Most weekday evenings, Big League Stew looks at five approaching games worth monitoring. As they occur, feel free to discuss the night's happenings with other Stewies in the comment section below.

Nationals at Astros, 8:05 ET Houstonians will be treated to the strangest doubleheader in Minute Made Park history, as the clubs first will conclude a May 5 game that started in Washington and was suspended because of rain.

When we left this game, the score was tied 10-all in the bottom of the 11th and Washington's Elijah Dukes had drawn a one-out walk.

No problem, right? Just pick up where they left off? Well, Elijah Dukes has since been sent to Triple-A and is no longer eligible to play. Conveniently, the newly acquired Nyjer Morgan replaces Dukes (and will immediately steal second base). Sounds fair.

Other oddities: The Nats' former starting catcher, Jesus Flores, is injured and Washington's pitcher of record is Joel Hanrahan, who was part of the trade package that brought Morgan from the Pirates. John Lannan, the scheduled starter for today's game, has volunteered to pitch both games if necessary.

Braves at Rockies, 8:40 ET Hottest team in the majors (Colorado), meet the hottest young pitcher in the majors (Tommy Hanson). Coors Field to a pitcher is sort of like Frank Sinatra's New York, New York. Philly and Texas might be tougher parks, technically, but if you can make it at Coors, you can make it anywhere.

Reds at Phillies, 7:05 ET Hey, you freaky Phanatics, you can stop with the texting and tweeting — the Flyin' Hawaiian won the e-bid to the All-Star Game.

It's about time for another Micah Owings home run.

Dodgers at Mets, 7:10 ET The Dodgers should challenge David Murphy to do that flip again.

Rangers at Mariners, 10:10 ET Let's see if the M's can shake off what happened Wednesday night.

Both players are All-Stars for the first time. Inge beat out Texas' Ian Kinsler, and others, in the AL. Victorino, with a mad rush at the end, edged San Francisco's Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval.

Voting, reportedly, was the closest in the history of a contest in which fans get to elect the 33rd and final man on the AL and NL roster.

Victorino received 15.6 million votes and Inge led with 11.8 million. No other figures have been released yet, so we'll just have to take their word, like the electorate from other elections must.

The Stew, we like to think, played a part in the outcome. It featured in recent days a Napoleon Dynamite-ish video of the "Vote for Pablo" campaign for Sandoval, plus a live chat with Victorino. Inge and Kinsler were on their own, apparently.

Although, maybe the results had more to do with Tigers and Phillies fans voting their little fingers off. Hope it was worth the carpal tunnel!

Even if Jamie McOwen stopped hitting tonight, Rolen would have to keep going for three more weeks to pass him.

McOwen, a 23-year-old minor-leaguer in the Seattle Mariners organization, has at least one hit in 45 consecutive games — tying Willie Keeler of the Brooklyn Dodgers for the ninth-longest hitting streak in professional baseball history.

With another hit tonight, McOwen would tie Johnny Bates for the seventh-longest hitting streak in minor-league history. It's been nearly two calendar months — May 10 — since McOwen went hitless.

Joe Wilhoit, playing for Wichita in 1919, has the longest minor-league streak at 69 games. Joe DiMaggio, known for his legendary 56-game streak with the Yankees in 1941, happens to be second on the minor-league list at 61 games — done in 1933.

McOwen's streak is getting him attention. Earlier this week, after reaching 43 games, ESPN featured him (VIDEO) on its First Take show.

McOwen, in his second season at High Desert, an advanced Class-A team in the California League, is trying to not believe his own hype.

"I'm just enjoying the moment and trying not to read too much into it," McOwen says. "I don't want to talk myself out of anything.

"I try to stay out of my head, for sure."

McOwen was not considered much of a prospect based on his first two professional seasons. He never hit higher than .270, with little power, and had ugly K/BB ratios. He finished at .263/.324/.392 in '08, though he did steal 30 bases and was promoted to Class AA for the playoffs.

This season, McOwen is batting .355 with a .412 on-base percentage, .504 slugging, five homers and 53 RBIs.

And his longest hitting streak before this one? Eight, though in '08 he had five streaks of at least seven games.

What's behind his improvement?

It might have something to do with what appears a rigorous off-season training program, which surely has increased his agility and strength. The YouTubes are full of short videos, filmed by McOwen's trainer, that show him lifting sick amounts of weight and leaping great distances.

Whatever the inspiration, Bus Leagues Baseball put together a comprehensive look at his 45-game streak, which includes that kooky 33-18 game. Over the life of the streak, McOwen has hit .398 to raise his average from .270.

High Desert plays at San Jose at 10 p.m. ET. Listen to the game here.

This and every weekday a.m. during baseball season, let's rise and shine together to recap the most recent diamond doings. Roll Call starts at Safeco Field, where the sub-Mariners kept the Orioles scoreless for eight innings and had a three-run lead heading into Baltimore's last at-bat. That's when the visitors reached under their wings and pulled out a little Orioles Magic.

Game of the Day

Orioles 5, Mariners 3

Slashed by Occam's Razor: There is a simple explanation as to how the Orioles put up five runs in the ninth: Seattle closer David Aardsma and infielder Jose Lopez combined for one hellacious meltdown. A meltdown caused by the supernatural sorcery of Maryland's state bird.

Aardsma, one of the AL's most effective relievers, came in having saved 17 games in 18 chances. Against the O's, he mysteriously allowed four hits and a walk and, after letting in a run and loading the bases with no outs, got some "help" from his own defense.

"You could feel the game turning in a hurry and it was turning in our favor," Orioles manager warlock Dave Trembley said (VIDEO).

Lopez, whose two-run homer staked the M's to a first-inning lead, made two errors in the ninth, the first on a potential double-play grounder that he rushed, bobbled and dropped.

"All my life, all my career, I want to make sure I get one [out] first, but I tried to do too much on that one," Lopez said. "I wanted to make a quick throw to second base and you see what happened."

Oh, we did. Orioles Magic happened.

The next man up, Ty Wigginton, hit a go-ahead, two-run single for a 4-3 Orioles lead.

To frost his cake of doom, Lopez made a throwing error with two outs that allowed Nick Markakis to score an insurance run. Two errors in one inning by the same second sacker? Somebody was dabbling in the orange and black arts.

Baltimore had been smarting because, in the seventh, the O's loaded the bases with no outs but didn't score. M's pitcher Garrett Olson somehow squirmed out of the jam. How?

He used to play for Baltimore. Ex-Orioles Magic.

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (no spells were cast on these games):

Marlins 7, Giants 0: Holy schnikees! Chris Volstad pitches a five-hitter (all singles) for the first complete-game shutout in Chris Volstad history. He retired the final 11 batters and 16 of the last 17. Six Ks, no walks. Answer Man curse be darned!

Giants right-hander Ryan "The Big" Sadowski reached 16 scoreless innings to start his career before the Fish put a run on the board in the fourth, adding another in the fifth and sixth.

Sadowski's scoreless streak was the longest for a Giants rookie in 56 years. It's also one inning better than Juan Marichal's career-opening run in 1960.

Obviously, he's not a golfer (he's a pitcher).

Astros 5, Pirates 0: Hey, five-hit shutouts for everybody! Eleven Ks for Wandy Rodriguez, who extended himself to 125 pitches to finish it because, in his words, "I have vacation" — i.e., he's off because of the All-Star break. Were it not for a 3-4 start stretch at the end of May into June, he would be going to Busch Stadium.

White Sox 5, Indians 1: Jose Contreras has been pitching like Ozzie Guillen was going to send him back to Cuba for real.

Rangers 8, Angels 1: First at-bat, home run Andruw Jones. Second at-bat, home run Andruw Jones. Third at-bat, home run Andruw Jones. This is getting interesting! Fourth at-bat, pop out Andruw Jones. Fifth at-bat, strike out Andruw Jones. Aww. No tying Mark Whiten or Lou Gehrig, et al. But pretty good for the Rangers, who exit Anaheim in first place.

Andruw is the second guy to hit three homers in a game in the past 48 hours. Paul Konerko did it Tuesday night.

Marlon Byrd also homered in this game. For that, and for the look on his face in the photo on the right, he gets a mention.

Yahoo! Sports' own Tim Brown was there and files this punt return report.

Braves 4, Cubs 1: First, he was dropped to sixth in the batting order. Next, he was dropped out of the lineup by Lou Piniella without being given a head's up. And Alfonso Soriano — who is hitting .186 with an OPS of .521 over his past 40 games — is upset about it.

From Hardball:

"That's why I'm mad," Soriano said. "If he had told me yesterday, then I wouldn't come today ready to play.

"That's a surprise to me today. I think he could have said to me last night, 'OK, take a day off,' especially because [Thursday] is an off-day. I'd be like, 'OK, I'll take the two [days].' But I like to know before I come here."

Entitlements. Obama's gotta cut out entitlements.

Brewers 5, Cardinals 4: Prince Fielder puts the Crew ahead by hitting a tremendous home run legging out an infield single. Really! (VIDEO)

"Prince can move a little bit," said Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman, who watched the play from the bullpen. "Don't underestimate his ability as an athlete. He was sniffing a hit."

I say he was sniffing out a tofu burger with Secret Stadium Sauce.

Yankees 4, Twins 3: Four walks and three wild pitches for A.J. Burnett, who was saved because the Twins had no idea where the ball was going, either.

Now that he has enough plate appearances to qualify, Joe Mauer has gone from not registering to leading the AL batting race over Ichiro — .388 to .356.

Tigers 3, Royals 1: Mr. Lucas French, probably no relation to Mr. French from "Family Affair," doesn't let KC get back in the game after Zack Greinke struggles early, and he picks up his first career victory. Mrs. Beasley would approve.

Rockies 10, Nationals 4: The Rox have the best record in the majors, 30-15, since May 21. They aren't who we thought they were. Crown 'em!

D-backs 6, Padres 2: Well, lookie who's not in last place for the first time in a month.

Rays 10, Blue Jays 9: Another win in the last at-bat, this one thanks to Busch Stadium-bound Ben Zobrist, who went deep and added the game-ending single. Brian Tallet, in a show of solidarity with B.J. Ryan, got lit up like a Canadian Christmas tree.

Red Sox 5, Athletics 4: Knuckles Wakefield picks up his AL-leading 11th victory.

"His knuckleball was kind of off and on," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "There were at-bats where guys came back and said they'd never seen it move as much as it was."

Phillies 3, Reds 2: The All-Star final-vote campaigning is over for Shane Victorino. He went door-to-door with Philly's mayor canvassing for votes. The Phillies pulled out most of the stops to advertise his candidacy and Victorino even helped his own cause with a BLS chat two-out RBI single to beat the Reds in the ninth inning.

Now, it's only a matter of revealing by how many votes Pablo Sandoval won. We'll find out soon.

Mets 5, Dodgers 4: Oliver Perez survives seven walks. Not sure how Jerry Manuel does it.

The Blue Jays released Ryan on Wednesday, despite still owing their former closer a huge chunk of a $47 million contract that runs through 2010.

What went wrong with Ryan, a left-handed bulldog who saved 74 games and made two All-Star teams from 2005-06, and had 32 saves as recently as 2008?

Loss of health and command.

Ryan, 33, had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery on his left arm in 2007 and, despite the big save total in '08, experienced a continuing drop in strikeout rate. He pitched through arm soreness last season and had upper back problems early this season, losing his closer job to Scott Downs in April.

