The Pennant Race - 9/26

The Mets may very well have saved their season last night. Heavy rains could have an affect on this weekend's series with the Marlins, but the Mets would have been in even deeper water, or something else, had they not won last night's game with the Cubs. Trailing 6-3, the Mets rallied back and then won the game in the bottom of the 9th when Carlos Beltran's line drive ticked off the end of the glove of a diving Micah Hoffpauir at 1st base. Jose Reyes raced home with the winning run in a 7-6 victory. It overshadowed a big game by Hoffpauir, who was playing in just his 31st big league game. The rookie homered twice, doubled, and drove in 5 runs.

The Mets bullpen, for once, was key, holding the Cubs over the final 2.2 innings after a shaky start from Pedro Martinez. It kept the Shea inhabitants in a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers, who also won in dramatic fashion, for the wildcard lead, and moved them to within one game of the idle Phillies in the NL East. Martinez left to a standing ovation, which he admittedly realized could be his last.

Knowing that the Mets had already won, the Brewers were locked in a 1-1 battle with the Pirates. The key to the 10th inning win came down to one at-bat. With two men aboard and two outs, Dale Sveum sent up Craig Counsell to pinch-hit for Bill Hall. Rookie Jesse Chavez walked him, meaning he had to face Ryan Braun. Moments later Bernie Brewer was going nuts, as was the rest of Miller Park, as Braun hit a walk off grand slam. Kudos to the Brewers pitchers, all eight of them, that held the Pirates to one run.

Bullpens were huge in the White Sox-Twins game last night as well. The White Sox built up a 6-1 and looked like they would remain in first place in the AL Central, but the Twins rallied against the Chicago pen, while their own relievers shut down the White Sox after the 4th inning.

An RBI triple by Carlos Gomez and a run scoring double by Denard Span cut the White Sox lead in half in the fourth. Down 6-4 in the eighth inning, the two struck again. Gomez's RBI single off of Bobby Jenks narrowed the deficit to a run, and moments later Span tripled to score Gomez and knot the game at 6-6. In the 10th, Nick Punto drew a one out walk, moved to second on Gomez's ground out, and advanced to third on Jenks' wild pitch. After Span was intentionally walked, Alexi Casilla singled home Punto with the game winner and vaulted the Twins into first place by a half-game.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West when the Cardinals pounded the Diamondbacks 12-3 Thursday afternoon, but held off celebrating until after they lost last night's game with the Padres, 7-5. Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez made the difference with this bunch, which took advantage of a collapsing Dbacks squad.

The Red Sox moved back to within 2 games of the Rays with a 6-1 win over the Indians. Jon Lester and three relievers combined on a 2-hitter and Kevin Youkilis hit his 28th home run. Meanwhile, the Rays fell to the Tigers, 7-5, as Scott Kazmir was tagged for four of the five home runs Detroit hit. Rookie Armando Galarraga won his 13th game for the Tigers.


News and Notes

The Padres clung to their slim playoff hopes with an 8-6 win over the Reds. Roy Oswalt won his 17th game. Oswalt went 8-2, 1.70 in his last 10 starts.

Vlad Guerrero's 3-run home run yesterday gave him at least 90 RBI for the 10th time in his career.

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Angels Put Yankees in a Clinch

The Yankees are used to celebrating September clinches and October victories. Yesterday they sat and watched the Los Angeles Angels become the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a combined 4-2 win over the Yankees and an 8-7 Rangers loss to the Mariners.

Things started out all right for the locals, Andy Pettitte had a 2-1 lead entering the fifth inning. Then the Angels loaded the bases on consecutive singles by Gary Matthews Jr., Garret Anderson, and Vladmir Guerrero (the killer 'G's?). Pettitte bounced back, striking out both Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales looking. But Robb Quinlan singled home two runs to put the Angels ahead and Guerrero came home home as well on Xavier Nady's errant throw to third base.

Just like that the Yankees were down 4-2 and rolled over. They managed just a walk over the next three innings and then had to face Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth. The Yankees did have a chance with two outs, as Jason Giambi drew a walk and Nady singled, but Hideki Matsui went down looking for the final out. The save was K-Rod's 56th, leaving him one behind Bobby Thigpen for the most saves in a single season.

