Eduardo Nunez' 1st hit

There were a lot of storylines on Saturday. NY Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez landed on the DL with a strained left calf. For the duration of his DL stint, the Yankees will go with rookie Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez (unless they make a deal for a veteran to spend some more money). A-Rod’s replacement on Saturday was Nunez, who was making his first Major League start. In the 7th inning of a tie game with the visiting Seattle Mariners, Nunez found a hole between first baseman Casey Kotchman and second baseman Chone Figgins for his first Major League hit, which proved to be the game winner.

The Yankees mounted four straight singles off Mariners starter Jason Vargas (after he retired 17 of 18 batters) which led to three runs (Nunez’ also being his first RBI). The Yankees bullpen (after starter Javier Vazquez lasted just one batter into the 4th inning) held on for a 9-5 victory.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia came off the DL on Tuesday, only to be placed back on Friday with a sore left foot (the same foot that he broke). In his absence before his latest stint on the DL, Jed Lowrie played a huge part, as he hit over .300. Now with more playing time on the horizon, Lowrie looks to make the most of it. On Saturday night, he pinch-hit and walked in the 8th inning. He stayed in the game to play first base and prolonged the top of the 11th inning by missing a pop up near the first base bag for an error.

Lowrie redeemed himself in the bottom of the inning, as he led off with a walk-off solo homerun to give the Red Sox a much needed 5-4 victory. The homerun extended Lowrie’s hitting streak to nine games.

Josh Bell's 1st homerun

Cliff Lee surrendered four homeruns in his start against the Baltimore Orioles. The four homeruns he allowed was the first time in his career. It was his shortest outing of the season for Lee, who missed with his spots and the Orioles hitters did not miss the pitches. Orioles rookie third baseman Josh Bell connected in the 3rd inning for a two-run shot, his first of his Major League career. Bell connected on a three-run shot on Lee’s first pitch in the 4th inning, after Ty Wiggington and Luke Scott hit back-to-back homeruns earlier in the inning. On the season, Lee has allowed 13 homeruns, 7 to the Orioles in two games. Michael Kirkman made his Major League debut for the Rangers and he retired all four batters he faced, while striking out the side in the 7th inning.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard returned from the DL on Saturday from an ankle sprain (instead of rehabbing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley). Howard returned to first base and his fourth spot in the lineup. He collected a base hit off Washington Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg in his first at-bat and contributed an RBI ground out in his second plate appearance against Strasburg. However the Phillies lost the game 8-1. The Nationals may have lost Strasburg for the rest of the season as he left the game in the 5th inning with a flexor tendon strain of his forearm (his pitching arm) and he will undergo an MRI Sunday.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Casey Kotchman, Eduardo Nunez, Josh Bell, Philadelphia Phillies, Ramiro Pena, Ryan Howard

Ground ball lands in sean rodriguez' shirt

There were not many games on the docket for Monday as many teams had the day/night off. The big matchup of the night was the battle of two potential playoff teams with the two best left-handed pitchers in the American League facing off. The Texas Rangers visited Tampa Bay throwing Cliff Lee against David Price. Lee was dominant early on as he was economical with his pitches.

Price was also dominant, though it took him over 100 pitches to get through six innings. The Rays scored two runs in the 5th inning and another four in the 8th inning as the Rangers defense fell apart behind Lee (after the Rangers had taken a 4-2 lead). Though no errors were recorded there were misplays on ground balls and a shallow pop up. The Rangers have now lost five of Lee’s eight starts with them, while the Rays have handed Lee three of his six losses. With the victory the Rays moved to a tie in the AL East.

The NY Yankees again struggled against the visiting Detroit Tigers in Johnny Damon’s return to the Bronx. Javier Vazquez allowed a two-run homerun to Ryan Raburn in the 2nd inning and lasted just four innings as he threw over 100 pitches. Tigers starter Max Scherzer was dominant in his six innings as he allowed just two hits. Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homerun in the 9th inning off Joba Chamberlain. In the bottom of the 9th and after walking in a run, Tigers closer Jose Valverde got Derek Jeter to hit into an game-ending double-play with the bases loaded to finish off the Yankees for a 3-1 victory. In the game, the Yankees lost both Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher to injuries.

Melky Cabrera congratulated by Bobby Cox

Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves has not won a game since the beginning of July and on a rainy night in Atlanta, he pitched well enough to gain a victory. He allowed one run on five hits through seven innings, but LA Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley was just as solid. The Dodgers took a 3-1 lead in the 8th inning on a two-run error by Brooks Conrad on a ground ball to third base.

However the Dodgers bullpen again failed them, this time being the newly-named closer Hong-Chih Kuo. With runners at second and third, Kuo got Troy Glaus to pop up for the first out. He then walked Conrad to load the bases. With David Ross pinch-hitting for the left-handed hitting Rick Ankiel, Dodgers manager Joe Torre decided to go to Octavio Dotel (instead of Jonathon Broxton) to close out the game. Dotel walked Ross to drive in a run and Melky Cabrera followed with a two-run walk-off single. The Braves increased their lead in the National League East to 2.5 games over idle Philadelphia.

In Houston, two young left-handers matched up as Wandy Rodriguez took on Jon Niese of the NY Mets. The Mets scored first, on a Carlos Beltran 4th inning solo homerun. The Astros would tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning off Niese. The game would stay tied until the 9th inning when the Mets scored two runs off closer Matt Lindstrom, one coming on a Jeff Francoeur triple. With Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez likely out for the season (and all the ramifications of his thumb injury), the Mets turned to Hisanori Takahashi for the save. He closed out the Astros for the 3-1 victory.

