Mariners 9 - Indians 2
- Felix Hernandez struck out 10 Indians batters as he allowed 2 earned runs over 6 innings for his 12th win. For the game he gave up 7 hits with 2 walks. His strikeout rate is a career high 8.76 K/9 this season.
- Josh Tomlin took the loss after he got knocked around for 6 earned runs over 4.2 innings. He gave up 11 hits with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts as failed to pitch at least 5 innings in a start for the first team this season.
- Dustin Ackley went 3-5 with a run and walk. The rookie 2B is now batting .288/.366/.460 over 243 plate appearances.
- Wily Mo Pena went 3-3 with a double, homer, 4 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk. The homer, which was blasted out off the end of his bat, was this 7th of the season and 2nd with the Mariners.
- W: Felix Hernandez (12-11), L: Josh Tomlin (12-7)
- HR: Wily Mo Pena (7)
- SB: Ichiro Suzuki (32), Ezequiel Carrera (7)
A's 6 - Yankees 4
- Trevor Cahill put aside his recent struggles to allow 2 earned runs over 6 innings, in a no-decision. He gave up 7 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts. Come into this game he had a 5.42 ERA on the road. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that many owners benched him for this start, I know I did.
- CC Sabathia pitched 7.1 innings with 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts. He's now gone at least 7 innings in 17 of his last 19 starts, which is pretty amazing. He ranks 2nd in the AL in innings pitched (205.0), 3rd in strikeouts (191), and 7th in ERA (2.99).
- Coco Crisp went 4-4 with 2 homers, 5 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk. He's hitting .274/.331/.401 with 7 homers and 37 stolen bases this season. I always wonder what kind of numbers he could post if he played a full season healthy.
- Nick Swisher also belted 2 homers out as he went 2-3 with 2 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk. He's batting .266/.381/.447, which is light years better than the .216/.343/.345 he was at in mid-June.
- W: Fautino De Los Santos (2-0), L: Rafael Soriano (2-2), SV: Andrew Bailey (18)
- HR: Coco Crisp (6, 7), Mark Teixeira (35), Nick Swisher (17, 18)
- SB: Brett Gardner (37); CS: Scott Sizemore (2)
Red Sox 13 - Rangers 2
- Josh Beckett held the Rangers to 1 run over 6 innings on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts for his 11th win. He got 11 runs of support, but he hardly needed it as he was masterful shutting down the opposition. There are probably more deserving players, but he's my vote for comeback player of the year as he went from a 5.78 ERA in '10 to a 2.43 ERA this season. Granted, he's coming back from a season of poor performances that he caused.
- Matt Harrison got lit up for 7 earned runs over 5 innings on 11 hits and 1 walk. He's started to regress lately with a 5.40 ERA over his last 7 starts.
- Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-5 with a homer, 2 RBI, 3 runs, and a stolen base. With 23 homers, 35 stolen bases, 81 RBI, and 93 runs, he's been a monster this season for fantasy owners.
- Carl Crawford went 2-3 with a double, homer, 5 RBI, and a run. He's batting .255/.290/.396 this season, his first with Boston.
- W: Josh Beckett (11-5), L: Matt Harrison (10-9)
- HR: Jacoby Ellsbury (23), Adrian Gonzalez (21), Carl Crawford (9), Mike Napoli (22)
- SB: Jacoby Ellsbury (35), Josh Hamilton (8)
Blue Jays 4 - Royals 3
- Ricky Romero and Luke Hochevar each had quality starts with 6 innings pitched and 3 earned runs allowed. Romero did so on 8 hits and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts, while Hochevar did the job with 4 hits and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts. Each gave up 1 homer. I'm interested to see if Romero can finish the season with an ERA 1 run lower than his xFIP. He entered today with a 2.73 ERA and 3.64 xFIP - same xFIP he posted last season.
- Frank Franciso got the save with 1 walk and 1 strikeout in a scoreless 9th. It was his first game action in a week as he's dealt with shoulder soreness lately.
- Jose Bautista went Joey Bats on the Royals wit his 37th homer of the season - a 2-run blast that tied the game at 2 in the 4th inning. He's batting .314/.454/.649 this season and is my pick to win the AL MVP trophy for now.
- Billy Butler went 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. His 32 doubles are 8th most in the AL this season.
- Brett Lawrie went 2-3 with a triple, homer, 2 RBI, and a run. The 3B is batting .328/.379/.656 over 66 plate appearances.
