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Stay For a Nightcap - Get Low Edition

Yankees 4 - Orioles 1

- Bartolo Colon fired off 8 shutout innings with 3 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts.  Damn, I wonder if they can inject some of his fat and bone marrow stem cells into Jeter or Posada's bat.  Or at the very least, Phil Hughes' arm.  Colon has a 48/11 strikeout-to-walk ratio now and is true vintage form.  If Livan Hernandez has this procedure he might pitch forever.
- Zach Britton held the Yankees to 1 run (unearned) over 7 innings with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.  No regression here.  Britton has allowed 3 earned runs or less in 8 of his 9 starts this season.  His 33/19 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn't sexy by any means, but it's hard to argue with the results.
- Mariano Rivera blew his 3rd save of the season, after he gave up a sac-fly to Vlad the Impaler in the 9th.  Nothing to see here, this is just what he does from time to time to prove to us that he is a part man, part pitching God… It's a 1/99 ratio.
- Alex Rodriguez followed up his 2 homer game with 4 hits and 2 runs.  Look elsewhere for RBI as there were 29 men left on base in this game.  Yeah, this one went 15 innings.
- Forget Jeter & Posada, what's up with Nick Swisher?  He went 0-2 with a RBI, walk, and strikeout to push his batting line to .215/.329/.304.  No bueno.
- Speaking of no bueno, Derek Jeter went 2-7 with a strikeout.  Neither was an extra base hit.  How did the Yankees manage 15 hits with only 1 of them being for extra bases?
- W: Hector Noesi (1-0), L: Jeremy Accardo (2-1), BSV: Mariano Rivera (3)
- SB: Eduardo Nunez (5), Russell Martin (3), Mark Reynolds (2)

Rays 6 - Blue Jays 5

- Jeremy Hellickson aka Hellboy allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 5.2 innings.  He was working with a four run lead going into the 6th, but a RBI double and RBI single cut that down to two and sent him on his way.  The bullpen picked him up though and preserved the win.
- Jesse Litsch got blitzed for 6 runs (5 earned) through 3 innings, before leaving after the 5th.  No silver lining here as he walked 3 and struck out 1.
- Elliot Johnson went 2-3 with 3 RBI  to lead the way for the Rays.  Wait, who?  He's started at short stop three of the last four games at Reid Brignac's expense.  It's hard to argue with the decision as he's been swinging a hot bat with 2 homers and 5 RBI in those games.
- Matt Joyce just keeps on hitting.  He went 1-3 with a 2-run homer and 2 walks in this one.  He's now hitting a blistering .365/.434/.619. 
- Eric Thames went 1-3 with a RBI and walk as the DH.  He should see plenty of playing time till Adam Lind returns.
- W: Jeremy Hellickson (5-2), L: Jesse Litsch (4-3), SV: Kyle Farnsworth (9)
- HR: Matt Joyce (7)
- SB: Johnny Damon (6), Aaron Hill (7), Rajai Davis (12)

Red Sox 1 - Tigers 0

- Clay Buchholz & Phil Coke each threw 7 shutout innings and received a no-decision.  Buchholz walked 1 with 7 strikeouts, while Coke walked 1 with 4 strikeouts.  Buchholz has now walked 7 batters over his last 31.1 innings for a 1.95 BB/9.  Coke has also taken a step forward with his control lately.  He has walked 5 batters over his last 29 innings for a 1.55 BB/9.
- If you haven't caught Jonathan Papelbon's act lately, he's up to 23 strikeouts to just 2 walks.  Where was this control the last two seasons? 
- Alex Avila went 2-4 to lead the Tigers in hits.  That .311 he hit in April has faded into a .176 for the month of May.
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked in the lone run in this game.  I think that's what they call irony.
- W: Daniel Bard (1-3), L: Daniel Schlereth (0-1), SV: Jonathan Papelbon (8)

