Blue Jays 7 - Orioles 2
- Ricky Romero pitched 8 strong innings with 2 earned runs allowed on 4 hits. He showed good command with no walks and 5 strikeouts. Over his last 3 starts (24.1 innings), Romero has given up a total of 3 earned runs on 9 hits, 7 walks, and 21 strikeouts. His 2.94 ERA is 8th best in the AL
- Alfredo Simon gave up a season high 6 runs (4 earned) over his 5.2 innings of work. He struckout 3 batters with no walks. Coming into this game, he had pitched 30.1 innings as a starter with a 3.26 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and 8 walks.
- Brett Lawrie went 2-4 with a homer, the first of his career. Three games in and he's already flexing that power tool.
- Mark Reynolds went yard twice in his three plate appearances. The corner infielder is batting a disappointing .222/.332/.486 this season.
- W: Ricky Romero (10-9), L: Alfredo Simon (3-5)
- HR: Brett Lawrie (1), Mark Reynolds (25, 26)
- SB: Rajai Davis (34); CS: John McDonald (4)
A's 5 - Rays 4
- Trevor Cahill registered a quality start with 6 innings of 3 run ball. He gave up 6 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts, in a no-decision. Coming into this game he had a very unsexy 5.50 road ERA over 68.2 innings. That is largely due to the fact that he gave up 17 earned runs over his last 2 roads starts that lasted a total of 6 innings.
- David Price lasted just 4.2 innings as he allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 7 batters in a no-decision that now has him 1-4 over his last 8 starts.
- Hideki Matsui hit his 11th homer of the season in a 1-5 effort. Over the last month he's raised his batting line from .211/.287/.330 to .267/.338/.420. Where was this back in April & May?
- Desmond Jennings went 3-5 with a RBI. The rookie is batting .344/.429/.623 over his first 72 plate appearances.
- W: Fautino De Los Santos (1-0), L: Jake McGee (0-1), SV: Andrew Bailey
- HR: Hideki Matsui (11), Josh Willingham (17), Evan Longoria (16), Casey Kotchman (6)
- SB: Johnny Damon (10), Sean Rodriguez (9)
Royals 4 - Tigers 3
- Bruce Chen improved to 6-5 as he gave up 3 earned runs over 5 innings on just 5 hits. It was his first win in over a month and the first start in which he hasn't walked a batter this season.
- Max Scherzer wasn't sharp as he allowed 4 earned runs over 5 innings. He gave up 6 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. In his previous five starts he had allowed 2 runs or less, but that was obviously not the case in this game. His ERA is now 4.33, which is just 0.10 lower than Chen's.
- Johnny Giavotella hit his first career homer, a solo shot. For the game he was 2-4 with a double, RBI, and 2 runs. It was only his 3rd game up in the majors.
- Eric Hosmer went 1-3 with a run. The rook is now batting .282/.334/.442 this season.
- W: Bruce Chen (6-5), L: Max Scherzer (11-7), SV: Joakim Soria (21)
- HR: Johnny Giavotella (1)
- SB: Carlos Guillen (1); CS: Alex Gordon (7)
White Sox 7 - Twins 0
- Jake Peavy tossed 8 innings of no-run ball on just 3 hits with no walks and 6 strikeouts. Where has this been lately? Peavy has been very hittable lately, despite good K/BB numbers, but today he kept the good command without the hits falling in. It's his first win since late June.
- Brian Duensing pitched 6.1 innings with 5 runs allowed (4 earned) on 9 hits and 1 walk. A 3-run fourth inning that included a Paul Konerko homer and Alex Rios double did most of the damage. For whatever reason, Duensing has a 5.28/3.84 home/road ERA split this season.
- Adam Dunn did not play in this game as he continues to have his at-bats garnished for his poor performance this season. Brent Lillibridge started in his place and went 2-4 with a homer.
- Alex Rios, who has also struggled this season, went 2-4 with a double, homer, 2 RBI, and 2 runs. He's now batting .215/.259/.313.
