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Stay For a Nightcap! - The Heat Is On Edition


Blue Jays 3 - Yankees 0

- Brandon Morrow threw 8 innings of shutout ball with 8 strikeouts for his 10th win.  Where has this been all season?  He allowed just 4 hits with 1 walk, in what was easily one of his best performances all season long.  His ERA is now an extremely frustrating 4.98 over 164.1 innings.
- Freddy Garcia allowed 3 earned runs over 4.2 innings for his 8th loss.  He gave up 5 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.  He was actually decent outside of when he pitched to…
- Adam Lind went 2-3 with 2 homers off of Freddy Garcia and a walk.  He's batting .258/.301/.455 this season with 26 homers and 85 RBI.
- Eduardo Nunez went 3-4 with a double at 2B.  The utility infielder is batting .261/.307/.375 over 309 plate appearances.
- W: Brandon Morrow (10-11), L: Freddy Garcia (11-8), SV: Frank Francisco (16)
- HR: Adam Lind (25, 26)
- SB: Kelly Johnson (15); CS: Robinson Cano (2), Edwin Encarnacion (2), Brett Lawrie (1)

Rays 8 - Red Sox 5

- David Price pitched 4 innings and allowed 2 earned runs, before leaving with a  chest bruise that occurred as a result of an Alex Avila line driver.  He had given up 3 hits with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts, prior to leaving.  Jake McGee picked him up with 2.2 innings of 1-run ball and got the win.
- Tim Wakefield was up to Tim Wakefield things as he allowed 6 runs (4 earned) over 5 innings for his 7th loss.  He was able to limit the walks (1), but not the hits (6).  The Red Sox are melting down before our eyes as their lead for the AL Wildcard down to 2 games, ahead of these Rays.
- Matt Joyce went 3-4 with a double, 3 RBI, and 2 runs.  The OF is batting .278/.348/.485 this season with 18 homers and 69 RBI.
- Mike Aviles went 2-5 with a double, homer, 3 RBI, and a run.  He has 5 RBI over his last three games.
- W: Jake McGee (3-1), L: Tim Wakefield (7-7), SV: Joel Peralta (5)
- HR: Mike Aviles (7)
- SB: Desmond Jennings (18), Evan Longoria (3), Ben Zobrist (18), Matt Joyce (13); CS: B.J. Upton (10)

Angels 11 - Orioles 2

- Jered Weaver won his 18th game, after he pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs.  he gave up 6 hits with 1 walk and just 2 strikeouts.  In the AL, he ranks 5th in innings pitched (222.2), 7th in strikeouts (190), 2nd in ERA (2.41), and 3rd in WHIP (1.02).  He's had just 3 strikeouts total over his last two starts.
- Alfredo Simon was kicked around for 6 earned runs over 5 innings.  He gave up 3 homers, two of which were 2-run knocks in the fourth inning.  He's 0-3 over his last five starts with 29 innings pitched and 21 earned runs allowed.
- Erick Aybar went 4-4 with two doubles, a homer, 4 RBI, 5 runs, and a walk.  Tough to do much better than that.  The SS is batting .281/.319/.427 this season.  Not my ideal lead-off man, but it's not my team.
- Howie Kendrick went 3-5 with a double, 3 RBI, and a run.  The 2B is batting .291/.342/.470 over 549 plate appearances.  He's more like my ideal leadoff man.
- W: Jered Weaver (18-7), L: Alfredo Simon (4-9)
- HR: Erick Aybar (9, 10), Vernon Wells (22), Vladimir Guerrero (13)
- SB: Peter Bourjos (21); CS: Howie Kendrick (6), Vernon Wells (4)