White Sox 1 - Indians 0

- Jake Peavy tossed a 3-hit complete game shutout with no walks and 8 strikeouts.  This was his second start of the season, since coming off the DL (shoulder) and a surprising one at that.  It was the 7th highest game score of the season (89), if you're into that sort of thing.  Now he just needs to prove he can stay healthy.
- Justin Masterson also threw a complete game, but his was not a shutout.  He allowed 1 run over 8 innings with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts.  Yet again, he did not serve up a home run, which leaves his season total stuck at 1.  I'm sure I'll be hearing about how he's going to regress soon because of his HR/FB rate.
- Shin-Soo Choo went 2-3 with a stolen base and caught stealing.  It was his first stolen base in nearly 3 weeks.  Hey, not everyone can play the Red Sox every night.
- Dallas McPherson played 3B and hit 7th in his first start of the season.
- W: Jake Peavy (1-0), L: Justin Masterson (5-2)
- SB: Shin-Soo Choo (7); CS: Shin-Soo Choo (2), Omar Vizquel (2), Brent Lillibridge (3)

Rangers 5 - Royals 4

- Danny Duffy made his MLB debut in this one with so-so results.  He pitched 4 innings with 2 earned runs on 4 hits, 6 walks, and 4 strikeouts.  Against the Rangers, things could have gone worse. 
- Alexi Ogando held the Royals to 2 earned runs over 7 innings with 5 strikeouts in a no-decision.  That's now five straight starts with 2 earned runs or less.  No word on any blister issues for the converted reliever.  Whatever he cost on draft day, it was surely a bargain.
- Eric Hosmer homered in the 9th to tie the game and blow Neftali Feliz's save.  It was the first home run that Feliz has allowed this season.  Back to Hosmer, how does a .595 slugging sound?  Kid is legit.
- Mitch Moreland made his first start since Saturday and went 1-4 with 2 walks and a strikeout.  He had been dealing with a  tight hamstring.
- Wilson Betemit keeps on hitting.  He went 2-4 with 2 runs and is now batting .316/.386/.447. 
- W: Arthur Rhodes (2-2), L: Jeremy Jeffress (1-1), SV: Mark Lowe (1), BSV: Neftali Feliz (1)
- HR: Eric Hosmer (3)
- SB: Endy Chavez (2), Ian Kinsler (8), Mike Napoli (1), Craig Gentry (3, 4); CS: Wilson Betemit (1)

Twins 4 - A's 3

- Carl Pavano allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in his 7 innings with 6 hits, no walks, and 2 strikeouts.  That's now back-to-back non-disaster starts for the righty - dead cat bounce. 
- Brandon McCarthy also allowed 3 runs (all earned) in his 7 innings for a no-decision.  He allowed 9 hits, but walked none with 1 strikeout.  His control has been great this season with 2 or fewer walks in all of his starts.  Allowing only 1 homer helps too.
- Trevor Plouffe went 2-4 with 3 RBI.  He's batting .300/.405/.467 since coming up May 6th.  His sac-fly in the 10th was the difference in the game.
- Delmon Young was again not in the starting lineup, though he did get a pinch hit in the 10th and score the game deciding run.
- W: Joe Nathan (1-1), L: Brian Fuentes (1-4), SV: Matt Capps (7)

Mariners 3 - Angels 0

- Jason Vargas pitched 7 shutout innings with 2 walks and a season high 9 strikeouts.  The strikeouts are pretty surprising, but the control is not.  Vargas is now rocking a 3.39 ERA, ah life in the AL West. 
- Jered Weaver is still stuck on 6 wins after allowing 3 earned runs over 6 innings.  After his hot start he has cooled off, but all is not lost.  He has a 65/15 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season.
- Torii Hunter went 0-3 with a walk and strikeout.  He's down to .223/.311/.331 this season.
- Jack Cust went 2-4 with 2 RBI and a walk.  After his RBI single in the 3rd, the score was 3-0 and pretty much over from there on.  The Angels managed to get a few runners in scoring positions and even load the bases in the 8th, but the Mariners bullpen said no.
- W: Jason Vargas (3-2), L: Jered Weaver (6-4), SV: Brandon League (10)
- SB: Mark Trumbo (3), Adam Kennedy (2, 3)

Phillies 2 - Rockies 1

- Cole Hamels held the Rockies to 1 run over 8 innings for his fifth win.  He struck out 8 and walked just 1 to push his season K/BB to 64/13.  One of the reasons for his success this season is a 0.58 HR/9 which is more than half his career rate (1.14).
- Jorge De La Rosa also pitched eight 1-run innings, but he instead took the loss.  After a bad outing against San Diego, DLR managed to not issue a walk  and not serve up a homer, something he had done in three straight games coming in.  Now can he just stay healthy all season?
- John Mayberry Jr. started his 4th straight game.  With Victorino ailing and Ben Francisco struggling, he should continue to see playing time. 
- How bad is Philly's offense right now? They're 5th to last in runs scored this month. 
- W: Cole Hamels (5-2), L: Jorge De La Rosa (5-2), SV: Ryan Madson (7)
- SB: Jimmy Rollins (9); CS: Ryan Spilborghs (2)

