A's 7, Indians 0

- Gio Gonzalez hasn't been good over the second half, posting a 4.50 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in July, followed by a 5.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in August. While his walk rate over that period is high (30 walks in 59 innings), so is strikeout rate (61 K's). He gave up seven homers over that stretch, which is high for him - but three of those came at Texas, which is his personal kryptonite. But the real culprit was hit rate on balls in play, which was right around a hit per inning, well above his career rate and way above the rate for the last two years. Was this the outlier or the correction?
- Whatever the answer, the Indians are his personal oasis. With Thursday's seven shutout innings, his ERA against the Tribe over 37.1 innings is down to 0.72, and he hasn't allowed a run against them in his last 27.2 innings.
- The Indians emptied their farm system to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez, but they were unable to acquire a significant hitter until last week, when they got Jim Thome. Thome really was just a band-aid once Travis Hafner got hurt, though - there would have been no way to play both at the same time, as they're so painfully capable of DH-ing only. Did they overreach by trading for Jimenez? I think that they had to question how ready they really were this year - Matt LaPorta has been a bust, Lonnie Chisenhall isn't playing every day yet, and Jason Kipnis was just getting started, though he was tearing it up before his unfortunately-timed injury. They had a negative run differential or just even for the season at the time of their big trade. Unless they were willing to go all-in and acquire big bats too, it was a mistake to go after Jimenez.
- Nick Hagadone and Corey Kluber got called up by the Indians and made their debuts Thursday. It's a shame that Hagadone hasn't yet been able to capture his pre-Tommy John form. That was a risk that the Indians assumed when they traded Victor Martinez two years ago. Fortunately for the Indians, that trade still has worked out well - they got Justin Masterson in that deal.
- Most of the A's damage was done by the top-3 in their order - Jemile Weeks (1-for-3, three runs scored and a stolen base), Cliff Pennington (4-for-5 with three RBI and a stolen base) and Coco Crisp (3-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base). Weeks is now hitting .297, with a .348 average on balls-in-play - and they've all been in play, with no homers. Don't sweat the high BABIP, though - speedy players typically will do well with that metric.
- Shin-Soo Choo went on the DL with his side injury, even though rosters expanded Thursday. It underscores that the Indians have also been unlucky with injuries - since the trade deadline they lost Choo, Hafner, Kipnis and Michael Brantley, and they're still without Grady Sizemore. So that's one rebuttal against the trade talk above - but they were still a league-average offense prior to those injuries. Average isn't good enough when trading away the haul that they dealt.
- SB: Weeks (21), Crisp (39), Pennington (12).

Phillies 6, Reds 4

- The Phillies completed their four-game sweep of the Reds. Right now they just have the Reds' number, dating back to a pre-All-Star series last season. They've done it in multiple fashions - a few taught pitching matchups, a few blow-ups, and a couple of gut-punch games along the way.
- Vance Worley keeps rolling along, though he ran out of steam in the seventh inning Thursday, giving up three runs on a Chris Heisey homer without retiring a batter that inning. Worley made a positive impression last fall, beating the Braves in September when the Braves were fighting for a playoff spot and the Phillies were just trying to set their rotation for the playoffs.
- Brad Lidge is now a situational righty, and he's still having trouble controlling his fastball. I hope it's not true, but he looks pretty close to the end of the line to me. As soon as he walked Edgar Renteria, the Phillies yanked him for Antonio Bastardo, who in fairness has been death on all hitters, righty and lefty.
- Ryan Howard homered, giving him 30 homers and 104 RBI so far this season. Most of his decline this year is batting average related - the power stats remain fairly constant. But that decline in average is real - his BABIP is .300, and his contact rate is down to .69. As many have pointed out, his contract extension hasn't kicked in yet - those last couple of seasons aren't going to be pretty, I'm afraid. At least the Phillies have had this extended run of good teams and can enjoy the present, unlike, say, the Cubs and their bloated contracts.
- Yonder Alonso got a token start in left field and the Reds got rid of Fred Lewis. As a Reds fan, I hope they spend September splitting left field between Alonso and Chris Heisey, and not playing Dave Sappelt. Similarly, Juan Francisco started at third base. There's really no excuse to play Miguel Cairo there any longer - that should be between Francisco and Todd Frazier. This month is an opportunity for the Reds - let's hope they use it. They'll have some tough decisions this offseason.
- HR: Michael Martinez (3), Ryan Howard (30), Chris Heisey (13); SV: Ryan Madson (26).