White Sox 10 - Royals 5

- John Danks allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 6 innings, as he won his 7th game of the season.  He gave up 10 hits with no walks and no strikeouts.  He has had a rough September with 22 earned runs allowed over just 18.2 innings.
- Bruce Chen wasn't much better as he allowed 4 earned runs over 5.1 innings on 9 hits and 2 walks.  He has a 4.14 ERA over 138 innings this season.
- A.J. Pierzynski went 4-5 with two homers, 4 RBI, and 3 runs.  His .292 batting average is exactly what'd you like to see out of your second catcher in an AL only league. 
- Eric Hosmer went 3-5 with a RBI and run.  The rookie is batting .292/.337/.462 this season with 17 homers and 72 RBI.
- W: John Danks (7-12), L: Bruce Chen (11-8)
- HR: Paul Konerko (30), A.J. Pierzynski (7, 8)
- SB: Melky Cabrera (20), Jeff Francoeur (22); CS: Juan Pierre (15)

Indians 6 - Twins 5

- Justin Masterson stayed hot with 6 innings pitched and 3 runs (1 earned) allowed.  His 3.15 ERA is tied for 10th best in the AL.  That's a far cry from the 4.70 ERA he had a season ago. 
- Carl Pavano allowed 4 runs (1 earned) over 6.2 innings for his 13th loss.  He walked his normal 1 batter, but with 6 strikeouts and 5 hits allowed.  He has a 3.28 home ERA this season, which is in stark contrast to his 5.42 road ERA.
- Shelley Duncan went 2-4 with a double, homer, 3 RBI, and a run.  He has 6 homers and 14 RBI this month.
- Brian Dinkelman went 4-5 with a RBI and run.  The 2B/OF hit .241/.314/.322 over 526 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
- W: Justin Masterson (12-10), L: Carl Pavano (8-13), SV: Chris Perez (34)
- HR: Shelley Duncan (10)
- SB: Kosuke Fukudome (4), Jason Kipnis (3), Michael Cuddyer (10), Joe Benson (2)

Tigers 3 - A's 0

- Justin Verlander won his 24th game of the season with 8 shutout innings.  He allowed 3 hits with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts.  The odds-on favorite to win the AL Cy Young lead the AL in innings pitched (244), strikeouts (244), ERA (2.29), and WHIP (0.91).
- Guillermo Moscoso wasn't bad himself as he pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball with 8 strikeouts.  He gave up just 1 hit with 2 walks, the hit he did give up was a solo shot.  He has a 20/5 strikeout to walk ratio over his last four starts (26.1 innings).
- Austin Jackson went 2-5 with a homer, RBI, and 2 runs.  The CF is batting .248/.316/.379 this season with 20 stolen bases.
- W: Justin Verlander (24-5), L: Guillermo Moscoso (8-9), SV: Jose Valverde (46)
- HR: Austin Jackson (10)
- CS: Scott Sizemore (3)

Rangers 3 - Mariners 0

- Matt Harrison pitched 6.2 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts for his 13th win.  He gave up 6 hits with 2 walks as it was the good Matt Harrison that showed up.  Well that or the Mariners offense that showed up.  He has a 3.42 ERA over 173.2 innings this season.
- King Felix Hernandez allowed 3 earned runs over 7 innings on 9 hits and 1 walk.  He added 5 strikeouts to give him 220 on the season, which ranks 3rd in the AL.
- Elvis Andrus went 3-5 with two doubles, a RBI, and a run.  The SS is batting .282/.346/.365 this season with 35 stolen bases.
- Adrian Beltre went 1-3 with a 2-run homer and a walk.  He has 7 homers over the last 8 days… I'd say he's pretty hot.
- W: Matt Harrison (13-9), L: Felix Hernandez (14-13), SV: Neftali Feliz (28)
- HR: Adrian Beltre (27)

