Tigers 4 - White Sox 3
- Brad Penny had a quality start as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. He gave up 9 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Kuddos to you if you started Penny at home, where he had a 3.06 ERA coming in (6.55 ERA on the road).
- Philip Humber struck out a season high 8 batters as he allowed 4 earned runs over 5.2 innings. He was cruising going into the 6th inning, until a 2-run Victor Martinez single tied things up. With a 3.27 ERA this season, Humber has been one of the bigger surprises in the AL.
- Carlos Guillen, who came off the DL (knee) on Saturday, went 1-3 with a RBI.
- Alex Rios went 2-4 with a double, run, and RBI. That's his second extra base hit in almost a month.
- W: Brad Penny (7-6), L: Philip Humber (8-6), SV: Jose Valverde (25)
- HR: Brennan Boesch (13)
Yankees 7 - Blue Jays 2
- Phil Hughes picked up his first win of the season, after he pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. He gave up 4 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. His fastball sat around 91 mph and topped out at around 93 mph.
- Carlos Villanueva got shelled for 5 earned runs over 6 innings. A 4-run fourth inning did most of the damage. He did however strikeout 6 batters with 1 walk which gives him 13 Ks to just 3 BBs over his last 12 innings.
- Brett Gardner went 3-4 with 3 runs and 2 stolen bases. The speedy OF is now batting .286/.364/.418 with 26 stolen bases, which is top 5 in the AL.
- Nick Swisher went 2-4 with a run, and RBI. He's now batting a season high .255.
- W: Phil Hughes (1-2), L: Carlos Villanueva (5-2)
- SB: Brett Gardner (25, 26)
Orioles 8 - Indians 3
- Mitch Atkins gave up 3 earned runs over 3 innings and was optioned to the minors after the game. Mark Hendrickson came on in relief and pitched 3 shutout innings, picking up a win along the way.
- Jeanmar Gomez took the loss as he allowed 5 earned runs over 5.1 innings. He was staked to an early, but he blew it in the 5th when Robert Andino hit a 3-run homer. It was his first start since May 5th as he's been in the minors.
- Luis Valbuena went 2-4 at 2B as Jason Kipnis continues to wait in the minors.
- Carlos Santana and Matt Wieters each went 2-4 with a solo homer. Nick Markakis, Travis Hafner, and Adam Jones also hit solo shots.
- W: Mark Hendrickson (1-0), L: Jeanmar Gomez (0-2)
- HR: Travis Hafner (9), Carlos Santana (15), Nick Markakis (9), Adam Jones (15), Matt Wieters (10), Robert Andino (2)
Twins 4 - Royals 3
- Brian Duensing evened his record at 7-7, after he delivered a quality start with 6.1 innings pitched and 3 earned runs allowed. He's now had quality starts in 5 out of his last 6 games.
- Felipe Paulino struck out 8 batters, but took the loss as he allowed 4 earned runs over 7 innings. This is why he's so frustrating to own in fantasy leagues. He has the ability to strikeout a fair amount of hitters, but he also runs himself into a fair amount of trouble, as he did with Thome's 3-run homer in the 6th inning.
- Joe Nathan pitched a perfect 9th inning to nail down his 5th save. Since coming back from the break, he's allowed 1 hit in 3 innings with 2 saves.
- Melky Cabrera went 2-4 with a double and run. The OF is batting .295/.333/.453 and is rumored to be on the move in the coming weeks.
- Jim Thome hit career homer number 596, which was a 3-run bomb. Number 600 will be here before we know it. JT600 just doesn't sound as hokey as DJ3K.
- W: Brian Duensing (7-7), L :Felipe Paulino (1-7), SV: Joe Nathan ( 5)
- HR: Jeff Francoeur (13), Jim Thome (7)
- CS: Alcides Escobar (6)
A's 9 - Angels 1
- Gio Gonzalez threw 7 innings of shutout ball with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He was staked to a huge 8 run lead after the first inning, but never needed it as only one runner made it to second base from the 2nd inning on. His 2.33 ERA is 4th in the AL.