This season, it seems as if the Rays are always involved in a no-hitter or the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitchers are always on no-hitter alert. Last night was no different. Shaun Marcum of the Blue Jays carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning before just activated off the DL Conor Jackson of the Oakland A’s broke up the no-hitter and shutout by hitting a solo homerun. Marcum would allow just that one hit in his complete game effort. Jose Bautista hit his ML leading 37th homerun off A’s losing pitcher Brett Anderson.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Cliff Lee, David Price, Detroit Tigers, Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Ryan Raburn, Texas Rangers

In San Francisco, the Giants were down 2-0 heading into the 7th inning before Pablo Sandoval deposited a Mat Latos pitch into McCovey Cove. The Giants would tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning on an RBI ground out by Pat Burrell. The game would head to the 11th tied but the San Diego Padres wasted a first and third with one out situation. In the bottom of the 11th, Giants rookie Buster Posey collected a hit up the middle that was deflected by the middle infielders. He hustled into second base and would score on the base hit from Juan Uribe for a Giants walk-off 3-2 victory.

Kelly Shoppach's grand slam

In Tampa, it looked like the Baltimore Orioles were again going to get the best of the Rays early on after Adam Jones hit the left-field foul pole for a three-run homerun off starter Andy Sonnanstine in the 3rd inning. However Orioles starter Brian Matusz got into trouble in the bottom of the 4th inning as the Rays scored five runs, capped by a Kelly Shoppach grand slam. Shoppach would add another homerun in the 8th inning. Sonnanstine and the Rays bullpen would hold on for a 7-3 victory. Matusz dropped his 12th game to tie teammate Kevin Millwood for most losses in the American League.

With the Rays winning in the afternoon, both the NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox played at night. The Yankees’ Phil Hughes would struggle early on, but the Yankees offense would finally get to KC Royals starter Sean O’Sullivan. Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, and Alex Rodriguez would all homer off him in the 6th inning, with A-Rod adding two more homeruns in his next two at-bats. Hughes and the Yankees bullpen would hold on for an 8-3 victory.

Felix Doubront gets the save

The Red Sox and Texas Rangers were involved in a pitcher’s duel between the Red Sox Jon Lester and the Rangers Colby Lewis. The Red Sox would score a single run off Lewis in the 5th inning and added two insurance runs in the top of the 9th inning. With closer Jonathon Papelbon and setup man Daniel Bard unavailable, the Red Sox went to Scott Atchinson for the save. Atchinson would allow a Josh Hamilton solo homerun and an infield single to Vladimir Guerrero with one out. Rookie left-hander Felix Doubront was summoned to face fellow rookie Mitch Moreland. With two strikes on Moreland, Guerrero tried to steal second base and was thrown out by a mile for the second out of the inning. Doubront then struck out Moreland for his first Major League save in the Red Sox 3-1 victory.

Alex Avila homerun

Edwin Jackson was again dominant for his new team, the Chicago White Sox, as he struck out 11 in seven innings of work against his former team, the Detroit Tigers. However JJ Putz could not close out the game in the 9th inning. Rookie Alex Avila hit a two-run homerun to give the Tigers the 3-2 lead and Phil Coke finished off the White Sox in the 9th to earn the victory.

With the White Sox loss, the Minnesota Twins had the opportunity to pick up a game on them. The Twins received a dominating pitching performance from Brian Duensing, who picked up his first career complete game shutout. He allowed just three hits while striking out four. Duensing outdueled Oakland A’s ace Trevor Cahill, who allowed just one run in seven innings. Cahill tied a Major League record (Nolan Ryan) of allowing six hits or less in five innings or more for 20 straight outings.

The Philadelphia Phillies received another dominating performance by Roy Halladay, as they beat the NY Mets at Citi Field for the first time this season. He also scored a run for the Phillies, which was the first they had scored in NY all year. Mets starter Pat Misch allowed four runs, though his performance was marred by poor defense, which cost him three runs.

LA Dodgers left-hander Ted Lilly dominated the Atlanta Braves, winning 2-1. The Braves loss moves the Phillies to within two games of first place in the NL East. Braves starter Derek Lowe limited the damage as the Dodgers collected 10 hits but scored just one run off him.

Tags:

Alex Avila, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Sonnanstine, Buster Posey, Felix Doubront, Kelly Shoppach, Pat Burrell, San Diego Padres

Monday was a big day in MLB because it was the beginning of the 2010 First-Year MLB draft. MLB Network covered the first 50 picks (the first round and the supplemental round) with the rest of the rounds set for Tuesday and Wednesday. This year’s draft class was expected to be weaker than in year’s past, but the number one selection was not much of a surprise.

The Washington Nationals had the first pick for the second straight season and selected junior college outfielder Bryce Harper (interesting in that he is a catcher). Harper left high school after his sophomore season, received his GED, and played at the College of Southern Nevada (a junior college).

He is just 17 years old, though he has been calling his own game since he was 11 years old (which is rare), which makes him a good choice as a catcher, but he is athletic enough to move to the outfield. Harper was deemed the “Chosen One” and has been labeled baseball’s version of LeBron James.

Harper was followed in the draft by two other high school players, pitcher Jameson Taillon to the Pittsburgh Pirates and shortstop Manny Machado to the Baltimore Orioles. The top three selections were considered the cream of this year’s draft crop. Taillon, considered the best right-hander of the draft, comes out of Texas where his idol Josh Beckett hails from.