Brewers 8 - Reds 1

- Zack Greinke struck out 10 Reds batters with just 1 earned run allowed over 7 innings for his 15th win.  He allowed just 2 hits with 3 walks as he lowered his ERA to 3.75.  He has a staggering 191 strikeouts over 160.2 innings this season.
- Matt Maloney was torn limb-from-limb as he gave up 7 runs (6 earned) and got just 5 outs.  He gave up 9 hits, two of which were homers.  At 81.1 innings at Triple-A this season he had a 2.99 ERA.
- Prince Fielder went 1-4 with a homer, 2 RBI, and 2 runs.  The NL MVP candidate has a .296/.410/.550 batting line with 34 homers and 112 RBI. 
- Rickie Weeks went 2-3 with a double, 2 RBI, and a walk.  It was his most productive game at the plate, since returning from the DL (ankle).
- W: Zack Greinke (15-6), L: Matt Maloney (0-3)
- HR: Corey Hart (25), Carlos Gomez (7), Prince Fielder (34)
- CS: Edgar Renteria (2)

Mets 7 - Braves 5

- Dillon Gee pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts.  He has a 4.48 ERA this season over 154.2 innings with 112 strikeouts.
- Brandon Beachy also pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 4 earned runs, in a no-decision.  He was able to salvage the day for owners with 8 strikeouts, but it also came with 5 walks and 5 hits given up.  His 160 strikeouts over 135.2 innings is impressive.
- Jason Heyward was 3-4 with a run and walk.  He's batting .225/.319/.383 in what is clearly a lost season for the phenom.
- Ruben Tejada went 2-4 with a double, 4 RBI, and a walk. 
- W: Tim Byrdak (2-0), L: Jonny Venters (6-2), SV: Manny Acosta (2)
- HR: Lucas Duda (10), Alex Gonzalez (14)
- SB: Ruben Tejada (4), Matt Diaz (5)

Nationals 4 - Marlins 3

- Chien-Ming Wang struck out 5 batters with no walks, as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs.  He gave up 2 homers and now has 12 strikeouts and no walks over his last three starts (17.2 innings).
- Brad Hand allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 4 innings on 5 hits and 1 walk.  The third inning was his undoing as he gave up 3 runs on a single and ground rule double.  Over 108.2 innings at Double-A, he had a 3.40 ERA, 71 strikeouts, and 50 walks.
- Ryan Zimmerman went 2-4 with a run.  The 3B is hitting .289/.351/.455 this season over 407 plate appearances.
- Chris Marrero went 1-2 with a double and 2 RBI.  He had 14 homers this season at Triple-A with a .300/.375/.449 batting line.
- W: Chien-Ming Wang (3-3), L: Brad Hand (1-8), SV: Drew Storen (38)
- HR: Gaby Sanchez (19), Brett Hayes (4)

Astros 3 - Cubs 2

- Brett Myers pitched 7.2 innings and allowed 2 run (1 earned) for his 6th win.  He gave up 7 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.  It's been a pretty disastrous season for him and the Astros.  His 4.39 ERA is more than a full run higher than his 3.14 ERA from a season ago, when Ed Wade should have traded him.
- Ryan Dempster allowed 3 earned runs over 7 innings as he lowered his ERA to 4.63.  The Dumpster Fire has had four straight quality starts now. 
- Clint Barmes went 2-4 with 2 RBI.  Just think Astros fans, you could have him or Felipe Paulino right now.
- Jason Bourgeois went 0-4 with a run, walk, and stolen base.  He has 29 stolen bags on the season and would be fun to watch from a fantasy perspective, if he were to get steady playing time for a full season.
- W: Brett Myers (6-13), L: Ryan Dempster (10-13), SV: Mark Melancon (18)
- SB: Jason Bourgeois (29), Clint Barmes (3)