- Joel Pineiro got Mazzaro'd as he got 1 out and gave up 8 runs (7 earned) on 4 hits and 4 walks. He started the game with 3 straight walks, gave up a hit, then walked another batter. He should have been taken out at that point, but he was left in to face Conor Jackson and was taken yard for a Grand Slam. But it didn't stop there as he faced three more batters, before being removed. My condolences to your ERA if you started him in this game.
- Mike Trout went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Oh to be 19 and in the majors…
- Jemile Weeks went 2-3 with a RBI, 2 runs, and 2 walks. He's hitting .319/.354/.420 in 148 plate appearances.
- W: Gio Gonzalez (9-6), L: Joel Pineiro (5-4)
- HR: Conor Jackson (3)
Rangers 3 - Mariners 1
- Matt Harrison held the Mariners to just 1 run over 7.2 innings on 5 hits and 1 walk. He's now 9th in AL in ERA at 2.91, which to me is a bit of smoke and mirrors as his K/BB is 70/38 in 111.1 innings.
- Blake Beaven pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs against his former organization (he came over in the Cliff Lee deal). It was only his third start this season. In 93 innings at Triple-A he had 64 strikeouts, 20 walks, and a 4.45 ERA.
- Mitch Moreland went 1-4 with a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning. It was all the offense the Rangers would need as they won their 11th in a row (swept the Orioles, A's, & Mariners).
- W: Matt Harrison (8-7), L: Blake Beavan (1-1)
- HR: Mitch Moreland (12)
- CS: Mike Napoli (2)
Red Sox 1 - Rays 0
- This was the game that would never end...
- Josh Beckett pitched 8 shutout innings with only 1 hit allowed and 6 strikeouts. Unfortunately he took a no-decision as Jeff Niemann was every bit as good in this pitcher's duel. Beckett remains 2nd in the AL with a 2.12 ERA.
- Jeff Niemann pitched 8 shutout innings with only 2 hits allowed and 10 strikeouts. He walked 2 batters, but you have to applaud this effort considering the lineup he did it against. Over his last three starts (21.1 innings) he has given up 2 earned with 19 strikeouts and 6 walks.
- Dustin Pedroia went 3-7 and drove in the game's lone run.
- No one struck out 4 times, Jacoby Ellsbury did go 0-8 though.
- Rays pitchers issued 12 walks. Red Sox pitchers issued 1 walk.
- Josh Reddick made one of the many unbelievable catches at the wall. He also scored the game deciding run.
- This game lasted 5 hours & 44 minutes. Joe Maddon was ejected in the 11th for arguing a check swing that was questionable. Rays bench coach Dave Martinez was ejected too for arguing, what he argued, I'm not sure.
- W: Alfredo Aceves (5-1), L: Adam Russell (1-2), SV: Jonathan Papelbon (21)
- SB: Dustin Pedroia (17), Johnny Damon (8)
Reds 3 - Cardinals 1
- Homer Bailey pitched 7.1 innings of 1-run ball for his 4th win. He gave up just 3 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Of course he also served up a homer, which he has done now in 7 straight games.
- Jaime Garcia was the tough luck loser as he gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over his 7 innings with no walks and 6 strikeouts. Owners might have been hesitant to use him in this spot as he has a 5.67 road ERA this season and the Reds are one of the best offenses in the NL. It was Garcia's second start this season with no walks.
- Zack Cozart hit his first MLB homer in a 2-4 effort. Hopefully this give Dusty Baker another reason to use him more and not turn to Edgar Renteria.
- Lance Berkman hit his 25th homer of the season, a solo shot. He's now hitting .286/.398/.596 this season.