The Yankees got off to a good start in the first inning against Angels right-hander Dustin Moseley, but, as usual, couldn't build off it. Derek Jeter drew a one out walk and stole second base. Bobby Abreu followed with a walk of his own and the Yankees were in business. Alex Rodriguez struck out for the second out, but Jason Giambi picked him up with an RBI single to right, for a 1-0 lead. Moseley then balked home Abreu for a second run. Giambi was stranded in scoring position, however, when Nady went down swinging.

The Angels got a run back in the first after a one out double by Matthews. Guerrero struck out, but reached on a wild pitch, with Matthews moving to third. Juan Rivera put the Angels on the board with an RBI ground out.

Box Score


News and Notes

The Yankees struck out 13 times in the game with A-Rod collecting three of them.

Joba Chamberlain threw two scoreless innings in relief, striking out three. It was the first time he went more than an inning since returning from the DL.

Derek Jeter stole his 275th career base.

Robinson Cano is in a 2-25 slide.

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Yankees Waste Ponson Effort

Sidney Ponson gave the Yankees more than they ever could have expected last night against the Los Angeles Angels. Ponson hadn't thrown 7 shutout innings since 2004, so when the happens against the team with the best record in baseball, you had better win the game. But the Yankees couldn't do anything against Angels starter Ervin Santana and Mariano Rivera once again coughed up a run in a tie game. The outcome was a 1-0 loss, the Yankees fifth in their last six games.

No blame could placed on the large shoulders of Ponson, who allowed just 2 hits over 7 innings, and escaped a number of jams. In the 5th, he loaded the bases with one out by walking Juan Rivera and Jeff Mathis after Garret Anderson had singled to break up the no-hitter. But Chone Figgins helped him out by popping up on a 2-0 pitch and Maecir Itzturis flied out to Johnny Damon in left.

In the 7th, Ponson allowed a lead off single by Mark Teixeira, but it was quickly erased when Vlad Guerrero bounced in a 6-4-3 double play. Meanwhile, Ervin Santana was matching Ponson's zeros.

The Yankees appeared to be off to a good start when Johnny Damon started the bottom of the 1st inning with a walk and Derek Jeter singled through the right side. But Santana struck out Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez, and retired the slumping Jason Giambi on a pop up.

In the 4th, Abreu singled with one out and stole 2nd base, but was eventually stranded at 3rd, when Giambi and Robinson Cano both flied out. In the 6th, Damon singled and stole 2nd base after there were two away, but the Angels intentionally walked A-Rod and Giambi failed again, striking out for the inning's final out.

Second guessers had a field day after Damaso Marte retired the side in order in the 8th, including a pair of strikeouts, but wasn't brought back for a second inning. Doubting Mariano Rivera? It's become the new thing in non-save situations. And unfortunately, Rivera lived up to that new founded attitude.

He walked Mark Teixeira to start the 9th, just the 5th walk he has allowed in 48.1 innings. Guerrero then singled to right, allowing pinch-runner Reggie Willits to easily reached 3rd base. With the infield in, Torii Hunter hit a bullet off the mound and into center field for the game's lone run.

Francisco Rodriguez made easy work of the Yankees in the 9th. He struck out A-Rod looking on a 3-2 pitch, and Giambi and Cano on routine fly outs for his major league leading 45th save.


News and Notes

Brian Bruney was recalled before the game and Chris Britton was sent back down to Scranton.

August 1, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
LA Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	4	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	0

LA Angels	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Figgins, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	2	4	.281
Izturis, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	.263
Teixeira, 1B	2	0	1	0	2	0	0	.284
1-Willits, PR	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.185
Quinlan, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.262
Guerrero, RF	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	.285
Hunter, CF	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	.281
Anderson, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.284
Kendrick, 2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	3	.331
Rivera, LF	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	.240
Mathis, C	2	0	0	0	1	1	1	.222
Totals	29	1	4	1	5	4	17
1-Ran for Teixeira in the 9th.
BATTING TB: Teixeira; Guerrero; Hunter; Anderson. RBI: Hunter (59). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Izturis 2. GIDP: Guerrero; Kendrick. Team LOB: 6. FIELDING DP: (Kendrick-Izturis-Teixeira).

