If you thought homering off Roy Halladay in his major league debut — while his father was being interviewed on the television broadcast, no less — would be the highlight of Evan Gattis' rookie season, you were mistaken. The improbable rise of the 26-year-old catcher hasn't been slowed down since, and many more highlights have followed.

The past week, especially, has been remarkable for Gattis. On Saturday, his two-run pitch-hit home run in the eighth inning helped the Braves rally past for the Dodgers for a 3-1 win. On Tuesday night, Gattis did it again, hitting a two-out, pinch-hit homer in the ninth to tie the game. Atlanta then won 5-4 in 10 on Freddie Freeman's walkoff single.

How could he possibly top either of those big moments while starting for Brian McCann on Wednesday afternoon? Simple. He connected for his first career grand slam — 10th homer overall — to break the game open as the Braves completed their three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with an 8-3 win.

That's about as good a five game stretch as a now part-time rookie can have. Unfortunately, though, it won't go down as a perfect stretch. He did commit one relatively large, but easily corrected mental blunder on Wednesday.

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Can you imagine Nick Swisher in a hospital room shouting encouragement to his wife while she birthed the pair's first child? He've seen how he is on the field, and how is he in interviews, but Delivery Room Nick Swisher had to be on another level of ridiculous energy.

Swisher's wife — actress JoAnna Garcia — gave birth Tuesday to a babygirl. We can't confirm, but we have a pretty good hunch that Swisher had Red Bull shooting out of his ears and was shouting "BROOOOOO!" every 10 seconds, telling the doctor, "Man, this is such an amazing experience, bro."

The Cleveland Indians are playing for the second straight day without Swisher, who is on paternity leave so he can rock out with Baby Swish (as he should). In honor of Swisher entering the fatherhood club, we put together this slideshow of Happy Nick Swisher. He is, after all, the one of the most animated players in baseball. So while we couldn't watch him bro-ing out in the delivery room, we can flip through this and feel like we were there in spirit.

Andrew McCutchen is more than a star outfielder and face of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also, apparently, is a budding TV host. McCutchen is starring in a new series called "All Stars With Andrew McCutchen" — it debuted Tuesday on ROOT Sports in Pittsburgh and Wednesday on the web. The point of the series is for McCutchen to interview other "all stars" in their respective fields, mostly outside of sports.

First up is noted chef, author and TV host Anthony Bourdain. Among other things, the two of them talk about how to improve ballpark food and their own guilty pleasures. McCutchen, by the way, talks about his love for Eggo waffles.

There should be a new installment of "All Stars with Andrew McCutchen" each month, with different celebrities joining him. We're told Pitbull, Daniel Tosh and Bruno Mars are possible future guests.

McCutchen showed off another talent last week, when he cut a fan's hair in this video from the MLB Fan Cave:

(USA Today)Los Angeles Dodgers star Matt Kemp pledged $1,000 for every home run he hits until the All-Star Game to aid relief efforts near Oklahoma City after Monday's deadly tornado. Kemp, who is from nearby Midwest City and will make $20 million this year, immediately came under fire for the gesture.

Many people thought that Kemp simply wasn't giving enough. And let him know about it via Twitter.

So now he's reached deeper into his pocket and is donating an additional $250,000 that's not tied to his on-field performance. Here's the statement Kemp issued Wednesday through the Chris Singleton Foundation.

Turner Field in May 2013 (Getty Images)

Have a baseball road trip coming up? Well, in a bid to help you with your upcoming journeys, Big League Stew has solicited the help of the locals. Over the next month or so, we'll be hitting up our usual guest blogger crew to feature 10 tips for enjoying each of the 30 ballparks like the locals do. Have a suggestion in addition to the ones listed here? Make sure to list it in the comments below.

First off, welcome to Atlanta! Or at least, to a writeup about Atlanta. We’re glad you’re here. This is that Southern hospitality you’ve heard so much about. Also, reading these words has just added to your cholesterol count; we deep-fry everything here, even our verbiage.

Now, to business: You’re looking to know more about Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. You’ve come to the right place, sugar. Pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Turner Field began life as the stadium for the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996, and if you squint, you can imagine how the oval used to run. The seats that enclosed what is now the Fan Plaza beyond center field were temporary, and you can still find them in restaurants all over Atlanta. In the near distance, you can still see the Olympic torch that Muhammad Ali lit in one of the most dramatic moments in sports history; fittingly for Atlanta, it now adorns a highway overpass.

Turner Field itself is one hell of a ballpark, a more-real-than-real Disneyfied version of the retro-classic Camden Yards style. Your every need is provided for here, your every wish can come true … except in October, of course. Turner Field is the ideal spot for hookups of both the business and personal variety. Families love it, and baseball aficionados can get close enough to the action to smell the seams of the ball. If it was even the slightest bit easier to access, this place would be sold out 81 games a season.