- W: Jake Peavy (5-5), L: Brian Duensing (8-10)
- HR: Alexei Ramirez (11), Paul Konerko (26), Alex Rios (7), Brent Lillibridge (9)
- CS: Brent Lillibridge (5), Matt Tolbert (1)
Angels 2 - Mariners 1
- Ervin Santana stayed hot with 8.1 innings of 1-run ball with 7 strikeouts and just 1 walk. He was attempting to pitch a complete game shutout, but gave up a homer to Mike Carp in the 9th and was pulled. BIg Erv has given up just 2 earned runs over his last 3 starts (26.1 innings) with 24 strikeouts and just 4 walks.
- Felix Hernandez struckout 12 batters in an 8 inning complete game loss. He gave up only 4 hits with no walks, but took the loss because, well, it's tough to win games when you get only 1 run of support. He deserves better than this.
- Mike Carp went 3-4 with a homer. The 25 year old 1B/OF/DH now has 6 RBI over his last five games.
- Dustin Ackley went 0-4, while Trayvon Robinson went 0-3… the young & the restless.
- I see Mike Scioscia finally listened to me and put Howie Kendrick back in the 2nd spot in the lineup. Now let's see how long it takes him to move Trumbo up, Hunter down, and Wells to the bottom.
- W: Ervin Santana (8-8), L: Felix Hernandez (10-10), SV: Jordan Walden (25)
- HR: Mike Carp (3), Mark Trumbo (22)
- CS: Casper Wells (1)
Red Sox 3 - Yankees 2
- Josh Beckett pitched 6 innings and allowed just 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks. A homer to Eduardo Nunez was the only damage done as he lowered his ERA to 2.17, which is 3rd best in MLB. I was one of the people that claimed he was on the downside of his career, coming into 2011 and here we are in August and I'm eating lots of crow.
- Freddy Garcia held the Red Sox to just 1 run over 5 innings of work. He gave up 5 hits with 3 walks and 1 strikeout. Using 96 pitches to make it through 5 innings, isn't ideal, but holding the Red Sox to just 1 run is. Garcia has a 3.16 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 37 walks over 122.1 innings this season.
- Mariano Rivera blew a 1-run save in the bottom of the 9th, after giving up a leadoff double to Marco Scutaro. Nothing to see here, move along…
- Brett Gardner went 3-5 with a homer and 2 stolen bases. With a .282/.360/.405 batting line, 62 runs and 35 stolen bases, he's been a beast this season.
- Josh Reddick went 1-5 with the game winning hit, that knocked in Darnell McDonald. The kid can do no wrong.
- Carl Crawford went 3-4 with a walk to raise his batting line to .260/.294/.395. In Sawx Nation, there's little that he's done right so far.
- W: Daniel Bard (2-5), L: Phil Hughes (2-4), BSV: Mariano Rivera (5)
- HR: Brett Gardner (5), Eduardo Nunez (4)
- SB: Brett Gardner (34, 35), Curtis Granderson (22); CS: Dustin Pedroia (5)
Rangers 5 - Indians 3
- Josh Tomlin held the Rangers to just 2 runs over 7 innings, in a no-decision. He gave up 4 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Those 3 walks aren't like him as he has a 1.02 BB/9 walk rate this season. He came into this game with a 5.11 road ERA, but didn't pitch to it. He's 1-1 over his last 6 starts.
- Colby Lewis pitched 7.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits and 1 walk. He came in with his own interesting ERA split of 5.32 at home. Of course he gave up a home run in this game, which puts him at 28 long balls over 23 games.
- Mike Adams nailed down the save with a perfect 9th innings that included 1 strikeouts. With Neftali Feliz having pitched the last 3 days, Adams was called upon to get the job done.
- Michael Young went 2-4 and in the process got his 2,000th hit. The 3B/DH is hitting .336/.372/.497 this season.
- Michael Brantley went 2-4 with a triple, homer, 2 RBI, and a run. He did all he could to help the team win, but it wasn't enough as the Indians are now back to .500 for the season and 4 games back of the Tigers in the division.
- W: Darren Oliver (4-5), L: Joe Smith (2-3), SV: Mike Adams (2)
- HR: Michael Brantley (7)
- SB: Jason Kipnis (2)
Cardinals 8 - Marlins 4
- Jaime Garcia pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts. He came in with a 4.79 road ERA, which might have spooked some owners into benching him. Either way, after this no-decision he has just 1 win over his last 5 starts.