- W: Homer Bailey (4-4), L: Jaime Garcia (9-4), SV: Francisco Cordero (18)
- HR: Lance Berkman (25), Zack Cozart (1)
- CS: Tony Cruz (1)
Phillies 8 - Mets 5
- Kyle Kendrick held the Mets to just 1 run over 7 innings for his 5th win. He gave up 6 hits with 3 walks and no strikeouts. Starting Kendrick in your league is definition of playing with fire. If he's facing a lineup full of lefties (vs LHB .313/.379/.527) and you start him, you're already toast.
- Mike Pelfrey came in with a 2.96 home ERA, but didn't pitch like it as he gave up 4 earned runs over 5 innings. He's now 5-9 on the season with a 4.67 ERA.
- Michael Martinez went 1-4 with a 3-run homer and sac-fly at third base. He should see the majority of the time available at 3B, while Placido Polanco is out.
- Ronny Paulino went 2-5 with a double, RBI, and 2 runs. He's batting .307/.345/.394, which is outstanding for a second catcher in a NL league.
- W: Kyle Kendrick (5-4), L: Mike Pelfrey (5-9), SV: Antonio Bastardo (6)
- HR: Michael Martinez (1)
- SB: Chase Utley (9)
Braves 9 - Nationals 8
- Jair Jurrjens had a rare poor outing as he gave up 6 earned runs over 5 innings of work. A 4-run fourth inning did most of the damage, but he was not saddled with a loss as the Nationals bullpen imploded down the stretch. His 2.26 ERA is still tops in the NL among starting pitchers.
- Tom Gorzelanny pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 earned runs, before being pulled from the game with a twisted ankle. Over his last 20 innings he had shown great command with 22 strikeouts to just 2 walks.
- Jonny Venters struck out 2 in a perfect 8th inning… it's what he does.
- Brian McCann went 1-4 with a 3-run homer in the 5th inning to tie the game at 6 runs a piece.
- Danny Espinosa added to his ROY campaign, going 3-5 with a RBI triple and 2-run homer.
- W: Craig Kimbrel (3-2), L: Ryan Mattheus (2-1)
- HR: Danny Espinosa (17), Brian McCann (16), Nate McLouth (4)
- SB: Roger Bernadina (14, 15), Jordan Schafer (12, 13), Martin Prado (3, 4)
Pirates 7 - Astros 5
- Kevin Correia turned in a quality start with 6 innings pitched and 3 earned runs allowed. On the road this season Correria has a 2.71 ERA, which is in stark contrast to his 5.94 home ERA.
- Wandy Rodriguez struck out a season high 11 batters as he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 4 earned runs. He's been pretty brutal lately with 19 earned runs allowed over his last 30 innings.
- Mark Melancon gave up 3 runs (1 earned) over 2.1 innings. He pitched perfect 9th and 10th innings, but the 11th was too much for him as he probable shouldn't have been stretched that far.
- Joel Hanrahan suffered his first blown save of the season. He came on with 2 outs in the 8th and gave up a RBI double to Chris Johnson, before pitching a perfect 9th.
- Alex Presley went 3-6 with a double, 3 RBI, run, and stolen base. Over 76 plate appearances he's hitting .343/.400/.522 with 4 stolen bases. Check him out if you need speed.
- Chase D'Arnaud went 0-6 with 4 strikeouts for the Golden Sombrero.
- Brandon Wood went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs. He's hitting .221/.292/.371… at least he above the Mendoza Line.
- Jeff Keppinger went 3-5 with a double, 2-run homer, and 3 runs. Keppinger has raised his slugging percentage 60 points over the last two games from .387 to .447. He'll most likely not be playing for the Astros next month.
- W: Chris Leroux (1-0), L: Mark Melancon (5-3), SV: Chris Resop, BSV: Joel Hanrahan (1)
- HR: Jeff Keppinger (4), Humberto Quintero (1)
- SB: Alex Presley (4), Neil Walker (6); CS: Eric Fryer (1)
Marlins 7 - Cubs 5
- Randy Wells delivered 6 innings with 4 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, in a no-decision. He gave up 2 homers for 3 runs total in the first inning, but settled down after that. Wells has 1 quality start since coming back from the DL with forearm troubles in late May. One has to wonder if he's not fully over that injury.