Cubs 7 - Marlins 5

- Ricky Nolasco pitched 6 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits and 2 walks.  He couldn't go that many starts without allowing a home run, it's who he is.  The homer came in the 6th via Reed Johnson and was of the 2-run variety.  Don't go pumpkin on me now Nolasco.
- Ryan Dempster went dumpster again with 5 earned runs in 5 innings on 8 hits and 2 walks.  He righted the ship in his last three starts with 5 earned runs over 20 innings, but today he was back to no good.  He had 4 fly balls, one of which was a homer to Hanley Ramirez.  This will only further exaggerate his HR/FB rate that was 20.8|PERCENT| coming in.
- Jeff Samardzija pitched 2 scoreless innings with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts for his third win of the season.  A 2.96 ERA with a  27/22 strikeout-to-walk ratio, no thanks.
- Marlon Byrd went 1-4 with a homer and strikeout.  His isolated power is nearly half what it was last season.  Back to the lab Victor Conte.
- Greg Dobbs started at third base and went 2-4 with 2 RBI.  Bonifacio and Helms got in there for a couple games, but Dobbs is back to starting everyday now.
- W: Jeff Samardzija (3-0), L: Edward Mujica (4-2), SV: Carlos Marmol (9)
- HR: Marlon Byrd (2), Reed Johnson (2), Hanley Ramirez (3)
- SB: Tony Campana (1), Chris Coghlan (4), Hanley Ramirez (9), Omar Infante (3); CS: Kosuke Fukudome (1)

Pirates 5 - Reds 0

- Charlie Morton threw a 5 hit complete game shutout with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.  That's now 5 of 8 starts where he's allowed 1 run or less and pitched at least 6 innings.  His 29/26 K/BB ratio says danger, but then again, he's not the same pitcher he was before and there's an adjustment phase that he's going through right now.  If you don't know what I mean by different pitcher check out his ground ball rate that is over 60|PERCENT|.  He's also relying heavily on his two-seam fastball.
- Bronson Arroyo lasted 7 innings and gave up 5 earned runs.  A 3-run homer to Pedro Alvarez and 2-run homer to Andrew McCutchen did the trick. 
- Jose Tabata went 0-3 with a walk and strikeout and is hitting .227.338/.356.  I'm not too worried as his walk rate, isolated power, and hr/fb rate are all up.  That .257 BABIP will come around hopefully and smooth out his batting average.
- Pedro Alvarez is another matter as he's striking out in over a third of his at-bats with almost no power.  Hopefully that 3-run bomb he hit off of Arroyo will get him going.
- W: Charlie Morton (5-1), L: Bronson Arroyo
- HR: Andrew McCutchen (8), Pedro Alvarez (2)

Mets 3 - Nationals 0

- Jonathon Niese threw 7 shutout innings with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts.  In his last start he got roughed up for 5 earned runs over 6.1 innings, so this was a welcomed bounce back effort.  The strikeouts tie a season high.  If you didn't catch any of this game, the conditions were pretty awful as there was rain, standing water, and thunder for most of the night.  I wouldn't want anything to do with that either if I was a hitter.
- Tom Gorzelanny allowed 3 earned runs over 5.2 innings with 5 walks and 7 strikeouts.  He allowed 1 run through 5 innings, but served up a 2-run double in the 6th to short circuit his effort.
- Wilson Ramos hit 4th again for the Nats.  He went 1-4 with a strikeout.  With Laynce Nix out of the lineup and Adam LaRoche struggling, it makes sense.
- Justin Turner stayed hot with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.  He played 3B and should gain eligibility there soon.  An interesting pick up, if I do say so myself.
- W: Jonathon Niese (3-4), L: Tom Gorzelanny (2-3), SV: Francisco Rodriguez (13)
- SB: Ian Desmond (14)