- W: Jesse Litsch (5-3), L: Louis Coleman (1-3), SV: Frank Francisco (11)
- HR: Alex Gordon (17), Jose Bautista (37), Brett Lawrie (4)
- SB: Alex Gordon (14), Melky Cabrera (17)
Rays 3 - Tigers 2
- Wade Davis pitched 9 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts. It was by far his longest outing of the season as he hadn't gone more than 7.2 innings this season. Over his last 2 starts (16 innings) he has 14 strikeouts, which is pretty good for a guy who is usually striking out 5 batters ever 9 innings this season.
- Max Scherzer lasted just 5 innings as he allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. I say lasted just 5 innings because it took him 97 pitches to get there. Considering he threw 127 pitches in his last game, maybe this was for the best.
- Evan Longoria went 3-5 with a homer. He's still putting up numbers despite his .236 batting average, which is uncharacteristically low. That .229 BABIP, which oddly enough is the same as his ISO, is likely to blame.
- Alex Avila went 1-4 with a homer. He's batting .304/.397/.529 and leads all catchers in WAR this season and it's not really close.
- W: Joel Peralta (3-4), L: Duane Below (0-2)
- HR: Alex Avila (16), Evan Longoria (22)
Orioles 6 - Twins 1
- Jeremy Guthrie received a rare win, after he pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball on 5 hits and 2 walks. The lone run came on a Justin Morneau double that plated Jason Kubel. Coming into this game Guthrie had been terrible lately with 16 earned runs allowed over his last 3 starts (17.2 innings). He can get to 20 loses this season, if the baseball Gods want it bad enough.
- Kevin Slowey was knocked around for 5 earned runs over 4.2 innings, in a loss. It was just his second start of the season, since coming off the DL with an abdomen injury.
- Mark Reynolds was 1-3 with a solo shot, his 28th home run of the season. He has to have the quietest 28 homers of anyone in the majors this season. But then again, such is life when your team is in the cellar of the AL standings.
- Matt Wieters went 2-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. The former top prospect is batting .264/.327/.419, which is an improvement over his .249/.319/.377 batting line from a season ago.
- W: Jeremy Guthrie (6-16), L: Kevin Slowey (0-2)
- HR: Mark Reynolds (28)
Angels 8 - White Sox 0
- Jered Weaver lowered his ERA to a MLB best 2.03, after he pitched 7 shutout innings. He gave up just 4 hits with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts. He ranks 5th in AL in innings (190.1), 6th in strikeouts (166), and first in ERA (2.03), as earlier mentioned. Whatever you paid for him on draft day, the price was likely worth it.
- Zach Stewart was rocked for 7 earned runs over 6 innings. He gave up 7 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. In 3 starts for the White Sox he's pitched 18.2 innings with 10 earned runs, 9 strikeouts, and 5 walks.
- Erick Aybar went 2-4 with a double, 3 RBI, 2 runs, and a stolen base. The SS is batting .261/.294/.386 this season with 26 stolen bases.
- Vernon Wells went 2-2 with a double, 2 runs, and a walk. He's batting .209/.242/.376 this season and between him, Adam Dunn, and Alex Rios, I don't know who gets the title for biggest failure of the season.
- W: Jered Weaver (15-6), L: Zach Stewart (1-3)
- HR: Torii Hunter (18)
- SB: Howie Kendrick (12), Erick Aybar (26); CS: Alejandro De Aza (2), Vernon Wells (3)
Pirates 2 - Brewers 0
- Shaun Marcum allowed 2 runs over 6 innings on 4 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts, in a losing effort. His road ERA on the season is now 2.50. It's 4.29 at home, for those that were wondering.
- Aaron Thompson held the Brew-Crew scoreless for 4.1 innings on 4 hits and 2 walks, before leaving and giving way to Jason Grilli. Thompson had thrown 4 scoreless innings in each of his last two starts at Triple-A, before being called up. In 83.2 innings at Double-A this season he had 51 strikeouts with 20 walks and a 5.16 ERA.
- Jose Tabata went 2-4 ith a double, run, and caught stealing. He's now 15-41 since coming off the DL.
- Ryan Braun went 2-4 with his 29th stolen base of the season. A 30/30 season is a virtual lock at this point.
- W: Jason Grilli (1-0), L: Shaun Marcum (11-4), SV: Joel Hanrahan (32)
- SB: Corey Hart (5), Ryan Braun (29), Jonathan Lucroy (1); CS: Jose Tabata (7)
Mets 7 - Phillies 4
- Mike Pelfrey turned in a quality start with 3 earned runs allowed over 6 innings on 9 hits and 2 walks. While a quality start might not be that impressive, it's his first in four starts.
