Observations:
- Stephen Strasburg, what amazes me about the guy is how he is able to focus when things get tight. On Sunday, he was on the road in Cleveland, and gave up a homer to Travis Hafner in the second inning. Rather than let it affect him, he got Austin Kearns to fly out on the next pitch. Then he struck out Russell Branyan and Jhonny Peralta to end the inning. In the 4th inning, he walked his first batter ever, in Carlos Santana and then let Hafner get the better of him again, by drawing a walk. Give in? Nope. He struck out Kearns and Branyan (again) to end the inning. In the 6th inning, he proved he's not perfect however, when he loaded the bases on a single and two walks, and was not able to get out of the jam. This time he was bailed out by fellow '09 draft classmate, Drew Storen, who got Branyan to pop out and Peralta out on strikes. If the mound had been up to snuff, and it will be when he's at home, who knows how well he could have pitched. In the end, he went 5.1 innings, gave up 1 earned run, 2 hits, 5 walks, and struck out 8 batters in a win. Next up: Chicago White Sox at home on Saturday
- If you have an ESPN Insider account, I highly suggest you check out the results of a poll of 100 anonymous players on the state of MLB umpires. It covers the best/worst umps, the umps w/ the quickest hook, overall grades for umpires, replay on base calls, replay on fair/foul calls, and should Bud Selig have overturned the Armando Galarraga call.
Notables:
- Ted Lilly and Gavin Floyd had dueling no-no bids going on Sunday night. Floyd flinched first and gave up a double to Alfonso Soriano in the bottom of the 7th. It led to an earned run, the only one that Floyd would give up all night. He ended with 8 innings pitched, 9 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 3 hits allowed. Lilly however, took his no-no bid into the 9th inning, where it was ultimately broken up by Juan Pierre on a single up the middle. Carlos Marmol came in after the hit and nailed down the save. It was Lilly's first win since April 24th and by far his best start of the season. If you're tracking no-hitters, there were 4 from '02 to '06, 3 in '07, 2 in '08, 2 in '09, and 3 this season, not including the Armando Galarraga 28 out game.
- Zack Greinke had to wait exactly 1 month to get his second win, but it finally came. He struck out 12 and walked none in a complete game against the Reds. Hopefully this is the start he needs to get him back on track.
- Cole Hamels struck out 8 Red Sox batters, en route to his 6th win. He had been winless in his last 3 starts. His strikeout rate is up this season, but his swinging strike percentage is down. His xFIP this season (3.70) is nearly identical to that of his '06, '08, and '09 seasons. Make of that what you will.
- Felix Hernandez matched his season high of 9 strikeouts, in a win over the Padres. In classic "El Rey" style he induced 16 ground balls, 4 fly balls, and 1 line drive. He threw 127 pitches and was 1 out away from a complete game.
- Phil Hughes tied David Price for the AL lead in wins with 9, but not before giving up 5 runs to the offensively challenged Astros. He was cruising along until the 6th inning, when he gave up a 2-run single to Tommy Manzella and 2-run homer to Kevin Cash. Not exactly Tango & Cash, but they got to Hughes none the less.
- Mike Pelfrey also received his 9th win on Sunday. He gave up 9 hits and walked 3 batters, but when you're facing Kevin Millwood and the Orioles anemic offense, you don't have to bring your A game to come out ahead.
- Chris Volstad got the better of the Rays and Jeff Niemann for his 4th win. Volstad gave up 4 hits and issued 4 walks, but only saw 1 run cross the plate in his 6 innings. His ERA is almost a full run lower than what it was last season, due in part to his lowered home run rate (1.64 in '09, 0.87 this season). His strikeout and walk rates are worse than in '09, so caveat emptor... buyer beware.
- Colby Lewis and Yovani Gallardo went mano a mano in a race to see who could get more strikeouts. The battle ended in a draw at 10, with Gallardo giving up 4 earned runs, while Lewis only allowed 2... advantage Lewis. They've each reached double digit Ks 4 times this season.
- Kris Medlen isn't just a fill in for the injured Jair Jurrjens; he's a productive member of the Braves starting rotation. Against the Twins he had his best start of the season, going 8 innings and allowing only 4 hits. Unfortunately 1 of those hits was a 3-run homer to Delmon Young. Still, he allowed only 1 hit to the Mauer/Morneau combo and walked 1 batter all game long.
- Jeff Francis picked up where Jason Hammel left off Saturday. He gave up 2 earned runs to a Blue Jays lineup that hasn't scored more than 3 runs in their last 10 games. With the win, the former 17 game winner evened his record to 2-2.
- Matt Cain is flat out dominating hitters right now. After his start against the A's, he has now allowed 2 earned runs in his last 5 starts... combined. He's averaged 5 hits allowed and over 8 innings pitched, in those 5 starts. Simply put, that's a 0.40 ERA and 0.78 WHIP over his last 41 innings. This is the type of production that Tim Lincecum owners thought they were getting.
- Jered Weaver and Jeff Weaver faced off in the Angels/Dodgers game on Sunday. They had 2 encounters, one In the bottom of the 3rd, where Jered struck Jeff out on 5 pitches, and another In the top of the 4th, where Jeff got Jered to ground out to second. Watching two brothers face each other in a major league baseball game is pretty cool, but it's special when Vin Scully is calling the game and telling you about how they're going out for pizza together afterwards.
Save Chances:
- Carlos Marmol, converted (13). Came on in relief of Lilly after Juan Pierre broke up his bid at a no-no. He walked 2 (1 intentional) and struck out one in a scoreless 9th.
- Jose Valverde, converted (13). With a 2 run lead, he gave up a sac fly to Delwyn Young that scored Ryan Doumit.
