White Sox 4 - Indians 2
- Edwin Jackson limited the Indians to just 2 runs over 6 innings, for the win. He gave up 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. Jackson has won his last 3 road starts, despite his 4.92 road ERA.
- Justin Masterson took the loss, after he pitched 7 innings and allowed 4 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 1 walk. He probably deserved a better fate, but such is life. Coming into this game, Masterson actually had a better K/BB rate against lefties (2.53), than against righties (2.52). In the past, he struggled against southpaws, so maybe this is real growth we're seeing from him. His 2.57 ERA is 5th in AL.
- Juan Pierre went 2-3 with a double and run. He's now hitting .276/.334/.327, which is great considering where he was a month ago (.248/.289/.310).
- Adam Dunn went 0-4 with a strikeout. It's as if he's playing limbo with his batting line, which now stands at a putrid .160/.287/.297. At least teammate Alex Rios is above the Mendoza Line (.207).
- W: Edwin Jackson (7-7), L: Justin Masterson (8-7), SV: Sergio Santos (20)
- SB: Alex Rios (8); CS: Mark Teahen (1)
Yankees 7 - A's 5
- Bartolo Colon pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 8 hits and 1 walk. Both runs came in the 2nd inning and from there on things quieted down as no runner reached 2nd base the rest of the way. Coming off of a game where he struck out a season high 9 batters, he only rung up 4 this time.
- Gio Gonzalez got knocked around for 6 runs over 4.2 innings. He gave up 7 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts. Considering he had given up a total of 5 earned runs over his last five starts, he was due for a bit of regression and the Yankees were more than willing to help out. His 2.67 ERA is 7th in the AL.
- Curtis Granderson went 1-5 with a 2-run homer. This one was off of Gonzalez, a lefty, giving him 11 off of southpaws this season. To give some perspective, he had 11 homers off of lefties over the last three seasons combined.
- Hideki Matsui went 5-5 with two doubles, a RBI, and a run. The 37 year old is now batting .237/.313/.373.
- W: Bartolo Colon (7-6), L: Gio Gonzalez (9-7), SV: Mariano Rivera (25)
- HR: Curtis Granderson (27)
- SB: Russell Martin (8), Eduardo Nunez (14); CS: Cliff Pennington (9)
Red Sox 12 - Mariners 8
- Tim Wakefield gave up 7 earned runs over 6.1 innings and still got the win. How often does a pitcher give up 7 earned runs and come away with the win? Wakefield is rocking a 5.15 ERA, but has a 6-3 record. With one more win, he'll have 200 for his career.
- Michael Pineda also gave up 7 earned runs, but he did it over 4.1 innings. The Mariners have now lost 15 in a row and Pineda has had only 1 quality start over his last 5 outings. Oh and the M's are now 1.5 games out of the lead… for the first pick among AL teams in next year's draft.
- Adrian Gonzalez was one of three Red Sox hitters to have 3 hits. Gonzalez leads the AL in batting average (.346) and RBI (82). Not incidentally, his team leads the AL with a 62-37 record.
- Brendan Ryan went 2-4 with a double, homer, 5 RBI, and 2 runs. A Grand Slam in the 7th inning should serve as one of Ryan's highlights this season; he had 10 career homers to his name.
- Dustin Ackley went 2-5 with a RBI, while Josh Reddick went 2-5 with a RBI and 2 runs. Those young kids just keep on hitting.
- W: Tim Wakefield (6-3), L: Michael Pineda (8-7)
- HR: Brendan Ryan (2), Miguel Olivo (14), Kevin Youkilis (14)
- CS: Ichiro Suzuki (5), Carl Crawford (5)
Angels 9 - Orioles 3
- Tyler Chatwood evened his record to 6-6 with a 7 innings of 2-run ball. He gave up 6 hits with no walks and 5 strikeouts. While he had good command today, how can any owner trust a guy who has almost as many strikeouts (58) as he does walks (56)?
- Jeremy Guthrie took his 14th loss this season after he pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. He gave up 6 hits with 4 walks and 1 strikeout. If the Orioles trade him, they will almost certainly be trading him when his value is at a low point.