So join us on our tour of Turner Field. For the truest fan experience, put this article aside and go sit in your car for 90 minutes before reading it. If you must go on now, though, let’s start right there…

1. Get in the car, Junior: One of the most wonderful things about Turner Field is its easy access from anywhere in Atlanta, as well as the bountiful offerings of bars, shops and nightlife that ring the stadium, creating a destination that’s — HA! Kidding. Turner Field, like its predecessor Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, is in a cultural and transportation dead zone, somehow simultaneously in the middle of everything and yet completely inaccessible. True mass transit doesn’t come within a mile of the stadium, meaning you’re going to be driving. And if you’re looking to make an evening game, you’d better leave now to catch a 7:35 first pitch in September. Pro tip: Don’t take any of the “designated” stadium exits. Drive south past the stadium and double back, or get off early on I-20 and take the back roads past Grant Park.

The bizarreness that is Jose Canseco's Twitter world, hit a new low Wednesday. The former MLB slugger, noted steroid user and social media sideshow act apparently announced to his 510,000 followers that he just been accused of rape in Las Vegas.

Canseco tweeted the following, then deleted it roughly 10 minutes later (we've redacted the name of his alleged accuser):

With Canseco, there's always a possibility that everything is a put-on. But this is legit. The Las Vegas Police Department issued this statement Thursday:

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a Sexual Assault case. Jose Conseco [sic] has been named as the suspect in this investigation. At this time no charges have been filed and our investigation remains ongoing. Per department policy neither victim information or investigation details are available for release.

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That rumble you might have heard coming from Miller Park in Milwaukee was Don Mattingly MANAGING, darn it.

Mattingly benched slugger Andre Ethier on Wednesday afternoon for the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Brewers, saying Ethier was lacking in his approach:

Mattingly on sitting Ethier: "I’m putting out my lineup that I feel is going to be the most competitive and going to compete the hardest."

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) May 22, 2013

This action comes as rumors swirl that Dodgers management is on the verge of firing Mattingly (rumors that have been pooh-poohed by Dodgers writers and Yahoo! Sports' own Tim Brown). No matter, it counts as a different approach for Mattingly, who has been known as a player's manager — i.e., not an intimidator who calls guys out in public.

The Dodgers have a big payroll and an 18-26 record, and SOMEBODY has to answer for it. But should it be Ethier, who is batting .264/.353./.405 with four home runs for $85 million through 2017? His performance seems a bit uninspired, and it's off from his career averages — but not that off. One good month and he's back in line. And he's only missed one game all season, so if Ethier has been banged up, he's been playing through it anyway.

Sounds like a competitor, yes? Not necessarily, Mattingly says, as relayed by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

Camden Yards on opening day 2013 (Getty Images)

Have a baseball road trip coming up? Well, in a bid to help you with your upcoming journeys, Big League Stew has solicited the help of the locals. Over the next month or so, we'll be hitting up our usual guest blogger crew to feature 10 tips for enjoying each of the 30 ballparks like the locals do. Have a suggestion in addition to the ones listed here? Make sure to list it in the comments below.

So, you’re interested in visiting Oriole Park at Camden Yards? I don’t blame you; it’s gorgeous. We get a lot of visitors at the Yard each year, and as long as you don’t refer to our beautiful ballpark as Fenway South or try to tell us that Derek Jeter will go down in history as the greatest shortstop ever, we don’t mind the company. Stick with me and I’ll make sure you have the best experience possible.

1. Don’t pay $20 for that garage. There are many parking garages in the downtown area that might appeal to a person unfamiliar with the city of Baltimore, but if you’re planning on going straight to the game and don’t mind a bit of a walk, park in the stadium lots. There is a lot of parking available for $8-10 in the lots between Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium (home of the Ravens). If you want to park in a garage so that you’re closer to the restaurants and other city attractions, check out the Penn Street Garage located at the intersection of Pratt & Penn. It costs $8 to park, the cheapest you’ll find in the area, and you can get back to I-95 or I-295 after the game without sitting in any stadium traffic. But keep that between us, OK? I don’t need my favorite garage to start filling up before I get there.

2. Don’t go to the Inner Harbor. If you’re the sort who wants a meal before the game, head to Federal Hill. The Inner Harbor is in walking distance of Camden Yards, but if you go there you’ll be stuck with Pizzeria Uno, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and the like. But Federal Hill, a popular neighborhood just south of the harbor, has a lot of restaurants and bars that feature good food and a lot of local flavor.

Pro Tip: Check out Abbey Burger Bistro and get the SimplyAJ, a burger created in honor of O’s center fielder Adam Jones, a frequent patron.