Upon returning in May, Ryan lacked control, walking 17 in 20 1/3 innings. His velocity was down, too; the 6-foot-6, 260-pound left-hander was throwing 86-mph fastballs in his last game with the Blue Jays, on Sunday against the Yankees.

Ryan complained part of his problem was a lack of use. His appearance against the Yankees was only his third in two weeks. Before that, however, manager Cito Gaston never went more than three days without using him.

From MLB.com:

"It's been hard to find spots for him to pitch," Gaston said Tuesday.

Ryan said Monday it seemed obvious that Gaston had lost confidence in him.

"It's frustrating when you sit and you wait to pitch and you get in there and you don't do good," Ryan said. "It's tough. You kind of find yourself in that same circle. You sit for four or five days and you get out there and you want to make pitches and you don't."

Now, Ryan hopes someone in baseball will give him another shot. Being left-handed, and with the Jays paying the freight, it's a safe bet someone will.

Poor Matt Holliday. At this point last season, the A's outfielder was gearing up for his third straight All-Star appearance with the Colorado Rockies. Today, he's making break plans of the non-baseball variety while riding a homerless drought that dates back to June 5. His 2009 performance may preclude him from being trade bait for Oakland later this month and even the league's batboys seem sorry for him these days. 

So have at it, amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How should this caption read?

Follow the jump for winners from last Friday's C-a-C featuring John Lackey:

John Lackey says to pass the Oxy 10

1st — nate. "After getting hit, John was forced to change his last name to 'Lackeye.'"

2nd — Raider4Life. "If I keep forgetting to turn my glove around, I'll be mistaken for a hockey player soon..."

3rd — Smoshed. "Mike Scioscia could only roll his eyes in the dugout as John Lackey attempts to blow away the batter with his new two-seam two nostril trick pitch." 

The message of this fantastic video is clear: Vote for Pablo Sandoval in the NL Final Vote and all your wildest dreams will come true. And as Jeff Passan asks, why wouldn't you?

The Giants third baseman has a sweet bike .328 batting average, is really good at hooking up with chicks hitting grand slams and is the only baseball player who has a mustache looks like Kung Fu Panda. (He's probably a pretty good computer-hacking nunchucker, too.)

A big BLS head nod to Hot Clicks and Torin, a loyal Stewie, for the redirect.

Also, you can cast your tally for Shane in the NL Final Vote sweepstakes here. 

People ask what's going through your head once you start to approach that four- or five-hour mark in the game and that 13-16 inning mark.

Your body isn't really tired as you see pitchers still come in throwing around the same velocity as before. Players still make plays, steal bases, and hit home runs to win those long games. Mentally, you are ready for it to end sooner than later though. 

Sometimes, though, you just get really hungry.

We have sunflower seeds, gum, and even protein bars for us at anytime throughout the game. I've eaten peanuts before and even candy bars, just because I wanted something else.  It made me think though:  If all of that is OK to eat, why wouldn't it be OK to run upstairs to the clubhouse and make a sandwich for the 14th inning? Of course that hasn't happened, but you do get very tempted to do so.

As the game goes later, your mind starts to think a little more about the length of the game when you are approaching your sixth, seventh and eighth at-bats. Those are days where you just hope you have at least one hit and hopefully a walk in those games. (Or you can do like Denard Span did and have five hits in that 16-inning game.)

I also began to think about what is going to happen when we run out of pitchers. Who would be the position player we would use in that situation? Everyone jokes on our team about how they can pitch, but no one has had to do it. I would like to get a chance to and almost did one game in high school. Brandon Inge would be a good candidate since he pitched in college and can make up pitches to get hitters out, but what if we had no other infielders left to replace him at third base, then what would happen?

It would be interesting to see, but hopefully we don't get to that point where we are playing that many innings where we will need to find out that answer.

* * *

One a final note, I would also like to thank not only my peers in baseball, but all the fans who have shown support this year, which resulted in me being named to the All-Star team for the first time in my career this week. I am excited to participate in my first All-Star Game, but I am also humbled and surprised.

Of course, the game will be much more fun if my teammate Brandon Inge, who definitely deserves an All-Star slot, joined Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and me on the team. You can vote for Brandon in the final vote by clicking here.

* * *

Curtis Granderson plays center field for the Detroit Tigers and his blog will appear regularly on Yahoo! Sports' Big League Stew during the 2009 season. Make sure to check out and support his Grand Kids Foundation. 

Previous Posts: Q&A with the fans, Pt. 1 (June 29) The importance of education (June 19) • Breaking up a no-no (June 8) • Tip of the cap to Luke Scott(notes) (June 1) • Hanging with Hammer (May 22) • Sweet home, Chicago (May 14) • The catch in Cleveland (May 11) • Impressive ballpark amenities (April 29) • Handling A 10-Game Road Trip • (April 22) Cautious About Identity Theft (April 14) • Season's High Hopes (April 6)

Sometimes, a guy can't jump out of the dugout to celebrate with his teammates without breaking a toe.

That's what happened to Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster, who could be out a month after snagging — and breaking — his right big toe on a dugout railing after the last out of Sunday's victory against the Brewers at Wrigley Field.

Dempster was supposed to start Tuesday night's game against the Braves, but instead was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a non-displaced fracture that probably also will cost him a toenail.

From Hardball: 

"It's a weird thing," Dempster said.

No kidding. Dempster's is not the weirdest baseball trauma ever — the Rockies' Dustan Mohr injured a calf muscle similarly four years ago — but it does place Dempster in a pantheon of players who hurt themselves oddly.

With that, here are several of the more-infamous baseball player injuries of the recent past:

Glenallen Hill, "Spider-man," 1990: The granddaddy longlegs of them all. An arachnophobe, the Blue Jays outfielder suffered cuts and bruises during a sleepwalk in which he dreamed he was being chased by spiders.

Chris Brown, "By an Eyelash," 1989: Many of us have "slept funny" and woken up with a sore neck or back, but the Tigers infielder broke the mold when one of his eyes became infected after he, well, slept on it funny. Considered kind of wimpy during his playing days, Brown actually went to work driving a truck in Iraq for Halliburton — one of the world's more dangerous jobs. He died in a mysterious fire in 2006.

Vince Coleman, "Tarp Monster!" 1985: Gruesomely, the Cardinals speedster suffered cuts and chipped bone in his leg — not to mention relative terror — after being attacked by a tarp machine in St. Louis during the NLCS.

Sammy Sosa, "Nothing to Sneeze at," 2004: A deep sneeze — no, really — caused the Cubs outfielder to be sidelined with a pulled muscle in his back.

Carlos Zambrano, "Overloaded Inbox," 2005: Missing his family back in Venezuela during 2005, the emotional right-hander spent 4-5 hours a day on the computer e-mailing his folks and strained his right elbow.

Joel Zumaya, "Strumming His Pain," 2006: Another e-injury with a "Z" pitcher occurred when the Tigers' reliever hurt his right wrist and arm playing too much Guitar Hero. He had to be shelved for three games during the ALCS.

Adam Eaton, "Adult-Proof Packaging," 2001: Long before he was feeling Brotherly Love, the Padres right-hander missed a start after stabbing himself in the stomach with a pocket knife trying to open a package of DVDs.

David Wells, "Vintage Slapstick," 2004: Cost himself a $1-million bonus after horsing around at home, knocking over a bottle of wine, bracing his fall with his hands and severing a tendon in his right wrist.

Steve Sparks, "Yell 'Ow!' Pages," 1994: Inspired by a motivational speaker, the Brewers knuckleballer dislocated his left shoulder by ripping the Phoenix phonebook in half.

Marty Cordova, "Sun Worshipper," 2002: A tanning session gone wrong burned the Orioles' outfielder's face, causing him to miss a few games.

Jeff Kent, "Evil Kentievel," 2002: After injuring his wrist popping a wheelie on his motorcycle — a violation of the contract he signed with the Giants — Kent concocted a story that he fell off his pickup truck while washing it. Some old-fashioned reporting blew his fraudulent cover.

Clint Barmes, "The Deer Eater," 2005: Fell and broke his collarbone — costing himself three months of the season — trying to lug a package of frozen venison given to him by teammate Todd Helton. Barmes made up a cover story for Helton's sake, he said, but cracked under the pressure and eventually spilled the truth beans.

Griffey's apparent tribute to the King of Pop, who was memorialized Tuesday, extended beyond the sonic. Close inspection of Griff Jr.'s grip on the bat showed a bare left hand and a white batting glove worn on his right.

Griffey usually wears dark blue gloves on both hands.

From Jim Moore in SeattlePI.com:

Before Tuesday night's game at Safeco Field, Ken Griffey Jr. said he was going to honor Michael Jackson by wearing one white batting glove in his first at-bat, and I thought he was kidding.

"Man, you're gullible," Griffey said.

Tricky. Griffey's tribute turned out to be earnest and effective. He drew a walk but — sorry — he didn't moonwalk to first base (VIDEO). If he had, Griffey would have been the first big leaguer since Jimmy Piersall in 1963 to go backward 'round the bases.

In his subsequent at-bats, Griffey reverted to his usual two-gloved stance. He finished 1-for-2. No one wants to be defeated, but Griffey's M's were, 12-4, by the Orioles.

After the jump, check out a close-up of Griffey's tribute and an old-school shot of Jackson with everyone's Mommy and Daddy from the '80s.

Griffey struck an accurate pose — MJ also wore his sequined glove on the right hand while going au naturel on the left.

Griffey was barely in his teens when Jackson, at his zenith of popularity, visited the White House in 1984.

Game of the Day

Rays 3, Blue Jays 1 (11 inn.)

Roll out the barrel: Stuck in a 4-for-34 slump that's actually lasted a lot longer than that, Burrell connected against Brandon League for a game-deciding two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th, sending the handful of Rays friends and family in attendance (15,244) home happy.

Burrell should have been one of the best free-agent signings of the off-season. The Rays seemed to need offense, so why not sign a slugger nicknamed "Pat the Bat"? The Rays have scored plenty of runs but no thanks to Burrell, who has been banged up and bad so far. Even factoring the blast against the Jays, Burrell is batting .222 with four homers, 25 RBIs and a .322 slugging percentage.

Not a whole lot of bang for 16-million bucks.

"We got a long way to go, and I haven't been performing. It's that simple," said Burrell, who missed 29 games in May and June with a neck strain. "As you go along in the season, you try to build on things. I'm hoping this is one of those times."

The defending AL champions needed a pick-me-up after a strong debut by a Jays pitcher with a tough slider and tougher last name.  

Mustard on that Polish: OK, we had a couple of thoughtful commenters chime in with pronunciations — different ones, of course — for rookie Marc Rzepczynski's last name.

The game announcers called him: Zep-chinski. Commenter deathharbour wins! Way to go, death.

Ah, Polska. Which reminds me of a joke. What does a Polish husband give his bride on their wedding day that's long and hard? A last name!

As for Zep's performance, the 23-year-old left-hander was great. Struck out the first guy he saw, showed a sharp breaking ball and the Rays really did little with him over his six innings — a run, two hits, four walks and seven Ks.

Doc Halladay watch: He's still a Jay, not that it makes total sense according to Y! Sports' own Gordon Edes.

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (all these games are easier to pronounce):

Reds 4, Phillies 3: Obviously, the Reds learned the lesson of what it's like to trail by a touchdown and a field goal before your team even gets a second possession. Avoiding such a start makes those fourth quarters ninth innings much more manageable.

After homering twice, Brandon Phillips' bunt put Joey Votto in position to be knocked in by Ramon Hernandez.

Dusty Baker said something curious, though.

