The Philadelphia Phillies continue their hot streak, even if their offense is virtually nonexistent. They received excellent starting pitching from Cole Hamels, who pitched seven shutout innings. He allowed three hits while striking out seven. Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson pitched two perfect innings to close out the Phillies 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Chris Capuano took the hard-luck loss as he allowed just the one run on four hits through five innings. The Phillies scored their lone run on an RBI ground out from Carlos Ruiz in the 2nd inning.

With the Phillies win, they moved to within one game of the first place Atlanta Braves, who lost to the Florida Marlins 6-1. The Marlins jumped on spot starter Kenshin Kawakami for two runs in the 1st inning and another three in the 3rd inning. Rookie outfielder Logan Morrison hit two triples and Chad Tracy went 2-for-4 for the Marlins. Marlins starter Andrew Miller allowed just the one run on seven hits through five innings.

The Detroit Tigers won their second straight extra inning game, with a 9-5 win over the KC Royals. The Royals jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Jeremy Bonderman, but the Tigers clawed back with four runs of their own in the 7th inning to tie the game. The Tigers would get a solo homerun from Ryan Raburn to give the Tigers a short-lived 5-4 lead, but Daniel Schlereth allowed a leadoff homerun to Alex Gordon to tie the game at 5-5. The game would stay tied until the 11th inning as the Tigers scored four runs, capped by a Will Rhymes two-run triple.

The biggest game of the night (and weekend series) is in St. Louis as the Cardinals face the National League Central-leading Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals jumped on Reds starter Bronson Arroyo early (two runs in the first and a single run in the second), but that was all he would allow. Arroyo went six innings and allowed six hits. However the Cardinals received better starting pitching from rookie Jaime Garcia. Garcia allowed two runs (one on a Paul Janish solo homerun) on six hits in 6.2 innings while striking out six. The Cardinals climbed to seven games back of the Reds.

The Minnesota Twins needed to call-up a rookie to start Friday night and he did not disappoint. Matt Fox allowed two runs on four hits through 5.2 innings. The game went back-and-forth as every time the Texas Rangers scored, the Twins would score. The Rangers took the lead in the top of the 7th inning, only to see the Twins regain the lead in the bottom of the inning, and never look back. The Twins won the game 4-3.

The LA Dodgers received great starting pitching from Chad Billingsley, while he also helped himself at the plate. With the game against the SF Giants tied at 2-2, Billingsley delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the 4th inning off Giants starter Barry Zito. Billingsley allowed two unearned runs through eight innings on just two hits while striking out seven. Casey Blake of the Dodgers went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. For the Giants, Buster Posey went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

The Colorado Rockies got Aaron Cook back off the DL and he was solid against the San Diego Padres. Cook allowed two runs on four hits through 6.1 innings (though he walked four). The Rockies scored two runs in both the 2nd and 3rd innings on two-run homeruns from Jason Giambi and Troy Tukowitzki. The Padres have now lost eight in a row, though they still hold a three-game lead in the NL West.

Tags:

Andrew Miller, Atlanta Braves, Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, Cole Hamels, Jaime Garcia, Jeremy Bonderman, Philadelphia Phillies

The Atlanta Braves stayed atop the National League East as they defeated the NY Mets 9-3. The Braves received a solid pitching performance from Jair Jurrjens, as he allowed three runs on six hits through 5.2 innings while striking out eight (though he did walk six). The Braves bullpen was solid, going 3.1 shutout innings. Offensively, the Braves banged out 14 hits with Jason Heyward collecting four hits and four RBIs (while hitting his 16th homerun) while Omar Infante, Martin Prado, Brian McCann, and Derek Lee each had two hits.

With the Braves win, the Philadelphia Phillies needed a win out west against the LA Dodgers. Instead they were again dominated by Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda went into the 8th inning for the second time in his career without giving up a hit.

Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino collected the Phillies first hit, a hard single to right field (it was a huge hit for Victorino who has not been hitting from the left side of the plate). Hong-Chih Kuo would relieve Kuroda and close out the one-hitter. Kuroda also collected his first hit of the season against the Phillies Roy Halladay. Halladay was not on on Monday, as he allowed ten hits and three runs in seven innings.

New Dodgers catcher Rod Barajas hit a solo homerun off Halladay to continue his torrid pace against Phillies pitching this season.

The first place Cincinnati Reds continue to stay hot as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 in ten innings. The Reds beat future MLB Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, as Jay Bruce delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Bruce also homered in the game as he went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot (rookie Chris Valaika also went 3-for-5 batting behind Bruce). Juan Francisco of the Reds also added a pinch-hit homerun in the 6th inning.

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to slide further and further behind the Reds and the wild card leading Phillies as they lost again, this time to the Houston Astros. JA Happ of the Astros pitched a complete game two-hit shutout. Happ walked one while striking out four. Astros rookie first baseman Brett Wallace went 3-for-3 with an RBI.

The San Diego Padres also continue to slide (they lost their 5th game in a row) as they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2. The only offense the Padres received was a two-run homerun from Miguel Tejada in the 1st inning off Diamondbacks starter Joe Saunders. Saunders settled down from there, going eight innings and allowing just the two runs on ten hits. Mark Reynolds hit two homeruns as he went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and Chris Young and Miguel Montero each went 2-for-4 for the Diamondbacks.

The SF Giants received great starting pitching from Jonathon Sanchez against the Colorado Rockies. Sanchez went eight shutout innings and allowed just five hits. Jorge De La Rosa was in line for the hard-luck loss as he allowed one run on four hits through seven innings.