- Chris Volstad has his own issues with 4 earned runs allowed over 3 innings on 6 hits. A 3-run first inning was the beginning of the end as he was eventually pulled after the 3rd, in favor of Burke Badenhop. I tried to defend Volstad after his 25/8 K/BB month of May, but he's crumbled after that. He just doesn't have a pitch to get lefties out (.278/.343/.467) and he's not dominating righties like a Justin Masterson does.
- Hanley Ramirez went 2-4 with a homer and stolen base. This is only the second time all season he's had the HR/SB combo in a game.
- Emilio Bonifacio just keeps on hitting. In this game he went 2-4 with 2 runs and a walk. He's hitting .290/.363/.381 on the season with a .365 BABIP.
- W: Edward Mujica (8-2), L: Kerry Wood (1-5), SV: Leo Nunez (26)
- HR: Greg Dobbs (3), Hanley Ramirez (9)
- SB: Hanley Ramirez (16)
Brewers 4 - Rockies 3
- Shaun Marcum allowed 2 earned runs over 5 innings, before being removed from the game with a neck issue. He gave up 4 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts, in what wasn't one of his sharpest outings. Maybe just as concerning is his streak of consecutive games giving up a home run, which is now at 6.
- Aaron Cook pitched 4.2 innings and gave up 3 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, for his 5th loss. He now has a 14/17 K/BB ratio over 38.2 innings. I don't know about you, but I don't trust pitchers who walk more batters than they strikeout.
- Francisco Rodriguez aka K-Rod, earned his first hold of the season as he pitched a scoreless 8th with 2 strikeouts.
- Jason Giambi went 2-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a mammoth home run. He's hitting .278/.377/.667 in 106 plate appearances.
- Dexter Fowler went 0-3 with a run and walk. For those keeping tabs, he had 1 hit in the series against the Brewers.
- W: Shaun Marcum (8-3), L: Aaron Cook (0-5), SV: John Axford (25)
- HR: Jason Giambi (10)
Giants 4 - Padres 3
- Matt Cain pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) with 9 strikeouts, in a no-decision. With a 2.99 ERA, he is once again pitching better than his peripheral number suggest (because he's a good pitcher). Cain has allowed 1 homer over his last 10 starts… not bad.
- Mat Latos pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 1 walk. His 5-10 record isn't helped by the fact that he's 9th in lowest run support among starters (3.23 RS/9).
- There were 9 steal attempts in this game (below), which seems high to me.
- 14 hits and none were for extra bases… that's about what I expect from these two teams.
- Anthony Rizzo went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. He's hitting .149/.286/.277 on the season… I remember when people were clamoring for his call-up.
- W: Javier Lopez (5-1), L: Chad Qualls (4-4), SV: Brian Wilson (28)
- SB: Andres Torres (12), Nate Schierholtz (6, 7), Eli Whiteside (1), Emmanuel Burriss (7, 8), Everth Cabrera (1); CS: Will Venable (3), Chris Denorfia (6)
Diamondbacks 4 - Dodgers 1
- Daniel Hudson tossed a 1-run complete game on 5 hits and no walks. Oh and he also hit a solo homer and 2-run single. Basically he was a one man wrecking crewing. If you can believe this, he's actually hitting .359/.375/.513 this season over 47 plate appearances.
- Ted Lilly struck out 9 batters as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 4 earned runs. He has now given up 9 homers over his last 5 games. Even for a fly ball pitcher, which Lilly is, that's a bit much.
- Ryan Roberts went 1-2 with a solo home run, 2 runs, and a walk. The 3B is hitting .259/.347/.449 this season.
- W: Daniel Hudson (10-5), L: Ted Lilly (6-10)
- HR: Ryan Roberts (12), Daniel Hudson (1)