Blue Jays 8, Orioles 6

- Luis Perez couldn't hold a 6-3 lead, walking the first two batters in the sixth before getting yanked. The bullpen subsequently blew the lead later, but Perez can scarcely complain, given his own shortcomings. He's had some good results since starting, but his walk rate has spiked since transitioning into the rotation.
- Jon Rauch came off the DL, but pitched the eighth instead of the ninth, with Frank Francisco getting the save. I still expect Rauch to eventually close, but that situation has been as clear as mud this year.
- Brett Lawrie once again was the star - as I posted in his player update, he and Desmond Jennings have both been off the hook since getting the call. He's hitting .340 with seven homers and even has added four stolen bases.
- After Thursday's four-hit game, Yunel Escobar is hitting .294/.367/.417, fully justifying the chance the Jays took in acquiring him at his lowest value last summer. GM Alex Anthropolous has fantasy experience - he was a pretty avid Scoresheet player at one point - so he's taken those buy-low, sell-high lessons to heart.
- Speaking of which, Kelly Johnson homered and went 3-for-4. In his first 30 at-bats, Johnson is hitting .367/.472/.733 with the Jays - with six walks. He'll be a free agent, though, so it's no guarantee that the Jays will cash in on him long-term, though they might be able to snag a decent draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere this winter.
- Matt Wieters homered after sitting out a game with a quad injury. He's making incremental progress, rather than dominating right away as many analysts expected. His contact rate has steadily risen since 2009 - from .76, to .79 last year and up to .83 this year. Stay patient in those dynasty leagues folks, the payoff is coming.
- HR: Kelly Johnson (2/20), Brett Lawrie (7), Vladimir Guerrero (11), Matt Wieters (16); SB: Lawrie (4); SV: Frank Francisco (12).

Royals 11, Tigers 8

- Jeff Francoeur's homer off of Jacob Turner was his 1000th career hit. I picked Francoeur up as a free agent in Yahoo! Friends & Family in April, later trading him to Scott Pianowski for Seth Smith. For about the next month, Francoeur tanked and Smith hit well, but since then Francoeur has actually steadied - I think Scott won this trade, especially when you factor in Frenchy's stolen bases. I don't love the Royals' contract extension with him, but I see why they did it. What I don't like about it is that it necessarily blocks Lorenzo Cain, who never got his shot. Alex Gordon isn't going anywhere, and I think they'll retain Melky Cabrera, who has had a remarkable career resurrection too.
- Eric Hosmer ate the Tigers' lunch in this four-game series. He went 3-for-3 with a homer, three runs scored, two walks and even a stolen base. His .283/.335/.452 line is just ok for a first baseman, but pretty good considering he's still just 20 years old. For the first time in a while, the Royals are a fun team to watch - seeing Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Johnny Giavotella and that outfield all out there is encouraging.
- The two rookie starters in the game, Dan Duffy and Jacob Turner, got knocked around pretty good. Their respective futures are still pretty bright, but they serve as a reminder that we sometimes get spoiled by a Michael Pineda or Tommy Hanson in his rookie year. Duffy's experience is far more representative of what to expect from rookie pitchers.
- Kenny Powers, er, Phil Coke (seriously, check out his profile picture) picked up the loss, giving up three runs without retiring a batter. The "next C.J. Wilson" thing didn't quite work out.
- HR: Hosmer (15); Francoeur (16); Austin Jackson (8); Magglio Ordonez (5); SB: Hosmer (8), Alcides Escobar (20), Magglio Ordonez ! (2); CS: Brandon Inge (1); SV: Joakim Soria (25).