Machado is compared regularly to Alex Rodriguez. The last time that prep-age players were drafted with the top three picks was in 1990. The first-round this year was littered with high school players being selected over quality college players, with MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds left to say that it is obvious that some of the college players priced themselves out of the early first-round or the first-round altogether.

Christian Colon

The first collegiate player selected came at number four by the KC Royals as they selected Cal State Fullerton shortstop Christian Colon. Colon is the leadoff man for the Titans and was named last season’s Baseball America’s Summer Player of the Year, as he was Team USA’s captain. Colon broke his leg in the final week of Team USA’s summer which hampered him a bit this spring.

However now he is one of the hottest hitters in college. For the first time in the history of the Titans, they had two players selected in the first round. The SF Giants selected Big West Player of the Year Gary Brown, an outfielder, with the 24th pick.

The fifth pick was also a collegiate player, this time being the top pitcher in Ole Miss left-hander Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz, the SEC Pitcher of the Year, threw seven scoreless innings against St. John’s in their regional win (though Ole Miss was eliminated over the weekend).

Yasmani Grandal

A few collegiate players who dropped in the draft were University of Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal (dropped to 12th to the Cincinnati Reds), Arkansas third baseman Zack Cox (dropped to 25th to the St. Louis Cardinals), Middle Tennessee State outfielder Bryce Brentz (went in the supplemental round to the Boston Red Sox), San Diego left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis (who dropped to the Nationals with the first pick of the second round), and Texas right-handed pitcher Brandon Workman (who dropped to the second round to the Red Sox).

A few college players who did move up were Texas A&M right-hander Barrett Loux (6th overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks) and UNC right-hander Matt Harvey (who was a third round pick in 2007 but went 7th overall in 2010 to the NY Mets). The concern with Harvey is his 150+ pitch outing this season as he was most likely overused throughout his junior season (arm injuries in his future?).

A few teams made some surprise picks, like the Philadelphia Phillies picking hometown left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle out of Germantown Friends School with the 27th pick in the first round (he was rated as a 3rd-4th round talent), the Texas Rangers taking high school outfielder Jake Skole with the 15th pick (he missed most of the year with an ankle injury and committed to Georgia Tech to play football and baseball with his brother), and the NY Yankees selecting high school shortstop Cito Culver with the final pick in the first round (he was rated as a 5th-6th round talent). These were a few surprise picks for teams that only had one first round pick and could have made these picks later in the draft.

Anthony Ranaudo

The Boston Red Sox made a splash with their first day’s picks. They coveted LSU right-hander Anthony Ranaudo but his arm injury (and not so great second half) concerned many. He fell to the supplemental round (39th overall) but the Red Sox grabbed him. Prior to that they plucked Brentz, who also had fallen, and selected Ball State second baseman Kolbrin Vitek with their first pick (20th overall). Vitek dropped a bit as he was rated the top second baseman in the draft though he has hit wherever he has played (though he may move to the outfield).

With many of the top picks being represented by the Boras Corp., there are signability concerns and whether or not the process will take until the very last minute (August 16th is the deadline).

Are there any picks you were surprised about or really liked (or did not like)? Let me know through the comments section.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Anthony Ranaudo, Bryce Harper, Christian Colon, Drew Pomeranz, Gary Brown, Jameson Taillon, Jesse Biddle, LeBron James, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Yasmani Grandal

Drew Stubbs' high-fives orlando cabrera

The Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals were matched up in another pitcher’s duel on Sunday afternoon. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings while striking out five. Arroyo also went 2-for-2 at the plate. Craig Stammen of the Nats allowed one run on seven hits in 6.2 innings. With the Nationals leading 2-1 in the ninth inning, closer Matt Capps came in to record the save with one out in relief of Tyler Clippard. Unfortunately, Capps continues to struggle. He allowed a double to Drew Stubbs and pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes followed with an RBI double.

Pinch-hitter Scott Rolen followed with a two-run homerun to give the Reds a 4-2 lead. The Reds brought in closer Francisco Cordero, but he allowed the Nationals to tie the game at 4-4 on a pinch-hit two-run double with two outs by Mike Morse. With two outs in the top of the tenth, the Reds delivered three straight singles with Stubbs delivering the game winner.

NY Yankees starter Javier Vazquez worked into the sixth inning with a no-hitter but Toronto Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow was also keeping the Yankees offense scoreless. In the sixth with a man on base, Vernon Wells broke up the no-hitter and shutout as he crushed an 0-2 pitch into the left field seats to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.

Morrow exited the game in the eighth inning after hitting Francisco Cervelli. However reliever Scott Downs hit Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter hit an RBI double. In came Jason Frasor, who struck out Nick Swisher, intentionally walked Mark Teixeira, but threw a wild pitch to allow the tying run to score.

Jeff Francoeur's 3-run homer

After getting Alex Rodriguez to strike out, he allowed a two-run double to Robinson Cano for the game winner as the Yankees avoided the sweep.
After being down 5-0 to the Florida Marlins, the NY Mets came back to win the game 7-6. The Mets scored three runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh on a Jeff Francoeur three-run homerun.

They scored the winning run on the bottom of the eighth off Marlins reliever Clay Hensley. For the Mets, David Wright collected three hits and Angel Pagan, Rod Barajas and Francoeur each went 2-for-4. For the Marlins, both Dan Uggla and Cody Ross homered.

The Philadelphia Phillies had the opportunity to sweep the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon. After being down 3-0 after the top of the first inning (two runs coming on Adrian Gonzalez’ 11th homerun of the season), the Phillies scored a run in the first and four more in the second inning.