However in the top of the 9th inning, things fell apart for the Giants. Sanchez walked leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler, ending his night, which brought on closer Brian Wilson. Carlos Gonzalez hit a broken bat fly ball to right field that Cody Ross broke in on and could not revert back fast enough.

The ball sailed over his head, with Fowler scoring the tying run and Gonzalez heading for third base. The relay throw from Freddy Sanchez hit Gonzalez and bounced into the seats, sending Gonzalez home to score the go-ahead run. CarGo again came through for the Rockies as he legitimizes himself for MVP talk. The Rockies and closer Huston Street held on for the 2-1 win and moved 3.5 games behind the Phillies for the NL wild card.

The Texas Rangers received 7.2 shutout innings from CJ Wilson, as they defeated the KC Royals 3-0. Wilson allowed just two hits and struck out six (though he walked four). Andres Blanco went 3-for-4 with two runs scored while Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, and Bengie Molina each collected two hits.

The NY Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays still continue to be tied atop the American League East and wild card standings. The Yankees beat the red-hot Trevor Cahill of the Oakland A’s 11-5. Cahill allowed eight runs on nine hits through just four-plus innings. Mark Teixeira returned to the lineup to hit a homerun off Cahill, as did Robinson Cano (they went back-to-back in the 3rd inning). Marcus Thames homered for the sixth time in six games for the Yankees. Javier Vazquez earned the win with 4.2 two hit innings as he struck out six.

The Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3. Rookie Rays starter Wade Davis has been great since June, as he has not lost, and that continued on Monday night. Davis allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three. Carlos Pena crushed a three-run homerun in the 3rd inning off Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil. Pena also added a sacrifice fly. Evan Longoria contributed two more hits.

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Jair Jurrjens, Rod Barajas

The Philadelphia Phillies had a chance to pick up a game on the National League East division-leading Atlanta Braves after the Braves lost again to the Colorado Rockies. Controversy again plagued the game as it did on Monday night. Houston Astros starter Bud Norris and Phillies starter Cole Hamels locked up in a pitcher’s duel with Hamels’ only blemish being a two-run homerun by Carlos Lee through the wind blowing in. Norris only allowed an RBI double to Raul Ibanez in the 6th inning. The Astros would lead the game 2-1 heading into the 9th inning when Jimmy Rollins tied the game at 2-2 with a solo homerun off Wilton Lopez with two outs (Lopez had not allowed a run in 20+ innings).

The controversy came in the bottom of the 14th inning with Ryan Howard at the plate. The Phillies had runners on second and third with two outs and a chance to win the game. However back-to-back check swing calls against Howard led to his strikeout and immediate ejection by the third base umpire. The Phillies had no more position players left, leaving Ibanez to move to first base and starting pitcher Roy Oswalt to play left field. The first play in the 15th inning was a fly ball to Oswalt that he handled cleanly.

In the top of the 16th, the Astros got to rookie reliever David Herndon. Astros outfielder Hunter Pence singled with one out and Brett Wallace was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch, Jason Michaels was intentionally walked. Chris Johnson followed with a ground ball to third baseman Placido Polanco, who tried to get the force out at second base, but everyone was safe and a run scored. Tommy Manzella then followed with a ground ball that Rollins made a great play on but Ibanez could not hold on at first base for the double play and another run scored. The Astros took a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the 16th, Oswalt came to bat as the winning run but grounded out to end the game.

The NY Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays continue to keep pace with each other as they are tied for first place in the American League East and the wild card. The Yankees brought out the offense on Tuesday night, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 11-5. They jumped on Blue Jays starter Marc Rzepczynski for six runs in just three innings. They also blasted five homeruns in the victory. Fill-in starter Dustin Moseley held the Blue Jays to two runs on five hits in six innings.

The Rays jumped on LA Angels starter Ervin Santana for five runs in the first three innings. The Rays pounded out 13 hits and 10 runs, with Evan Longoria going 3-for-5. Rookie Wade Davis returned to the rotation and was solid, allowing just two runs on six hits in 5.1 innings.

In Chicago, the White Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the 7th inning against Baltimore Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie to break away from the Orioles to take a 6-2 lead. However Bobby Jenks was needed in the 9th inning as the Orioles came back to make it a 7-4 game and had the bases loaded with nobody out. Jenks was relieving JJ Putz (who got hurt while warming up), who was relieving Sergio Santos. Jenks got Ty Wigginton to hit into a double-play (though a run scored) and Luke Scott to pop up to end the game. The White Sox pulled to within 3.5 games of the Minnesota Twins, but may be in trouble. Both Putz and left-handed reliever Matt Thornton went on the disabled list Wednesday.

The Twins were in Texas for their big series against the AL West-leading Rangers. The Twins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning over Colby Lewis, but he settled in from there. Lewis allowed three runs on seven hits through 6.1 innings. Twins starter Carl Pavano pitched a complete game in the loss. He allowed four runs on eight hits. Andres Blanco of the Rangers delivered two key doubles and scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 7th inning in the Rangers 4-3 victory.

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Oswalt, Ryan Howard

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced earlier this season that he would be retiring at the end of the season. Piniella, along with Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox and Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston would all end their managerial careers at the end of the 2010 season. However Piniella decided that he had had enough and announced that Sunday against the Braves would be his final game (his mother has been very sick). For him family came first, but no one can blame him for leaving the Cubs with 37 games left. He compiled a 313-393 record with the Cubs over three-plus seasons. Piniella has been a favorite for his infamous tirades with umpires which for most are more entertaining than the play on the field.