"Before he went up, I said, 'Man, I know you hit two homers, but I need you to bunt him over,' " Baker told Phillips. "He said, 'No problem.' "

Don't these guys use signs? Good thing the Phillies didn't hear!

White Sox 10, Indians 6: Pau-lie, Pau-lie, Pau-lie. One for each homer. And seven "Konerkos" for each RBI.

Giants 3, Marlins 0: Slow clap for Barry Zito, who finally had a great moment for the Giants. He didn't get the complete game, but let's not expect too much for $126 million.

"I've got four years left on this deal after this," Zito said of his seven-year contract. "I want more than anything to let my potential come through, and show and let myself know, more importantly than others, that I'm still capable of throwing up effective outings."

Four more years. Hoo boy.

Orioles 12, Mariners 4: Luke Scott, you will go to the Dagobah System and drive in seven, then report back. Most of the O's damage wasn't done against ex-O Erik Bedard, who was on a pitch limit and pulled after four impressive-looking innings.

Pirates 6, Astros 3: Jack Wilson, America's shortstop, has hit 10 of his 60 career homers at Minute Maid Park. His eyes light up whenever he sees them Crawfish Boxes.

"You just play to the elements," Wilson says.

Is this a pic of the world's biggest hip bump?

Rangers 8, Angels 5: Two outs into the fifth, John Lackey hadn't allowed a run, but Michael Young beat out an infield single to keep the inning going. Two batters later, Andruw Jones hit a three-run homer and by the time the Rangers were done, they had scored six and knocked Lackey out. Cruel, cruel game.

Dodgers 8, Mets 0: Manny gets tossed in the fifth after arguing balls and strikes. To his credit, I suppose, he didn't leave the clubhouse and head off into the New York night immediately afterward. He stayed to answer postgame questions. What's he up to?

Red Sox 5, Athletics 2: Josh Beckett's ERA at the end of April was 7.22. Now, it's 3.62. That means, by early September, it should be down to 0.02 if he keeps this pace.

Cardinals 5, Brewers 0: Ryan Ludwick gives Adam Wainwright all he needs with a three-run homer in the first inning. Wainwright came within two outs of his first career shutout, which he promises will come someday.

The Brewers complained — boy, did they complain — that umpire Bill Hohn's Mustache gave Wainwright much more of the plate than it did to Yovani Gallardo. Coaches Dale Sveum, Willie Randolph, Bernie Brewer and Italian Sausage were ejected for various arguments.

Mark DeRosa goes on the disabled list, after all, because of Answer Man a strained left wrist.

Tigers 8, Royals 5: Bruce Chen's career summed up in two consecutive plate appearances: He avoids Miguel Cabrera with an intentional walk, then gives up a three-run homer on a high change-up to Marcus Thames.

D-backs 4, Padres 3: Arizona ensures itself of a series win at home for the first time since A.J. Hinch took over for Bob Melvin in May. A lesson to all you young GMs out there about the value, or lack thereof, in firing your manager.

Yankees 10, Twins 2: CC might miss the Metrodome once Target Field is ready. He's 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA inside the Gas Bag over his past seven starts.

Braves 2, Cubs 1: Zambrano pitches well as he fills in for Ryan Dempster's Big Toe on short notice, but the Braves pitchers were even better.

Rockies 5, Nationals 4: The Gnats make three errors, plus other key goofs, and Rockies left-hander Alan Embree doesn't even throw a pitch (he picked a guy off) in picking up the victory. That's Nationals baseball.

Break out your Phillie Phanatic costumes and leis, folks, because we just received word that Shane Victorino — yes, the Flyin' Hawaiian himself — will stop by Big League Stew at 1 p.m. ET Wednesday to leave no question unasked in a live chat with readers.

Exciting stuff, so start generating those questions for the Philadelphia center fielder, who could use your support in the National League's Final Vote. See you then.

Blue Jays at Rays, 7:08 ET If Wayne Gretzky can be traded out of Canada, so can Roy Halladay, M.D. The Good Doctor is on the market and the Blue Jays — who are slipping out of the AL East race after an encouraging start — have their ears open, general manager J.P. Ricciardi says.

From BlueJays.com:

"We're not going to give the guy away," Ricciardi said during a phone interview. "We'd be willing to listen. That doesn't mean we'd be willing to trade."

They're not going to give away the best pitcher in the majors. Well, that must be a relief for Jays fans. Given Ricciardi's history of being hoodwinked on the telephone, hopefully he's not so gullible this time, as during the Adam Dunn fiasco.

Halladay, who is 10-2 with a 2.79 ERA and usually contends for the Cy Young Award (or the Duane (A)Ward, as it's known in Canada), is signed through 2010, when he would earn $15.75 million.

I know at least one guy who's interested.

As for this ballgame, the Jays trot out Marc — somebody help me out here — Marc Rzepczynski for his first major league start. Rep-chinski? Rizzip-zinski? Are-chip-inski? Maybe the whole last name is silent. Whatever, hopefully a teammate will buy the 23-year-old left-hander a postgame beer and well-placed vowel.

Reds at Phillies, 7:05 ET All Aaron Harang has to do is get three outs and allow fewer than nine runs in the first inning and he improves on what Johnny Cueto did last night in Philly's 22-1 dismantling of Mr. Redlegs.

Royals at Tigers, 7:05 ET Well, Bruce Chen, you son of a beekeeper, when did you sneak back into the majors? Chen, enjoying a regular turn in the rotation for the first time since 2006, actually pitched well for the Royals against the White Sox in his previous start. Chen has played for 10 teams (plus in the minors for Toronto), is 32 years old and still looking for a home.

Cardinals at Brewers, 8:05 ET We have a nice little matchup of near-All-Stars here, with Adam Wainwright opposing Yovani Gallardo. Whatever you guys do, don't handle it like Johnny Cueto, like you're out to prove to the world you belong at Busch Stadium next week. That didn't work out so well for him.

Rangers at Angels, 10:05 ET Round two in Anaheim, with a share of first place in the AL West possibly on the line. The Rangers are throwing Dustin Nippert at the Angels, so Josh Hamilton and Co. probably are going to have to whack around John Lackey to have a chance.

Legally, that is.

La Russa's lawyers, reportedly, have dropped the suit against Twitter that said the company was allowing an anonymous person to "hijack La Russa's identity and damage his trademark."

From Law.com:

"I would say that it looks like saner heads prevailed — I don't think this lawsuit should've been brought in the first place," said Corynne McSherry, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation who has followed the case. "I think their legal claims were weak at best."

Earlier this season, a joker created an "@TonyLaRussa" account and tweeted what the real La Russa considered misleading and tasteless messages.

"Lost 2 out of 3," said an April 19 tweet, "but we made it out of Chicago without one drunk driving incident or dead pitcher" — references to the deaths of Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock, along with the DUI/sleepytime arrest of La Russa.

After Twitter reportedly disabled the account in June, La Russa told reporters, apparently incorrectly, that the suit had been settled. Twitter denied this, and said it planned to fight any legal action.

The tweets might have been out of bounds, but they and Twitter also enjoy a certain amount of legal protection because they are a parody. No one could reasonably believe La Russa himself would say these things — which is why he dropped the suit.

Enjoy your freedom, those who are about to mock.

Scott Rolen, Toronto Blue Jays

The Naked Truth: .328/.389/.485, 6 HR, 30 RBI

Having a nice little Saturday: With a two-run double during Monday night's victory against the Yankees, Rolen extended his hitting streak to 23 games. Since June 8, he has a 1.017 OPS, but the skidding Jays are 10-14 in that period. He was overlooked on the All-Star team, but he probably shouldn't have been. 

You're my boy, Blue!: Rolen can be an elite hitter when healthy, but that's been rare, since his major 2005 shoulder injury. From 2005-2008, he averaged 106 games a year, and slugged .446, after he had slugged .520 up to that point in his career. After multiple shoulder surgeries, it's not clear his power will ever return. But the dude can still hit.

Think KFC will still be open?: This season is sort of a throwback to the hitter he used to be before his injury. He's hit like this before, it's just been awhile. His Batting Average on Balls in Play is 40 points higher than his career average, which is a red flag, but it's not out of line with his current 26 percent line drive percentage. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is one of the best of his career, which means he's controlling the strike zone, and that's a good sign. His mechanics have also changed: "Mentally, I decided that my hands had to go down or I was going to be injured," he told Toronto's National Post. "So the big change was mental — that I was not going to hit with my hands up anymore. That's a big deal."

What other players are currently streaking?

* * *

David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

The Naked Truth: .221/.314/.391

Having a nice little Saturday: His numbers on the year aren't exactly gaudy, but considering where he was on May 31 — .185 BA, .570 SLG, one homer — his present tally looks practically Lazarus-like. He's batting .290/.374/.591 with eight homers and 20 RBI over his last 29 games, which is the Papi that Boston fans are used to. It looks like his confidence in himself — not to mention the angelic patience of Terry Francona and the Boston faithful — are starting to pay off.

You're my boy, Blue!: Something's definitely been happening in the past month, but whatever it is, he's not getting lucky on balls in play — his BABIP is .297, slightly below his career average. (That's way above his BABIP from April and May, .241.) He's cut his strikeouts and upped his walks a bit, which is a good sign. But the major difference is his suddenly booming homer rate and his vastly improved hit rate.

Think KFC will still be open?: ESPN's Tristan Cockcroft is convinced: "I believe he's a lot closer in true value to his June numbers than to his April/May numbers." Meanwhile, Ortiz maintains that he knew what was going on all along: "Like I told you guys at the beginning, it's all about timing." He certainly picked a good time to rediscover his timing.

* * *

Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves

The Naked Truth: 4-0, 2.25 ERA, 1.250 WHIP

Having a nice little Saturday: Isn't it nice when phenoms live up to the hype? Atlanta's Hanson, the best pitching prospect in the game not named David Price, has established his major league credentials in a major way, racking up 26 straight scoreless innings from his second through sixth career starts. For his troubles, he was named the National League Rookie of the Month in June.

You're my boy, Blue!: He's been "effectively wild" — he's only had more strikeouts than walks twice in six starts — but he's awfully hard to hit. He's given up four or fewer hits in four straight starts. If you keep the ducks off the pond, it's awfully hard to get hurt. But he's been getting lucky — his BABIP is an unsustainable .219, his 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings is perplexingly low and his 23/18 K/BB is just asking for trouble. His mid-90s fastball and plus curveball are good enough pitches to get anybody out, so it's not clear why he's getting so few swings and misses.

Think KFC will still be open?: If he can't strike more people out and give fewer free passes, he's going to get into trouble, and to his credit, he knows it: "The walks are something I've never really experienced before," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I know what I'm doing wrong, and I've just got to correct it and slow myself down. I'm making it harder on myself." Not every top prospect has the humility to realize he's not yet a finished product. That may be just as impressive as his fastball.

* * * 

What other rookies are hotter than hot?

Nolan Reimold, Baltimore Orioles: The AL Rookie of the Month for June, Reimold is quietly having a fine season in left field for the Baltimore Orioles, and along with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis is contributing to one of the best offensive outfields in all of baseball. He never played a day in the majors before May 14, but he's making the most of it now. Felix Pie's time in a Baltimore uniform may be running out.

Ronald Belisario, Los Angeles Dodgers: A spare part discarded by the hapless Pirates, Ronald Belisario has become the single most-used reliever by Joe Torre, a manager famous for finding one setup guy and running him out whenever possible. And Belisario has delivered on the field, with a 2.42 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. But there isn't much chance this ends well. He didn't pitch more than 60 innings in either of the last two seasons, and he missed all of 2005 and 2006 with Tommy John surgery. The Dodger bullpen has been a strength all year, but if he goes down — as he surely will, if he keeps pitching in every other game — they'll have a major hole to fill.

Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays: In a year where nearly every Jays pitcher of note has spent time on the DL, Ricky Romero has been a godsend. In his last six starts, he has a 1.91 ERA, and he's gone at least seven innings in five of them. He never pitched this well in the minors, but he's striking people out, getting swings and misses, not walking too many people, and not getting too lucky on balls in play. That's a recipe for success and the Jays need it.

Melvin told a Milwaukee newspaper that Ryan Braun's comments demanding the Brewers shore up their pitching staff "just ticked me off."

Braun complained Sunday the NL Central-rival Cubs had better pitching after they took three of four games at Wrigley Field over the weekend. He wants Melvin to pull another CC Sabathia trade out of his pocket.

And do it soon. Now, even.

Melvin called Braun's words "uncharacteristic, inappropriate and irresponsible," implying — in a reasonable tone — the 25-year-old All-Star should swing the bat, be quiet, lead by example and stop being a pre-prima donna.

"He's too talented a player to be doing this so early in his career," Melvin said. "He just has to be careful about what he says."

Melvin, possibly sarcastically, even offered to make Braun one of his assistants. Nice, considering he's so hot on improving the team's talent.

"I'll be glad to have Ryan help if he wants to," Melvin told the Journal-Sentinel. "I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy."

Melvin says his front-office staff works year-round, "from 9 a.m. to midnight," in order to improve the Brewers.

"I don't like criticizing players; it's out of character for me," Melvin said. "But I'm tired of it and I need to protect the people under us. Everybody's working as hard as they can to make this a winning organization."

Milwaukee's not big enough for two baseball sheriffs, Ryan Braun.

Game of the Day

Phillies 22, Reds 1

First and 10: The Phillies jumped ahead in the first against baseball's oldest franchise thanks to a two-run homer by Shane Victorino. No problem, really, considering how the ball flies at CBP. With eight innings to go, the Reds could get those runs back. After the homer, Cueto got two outs, and all he needed was to get one more so the Reds could bat again.

The Phillies never let him have the out. Instead, they just let him have it.

"I feel bad about it," Cueto said with teammate Francisco Cordero translating from Spanish. "It was one of those days where I didn't have it. It was going to happen one day."

By the time the first inning ended, Philadelphia led 10-0. The score later got so out of hand, Reds skipper Dusty Baker sent sacrificial shortstop Paul Janish out to pitch in the eighth.

By the time the game ended, the proud Reds had been "slaughtered" — as their own manager put it — in their biggest mathematical defeat evah. Previously, the Phillies beat them 26-6 on July 26, 1892.

Details of doom: Greg Dobbs followed Victorino with a two-run homer and pitcher Cole Hamels followed with a two-run double to put the Reds in a 6-0 hole. Cueto allowed another run, put two more runners aboard and then, against reliever Daniel Ray Herrera, Chase Utley hit the third homer of the inning for a 10-spot — tying a club record for most runs in the first.

"I was just jumping for joy," Hamels said about the run support. "When you put that many runs up, it makes it uncomfortable for the other team."

Janish, grab a mop: The Reds' shortstop/mop-up man had allowed five runs in the ninth inning of a 15-3 loss to the Brewers back in May. With the Phillies leading this one 16-1 in the sixth inning, Janish mentally started to warm up in the bullpen again.

"The way the game started, we kidded around and had an idea it might happen again," Janish said. "I was really hoping to lower my ERA, but that didn't happen either."

Against the Phillies, Janish allowed six runs in the eighth, most of them on a grand slam to Jayson Werth (VIDEO) which gave the Phillies the biggest scoring outburst in stadium history. Janish watched helplessly as his ERA rose to 49.50. If Marge Schott still owned the Reds, she would use that against him in arbitration.

So absurd was the game, the Phillies brought in LPGA star Paula Creamer to close. Not really. She just tossed out the ceremonial first pitch. Janish swung and missed.

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (I am Paula Creamer):

Cubs 4, Braves 2: His name is Randy David Wells, and he spent about 310 innings in Triple-A before the Cubs gave him a chance in the majors. Can you imagine twiddling your thumbs in Des Moines, Iowa that long, dying to show your boss there's a 350-pound, bald biker dude with great stuff and a sassy attitude inside you just yearning to be free?

If the playoffs started today, the Cubs would be watching on TV, but if they were in 'em, Ted Lilly would start Game 1 and Wells would start Game 2.

Blue Jays 7, Yankees 6: The umpires blew a big call on Derek Jeter's attempted steal of third base in the first inning, and the play definitely changed the course of the game in Toronto's favor. The deafening silence you hear comes from beyond the sympathetic Yankees Universe. The Yanks got screwed? Oh, no, not that!

Justice for all, people. Justice for all!

Ha-ha! (Just kidding).

Angels 9, Rangers 4: Angels lead the AL West by one game with 81 to go. Somebody was due to rough up Kevin Millwood. The Angels simply volunteered.

Rockies 1, Nationals 0: Even in the Humidor Era, you've gotta love the 1-0 game at Coors Field — just the eighth of its kind in stadium history. First-time All-Star Jason Marquis leads the league with 11 victories.

Royals 4, Tigers 3: Give the Royals credit, I suppose. They don't necessarily play well, smart or healthy for Trey Hillman, but they play hard.

The Tigers are skipping Rick Porcello's next scheduled start. Mental break for the rookie, Leyland says. Now bring me my smokes!

D-backs 6, Padres 5: It wasn't Babe Ruth calling his shot, but Justin Upton promised Mark Reynolds he would steal second base if Reynolds took a ball, and he did. Reynolds followed with a game-ending single. The stuff of semi-legend!

Athletics 6, Red Sox 0: Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle! With Nomar making his grand return and John Smoltz making his Red Sox debut at home, rookie Brett Anderson fires a two-hit shutout at Fenway Paaak.

Anderson simply hid in plain sight.

"It kind of eased me into the game, knowing that the focus obviously is not going to be on me," said Anderson, who was 82 days old when Smoltz made his major league debut on April 23, 1988.

Giants 5, Marlins 4: It's going to be hard to stop Pablo Sandoval from winning the final vote for the NL All-Star squad. When the Chinese find out he's Kung Fu Panda, there's a billion votes right there.

Astros 4, Pirates 1: The Bucs had a hitters-only meeting to discuss how to handle left-hander Mike Hampton, who came in having won nine straight starts against them. Make it 10 against the Hampton-olics!

Mariners 5, Orioles 0: Jarrod Washburn is making himself look great for trade season. He wasn't even pitching one-hitters for the Angels five years ago. ... Too bad for Russell Branyan that's he's not on the All-Star team or even the final vote thingy. He deserves better.

The Red Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs five years ago and, hard as it is to believe, he had not returned to Fenway Park as an opposing player until Monday night.

New Englanders showed their love for Garciaparra, now with the Athletics, who at one time was the face of the franchise. Nomar, in turn, seemed to feel them right back.

Some might have taken advantage of his good nature, however. One of the little kids even made Nomar finish his "welcome" sign for him.

Do your own work, kids. Have the little ragamuffins not learned one lesson from Nomar's life?

Garciaparra had a satisfying day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the A's victory.

Yahoo! Sports' own Gordon Edes says the return is bittersweet overall. He is on the scene and files this report from Fenway. Gordon?

Braves at Cubs, underway The sale of the Cubs appears to be closer to done, though this story from one of the horse's mouths — the Tribune Co. — reports that details still linger and negotiations will continue in order to dot the Ts and cross the eyes. A "term sheet" has been sent to MLB headquarters for inspection and the other owners must approve the deal, too. They next meet in August. Heck, we could have two or three more recessions by then. The Cubs still don't have Ricketts.

With the team still almost kind of free from its probational bonds, general manager Jim Hendry traded Ryan Freel to the Royals. Freel might have had the least effective Cubs career since Bob Tewksbury.

Meanwhile, Aramis Ramirez is returning from his shoulder injury, along with outfielder Reed Johnson and right-hander Angel Guzman. Kevin Hart and Sam Fuld were sent back to Triple-A and David Patton was DL'd with a right groin strain in the roster-farian musical chairs.

Fuld had a 1.007 OPS in 13 plate appearances and was instrumental in a couple of recent victories, but the acquisition of Jeff Baker makes him expendable, so says management.

* * *

Reds at Phillies, underway Johnny Cueto, along with Yovani Gallardo, should just go and have a separate All-Star Game and not invite anybody else to play or even watch. And don't tell anyone who won. We don't deserve to know.

UPDATE: Cueto has been destroyed.

Athletics at Red Sox, underway John Smoltz tries even harder, and for a third time, to pick up his first AL victory.

Rangers at Angels, 10:05 ET When we look back on this season, and someone will, the AL West might come down to this series.

Marlins at Giants, 10:15 ET Matt Cain continues pitching with balls of fire in his bid to start for the NL in the All-Star Game.

Although some curmudgeons incorrectly believe JFK said, "I am a jelly donut," he actually was comforting a public scared out of its wits because the Soviet Union was building nasty ol' prison walls all over town.

Forty-six years later, a grateful Fatherland is repaying America by sending us its finest baseball prospect.

Max Kepler-Rozycki, a 16-year-old outfielder with Bavaria's Buchbinder Legionaere ("Army of Book Binders") has signed with the Minnesota Twins, Keith Law of ESPN first reported.

He actually is the third German recently added by the Twins, who scout the planet better than most in order to keep pace with big markets. The Red Sox, Mets and Reds also reportedly were hot on the wunderkind's trail.

"Kepler is the toolsiest kid we've ever had in Europe," one scout has said. "No question."

Max Kepler-Rozycki — wasn't that the name of the kid in "Rookie of the Year"? Data on Max is sketchy, but he appears to be 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, and he excels in a league with much older players, such as this former American professional.

He also appears to have a nice, inside-out, left-handed swing. Kepler's Laws of Motion at work! Throw the book at 'em, Max!

I'm thinking, "Andy Van Slyke," but less Dutch.

Check out this translated page, or this older one, for info on the newest Piranha.

Also, someone alert Michigan State University about a possible copyright infringement.

The stats are there, and so is Franklin's beard, which is probably the thickest facial hair in the majors. It looks like a Hollywood prop, or like maybe one of his teammates borrowed a janitor's push broom and glued part of it to the bottom of Franklin's face.

Yet, the hair comes from his own follicles. And his bushy chin deserves recognition at Busch Stadium next week.

After all, where was Franklin — an All-Star for the first time at age 36 — without it?

He was an OK starter with the Mariners in another life, but got diminishing returns and, after testing positive for a banned substance in 2005, moved to the bullpen for the Phillies and Reds. He was nothing special there, either, and wasn't All-Star material the past two seasons in St. Louis. And he wore the same kind of boring beard that marked his so-far unremarkable career.

In these photos, Franklin looks no different from any of the however-many dozen hairy chinned guys in bullpens across the majors. No style, no panache, no individuality, no results of which to speak.

Enter, the Buschman.

It's easy to conclude Franklin simply has matured, gotten better with age, honed his craft, etc.

Or he's benefited from two years under Dave Duncan, probably the best pitching coach in the league.

Or he's just thriving in ninth innings after someone finally gave him a chance to close regularly.

Conventional theories, all of them.

But the only difference we can prove about Ryan Franklin is the hair on his chinny chin chin.

