Phillies 5, Blue Jays 3

- Roy Halladay did what he normally does in the Rogers Centre: throw a complete game. It wasn't pristine, as he allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out eight, but it got the job done. Halladay's now racked up four straight CGs in the stadium (dating back to his final three starts as a Blue Jay).
- Carlos Villanueva actually hung with Halladay for a while, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks with three K's. That's four straight quality starts for Villanueva, although his 3.50 ERA and 12:7 K:BB ratio over that stretch aren't exactly Cy Young material.
- in the day's marquee matchup, Jose Bautista went 1-for-4 against Halladay, but the one hit went 449 feet and bounced off the windows of the center field restaurant.
- Jon Rauch might be facing some league discipline after completely losing it on home plate ump Alfonso Marquez in the eighth inning. Marquez let two close pitches go by for balls (pitches, incidentally, that Halladay had been getting called strikes all day) to give Ryan Howard a free pass, which led directly to an insurance run for the Phillies when Shane Victorino followed up with a single. Rauch didn't make contact with Marquez but came out of his uniform fighting against manager John Farrell to get at Marquez after the run crossed the plate.
- Eric Thames went 2-for-4 with an RBI, extending his hitting streak to nine games and giving him a nifty .319/.364/.528 slash line through his first 72 big league at-bats.
W: Halladay (11-3) HR: Chase Utley (4), Bautista (26) SB: Jimmy Rollins (17)

Pirates 5, Nationals 3 (Game 1)

- Livan Hernandez kept rolling along, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings while K'ing six. James McDonald was nearly as good, also giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks over 6.1 frames while striking out seven.
- the game was decided in the eighth inning, as Garrett Jones (3-for-4 in the game) and Andrew McCutchen hit back-to-back solo shots off Sean Burnett.
- Burnett, who came into the season as a possible closer candidate for the Nats, now has a 5.72 ERA and weak 15:9 K:BB ratio in 28.1 innings on the year.
- Alex Presley went 3-for-4 as the Pirates' leadoff hitter, giving him a .368 batting average (7-for-19) through his first five big league games.
- Joel Hanrahan gave up a run but still stayed a perfect 24-for-24 in save chances.
W: Jose Veras (2-2) SV: Hanrahan (24) HR: Jones (9), McCutchen (12), Rick Ankiel (2) SB: Chase d'Arnaud (3) CS: Presley (1)

Nationals 4, Pirates 3 (Game 2)

- manager Clint Hurdle's post-game press conference contained an epic bit of self-evident dumbassery that would have made Yogi proud: "We were up in the eighth, and we plan on winning when we're up in the eighth. But the other team always plans on coming back, so that's why you have to finish off games." Thanks for clearing that up for us, Clint.
- Brad Lincoln did well in his double-header spot start, getting touched for just two runs on four hits and three walks over six innings, striking out four.
- John Lannan was his usual pitch-to-contact self, giving up three runs on six hits over seven innings with a 1:0 K:BB ratio.
- if you count the opened Andrew McCutchen hit for the cycle Saturday, following up his Game 1 homer by going 3-for-4 in Game 2 with a double and a triple.
- Mike Morse got plunked in the forearm by a Chris Resop fastball in the eighth inning and left the game. X-rays were negative, but he'll sit out Sunday anyway.
W: Ryan Mattheus (1-0) SV: Drew Storen (20) SB: Rick Ankiel (8), Brian Bixler (3)

White Sox 1, Cubs 0

- Matt Garza outdueled Phil Humber, but it was Humber who came away with the win. Garza tossed a commplete game and gave up the game's lone run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Humber lasted seven innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out four.
- Matt Thornton pitched two perfect innings, striking out two, to notch the save.
- Darwin Barney was the only guy on either team to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
W: Humber (8-4) SV: Thornton (3) CS: Gordon Beckham (2)

Indians 3, Reds 1

- the Indians probably won this game in the third inning, when Fausto Carmona strained a quad muscle running to first after he bunted. With Carmona's ugly near-6.00 ERA out of the way Cleveland's Bullpen Mafia got to come in and keep the Reds' bats quiet. Frank Herrmann, who hadn't pitched in a couple of weeks, tossed three shutout innings. Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Tony Sipp and Chad Durbin then combined to allow only a Joey Votto solo shsot over the next three innings, before Vinnie Pestano (filling in at closer while Chris Perez was on the bereavement list, and the guy who should really be the capo of the Bullpen Mafia based on his name alone) struck out the side to pick up his first save of the season.
- Homer Bailey pitched pretty well, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out seven.
- Pestano, incidentally, now has a 1.47 ERA and 12.62 K/9 rate on the year. Cleveland likes Perez as their closer, but Pestano could probably step in without missing a beat.
- Bailey really only made one mistake, but that mistake resulted in a three-run homer by Michael Brantley in the third inning which accounted for all the Indians' runs.
W: Herrmann (1-0) SV: Pestano (1) HR: Brantley (6), Votto (12)

