Nationals 4, Orioles 2



- the Zimmer Twins led the charge for the suddenly red-hot Nats. Ryan Zimmerman started to shake the rust off, going 2-for-4 with a double and a laser shot into the seats for a solo home run, while Jordan Zimmermann allowed just two runs over 6.1 innings.

- meanwhile, the O's are losing not just games but players. Brian Matusz limped off the field with a strained hamstring after giving up four runs in 5.1 innings, while Luke Scott left the game in the third inning with back spasms.

- Mike Morse homered again. Yawn. He's hitting .328/.416/.687 in June after his ridiculous .403/.422/.774 May.

W: Zimmermann (5-6) SV: Drew Storen (17) HR: Adam Jones (10), Zimmerman (2), Morse (13) SB: Danny Espinosa (8), Roger Bernadina (10) CS: Derrek Lee (1), Espinosa (2)





Yankees 4, Cubs 3



- neither team deserved to win this one, but somebody had to. The game was pretty much summed up by the bottom of the sixth: with the Yanks leading by a run, Eduardo Nunez and Robinson Cano committed back-to-back errors to load the bases with one out, only for Carlos Pena to get thrown out at the plate by about 26 bazillion feet on a shallow fly to Brett Gardner in left for an inning-ending double-play.

- the two starting picthers were models of inefficiency. A.J. Burnett allowed two runs in 5.1 innings (and 104 pitches) on four hits with an 8:3 K:BB ratio, but Ryan Dempster put him to shame by throwing 119 pitches in 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits while walking six and striking out six.

- Cano and Nunez made up for their errors. Cano went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, a run and an RBI, while Nunez went 2-for-4 and drove in a needed insurance run in the ninth.

- the insurance run was needed because Reed Johnson had a great ninth inning, throwing out Nick Swisher at the plate to snuff the Yankees' rally then hitting a solo shot off Mariano Rivera to lead off the bottom half of the inning.

W: Burnett (7-5) SV: Rivera (17) HR: Carlos Pena (11), Johnson (4) SB: Russell Martin (7) CS: Curtis Granderson (6), Brett Gardner (10)





Rangers 5, Braves 4 (10 innings)



- Matt Harrison proved conclusively he has more guts than brains, coming back out to the mound in the fifth inning after a two-hour-plus rain delay. His final line: three runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over 6.1 frames with 6 K's. And for his efforts, he got a no-decision. Ouch.

- Derek Lowe did not come back out after the delay, because mama Lowe didn't raise no dummies. He got touhed for four runs (three earned) on seven hits in five innings with a 2:0 K:BB ratio.

- Elvis Andrus went 3-for-5 and scored two runs, one of which came when he swiped home on the back half of a double steal with Josh Hamilton.

- Dan Uggla went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. It's his first game this season with multiple extra-base hits. Brian McCann homered for the second straight game, his fourth blast in his last eight games.

- Freddie Freeman wore his second Golden Sombrero in five games. His numbers on the season are still decent, but over his last 10 games he's hitting .195 with 20 K's in 41 at-bats. The book would seem to be out on him.

- Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel combined for two innings of shutout relief and struck out five between them. Unfortunately for the Braves, the game kept going after that.

W: Mark Lowe (2-1) SV: Pedro Feliz (14) HR: Brian McCann (11) SB: Andrus 2 (21), Nelson cruz (4), Hamilton (4)





Indians 5, Pirates 1



- remember when Carlos Carrasco was a top prospect for the Phillies and was the centerpiece of the Cliff Lee deal, and you'd look at his minor league numbers and scratch your head and wonder what the big deal about him was? Now you know. He took a no-hitter into the sixth and left after 6.1 innings, having allowed just one run on four hits and a walk with four K's, including two huge ones back-to-back of Xavier Paul and Andrew McCutchen in that sixth inning to snuff out the Pirates' first rally when the score was still just 2-0. Carrasco now has a 0.42 ERA and 17:5 K:BB ratio over his last three starts.

- Paul Maholm also came into the game off back-to-back scoreless appearances, but unlike Carrasco couldn't keep it up. He ended up allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks over 6.1 frames, striking out three.