No self-respecting ballplayer would admit to being intimidated by Franklin's face, of course, but how could he not be, at least, a little distracted?

A few fun facts:

• The beard measures 26 inches across, 11 inches high and nearly one meter thick*.

*Not its actual dimensions

• It functions as a spittoon and it sops up spilt milk in one easy motion.

• Its name is Maury.

After Franklin received word of his positive test and 10-game suspension in '05, he reacted with seemingly genuine shock and surprise. He also blamed the test for being faulty, or maybe it was the supplements.

He's tested clean ever since, but you have to wonder:

Has Franklin's chin been doing Rogaine behind his back?

Yeah, there are a few appearances by non All-Stars (Ortiz and Reyes) and at least one Yahooligan thinks several people may have died during its filming, but the latest All-Star commercial featuring the Gatway Arch as a talent magnet gets a solid 'A' from our little corner of the baseball world. Anyone know how I can arrange for similar transportation to St. Louis?

Major League Baseball gets a lot of well-deserved guff for coming up short on its marketing efforts, but I've enjoyed its All-Star commercials for the past couple of seasons. Who even knew that Bud Selig was a fan of Carolina Liar or Silversun Pickups?

Watch the 2008 All-Star spot here and the 2007 edition here.

While some argue that A-Gone is still unknown, those who do know him recognize that he's a great hitter in a terrible Padres' lineup. The disparity between him and the eight other San Diego hitters led to a little bit of history last month: From June 1 to June 9, the first baseman drew at least two walks in eight straight games, something that had never been done, at least not since 1920, according to Elias.

Think about that for a minute. Ted Williams never did it. Neither did Barry Bonds. Albert Pujols hasn't (though with that lineup down in St. Louis, let's give him a little more time.)

A lot has been made about Gonzalez's home run total this season (24) so far, but if you're looking for the biggest reason for his emergence as a star, take a look at his patient eye. With runners in scoring position, Adrian has drawn walks in 34.8 percent of his plate appearances, just ahead of Albert Pujols, who's at 34.7 percent this year.

Geoff Young of Ducksnorts and Hardball Times has compiled other historical multi-walk game streaks, but all are short of A-Gone's mark. Mickey Mantle, Jack Clark, and David Justice were all able to get to seven games, but only Adrian got over the hump to set a record.

Young also points out that Gonzalez's streak largely coincided with the absense of Scott Hairston, the only other credible hitter in a Padre lineup filled with pushovers and disasters like Kevin Kouzmanoff, Brian Giles, Chase Headley, and David Eckstein.

But was that record something to go home and brag about? The beauty of the accomplishment probably lies in the eye of the beholder. While the streak says a lot about the force that Gonzalez has become at the plate, it also says a lot about the lineup around him.

Beep, beeeep, beep.

"S.O.S.," Braun might have been thinking. "Send pitching now. Maybe get CC again, or if he's not available, someone like this Ted Lilly guy."

Apparently tired of his club sending the likes of Mike Burns and Seth McClung out to the mound to start ballgames, Braun used the media to send general manager Doug Melvin a message.

"Their starting pitching is a lot better than ours," Braun said after the Cubs took three of four games in the series, including Sunday's 8-2 victory. "They threw the ball a lot better than our starters did. They certainly swung the bats better than we did. Clearly they were the better team. It's nice to get the one win but they clearly outplayed us and outperformed us all series."

Braun was only gettin' warmed up.

"We're at the point right now where it would be important for us to go out there and acquire somebody," Braun said. "I think [management] would be more inclined to do that if we're winning."

Beep, beeeep, beep.

Maybe management would be more inclined to do it if a player was management.

In 1941, the Indians promoted 24-year-old infielder Lou Boudreau (far right) to player/manager. If Melvin (near right) can't make Braun's wish come true, perhaps Brewers owner Mark Attanasio would put his 25-year-old left fielder in charge of player personnel.

Braun just might take the job.

"I wish I got to make decisions like that," Braun said. "I know he's looking to make our ballclub better. I know he recognizes the importance of making a move and making it soon, but at the same time a lot of teams are in the race and there aren't a lot of teams willing to give guys up. If they do, the asking price is high.

"That being said, it would be nice to make a move. It would be nice to do something to help us out for the time being. The sooner we do it, the better."

Beep, beeep, beep.

A year ago Tuesday, Melvin famously came through with the CC Sabathia trade. Later, with seconds remaining in the regular season, Melvin fired manager Ned Yost and the Brew Crew made the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

Great job, Doug. But what have you done for Cheeseheads lately?

The Brewers find themselves in the bottom third in the league in ERA and in the middle of the pack in WHIP, but Braun isn't calling for an overhaul to the entire staff. McClung and Burns allowed a combined 14 runs in their starts against the Cubs, but the Brewers got solid efforts from Jeff Suppan and Braden Looper in the other two games.

"No matter who is in there, we have to find a way to throw the ball better for us to have success," said Braun said. "I think when you're constantly behind in games, it's not easy and it's not fun. Their starting pitcher was clearly better than ours this series."

Beep, beeep, beep.

• David Wright was named to his fourth straight All-Star squad on Sunday, but it probably wasn't on the front of his brain. The boy-banding third baseman went 0-for-11 against Phillies pitching during the weekend's sweep and now has everyone wondering why he didn't take Jerry Manuel up on his offer to sit in Milwaukee last Wednesday (even though everyone was against the break at the time). [New York Daily News]

• How bad of a weekend did Wright have? Someone actually felt the need to use that awful term "staycation" for the day off that Wright and his teammates will get today. [Star-Ledger]

• Of course, we should all give a big BLS head nod to the Phillies, who said "Home Sweet Home" and actually meant it for the first time all season. And, hey, look at that! If the Fightins' can sweep all seven games from the Reds and Pirates this week, they'll be one game over .500 at CBP for the first half. [Phillies Nation]

STEW NEWS! As you might have heard, several of the YSB editors are packing up and heading out west  this week to hold some meetings star as extras in the new Frankie and Annette movie. We'll be trying to keep the Stew as fresh as possible, though be forewarned that our content might be a little on the light side over the next four days.

• Even a Red Sox fan thinks six Boston All-Stars may be a bit much ... [Red Sox Monster]

• ... Though of course they're all still happy for ol' Wake. [Surviving Grady]

• Keith Law tries his hand at selecting both All-Star squads. [ESPN]

• Congrats to everyone who made it through the MLB red-hat weekend, especially those poor folks in San Diego. (Red with camouflage? Really?) [Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness]

• Anyone think that Bill James would like his Chris Davis projection back? [Razzball]

• He wuz robbed, I tell ya! Pt. 1: Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto [OMGReds]

• He wuz robbed, I tell ya! Pt. 2: Tampa Bay's J.P. Howell [DRaysBay]

Game of the Day

Dodgers 7, Padres 6 (13 inn.)

Beat L.A.?: With Manny resting his ego on the bench, the Dodger Dogs offered bad omens all day, leaving 14 runners stranded including the bases loaded twice. And yet, thanks to Chad Billingsley, they took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Despite being south of 100 pitches, Billingsley did not have a complete game in his right arm, giving up a home run and double before Jonathan Broxton took over.

Brox didn't have a save in his right arm, either, with Will Venable, Eliezer Alfonzo and Everth Cabrera each coming through to tie the score. The Mighty Dodgers were going down, and not just today. This would be the beginning of the end, the day the Dodgers died.

Not even close. The best team in baseball continued to be resilient, with Jeff Weaver holding down the fort until James Loney connected for a homer against the Mujica Man. L.A. improved to 18-8 in one-run games.

"I guess this is the product of the fact that we have played so many close games," manager Joe Torre said. "Even though we were emotionally drained after that ninth inning, we go out there and worked at it."

Ooh, Bean Weaver: Weaver did yeoman work, pitching three scoreless innings in waiting out Loney's game-winner. But when did he start looking like British actor Sean Bean? Either that, or Poison's lost keyboardist.

Doubling up: First, San Diego had Simon and Simon. Then it gave the world Gonzalez y Gonzalez. Now, the Padres lay claim to Banks and Blanks (Josh and Kyle), the first such B(l)anks combination in major league history. Welcome.

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (Sean Bean does not appear in these games):

Red Sox 8, Mariners 4: League bylaws prohibit an M's sweep in Boston, so Big Papi stepped forward on behalf of the commissioner's office with a key RBI single in a five-run seventh.

Cardinals 10, Reds 1: Three cheers (or one if you're pooped) for Cards closer Ryan Franklin, who made his first All-Star team at the ripe old age of 36.

"Aw, man, it meant a whole lot," Franklin said. "There was a lot of tossing and turning, a few good dreams, a few bad dreams — about not making it. It's a cool feeling. I just can't wait to experience it."

Rangers 5, Rays 2: Sweep-a-roo for the StRangers, who limit Ben Zobrist, Carlos Pena and Longoria to a combined 1-for-30 in the three-game set.

Chris Davis, whose 114 strikeouts lead the majors and whose .202 batting average doesn't, is headed to the minors for some tweakage.

Marlins 5, Pirates 0: Ricky Nolasco (12 Ks) has a 1.54 ERA in six starts since returning from the minors. Whatever they did to him, he don't want to go back for more.

Yankees 10, Blue Jays 8: They gave Mariano Rivera a day off, so Alfredo Aceves picked up a save after going four one-hit innings. "Gawjus," the Bronx crowd said in unison.

C-M Wang's back in the parking lot after going on the DL with a shoulder owie.

Cubs 8, Brewers 2: Ryan Braun has Ted Lilly envy.

Athletics 5, Indians 2: How about sending Cliff Lee the Brewers' way for Mat Gamel? Ryan Braun would do it.

Astros 7, Giants 1: Randy Unit really looked his age in this one, which was full of awkward throws to first, awkward throws home and awkward swings at the plate by the ancient ex-Mariner, who is hurt.

Royals 6, White Sox 3: Some of Brian Bannister's fondest childhood memories are of hanging around Comiskey Park with the likes of Ozzie Guillen, Harold Baines and Greg Walker in the '80s. Some of his most recent memories include the current White Sox team — with Guillen, Baines and Walker on the coaching staff — beating his brains in. So, it was only fair to have a solid game against them for once.

D-backs 4, Rockies 3: Dan Haren allowed three earned runs, his worst outing since May 23. The man is sick! Mark Reynolds is among the five guys up for the last spot on the NL All-Star team. Vote here if you love democracy.

Twins 6, Tigers 2: Brandon Inge hands it to Nick Blackburn, who lived on the edge all day (but in a good way).

"Everything else was black corner, black corner," Inge said. "He was incredible on spotting his pitches. Not just fastballs: It was fastballs, sliders, curve balls, sinkers in. I mean, he was very impressive."

Phillies 2, Mets 0: Johan Blanton beats Joe Santana. The Phillies admitted they wanted to take advantage of a weakened Mets club while they could. You know, the whole "wounded animal is dangerous" thing.

Yeah, laying out the opossum trap for Alex Cora wasn't the most humane act, but it's one less victory they'll need in September, isn't it?

Nationals 5, Braves 3: Scott Olsen should make a bet with himself: Refrain from smoking a whole pack of cigarettes until he pitches a complete game.

Angels 9, Orioles 6: Eight walks helped fuel the 23rd comeback victory for the Halos this season. Home runs in back-to-back games for Vladimir Guerrero for the first time in nearly a year.

