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Stay For a Nightcap! - I Love It When You Call Me Big Papi Edition


Twins 3 - Indians 2

- Carl Pavano had one of his best performances of the season, pitching 7 innings and allowing just 1 earned run on 7 hits and 1 walk.  The lone run was off of a Grady Sizemore solo shot in the 6th inning.  With this start, Pavano has now pitched 7 innings or more in five consecutive games. 
- Justin Masterson bounced back from two sub-par outings with 2 earned runs allowed over 8 innings.  He served up 9 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts.  He's the lone Indians starter I have any faith in, moving forward.
- Matt Capps blew another save, when Jack Hannahan took him deep in the bottom of the 9th.  That's now three blown saves in his last four chances.  Lefties, like Hannahan, have teed off on Capps for 4 homers and 10 earned runs in 14 innings this season. 
- Delmon Young went 0-4 with a strikeout as his season continues to spiral downward.  He's now batting .219/.250/.271.  Ben Revere went 3-5 with 2 RBI and 1 run in his best offensive game, since coming back up a week ago.
- W: Matt Capps (2-3), L: Chris Perez (2-2), SV: Phil Dumatrait (1), BSV: Matt Capps (5)
- HR: Grady Sizemore (7), Jack Hannahan (5)
- SB: Ben Revere (3); CS: Ben Revere (1), Danny Valencia (4), Michael Brantley (3)

Red Sox 11 - Yankees 6

- Tim Wakefield allowed 5 earned runs in his 5.1 innings, yet came away with the win.  He allowed 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.  He was scoreless until the 5th, when he allowed 4 runs on a single, double, and sac-fly.  The 45 year old is now four wins away from 200.
- A.J. Burnett was the bad Burnett, allowing 8 runs (7 earned) in 5.2 innings on 7 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts.  Giving up a 2 run homer in the first to Papi, when most thought that a hit by pitch was coming, really hurt him.  Pegging him would have put a man on first and second, so it's not like he made the wrong decision.  Early June last year, the train started to fall off the tracks, so maybe he's right on time.
- Dustin Pedroia might need knee surgery to fix an injury he's been dealing with for almost a month now.  He's expected to miss around a month if he does indeed have the operation.  Owners will want to watch this one closely.
- David Ortiz went 1-4 with a 2-run homer.  He's hitting .323/.390/.609 and didn't flip his bat.
- W: Tim Wakefield (3-1), L: A.J. Burnett (6-4)
- HR: David Ortiz (15), Carl Crawford (6), J.D. Drew (4), Alex Rodriguez (11)
- Jacoby Ellsbury (23), Marco Scutaro (1), Brett Gardner (11)

Orioles 3 - A's 2

- Zach Britton pitched 6.1 innings and allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks.  He struck out a season high 6 batters.  Granted he's young, but I still have a really tough time supporting a guy who doesn't strike out twice as many batters as he walks.
- Josh Outman generated a quality start as he pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs.  He struck out 4 with no walks and 5 hits.  A J.J. Hardy RBI single and Mark Reynolds 2-run homer in the 5th was all she wrote. It was only his fourth start of the season.
- Mark Reynolds went 2-3 with a 2-run homer and a stolen base.  He's still below the Mendoza Line as he's hitting .199/.315/.413.
- W: Zach Britton (6-4), L: Josh Outman (1-1), SV: Kevin Gregg (12)
- HR: Mark Reynolds (10)
- SB: Mark Reynolds (4)

Rangers 7 - Tigers 3

- Alexi Ogando kept on keeping on with 1 run allowed in 7.2 innings.  The man can seemingly do no wrong as he's 7-0 with a 2.10 ERA.  He struck out 7 with 2 walks and 6 hits.  He's allowed 1 or fewer runs in 8 of his 12 starts this season.
- Phil Coke got roughed up for 6 runs (4 earned) in his 5 innings of work.  He allowed 10 hits with 3 walks and no strikeouts.  He's now 1-6 and hasn't won a game in almost two months. 
- Chris Davis went 2-4 with a run in his first game, since being recalled.  He'll hang around with the team till Ian Kinsler gets back from paternity leave most likely. 
- Elvis Andrus went 3-5 with a run, RBI, and his first caught stealing of the season.  He had been 19 for 19 in steal attempts.
- W: Alexi Ogando (7-0), L: Phil Coke (1-6)
- HR: Don Kelly (1), Adrian Beltre (12)
- CS: Andy Dirks (1), Elvis Andrus (1)