- Grady Sizemore went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, two runs scored and an RBI.

- los Cabreras also had a good night. Asdrubal Cabrera went 2-for-4 with two steals, while Orlando Cabrera hit a solo shot.

W: Carrasco (7-3) HR: OCabrera (3) SB: ACabrera 2 (11), Shin-Soo Choo (10)





Mets 6, Angels 1



- Mike Pelfrey was on cruise control, tossing a complete game five-hitter and giving up just one run with a 5:0 K:BB ratio.

- Dan Haren, on the other hand, struggled with his breaking pitches and lasted only four-plus innings, getting smacked around for six runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out only two. Haren now has a 6.00 ERA over his last five starts, although his 23:4 K:BB ratio over that stretch (30 innings) indicates the problem is probably just temporary.

- Carlos Beltran helped chase Haren with a two-run bomb in the fifth inning, part of a 2-for-4, three RBI day.

- Hank Conger went 0-for-3 and let the Mets go 4-for-4 on steal attempts. He's giving Mike Scioscia no reason right now not to give Jeff Mathis lots more playing time.

- Hisanori Takahashi struck out three in two innings of shutout relief. He's under the radar right now because of an awful May (6.30 ERA in 10 innings) skews his numbers, but he's got a 1.00 ERA and 9:0 K:BB ratio in nine June innings and was very valuable for the Mets last year. If you're in a league where middle relievers are worth sosmething, Takahashi's worth grabbing.

W: Pelfrey (4-5) HR: Mark Trumbo (12), Beltran (10) SB: Angel Pagan (11), Jason Bay (6), Jose Reyes 2 (26)





Rays 7, Marlins 4



- the Marlins' season continues to go straight down the tubes, as Mike Stanton was a late scratch due to an eye infection he's been trying to battle through for a while now.

- Ricky Nolasco has been a big part of the Marlins' swoon and Saturday was no different, as he got tagged for five runs on eight hits and a walk in five innings without striking anyone out. His ERA this year by month: 3.24 in April, 4.31 in May, 6.75 in June.

- Alexander Cobb gave up just two runs on three hits and two walks over 6.1 innings, striking out two, and was rewarded after the game by being demoted back to Triple-A.

- Johnny Damon went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs scored, becoming the 11th player in major league history to have 2500 hits, 500 doubles, 100 triples and 200 homers. The other 10 are in the Hall of Fame. On the other hand, Damon ranks 72nd all-time in hits, 51st in doubles, 147th in triples and 248th in home runs. Basically he's the first player without Hall of Fame talent to have that broad a skill set and the longevity to reach those round numbers.

W: Cobb (2-0) SB: Emilio Bonifacio (4), Hanley Ramirez (12), Reid Brignac (2)





Brewers 4, Red Sox 2



- Randy Wolf, who's got a history of pitching well in Fenway, held the Sawx to just two runs on nine hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out three.

- John Lester wasn't quite so sharp, but still posted an 8:3 K:BB ratio over eight innings while giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits. Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart led off the game with back-to-back solo shots, but he settled down pretty well after that.

- John Axford struck out one in a perfect ninth to pick up his 17th save. He hasn't given up a run since May 21st, a stretch of 12 straight clean sheets.

W: Wolf (5-4) SV: Axford (19) HR: Weeks (14), Hart (7), George Kottaras (2) CS: Hart (3)





Twins 1, Padres 0



- Scott Baker allowed a leadoff triple to Chris Denorfia... and that was as close as the Padres got to a run all game. Baker then struck out Jason Bartlett and Chase Headley before Ryan Ludwick flied out to end the inning. Baker ended up tossing eight scoreless, striking out 10 and allowing just four hits and a walk.

- Tim Stauffer was caught on the tough end of the pitcher's duel, giving up just a solo shot to Danny Valencia over seven innings with a 5:0 K:BB ratio.

- Denorfia got two hits, as did Will Venable. Every other Padre went ohfer.

W: Baker (5-4) SV: Matt Capps (11) HR: Valencia (7) CS: Tsuyoshi Nishioka (1)





Jays 4, Reds 0



- the Reds couldn't do much against Brandon Morrow, who threw 6.2 shutout innings with a 6:1 K:BB ratio and five hits (all singles).