Dodgers 6, Pirates 4

- For the second day in a row, the Dodgers played in front of a sparse day-game crowd. This one was a makeup of an earlier rainout, where the Dodgers had to fly cross-country to play just one game.
- Dee Gordon came off the DL to go 2-for-5 with a two-run double. The Dodgers had him batting leadoff. Justin Sellers went to the bench, rather than play second or third.
- Dana Eveland, subject of the most notorious trade in RotoWire Staff Keeper League history, held the Pirates to one run over eight innings in his Dodger debut.
- The Pirates' collapse over the second half has been pretty brutal - I feel bad for their fans, who were teased with a semblance of hope. Not only have they fallen apart, but their two veteran trade deadline acquisitions, Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick, are on the DL. They missed an opportunity to cash in on some of their outlier players, too - minor opportunities arguably, but it's an opportunity cost nonetheless.
- Kenley Jansen had to come in to get the save after Blake Hawksworth gave up a two-run homer in the ninth. Jansen also gave up a run, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Javy Guerra's owners shouldn't necessarily worry about this - he had pitched the previous two days, converting save chances.
- HR: Alex Presley (2); SB: Matt Kemp (36); CS: Tony Gwynn Jr. (5), Andrew McCutchen (9); SV: Kenley Jansen (3).

Cardinals 8, Brewers 4

- The Cardinals completed the three-game sweep in Milwaukee, a pretty odd result given the Brewers' 50-19 home record. The Brewers are still 7.5 games up, so the Cards still barely have a pulse, though at least they put some distance on the Reds for second place.
- Yovani Gallardo gave up a whopping four homers to the Cards, including two to Albert Pujols. He allowed all eight runs scored by the Cards, over the course of 4.2 innings. He's had a pretty good season overall, but the four homers now give him 22 allowed for the season, a career-high. Still, it's a tradeoff worth making, given the drop in his walk rate this year.
- Strange things afoot in the Cardinals bullpen - Fernando Salas came into Thursday's game in the seventh inning, with an 8-3 lead, and had him pitch two innings. This on the heels of Jason Motte getting a save over the weekend. Salas isn't completely out of the picture, though - he got the save on Tuesday.
- All 12 runs in the game were scored on homers - the Cards hit four, and the Brewers hit three, but their homers came with fewer runners on-base in the first place.
- Brandon Dickson made his major league debut for the Cardinals, and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk over 3.1 innings. Dickson is the epitome of an organizational soldier - he was undrafted, has spent the last two full seasons in Triple-A Memphis, and was only getting the start to give Jaime Garcia a little extra rest. What he did well in the minors was throw strikes - he allowed only 32 walks in 157.1 innings.
- Because Dickson didn't go the minimum five innings yet left with the lead, we had the rare official scorer's discretionary win, which was given to Ocatvio Dotel, who bailed Dickson out of a jam in the fourth inning and then went to throw 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out five. Since joining the Cardinals, Dotel has thrown 15 innings with a 2.40 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a 21:4 K:BB.
- HR: Rafael Furcal (5), Albert Pujols 2 (34), Matt Holliday (20), Corey Hart (23), Prince Fielder (30), Jonathan Lucroy (10).

Braves 5, Nationals 2

- Jair Jurrjens has a bone bruise on his right knee and might end up on the DL. The Braves are already without Tommy Hanson, and probably won't have Hanson for the playoffs. If the Braves advance beyond the first round of the playoffs, they may have to turn to one of their heralded youngsters for a key playoff spot.
- That said, their remaining three original members of the rotation aren't so bad in Tim Hudson, Brandon Beachy and Derek Lowe. Hudson allowed just one run over six innings, lowering his ERA to 3.05 on the season. He has a 2.20 ERA in 69.2 innings since the All-Star break.
- (DJ) Laynce Nix left with a groin strain and will be out multiple games.
- Freddie Freeman didn't start because of a sore right quad, but did enter the game in the seventh inning.
- Jack Wilson joined the Braves and will be eligible to come off the DL Friday.
- HR: Jayson Werth (17), Brian McCann (23), Chipper Jones (15); SB: Jonny Gomes (7); CS: Jose Constanza (3); SV: Craig Kimbrel (42).

Mets 7, Marlins 5

- Joining his 10th different major league organization, Miguel Batista allowed two runs over six innings to pick up his 100th major league win. A published author, Batista isn't your typical baseball lifer, despite his journeyman career stats. This in a way was his Crash Davis moment - he probably won't get another start for the Mets, and it's an uncertain proposition that he'll (a) play next year and (b) get a shot with another major league organization. If this is it for him, here's a tip of the cap for his perseverance.
- Steve Cishek didn't do much to burnish his resume for future saves, giving up three runs in the eighth, turning a two-run deficit into a five runs. That ended up mattering when the Marlins scored three runs in the ninth.
- I had a chance to trade for Bobby Parnell in dynasty/keeper hybrid type of league before he started closing for the Mets and turned it down - I'm sort of regretting that decision now, though that story hasn't fully been written yet.
- Josh Thole and Batista got crossed up on a pitch and Thole ended up getting hit on his left wrist by a Batista fastball and left the game. X-rays revealed no break, just a bruise for now. Thole will be further examined Friday.
- SB: Emilio Bonifacio 2 (33), Angel Pagan (28); SV: Bobby Parnell (4).