Sunday was also the day for contending teams to receive dominating pitching performances from their starters. The best was from St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia, who threw his first career shutout in an 8-0 blanking of another contender, the SF Giants. He faced just one batter over the minimum and allowed just three hits (two by Pat Burrell). Garcia did not walk a batter and struck out six while throwing just 89 pitches. The Cardinals win put them in a tie for second place with the Giants for the wild card race, behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies received a dominating performance from Roy Oswalt, who pitched seven shutout innings. He allowed five hits and one walk while striking out eight. Oswalt also collected two hits in the Phillies 6-0 blanking of the Washington Nationals. With the Phillies leading just 2-0, the Nationals elected to walk Carlos Ruiz to get to Wilson Valdez. Valdez proceeded to rip a two-run single, giving Oswalt a larger cushion to work with.

In the American League (and especially in the AL East), they also had their share of pitching domination. NY Yankees ace CC Sabathia allowed just three hits and no runs in six innings of work. He walked none while striking out eight Seattle Mariners. He may have went deeper in the game if not for an almost hour rain delay at Yankee Stadium. Sabathia won his AL-leading 17th game of the season and is undefeated at home during the regular season.

The Boston Red Sox received six shutout innings from Clay Buchholz. He allowed five hits and walked three while striking out seven. Buchholz earned his 15th win of the season. Red Sox rookie Felix Doubront earned his second career save while throwing two shutout innings. He allowed one hit while striking out two. Buchholz and the Red Sox bullpen shut down the prolific Toronto Blue Jays offense.

The Tampa Bay Rays also received stellar pitching from Matt Garza. He allowed one run on four hits in 7.2 innings. Evan Longoria continues his hot hitting as he collected a two-run double in the 6th inning against the Oakland A’s Dallas Braden.

Minnesota Twins starter Scott Baker twirled his best performance of the season. Baker pitched seven scoreless innings against the LA Angels as the Twins extended their AL Central lead over the Chicago White Sox to five games. The Twins offense went to work against Angels ace Jered Weaver in the 5th inning as they scored four runs, with the big hit coming from Michael Cuddyer with two outs (a three-run double).

The combination of Baker, Buchholz, Garcia, Garza, Oswalt, Sabathia, and Colorado Rockies rookie Jhoulys Chacin combined to allow just one run over 56.1 innings for just a 0.16 ERA on Sunday. All of these pitchers also earned victories.

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Jaime Garcia, Lou Piniella, Michael Cuddyer, Roy Oswalt, St. Louis Cardinals

This week there were a few moves made that could impact playoff contending teams (and that is precisely why these moves were made). Derek Lee of the Chicago Cubs agreed to be traded to the Atlanta Braves, who are currently in first place in the National League East. Lee has struggled this season and maybe a move to a contender will rejuvenate the veteran. Lee was expected to see time at first base and off the bench as a pinch-hitter. However Troy Glaus has struggled as of late (both offensively and with his health) and was placed on the DL to make room for Lee. Lee’s defense is a huge step above Glaus’ and his presence in the clubhouse should be great.

The key will be to regain his stroke and help the Braves to the postseason, something he did in 2003 with the Florida Marlins. Lee’s first game will come…against his former team in his former home, against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Friday afternoon was his first go-round with the Braves. Lee commented after the deal “…it’ll be different, but it’ll be exciting. Sometimes it’s more fun to compete with your friends because you can talk a little trash with them.” Lee went 0-for-4 (the first three at-bats came against one of his closest friends, Ryan Dempster) with a strikeout in the 9th inning off Carlos Marmol.

The St. Louis Cardinals found out that rookie third baseman David Freese, a sure contender for the National League Rookie of the Year award, would not be returning to the team due to right ankle surgery. Freese had been on the DL since June 27th and tore the tendon in his ankle during a rehab assignment. In Freese’s absence, super utility-man Felipe Lopez has taken over at third base. As of late though, Lopez has struggled at the plate (a .137 average in August) and has committed ten errors at the hot corner this season.

So the Cardinals made a waiver trade with the Houston Astros for veteran Pedro Feliz (who won a World Series in 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies). Feliz was acquired mainly to sure up the defense in the infield, though Feliz has struggled this season with his defense (eight errors in 63 games). Feliz is also having his worst season of his career at the plate, hitting just .221. The Cardinals are hoping that putting Feliz in a winning environment and a playoff atmosphere will motivate Feliz and his offensive numbers will climb. Lopez will move back into his super-utility role and get a few days off. The Cardinals played at their best with Lopez playing all over the field. Feliz was inserted into the lineup on Friday night, batting fifth, and he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored against his former team (the SF Giants).

Brad Hawpe of the Colorado Rockies was designated for assignment on Thursday, thus ending his time with the Rockies (a team he has spent his entire career). The outfielder (who was an All-Star last season) should be a hot commodity in the coming days though he is owed a little over $2 million for the rest of the season. Hawpe has one of the best arms in right field, has a sweet left-handed stroke, and looked good at first base when Todd Helton was on the DL (thus adding to his resume). Plus he is a class act, which could help any team’s clubhouse.

The Chicago White Sox coveted Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn but could not make the deal. They could use Hawpe at first base and move Paul Konerko to the everyday DH. The Texas Rangers would also be a good fit, with hitting coach and former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle there, and with all of the injuries the Rangers are dealing with. Hawpe would fit well in right field while Nelson Cruz is on the DL. Every team in contention should have interest in Hawpe as he is just 31 years old and is a career .280 hitter. Plus he could re-sign with that team instead of electing free agency (he is a free agent at the end of the season).