Mariners 7 - White Sox 4

- Gavin Floyd had your standard quality start with 6 innings pitched and 3 earned runs.  He allowed 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in a no-decision.  It could be worse as I'm sure long time Floyd owners know.  Going into the 6th, he was working on a shutout, but then Adam Kennedy and Franklin Gutierrez touched him up for 3 runs.
- Jason Vargas was a little bit better than Floyd as he pitched 7.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs.  He allowed 7 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts in a no-decision.
- Sergio Santos pitched a scoreless 9th in a 4-4 game, then he came back out for the 10th and gave up 3 earned runs.  The former short-stop's ERA jumped up from 1.24 to 2.10.
- W: Aaron Laffey (1-1), L: Sergio Santos (2-2), SV: Brandon League (17)
- HR: Miguel Olivo (8), Carlos Quentin (16, 17)
- SB: Adam Kennedy (6), Franklin Gutierrez (1)

Blue Jays 9 - Royals 8

- Carlos Villanueva allowed 4 runs in 7 innings of work on 6 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts.  He gave up all four runs in the third, before the offense carried him the rest of the way.
- Danny Duffy pitched 4 innings and allowed 5 earned runs on 8 hits and 4 walks.  He struck out just 1 as his strikeout to walk ratio is near 1:1 (18/17).  A Jayson Nix 3-run homer  in the 4th was the death blow.  That's now four homers given up in his five starts.
- Corey Patterson went 4-5 with two runs and pushed his batting line to .293/.322/.451.  How long will he continue to hit?  Who knows, just enjoy it for now.
- Adam Lind went 1-3 with a grand slam.  Since coming off the DL he has 4 homers with 10 RBI.  He's slugging .579, which is great, until you compare it to Jose Bautista's .723 slugging percentage, the new gold standard.
- W: Carlos Villanueva (4-0), L: Danny Duffy (0-2), Casey Janssen (1)
- HR: Adam Lind (11), Jayson Nix (4), Melky Cabrera (8), Billy Butler (5)
- SB: Corey Patterson (9); CS: Corey Patterson (6), Jayson Nix (1)

Rays 4 - Angels 3

- Big Game James Shields took a no-decision, after he allowed 3 earned runs over 7 innings with 8 strikeouts.  He cruised through 7 innings, but loaded the bases, before getting pulled in favor of Cesar Ramos, who gave up a Bobby Abreu base clearing double.  He continues to work deep into games and live up to his nickname.
- Jered Weaver finished with a little bit better line than Shields as he pitched 7.2 innings and also allowed 3 earned runs.  He walked 1 and struck out 5 as he allowed 1 run through 6 innings.  In the 7th and 8th he allowed a run in each as he took a no-decision.  He allowed his first homer in four games, which is a trend he's kept up this as his HR/9 is 0.45 this season.
- Reid Brignac went 1-3 with a homer and game winning sac bunt.  The homer was his second extra base hit of the season. 
- W: Juan Cruz (3-0), L: Fernando Rodney (2-3), SV: Kyle Farnsworth (13)
- HR: Reid Brignac (1)
- SB: Ben Zobrist (7), John Jaso (1); CS: Johnny Damon (2)