However Phillies starter Joe Blanton allowed single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game at 5-5. The game stayed tied until the 10th when pinch-hitter Oscar Salazar delivered an RBI infield single for the game winner.

The SF Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates battled to a 3-3 tie until the ninth inning. The Giants scored two unearned runs off left-handed reliever Javier Lopez in the top of the ninth on a Juan Uribe RBI double and pinch-hitter Pat Burrell’s sacrifice fly. The Pirates scored two runs on a Delwyn Young pinch-hit two-run homerun off Giants closer Brian Wilson to tie the game at 5-5.

In the top of the tenth, Andres Torres led off the inning with a double and went to third base on an Octavio Dotel wild pitch. Torres would score on a Freddy Sanchez sacrifice fly. The Pirates put runners at second and third with two outs but Jeff Clement struck out to end the game.
The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles also battled into extra innings.

The Orioles actually held a short-lived 3-2 lead but new closer Will Ohman allowed a run in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3. The Orioles made a winner out of reliever Dave Hernandez, who pitched two shutout innings, when Nick Markakis collected his first hit of the game, a walk-off RBI single off Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima, to avoid the sweep.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Andres Torres, Cincinnati Reds, Drew Stubbs, Florida Marlins, Javier Vazquez, Jeff Francoeur, Matt Capps, Mike Morse, Scott Rolen, Toronto Blue Jays

Armando Galarraga and his new car

Even though MLB Commissioner Bud Selig announced he would not reverse the call to give Armando Galarraga a perfect game, Galarraga was presented with a red Chevy Corvette before the game. Tigers manager Jim Leyland thought that yesterday would be a day for the city of Detroit to shine, and it did (I am not sure many ballparks would have been that classy).

When the umpires walked out onto the field, the fans gave a sympathetic applause for Joyce (who was set to be the home-plate umpire). Leyland had Galarraga deliver the lineup card so that fans could see Galarraga and Joyce interact. They shook hands.

“That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” said Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, who watched from the dugout. “What sets that apart from anything that’s probably happened in a long time in our sport is the absolute sportsmanship of it. I’ll tell you what, Galarraga and Joyce are two true gentlemen, period, in the way that they handled themselves. People will always remember that. I’ll never forget it.”

Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga shake hands

Miguel Cabrera and Gerald Laird (two of which let Joyce know that his call was wrong) gave him a friendly pat on the back when walking by. Laird, the catcher for Thursday’s game, apologized to Joyce before the game.

All of the outpouring of support made Joyce emotional but there was a game to be played. The other big event of the game was the return of Indians starter David Huff to the mound after being struck on the side of the head by an Alex Rodriguez line drive. Huff did not miss a start though he only lasted three innings on Thursday.

The game went back and forth between the Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers held a 5-1 lead only to see the Indians take a 6-5 lead. However the Tigers bullpen shut down the Indians by going 3.2 hitless innings.

The Indians bullpen imploded again, capped by a five-run seventh inning. Magglio Ordonez hit a three-run homerun followed by a Miguel Cabrera homerun. Ordonez finished the game a single away from the cycle, and rookie outfielders Austin Jackson was 4-for-6 and Brennan Boesch went 3-for-4.

Carlos Lee celebrates with teammates

The Washington Nationals again took the lead against the Houston Astros and closer Matt Lindstrom, this time on a Willie Harris RBI triple (that was played poorly in left field by Carlos Lee) and a Cristian Guzman RBI single. Guzman quickly went from hero to goat, as he did not catch a fly ball off the bat of Lance Berkman in right field (he is normally a shortstop), who reached second base and Michael Bourn scored to tie the game at 4-4.

Lee followed with a two-run walk-off to turn from goat to hero. Nationals closer Matt Capps allowed the three unearned runs in less than an inning to drop to 0-3 on the season.

Josh Johnson for the Florida Marlins was again dominant in his start against the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed just one run on seven hits in seven innings while striking out eight. Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino delivered two RBIs in the 3-2 win. For the Brewers, starter Chris Capuano returned to the big league mound for the first time since 2007. Capuano allowed three runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings.

The Atlanta Braves won again (their 9th in a row) this time defeating the LA Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Braves starter Kris Medlen was dominant until the eighth inning when he got into trouble (reliever Pete Moylan came in with the bases loaded and allowed all three runs to score). Medlen even delivered an RBI double. The Braves held on for the 4-3 lead on the back of one of the hottest hitters in the game, Troy Glaus, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

LA Angels ace Jered Weaver pitched a gem against the KC Royals and their ace Zack Greinke. Weaver pitched seven shutout innings while striking out nine. However he had to hold his breath as he watched his bullpen bend but not break (they allowed four runs). The Angels held on for the 5-4 victory. Greinke dropped to 1-7 as he allowed four runs on ten hits while striking out six in six innings.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Armando Galarraga, Carlos Lee, Cleveland Indians, David Huff, Florida Marlins, Gerald Laird, Jered Weaver, Jim Leyland, Josh Johnson, Matt Lindstrom, Miguel Cabrera

Memorial Day hats

Memorial Day was celebrated throughout baseball with a moment of silence at 3 o’clock throughout the country, pre-game celebrations of veterans and current armed forces members, and the annual wearing of commemorative baseball hats (with this year being white hats with a red brim).
The premium matchup of the day was in the National League West between the Colorado Rockies and the SF Giants.

