Blue Jays 11, Angels 2

- Jered Weaver's return from his suspension didn't exactly go as planned, as the Jays tagged him for three home runs (and eight runs total) in just 4.2 innings. Weaver only struck out three and walked two. FYI, the eight runs allowed matches the damage done off him for the entire month of July.
- Rick Romero threw 10 straight balls at one point in the first inning, but settled down nicely after that. He allowed just one run (on an Alberto Callaspo solo shot) on two hits and two walks over seven innings, K'ing three.
- Adam Lind paced the Toronto attack with a grand slam, and five RBI in total. Brett Lawrie also stayed hot, going 2-for-4 with a triple. In fact every Blue Jay got at least one hit on the day.
W: Romero (11-9) HR: Callaspo (5), Edwin Encarnacion (11), Lind (20), Mark Teahen (4)

Rangers 7, A's 1

- Colby Lewis was very sharp, giving up just one run on three hits over 6.1 innings with an 8:0 K:BB ratio.
- Trevor Cahill took a no-hitter into the sixth but still got outdueled by Lewis, eventually allowing four runs (three earned) on seven well-timed hits in 7.1 frames, K'ing four without walking anyone.
- Jemile Weeks was the only Oakland hitter to show up, racking up three of their five hits with a double, a triple and a steal.
- Ian Kinsler also had a great day, going 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Josh Hamilton went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
W: Lewis (11-8) SB: Weeks (13) CS: Yorkvit Torrealba (2)

Brewers 1, Pirates 0

- Marco Estrada, filling in for Chris Narveson, gave the Brewers five shutout, one-hit innings, striking out five without walking a batter.
- Kevin Correia allowed seven hits and three walks over 6.2 innings, striking out three, but was silly enough to serve up a solo home run to Yuniesky Betancourt for the game's only run.
- the Milwaukee bullpen was outstanding in protecting that one run lead, as Takashi Saito, Latroy Hawkins, Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford giving up just two hits and a walk over four shutout frames, striking out five between them.
W: Estrada (3-7) SV: Axford (34) HR: Betancourt (9) SB: Ryan Braun (22)

Yankees 9, Rays 2

- somebody forgot to tell Jorge Posada he had a fork stiuck in him. Back in at DH, Posada went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBI total.
- the beneficiary of Posada's clock rewinding was Phil Hughes, who gave up two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings, striking out six.
- Jeremy Hellickson got chased in the fifth after getting roughed up for four runs on eight hits and two walks, with four K's. The Tampa bullpen then unpacked their gas cans and gave up another five runs over the next two-plus innings.
- six Yankees had multi-hit games, with Curtis Granderson going 2-for-4 with a solo shot. Nick DSwisher was the only guy without a hit, but he drew three walks and scored a run, so it wasn't a total wash.
W: Hughes (3-4) HR: Desmond Jennings (4), Granderson (33), Posada (10)

Tigers 6, Orioles 5

- Detroit charitably spotted the O's a five run lead, just to make things interesting. Max Scherzer served up the five-spot in the second (four of them earned) but settled down nicely after that, lasting seven innings and striking out 10 without walking anyone.
- Jeremy Guthrie was the guy who couldn't hold the lead, getting hammered for six runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings.
- Vladimir Guerrero hit his first home run in August, while Blake Davis hit his first home run in the big leagues for Baltimore.
W: Scherzer (12-7) SV: Jose Valverde (35) HR: Miguel Cabrera (23), Guerrero (10), Davis (1)

Indians 3, Twins 1

- Josh Tomlin stifled another patchwork Twins lineup missing Michael Cuddyer and Alexi Casilla, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk over 6.1 innings, striking out two.
- Brian Duensing was sharp, striking out nine over 6.2 innings, but Asdrubal Cabrera turned around on his one mistake and deposited it in the seats for a three-run shot.
- Chris Perez seems to be over his troubles, striking out one in a perfect ninth for his second save in as many games.
- Justin Morneau, in his second game off the DL, went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. He should have a bit more help soon, as Cuddyer is expected to be back Monday after straining his neck in batting practice.
W: Tomlin (12-5) SV: Perez (25) HR: Cabrera (20) SB: Cabrera (16) CS: Kosuke Fukudome (5)

