3 innings on 5 hits and 5 walks.  A 3-run triple and 3-run homer in the 3rd inning did the majority of the damage.
- Hanley Ramirez did not play in this game.  The plan is for him to rest on day games after night games, for the next two weeks.
- Jimmy Rollins went 2-5 with a 3-run homer and a RBI single.  The shortstop is batting .262/.333/.381 on the season.
- This isn't fantasy related, but the Marlins have lost 16 of their last 19 games.  Even the Mets are ahead of them in the standings now. 
- W: Kyle Kendrick (4-4), L: Elih Villanueva (0-1)
- HR: Logan Morrison (9), Jimmy Rollins (6)

Phillies 5 - Marlins 4 (Game 2)

- Anibal Sanchez pitched 7 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs in a no-decision.  He allowed 4 hits with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts.  The strikeouts are nothing new as he has really raised his strikeout rate this season to nearly a K per inning.
- Roy Halladay showed great command with 8 strikeouts and no walks, but also took a no-decision as he allowed 4 earned runs in 7 innings on 6 hits.  His control has been outstanding this season as he now has 14 walks in 112.1 innings (1.12 BB/9).
- Leo Nunez blew a save on a Shane Victorino 2-run single in the 9th.  That's his second blown save in his last four outings. 
- Chase Utley went 2-5 with 2 RBI and a strikeout.  He's batting .275/.383/.500 as he continues to work his way back.
- Jose Lopez played second base and went 1-3.  It was his first game as a member of the Marlins.  He should play mostly third base going forward.
- W: Ryan Madson (3-1), L: Mike Dunn (4-5), BSV: Leo Nunez (3)
- HR: Gaby Sanchez (12)
- SB: Shane Victorino (10, 11)

Reds 7 - Dodgers 2

- Travis Wood pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball as he improved to 5-4 on the season.  It could have been worse as he walked 5 batters to go with his 5 hits allowed.  Luckily he got two inning ending double plays. 
- Chad Billingsley got knocked around for 7 earned runs over 4 innings.  He had 9 hits allowed to go with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts.  His home/road ERA split was 1.71/6.49 coming into this game, but this one was at home, so that doesn't really help explain his poor performance.  Regardless, his ERA is now 4.65 and climbing.
- Chris Heisey hit lead-off and took the collar as he went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts.  He played CF as Drew Stubbs had the day off. 
- Scott Rolen went 3-5 with two doubles, 3 RBI, and 2 runs.  Fred Lewis also hit two doubles as he collected 2 RBI. 
- Dee Gordon went 2-5 and had his first caught stealing.  With his speed, I find it hard to believe this guy got caught.
- W: Travis Wood (5-4), L: Chad Billingsley (5-6)
- CS: Edgar Renteria (1), Dee Gordon (1)

Rockies 6 - Padres 3

- Jhoulys Chacin pitched 6 innings and allowed just 1 run for his 8th win.  He struck out 7 batters with 2 walks and just 3 hits allowed.  The lone run came from a Rob Johnson homer.  Chacin has now allowed just 2 earned runs over his last 20 innings.  His ground ball rate was 60.5|PERCENT| coming into this game, which is outstanding.
- Mat Latos allowed 4 earned runs over his 5.1 innings on 8 hits and 1 walk.  Maybe most alarming is the fact that he had just 2 strikeouts.  The velocity on his fastball in this game and for the season is around 92 mph, which is 2 mph less than where it was last season.
- Charlie Blackmon went 3-4 with a RBI, run, and stolen base.  Kid is batting .343/.343/.371 on the season with 5 stolen bases in just 35 at-bats.  When his first walk comes is yet to be determined.
- Anthony Rizzo went 1-4 with a strikeout.  He's batting .190/.414/.476 in just 21 at-bats. 
- Eric Young Jr. has started just 1 game since June 5th and has no stolen bases this month.  Tough to floss your speed when you're not on the field.
- W: Jhoulys Chacin (8-4), L: Mat Latos (4-8)
- HR: Rob Johnson (2)
- Chase Headley (8), Charlie Blackmon (5); CS: Jason Bartlett (4), Carlos Gonzalez (4)

Nationals 10 - Cardinals 0

- Livan Hernandez pitched a 3 hit, complete game shutout with no walks and 6 strikeouts.  Has he been hanging out with Bartolo Colon lately?  This is easily his best performance of the season and one that brings me back to his earlier days.
- Kyle McClellan allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings, before the bullpen came in and burnt the place down.  He allowed 7 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts.  If he's going to remain a starter, he's going to need to strikeout more batters to be relevant in fantasy leagues.
- Michael Morse started slow, but is making up for it big time.  In this game he went yard twice with a double for 3 RBI and 3 runs.  He's batting .312/.354/.561 and shows no signs of slowing down.
- Albert Pujols played his 5th game at third base and went 0-3.  We're halfway to him getting eligibility at the hot corner in most leagues.
- Ryan Zimmerman went 1-5 with a RBI and strikeout in his second game back from an abdomen injury.
- W: Livan Hernandez (4-8), L: Kyle McClellan (6-3)
- HR: Jayson Werth (9), Michael Morse (11, 12), Danny Espinosa (11)
- CS: Ryan Theriot (3)