Will these three help contenders into the playoffs? We shall see as the next month and a half finishes.

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Brad Hawpe, Chicago Cubs, Derek Lee, Florida Marlins, Pedro Feliz, St. Louis Cardinals

The big news on Tuesday was the return of three All-Star second baseman to their respective teams. Martin Prado of the Atlanta Braves missed the least amount of time with a broken finger, but was missed with the loss of veteran Chipper Jones for the season. Prado will move to third base and the third spot in the Braves order, with fellow All-Star Omar Infante taking over his second base and leadoff spots. Prado had the biggest return of all three as he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored in the Braves 10-2 rout of the Washington Nationals. In the win, rookie Mike Minor (the Braves 2009 top draft pick) earned his first ML win. He allowed two runs on five hits in six innings of work.

Dustin Pedroia returned to the Boston Red Sox lineup on his 27th birthday after missing 44 games with a broken foot. Pedroia went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against LA Angels starter Jered Weaver (and the bullpen). The Red Sox are 5.5 games out of first place in the American League East and the wild card. Clay Buchholz lowered his AL-leading ERA to 2.36 as he pitched seven shutout innings. Rookie Red Sox outfielder Ryan Kalish delivered the big blow, a grand slam off Weaver in the 4th inning with two outs.

Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies returned two weeks early from surgery on his thumb. The Phillies went 26-17 without him and after Tuesday’s 9-3 victory, moved into first place in the wild card race. Utley went 0-for-5 against the SF Giants. Former Phillie Pat Burrell returned to hit a solo homerun in the first inning off Roy Oswalt to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, but Oswalt would settle in after that, only to allow a solo homerun to Jose Guillen in the 7th inning. Oswalt allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings, while striking out seven.

The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox were battling for the AL Central lead in the first of a three game series at Target Field in Minnesota. The Twins took the first game (and increased their division lead to four games) in dramatic fashion. In the bottom of the 10th inning after the White Sox took a 6-5 lead, Jim Thome launched a two-run walk-off homerun off All-Star lefty Matt Thornton to send the Twins fans home happy. Twins new closer Matt Capps blew the save in the 9th inning as Alexei Ramirez hit a solo homerun to tie the game at 5-5. In the top of the 10th inning, Jon Rauch allowed a Ramirez RBI single to give the White Sox a short-held lead.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers met for the second game of their three game series with another good pitching matchup between Matt Garza and Tommy Hunter. The Rays offense jumped all over Hunter in the first inning with three runs, highlighted by a Carl Crawford RBI triple. Hunter lasted just three innings while allowing four runs on six hits and three walks. Meanwhile Garza was dominant, going seven shutout innings, while striking out ten. Crawford also added a two-run homerun in the 7th inning and Evan Longoria fell a homerun short of the cycle.

Luke French of the Seattle Mariners carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning, but rookie third baseman Josh Bell of the Baltimore Orioles broke it up with one out in the 6th inning (a single). French pitched 7.2 shutout innings and allowed just three hits (two to Bell). Brandon League finished off the O’s for the save. Kevin Millwood was the hard-luck loser as he allowed just one run in eight innings (the bullpen allowed three runs).

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chipper Jones, Dustin Pedroia, Jim Thome, Martin Prado, Omar Infante

Just like the American League, the National League playoff contenders will need strong starts from three starting pitchers. Who has the best three-man rotation? Let’s take a look.

St. Louis Cardinals: Chris Carpenter (rhp), Adam Wainwright (rhp), and Jaime Garcia (lhp). This group offers two aces and a rookie that doesn’t throw hard but knows how to pitch. These three just proved how good they are as they swept their division rival, the Cincinnati Reds, and moved into first place in the Central. Wainwright is tied for first in baseball with 17 wins, is third in the league in strikeouts (158), and has the second best ERA (1.99) and may have moved ahead of Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez as the favorite for the CY Young award. Garcia has been overshadowed by all the big name rookies but may be the best (10-5 with a 2.71 ERA and has allowed just 6 homeruns in 22 starts). Carpenter hasn’t been as dominant as in 2009, but has been good (13-3 with a 2.89 ERA), though his good is most people’s dominant.

Tim Hudson

Atlanta Braves: Tim Hudson (rhp), Jair Jurrjens (rhp), and Derek Lowe (rhp). Hudson has completely regained his pre-surgery form and is a favorite for the CY Young award. He holds a 2.24 ERA and opponents are hitting just .217 against him. Hudson joins fellow ground ball machine Lowe, who has not been great but gives the Braves innings and keeps them in the game. Jurrjens has returned from the DL and been the pitcher he was prior to the beginning of the season. In six starts after the All-Star break, he is 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA and he keeps the ball in the ballpark (he has allowed just 7 homeruns all season).

Roy Halladay

Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay (rhp), Cole Hamels (lhp), and Roy Oswalt (rhp). Halladay has never been to the postseason in his career but has pitched well against NL playoff contenders. Hamels has returned to his 2008 form and could be just as dominant this postseason. Hamels has been better at home than on the road. Oswalt was acquired by the Phillies to help with their postseason push. Oswalt has struggled in his career against the NL East, though he did just dominate in his Citizens Bank Park debut on Wednesday night.