- Mike Trout hit his first ever MLB home run, a 3-run shot that put the Angels up by 3 in the 8th inning. How long will he hang around with the team, now that Peter Bourjos is back, is up in the air.
- Again, can someone please explain to me why Howie Kendrick is hitting 6th for the Angels? He's their best hitter for average (.301), 2nd best hitter at getting on base (.381), and is 2nd in slugging percentage (.455) on the team. In this game he went 3-5 with a double and 2 runs. Torii Hunter's disappointing .236/.312/.390 batting line from the 2 hole, just makes the situation that much worse. Hell, even Vernon Wells is getting more at-bats than him. You make no sense Mike Scioscia. And I haven't even brought up the fact that his hitter that has the most power, Mark Trumbo, is hitting 7th.
- Nick Markakis went 3-4 with a double, homer, RBI, and 2 runs. He's hitting .291/.339/.400 this season.
- W: Tyler Chatwood (6-6), L: Jeremy Guthrie (4-14)
- HR: Torii Hunter (13), Mike Trout (1), Nick Markakis (10), Adam Jones (18)
- SB: Adam Jones (7)
Rays 5 - Royals 0
- Alex Cobb tossed 7 shutout innings with 6 hits, no walks, and 2 strikeouts. Supposedly the Rays are going to a 6-man rotation to keep Cobb up with the team. In only 42 innings with the team this season, Cobb has 24 strikeouts, 16 walks, and a 2.57 ERA.
- Felipe Paulino fell to 1-8 as he gave up 4 earned runs over 5.2 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks. While he did strikeout 6, can we stop with the whole thing where people cite his peripheral stats and talk about he's really a better pitcher than he's showing? Paulino is a poor man's Ricky Nolasco.
- Jake McGee struck out 2 batters in the 9th inning. Since coming back up, he has 6 strikeouts and 2 walks over 4 scoreless innings with 2 hits allowed. He could take over the closer role if Kyle Farnsworth is traded.
- Eric Hosmer went 1-4, while Mike Moustakas went 0-4. The former is batting .277/.328/.439, while the latter is batting .195/.250/.250.
- Desmond Jennings went 2-3 with a double. Talk about hot starts, he already has 3 extra base hits in only 10 plate appearances.
- W: Alex Cobb (3-0), L: Felipe Paulino (1-8)
- SB: Desmond Jennings (2), Ben Zobrist (11), Sam Fuld (18), Sean Rodriguez (7)
Tigers 5 - Twins 2
- Rick Porcello pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs for his 10th win. He gave up 5 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Coming into this game, he had a 3.65 ERA in road starts in comparison to a 6.15 ERA in home starts. In the month of July he's 4-0 with 18 strikeouts, 5 strikeouts, and a 3.33 ERA.
- Francisco Liriano turned in a stinker as he went only 2.1 innings and gave up 4 earned runs. That's now three starts this season where he's failed to make it to the 4th inning and given up at least 4 runs. His 4.82 ERA and 6-8 record are not what owners expected, coming off of his 2010 campaign where he had a 3.62 ERA, over 200 strikeouts, and a 14-10 record.
- Magglio Ordonez stole his first base of the season. Odds are he won't steal another base this season.
- W: Rick Porcello (10-6), L: Francisco Liriano (6-8), SV: Jose Valverde (26)
- SB: Magglio Ordonez (1), Ben Revere (15)
Blue Jays 3 - Rangers 0
- Brett Cecil pitched a complete game shutout on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts. This was easily his best performance this season as he didn't allow any extra base hits and only 1 runner made it to 2nd base all game long. Now can he build on this?
- Alexi Ogando allowed 3 runs over 6.2 innings for his 4th loss this season. He gave up 7 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. A series of doubles drove in all 3 runs in the 6th inning. His 2.79 ERA is 8th best in the AL.
- Eric Thames went 2-4 and is now batting .308/.351/.517 over 154 plate appearances.
- Chris Davis went 0-3 with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. He's now 1-6, since his recall. Will he ever reach his potential?
