Yankees 8, Orioles 3 (Game 1)



- Chris Tillman returned to the O's rotation and wasn't any better than when they left, getting hammered for seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk over 4.1 innings, although he did strike out six thanks to a fastball that was topping out at 94 mph again. Remember when Baltimore was going to have the next great rotation? Tillman, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta... what the heck happened?

- Bartolo Colon cruised through five innings for the win, allowing two runs on five hits with a 6:2 K:BB ratio.

- Mark Reynolds homered for the second straight game, and also got in his fortnightly multi-hit effort by going 2-for-4.

- the bottom of the order led the hit parade for the Yanks. Nick Swisher had a 3-for-4 effort that left him a triple short of the cycle, while Eric Chavez (getting a rare start at third base), Chris Dickerson and Francisco Cervelli all had two hits.

W: Colon (8-6) HR: Reynolds (23), Swisher (13) SB: Nick Markakis (9), Adam Jones (9), Dickerson (2)





Rangers 3, Blue Jays 0



- Derek Holland tossed his fourth shutout of the season, and third in July, scattering four singles and a walk while striking out five. He still has his ups and downs, but Holland is rapidly turning into a bona fide ace for the Rangers.

- Brad Mills was called up by the Jays and turned in a solid effort, giving up two runs over seven innings on six hits and two walks with five K's. He's been mostly awful the last couple of seasons when getting spot duty, but this start might earn him a longer look.

- the Rangers got all their offense via the long ball, with both Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli both going yard.

- Jose Bautista had half of Toronto's four hits. Colby Rasmus rang up his third straight ohfer, and is still hitless as a Blue Jay.

W: Holland (10-4) HR: Moreland (13), Napoli (15) CS: David Murphy (6)





Mariners 3, Rays 2



- Michael Pineda and two relievers combined for a one-hitter, with Pineda giving up the hit and walking four while striking out 10 over 6.1 frames. One of the runs was even unearned as an added bonus. Reports of his hitting the rookie wall seem to have been greatly exaggerated.

- Alexander Cobb wasn't bad either, allowing three runs on six hits over his own 6.1 innings with a stellar 9:1 K:BB ratio.

- Ben Zobrist had Tampa's lone hit and both their RBI. Desmond Jennings struck out all three times he came to the plate.

- Seattle offense was almost a one-man show too, as Dustin Ackley went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run jack out of the DH slot. He was DH'ing so Mike Carp could play left field and Chone Figgins third base. Oh, you silly Mariners, even when you win it's despite yourselves.

- Brandon League recorded his first save since July 4, in his first save opportunity since July 5. He didn't lose his job or anything, the M's simply went that long without having a small lead to protect.

- Justin Smoak's abysmal July continued as he went 0-for-3 with two K's. He's hitting .145 (12-for-83) on the month, and hasn't homered since June 12. He's got just six RBI over that strech of 39 games. Seriously, forget the O's rotation, what has happened to Smoak?

W: Pineda (9-7) SV: League (24) HR: Ackley (5) SB: Johnny Damon (9), Figgins (11) CS: Zobrist (4)





Cardinals 13, Cubs 5



- this is what it's like to be a Cubs fan: Chicago scored all five of their runs in the top of the first, then got to watch the Cards hand them their collective asses for the next eight innings.

- Kyle Lohse got the win, mainly because he managed to make it back out for the second inning. All five runs he gave up were unearned, and he only gave up two hits and two walks while striking out three, so his stat line wasn't complaining.

- Rodrigo Lopez got smacked around to the tune of six runs on eight hits and three walks in just 4.1 innings, striking out two.

- Ryan Theriot went 4-for-5 with three RBI to pace the Cards' attack. He's got six hits in his last two games, after going almost the entire month of July without a multi-hit game (his last one came on July 1st).

W: Lohse (9-7) HR: Alfonso Soriano (16), Albert Pujols (24), David Freese (7) CS: Theriot (5)





Angels 5, Tigers 1



- with the Tigers needing a spot starter while they waited for Doug Fister to join the team, prospect Jacob Turner got the call and looked pretty good, getting charged with two runs on three hits and three walks over 5.1 innings with six K's. He was sent back down immediately, but he's going to get a long look for a regular job next spring.

- one thing Turner does need to work on is his time to the plate. The Angels ran wild on him, going 5-for-5 in steal attempts while Turner was on the hill.