LA Angels	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Santana (W, 12-5)	8.0	5	0	0	2	8	0	3.38
Rodriguez, F (S, 45)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.42

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.315
Jeter, SS	4	0	2	0	0	1	1	.282
Abreu, RF	4	0	1	0	0	2	4	.286
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	0	0	1	2	3	.323
Giambi, DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	5	.253
Cano, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	.260
Betemit, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.250
Rodriguez, I, C	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	.292
Cabrera, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.249
Totals	31	0	5	0	2	9	15
BATTING TB: Damon; Jeter 2; Abreu; Betemit. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi 2; Cano. GIDP: Rodriguez, I. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Damon (16, 2nd base off Santana/Mathis), Abreu (14, 2nd base off Santana/Mathis). FIELDING DP: 2 (Jeter-Cano-Betemit, Jeter-Betemit).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Ponson	7.0	2	0	0	4	1	0	4.23
Marte	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3.60
Rivera (L, 4-4)	1.0	2	1	1	1	1	0	1.49

WP: Santana.
IBB: Rodriguez, A (by Santana).
Pitches-strikes: Santana 118-73, Rodriguez, F 13-7,
Ponson 96-48, Marte 15-10, Rivera 19-13.
Ground outs-fly outs: Santana 7-9, Rodriguez, F 0-2,
Ponson 5-15, Marte 0-1, Rivera 2-0.
Batters faced: Santana 30, Rodriguez, F 3, Ponson 26,
Marte 3, Rivera 5.
Umpires: HP: CB Bucknor. 1B: Joe West.
2B: Ed Rapuano. 3B: Ed Hickox.
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, L to R.
T: 2:32.
Att: 53,997.

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Disgusting Display in the Bronx

That's the best way to describe last night's game between the Los Angeles and the Yankees. The Yankees had Pudge Rodriguez in their lineup. Manny Ramirez was out of the American League. It should have been a day to celebrate. But instead Andy Pettitte got rocked, the defense looked shoddy, and the bats were asleep. Don't let the final score of 12-6 fool you. This game wasn't close after the 2nd inning.

Pettitte had come into the contest on a tremendous roll, having allowed 6 earned runs in his last 28 innings. But the nemesis Angels put that many runs on the board in the 3rd inning alone. Both Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera took Pettitte deep with two men aboard. In the blink of an eye, Pettitte, who struggled with his command all night, and the Yankees were in a huge 6-0 hole.

The Yankees teased the crowd a bit with a couple of runs off of Jon Garland. Bobby Abreu hit his third home run in two days and Johnny Damon added an RBI single. But up 6-2 in the 6th, the Angels blew the game open. A Jeff Mathis double was followed by an RBI single by Chone Figgins. A walk to Erik Aybar finally ended Pettitte's night to forget, but things only got worse. Chris Britton came on and surrendered yet another 3-run home run, this time to Vlad Guerrero.

The Angels would sprinkle a few runs on and the Yankees would tease the crowd, what was left of it, some more with 3 runs in the 9th before an out was recorded. But it was clear early on that this game was over barely after it had started.


News and Notes

Phil Hughes was activated from the DL and optioned to Charleston, where he will pitch tonight. Ian Kennedy continued to impress of late, allowing 3 hits over 6 innings on Tuesday night. He could be the quickest option to replace Ponson or Rasner in the starting rotation.

Chris Britton was recalled last night, because the Yankees aren't happy with Brian Bruney's command thus far.

Including the 2003 playoffs, the Angels have won 30 of the last 48 meetings between the two meetings. It won't get any easier tonight when Sidney Ponson goes up against Ervin Santana.

It was a tough first game for Ivan Rodriguez, who went 1-3 and was 0-3 throwing out would be base stealers. He was also called out at the plate on a play that he was clearly safe on.

Chone Figgins had 4 hits and is batting .331 lifetime against the Bombers.