Yankees 5, Mets 2

- Bartolo Colon's pact with Satan apparently didn't expire with his DL stint, as he went out and threw six shutout innings with a 6:0 K:BB ratio in his first start after his hamstring injury.
- Dillon Gee matched Colon with zeros for five innings before the wheels came off. He ended up getting charged with four runs on seven hits and three walks over seven innings, striking out seven.
- a bad Mets' season may have gotten worse when their most tradable asset, Jose Reyes, left the game early with a hamstring injury of his own.
- Eduardo Nunez is making the most of his time in the starting lineup before Derek Jeter returns, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run.
W: Colon (6-3) HR: Curtis Granderson (22), Nunez (3) SB: Brett Gardner (20), Angel Pagan (14)

Red Sox 10, Astros 4

- Andrew Miller, who the Marlins gave up on this offseason, won his second game in three starts with Boston, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three. The control still isn't quite there (he's got a 13:7 K:BB ratio through 17.2 innings) and things could yet go south again for Miller, but so far so decent for the former Tigers first round pick.
- J.A. Happ got tagged for five runs on seven hits and three walks over 6.2 innings, striking out three.
- Michael Bourn went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Hunter Pence went 3-for-4 with a solo shot.
- Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis each went 3-for-5 for the Sawx, while Yamaico Navarro connected on his first big league home run.
W: Miller (2-0) HR: Navarro (1), Darnell McDonald (2), Pence (10)

Giants 15, Tigers 3

- in a game where the Giants' bats treated Detroit pitching like a bunch of pinatas, it was Barry Zito who stole the show. Six shutout innings with a 1:2 K:BB ratio may not seem all that impressive, but when you consider that it came on three days rest and was interrupted by a two-and-a-half hour rain delay in the third inning, it seems downright superhuman.
- for Max Scherzer, the delay seemed more like God's version of the mercy rule. He got hammered for nine runs (six earned, but all deserved) on six hits and three walks in just two innings.
- the biggest swingers for San Fran were Brandon Crawford (3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI) and Miguel Tejada (2-for-5 with a grand slam). Pablo Sandoval also chipped in a home run to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
W: Zito (2-1) SV: Guillermo Mota (1) HR: Sandoval (7), Crawford (2), Tejada (3), Jhonny Peralta (14), Brennan Boesch (11)

Braves 5, Orioles 4

- Jake Arrieta, returning to the mound for the first time since June 20 due to elbow inflammation, cruised through four scoreless innings before falling apart with two outs in the fifth, capping the frame by serving up a grand slam to Dave Ross. Arrieta got charged with five runs on six hits and two walks over five frames, striking out six.
- Tim Hudson was good enough, giving up three runs (all on Mark Reynolds home runs) on eight hits and three walks over six innings while striking out six.
- the O's racked up 20 LOBs in this one, as Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Derrek Lee and Reynolds all managed multi-hit efforts, yet their only runs came on two solo shots and a two-run jack.
W: Hudson (7-6) SV: Craig Kimbrel (24) HR: Reynolds 2 (17), Markakis (7), Ross (4) CS: Blake Davis (1), Ross (1)

Brewers 8, Twins 7

- the Brewers entered the ninth inning down three runs, facing a closer in Matt Capps who hadn't blown a save in almost a month. Oh, and Ryan Braun had left the game an inning before with a calf strain. So naturally, they score four runs to win the game. I mean, who couldn't see that coming?
- Nyjer Morgan carried the big stick, and on his 31t birthday to boot, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, four RBI, a double that was the big blow against Capps and a home run.
- the rally bailed out Chris Capuano, who got slammed for 14 hits and seven runs in just 4.2 innings.
- Carl Pavano was solid, giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits over 7.2 frames, striking out four without walking a batter.
- the Twins' patchwork offense was firing on almost all cylinders, as Alexi Casilla, Michael Cuddyer, Luke Hughes and Jason Repko each had two hits, while Danny Valencia had three. Cuddyer and Valencia also went yard.
W: Takashi Saito (1-1) SV: John Axford (21) HR: Morgan (3), Cuddyer (11), Valencia (9) SB: Ben Revere (10) CS: Tsuyoshi Nishioka (3), Repko (1), Hughes (2)

Rays 5, Cardinals 1

- Jeff Niemann gave up nine hits and two walks over six innings but kept the damage to a near minimum, allowing just one run on a Lance Berkman solo blast.
- Kyle McClellan wasn't so stingy, getting tagged for five runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings, with all the runs coming in an ugly sixth inning.
- Casey Kotchman went 2-for-4 with a base loaded double, and is now hitting .336/.396/.461 in 68 games. Remember when Dan Johnson was the sleeper first base candidate in Tampa? Good times.
W: Niemann (3-4) HR: Berkman (21), Justin Ruggiano (4) CS: B.J. Upton (5)