You can check out both rosters here and a few thoughts about this year's crop — which will face off at Busch Stadium on July 14 — can be found below

Red Sox reprezent! Once again, it appears that Boston's contingent is able to split the private jet to the point where it won't dent their pocketbooks that much. The first-place BoSox put an MLB-high six players onto the American League squad with Dustin Pedroia edging out Texas' Ian Kinsler for the starting second baseman spot and Jason Bay also getting a nod from the fans. They'll be joined by Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis, who lost his close vote to the Yankees' Mark Teixeira, but was named to the All-Star team despite the best-laid plans of Yankee fans. 

Oh, and one more guy is joining the Carmine caravan to Blueberry Hill ... 

Old man Wake finally gets a wreath We didn't have to look far for our feel-good story for this year's Midsummer Classic. Tim Wakefield, 42, was selected to the team by Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon and his trip to the game will be the 17-year veteran's first. He's the second-oldest first-time All-Star behind Satchel Paige, who was 46. 

The king of beers St. Louis Albert Pujols received the most votes of any major leaguer — 5,397,394 to be exact — and will be transported by Clydesdales anywhere he goes next week. Only Ken Griffey Jr. in 1994 received more All-Star votes.

Congratulations Curtis! Not only will we have one Big League Steward (me) covering the All-Star Game, we'll also have one actually playing in it. Curtis Granderson will be making his first All-Star appearance in the American League outfield and will be joined by Tiger pitchers Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson.

Who's got a beef? The five-player final vote for each league is supposed to cut down on All-Star snubs and it's probably going to make up for Ian Kinsler being left for the All-Star roster. But as Bleacher Report accurately points out, there are still players like Miguel Cabrera, Jermaine Dye, Kevin Millwood, Scott Rolen and Jered Weaver who are deserving, but won't have the option of being saved by their click-happy fanbases. 

Say, where's ...? Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez? They've split 24 All-Star appearances equally between them, but for the first time since 1994, neither man is an All-Star. 

Hobbled heroes Josh Hamilton, Carlos Beltran and Raul Ibanez were all voted into the game as starters despite first-half injuries. While Beltran's probably definitely not playing and the plans of first-timer Ibanez are murky, it sounds like Hamilton, the most undeserving of the trio, will be making the trip to St. Louis. 

"I kind of have mixed feelings," Hamilton told MLB.com. "I don't personally feel like I deserve to go, but the fans voted me in, so I'm really happy about that."

The AL's reign continues? The American League hasn't lost an All-Star Game since 1996 and if you look at this year's rosters, it seems likely its winning streak will continue. Maddon selected a versatile bunch, which will especially come in handy in an NL ballpark.

Writes Ted Keith of SI.com:

"Virtually every AL reserve is capable of handling another position. Indians catcher Victor Martinez has played almost as many games at first base this season (40) as he has at catcher (41), where he will be the only AL reserve. But Kevin Youkilis can play first as well as third, Michael Young can play three different infield positions, Ben Zobrist can play anywhere in the infield or outfield and the four outfield reserves — Adam Jones, Granderson, Torii Hunter and Carl Crawford — give the AL excellent speed and a variety of options for late game defense."

That could be an awkward clubhouse Despite holding the AL lead in home runs with 23 and having his own manager picking the team, Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena was left off the squad and will have to rely on the fans' vote to make his first All-Star team. If he doesn't make it, he'll be the first league home run leader to not make the team since Mickey Tettleton in 1993.

John Lackey hasn't been all that impressive since coming back from the DL on May 16 (and being ejected two pitches later). Over his first eight starts, he went 2-3 with a 5.83 ERA.

But are things turning around for the guy who seems like he could use a really good nickname? Lackey earned a win against the Orioles on Thursday with eight innings of four-hit and two-run ball. He also finally perfected the stupid human trick above. 

So have at it, amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How should this caption read?

Follow the jump for winners from Thursday's C-a-C featuring Andy Van Slyke:

Andy Van Slyke gets Miggy with it

1st — Bob The Viking. "Weekend at Andy's"

2nd — Weedies. "No wonder Barry Bonds hated you so much."

3rd — OG Warrior Fan. "Andy ... We're in Oakland, not San Francisco."

HM — Baker. "The only way Miggy can become a better fielder is having Andy Van Slyke attached to him"

It's hard to believe that it's already here, but happy Fourth of July everyone!

No matter how you plan to spend your holiday weekend (fishing with Ted Williams, slamming energy drinks with Jimmy Rollins), make sure to do so in a safe manner. We'll be around if anything big happens and make sure that your corn-on-the-cob filled bellies check in with The Stew on Sunday night as the All-Star rosters are announced. (Live blog, anyone?)

'Til then, enjoy your Independence Day. (Bottle rockets for everyone!)

He said he was sorry — to fans, to teammates who went 29-21 without him and to team ownership — for "not being there" during a 50-game suspension because of drugs, a holiday that ends tonight.

Manny wouldn't answer questions about steroids — for example, what he took and for how long — or about the DEA investigating him.

"I don't want to talk about my criminal record," he joked nervously.

So, medical and criminal records are off-limits. Any questions on those, ask his agent, Scott Boras. He won't really tell you anything, either, but go ahead and ask him.

Yahoo! Sports' own Steve Henson reports from PETCO Park in San Diego and has more details about Manny's press conference and his first ballgame in two months.

Ramirez seems under the impression he's back and that's all that matters. Given the ceremonial atmosphere surrounding his return — Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times has likened it to a soldier "returning from Iraq" — can anyone argue otherwise?

David Brown: You're out hurt right now. Why am I talking to you?

Mark DeRosa: Because no one else wants to talk to you.

DB: When the newspaper industry collapses for good, what will the Cardinals put down to line Fredbird's cage?

MD: What?! [laughs]. I have no idea. I don't even know Fredbird; I haven't met him yet.

DB: He's the GM, for crying out loud. ... Have you found out yet if Albert Pujols recharges overnight on a 120-volt outlet  or is he solar-powered?

MD:: I'm trying to figure that out; I think he's from another planet to be honest with you.

DB: Are you 100-percent sure which Molina the Cardinals use?

MD: Absolutely. Yadier!

DB: That's wrong. It's actually actor Alfred Molina, from "Spider-man 2."

MD: No, that was last year.

DB: Is your trade to the Cardinals all part of Jim Hendry's secret plot to have you take down the Cubs biggest rival from the inside?

MD: I don't think so. No, no. I'll do everything in my power for us to beat them.

DB: Ryan Theriot's reaction to you coming here: ''I think it sucks." Is that guy a sweetheart or what?

MD: I appreciate it. That's the way I felt when I got traded from there. I mean, I'm glad my teammates enjoyed my being there and that they think I was an important part to helping them win. I take it as a compliment.

DB: Does it make too much sense for you and Chris Perez to just stay in each other's apartments for the rest of the season?

MD: Yeah, I'm not going to stay in his apartment. He's probably a single guy, young. I'm over the hill, married, couple of kids. I need the suburbs [laughs].

DB: Who do you like in the AL Central now that you're no longer part of the race?

MD: I'd have to say Detroit. Their pitching — from what I saw of Edwin Jackson, Verlander and the bullpen, they're going to be tough to beat. If Magglio gets hot. They got an offense.

DB: It's never too early to start talking fantasy football, right?

MD: Yup.

DB: Who you got at punter — Dustin Colquitt or Chris Kluwe?

MD: Punters are not an option in my league.

DB: Shouldn't they be?

MD: Not at all. Adrian Peterson.

DB: He doesn't kick. ... What will being traded to the Bears mean for Jay Cutler?

MD: I like it a lot, actually. I think it's a team that's been in need of a big-time quarterback since McMahon left. I think it's big for them.

DB: Who's he going to throw to?

MD: He'll find somebody to catch his passes.

DB: Why do your Cowboys ... searching for the word ... struggle ... in the playoffs?

MD: [Sighs]. I wish I knew. I wish I knew. For me, in the playoffs, you've got to get the ball to your playmakers and last year they weren't able to get the ball to T.O. That was big with me. I just think you've got to find your way to get your best player's hands on the ball.

DB You're an old Ivy League quarterback. Critique Tony Romo.

MD: I like him. I mean, he's a gunslinger, there's no doubt about that. He's a guy that loves the spotlight, loves the big moments. Is he going to make some mistakes and make some fans scratch their head? Yeah, but ultimately I think he's a great quarterback.

DB: Do you own any football jerseys of favorite players?

MD: Oh, yeah.

DB: Do you wear them anywhere, or would that be weird?

MD: Yeah, that would be. I don't wear them. They're signed and hanging.

DB: Who ya' got?

MD: I have Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady . . . 

DB: Kyle Orton.

MD: No. That's it.

DB: How did you acquire them?

MD: Peyton Manning, I actually know. Troy Aikman, from when I played with the Rangers. Brett Favre, Tom Brady? eBay [laughs]!

DB: Really [laughs]! What did you pay?

MD: Yeah, about $300 a pop.

DB: That's not too bad. How do you know they're real?

MD: Because I was also given a picture of them signing it, with an authentication seal.

DB: Favre's was about $300?

MD: If you go online and get into bidding wars with people, sometimes you can steal some stuff.

DB: What do you bid for Magglio Ordonez's hair?

MD Nothing. I saw that, though. And he went deep when he cut his hair off. Goes to show you, the Samson thing is garbage.

DB: Is it too soon to see anyone walking around St. Louis in a DeRosa Cardinals' jersey? Other than you, of course? Some people, they're ahead of the curve.

MD: Yes, yes. Way too early. I don't even have a hit yet.

DB: Where should Tony La Russa be in the succession line for president of the United States?

MD: Wow. What do you think, like, fifth? I don't know if that's high enough.

DB: The Rangers don't owe you any deferred money, do they?

MD: No they don't [laughs]. I wish they did.

DB: There's a story that they're having trouble making payroll, that Tom Hicks had to borrow money to do it.

MD: I don't believe that. . . . [Maybe] he needs to sell the soccer team.

DB: If they were to re-construct the Arch out of candy, what kind do you suggest?

MD: M&M's. That's my favorite candy.

DB: That's a lot of stacking, but it wouldn't melt in your hand, or in the St. Lou heat.

MD: That's why it'd be perfect.

DB: Has Mrs. DeRo ever encouraged you to go into the modeling business? Maybe start with the J.C. Penny catalog and work your way up to Ballplayer Vogue ?

MD: We did one magazine cover together, a magazine in Atlanta when I first came up to the big leagues.

DB: Was it for Southern Fried Living?

MD: It was called Jezebel [laughs].

Previous Answer Men (and Woman):

Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson knows that the scene in San Diego tonight will be "a madhouse" for the return of Manny Ramirez. That's why he's hoping he can just take a helicopter into Petco Park and be dropped into position instead of having to navigate the media circus.

A big BLS head nod to the LA Times for the interview clip

That's where MLB-a-Culpa comes in. Because for the sake of transparency, honesty and credibility amends must be made when an egregious error is made.

Dear Mr. Juan Pierre: 

It seems like eons ago, but it was really just back in May that we were smirk-linking to Juan Pierrewood novelty t-shirts and suggesting that you weren't going to come close to filling Manny's suspended shoes.

Now, 50 games later, you're headed back to the bench while we offer a sheepish "our bad".

MLB-a-Culpa!

Though Dodger fans will no doubt be glad to see the return of Manny Ramirez's power stick — if not necessarily his shtick — against the Padres tonight, their eagerness isn't a reflection on your performance. You're stonewalling the media with claims of "No Manny talk, no Juan talk" but you really should be standing by your locker and puffing up your chest over a job well done. Hey, you certainly earned it.

