Tigers 8 - Indians 6
- Justin Verlander won his MLB leading 22nd game, after he pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 earned runs. Not his strongest effort, but he did strikeout 8 batters with just 2 walks and 3 hits allowed. The only hitter to really have success against him was Shelley Duncan, who took him deep twice.
- Justiin Masterson also pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 earned runs, but he was saddled with the loss. He gave up 8 hits with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. He has now allowed 4 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 4 starts.
- Jose Valverde converted his 42nd consecutive save of the season. I'm still waiting for him to give birth or at least announce that he's prego.
- Victor Martinez went 2-5 with a double, homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs. He's batting .326/.374/.461 on the season as the team's DH.
- Lonnie Chisenhall went 1-4 with a 2-run homer. His last homer was on August 2nd and before this hit, he was 1 for his last 19.
- W: Justin Verlander (22-5), L: Justin Masterson (11-9), SV: Jose Valverde (42)
- HR: Victor Martinez (10), Shelley Duncan (7, 8), Lonnie Chisenhall (4)
- SB: Carlos Santana (5)
Orioles 5 - Yankees 4
- A.J. Burnett pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. He managed to strikeout 7 batters. The Yankees are forced to run him out there every 5th day, but fantasy owners are not. His ERA is now 5.27 over 172.1 innings.
- Zach Britton also allowed 4 earned runs, but he did it over just 5 innings. He gave up 5 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Before this game he had allowed just 4 earned runs over his last 4 starts.
- Nolan Reimold went 1-2 with a homer, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 4 walks, and a 2 stolen bases. A pretty full box score for the once rookie sensation.
- Jesus Montero went 1-4 with 2 RBI and a walk. He's now 6-17 with 2 walks.
- Chris Davis went 0-6 with 5 strikeouts. That's a platinum sombrero, where I'm from.
- W: Pedro Strop (1-1), L: Hector Noesi (2-1), SV: Jim Johnson (3)
- HR: Nolan Reimold (9)
- SB: Matt Angel (5, 6), Nolan Reimold (3, 4), Kyle Hudson (1)
Rays 5 - Rangers 4
- David Price allowed 2 earned runs over 6 innings in a no-decision. He struck out 5 batters with 2 walks and 8 hits. He has 200 strikeouts over his 203.2 innings this season. It's his first 200 strikeout season of his career.
- Derek Holland struck out 9 batters over 6.2 innings of 4 run (3 earned) ball. I continue to claim that I have figure him out, look at his earned runs pattern since mid June… 6, 3, 3, 5, 0, 0, 7, 0, 0, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1, 0, 3. It seems like every 3rd start he has a poor outing.
- Kyle Farnsworth blew a 1-run lead in the 9th inning on an solo shot by...
- Ian Kinsler went 2-5 with two solo shots. The 2B is batting .245/.344/.469 this season.
- Mike Napoli went 4-5 with a homer. His .398 OBP would be 6th highest in the AL, if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
- Desmond Jennings went 1-4 with a homer, 2 runs, and a walk. I can't say enough about how good the rookie has been since he's come up form the minors.
- W: Jake McGee (2-1), L: Mark Lowe (2-3), BSV: Kyle Farnsworth (5)
- HR: Ian Kinsler (27, 28), Mike Napoli (24), Desmond Jennings (9), Brandon Guyer (2)
- SB: Elvis Andrus (35); CS: Elvis Andrus (11)
A's 7 - Royals 0
- Guillermo Moscoso twirled 7.2 no-hit innings on his way to 8.2 innings of 2 hit ball with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Someone named Salvador Perez singled in the 8th to break up the no-hit bid. For the Moscoso has pitched 110.1 innings with a 3.34 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 35 walks.
- Bruce Chen was knocked around for 6 runs (5 earned) over 5.1 innings on 8 hits and 3 walks. Coming into this game, he had quality starts in 6 of his last 7 outings. I don't care what his other numbers are, if he can't get his K/BB ratio above 2.00, I wouldn't roster him or anyone. He has 79 strikeouts to 44 walks over 125.2 innings this season.
- Jemile Weeks was 4-5 with a double, RBI, and run. The rookie is batting .303/.342/.415 over 365 plate appearances this season.
- Coco Crisp was 2-4 with a double, run, walk, and stolen base. It was his first game since the 3rd this month, as he's dealt with foot issue.
- W: Guillermo Moscoso (8-8), L: Bruce Chen (10-7)
- SB: Coco Crisp (40)
Blue Jays 11 - Red Sox 10
- Tim Wakefield remains stuck on 199 wins, after he pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks. He was in line for the loss, till the bullpens got a hold of things late. With a 5.03 ERA, it's doubtful he's near many fantasy rosters.