- Kyle Kendrick took the loss, after he gave up 6 runs (2 earned) over 4 innings on 7 hits and 1 walk. While 4 runs were unearned, he did give up 2 homers, which was his fault. It was his second start in a row, after bouncing between the bullpen and the rotation.
- Bobby Parnell nailed down his first save of the season, after he walked and struck out a pair of batters in the 9th inning. He figures to see the majority of the save chances with Jason Isrignhausen as the season winds to a close.
- David Wright went 3-4 with a homer, 2 RBI, and a run. The 3B is batting .259/.345/.441 over 310 plate appearances this season.
- Nick Evans went 3-4 with a double, homer, 4 RBI, and a run. That's now 4 extra base hits for him over his last 2 games. He hit .313/.375/.462 over 277 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
- W: Mike Pelfrey (7-10), L: Kyle Kendrick (7-6), SV: Bobby Parnell (1)
- HR: David Wright (11), Nick Evans (2)
- SB: Carlos Ruiz (1)
Dodgers 9 - Cardinals 4
- Hiroki Kuroda pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, in a win. He has now allowed 3 earned runs or less in all but one start since beginning of June (15 starts). Why didn't he want to waive his no-trade clause and go to a contender again?
- Jaime Garcia was unusually bad at home as he gave up 7 earned runs over 5 innings on 9 hits and 2 walks. He came in with a 2.06 home ERA, but has now given up 16 earned runs over his last 3 home starts (16 innings). With 7 strikeouts over his last 3 starts, perhaps he's tiring.
- Matt Kemp went 2-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs. He's now batting .322/.392/.570 with 29 homers, 97 RBI, 33 stolen bases, and 81 runs.
- Juan Rivera went 2-5 with a double, homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs. That's now 7 RBI over his last 5 games.
- W: Hiroki Kuroda (10-14), L: Jaime Garcia (10-7)
- HR: Juan Rivera (9), A.J. Ellis (1), Gerald Laird (1)
- CS: Albert Pujols (1)
Rockies 7 - Astros 6
- Wandy Rodriguez pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 earned runs to the team that claimed him off waivers this week. He did so on 10 hits with 4 walks and just 2 strikeouts. All of the damage came in the first inning as four straight Rockies batters got a hit, the biggest of which was a 2-run homer from Troy Tulowitzki. It was Rodriguez's lowest strikeout total since his 2nd start of the season, against the Marlins in early April.
- Everyone could smell was Aaron Cook was cooking' and it smelled like 6 runs (5 earned) over 5 innings. He gave up 11 hits and 1 walk as he's prone to do. Pretty tough to trust a guy who has struckout (30) nearly as many batters as he has walked (29) this season.
- Aneury Rodriguez took the loss, after he threw a wild pitch and the winning run crossed home plate in the bottom of the 10th. That's my Astros…
- Brian Bogusevic went 3-4 with a double and RBI. He's been warming up lately with 7 extra base hits over his last 6 games.
- Mark Ellis had a season high 4 hits with a double. He's struggled since coming to the Rockies with a .217/.253/.290 batting line coming into today.
- W: Matt Belisle (9-4), L: Aneury Rodriguez (1-5)
- HR: Clint Barmes (9), Carlos Gonzalez (23), Troy Tulowitzki (26)
- SB: Eric Young Jr. (16); CS: Brian Bogusevic (2)
Marlins 6 - Reds 5 (Game 1)
- Javier Vazquez turned back the clock with a season high 11 strikeouts over 7 innings of 3-run ball. He gave up 6 hits with 2 walks in what was his more dominant starts this season. Don't look now, but he's given up just 12 earned runs over his last 6 starts (30 innings) with 38 strikeouts and 9 walks.
- Homer Bailey also gave up 3 earned runs over 7 innings, but he gave up 5 hits with no walks and just 4 strikeouts. For the season he has a 4.44 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 25 walks over 95.1 innings.
- Steve Cishek earned his 2nd save of the season by getting the last 2 outs of the game. He got the call after Edward Mujica couldn't finish things off.
- Logan Morrison went 2-4 with a homer and 2 runs, in his first action since coming back from the minors. Why did he ever leave?
- Joey Votto went 2-3 with a 2-run homer and a walk. The reigning NL MVP is batting .324/.439/.543 and is 5th in WAR among NL position players, if you're into that sort of thing.