The first day of the series pitted potential CY Young winner Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies against two-time CY Young award winner Tim Lincecum of the Giants. Jimenez was just as good as expected as he pitched a complete game shutout and allowed just four hits while striking out nine.

Jimenez lowered his ERA to 0.78 to improve to 10-1 on the season (only one of three players to have 10 wins and an ERA under 1.00 through May in the history of the game). Lincecum continues to struggle with his command as he walked five (his fourth straight start with at least five walks) in 5.2 innings. The Rockies scored four runs (three earned) off Lincecum on six hits.

The Cleveland Indians were down just 2-1 against the NY Yankees headed into the seventh inning. Indians starter Mitch Talbot was matching up well against Yankees veteran Andy Pettitte. Unfortunately for the Indians, Talbot ran out of gas in the seventh. The two relievers who followed for the Indians (Rafael Perez and Chris Perez) faced five batters without recording an out.

They allowed four hits and five runs, capped by Alex Rodriguez’ grand slam which was followed by Robinson Cano’s solo homerun. The Yankees blew the game open and won 11-2 on 18 hits. Offensively for the Indians, third baseman Jhonny Peralta continued his hot-hitting and hit his 100th homerun.

The Philadelphia Phillies offense had Atlanta Braves starter Tommy Hanson on the ropes by constantly putting runners on base. However the slumping Phillies could not muster any runs. They did however put together four straight doubles to score three runs off Hanson and Braves reliever Pete Moylan in the seventh, but the Phillies were already down 6-0.

After cutting the lead in half in the seventh, Phillies reliever Chad Durbin gave up a three-run homerun to Troy Glaus on the very first pitch Durbin threw in the game. Glaus has 28 RBIs in the month of May (which leads MLB). The Braves won 9-3 to move into first-place in the NL East and won their 20th game in the month of May.

With the game tied at 1-1 in Pittsburgh, Pirates pinch-hitter Bobby Crosby delivered a two-out RBI single off Chicago Cubs reliever Sean Marshall in the eighth inning. This gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead which they did not relinquish. The loss dampened the start of Randy Wells, who was coming off his six batter performance in his last start. Wells did not allow a run in five innings. Ross Ohlendorf of the Pirates allowed just one run on three hits while striking out six. The Cubs have lost 6-of-7 against the Pirates this season.

Roy Oswalt ejected

Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt had his string of quality starts snapped at 11 as he was ejected from his start Monday after sort of arguing with the home plate umpire. Replays showed he was more yelling at himself for throwing another ball than at the umpire but was immediately ejected for saying “I wasn’t talking to you”.

At that point, the visiting Washington Nationals had a 4-1 lead. The Astros cut the lead to 4-2 on a Gustavo Chacin solo homerun (he relieved Oswalt in the third inning). It was Chacin’s first ML at-bat since 2005 and it was his first ML hit. After Chacin, Astros relievers Jeff Fulchino and Chris Sampson combined to allow nine runs in the seventh inning, capped by two two-run homeruns by Carlos Maldonado and Ryan Zimmerman.

The St. Louis Cardinals regained the tie in the NL Central by beating the Cincinnati Reds. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo struggled for the first time in more than five starts (was it because he was without personal catcher Ryan Hanigan?) as he allowed seven runs on ten hits in 4.1 innings. He also walked five as the Reds walked ten batters and allowed 16 hits.

Cardinals rookie starter Jaime Garcia allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits in six innings. He also collected two hits and two runs scored. Every Cardinals starter had at least one hit with Felipe Lopez, Ryan Ludwick, Albert Pujols, David Freese, Colby Rasmus, and Garcia all collecting two hits.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Crosby, Chad Durbin, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Jhonny Peralta, Mitch Talbot, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Oswalt, SF Giants, Tim Lincecum, Tommy Hanson, Ubaldo Jimenez

For the first time in baseball history, there is more than one perfect game in a season. On Saturday night, the 20th perfect game occurred. In Florida, Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay pitched the way most expected when he was acquired in a trade this offseason after struggling in his last few starts. However most did not expect perfection.

Halladay threw the Phillies second perfect game in team history (the first was Jim Bunning in 1964). It took 115 pitches to complete the game as he struck out 11 and he also had seven 3-ball counts and six full-counts (though he did not walk a batter). Fans were on their feet in the ninth inning and gave Halladay a standing ovation after the final out.

“It’s awesome,” Halladay said about the support after the game. “To be on the road and have fans — baseball fans — that into the game, it’s special. It makes it definitely more memorable. I think that’s the key thing. They’re baseball fans. It made it a lot of fun for me.”

Carlos Ruiz embraces Roy Halladay

Halladay credited his catcher Carlos Ruiz for calling a great game. His sinker was working especially well and he acknowledged he had help from the home plate umpire’s wide strike zone. Marlins ace Josh Johnson was the hard-luck loser as he allowed an unearned run on seven hits in seven innings. If not for the unearned run, the game may have gone into extra innings.

There were also a few scary moments in baseball on Saturday. In NY at Yankee Stadium, Cleveland Indians starter David Huff was set to face Alex Rodriguez in the third inning with two men on base. A-Rod’s smash up the middle hit Huff on the left side of his head (just above his ear). The close to 47,000 crowd at Yankee Stadium gasped at the same time and the stadium went silent.

David Huff gives a thumbs up

Huff lay motionless as his teammates gathered around the mound and A-Rod stood behind it. It wasn’t until Huff was being carted off the field that the fans erupted in cheer because he gave everyone the thumbs-up sign to say he was okay. He went to the hospital where tests revealed he had no brain damage and his CT scan was negative.