Cardinals 5 - Astros 1

- Kyle Lohse held the Astros to 1 run over 8 innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.  I'm not sure what Dave Duncan considers his greatest miracle, but this is certainly up there.  He put Lohse on a walks diet and the runs have just fallen of his ERA this season.  He's down to a 2.17 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. 
- Bud Norris, who has had great success against the Red Birds coming into this season, gave up 5 earned runs in his 5 innings.  He walked 3 and struck out 4 in the loss.  Back-to-back RBI singles and a bases loaded walk in the third innings was what did him in.  It's early, but he's carrying a 2.18 ERA at home and a 6.55 ERA on the road this season.
- Lance Berkman tweaked his wrist on a diving catch in RF and had to leave the game.  It didn't look serious, but I'm not a physician nor do I play one on here.
- With Colby Rasmus (abdomen) still trying to make his way back and this Berkman wrist issue, look for Jon Jay to continue to see at-bats. In this game he went 2-4 with 2 RBI. 
- W: Kyle Lohse (5-2), L: Bud Norris (2-3)
- SB: Jon Jay (1), Tyler Greene (6); CS: Daniel Descalso (1)

Diamondbacks 5 - Braves 4

- Julio Teheran was called up for this start in place of the injured Brandon Beachy (oblique).  Like his debut, It was only a spot start, so don't get too attached.  He pitched 4 innings with 2 earned runs on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 1 strikeout.  He simply was not missing enough bats as the strikeout and hits total indicate.
- Joe Saunders held the Braves to 1 run over 6 innings.  Saunders now has a 1:1 ratio of strikeout to walks this season.  You can't do that and expect good results over time.
- Craig Kimbrel blew the save in the 11th with back-to-back RBI singles by Kelly Johnson and Justin Upton.
- Chipper Jones went 2-4 and looks to be fine after his knee injection.
- Kelly Johnson went 1-4 with a game tying RBI in the 11th.  He's still struggling with a .186/.257.308 batting line this season.
- W: Aaron Heilman (2-0), L: Craig Kimbrel (1-2), BSV: Craig Kimbrel (4)
- HR: Justin Upton (9)
- CS: Chris Young (4)

Brewers 5 - Padres 2

- Yovani Gallardo struck out 9 and allowed 2 earned runs over 6 innings.  After a series of poor starts, he now has three quality starts in a row.  His strikeout rate has been down this season, so the 9 in this game are encouraging.  Then again, he was facing the Padres.
- Dustin Moseley took yet another loss as he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 5.1 innings with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.  He started the season off with 3 losses in a row and has done it again now after this start.  He's got a 3.40 ERA, but considering how fringe his command is, it could be much worse.
- Ryan Ludwick went 2-5 with a 2-run homer and a walk.  That's now 4 homers and 13 RBI  in his last 7 games.  I'd be a little bit surprised if he didn't finish the season as the team leader in homers and RBI.
- Corey Hart went 3-5 with a run, stolen base, and caught stealing, but remains stuck on 0 home runs and just 1 RBI in 63 at-bats.
- W: Yovani Gallardo (5-2), L: Dustin Moseley (1-6), SV: John Axford (10)
- HR: Ryan Ludwick (8)
- SB: Corey Hart (1), Ryan Braun (9), Eric Patterson (4); CS: Corey Hart (2)

Giants 8 - Dodgers 5

- Matt Cain fired off 7.1 innings of 3-run ball with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts.  He ended up with a no-decision after Brian Wilson blew the 4-out 3-run save in the 8th.  Cain's peripheral numbers look like a near carbon copy of those he posted last season.  He's 3-2 with a 3.28 ERA and 1.13 WHP right now.
- Clayton Kershaw got hit around for 4 earned runs over 5 innings with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.  A 3-run fourth inning hurt him the most.  Considering the Giants sent 8 batters to the plate, it could have been worse. 
- Mark DeRosa strained his wrist while loading up to swing on an approaching pitch.  If you saw the video, it didn't look good as DeRosa was in obvious pain and could be seen throwing his helmet into the dugout in frustration.  It's the same wrist that he surgery on in the off-season.
- Cody Ross had himself a heck of a game as he broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 9th with a 3-run homer to put the Giants up for good.  He also stole his 2nd base of the season. 
- James Loney, Aaron Miles, Jamey Carroll, and Juan Uribe were the starting infielders for the Dodgers in this game.  Combined they have 4 home runs. 
- W: Brian Wilson (4-1), L: Lance Cormier (0-1), BSV: Brian Wilson (2)
- HR: Cody Ross (3), Matt Kemp (9)
- SB: Cody Ross (2); CS: Miguel Tejada (2)