Mat Latos

San Diego Padres: Jon Garland (rhp), Mat Latos (rhp), and Clayton Richard (lhp). Pitching has been the reason that the Padres have held onto first-place in the NL West for most of the season. Many teams passed on Garland this offseason and he has pitched well for the young Padres, going 10-8 with a 3.55 ERA so far. He has been better at home and seems to have recovered from his June and July struggles. Latos is 7-1 with a 1.42 ERA in his last 10 starts. Richard, since coming over from the White Sox in the Jake Peavy deal, has made a huge impact. He has struggled as of late.

Cincinnati Reds: Bronson Arroyo (rhp), Johnny Cueto (rhp), and Edinson Volquez (rhp). The Reds have held their own this season to stay with the heavy favorite Cardinals. They have done so with pitching and defense and the two youngest starting pitchers, Mike Leake and Travis Wood, have been impressive.These two may be pushed aside in favor of more seasoned pitchers like Arroyo, Cueto, and Volquez (and even Aaron Harang) for the postseason. Arroyo has quietly racked up 12 wins with an ERA under 4.00 while opponents are hitting .230 against him. Cueto has also put up solid numbers (11-3 with a 3.38 ERA) though he has struggled against the Cardinals and some playoff contenders (Atlanta and SF). Volquez has returned from Tommy John surgery and his 50-game suspension and could be like a July trading deadline piece (and he is rested). He has gotten better in his last two starts.

SF Giants: Tim Lincecum (rhp), Matt Cain (rhp), and Barry Zito (lhp). The Giants are carried by their pitching staff. Lincecum has not been as dominant as in season’s past yet he still made the All-Star team and still has solid numbers (11-6 with a 3.41 ERA). He is second in the league in strikeouts with 163. Cain has quietly put up a solid season with a 3.06 ERA though his record is just 9-9. Cain has also pitched well against playoff contenders. Zito is having his best season since joining the Giants and has pitched well within the division.

LA Dodgers: Vicente Padilla (rhp), Clayton Kershaw (lhp), and Ted Lilly (lhp). Padilla missed the month of May, which makes him a well-rested ace who dominates when the games are on the line. The young lefty Kershaw has struggled against the Phillies (though he pitched well Thursday night) and who knows they might match up for the third straight postseason. The Dodgers traded for Lilly to fill out their rotation, which would most likely push Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda to the bullpen.

Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez (rhp), Jeff Francis (lhp), and Aaron Cook (rhp). The Rockies are 8 games back (as are the Dodgers) but we all know the type of run that the Rockies are capable. Jimenez has struggled as of late and maybe that has to do with all the innings he has accumulated. Francis has pitched well after missing all of 2009. Cook is currently on the DL so they could go to Jason Hammel or Jorge De La Rosa.

Tags:

Adam Wainwright, Atlanta Braves, Mat Latos, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tim Hudson

MLB almost had their second perfect game of the week (Roy Halladay completed one on Saturday), though according to most, there was a perfect game achieved Wednesday in Detroit.

Armando Galarraga, making just his third start of the season (as he was skipped last weekend to work on his slider) since returning from Triple-A Toledo, was absolutely perfect. He threw first pitch strikes to just about every Cleveland Indians batter.

He threw just 88 pitches, 67 of them for strikes. His defense behind him was flawless, though they did not have many chances that were not routine. Centerfielder Austin Jackson made a Willie Mays-type catch on Mark Grudzielanek’s deep fly to lead off the ninth, a ball that Jackson thought “Oh God. That’s gonna drop” when it was hit.

Instead Galarraga was two outs away from a perfect game. After inducing catcher Mike Redmond to hit into yet another ground ball out, Galarraga induced Jason Donald to hit a ground ball that first baseman Miguel Cabrera made a diving play on. His flip to Galarraga was in time at first base as both started to celebrate until the first base umpire signaled Donald was safe.

Galarraga looked in disbelief and Cabrera barked at the ump for the rest of the inning (Galarraga induced Trevor Crowe to ground out to end the game). Even the Indians bench was shocked as their wide-open mouths attest. The Tigers fans were booing and a few players told the umpire what they thought of him when the game was over. So instead of a perfect game, he had a complete game shutout and a one-hitter. Plus the Tigers earned a much-needed victory.

This was a game Tigers manager Jim Leyland called “a 28-out perfect game”. Many players after the game just wanted to talk about how great Galarraga was. They also commented about how umpires are only human and everyone makes mistakes. In their minds, they were part of a perfect game. The umpire in question, Jim Joyce, admitted after the game to his blown call and even apologized personally to Galarraga (which is kind of classy regardless of what you think of his call).

“He really feels bad,” Galarraga said after the game and his beer shower from his teammates. “He probably feels more bad than me. Nobody is perfect. I give a lot of credit to that guy. That (an apology) doesn’t happen. He apologized. He feels really bad. Nobody is perfect. What am I gonna do? His body language said more than a lot of words.

His eyes were watery, he didn’t have too say much. His body language said a lot.” There were also a few other games on the slate for Wednesday though this “perfect game” will be the one talked about for years to come. The Atlanta Braves swept the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to take a 2.5 lead in the division and picked up their 8th win in a row.

It was a pitcher’s duel between Braves starter Derek Lowe and Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. Lowe was dominant in his eight innings as he struck out seven and allowed six hits. The only inning that Lowe was in trouble was the third inning, when he allowed four straight singles, capped by a Jayson Werth RBI single, but he induced a Chase Utley inning-ending double-play.

Kendrick allowed a run to score in the first inning on a Chipper Jones double-play ground out. Omar Infante, replacing the injured Jones in the fifth inning, deposited a Jose Contreras pitch in the eighth inning into right-center field for the game-winner.