Cubs 4 - Reds 1

- Ryan Dempster held the Reds to 1 run over 6 innings in a win.  He struck out 8 with 1 walk and only 3 hits.  He had been crushed in road starts this season (28 ER in 28.2 IP) coming into this one.
- Bronson Arroyo remained inconsistent with 4 runs (3 earned) allowed in 6.1 innings.  He now has 1 quality start in his last five outings.  I'm beginning to wonder if he's not fully over that case of mono he had back in Spring Training.
- Miguel Cairo went 0-4 as he continues to fill in for Scott Rolen (strep throat).  Paul Janish went 1-3 with a triple, but is still batting just .227/.261/.273.  I wonder when Zach Cozart gets his shot.
- Tony Campana went 2-4 with another stolen base.  That was his first stolen bag since Memorial Day when he he swiped four.
- W: Ryan Dempster (5-5), L: Bronson Arroyo (4-6), SV: Carlos Marmol (11)
- HR: Carlos Pena (9), Aramis Ramirez (3)
- SB: Tony Campana (6), Drew Stubbs (18)

Giants 3 - Nationals 1

- Matt Cain tossed a 1-run complete game with 5 hits, 1 walk, and 11 strikeouts.  The lone run came on a Rick Ankiel double that scored Mike Morse.  For Cain it was a season high in strikeouts and innings pitched.  Not a ground ball heavy pitcher, he induced 9 ground balls to just 2 fly balls in this game.
- Yunesky Maya bounced back from two disastrous starts (9 IP 8 ER) with 6 innings of 1-run ball.  He allowed 4 hits with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.  With less than 50 innings in the majors and having spent less than a year pitching in the US (from Cuba), Maya is still figuring things out and deserves some slack.
- Brandon Crawford went 2-3 with a triple, RBi, run, and stolen base.  The young short-stop is hitting .268/.362/.439 and defensively holding his own.  I wouldn't be shocked to see Miguel Tejada released eventually.
- Aaron Rowand went 0-3 and saw 6 pitches with no walks.  At least he was hitting 6th.
- W: Matt Cain (5-4), L: Sean Burnett (1-3)
- SB: Roger Bernadina (9), Mike Morse (2); CS: Brandon Crawford (2)

Rockies 5 - Padres 3

- Aaron Cook made his season debut with 5.2 innings and 3 earned runs allowed.  He allowed 6 hits with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts in a no-decision.  He allowed 1 run through five innings, but a wild pitch and single allowed two runs in the 6th.  He's coming off of a shoulder injury and barely struck out more batters than he walked last season, so tread carefully.
- Dustin Moseley pitched 5 innings and also allowed 3 earned runs, in his usual no win shuffle.  He allowed 8 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts.  The control has been pretty good this season, but he can't miss enough bats to be relevant.
- Heath Bell allowed 2 runs in the 9th to take the loss.  Rare is the game that Bell gives up two earned runs, much less takes the loss.
- Todd Helton went 4-4 with a solo homer and 3 runs.  The 37 year old is batting .316/.384/.534 and is producing much more than I thought he would this season. 
- W: Matt Lindstrom (1-1), L: Heath Bell (2-2), SV: Huston Street (17)
- HR: Todd Helton (8)
- SB: Chris Denorfia (5); CS: Eric Patterson (2)

Phillies 2 - Dodgers 0

- Cole Hamels pitched 8 shutout innings with 6 hits, no walks, and 9 strikeouts.  He worked with little to no run-support for most of the game, so the win is nice.  With a K/B near 5.0, he's easily having his best season. 
- Hiroki Kuroda allowed just 1 run in his 5.1 innings.  He struck out 7 with 3 walks and allowed 1 homer, a solo shot to Ryan Howard.  He has been given 3 runs of support in his last four starts combined, which have all been losses.
- It's becoming more and more clear that Matt Guerrier is not the Dodgers closer.  In this game he pitched the 7th inning and allowed a run on a fielder's choice, after Shane Victorino tripled.
- Dee Gordon went 0-3 with a strikeout in his second game of the season.
- W: Cole Hamels (8-2), L: Hiroki Kuroda (5-7), SV: Ryan Madson (14)