July 31, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
LA Angels	0	0	6	0	0	4	0	2	0		12	18	2
NY Yankees	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	3		6	12	0

LA Angels	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Figgins, 3B	5	3	4	1	0	0	0	.285
Aybar, SS	4	2	1	1	1	1	2	.284
Teixeira, 1B	4	1	2	1	1	0	3	.283
Guerrero, RF	4	1	1	3	1	1	4	.285
Willits, RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.185
Hunter, CF	5	1	1	3	0	2	2	.281
Quinlan, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.262
Anderson, DH	5	1	4	0	0	0	0	.285
1-Budde, PR-DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kendrick, 2B	5	1	3	0	0	0	1	.335
Rivera, LF	4	1	1	3	0	0	2	.244
a-Matthews, PH-CF	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.229
Mathis, C	5	1	1	0	0	1	3	.224
Totals	42	12	18	12	3	5	19
a-Hit into a double play for Rivera in the 9th. 1-Ran for Anderson in the 9th.
BATTING 2B: Mathis (7, Pettitte), Anderson (17, Britton). 3B: Aybar (4, Britton). HR: Hunter (18, 3rd inning off Pettitte, 2 on, 2 out), Rivera (6, 3rd inning off Pettitte, 2 on, 2 out), Guerrero (18, 6th inning off Britton, 2 on, 2 out). TB: Figgins 4; Aybar 3; Teixeira 2; Guerrero 4; Hunter 4; Anderson 5; Kendrick 3; Rivera 4; Mathis 2. RBI: Hunter 3 (58), Rivera 3 (19), Figgins (13), Guerrero 3 (58), Aybar (26), Teixeira (79). 2-out RBI: Hunter 3; Rivera 3; Guerrero 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Hunter; Mathis 3. GIDP: Guerrero. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Kendrick (8, 2nd base off Pettitte/Rodriguez), Teixeira (1, 2nd base off Pettitte/Rodriguez), Figgins (21, 2nd base off Pettitte/Rodriguez). CS: Anderson (3, 3rd base by Pettitte/Rodriguez). PO: Anderson (2nd base by Pettitte). FIELDING E: Garland (1, throw), Guerrero (3, fielding). DP: 2 (Aybar-Kendrick-Teixeira, Oliver-Aybar-Mathis).

LA Angels	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Garland (W, 10-6)	6.0	7	3	3	1	3	2	4.30
Oliver	2.0	2	0	0	0	1	0	3.14
O'Day	0.0	3	3	3	1	0	0	4.54
Arredondo	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.16

Garland pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.
O'Day pitched to 4 batters in the 9th.

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, DH	4	0	1	2	1	0	3	.315
Jeter, SS	5	0	0	1	0	0	4	.280
Abreu, RF	5	1	1	2	0	0	1	.287
Rodriguez, A, 3B	5	0	1	0	0	1	1	.326
Giambi, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.257
a-Sexson, PH-1B	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.225
Cano, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	1	3	.263
Nady, LF	3	2	2	1	1	0	0	.328
Rodriguez, C	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.295
b-Betemit, PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.248
Cabrera, CF	4	2	3	0	0	0	0	.251
Totals	38	6	12	6	2	4	14
a-Singled for Giambi in the 8th. b-Singled for Rodriguez in the 9th.
BATTING 2B: Rodriguez, A (23, Garland). 3B: Cabrera (1, Garland). HR: Abreu (14, 4th inning off Garland, 0 on, 1 out), Nady (15, 7th inning off Garland, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Damon; Abreu 4; Rodriguez, A 2; Giambi; Sexson; Nady 5; Rodriguez; Betemit; Cabrera 5. RBI: Abreu 2 (73), Damon 2 (46), Nady (61), Jeter (49). 2-out RBI: Damon. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano; Jeter. GIDP: Rodriguez. Team LOB: 7. FIELDING DP: 2 (Rodriguez, A-Cano-Giambi, Cano-Sexson). Pickoffs: Pettitte (Anderson at 2nd base).

NY Yankees IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Pettitte (L, 12-8) 5.1 11 9 9 3 4 2 4.18 Britton 3.2 7 3 3 0 1 1 3.38

Garland pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. O'Day pitched to 4 batters in the 9th. WP: Britton. Pitches-strikes: Garland 105-67, Oliver 20-14, O'Day 15-10, Arredondo 6-3, Pettitte 110-62, Britton 53-32. Ground outs-fly outs: Garland 8-7, Oliver 2-2, O'Day 0-0, Arredondo 3-0, Pettitte 3-8, Britton 2-7. Batters faced: Garland 26, Oliver 7, O'Day 4, Arredondo 3, Pettitte 29, Britton 16. Inherited runners-scored: Oliver 1-0, Arredondo 3-2, Britton 2-2. Umpires: HP: Ed Hickox. 1B: CB Bucknor. 2B: Joe West. 3B: Ed Rapuano. Weather: 86 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 11 mph, R to L. T: 3:16. Att: 53,405.