- Javier Vazquez allowed 4 earned runs over 6 innings on 4 hits and 3 walks. Coming off of back-to-back hot starts (14 IP, 2 ER), he was cruising, until a Matt Holliday RBI single and Jon Jay 2-run single in the 6th inning. HIs ERA is now a rotund 4.93.
- Corey Patterson went 1-3 with a double and 2 runs. He's now been with the Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals, putting him half-way to a NL Central clubhouse cycle.
- Albert Pujols went 2-4 with a homer, walk, and 3 runs. The Machine is batting .283/.349/.538 this season.
- Matt Holliday went 2-4 with 3 RBI, a walk, and a run. He's batting a beefy .317/.442/.571.
- W: Mitchell Boggs (2-3), L: Mike Dunn (5-6)
- HR: Albert Pujols (27), Bryan Petersen (1)
Braves 6 - Mets 5
- Mike Minor was roughed up for 4 earned runs over 5.2 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks. He started in place of the injured Jair Jurrjens, who is expected to miss the minimum 15 days on the DL with a strained knee. In his six starts prior to this, he had a 4.59 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 15 walks over 33.1 innings this season.
- Dillon Gee was no better as he allowed 5 earned runs over 5 innings. Coming into this game he had a 2.85 home ERA. He just doesn't miss enough bats to succeed with the middling control he has, as was evident with his 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.
- Jonny Venters made his MLB leading 62nd appearance with 2 walks and a strikeout in a scoreless inning, setting up Craig Kimbrel. My arm hurt just typing that.
- Michael Bourn went 1-5 with a RBI and walk. As an Astros fan it's nice to see Bourn on a winning team.
- Jose Constanza went 2-3 with a homer, 2 runs, walk, and stolen base. With Chipper Jones still on the mend, Martin Prado has taken over 3B, thus opening the door for Constanza to see at-bats. He hit .312/.361/.351 in 333 at-bats at Triple-A this season.
- W: Jonny Venters (6-1), L: Bobby Parnell (3-4), SV: Craig Kimbrel (34)
- HR: Jason Heyward (12), Alex Gonzalez (9), Jose Constanza (1)
- SB: Jose Constanza (1), Jason Bay (10)
Padres 7 - Pirates 3
- Mat Latos held the Pirates to just 2 runs over 7 innings for his 6th win. He gave up 4 hits with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. He had been winless over his last 6 starts, so this was a welcomed addition to his record.
- Kevin Correia gave up 4 earned runs over his 5.2 innings of work as the Pirates fell to 5 games below .500 and 10 games back in the divisional race. This team is done. As for Correia, he was doing fine in this game, until a 3-run sixth inning came and bit him. He's now 12-10 with a 4.78 ERA.
- Will Venable went 3-5 with a double, 2 RBI, a run, and 2 stolen bases. That's now back-to-back seasons with 20+ stolen bases. On a decent offense, his .332 OBP probably wouldn't be let into the lineup, but this is San Diego.
- Kyle Blanks went 2-3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs. The LF is batting .200/.294/.422 over 51 plate appearances.
- W: Mat Latos (6-11), L: Kevin Correia (12-10)
- HR: Brandon Wood (7)
- SB: Will Venable (20, 21); CS: Xavier Paul (6)
Brewers 7 - Astros 3
- Zack Greinke pitched 7 innings and allowed just 1 earned run on 4 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts. With that win, the Brewers swept the Astros and stayed 3 games up on the Cardinals. For Greinke, it's his 6th straight start that he has pitched at least 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs or less.
- Bud Norris was tagged for 6 earned runs over 5 innings for his 8th loss. He gave up 8 hits with 1 walk and just 2 strikeouts. For someone who strikeouts out nearly a batter an inning, Norris' 4 strikeouts over his last 2 starts (10 innings) is uncharacteristic.
- Jose Altuve went 2-4 with a RBI and run. Short stuff is batting .328/.354/.377 this season.
- Prince Fielder, Mark Kotsay, and Yuniesky Betancourt all wrapped out 3 hits. Fielder hit a homer with 2 RBI, and 4 runs.
- Craig Counsell went 0-3… he's going to get that hitless streak eventually, damn it!