Giants 12 - Rockies 5

- Matt Cain pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and 4 walks.  After a big 4th inning that left the team with a 9-run lead, he was all but assured a win.  In the NL he ranks 4th in innings pitched (214.1), 13th in strikeouts (173), 8th in ERA (2.86), and 5th in WHIP (1.08).  Oh and he also went 2-3 at the plate with a 2-run homer.  It was that kind of day at the plate for the Giants.
- Esmil Rogers was torched for 9 earned runs over 3.2 innings on 7 hits, four of which were homers.  This is like giving 27 earned runs to a normal offense.  Rogers shouldn't be anywhere near fantasy rosters right now.
- Brian Wilson (elbow) was activated from the disabled list and struckout 2 batters in a perfect 8th inning. 
- Pablo Sandoval went 3-4 with a triple, two homers, 4 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk.  Panda is batting .310/.354/.548 this season, in what has certainly been a good bounce back season from his fatty days.
- Eric Young Jr. went 0-3 with a RBI, run, 2 walks, and 2 stolen bases.  He continues to be a nice source of speed if you can handle the erratic playing time.
- W: Matt Cain (12-10), L: Esmil Rogers (6-6)
- HR: Mike Fontenot (4), Pablo Sandoval (21, 22), Brandon Belt (8), Brandon Crawford (3), Matt Cain (1)
- SB: Eric Young Jr. (22, 23)

Diamondbacks 5 - Padres 1

- Joe Saunders allowed 1 run (0 earned) over 8.2 innings for his 12th win.  He gave up 7 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.  He has a 3.14 ERA in road games this season. 
- Aaron Harang took the loss, after he pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks.  He gave up both runs on solo shots.  He has a 3.29 ERA at home this season, which should surprise no one, considering the effects PETCO can have on a fly-ball pitcher.
- Paul Goldschmidt went 2-3 with a homer, 3 RBI, a run, a walk, and a stolen base.  A full box score for the rookie, who is batting .262/.340/.500 this season over 147 plate appearances with 8 homers.
- Miguel Montero went 1-3 with a homer and 2 walks.  He leads all NL catchers in WAR, which does little for fantasy owners, but his 17 homers and 82 RBI, surely do.
- W: Joe Saunders (12-12), L: Aaron Harang (13-7)
- HR: Miguel Montero (17), Paul Goldschmidt (8)
- SB: Gerardo Parra (13), Paul Goldschmidt (4), Cameron Maybin (37)

Dodgers 15 - Pirates 1

- Chad Billingsley pitched 5 innings and allowed 1 earned run on 4 hits and 2 walks for his 11th win.  He could have had one of his normal blow-ups and he still would have won this game as long as he had pitched 5 innings as the Dodgers bats were hot.  As-is, he has a 4.23 ERA over a frustrating 183 innings.
- Brad Lincoln bore the brunt of the damage for a Pirates pitching staff that gave up 15 runs on the day.  Lincoln got 5 outs with 6 earned runs allowed on 8 hits.  Aaron Thompson, Chris Leroux, Evan Meek, and Daniel McCutchen didn't do much better.
- James Loney went 5-6 with a double, 3 RBI, and 2 runs.  Only the Loney could have 5 hits and only have one go for extra bases.
- Jerry Sands went 4-6 with a homer, 4 RBI, and a run.  Juan Rivera also had 4 RBI, but on 3 hits. 
- W: Chad Billingsley (11-10), L: Brad Lincoln (1-3)
- HR: Matt Kemp (34), Jerry Sands (3)
- SB: Andrew McCutchen (21)

Cardinals 5 - Phillies 0

- Chris Carpenter hurled 8 shutout innings for his 10th win and more importantly, he helped move the Cardinals 3.5 behind the Braves for the NL Wildcard.  Carpenter finished with 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 8 hits allowed.  He has 178 strikeouts for the season and should finish with the second most of his career (184). 
- Cole Hamels pitched 7 innings and allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits, two of which were homers.  He issued no walks and struck out 9 batters as his ERA rose to 2.80, which is 7th best in the NL.
- Allen Craig went 3-4 with a double, homer, 3 RBI, and 3 runs.  The 3B/OF is batting .314/.362/.529 this season with 7 homers and 32 RBI over 189 plate appearances.
- Albert Pujols went 1-4 with a 2-run homer.  If he can maintain his batting average, he's 5 RBI away from a .300 & 100 season.  Guy is a machine.
- W: Chris Carpenter (10-9), L: Cole Hamels (14-9)
- HR: Allen Craig (7), Albert Pujols (36)
- SB: Rafael Furcal (9)