- Edinson Volquez got his K's but otherwise struggled, getting roughed up for four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight.

- Jose Bautista, who's cooled down recently, went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the second straight game. Opposing pitchers, your reprieve may be coming to an end.

- Jon Rauch pitched the final two goose eggs, but had the Reds scratched across a run Frank Francisco was warmed up in the bullpen and ready to go. It looks like Francisco has re-cemented his spot as Blue Jays closer.

W: Morrow (3-4) HR: Jose Molina (2) SB: Aaron Hill (9) CS: Brandon Phillips (3)





Cardinals 5, Royals 4



- Vin Mazzaro turned in his second straight quality start, albeit barely, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings, striking out two. Only once in five starts this season has he managed to strike out more batters than he walked.

- Jake Westbrook wasn't any better, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out four.

- Matt Holliday was the hero, blasting a game-winning two-run homer in the eighth inning while wearing Red Schoendiest's pants. Seriously. Would I make something like that up?

W: Jason Motte (3-1) SV: Fernando Salas (12) HR: Matt Treanor (3), Alex Gordon (8), Holliday (8) SB: Alcides Escobar (12)





White Sox 6, Diamondbacks 2



- John Danks is a tough SOB. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) on seven hits with a 7:0 K:BB ratio. One of those hits was a fourth inning double by Stephen Drew, a line drive right back up the middle that thunked off Danks' head. That's right: Danks took a line drive off his skull and stayed in the game for another three innings.

- Zach Duke got pulled after 5.1 semi-effective innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk with two K's.

- Alexis Rios and Paul Konerko supplied all the White Sox offense. Konerko went 3-for-4 with two RBI including a solo shot, while Rios went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.

W: Danks (3-8) HR: Konerko (18), Rios (5) CS: Chris Young (6)





Rockies 5, Tigers 4



- Ubaldo Jimenez won his first game at home since last September despite leaving the game after five innings due to a cramp in his right calf. He gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks with five K's.

- Phil Coke only had a paassing acquaintance with the strike zone, walking seven batters in five innings en route to four runs allowed. He gave up five hits and struck out two.

- Chris Nelson homered for the second straight game. They're his first two home runs of the season.

W: Jimenez (2-7) SV: Huston Street (20) HR: Nelson (2) SB: Eric Young Jr. (4) CS: Todd Helton (1)





A's 4, Giants 2



- neither starting pitcher lasted five innings in this one. Guillermo Moscoso gave up two runs (neither earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out one, while Jonathan Sanchez got tagged for four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three, both tossing just 4.2 innings.

- Hideki Matsui went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and is hitting .321 with three home runs and nine RBI over his last nine games.

- Andrew Bailey racked up his fourth straight save. The A's have a deep bullpen, but as long as he can stay healthy Bailey will be top dog.

W: Brad Ziegler (2-0) SV: Bailey (4) SB: Coco Crisp (21) CS: Conor Jackson (1)





Astros 7, Dodgers 0



- both Hunter Pence and J.R. Towles were late scratches (Pence headed back to Houston for an MRI on his elbow) but it didn't matter, as Wandy Rodriguez rang up six scoreless innings, scattering seven hits with a 6:1 K:BB ratio.

- Rubby De La Rosa fought the umpire and the strike zone, getting charged with five runs in just 4.2 innings on six hits and three walks, alathough he did strike out six.

- Brett Wallace was the only Astros starting fielder not to get a hit.

W: Rodriguez (5-3)





Phillies 5, Mariners 1



- Vance Worley outdueled Felix Hernandez... wait, did I just type that? Wow. Worley gave up just one run on five hits and two walks over five innings, striking out three, while King Felix got touched for three runs on eight hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out five.

- Shane Victorino had the big bat for the Phillies, falling a single short of the cycle and going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Jimmy Rollins was also 3-for-4, scoring two runs and stealing a baase.

- the M's lone run came on Dustin Ackley's first major league home run.

W: Michael Stutes (1-0) HR: Victorino (8), Ackley (1) SB: Rollins (15), Greg Halman (2)