The Indians would ignite for a seven-run seventh inning to win the game 13-11 and by that time Huff was back in the clubhouse after being released from the hospital. Oh and he had a golf ball sized welt on the side of this head. Huff will undergo more tests (though no concussion symptoms yet) but is expected to make his next start. Good news after a very scary incident. UPDATE: Huff threw a bullpen session on Monday at Yankee Stadium and could make his next start if he is cleared by the dotcors.

Kendry Morales just before hurting leg

In LA, the Angels and Seattle Mariners were all tied up at 1-1 in the tenth inning after both team’s aces (Jered Weaver and Felix Hernandez) pitched well. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth, the Angels Kendry Morales crushed a Brandon League pitch for a walk-off grand slam. Fans and players were celebrating.

Morales as he approached home plate to meet his teammates, tossed his helmet and jumped on home plate. However, Morales crumbled to the ground as players began to celebrate with him only to go silent when they realized Morales was really hurt.

Stunned, the circle of celebratory Angels watched in horror as their hero, who had just hit his first grand slam, was carted off the field. Morales is set to have surgery on his left leg today and there is not timetable yet for his return. Will this incident alter walk-off celebrations at home plate or was this just a freak accident? UPDATE: Morales is now scheduled for surgery sometime next week because there was too much swelling around his ankle.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Ruiz, David Huff, Josh Johnson, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay, Seattle Mariners

Brewers win 20-0-1

Offense was on display in Pittsburgh as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers put 20 runs on the board on 25 hits. There were only three innings that the Brewers did not score and only two Pirates pitchers that did not give up runs.

Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder finally hit his first homerun of the season, and everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Jody Gerut, who came in to play left field for Ryan Braun (who went 3-for-4 with a homerun and 5 RBIs), though Gerut walked and contributed an RBI. Veteran Jim Edmonds (who did not play at all in 2009) went 4-for-6 with a homerun and three RBIs.

Second baseman Rickie Weeks continued his hot-hitting in his comeback season from wrist surgery as he went 3-for-7 with four runs scored. Brewers starter Randy Wolf pitched stellar baseball as he went six shutout innings while allowing six hits and he also went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Pitching was on display in Washington, as Colorado Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez was making his first start since the no-hitter and he was going up against the Nationals Livan Hernandez, who had yet to give up a run in two starts. The Rockies scored single runs off Hernandez in the second and seventh innings (on solo homeruns by Miguel Olivo and Ian Stewart) to account for the only runs of the game.

Hernandez went eight innings while allowing the two runs on four hits and struck out five. Jimenez went into the eighth inning while allowing no runs on five hits and also struck out five.

CJ Wilson pitches a gem

Pitching was also on display at Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox sent out Clay Buchholz, who has been their most consistent starter, against the Texas Rangers CJ Wilson, who was looking to end the Rangers losing skid. Both pitchers had their ‘A’ games early on, as the game was scoreless until the seventh, when the Rangers broke through for three runs against Buchholz.

Buchholz went into the seventh inning and allowed the three runs on six hits while striking out 10. Wilson was being overlooked by the TV announcers throughout the game until after the Rangers scored and he was still pitching well. The former closer also went into the seventh and allowed just four hits and no runs. The Rangers bullpen held on for the 3-0 win.

There were some fireworks on display in Oakland but they were not the sparkling in the sky ones. The A’s Dallas Braden was outpitching NY Yankees ace CC Sabathia (who allowed six walks and four runs in his complete game loss) and was on cruise control into the sixth. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano blooped a ball foul that Alex Rodriguez was running on.

Dallas Braden

On his way back to first base, A-Rod made a slow stroll across the mound in front of Braden. This did not sit well with Braden, who after getting Cano to ground into an inning-ending double-play, made sure that A-Rod knew he was not happy. A-Rod did not care and in his post-game comments, A-Rod did not care either.

“He just told me to get off his mound,” Rodriguez told reporters. “That was a little surprising. I’d never quite heard that, especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career.” Can’t wait to see what happens when they face off again, especially since Braden said there would be repercussions.

Braden allowed just two runs (on solo homeruns by Marcus Thames and Mark Teixeira) in his six innings of work. The Yankees turned their first triple play in 42 years as Kurt Suzuki (who hit a three-run homerun in the first inning) hit a hard grounder to third that A-Rod threw around the horn.

The Tampa Bay Rays continued their onslaught on Chicago White Sox pitching. This time it was Jake Peavy, who already was struggling in the 2010 season. After giving up a run in the first two innings, Rays starter James Shields settled in and let the offense get to work.

Peavy could not get through five innings, before allowing seven runs on seven hits and seven walks to implode his ERA to 7.66. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, left fielder Carl Crawford went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored (and he also stole another base to give him seven on the season), and right fielder Ben Zobrist went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.The Rays left 30 men on base, so it could have been much worse for the White Sox than losing 10-2.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, CJ Wilson, James Shields, Jim Edmonds, Milwaukee Brewers, Prince Fielder, Randy Wolf, Ryan Braun, Texas Rangers, Ubaldo Jimenez

Mark McGwire

Slugger Mark McGwire finally admitted Monday to what most people believed-that he used steroids throughout his playing career. McGwire believed the usage began “…the winter of 1989 into 1990. I was given a couple of week’s worth, tried it, never thought anything of it. I just moved on from it. But as far as using it on a consistent basis, it was the winter of 1993 into 1994.” After his statement and subsequent interview on the MLB Network with Bob Costas, many writers have condemned him. However many current and former players have supported him. Hall of Famer Hank Aaron offered his forgiveness and hope that he gets into the HOF. “He has my forgiveness,” Aaron said of McGwire. “If that’s all that stands in the way between him being inducted into Cooperstown, we should all forgive him.”