Pirates 3 - Diamondbacks 2

- Zach Duke pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball on 9 hits, no walks, and 1 strikeout.  He allowed a sac-fly in the third inning, but remained unscathed the rest of the way.  It was only his third start of the season and so far he's only walked 1 batter. 
- Paul Maholm 1-hit the D-Backs for 6 innings with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.  He had two runners on with one out in the fourth, but worked his way out of it.  Other than that, he was pretty clean. He took a no-decision and remains 2-7 on the season, but he's sporting a 3.39 ERA.
- Andrew McCutchen provided the heroics with a walk-off homer in the 12th inning.  Now that his average is up to .282, his numbers look pretty much like they did last season, fantastic.
- J.J. Putz blew his second save in his last four outings.  He was nearly flawless through the first two months with 16 saves in 16 chances. 
- W: Daniel McCutchen (2-1), L: Zach Kroenke (0-1), BSV: J.J. Putz (2)
- HR: Andrew McCutchen (10)
- SB: Gerardo Parra (5), Neil Walker (3); CS: Jose Tabata (5)

Braves 3 - Marlins 2

- Derek Lowe had a no-hitter going through the 6th inning, till a Greg Dobbs single in the 7th broke it up.  For the game he allowed no earned runs with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts.  In typical Lowe fashion, he generated 14 ground balls to just 1 fly ball. 
- Ricky Nolasco pitched 7.1 innings with just 2 earned runs on 8 hits and 1 walk.  To my surprise, he didn't allow a home run, something that has long been an issue for Nolasco. 
- Craig Kimbrel blew his fifth save of the season on a 2-run single from Mike Stanton.  He also struck out the side in that inning, which should come as no surprise.
- Jordan Schafer went 2-5 with 2 runs and is now batting .213/.327/.277.  He's just keeping the spot warm till Nate McLouth comes back.
- W: Craig Kimbrel (2-2), L: Mike Dunn (4-4), SV: Scott Linebrink (1), BSV: Craig Kimbrel (5)
- SB: Jordan Schafer (3)

Astros 4 - Cardinals 1

- Bud Norris had a no-no going through 6th inning, till Lance Berkman took him deep.  Clint Barmes made an excellent diving stop earlier in the inning, but Puma continues to wreck havoc on his old stomping grounds.  For the game, Norris finished with just the 1 hit given up over 8 innings with 5 walks and 2 strikeouts.  If you can, check the replay to see just how close Hunter Pence was to robbing Berkman and keeping the no-hitter intact.
- Jaime Garcia allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks.  He only struck out 1 batter, which is unlike Garcia, who carries a strikeout rate of 7.93 K/9.
- Brandon Lyon (shoulder) was activated off the DL and could soon factor into the closer's role.  From the comments Brad Mills made, it seems as though it's a matter of time before Lyon regains his old job.  How long he keeps it is to be determined.
- Jason Bourgeois went 2-5 with a run, double, and stolen base.  If he could nail down consistent playing time, he'd be a great source of stolen bases. 
- W: Bud Norris (4-4), L: Jaime Garcia (6-2), SV: Mark Melancon (6)
- HR: Lance Berkman (14)
- SB: Jason Bourgeois (14), Michael Bourn (26)

Brewers 7 - Mets 6

- Mike Pelfrey allowed just 2 runs over 6 innings on 4 hits and no walks.  A two-run blast from Prince Fielder did the damage.  Pelfrey hasn't won a game in nearly a month.
- Randy Wolf allowed just 1 run over 6.2 innings on 4 hits and 2 walks.  He struck out 6 and had the lone run score on a called balk.  It was his third straight no decision.
- Nyjer Morgan hit a walk-off double that scored Craig Counsell in the bottom of the 9th.  Supposedly Morgan didn't even know it was the 9th inning.
- Ronny Paulino went 4-4 with a 3-run homer.  The catcher is batting .344/.400/.406, which sounds awesome, but it's in only 64 at-bats.
- Prince Fielder went 2-3 with 2 homers, 4 RBI, 2 runs, and 1 walk.  The soon to be free-agent is hitting .296/.398/.597 on the season.
- W: John Axford (2-1), L: Dale Thayer (0-1)
- HR: Ronny Paulino (1), Prince Fielder (16, 17)
- SB: Jose Reyes (20), Angel Pagan (8), Craig Counsell (2)

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