Over those half-hundred games, you batted .317/.381/.411 with 32 runs, 21 RBI and 21 stolen bases. The Dodgers went 29-21 under your tenure and didn't lose their grip on the NL West lead. Your teammates, Orlando Hudson and Matt Kemp, think that should be enough to earn you a ticket to St. Louis for the All-Star Game. Are you free?

Look, you've always been a proud (if somewhat moody) guy and it's probably not very easy to be squeezed out of a crowded Dodgers outfield that was so weak only a season ago. You were looking for a trade before Manny got pinched and one assumes you'll want the same now that you're back to being Joe Torre's occasional outfielder. Your big contract will make such a swap tricky, but at least there are a few teams out there that would value the consistency you just showed over the last seven weeks — the Braves, Mets and even your ex-Cubs.

Still, here's hoping that Torre can find you more ABs if you stick around and that you can rest easy on a job well done for the best team in the National League. And, hey, one never knows when Manny might "pull" his next hamstring or "accidentally" ingest a handful of female fertility pills, so keep in game shape, will ya?

Best,

'Duk

PS — Tracy sends her his love

• Could Scott Boras use playing in Japan as a way to exploit the MLB draft system and get the money he wants for top pick Stephen Strasburg? Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post takes a long look at the complicated situation, which makes divvying up Jacko's estate a snap by comparison. [Washington Post]

• Strasburg vs. Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman — Who you got? [Bugs & Cranks]

DAY BASEBALL! Brewers at Cubs 1:20 CT A little border-war baseball, a little Taste, a few fireworks at night. Does it get any better than Fourth of July weekend in Chicago? 

DAY BASEBALL! Blue Jays at Yankees, 1:05 ET OK, it's probably pretty cool in NY, too. 

• Big BLS thoughts go out to Ryan Dempster, whose 3-month-old daughter is battling a rare  genetic disorder. [NBC Chicago]

• Say, whatever happened to Russell Martin's power? [True Blue LA]

• So Philadelphia has lost 14 of their last 18 games and has let its NL East lead completely evaporate. But surely the Phaithful aren't completely on the ledge ... are they?

"The Phillies are a lips-and-hooves-filled 39-37, fattened by a 10-2 record against the Nationals and a two-month binge by a 37-year-old outfielder."

Deep breaths, Pholks, deep breaths! [Beerleaguer]

• New American Jason Bay: "Although it is a big deal, it doesn't mean I cease being Canadian. I'll always be Canadian. I understand, for a lot of people, this is a very big deal, and I'm pretty excited." [Sox & Dawgs]

• The down side of the Midsummer Classic is that pitchers are put in situations like this one: If Mark Buehrle doesn't make the All-Star team, he'll be able to make two more pre-break starts for the White Sox and probably be able to start their first game back, too. [Hardball]

• The jersey that Kim Kardashian wore at Dodger Stadium is on eBay and still priced (for now) at an affordable $66. [Vin Scully Is My Homeboy]

The Texas Rangers might need a new owner, but Tom Hicks can't count on getting any of Troy Aikman's money. The Cowboys legend bought a stake in the Padres with his pal Jeff Moorad earlier this year and dropped in on his new subjects on Thursday, throwing a first pitch that  bounced on the plate before reaching Padres pitcher Chris Young.

His errant toss, though, didn't stop him from telling a few jock war stories (video) like the time the Mets were interested in drafting a young Aikman, even though he was considered the best prep quarterback in the country and was destined to play down the road in Norman. 

From MLB.com:

"The night before the Draft they called and said, 'Look, we have to know what it's going to take for you to come to the Mets. We don't want to waste a pick.'"

Aikman gave them a number — $200,000.

"This guy on the other line had this incredulous voice and said, 'What? Darryl Strawberry doesn't even make $200,000,'" Aikman said.

The Mets representative scoffed at the offer but wished him well at Oklahoma.

Though the Ricketts family just tried hitting up Chicago's most famous celebrities for cash to buy the Cubs, I'm not aware of too many other celebrities with stakes in MLB teams.

Who else is out there? 

Game of the Day

Mets 9, Pirates 8 (10 inn.)

Mets, the meeting: Earlier in the week, the Mets seemed to be writing their own collective obituary. But ever since a team meeting in Milwaukee on Tuesday, the club appears to have grown closer and more buoyant.

Against the Bucs, the Mets came back from an early five-run deficit, and they also picked themselves up after a potentially devastating ninth-inning rally by the not-so-jolly Rogers.

"It was a roller coaster, especially the way the day started down 5-0, but it just shows you we are resilient," Ryan Church said.

OK-Rod: Francisco Rodriguez failed to save a two-run lead thanks to a tying homer by Adam LaRoche in the ninth. But after Church brought home the lead run with a single in the top of the 10th, Rodriguez lobbied Jerry Manuel for another chance to put the game away.

"He said, 'If we score, I need to go back out for myself,' " Manuel said. "When one of your players is like that, of that stature and what he means to us, I knew if we came back and he didn't go back out, he would carry that for a few days."

Rodriguez needed a career-high 46 pitches to finish the game, but he made it and the Mets head into Philadelphia with a .500 record and a chance to seize a share of first place in the NL East.

Sore-as-heck Fernando Tatis, who had a monster game with a home run, three HBPs and four runs scored, has but a few hours to heal up for the Phillies.

"We could have just said, 'Let's pack up and head to Philly, it's a short flight, let's get this out of the way,' " Manuel said. "They chose to fight and I thought that was what was most impressive. We overcame a lot of things."

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (Jerry Manuel also told these teams to get their act together, or else):

Reds 3, D-backs 2 (10 inn.): Both teams put the game up for adoption, wanting to give it a good home, just not their own. The Reds stranded 16 runners and the Deebs had only four hits — just as many as Joey Votto, whose last one found an opening to bring in Chris Dickerson with the winning run (VIDEO).

Astros 7, Padres 2: As Kaduk noted in an earlier post, they called in a swat team beekeeper to contain a swarm that tried to take up residence at PETCO Park in the late innings.

It's a good thing the Padres were home and not the Astros, if anyone remembers what happened in the greatest of pollination exploitation films — 1978's "The Swarm" — in which officials nuked Houston and almost took Michael Caine (Alfred from "Batman") with it. Note the Astrodome under siege by bees in the poster. It would have been terrible for history to repeat.

Braves 5, Phillies 2: The Fightins probably don't make the playoffs in '08 if they don't dominate in Atlanta — they went 9-0 at Turner Field — so getting swept there ought to make Headline News. Get it? Oh, my kingdom for Nick Charles and Fred Hickman.

Cardinals 5, Giants 2: Nobody gets less run support than Barry Zito, but it's not like he's been terribly wronged by the Giants offense. He's pitching about how he did in 2007, which should be good for about a 12-14 record, which still ain't good enough for $126 million.

Cubs 9, Brewers 5: Cheeseheads, cheeseheads, roly-poly cheeseheads.

Seven RBIs on two homers for Derrek Lee, whom many fans and reporters wanted ejected from first base after a sluggish start. He might actually give the Cubs a semi-worthy All-Star selection, even though he's not among the top three (five?) at his position.

Mariners 8, Yankees 4: After seven consecutive strikeouts, Russell Branyan launched one over Monument Park to give the M's a couple of insurance runs to help end the Yankees' seven-game winning streak.

Branyan — now there's a guy who really deserves an All-Star bid. Meeting at the intersection of playing time and consistency at age 33 1/2, he's seventh in the majors in OPS, regardless of position.

White Sox 4, Royals 1: Markus Buehrleus dominatus performansus.

Angels 5, Orioles 2: Two deeps for Bobby Abreu and "the best stuff" by John Lackey seen in years, Mike Scioscia said. Not what the Rangers like to hear.

In a year where we've seen a cat interrupt a Cubs game and some gulls play a decisive role in an Indians win, a Major League Baseball game interrupted by a swarm of bees only makes sense.

And that's what happened Thursday afternoon as thousands of bees — no, not these Killer Bees or even the Killer B's that used to play in Houston — descended upon San Diego's Petco Park in the ninth inning of the Astros' 7-2 victory over the Padres.

Seriously, who ordered a made-for-TV movie in downtown San Diego today? 

From the Associated Press: 

A beekeeper was called to the downtown ballpark and sprayed a chair and a ballgirl's jacket that had attracted the bees. Padres president Tom Garfinkel said a few thousand bees attached themselves to a queen bee.

"The umpires made the right call to stop the game," Garfinkel said. "There's a couple thousand bees there. If they decide to swarm on a person, whether that's a player, an employer or obviously a fan, we could have a real situation."

The beekeeper arrived at 3:56 p.m., quickly did his job to applause from the fans who remained, and the game resumed 5 minutes later.

Honestly, what's next? Packs of wild dogs wandering the nation's ballparks? Stampeding elephants? Tigers leaping from the stands to maul sliding runners?

Ah well, all's well that ends well and let it be said that the bees proved to be less a nuisance than either Manny Ramirez or the horde of media that will arrive in San Diego on Friday night to document his return to baseball after a 50-game suspension. (Sting! Zing!)

Thursday's MVB

(Most Valuable Beekeeper)

Thursday's editions of the paper carried an article on the big league dreams of Joe Dunand Jr., the 13-year-old nephew of Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.

Shocked that the spotlight would find a new teenager this soon? The A-Rod to our right certainly seems to be, too.

But apparently Dunand has become used to it. Already standing an athletic 5-foot-9 and weighing 140 pounds, he's currently spending his summer in the Bronx, playing for the same youth team that A-Rod did. He's also said to look so much like A-Rod — read the article for a picture — that Dunand's father jokingly says "he looks more like (A-Rod's) son than mine." (Joe Dunand Sr. and A-Rod are half-brothers.)

From the NYDN's Ian Begley:

Dunand Jr. doesn't want to be compared to his uncle, whom he calls Tio Alex, which means Uncle Alex in Spanish. And like any other 13-year-old playing baseball, he too wants to play in the majors one day.

He says kids in Miami and his teammates on Bort's Bergen Beach team are "surprised" when they find out that A-Rod is his uncle, but when you look at him, it makes sense. Joe Jr.'s resemblance to his uncle is so striking that he was selected to play a younger version of A-Rod in a Dick's Sporting Goods commercial two years ago.

Said A-Rod: "That's exactly how I used to look when I was 13."

Luckily, it seems that most of the people surrounding Dunand are keeping a level head over all of this. His coach says "it's too early to tell" if he'll be a pro prospect. A-Rod said he'd like to see his nephew just "play college ball" instead of saying he should shoot for the superstar ranks. Dunand himself said he's already "used" to all the attention. 

So the next A-Rod? Heck maybe not even the next Bryce Harper. I gotta say, it's nice to see a family keeping things in perspective for once.

Brewers at Cubs, 8:05 ET Last July, Chicago headed to "Wrigley Field North" and swept four games from a  Brewers team that was still high off the fresh fumes of trading for C.C. Sabathia and thinking of taking over first place in the NL Central.

Tonight, Milwaukee gets the chance for revenge as the Cubs — still high off the fumes of acquiring someone named Jeff Baker today — welcomes the Crew to "Miller Park South" for the holiday weekend.

Seth McClung and Ryan Dempster light the ceremonial bottle rockets in a series that's sure to produce lots of fireworks.

Mariners at Yankees, 7:05 The Janquis are going for eight straight win, but a sweep-sealing victory over the M's wouldn't set any records because Derek and Co. won nine in a row from May 13 to May 21. 