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement in support of the retired slugger. “I am pleased that Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player,” Selig said. “Being truthful is always the correct course of action, which is why I had commissioned Senator George Mitchell to conduct his investigation. This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark’s reentry into the game much smoother and easier.” St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who was McGwire’s manager for the vast majority of his career, came to his friend’s defense. “No one on the teams I managed worked harder or better than Mark,” La Russa said in a statement issued by the club. “And now, his willingness to admit mistakes, express his regret, and explain the circumstances that led him to use steroids add to my respect for him.”

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday said sometimes friends do things that you do not condone, but that does not mean you stop loving them. Former closer Mitch Williams seconded that statement. If fans, the media, and players could forgive Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, and Jason Giambi for not really admitting to steroid use (only in a round-a-bout way) and they can forgive Manny Ramirez (who tested positive this past year) so quickly, why can’t they forgive McGwire? Okay he used steroids for most of his career, but so has A-Rod. However A-Rod helped the NY Yankees win their 27^th World Series title and everyone loved him, but they forget that he tainted the team before the 2009 season even started.

On the radio, former pitcher Curt Schilling stated that McGwire is the only one to fully admit to his steroid use, and to show true emotion while doing so. Last year when Manny and A-Rod were addressing the issue, did you feel as if they were truly sorry? I didn’t. I just think they were sorry that they got caught.

People are ridiculing McGwire because he said he used steroids for health reasons (to get back on the field), not as a performance-enhancer. He fully believes that steroids did not help him hit homeruns; they just helped him get over the injuries faster. He was asked repeatedly by Costas if he believed that his statistics and records were legitimate in light of the disclosure, McGwire did not budge. “Absolutely,” he said. “I truly believe so. I was given this gift by the man upstairs. My track record as far as hitting home runs … my first at-bat in the league was a home run. They still talk about the home runs I hit in high school. They still talk about the home runs I hit in [American] Legion. They still talk about the home runs I hit in college [USC] — I led the nation in home runs. They still talk about the home runs I hit in the Minor Leagues.”

“I was given the gift to hit home runs. The thing is about the years you were talking about, you go back to ’93 and ’94, those are the two years that I was really injured where I missed basically three-quarters of the season. That was the first time in my life that I sat back and I really had to understand what this game was about. I started studying pitchers. I started understanding how they try to get you out. And during that, my swing was changing.”

“…I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for my health purposes. I did not take steroids to get any gain for any strength purposes… I’ve always had bat speed. I just learned how to shorten my bat speed. I learned how to be a better hitter. There’s not a pill or an injection that is going to give me — or any athlete — the hand-eye coordination to hit a baseball. A pill or an injection will not hit a baseball.”

Where were these people who ridicule when Pettitte said taking steroids did not give him an advantage over anyone else because he was hurt at the time? Hello, steroids help you get back on the field faster! That’s an advantage over someone who is not using. I do not condone steroid use but just admit it and move on if you used. Excuses are just a cover-up. Many hitters and pitchers were using steroids at that time and sometimes you just need to leave the past in the past. Just say you used, you screwed up, and move on. The game of baseball is being cleaned up and we should just worry about the present status of the game and keeping the sport clean. Who is to say steroids (or other drugs) were not in use before the 1990s? We will probably never know everything and that is why we should just move on.

Some are saying that McGwire ruined the game and he’ll never be forgiven. As long as his family, the Maris’, and the Cardinals forgive him, I do not think he cares about the rest of the world. I cannot imagine carrying this secret around for so long without telling the people closest to you. During his interview with Costas, you could see the true emotions that he was feeling. Glad to see the monkey is off of his back.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettite, Bob Costas, Bud Selig, Curt Schilling, Hank Aaron, Mark McGwire, Matt Holliday, Tony LaRussa

Yankees 7, Phillies 4: Game 4 was a game with a full rage of emotions. For the Phillies, the fans were fired up at the start, but were quickly quieted by the Yankees early offense. Late in the game, the Yankees were shocked by the homeruns hit by the Phillies to tie the game. Phillies fans and players who were back into the game were thrown for a loop when the game quickly slipped from their fingertips.

Things didn’t start out well for the Phillies Joe Blanton. He gave up a leadoff infield hit to Derek Jeter and a double to Johnny Damon. Mark Teixeira then ripped a ground ball down the first base line, but Ryan Howard gloved it to get Teixeira out at first. However, Jeter scored on the play. Blanton then hit Alex Rodriguez, in which umpires issued warnings to both teams. Jorge Posada followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Phillies got to CC Sabathia in the bottom of the first. A bloop hustle double by Shane Victorino followed by a wall-banger double for Chase Utley, cut the Yankees lead to 2-1. Yet Sabathia limited the damage by striking out both Howard and Raul Ibanez. Sabathia never seemed comfortable all night, constantly shaking off pitches and stepping off the mound. Howard singled to lead off the fourth inning and then stole second. With two outs, Howard was still standing on second base with Pedro Feliz up to bat (who was hitting under .100 against left-handed pitching since the end of August. Feliz singled to left and Damon came up throwing to the plate (which was actually a strong throw) to try and get Howard. Howard crashed into Posada, jarring the ball loose, and was ruled safe to tie the game at 2-2, though replays showed he never touched the plate. This score didn’t last long, as Blanton gave the run back in the top of the fifth, when Jeter softly singled through shortstop, scoring Nick Swisher (who walked to leadoff the inning) from second base. The Yankees scored another run on a base hit by Damon when Melky Cabrera ran through his third base coach’s stop sign.