- W: Ryan Webb (2-4), L: Jose Arredondo (3-4), SV: Steve Cishek (2)
- HR: Joey Votto (23), Todd Frazier (5), Logan Morrison (18), Jose Lopez (5)
Reds 3 - Marlins 2 (Game 2)
- Bronson Arroyo twirled 8 innings of shutout ball on 6 hits and no walks with 1 strikeout. He's been consistently below average this season with a 5.02 ERA over 161.1 innings (26 starts). I'd be hard pressed to start a guy who doesn't have a strikeout rate over 6.0 K/9, like Arroyo (5.02 K/9).
- Chris Volstad had a quality start with 3 earned runs allowed over 6 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks. Oh and he gave up a home run, but then again, you already knew that when I said his name. Volstad has now given up 21 homers over his 23 starts this season.
- Joey Votto picked up where he left in the first game with a 3-4 effort that included a home run, 2 RBI, and a run. He's quietly making a case to defend his MVP trophy.
- Mike Stanton went 2-4 with a double and a run. He's batting .261/.351/.546 this season.
- W: Bronson Arroyo (8-10), L: Chris Volstad (5-11), SV: Francisco Cordero (28)
- HR: Joey Votto (24)
- SB: Miguel Cairo (1); CS: Jay Bruce (6)
Diamondbacks 4 - Nationals 2
- Daniel Hudson nearly threw a complete game shutout as he pitched 8.2 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th Layne Nix and Jonny Gomes went back-to-back to poo-poo his shutout bid and force Kirk Gibson to go to J.J. Putz to close things out. Why did the White-Sox trade this guy again?
- Livan Hernandez gave up 4 earned runs over 7.1 innings for his 12th loss. He allowed 7 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts, in what was his 473rd career start in the regular season. When you look up the definition of innings eater in the dictionary, you'll see Hernandez's face.
- Aaron Hill went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, while John McDonald went 0-4 with 1 strikeout in their debuts for the D-Backs. I still don't understand how this trade helps them.
- Miguel Montero went 1-3 with 2 RBI as the D-Backs kept their 2 game lead in the NL West. Montero is 3rd in the NL in WAR among catchers this season.
- W: Daniel Hudson (13-9), L: Livan Hernandez (7-12), SV: J.J. Putz (32)
- HR: Laynce Nix (15), Jonny Gomes (14)
- CS: Ian Desmond (9)
Cubs 3 - Braves 2
- Randy Wells pitched 6.2 innings and allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6 in what was arguably his best start of the season. Now if there was only more where that came from.
- Derek Lowe wasn't bad himself as he pitched 7 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 4 walks. He too struck out 6 batters, which gives him 19 strikeouts over his last 18 innings. Maybe it's his BABIP talking, but I feel like he's pitched better than his 4.63 ERA would suggest.
- Alfonso Soriano went 1-2 with a 2-run homer and a walk. He's had at least 18 homers in 11 straight seasons now, which is sort of impressive. Now his defense, that's a different story.
- W: Randy Wells (5-4), L: Derek Lowe (8-12), SV: Carlos Marmol
- HR: Chipper Jones (13), Alex Gonzalez (12), Alfonso Soriano (22)
- SB: Starlin Castro (15, 16), Tony Campana (17)
Giants 2 - Padres 1
- Tim Lincecum held the Padres to just 1 run over 8 innings on 4 hits and 5 walks with 7 strikeouts. The walks have become a bit of an issue for him lately as he has a 4.23 BB/9 walk rate over his last 9 starts (61.2 innings). On the season his walk rate is 3.52 BB/9, which is a career high.
- Tim Stauffer pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 runs, in a loss. He gave up 6 hits with no walks, but just 1 strikeout. Maybe most importantly, he didn't give up a homer. Coming into this game he had given up 9 homers over his last 3 starts. For the season he's 8-10 with a 3.42 ERA over 166 innings.
- Santiago Casilla nailed down his first save of the season as the Giants bullpen deals with injuries to Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo.
- Carlos Beltran went 2-4 with a homer. It was his first start since coming off the DL with a hand injury.
- Brandon Belt went 2-3 with a triple and a run. I can't think of a single reason why he should be batting below the likes of Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff… oh wait, Bruce Bochy.
- W: Tim Lincecum (12-10), L: Tim Stauffer (8-10), SV: Santiago Casilla (1)
- HR: Carlos Beltran (16)
- SB: Brandon Belt (3)