- W: Brett Cecil (3-4), L: Alexi Ogando (10-4)
Marlins 5 - Mets 4
- Anibal Sanchez pitched 7 innings and allowed 4 earned runs on 11 hits, 0 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He left in line for the loss, but Bobby Parnell fumbled the lead in the 8th inning. It's been a rough month of July for Sanchez as he has a 6.67 ERA.
- Dillon Gee gave up 3 earned runs over 5 innings, also in a no-decision. He gave up 7 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. Gee's 4.79 ERA in road starts this season is doing him and the Mets no favors.
- David Wright went 3-4 with a 2-run homer and 2 runs. In three games since coming back from the DL, he has 3 extra base hits and 6 RBI.
- Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton each went 2-4 at the plate with a solo shot. The former is batting .256/.327/.477, while the latter batting .257/.332/.526.
- W: Randy Choate (1-1), L: Bobby Parnell (3-2), SV: Leo Nunez (28)
- HR: David Wright (7), Logan Morrison (15), Mike Stanton (22)
- SB: Emilio Bonifacio (22); CS: Hanley Ramirez (8)
Phillies 5 - Padres 3
- Roy Halladay pitched 8 strong innings with 3 runs (2 earned) allowed for his 12th win. He gave up 8 hits with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. His 2.55 ERA is 4th best in the NL, while his 147 strikeouts are 2nd best.
- Tim Stauffer took the loss, after he allowed 5 earned runs over 5.2 innings. He had poor command as he walked 4 batters and struck out 5. It's the first start that he has allowed more than 2 earned runs since early June.
- Cameron Maybin went 2-3 with a run. The athletic OF is hitting .283/.337/.418 this season.
- Kyle Blanks went 1-3 with a run and walk. He's 1-9 since coming up.
- W: Roy Halladay (12-4), L: Tim Stauffer (6-7), SV: Antonio Bastardo (8)
- SB: Cameron Maybin (22)
Pirates 4 - Cardinals 3
- Charlie Morton took a no-decision, after he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. He walked more batters (5), than he struckout (3), which is very un-Halladay like of him. After a terrible June (8.50 ERA), he's settled back down and is pitching more like he did in April and May.
- Kyle Lohse pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and no walks, also in a no-decision. He now has only 1 win over his last 9 starts. His 3.46 ERA don't really tell the whole story and how he was great in April and May, but pretty wretched in June and July.
- Chase D'Arnaud hit a walk-off sac-fly in the 10th inning to keep the Pirates in a tie for first place in the NL Central. It's going to be a fun trade deadline to watch, especially in the NL Central where it's a 4 team race.
- Colby Rasmus went 2-4 with a solo homer, 2 runs, and a walk. The underachieving OF is batting .244/.331/.413.
- Jon Jay went 2-3 with 2 walks. He can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of Tony LaRussa and is batting .311/.364/.442.
- W: Joe Beimel (1-1), L: Jason Motte (3-2)
- HR: Colby Rasmus (10)
- SB: Eric Fryer (1), Xavier Paul (10); CS: Jon Jay (4)
Cubs 5 - Astros 4
- Matt Garza allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings with 9 strikeouts, in a no-decision. He had a 2.71 home ERA coming into this game and pitched to it. Then again, he was facing the Astros. Had it not been for Jeff Samardzija, he probably would have come away with the win.
- Speaking of not winning, Jordan Lyles remains winless as he took a no-decision. He had a quality start with 3 earned runs allowed over 6 innings on 9 hits and 1 walk. He has twice received more than 2 runs of support over his 10 starts this season… pathetic.
- Hunter Pence had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. This is according to him, who beat himself up for missing a ball in the sun, that ultimately won the game for the Cubs. At the plate he went 1-4 with a run, RBI, walk, and strikeout.
- Marlon Byrd went 4-5 with a double, triple, and 3 runs. The OF is batting .314/.357/.442. The North Siders missed his bat, while he was on the DL.
- W: John Grabow (2-0), L: David Carpenter (0-1)
- HR: Clint Barmes (6), Carlos Lee (8)
- CS: Jason Bourgeois (5), Starlin Castro (3)
GIants 2 - Brewers 1
- Madison Bumgarner held the Brew Crew to just 1 run over 7.2 innings with no walks and 8 strikeouts. That 1 run as a Ryan Braun homer in the first inning. After that it was smooth sailing. This should help his 5.07 home ERA that he came into the game with.