Yankees 4, Red Sox 2

- Jon Lester only allowed run, but because the Yankees made him run up his pitch count, he was out after just five innings and 114 pitches. Then they got to Alfredo Aceves for two runs to take the lead.
- A.J. Burnett had a similar result to Lester, going just a smidge further (5.1 innings), allowing two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out four. If you're the Yankees, who are your second and third starters for the playoffs? I'm not so sure Burnett is out of consideration yet. I'd guess Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova are the most likely starters, but it's hardly a slam dunk.
- The Red Sox had to designate Felix Doubront for assignment to make room for newly acquired Conor Jackson the 40-man roster. Doubront was once a prospect of some ilk, but his prospect star has dimmed.
- Thursday's game saw one rarity - Mariano Rivera walking two batters. He has now allowed only seven walks on the season, as opposed to 50 strikeouts.
- HR: Dustin Pedroia (18); SB: Pedroia (25); CS: Brett Gardner (12); SV: Mariano Rivera (36).

Rangers 7, Rays 2

- Jeff Niemann's recent run of great starts came to a halt Thursday, as he allowed five runs over five innings, giving up two homers among his six hits to go along with two walks and two strikeouts. Has his second half influenced where you'll draft him, or will his overall numbers (a modest improvement over last year) speak more strongly to you at the draft table?
- C.J. Wilson, contrary to the expectations of many, has improved instead of regressed in his second season as a starter. He held the Rays to two runs over six innings Thursday, striking out eight while giving up two hits (one homer) and a walk. Wilson has completed the neat trick of increasing his strikeouts while lowering his walk rate, and he's on pace to exceed last year's 204 innings. One thing to watch out for - Wilson injured his left index finger reaching out for a ground ball. He stayed in the game and x-rays were negative, but watch out to see if there's any overnight change. It definitely affected his performance: "When I stopped the ball, that pretty much ended my effectiveness," Wilson said. "I reached for the ball and it bent my index finger back. The finger went numb. It's like trying to drive with only one eye, so you don't have depth perception."
- While there's a ton of variance with Ian Kinsler's batting average (currently hitting .243), he has recovered both his power and his ability to run. His two homers Thursday give him 23 on the season, and he swiped his 23 base of the year (while getting caught just twice). Dustin Pedroia has outpaced Kinsler because of the difference in batting average, but Kinsler remains among the elite second basemen and will probably justify a top-30 pick next year.
- Adrian Beltre came off the DL and went 1-for-4, but it could have been better, as Matt Joyce robbed him of a homer.
- Kelly Shoppach (8), Ian Kinsler 2 (23), Michael Young (11); SB: Kinsler (23), David Murphy (8); CS: Elvis Andrus (10).

Angels 4, Mariners 3

- The decisive blow in this game came in the first inning, a three-run shot by Torii Hunter. Hunter has exhibited signs of aging this year, running even less often and successfully than last year (when he was just 9-for-21) - he has just four stolen bases while being caught 11 times. But he still has some power, though his doubles are down too. He already has 110 strikeouts, the most since 2002, and could pass his career high in that respect.
- Howie Kendrick also homered, his sixth homer in his last 10 games. This is his best season, with a career-high .824 OPS so far.
- Ervin Santana worked on three days' rest in his previous start, so it's not a huge surprise that he wasn't sharp in this outing. Still, it was an eye-opener to see he allowed seven total walks over 6.2 innings.
- Jered Weaver's next start will be pushed back a day due to a death in the family. Given that his previous start was also on three days' rest, it might be better for his outing to wait an extra day.
- Maicer Izturis left the game with a thigh bruise after earlier getting hit by a pitch.
- Matt Tuiasosopo not only didn't get a September callup, but instead was designated for assignment, appearing to close the door on what was once considered a promising prospect for the Mariners.
- HR: Kendrick (15), Hunter (19); SB: Franklin Gutierrez (13); CS: Hunter (7), Brendan Ryan (3); SV: Jordan Walden (27).