- Dan Haren went about his business while the kid hogged the spotlight, getting touched for just one run over a complete game six-hitter, walking one and striking out one.

- Erick Aybar was a homer short of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and stealing two of those bases off Turner.

W: Haren (11-6) SB: Vernon Wells (6), Peter Bourjos 2 (14), Aybar 2 (23), Bobby Abreu (15)





Nationals 3, Mets 0



- called up for an emergency start after Jason Marquis got dealt to Arizona, Yuniesky Maya turned in 5.1 shutout innings for the Nats, giving up five hits and striking out and walking nary a soul. Ross Detwiler, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen did the rest.

- R.A. Dickey pitched six good innings and made the proverbial one mistake, which Jayson Werth parked in the seats for a three-run shot.

- David Wright racked up his seventh straight multi-hit game, going 2-for-3. He's added 49 points to his batting average over the course of the streak.

- Werth also went 2-for-3, and is hitting .344 (11-for-32) over his last nine games. There may be life in him yet.

W: Maya (1-1) SV: Storen (26) HR: Werth (12) CS: Desmond (6)





Indians 5, Royals 2



- Cleveland celebrated landing the biggest fish of the trade deadline with a dramatic win, as Matt LaPorta launched a three-run shot off Joakim Soria in the nith to break a 2-2 tie.

- both starters turned in good outings. Felipe Paulino tossed six shutout innings and scattering four hits with a 4:2 K:BB ratio, while Justin Masterson lasted eight innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and a walk with five K's.

- Melky Cabrera went 3-for-4, while LaPorta added a double to his night. carlos Santana also went 2-for-4 with two doubles.

W: Tony Sipp (6-2) HR: LaPorta (10) SB: Jeff Francoeur (18), Asdrubal Cabrera (13) CS: MCabrera (5), Michael Brantley (4)





Phillies 7, Pirates 3



- new guy Hunter Pence hit fifth for the Phillies,and went 1-for-5 with an RBI.

- Cliff Lee wasn't especially sharp, giving up four runs in 7.2 innings, but he did strike out 11.

- James McDonald was about as far from sharp as you can get, coughing up five runs on 10 hits and two walks in five innings. For what it's worth, he struck out five.

- Ryan Howard nearly beat the Pirates single-handedly, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and three RBI.

- Pedro Alvarez hit his first home run since being called back up.

W: Lee (10-7) SV: Ryan Madson (18) HR: Alvarez (3), Howard (21), Jimmy Rollins (13) SB: Shane Victorino (14)





Yankees 17, Orioles 3 (Game 2)



- remember what I said earlier about collapse of the O's pitching prospects? Zach Britton got called up for this one. The Yanks scored 12 runs in the first inning, setting a franchise record for most first-innings runs in a game. Every New York starter got at least one hit in the inning. In fact, by the end of the game, Brett Gardner was the only starter not to have a multi-hit game.

- the biggest winners of the Britton sweepstakes? Robinson Cano went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and five RBI. Curtis Granderson went 4-for-6 with three runs scored. And Nick Swisher went 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBI.

- Vladimir Guerrero apparently thought he was wearing pinstripes, and went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.

- not that he needed to, but Ivan Nova had a nice start, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out six.

W: Nova (9-4) HR: Guerrero (9), Swisher (14), Andruw Jones (7)





Red Sox 10, White Sox 2



- Jon Lester was in fine form, giving up just two solo shots to Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham over eight innings with a swank 8:1 K:BB ratio.

- Philip Humber didn't exactly make the ChiSox look smart for opening up a rotation spot for him, getting tagged for four runs in 4.2 innings.

- Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead the Sawx attack. Kevin Youkilis also went 2-for-5 with a homer.

W: Lester (11-4) HR: Gonzalez (18), Youkilis (15), Konerko (25) Beckham (8) SB: Carl Crawford (12), Jacob Ellsbury (30), Marco Scutaro (3)





Braves 5, Marlins 1



- Tim Hudson made big pitches when he needed to and got some great defense behind him, particularly from Freddie Freeman, and cruised to the victory. One run on six hits over seven innings with five K's will get you a long way in this game.

- Freeman also went 2-for-4 at the plate and swiped a base, while Dan Uggla pounded a three-run shot against his former club, his the second straight game in which he's launched one versus the Marlins. He's also now got a 21-game hitting streak. Another 21 games, and his batting average might actually be respectable.