- Yovani Gallado allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings, as he was the hard luck loser in this pitcher's duel. Maybe only I find this interesting, but he's alternated giving up 1 earned run in a start over the last 13 starts. This was the start that he doesn't.
- Brandon Belt went 2-2 with a walk as the Giants starting LF. He's working his way towards OF eligibility as he's at 2 starts right now.
- Aubrey Huff went 3-4 and is now batting .240/.295/.363.
- W: Madison Bumgarner (6-9), L: Yovani Gallardo (11-7), SV: Brian Wilson (31)
- HR: Ryan Braun (20)
- SB: Mike Fontenot (5); CS: Aubrey Huff (2)
Dodgers 3 - Nationals 1
- Chad Billingsley struck out 10 Nats batters as he allowed just 2 hits and 1 earned run over 7 innings. He came in with a 2.43 home ERA and pitched like it as he allowed 1 base runner from the 2nd inning on.
- Jason Marquis had a quality start as he pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. He walked 4 batters and stuck out just 2 as his command was poor. With a 3.95 ERA, he'll likely be on a different team this time a week from now.
- Javy Guerra saved his 7th game with 2 strikeouts in a perfect 9th inning. With a 1.99 ERA, he's been better than expected.
- Matt Kemp went 2-4 with a run. He's hitting .310/.390/.574 as one of the few shining starts on a bad Dodgers team.
- W: Chad Billingsley (9-8), L: Jason Marquis (8-5), SV: Javy Guerra (7)
- SB: Tony Gwynn Jr. (14), Rafael Furcal (4), Jamey Carroll (6)
Diamondbacks 7 - Rockies 0
- Micha Owings pitched 5 shutout innings with 2 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Known more for his bat, he went 1-3 at the plate with a RBI. The D-Backs are going to have to find some legit starting pitching in the trade market if they're going to make a run at the Giants in the NL West.
- Ubaldo Jimenez gave up 5 earned runs over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. This won't help his trade value, nor please his fantasy owners. Here are his xFIPs over his last three seasons: 3.59, 3.60, & 3.51. At this point GMs probably know what they're getting if they do indeed trade for him.
- Justin Upton went 4-4 with a double, triple, 3 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk. The 23 year old is batting .301/.378/.526. At this point, it's probably fair to say he's the better of the two Upton brothers at baseball.
- Brandon Allen went 0-2 with a walk. He's free and hitting .150/.292/.450 in just 23 plate appearances.
- W: Micah Owings (4-0), L: Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9), SV: Zach Duke (1)
- SB: Justin Upton (15), Chris Young (6); CS: Ryan Roberts (6)
Reds 4 - Braves 3
- Brandon Beachy walked 4 batters and struck out 4 batters as he pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned). That's now 9 walks over his last 2 starts (10.2 innings), which is very unlike his first 12 starts.
- Dontrelle Willis was a shade better as he pitched 6.1 innings and allowed 3 earned runs with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. Three starts in and he has 12 strikeouts, 8 walks, and a 3.71 ERA. The Reds really need to go out and get a legit starter if they want to contend in the NL Central.
- Aroldis Chapman pitched 1.2 perfect innings with 1 strikeout. Since coming back from the minors about a month ago, he has allowed 3 hits with 23 strikeouts and 4 walks over 13.1 innings.
- Drew Stubbs went 2-4 with a walk-off solo shot, 2 runs, a walk, and a stolen base. The CF is batting .256/.334/.404 this season. He's pretty much performing like he did last season (.253/.331/.395), minus some power and with a little more speed.
- Edgar Renteria went 0-3 with a strikeout. A legit SS is on the list of items for the Reds to find at the trade market.
- W: Francisco Cordero (4-3), L: Scott Linebrink (3-2)
- HR: Brian McCann (18), Drew Stubbs (13), Brandon Phillips (10), Miguel Cairo (4)
- SB: Alex Gonzalez (2), Drew Stubbs (25); CS: Wilkin Ramirez (2)