Utley homered off of Sabathia in the bottom of the seventh, his third homerun of the World Series and third off of Sabathia. This ended Sabathia’s evening and brought on the Yankees bullpen. With a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees went to Joba Chamberlain to setup for closer Mariano Rivera. After blowing away both Jayson Werth and Ibanez on 96 mph fastballs, Joba tried to throw a 95 mph fastball by the now hot-hitting Feliz, who quickly deposited the pitch into the left field seats to tie the game at 4-4. Feliz ended the inning with 3 hits, after only having six hits in 42 postseason at-bats this year. The jubilation and expectations of another comeback victory at Citizens Bank Park quickly came to an end in the top of the ninth as the Phillies pitching yet again couldn’t keep the Yankees scoreless after the offense tied the game. This time it was Brad Lidge, who hadn’t pitched yet in the World Series and hadn’t pitched in a game since Game 5 of the NLCS. After getting two quick outs, Damon got another hit, stole second, and then third because no one went to cover the third base bag as Ruiz threw to second and Feliz was shifted to second base with Teixeira at the plate. This play proved to be costly (and will forever be remembered) as Lidge hit Teixeira and A-Rod followed with a RBI double to retake the lead. Posada followed with a 2-run single to give the Yankees a commanding 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Chamberlain was seen in the dugout hugging Posada and A-Rod, thanking them for saving him and giving the Yankees the lead back.

The electric crowd at Citizens Bank Park turned to moans and groans as the inning was disastrous. Lidge got fastball happy after getting the two quick outs in the ninth, going away from his signature pitch (the slider) which had worked against Hideki Matsui and Jeter. When all was said and done, it took 30 pitches for Lidge to hobble through the 9th. Now the Phillies were down with Rivera coming in to close out the game instead of the game being tied and facing Phil Coke. Rivera quickly dispatched the Phillies hitters, throwing just 8 pitched to finish them off.

The Yankees need one more win to celebrate their 27th World Series title. The Phillies, who were so good the last 2 years in the postseason at home (11-1), have now lost 2 straight at home. To stave off elimination and send the series back to NY, the Phillies will send ace Cliff Lee to the mound to hopefully dominate the Yankees lineup as he did in Game 1. The Phillies will also need to hit Yankees starter AJ Burnett or a great performance by Lee may be negated.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Brad Lidge, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Pedro Feliz, Phillies, World Series Game 4, Yankees

Yankees 3, Phillies 1: The game began with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing their hit song (and Derek Jeter’s entrance song) and most felt this was an omen that the Yankees would win. This was a game many felt would be high scoring with the bullpens battling it out, myself included. However both starting pitchers pitched gems like their Game 1 counterparts. The veteran for the Phillies, Pedro Martinez, entered the field to the expected “Who’s your daddy?” chants. He fed off the hostile crowd to, for the most part, dominate the potent Yankee lineup, a lineup most expected would kill the Phillies pitching. So far, that hasn’t happened. The Yankees are hitting .222, with the red-hot Alex Rodriguez going completely cold, 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. Pedro made just two mistakes, two sole homeruns by Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui, before being taken out in the seventh. Watching Pedro take the mound in the seventh, it reminded me of the 2003 playoffs when he was with Boston and manager Grady Little left him in the game too long (and got fired soon following). With double-barreled action in the Phillies bullpen, manager Charlie Manuel decided to stay with Pedro to start the seventh and it backfired as he gave up back-to-back hits, leading to another run.

Yankees starter AJ Burnett avoided the big wild inning, throwing first pitch strikes to 22 of the 26 batters he faced. Burnett’s curveball was working throughout the night, making the Phillies hitters look silly. He gave manager Joe Girardi seven solid innings, allowing him to go to closer Mariano Rivera for another six out save. Rivera looked hittable in Game 2, especially in the eighth inning when the Phillies had two men on and only one out. Manuel decided not to send the speedy runners (Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino) on a 3-2 count and the batter, Chase Utley, grounded into a double-play to end the inning. Utley meanwhile, extended his consecutive on-base streak in postseason games to 27 with a walk in the 3rd inning, continuing to add on to his Major League Baseball record.

Has Girardi completely lost faith in his entire bullpen? I’m not sure Girardi can continue to go to Rivera for six out saves, especially if he continues to throw close to 40 pitches an outing. We will see as the World Series continues.

Neither team is tearing the cover off of the baseball and both teams RBI machines have cooled off. I mentioned A-Rod earlier, but Ryan Howard went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts last night against the combination of Burnett and Rivera and never looked comfortable at the plate. Unlike in Game 1, Burnett only showed the fastball on the first pitch to most of the hitters and they were taking it for a strike, trying to be patient and run up Burnett’s pitch-count. That approach never really worked. The Phillies struck out 15 times in Game 2, yet only lost 3-1.

The Phillies left Yankee Stadium with a split, something they did last year in the World Series against Tampa Bay and something they just did in this year’s NLCS. They left smiling, with all of the confidence that they have retaken home-field advantage and can win three straight to celebrate in Philadelphia behind their wild and raucous fans. The Phillies have lost just one postseason game at home in the past two years (11-1).

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, NY Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, World Series Game 2