- Brandon Morrow frustrated owners yet again as he gave up 8 earned runs over 4.1 innings on 8 hits, two of which were homers. He walked just 1 with 5 strikeouts. I still don't get how he can miss so many bats, but produce such mediocre results.
- Where was I when J.P. Arencibia hit his first 20 homers? In this one he went 1-3 with his 21st homer, a 2-run shot.
- Jose Bautista went 1-2 with a double, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 2 stolen bases. He remains my front-runner for the AL MVP award.
- Jacoby Ellsbury went 4-5 with a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs. The CF is batting .316/.376/.531 this season.
- W: Shawn Camp (4-3), L: Daniel Bard (2-6), SV: Frank Francisco (13)
- HR: Jacoby Ellsbury (25), Adrian Gonzalez (24), David Ortiz (29), J.P. Arencibia (21)
- SB: Jose Bautista (7, 8), Brett Lawrie (6); CS: Jacoby Ellsbury (13), Mike Aviles (3), Jose Bautista (4)
Twins 5 - White Sox 4
- Carl Pavano pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 10 hits and 1 walk. Things obviously could have been much worse as evidence from the 10 hits. That 3.75 ERA he posted last season is looking more and more like a fluke.
- John Danks gave up 4 earned runs over 6 innings, in a loss. He walked 2 batters with 4 strikeouts and 6 hits allowed. He has now given up 12 earned runs over his last 10.2 innings.
- Paul Konerko went 3-4 with a RBI, run, and walk. The steady 1B is batting .315/.401/.537 this season. His .938 OPS is 6th highest in the AL.
- Dayan Viciedo went 2-4 and he is now 14-38, since coming up from the minors. I still don't know why it took the team so long to call him up.
- W: Carl Pavano (8-11), L: John Danks (6-11), SV: Joe Nathan (13)
- SB: Ben Revere (26), Luke Hughes (2); CS: Jason Repko (2)
Angels 3 - Mariners 1
- Jerome Williams was lights out with 8 innings of 1-hit ball. The lone knock was a solo shot from Trayvon Robinson in the 6th inning. At Triple-A this season he had a 3.91 ERA, 60 strikeouts, and 15 walks over 73.2 innings.
- Charlie Furbush allowed 3 earned runs over 7.1 innings for his 8th loss. He walked just 1 batter with 3 walks and 5 hits allowed. In his 9 starts this season he has 2 quality starts and a 4.84 ERA.
- Trayvon Robinson broke up Jerome Williams' no hit bid with a solo shot in the 6th inning. I still don't know why the Dodgers traded him away.
- W: Jerome Williams (3-0), L: Charlie Furbush (3-8), SV: Jordan Walden (29)
- HR: Trayvon Robinson (2)
Mets 1 - Marlins 0
- R.A. Dickey spun 7 shutout innings with 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. He has had a quality start in each of his last 9 starts with 32 strikeouts and 9 walks over that time period.
- Brad Hand allowed just 1 earned run over 6 innings in a loss. He walked 4 batters with no strikeouts and 3 hits allowed. Over 10 starts this season he has pitched 50.2 innings with a 3.91 ERA.
- Lucas Duda went 1-4 with a double and drove in the lone run in this game.
- Jason Bay went 2-4 with a double. He has four extra base hits over his last five games with 2 homers and 4 RBI.
- W: R.A. Dickey (8-11), L: Brad Hand (1-6), SV: Manny Acosta (1)
- CS: Omar Infante (2)
Padres 3 - Giants 1
- Aaron Harang pitched 7 innings and let the Giants offense do the rest. The result was 1 earned run allowed on 4 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts. To no one's surprise, Harang has a 3.30 ERA at home, compared to a 4.47 ERA on the road this season.
- Matt Cain fell to 11-10, after he pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. He struck out 7 batters with 3 walks and 4 hits allowed. His 2.84 ERA is 8th best in the NL among starters, while his 203.0 innings pitched is 4th most.
- Brett Pill went 2-4 with a homer. That's now back-to-back games with a homer for the September call-up. Over 576 plate appearances at Triple-A, he had 25 homers with 107 RBI and a .312/.341/.530 batting line.
- Cameron Maybin went 2-4 with a double, triple, RBI, and run. The defensively skilled CF is batting .274/.332/.404 this season.