- David Aardsma, converted (13). Got 1 out after King Felix was pulled in the 9th.
- Brian Fuentes, converted (10). Struck out and walked 1 in a scoreless 9th.
- Brad Lidge, converted (4). Got 2 batters out, 1 via K.
- Santiago Casilla, converted (2). Gave up 1 hit in 1.1 scoreless to finish off the A's.
Other Closer Outings:
- Chad Qualls had another meltdown. He came in with a 3 run lead and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and an error (that he committed). In his previous outing, Qualls gave up 4 earned runs and got only 1 out. His ERA is over 8, but A.J. Hinch continues to stick with him. If Qualls wasn't on the hot seat before, he is now.
- Mariano Rivera struck out 2 in a clean 9th.
- Jonathan Broxton gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 9th.
- Leo Nunez struck out 1 and gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 9th.
- Octavio Dotel got 1 out and gave up a 3 run homer to Miguel Cabrera. Only 1 of those runs was charged to Dotel.
- Kerry Wood struck out 1 and gave up 2 hits in a scoreless 9th.
Non-Closer Outings:
- Jose Contreras gave up 2 hits in a scoreless 8th.
- Joaquin Benoit struck out 2 and walked 1 in 1.1 scoreless innings.
- Franklin Morales gave up 1 hit in a scoreless 8th.
- Luke Gregerson took a loss, after giving up 1 earned run on 2 hits. He also struck out a batter in his 1 inning.
- Fernando Rodney gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 1 walk.
- Hong-Chih Kuo struck out and walked 1 in a scoreless 7th.
- Aaron Heilman gave up 3 hits in 1.1 scoreless innings. He seems to be the only Diamondbacks reliever that hasn't flamed out this season.
Tough Days:
- Carlos Santana had a run-in with Adam Dunn at home plate and by run-in, I mean he got bulldozed. Dunn is 6'6" and weighs about 290 lbs., while Santana is 5'11" and weighs about 190 lbs. Do the math and Dunn is about a half a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier than the rookie catcher. I could clearly read Dunn's lips when he asked Santana, who lay on the ground stunned, "Are you ok?" Seriously, who would be ok after that?
Lineup-ology:
- Alex Rodriguez sat with a groin issue. Ramiro Pena started in his place.
- Daniel Nava started again for the Red Sox, as their OF is depleted due to injuries.
- Andruw Jones played left field and hit lead-off for the White Sox, while Juan Pierre took a seat.
- Carlos Gonzalez hit 3rd, instead of his usual lead-off for the Rockies.
- Tyler Colvin got the start in right field on Sunday night for the Cubs. Sweet Lou will reportedly have Colvin in the lineup more going forward... finally.
- Matt Kemp missed Sunday's game as Joe Torre tried to give him a day off to shake the slump he's in.
- Miguel Montero started at catcher for the Diamondbacks. He should garner the majority of the starts moving forward.
- Austin Jackson was scratched from Sunday's lineup with back spasms.
- Wilson Betemit got the start over the slumping Alberto Callaspo for the Royals.
- Craig Counsell started over Alcides Escobar for the Brewers.
- Jason Donald was benched again on Sunday. He's started 4 of the last 8 games the Tribe has played.
- Magglio Ordonez remained out with a sore oblique.
- Justin Upton got the day off as he tries to shake the slump he's in.
Comings/Goings:
- Activated: Alfredo Simon (Orioles).
- Recalled: Chad Huffman (Yankees), & Rafael Rodriguez (Angels).
- Optioned: Brad Bergesen (Orioles).
- Designated for Assignment: Jake Fox (A's).
Injuries:
- Watch: Dontrelle Willis (finger nail), Chipper Jones (finger), Jorge Posada (foot), Troy Tulowitzki (groin), & Brandon Phillips (hamstring).
- DL Bound: Marcus Thames (strained right hamstring) & Jason Bulger (strained right shoulder).
Chicks Dig the Long Ball: All 41 of them
- Miguel Cabrera (19), Josh Hamilton (15), Adam Dunn (14), Joey Votto (12 & 13), Troy Glaus (12 & 13), Robinson Cano (13), David Wright (11 & 12), Prince Fielder (11 & 12), Chris Young (11 & 12), Aubrey Huff (9 & 10, Torii Hunter (10), Mike Napoli (10), Garrett Jones (10), Carlos Gonzalez (10), Juan Uribe (10), Adrian Beltre (9), Jorge Cantu (9), Jorge Posada (8), Delmon Young (8), Travis Hafner (7), Ryan Spilborghs (5 & 6), Billy Butler (6), Martin Prado (6), Milton Bradley (5), David DeJesus (5), Raul Ibanez (4), Jason Bay (4), Alex Avila (3), Roger Bernadina (3), Rafael Furcal (2), Tony Gwynn Jr. (2), Wes Helms (2), Kevin Cash (2), & Chris Carter (2).
Stolen Bases:
- Rajai Davis (24), Brett Gardner (22), Michael Bourn (21), Carl Crawford (21), Hanley Ramirez (10 & 11), Erick Aybar (11), Bobby Abreu (10), Orlando Cabrera (9), James Loney (9), Corey Patterson (8), Hunter Pence (7), Cody Ross (5), Jayson Werth (3 & 4), Alcides Escobar (4), David DeJesus (3), Sean Rodriguez (1 & 2), Mike Stanton (2), & Robb Quinlan (1).
Caught Stealing:
- Scott Podsednik (6), Jason Heyward (4), Derek Jeter (3), Yadier Molina (3), Howie Kendrick (2), Russell Martin (2), & Starlin Castro (1).