For the second straight day, the Arizona Diamondbacks and LA Dodgers entered extra innings scoreless. This time the score would stay that way until the 14th inning. Veteran Garret Anderson blooped a walk-off RBI single to center to score Matt Kemp (the Dodgers second straight 1-0 walk-off victory).

The Diamondbacks, despite nine shutout innings from starter Edwin Jackson, have now lost ten in a row. They also have not scored a run in 31 consecutive innings. The Dodgers swept the three-game series with three walk-offs.

The Toronto Blue Jays jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on the Tampa Bay Rays and starter David Price (though both runs were unearned). That was all Price would allow in eight innings of work as he won his 8th game (which leads the American League). Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum was dominant until the ninth inning as he was trying to complete his first game of his career.

He allowed back-to-back singles and a perfectly placed squeeze bunt by Dioner Navarro knotted the game at 2-2. Reid Brignac delivered an RBI single to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. Marcum was removed from the game, but his bullpen allowed four more runs, capped by Carl Crawford’s grand slam off left-handed reliever Scott Downs.

Tags:

Armando Galarraga, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Derek Lowe, Jim Leyland, Jose Contreras, Kyle Kendrick, Matt Kemp, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Redmond, Philadelphia Phillies

There were four walk-offs in Major League Baseball on Tuesday. The Cincinnati Reds battled back against Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman to record their 10th victory in their final at-bat. Pinch-hitter Scott Rolen hit a two-run homerun off Hoffman in the ninth inning to tie the game at 4-4.

Joey Votto, who hit a mammoth homerun in the eighth inning that hit the riverboat in dead center field, delivered the game-winning RBI single after Chris Heisey doubled and Brandon Phillips walked. The red-hot Reds have now won 16 of their last 21 games and continue to sit atop the National League Central.

Kris Medlen made another spot start for the Atlanta Braves, except this time he was going up against NY Mets ace Johan Santana. Medlen and Santana allowed two runs each, with all of the runs scoring on the long ball. The game would stay tied at 2-2 until the ninth. Brian McCannn led off the inning with a single off lefty Pedro Feliciano.

In came rookie reliever Jenrry Mejia, who walked Yunel Escobar. Melky Cabrera was trying to bunt but could not sacrifice against the nasty Mejia. Cabrera then hit a chopper to third base that the Mets David Wright threw away, scoring pinch-runner Brent Clevlen to give the Braves the 3-2 victory.

After not being able to come through against the KC Royals late on Monday night, the Baltimore Orioles avenged that loss on Tuesday night. With a pitching matchup of the Royals Zack Greinke and the Orioles Kevin Millwood, runs were at a premium. Greinke left after seven innings while allowing two runs (on two solo homeruns by Luke Scott) on four hits.

Millwood lasted through eight innings (he had a perfect game into the fifth) but allowed three runs on ten hits while striking out seven. In the eighth inning, the Royals bullpen could not hold another lead for Greinke, with newly promoted Blake Wood allowing a solo homerun to Corey Patterson.

With an announced attendance of around 9,700 (though there were a lot less actually in Camden Yards), Nick Markakis provided the extra inning heroics. With the bases loaded in the tenth, Markakis singled to center field off just promoted Royals reliever Bryan Bullington (who made an error to load the bases).

The Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners battled into extra innings as Felix Hernandez and Ben Sheets pitched well to start. Unfortunately for both teams, their bullpens gave up runs to send the game into extras. The A’s scored two runs in the seventh inning to take the lead, but the Mariners scored a run in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5.

In the tenth inning, A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki delivered a two-out walk-off RBI single to center field (his 8th career walk-off hit). This opportunity came after the Mariners elected to walk Ryan Sweeney to bring up Suzuki.

The SF Giants finally beat the San Diego Padres in 2010 (the first time in eight games). However it was a wild, extra inning affair. Mat Latos of the Padres again pitched well as he allowed two runs on six hits in six innings. However Giants outfielder Andres Torres hit a two-run homerun in the eighth inning off Padres reliever Mike Adams to tie the game at 4-4.

The game would stay tied until the 12th when the Giants scored three runs on four hits off Cesar Ramos capped by a Matt Downs two-run double. In the bottom of the inning, the Padres scored two runs off Giants closer Brian Wilson on a two-out double by David Eckstein. Wilson walked Adrian Gonzalez but struck out Chase Headley to end the game and preserve the 7-6 Giants victory.

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Brent Clevlen, Bryan Bullington, Chris Heisey, Cincinnati Reds, Felix Hernandez, Jenrry Mejia, Joey Votto, Melky Cabrera, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Scott Rolen, Trevor Hoffman

The old man delivered for the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night. Veteran 47-year old left-hander Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher ever in baseball to hold an opponent scoreless in a complete game.

He did that against the Atlanta Braves as he gave up just two hits (two leadoff singles to Troy Glaus). Moyer did not walk a batter and struck out five. He only threw 105 pitches (capped by his three pitch second inning). The Phillies offense was boasted by another three-run homerun from Jayson Werth.

The quotes after the game from both teams’ players regarding Moyer’s outing were a bit comical. “The guy is 87 years old and he’s still pitching for a reason,” Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. “That’s about as well-pitched of a game by a guy who throws 80 mph that I’ve ever seen.” Phillies ace Roy Halladay does not expect to be throwing shutouts at 47; he expects to be “fishing”.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Chicago Cubs promoted top prospect Starlin Castro to the big leagues on Friday. In the shortstop’s first Major League at-bat, he hit a three-run homerun off of Cincinnati Reds starter Homer Bailey in the second inning. The rookie also collected a bases-clearing triple in his second at-bat. Castro set the record for most RBIs (six) in a debut.