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Around the Horn - 6/4

There was a huge impact felt by a New York pitcher's start last night and it wasn't Joba Chamberlain. Pedro Martinez made his return to the Mets starting rotation and immediately gave them a lift, putting in a quality efforts in the Mets 9-6 win over the Giants. Pedro stepped on the mound for the first time since April 1, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings for his first won of the year and the 210th of his career.

The Cubbies ran wild in their come from behind 9-6 win over the Padres. Alfonso Soriano hit a 3-run home run and had one of the 6 Cubs stolen bases. The win was Chicago's 9th straight, their longest streak since 2001.

The Rockies snapped an 8-game losing streak and a 13-game road losing streak by beating the Dodgers 3-0. Jeff Francis turned in 7 stellar innings to pick up his 2nd win. The game also featured a brawl between Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Kemp struck out on a pitch that he chased in the dirt. When Torrealba tagged him, Kemp shoved him, and Torrealba shoved back. Kemp admitted afterwards that it was his fault.

“I’m not used to acting in that way. It’s not in my character. It was out of frustration,” Kemp said. “We were losing the game and it was stupid— really stupid. It was not a good decision on my part. But it happened, and we have to deal with whatever happens after it.

You can catch a video of the fight at the bottom of the thread.

Wandy Rodriguez and 3 relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout in the Astros 2-0 win over the Pirates. Lance Berkman drove in his 48th run.

Greg Norton's 2-run double in the 8th lifted the Braves over the Marlins 5-4. Chipper Jones hit his 399th career home run in the game, while the Marlins Dan Uggla had a pair to give him 18 this season.

Randy Johnson passed Roger Clemens for 2nd place on the all-time strike out list, but took the loss as the Diamondbacks fell to the Brewers 7-1. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and J.J. Hardy homered for the Brewers. Fielder has hit one out in 4 of the last 5 games.

Yadier Molina belted a 3-run home run to lift Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals over the Nationals 6-1. Albert Pujols was forced to leave the game with a strained calf.

Pat Burrell smacked a 2-run home run and Chase Utley drove in his 53rd run to help the Phillies hold off the Reds 3-2.

The Indians lost for the 13th time in 17 games when the Rangers pasted them last night 12-7. Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and David Murphy all went deep. Ian Kinsler (18 games) and Michael Young (19 games) each extended their hitting streaks.

Justin Masterson has struggled in the minors this season, but he's 2-0, 2.95 in 3 major league starts for the Red Sox. Last night Boston beat the Tampa Rays 7-4. Coco Crisp's 2-run double highlighted a 4-run 6th inning.

Carlos Quentin, A.J. Pierzynski, and Alexi Ramirez homered to help lift the White Sox over the Royals 9-5. Gavin Floyd won his 6th game as the White Sox moved 5 games over .500.

Radhames Liz won his first major league in the Orioles 5-3 victory over the Twins. Melvin Mora and Kevin Millar homered for the O's.

The A's rallied to beat the Tigers 5-4 in 11 innings. Newly recalled Travis Buck singled in the tying run in the 8th before Jack Cust's single sent everyone home happy in extras. Dontrelle Willis returned to the starting rotation for Detroit and tossed 4 shutout innings. He gave up 2 hits, walked 5, and struck out 3.

Maecir Izturis drove in 3 runs and the Angels held off the Mariners 5-4. Francisco Rodriguez notched his major league leading 23rd save to preserve the win for Joe Saunders (9-2). The loss left the Mariners 17 games under .500. Vlad Guerrero missed his 2nd straight game with hyperflexion in his right knee, but may return to the lineup tonight.