- Anibal Sanchez didn't have his best stuff, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings, striking out five.

- one night after his own hitting streak got snapped Emilio Bonifacio got right back on that horse, going 2-for-4 with a double and scoring the Marlins' only run.

W: Hudson (10-7) HR: Uggla (20), Eric Hinske (10) SB: Freeman (4)





Brewers 6, Astros 2



- this wasn't what you'd call a stellar effort by the two defenses - half the runs scored in the game ended up being unearned.

- Yovani Gallardo went almost untouched for seven innings, allowing just an unearned run on four hits with a 7:0 K:BB ratio.

- J.A. Happ turned in his usual, giving up five runs (although only two earned) on 10 hits over five innings with a 8:0 K:BB ratio. He's now given up at least five runs in seven straight starts. On most teams, that would get you exiled to the bullpen or the minors. In Houston, it apparently gets you job security.

- Prince Fielder went 3-for-4 with a solo shot as he continues to pad his free agency portfolio.

- if there was a bright side for the Astros, it was the major league debut of minor league hitting machine J.D. Martinez, who rapped a pinch-hit RBI double in his first at-bat in the bigs. He'll take over for Hunter Pence in right field starting Sunday.

W: Gallardo (12-7) HR: Corey Hart (14), Fielder (24)





Reds 7, Giants 2



- Mike Leake finally got some run support and got a win, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits with a 7:0 K:BB ratio over 6.1 frames.

- Madison Bumgarner got rocked for seven runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks in just four innings.

- the Reds scored seven runs despite the fact that no one in the lineup had more than one hit. Teamwork!

- Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-5 with the game's only dinger.

W: Leake (9-6) HR: Sandoval (11)





Rockies 10, Padres 6



- adios, Ubaldo. He pitched just one inning, walking four batters and giving up four runs, before word of his trade to the Indians came down. Kind of a cruel going-away present for NL-only league owners, really.

- Esmil Rogers replaced him quite ably though, allowing just one run over five innings with a 4:1 K:BB ratio.

- Aaron Harang wasn't much better than Ubie, getting torched for six runs on six hits in 5.2 innings with a 6:2 K:BB ratio.

- Eliezer Alfonzo hit his first home run of the season, and waited until the bases were loaded to do it.

- Troy Tulowitzki went 2-for-5 with a double, homer and three RBI.

W: Rogers (4-1) HR: Tulowitzki (20), Alfonzo (1) SB: Eric Young Jr. 2 (6), Cameron Maybin (24), Chase Headley (10) CS: Young Jr. (1)





A's 8, Twins 3



- Guillermo Moscoso continues to cruise along, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk over 6.1 innings, striking out two. If Rich Harden does get dealt, Moscoso's job is safe as milk.

- on the flip side, Nick Blackburn has turned into the regression poster boy. Seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and five walks in just 4.1 innings is ugly, but what's uglier is that just over a month ago his ERA was 3.15, and seven starts later it's 4.49.

- Conor Jackson went 3-for-4 witha double and a run scored for the A's, while Coco Crisp went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and two steals.

- Ben Revere went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a steal. Before the Twins trade Denard Span, they may want to take a long look at Revere's .252/.298/.285 line. His minor league OBP was always fueled more by his BA than his walk rate, and it could be a while before he's an acceptable major league leadoff hitter.

W: Moscoso (4-5) SB: Revere (18), Crisp 2 (29)





Diamondbacks 6, Dodgers 4



- Chad Billingsley had it for a while, and then completely lost it in an ugly sixth inning that saw him walk in a run. Twice. His final line was six runs on seven hits and five walks in 5.2 frames with four K's.

- Micah Owings wasn't anything to write home about either, allowing four runs in five innings. He likely gets the boot from the rotation now that Jason Marquis is on board.

- the big hitters on each club were exactly who you'd expect them to be. Matt Kemp went 2-for-4 with a home run and a steal, and he should have a 30/30 season locked up long before Labor Day. Justin Upton went 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded double in the aforementioned ugly sixth for the Dodgers. Upton is absurdly hot right now, hitting .500 (21-for-42) over his last 11 games with six home runs, 19 RBI and a 1.143 SLG.

W: Owings (5-0) SV: J.J. Putz (23) HR: Kemp (26) SB: Chris Young (15), Tony Gwynn Jr. (15), Kemp (28) CS: Ryan Roberts (7)