Castro became the third player this season to homer in his first at-bat (following Jason Heyward and Luke Hughes). The 20-year old helped power the Cubs to a 14-7 victory over the Reds. Mike Fontenot also contributed a pinch-hit grand slam for the Cubs in the eighth.

There was another no-hitter watch last night, this time coming in Seattle as LA Angels ace Jered Weaver outdueled Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. Weaver carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and with two outs, gave up his first hit (a Ken Griffey Jr single to right field). Weaver walked three and gave up two hits into the eighth inning He also struck out eight.

The Angels offense came alive against one of the game’s best pitchers. King Felix lasted just 3.1 innings (his shortest outing since 2007) while allowing eight runs on five hits and four walks. In the fourth inning, the Angels hit three homeruns, capped by Ryan Budde’s first career homerun.
Another start and yet another loss for KC Royals ace Zack Greinke.

Greinke, who matched up against CJ Wilson and the Texas Rangers was victimized by Rangers slugger Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero hit a solo homerun in the second inning and contributed a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Greinke allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits in seven innings. Wilson was dominant in his complete game effort.

He scattered five hits and allowed one run while striking out four. He improved to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.51 while he has been matched up against every other team’s aces.

With the NY Mets carrying a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning, they called on closer Francisco Rodriguez to close out the game. With one out, SF Giants pinch-hitter John Bowker hit a solo homerun to tie the game at 4-4.

However the blown save would not last long, as Mets catcher Rod Barajas hit a walk-off two-run homerun with one out off of Giants reliever Sergio Romo. It was Barajas’ second homerun (and ninth of the season) of the game. Rookie first baseman Ike Davis also homered twice in the game.

Tags:

Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones, CJ Wilson, Francisco Rodriguez, Jamie Moyer, Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies, Rod Barajas, Roy Halladay, Starlin Castro, Texas Rangers

There were two no-hit bids in baseball last night. The first was in Washington as Nationals starter Scott Olsen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning. He had allowed just a walk to Atlanta Braves outfielder Melky Cabrera to that point. With one out in the eighth, backup catcher David Ross hit a line drive just past the diving shortstop Ian Desmond for the Braves first hit.

Cabrera would reach on an error and Nate McLouth would single to load the bases. That was all for Olsen and in came Tyler Clippard. Clippard, who has been Mr. Reliable for the past year and a half for the Nationals, allowed a pinch-hit two-run single to Jason Heyward to tie the game at 2-2.

Unfortunately for Olsen and the Nationals, Braves starter Tim Hudson was just as good. Hudson allowed two solo homeruns (to Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Dunn) in seven innings of work. Into the bottom of the ninth the game would go and the Nationals loaded the bases against Peter Moylan, who allowed a walk-off single to former Brave Willie Harris for the Nationals 3-2 win.

In Florida, the Marlins again were stifled by a SF Giants stellar pitching performance. This time it was Matt Cain, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. With two outs in the sixth, Chris Coghlan singled for the Marlins first hit. Cain pitched seven plus innings and allowed two runs on four hits. The Giants would win the game 6-3 and sweep the Marlins.

The slugfest was in Arlington as the Texas Rangers and KC Royals met for the first game of the series. The Rangers led 8-0 after three innings against Royals starter Kyle Davies, but the Royals came roaring back in the middle innings. The Royals actually took a 12-11 lead in the top of the eighth inning, but the Rangers came back to score two in the bottom of the inning to win it.

Royals closer Joakim Soria came in to get one out in the eighth but allowed back-to-back homers by Josh Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero (his second homerun of the game) to seal the win for the Rangers. Seven homeruns were hit in the game (the Royals hit three) and there were 26 hits. Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, and David Murphy collected three hits for the Rangers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates swept the Chicago Cubs in demoralizing fashion, winning the final game 11-1. Cubs starter Randy Wells, who has been their best starter, lasted just two innings as he gave up seven runs. Pirates starter Brian Burres was stellar as he went seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits. Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, and Lastings Milledge collected two hits a piece for the Pirates. Jones and Milledge also combined for seven RBIs.

After sweeping the Boston Red Sox and then being swept by the NY Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles went to Minnesota and took the first game of their series. O’s starter Brad Bergesen pitched the way he did last season as he allowed six hits in 6.2 shutout innings for the win. Twins starter Carl Pavano was solid in his eight innings of work (he allowed two runs on six hits while striking out eight) but he received no run support. He allowed a two-run homerun to Ty Wiggington (his 10th of the season) in the second inning to account for the only runs of the game.

The struggling Chicago White Sox were dominated by the Toronto Blue Jays and starter Dana Eveland. Eveland gave up just two hits in seven shutout innings (the White Sox would get another hit against closer Kevin Gregg). John Danks, the White Sox best starter, allowed just two runs on eight hits in seven innings of work, but did not receive run support. Fred Lewis of the Blue Jays collected two hits and drove in the only two runs of the game in the fifth inning.

The Tampa Bay Rays again dominated the Seattle Mariners. This time they received stellar pitching from Jeff Niemann. Niemann allowed four hits in seven shutout innings while striking out six. The offense went to work on Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith, as he allowed six runs on seven hits. Carl Crawford collected three hits for the Rays, and Ben Zobrist and Willy Aybar contributed two hits a piece. The Rays have outscored the Mariners 16-3 in the two games of the series so far.