- W: Aaron Harang (13-5), L: Matt Cain (11-10), SV: Heath Bell (36)
- HR: Brett Pill (2), Will Venable (7)
- CS: Darren Ford (5), Jesus Guzman (1)
Phillies 3 - Braves 2
- Roy Oswalt pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs, in a no-decision. He struck out 7 batters with 4 walks and 4 hits. He was actually in line for the loss, till Placido Polanco singled in John Mayberry in the 8th.
- Brandon Beachy held the Phillies to just 1 run over 5.2 innings with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk. He gave up just 2 hits, one of which was a solo shot by Raul Ibanez. Beachy has a 3.29 ERA over 126 innings in this, his rookie season.
- Chipper Jones went 2-4 with a RBI. He's batting .282/.355/.476 batting line with 61 RBI this season.
- Jayson Heyward went 2-2 with a run and 2 walks. The hits were hit first in a week.
- W: Ryan Madson (4-2), L: Peter Moylan (1-1)
- HR: Raul Ibanez (18)
Pirates 5 - Astros 4
- J.A. Happ was back to his old tricks as he allowed 4 earned runs over 5 innings, in a no-decision. He did manage to strikeout 8 batters, but they came with 4 walks and 2 homers. He had allowed just 1 run in his previous 2 starts, since coming back up from the minors.
- Brian Burres pitched 3.2 innings with 4 earned runs on 3 homers. He served up homers to Carlos Lee, Matt Downs, and Clint Barmes. It was the 30 year old's second start this season.
- Andrew McCutchen went 2-3 with two homers, 4 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk. The CF is batting .269/.372/.473 with 22 homers, 85 RBI, 81 runs, and 22 stolen bases.
- Derrek Lee went 2-4 and extended his hit streak to 8 games. He's been plenty hot over that time with two homers, a triple, and 7 RBI.
- W: Tony Watson (2-2), L: WIlton Lopez (2-6), SV: Joel Hanrahan (36)
- HR: Carlos Lee (15), Matt Downs (8), Clint Barmes (10), Andrew McCutchen (21, 22)
Cubs 6 - Reds 3
- Johnny Cueto continues to lead the NL in ERA (2.36), after he pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. He walked no batters with 3 strikeouts and 7 hits allowed. He hasn't pitched enough innings this season to rank up there in most of the counting stats, but his 1.09 WHIP is 6th best in the NL.
- Ryan Dempster turned in a quality start with 6 innings pitched and 3 earned runs allowed on 10 hits and 3 walks. Since the All-Star break 9 of his 11 starts have been quality starts. He has 169 strikeouts over 176.2 innings this season.
- Yonder Alonso went 3-4 with a RBI. He played LF in this one and is batting .407/.470/.678 over 66 plate appearances.
- Joey Votto went 2-4 with a double, triple, RBI, and run. The defending NL MVP is batting .317/.427/.543 this season.
- W: Kerry Wood (2-5), L: Logan Ondrusek (4-5), SV: Carlos Marmol (33)
- HR: Carlos Pena (26)
Cardinals 2 - Brewers 0
- Chris Carpenter pitched a 4-hit shutout with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts for his 9th win. He has a 3.75 ERA over 206.1 innings this season. Remember when people were worried about him in June? I don't either.
- Zack Greinke was no slouch as he allowed just 2 earned runs over 7 innings on 8 hits and no walks. His ERA is now back under 4.00 for only the second time this season.
- Jon Jay went 3-4 and is batting .308/.355/.447 this season over 426 plate appearances.
- W: Chris Carpenter (9-9), L: Zack Greinke (14-6)
- HR: Rafael Furcal (7)
Diamondbacks 5 - Rockies 3
- Joe Saunders improved to 10-12, after he had a quality start with 6 innings pitched and 3 earned runs allowed. He struck out 4 batters with 1 walk and 7 hits allowed. The D-Backs lead over the Giants is a commanding 7 games.
- Kevin Millwood did what Kevin Millwood does, pitch 5.2 innings and allow 4 earned runs. The 36 year old veteran has walked just 4 batters in his 38 innings this season. I find that very surprising. Oh and he homered at the plate.
- Wilin Rosario went 2-4 with his first career homer. It was the catcher's second game in the majors. At Double-A this season he hit 21 homers with a .249/.284/.457 batting line.
- Justin Upton went 2-5 with a homer, RBI, and 2 runs. The MVP candidate is batting .298/.379/.546 with 28 homers, 83 RBI, 95 runs, and 20 stolen bases.
- W: Joe Saunders (10-12), L: Kevin Millwood (2-2), SV: J.J. Putz (37)
- HR: Justin Upton (28), Miguel Montero (15), Carlos Gonzalez (25), Willin Rosario (1), Kevin Millwood (1)