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Around the Horn - 5/22

The Cardinals beat the Padres 11-3 last night, but the Padres are less concerned about the game itself. Albert Pujols was literally a one man wrecking crew. No, Pujols didn't hit 3 home runs or drive in a 7 runs. He just injured the Padres starting pitcher and catcher within a matter of minutes.

The Padres had a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning when Pujols hit a line drive off of the face of Padres starter Chris Young. The 6'10" right hander was bleeding profusely and was obviously a bit dazed. He ended up with a broken nose and a cut. Pujols was visibly shaken and prayed with Padres 1st Baseman Adrian Gonzalez while Young was tended to. But Pujols wasn't done yet. Two batters later there was a play at the plate. Pujols slid into catcher Josh Bard who was blocking the plate with his left leg. Nowhere good to go, right? Bard was down for the count for several minutes and had to be helped off the feel with a badly sprained ankle. Thanks to the Big Lead for finding video of the Pads rough night.

The heat is getting hotter and hotter in the Mets dugout. While Willie Randolph continues to back track from his racially motivated comments from the other day, his team went out and lost to the Braves for the 3rd straight game. Atlanta clobbered Mike Pelfrey and the Mets 11-4 behind Jeff Francoeur's 4 RBI. Chipper Jones hit career home run number 398.

Ben Sheets (5-1, 2.92) pitched an 11-hit complete game. Not a stat that you see to often. He allowed only 1 run in the Brewers 4-1 win over the Pirates. Ryan Braun drove in his 19th run in 19 games in May.

The Giants were very happy to see Rockies starter Ubaldo Jiminez leave after 7 innings. The 2nd year man limited the Giants to 3 hits and no runs over 7 innings, but the Giants rallied for a pair in the 9th against closer Brian Fuentes and then won it in the 10th on Omar Vizquel's sacrifice fly, 3-2.

It took Shawn Chacon 10 starts, but he finally got a decision. He's now 1-0 after the Astros beat the Cubs 5-3. Carlos Lee's 3rd inning 3-run home run put the Astros ahead for good. Early MVP candidate Lance Berkman stole his 9th base, already tying his career high.

Ryan Howard homered twice and drove in 4 in the Phillies 12-2 rout of the Nationals. Jamie Moyer threw 6 shutout innings for his 234th career win. With the start in Nationals Park, Moyer has now pitched in 46 ball parks.

Brandon Webb is human after all. He got out pitched by Ricky Nolasco last night as the Marlins won their 2nd straight from the Diamondbacks, 3-1. No starter has begun the season 10-0 in 90 years and it will remain that way for now.

Hiroki Kuroda tossed 5-hit ball for the Dodgers in their 5-2 win over the Reds. Rookie sensation Johnny Cueto took the loss after allowed 4 runs, 2 earned, in 5 innings.

Vlad Guerrero was the Angels offense in their 4-3 win over the Blue Jays. Big Vladdy hit a pair of home runs, but just as his teammates are, he's below his norm - .266-6-27 - in offensive production.

Jack Cust homered twice and drove in 4 runs, and Dana Eveland threw his first career complete game in the A's 9-1 thumping of the Rays. Jonny Gomes spoiled Eveland's shut out bid with an 8th inning home run. Rays closer Troy Percival was unavailable and is day-to-day with a strained hamstring.

Bartolo Colon made a triumphant return to the big leagues, picking up the win after allowing 2 runs in 5 innings. The Red Sox topped the Royals 6-3 behind Jacob Ellsbury, who homered and scored 3 runs. The Royals announced the signing of pitcher Horacio Ramirez to a minor league deal.

Paul Byrd was breezing along with a 1-hitter into the 6th inning last night when he ran smack dab into Jermaine Dye. Moments later the White Sox had the lead on Dye's 3-run blast. The right fielder later added solo shot and the White Sox topped the Indians 7-2. Jim Thome also added his 516th career blast.

3-0, 2.95 ERA. Pretty good pitching stats, huh? Believe it or not they belong to Sidney Ponson. The portly right-hander threw a complete game last night in the Rangers 10-1 drubbing of the Twins. It was his first 9 inning performance in over 3 years.

Marcus Thames 5th career grand slam highlighted a 7-run 3rd inning as the Tigers beat up the Mariners 9-4. Kenny Rogers was ineffective, but picked up the win to even his record at 4-4.

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