Marlins 9, Rangers 5

- neither starter lasted long in this one. Brad Hand fought his control through 3.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks without striking out a batter, but at least he made it to the fourth inning. Derek Holland got chased with just two outs to his credit, surrendering five runs on four hits and two walks, including a Hanley Ramirez grand slam.
- Ramirez also popped a solo shot in the seventh, finishing his day 3-for-5. In 10 games since interim curmudgeon/manager Jack McKeon moved him to the cleanup spot, Ramirez is slashing .385/.429/.667 with three home runs and 12 RBI.
- Josh Hamilton matched Ramirez swing for swing by also going 3-for-5 with two home runs.
- Steve Cishek gave up two runs in 2.2 innings of relief for the Marlins, but still got his first big league win.
W: Cishek (1-1) HR: Ramirez 2 (7), Logan Morrison (11), Ian Kinsler (12), Hamilton 2 (10) SB: Emilio Bonifacio (9), Mike Stanton (2), Kinsler (16), Elvis Andrus (25), Craig Gentry (10)

Rockies 9, Royals 6

- Mark Ellis had his second straight three-hit game as a Rockie, going 3-for-5 with three doubles, two runs scored and two RBI.
- Alex Gordon did him one better, going 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI.
- needless to say, when the balls are flying around and out of Coors like that, the pitching lines don't look so good. Greg Reynolds got the win despite allowing five runs on eight hits over five innings, while Kyle Davies got roughed up for seven runs (four earned) on eight and two walks over just three innings.
- Charlie Blackmon was the only Rockies starting position player not to get a hit. In fact, six of their eight starters had multi-hit games.
W: Reynolds (3-0) SV: Huston Street (24) HR: Wilson Betemit (3), Gordon (10), Troy Tulwitzki (17) SB: Carlos Gonzalez (14), Chris Iannetta (3)

Diamondbacks 4, A's 2

- Joe Saunders held the A's bats in check (not that hard a task, really), giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out three.
- Josh Outman wasn't sharp, surrendering four runs on seven hits and three walks over six innings while striking out three, and didn't do much to prove he should stay in the rotation once the staff gets healthier.
- Outman's numbers might not have been so bad had Chris Young gotten the day off. Young went 3-for-4 and was a triple short of the cycle, with all three hits coming off Outman.
- David Hernandez looked good filling in for J.J. Putz, striking out one in a perfect ninth.
- Chris Carter got a start for the third straight game, going 2-for-4. The A's really have nothing to lose by giving him an extended run and seeing what he can do.
W: Saunders (5-7) SV: Hernandez (3) HR: Young (16) CS: Willie Bloomquist (4)

Angels 7, Dodgers 1

- an expected pitcher's duel between two sure-fire All-Stars didn't quite materialize. Jered Weaver did his part, getting touched for just one run on four hits over eight innings with an 8:2 K:BB ratio, but while Clayton Kershaw struck out 10 (his third straight double-digit K game) he didn't do much else right, giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk.
- Erick Aybar, Peter Bourjos and Jeff Mathis all had two hits for the Angels, while Vernon Wells had the big blow with a two-run homer off Kershaw.
- Andre Ethier was the only Dodger to do much at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double.
- Dee Gordon's growing pains were on full display, as he went 0-for-3 at the plate, made two errors in the field and got throwmn out trying to steal second.
W: Weaver (10-4) HR: Wells (11) SB: Bourjos (9), Aybar (17) CS: Gordon (3)

Padres 1, Mariners 0

- there are umpiring gaffes, and then there are umpiring gaffes. In the fifth inning, Cameron Maybin watched the seventh pitch of his at-bat go by for a ball and trotted down to first. The only problem was, the ball came on a 2-2 count. Rather than call him back, home plate ump Phil Cuzzi seemed as lost as Maybin and let him take his "free pass". Needless to say, Maybin, of course, then scored the game's only run. Cuzzi said after the game that he thought it was only the third ball, but because no one on the Mariners complained he figured he was wrong. Right, because umpires are notorious for caring what players and managers think...
- the botched call marred a complete game for Doug Fister, who gave up six hits and struck out seven. Oh, and walked one batter despite never going past a three-ball count to anybody.
- Cory Luebke was even better though while he was in the game, surrendering just two hits and no walks (phantom or otherwise) over six innings while striking out seven.
W: Luebke (2-2) SV: Heath Bell (24) SB: Brendan Ryan (5) CS: Greg Halman (1)