Phillies 11, Nationals 3

- John Lannan's owners need to send a nice thank-you card to the Nats defense. Lannan was awful, walking five and getting crushed for seven runs in three innings, but only one of the runs was earned.
- Roy Oswalt cruised to the win, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings while K'ing five.
- Ryan Howard swung the big bat for the Phils, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.
- Collin Balester was solid in relief of Lannan, giving up just one hit (which led, naturally, to an unearned run) over three innings while striking out three. The control is coming around, and he now has a 7:1 K:BB ratio over three appearances (six innings) since being called back up. A spot start or two in September could be in the cards.
W: Oswalt (5-7) HR: Howard (26)

Cubs 8, Braves 4

- the Cubbies shrugged off the latest Zambrocalypse nicely, as Randy Wells gave up two runs on eight hits over five innings to last just long enough for the win.
- the offense was led by the kids. Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney each rapped out four hits, while Tyler Colvin went 2-for-5 with a double, triple and two runs scored.
- Derek Lowe had another rough outing, getting tagged for five runs on 10 hits over six innings, albeit with a solid 6:0 K:BB ratio.
- Dan Uggla extended his ridiculously improbable hitting streak to 33 games, going 2-for-3 with a solo homer. Chipper Jones went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI, giving him four straight multi-hit games.
W: Wells (4-4) SV: Carlos Marmol (27) HR: Uggla (27) SB: Michael Bourn (43)

White Sox 5, Royals 4

- Luke Hochevar got the 'L' but you can pin this loss squarely on Aaron Crow, who relieved Hochevar and walked Alexei Ramirez, then Alejandro de Aza on four straight pitches, to bring home the winning run.
- Jake Peavy wasn't bad, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk over 6.2 innings with six K's.
- Juan Pierre went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a steal, while Tyler Flowers went 2-for-3 with his first big league home run to help drive the ChiSox offense.
- every Royal starter got a hit except Mike Moustakas, whose now hitting .187/.241/.235 through his first 50 big league games. It's not the first time he's struggled in his first look at a new level, so be patient (or try to take advantage of someone else's impatience) in keeper leagues.
- Chris Sale won tonight's Closer Roulette for the Sox, striking out one in a perfect ninth.
W: Jesse Crain (7-3) SV: Sale (4) HR: Paul Konerko (27), Flowers (1) SB: Jeff Francoeur (19), Alcides Escobar (18), Ramirez (6), Pierre (20)

Reds 13, Padres 1

- Tim Stauffer tied a San Diego record he wishes he hadn't, serving up five home runs to Cinci in just three innings of work. The Reds tacked on two more blasts off the bullpen as well.
- the biggest bats weren't who'd you expect. Sure, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce went yard (Bruce's fourth in six games), but Miguel Cairo and Ryan Hanigan each did it twice. In your face, infinitely superior hitters!
- Homer Bailey wasted all that offensive largesse by turning in a very good start, allowing just one run on six hits and a walk over seven frames, striking out seven.
- Kyle Blanks hit a solo shot in a desperate attempt to keep pace with the Cinci sluggers. Eerik Hamren was the only Padres pitcher to emerge unscathed, striking out four over two perfect innings of relief.
W: Bailey (7-5) HR: Blanks (3), Votto (19), Cairo 2 (7), Todd Frazier (4), Bruce (25), Hanigan 2 (5) SB: Cameron Maybin (30)