The LA Dodgers have been struggling but the hopes are that with slugger Manny Ramirez due back on Saturday, that the team may be ready to take off. Closer Jonathon Broxton was handed a two-run lead in the ninth after solid pitching from John Ely. However Broxton could not close out the game as he gave up two runs and four hits in the inning.

The Milwaukee Brewers Greg Zaun and Craig Counsel contributed two-out RBI singles. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they have Andre Ethier, the best end-of-game hitter. Brewers reliever LaTroy Hawkins loaded the bases for Ethier with one out. Ethier crushed a fastball down the middle for a walk-off grand slam, his 11th walk-off hit of his career. It was Ethier’s second at-bat of the season with the bases loaded and the second time he has hit a grand slam.

Tags:

Andre Ethier, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Brian Burres, Dana Eveland, David Ross, Jason Heyward, Joakim Soria, Josh Hamilton, Kyle Davies, Milwaukee Brewers, Nate McLouth, Scott Olsen, Tim Hudson

As the analysts on MLB Network say, Livan Hernandez is the 95 year old pitcher who keeps on pitching. Well, he’s not exactly 95, but he’s been around for quite a few years. Hernandez continues to prove everyone wrong this season with the Washington Nationals. Hernandez has been dominant and last night was no different.

He gave up an unearned run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves and Braves rookie Jason Heyward took him deep in the fourth inning (his 9th homerun of the season). However that was all the offense the Braves could muster against Hernandez. He went into the sixth inning and allowed just five hits (though he walked five). He also lowered his ERA to 0.99 as he improved to 4-1.

The Braves came on in the ninth inning against National reliever Miguel Batista (scoring one run to cut the lead to 6-3), but closer Matt Capps quickly dispatched the Braves on four pitches (as he got two outs). Offensively the Nationals were led by the 6-7-8 (Ivan Rodriguez, Roger Bernandina, and Ian Desmond) hitters who went 6-for-12 with three RBIs.

In Philadelphia, another fan ran onto the field, but this time succumbed to the security guards before police were on the scene. However the fan interrupted play in the top of the ninth with the Phillies ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. Starter Cole Hamels was still in the game and he was visibly upset by the stoppage in play (though he denied that it bothered him in interviews after the game).

On the 0-2 pitch to the Cardinals David Freese, he ripped a double. Catcher Yadier Molina followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. That was the end of the night for Hamels (eight innings, eight hits, one run, and eight strikeouts), who was outdueling the Cardinals Adam Wainwright (eight innings, four hits, one run, and six strikeouts). Brad Lidge came in with a runner in scoring position and no outs, but he closed out the inning to keep the game tied.

In the bottom of the tenth, Phillies catcher Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz (who had driven in the Phillies lone run up to that point) launched a pitch from reliever Blake Hawksworth into the left field seats for a walk-off homerun. Ruiz was pied in the face twice by Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs following the game.

The Boston Red Sox have rebounded nicely from being swept by the Baltimore Orioles. In the first two games back at Fenway Park against the equally struggling LA Angels, the Red Sox pitching and offense have come together. Just like on Monday night, the Red Sox received good pitching from a struggling starter (this time Jon Lester).

Lester allowed one run on five hits in eight innings of work. However it was not until the bottom of the eighth that the Red Sox got the offense going. With Angels starter Ervin Santana done after seven innings (one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts), the Red Sox got to reliever Kevin Jepsen for four runs and Jonathon Papelbon came in for a perfect ninth to save the game. The four-run inning was capped by Jeremy Hermida’s three-run double.

The Milwaukee Brewers have been inconsistent so far in 2010. They have shown that they have the ability to put a lot of runs on the board in one inning. Last night was no different. In LA and visiting the Dodgers and young ace Clayton Kershaw, the Brewers scored nine runs in the second inning.

Prince Fielder hit a two-run homerun and Greg Zaun hit a two-run homerun off of reliever Ramon Ortiz in the same inning. Pitching has been a concern for the Dodgers all season though they did get four solid innings out of the knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who was in the starting rotation a week ago. The Brewers held on for an 11-6 win.

Tim Lincecum of the SF Giants was starting Tuesday night in Florida against the free-swinging Marlins. Lincecum was cruising along until the sixth inning when Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run homerun to tie the game at 3-3. Lincecum lasted seven innings and allowed three runs on five hits while striking out 13 (a season-high).

Anibal Sanchez for the Marlins was just as solid as he allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings. In the top of the eighth, the Giants scored two runs but in the bottom of the inning, Dan Uggla hit a three-run homerun off of Sergio Romo to give the Marlins their first lead. However with two outs in the ninth, Aaron Rowand homered off of closer Leo Nunez to tie the game at 6-6 and send it into extra innings.

In the top of the 12th, the Giants broke through for three runs against Burke Badenhop (who was entering his third inning of work out of the bullpen), capped by Aubrey Huff’s two-run single.

In Houston, Astros ace Roy Oswalt again pitched well, but received nothing but a loss. Oswalt dropped to 2-4 but lowered his ERA to 2.48. The Astros lost to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0, behind great starting pitching from Ian Kennedy. The lone run was scored on a solo homerun hit by Justin Upton in the third inning. Oswalt completely shut down the powerful Diamondbacks offense but received zero run support.

Tags:

Adam Wainwright, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cole Hamels, Ervin Santana, Jason Heyward, Livan Hernandez, Miguel Batista, St. Louis Cardinals