Mets 4 - Braves 0

- Dillion Gee pitched 4 shutout innings with 1 hit, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts.  The rain stopped what could have been his 8th win.  He posted a 9.20 K/9 last season in 161.1 innings at Triple-A, so he has an ability to miss bats.
- Tim Hudson also pitched 4 innings, before the rain took over.  He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts.  A 2-run homer by Angel Pagan did most of the damage.  His command has been better this season, than in seasons past, but a low strand rate has been doing some work on his ERA.
- Angel Pagan went 2-4 with a 2-run homer and a caught stealing.  It was his first homer in almost two months. 
- W: Bobby Parnell (1-1), L: Tim Hudson (5-6)
- HR: Angel Pagan (2)
- SB: Jason Bay (5); CS: Angel Pagan (3)

Brewers 9 - Cubs 5

- Chris Narveson went 5.1 innings and allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks.  He was doing fine, until a 3-run homer by Reed Johnson cut the Brewers lead to just 1.  He's been up and down all season long, so this performance is nothing new. 
- Carlos Zambrano blew up again, as he allowed 5 earned runs in 6 innings.  In his last two starts (12.1 innings) he has allowed 12 earned runs.  He's pitching like the 2008 Big-Z and not like the one we saw the last two seasons and by that I mean his strikeout rate is hovering around 6.0 K/9.
- John Axford struck out the side in his 9th inning appearance. His ERA is now 2.87, but he continues to put runners on base, which leaves me with some trepidation about his future success.
- Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, and Corey Hart all wrapped out 3 hits.  Weeks had two doubles and a homer, Braun also had two doubles, while Hart had just one double.  This is a damn good offense.
- W: Chris Narveson (4-4), L: Carlos Zambrano (5-4)
- HR: Rickie Weeks (13), Reed Johnson (3), Jeff Baker (2)
- CS: Ryan Braun (4)

Pirates 7 - Astros 3

- Charlie Morton notched his 7th win with 5 innings of 3-run ball.  In new Morton fashion he generated 10 ground balls to 0 fly balls.  The 3 runs came on 8 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.  I was hesitant to accept that he could survive with a K:BB that hovered around 1:1, but at this point I've just given in and accepted it.
- J.A. Happ pitched 5 innings with 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 4 walks to go with 7 strikeouts.  The strikeouts are the second most he's posted in a game this season.  It'd be nice to see him work deeper into games as he hasn't pitched past the 6th inning in 2 months.  He's actually pitching close to his 2010 numbers, but a depressed strand rate is gripping his 4.95 ERA.
- Michael Bourn stole his 28th and 29th bases of the season in a 3-4 effort.  Is it wrong to say that Bourn and Pence should go to the All-Star Game?
- Somehow this game lasted 3 hours and 47 minutes.  I thought this sort of thing never happened in the NL.
- Brandon Lyon was put on the DL with a biceps injury and is scheduled to see Dr. Lewis Yocum.  Surgery is thought to be a possibility.  You can now exhale Mark Melancon owners.
- W: Charlie Morton (7-3), L: Enerio Del Rosario (0-1), SV: Joel Hanrahan (19)
- HR: Xavier Paul (1)
- SB: Andrew McCutchen (13), Michael Bourn (28, 29), Huner Pence (4)

Giants 5 - Diamondbacks 2

- Madison Bumgarner held the D-Backs to 2 runs over 6 innings for a win, his third.  He allowed 5 hits with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.  The two runs came off of solo homers by Willie Bloomquist and Chris Young.  After starting the season 0-6, he's gone 3-2 in his last 6 starts.
- Joe Saunders pitched 7 innings and gave up 3 earned runs in a loss, his 7th.  He stuck out 4 and walked 3, which is pretty much par for the Saunders course. 
- J.J. Putz gave up 2 earned runs in his 9th inning appearance.  He gave up 4 earned runs in the first two months of the season, but now has 4 earned runs just this month.  His been walking any more batters or been giving up a slew of homers, so I wouldn't be too concerned.
- Xavier Nady went 0-4 with 4 Ks for the Golden Sombrero. 
- Bill Hall went 2-4 with a double and RBI single.  Supposedly he spent 30 min hitting in the cage and fixed a 3-yr old flaw in his swing.  Sure he did.
- W: Madison Bumgarner (3-8), L: Joe Saunders (3-7), SV: Brian Wilson (20)
- HR: Willie Bloomquist (2), Chris Young (13)
- CS: Aaron Rowand (3), Kelly Johnson (2)