- W: Zack Greinke (10-4), L: Bud Norris (5-8)
- HR: Prince Fielder (26)
- CS: Clint Barmes (1)
Reds 8 - Cubs 7
- Bronson Arroyo pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. Over his last 8 starts only 1 has been a quality start.
- Randy Wells was worse as he gave up 6 earned runs over 7 innings on 8 hits and 1 walk. Giving up 3 homers is generally a recipe of disaster.
- Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the 8th inning. It's what he does.
- Todd Frazier went 2-4 with a double, homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs. With Scott Rolen out, Frazier should continue to find himself in the lineup. He's batting .265/.342/.618 over 38 plate appearances.
- Drew Stubbs went 2-3 with a homer, 2 runs, and a stolen base. He's at a 14/28 year for homers and stolen bases. Last season he finished up 22/30.
- Marlon Byrd went 3-3 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, a run, and a walk. The CF is batting .310/.352/.449 this season.
- W: Nick Masset (2-5), L: Sean Marshall (5-5), SV: Francisco Cordero (20)
- HR: Edgar Renteria (3), Todd Frazier (3), Drew Stubbs (14), Starlin Castro (5), Blake DeWitt (4)
- SB: Drew Stubbs (28)
Nationals 3 - Rockies 2
- John Lannan held the Rockies to just 1 run over 6 innings. It could've been much worse as he gave up 6 hits and 4 walks. He's dominated lefties this season with a .202 batting average against and 10.06 K/9 strikeout rate against them.
- Aaron Cook allowed 2 earned runs over 6.2 innings, also in a no-decision. It was one of his better starts as of late, but it's still hard to trust a pitcher who has more walks (25) than strikeouts (23).
- Troy Tulowitzki went 2-5. How long till he goes crazy at the plate again? I'm ready and waiting.
- Eric Young Jr. went 2-5 with a run. No stolen bases today.
- W: Tyler Clippard (2-0), L: Matt Belisle (5-4), SV: Drew Storen (29)
- HR: Jonny Gomes (12)
- SB: Mark Ellis (10)
Giants 3 - Phillies 1
- Tim Lincecum was in vintage Timmay! form as he pitched 7.2 innings and allowed just 1 earned run. He walked 1 batter and struck out 5 in the process. He's allowed 1 earned run or less in 7 of his last 9 starts… think about that for a minute. His 2.69 ERA is 10th best in MLB.
- Roy Oswalt had a quality start with 6 innings of 3-run ball. He was knocked around a bit as he gave up 12 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. It was his first start back, since coming off the DL with a back injury. He was 4-6 with a 3.79 ERA over 71.1 innings, before hitting the shelf.
- Jeff Keppinger went 4-4 with a RBI. Making contact has never been a problem for the infielder.
- Bruce Bochy came out and said he doesn't know how to manage a lineup. It was that or he wants to bat Aubrey Huff in the middle of his lineup moving forward… the two are the same thing to me. Real progress would be getting rid of Huff and putting Belt in there every day. But what do I know? Huff's batting .244/.298/.367 and I'm just the recap guy.
- W: Tim Lincecum (10-9), L: Roy Oswalt (4-7), SV: Brian Wilson (34)
- SB: Andres Torres (13), Aubrey Huff (5)
Diamondbacks 4 - Dodgers 3
- Ian Kennedy pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 earned runs, on his way to his 14th win. The man can seemingly do no wrong as he's tied for the NL lead in wins. As for his actual performance, Kennedy has lowered his walk rate almost a full batter (2.36 BB/9) from where he was last season (3.25 BB/9).
- Clayton Kershaw wasn't his best as he pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 4 earned runs. He did manage to strikeout 7 batters, but then again he also gave up 2 homers. Going into this game, he had allowed 2 earned runs or less in 8 of his last 9 starts. For what it's worth, Kershaw has a 1.94 road ERA this season.
- Collin Cowgill went 1-2 with a run and walk. He's hitting .227/.346/.227 over his first 26 plate appearances.
- Kelly Johnson went 1-4 with a 2-run homer. He's still got the power that he flexed last season, it just seems as if that .339 BABIP he also had didn't carry over. This season he's batting .259/.356/.449.
- W: Ian Kennedy (14-3), L: Clayton Kershaw (13-5), SV: J.J. Putz (26)
- HR: James Loney (5), Kelly Johnson (18), Cody Ransom (1)