Giants 3, Marlins 0

- the big news of course comes not from the game, but afterwards, as Logan Morrison got demoted to Triple-A for the crime of hitting better than Hanley Ramirez. (Seriously. Management apparently cited his batting average as the reason for his demotion. Scuttlebutt is that it has more to do with LoMo not keeping quiet over his run-ins with the brass, as for instance when he had to cancel a charity bowling event last week because the Marlins' charitable foundation didn't sell the number of lanes they'd promised.) The list of personnel who have been chased out of Loriatown is long and distinguished (Miguel Cabrera, A.J. Burnett, pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, Cameron Maybin...), and Morrison might be the next guy to get jettisoned (or escape, depending on your perspective) when the offseason rolls around.
- as for the actual game, Tim Lincecum and Javier Vazuez were both outstanding, trading 10 K efforts over seven innings each, but Vazquez gave up a homer to Jeff Keppinger and Lincecum didn't. Not that Lincecum could have given up a homer to Keppinger, since they're on the same team... ah, you know what I mean.
- Brian Wilson struck out two as he bearded his 35th save. Yes, it's a real use of the word (beard, verb: to seize). It still bothers me that Wilson hasn't single-handedly revived that usage of the word. English truly is a dying language.
W: Lincecum (11-9) SV: Wilson (35) HR: Keppinger (5) SB: Emilio Bonifacio (28)

Rockies 6, Cardinals 1

- Jason Hammel stymied the Cards over 6.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks while K'ing only one.
- Jaime Garcia struggled, as he got roughed up for five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings, striking out three.
- Carlos Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. His year's been a disappointment compared to 2010, but .282/.350/.492 with 18 HR, 16 SB, 65 RBI and 69 runs is still pretty sweet for an off-year.
- it wasn't a save situation, but Rafael Betancourt struck out two while turning in a perfect ninth inning.
W: Hammel (7-11) HR: Gozalez (18) CS: Dexter Fowler (9)

Diamondbacks 6, Mets 4

- Mike Pelfrey left after four innings thanks to a line drive off the elbow. X-rays were negative after the game, but it's still one more bit of frustration in a long, frustrating season.
- Dan Hudson gave up four runs, but only two earned, over eight innings on eight hits with a 4:2 K:BB ratio.
- Ryan Roberts led the charge for the D-backs, going 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer.
- Ronny Paulino, Mike Baxter and Ruben Tejada all had two hits each from the botom of the order. Pelfrey got a hit and an RBI in two at-bats before he left. The rest of the Mets' lineup went 1-for-21.
W: Hhudson (12-8) SV: J.J. Putz (29) HR: Roberts (16) SB: Justin Upton (18)

Mariners 5, Red Sox 4

- other than two half-innings, the pitchers dominated in this one. Unfortunately in those two half-innings, the M's hung five runs on Josh Beckett in the bottom of the first, then the Sawx ripped two two-run homers off Felix Hernandez in the top of the sixth, so the lines for the starters weren't exactly stellar.
- Ichiro Suzuki and Casper Wells launched jacks for Seattle in that first inning, while Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia answered for Boston.
- Brandon League is on his way to his third straight great month, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning for the save. Really, since his ugly run in early May (10 earned runs in three innings over four appearances) he's been outstanding, with a 19:7 K:BB ratio and 0.59 ERA over 30.1 innings.
W: Hernandez (11-10) SV: League (28) HR: Ellsbury (20), Pedroia (16), Suzuki (2), Wells (6) SB: Franklin Gutierrez (11) CS: Darnell McDonald (3)

Dodgers 6, Astros 1

- Clayton Kershaw was his normal, boring, dominant self, giving up one run and K'ing nine over eight innings. Yawn.
- Wandy Rodriguez's line got bailed out by his defense, as he allowed five runs (only two earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings, striking out three.
- Tony Gwynn Jr. went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two steals, while Matt Kemp thumped a homer.
- Astros kiddie corps watch: Jimmy Paredes went 2-for-4 with his first big league steal, while Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez each had a double.
W: Kershaw (14-5) HR: Kemp (27) SB: Paredes (1), Gwynn 2 (17)