Also, a word to the wise if you're a Yankees blogger and you see Ken Griffey go deep again tonight: For the love of Babe, don't blog about it!

Tough crowd, those Yankee fans.

White Sox at Royals, 8:10 You can write critical things about Kansas City's players, coaches, scouts, managers, announcers, hot dog guys and probably even George "The Sodfather" Toma. But if you're a displaced blogger and write one bad thing about the Royals medical staff? Well, then may Willie Wilson have mercy on your soul.

Phillies at Braves, 7:10 I can't believe I'm saying this, but Javier Vazquez would be a great fit in Philadelphia right now (you know, if it weren't for the fact that Atlanta would never trade him to a division rival). As a loyal Stewie said earlier this week, Vazquez might be having the best 5-7 season ever. Over his last seven starts, he's 1-4 with a 2.61 ERA. Wanna know how many runs he's had to work with over that span? Nine. Nine!

Giants at Cardinals, 7:05 It's Zito time? Not if Albert Pujols has anything to say about it. El Hombre is 5-for-9 with two homers and eight RBIs in his career off Barry Zito. 

Q: Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke?

A: "Why, I'm superglued to Miguel Cabrera, of course!"

(So have at it, amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How shoul this caption read?)

Follow below for winners from Tuesday's loungeabout C-a-C featuring Jason Bay:

Jason Bay has fallen and he can't get up

1st — Eddie L. "Just Jason Being Manny."

2nd — Pradeep V. "Jason Bay holds up the Hit-It-Here Target .... Wieters obliges."

3rd — nate. "Only Canadians understood why Jason was hugging the carpet on July 1st."

HM — Will G. "Why am i being dragged at the wrist by an invisible lasso? Isn't this how Space Jam started?"

HM — Buster. "See? Unlike Manny I know what this do-hickey on my hand is for ... Ordering another beer while you relax in wonderful meadow"

I mean, Canada is basically just a colder America — but with free healthcare and better macrobrews! — and if you wanted to lay some claim to the Stars and Stripes, you could just go the Michael J. Fox route.  

Apparently, that's Jason Bay's line of thinking, because the Red Sox slugger was expected to become a U.S. citizen in Boston today, just in time to enjoy all the festivities  for Independence Day.

(Somewhere DB is thankful he asked Bay all those Canadian questions before this.)

Bay told WEEI.com last week that he "might as well (receive citizenship) since this is where I'll be working for probably the rest of my career" and here's assuming that doesn't please too many Blue Jays fans. In return, let's give him a share of Colorado native Roy Halladay who, honestly, seems like a Canadian in the first place.

Did you know? That the Houston Astros are only four games out of first in the NL Central, despite having a record of 37-39, a flagging offense and their perennial first-half role as baseball's most non-descript team? Pennant fever in H-Town! Catch it! 

Did you also know? That Lance Berkman is a world-class musical chairsman? Here's the Big Puma risking a career-ending injury while beating out Hunter Pence and several other teammates during his annual trip to Houston's Methodist Hospital. A real All-Star that Lance, even if the NL has too many good first basemen for him to officially earn the title. 

* * *

Were you wondering what baseball team might be the first to run into serious financial troubles? Well, there's an interesting story bubbling down in the Metroplex, where rumors are circulating that the Texas Rangers had to borrow $15 million from Major League Baseball to make their payroll.

Everything in its very early stages, but here's what we know so far: On Wednesday, a caller to Kevin Kennedy's show on XM Radio said he heard the above was true. Though Kennedy didn't corroborate the story, he said his sources in the organization have been painting a shaky financial footing for the team under owner Tom Hicks (right) and that the organization would be sold "sooner, rather than later."

All of this was heard by Joe Siegler of Rangerfans, who went home after hearing the segment and blogged about what was said. From there, Evan Grant of D Magazine and Maury of Brown from The Biz of Baseball sprang  into action and reported a flurry of no comments from sources ranging to Hicks to team president Nolan Ryan to a MLB spokesman.

Grant, however, was able to dig a bit deeper via a source:

"Club sources, however, said the team has paid its employees for the most recent pay period and that Hicks remains in control of the organization.According to a source familiar with the situation, the Rangers are continuing normal operating procedures and have financial resources to sign both draft picks and international free agents. The source, however, did not mention the possibility of increasing payroll at the trading deadline.

"According to a source, a scenario has been in place for several weeks that would have allowed the Rangers to borrow from the MLB fund. It would not mean MLB would take control of the club, but under those circumstances, it's likely MLB would have much more say on spending matters. The Rangers top two draft picks, LHP Matt Purke and RHP Tanner Scheppers, are both demanding bonuses well in excess of the current MLB-recommended 'slotting' system."

I'm assuming we'll be hearing a little more about this story and as Maury points out, there's plenty of reason for concern. Hicks Sports Group went into default on a $525 million loan earlier this year and it's been rumored he could sell his majority ownership. Stay tuned.

Playing for the Oklahoma City Redhawks, the Texas slugger went to the plate seven times as a designated hitter, managing just one hit and striking out twice over 14 innings of play in Des Moines.

Something tells me that Hamilton wouldn't have been standing in center field had the Rangers decided to get him some work out there, though Hamilton is pledging not to get his Aaron Rowand on when he returns to the Texas lineup. Hamilton, you'll remember, ended up on the DL with an abdominal tear after crashing into an outfield wall on May 17 in Arlington.

So where did Hamilton's newfound caution in center field come from?

Why, from a promise to his wife, of course:

"I told my wife that I would, unless it was going to the playoffs or in the World Series, I wouldn't actually run smack into the wall again. It depends on what the situation calls for."

Given Hamilton's importance to the Rangers' offense — especially with Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis slumping and/or possibly hurt — I don't think too many people will mind Hamilton not sacrificing his body in the outfield. His bat is just a wee bit more important than his glove.

Hamilton says he was ready to return "about four days ago" and expects to play in the field tonight and maybe Friday. A return to the Big D could happen this weekend. 

Not only is he a few plate appearances from qualifying for the league leader board and preparing for yet another All-Star trip, several teammates have started to leak the details of another post-baseball career for the all-universe catcher.

According to some fine reporting done by our own Jeff Passan, Mauer has hidden the fact that he's a wannabe MC and has even laid down some lines. 

Writes Passan:

Joe Mauer is from Minnesota. He is white. He plays Major League Baseball. He is considered something of a pretty boy. None of these four things outlaws him from practicing his secret hobby. All of them combined into one 6-foot-5, sideburn-wearing, .400-flirting catcher, however, makes for the unlikeliest rapper in the history of rap ...

"I've heard stories," outfielder Denard Span says. "I've heard he buries himself in the studio. But never heard the finished product with my own ears. Looking at him right now, I'm guessing it's a cross between Vanilla Ice and Cypress Hill."

Passan's column was an exercise in trying to find something that Mauer can't do well, but given the discovery of Mauer's rapping talent, I think it's only right that we Stewstorm ideas for Mauer's stagename. I'm partial to Saint Paul, given his hometown, but I'm open to ideas.

So go ahead and tell us: How should Joe Mauer's concert posters read? 

Game of the Day

Rangers 9, Angels 7

Two for one: Hank Blalock hit the game-ending homer in the ninth (hence the good-natured pummeling on the right), but he wasn't playing along with the narrative that this was a "big" game for the Rangers, who drew a little closer to the first-place Angels.

"If you think one game is more important than another, that means you're not trying to win against a team with a worse record," Blalock said. "You've got to take every game as serious as you can because once it gets later in the year, you start thinking about the games you let slip away."

That's a fine speech for when you play the A's, or another poor little sister, but the sentiment is misplaced here. Games against the Halos actually represent two games — the one you might win and the one they might lose. So he's close to being right, with his cliche of "every game being important," yet he's full of crap at the same time.

The Angels rallied from a 7-1 hole with three runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth against new/old closer Frank Francisco to set up Blalock's moment. Justin Speier said he gave Blalock way too good of a pitch, especially with rookie Julio Borbon on deck and a base open. Speier can't get it back now, and neither can the Angels.

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (hey, watch the hernia!):

Cardinals 2, Giants 1 (10 inn.): Was hoping for a five intentional walk game for Pujols after he was pitched around in his first two plate appearances. Instead, the outcome was sealed with Albert standing in the on-deck circle.

After Pablo Sandoval dropped a pop foul (no, Kung Fu Panda, no!) and Bob Howry didn't get the call on a close two-strike pitch ("You wanna know what happened, go ask the [bleepin'] umpire!"), Colby Rasmus gave himself a hernia with his eighth homer to lead rookies.

Rascally Rasmus already had the hernia, truthfully. His was the first game-ending homer by a Cardinals rookie since Andy Van Slyke beat Houston's Bill Dawley in 1983.

Astros 7, Padres 1: Details would be much more interesting if this were 1997.

Marlins 5, Nationals 3: Spoiling a swell outing at bat and on the mound by Jordan Zimmermannnn, the Fish beat the Nats for the ninth straight time. Not every team can say that, but just give them time. Florida is 25-3 against D.C. since September 2007, to which I add, "And?"

New guy Nyjer Morgan didn't play, presumably, because he got to the park with relief pitcher Sean Burnett about 40 minutes before the first pitch. Their arrival was in plenty of time for Burnett to blow the save in the seventh, however.

Elijah Dukes surely is figuratively smiting the Nats from Triple-A Syracuse, where he now resides. Put ... the cell phone ... down ... Dawg.

Blue Jays 5, Rays 0: Ricky Romero is something else. Only two poor stars all season, both coming right after his DL stint. A thousand apologies for saying he had a jockey's name at the start of the season. He still does have a jockey's name but he pitches much taller.

"I'll ride this little thing I've got going for as long as I can," Romero said.

Riding. See what I'm saying?

Red Sox 6, Orioles 5 (11 inn.): Red Sox ask Orioles to turnabout dance.

Mets 1, Brewers 0: A day after the big closed-door meeting, the Mets togetherness extended to the team bus ride from their downtown Milwaukee hotel to the game. Ignoring the negative impact on Milwaukee's taxicab industry, each and every last Met rode the bus to Miller Park. Mr. Met even came in from Jersey and drove the bus himself.

Ryan Church, who drove in the game's run with a sixth-inning single, said he couldn't remember ever, in his career, riding the team bus to a game — much less a time when everyone made the trip together.

Mike Pelfrey, who pitched his best game of the season, actually missed Tuesday's meeting (the next day's starting pitchers are excused early) to which Jerry Manuel joked, "I told him, if he'd been at the meeting, he would have thrown a no-hitter."

When the Mets all ride to the park in the same cab, that's when we'll know they're ready to get back in the pennant race.

Yankees 4, Mariners 2: A-Rod O-K.

Dodgers 1, Rockies 0: The Dodgers went 29-21 with Manny absent, but it's not like they haven't missed him. They've scored eight runs over the past five games. ... In one way, a four-man shutout is more impressive than just one guy pitching it. The Dodgers needed Clayton Kershaw, Ronald Belisario, Ramon Troncoso and Jonathan Broxton all to be on/lucky.

Twins 5, Royals 1: Joe Mauer cranked out three hits and then went into the studio to work on his second love.

The Twins improved to two games over .500 for the first time, prompting Michael Cuddyer to shout, "We're there!"

Billy Butler went 4-for-4 and drove in KC's run, but the rest of the Royals didn't handle Glen Perkins as well.

"Obviously, I had a good day, but we just couldn't get the big hit we needed. But that's the way it's going right now," Butler said, meaning since 1986.

* * *

Cubs 4, Pirates 1: Lou can still blow his stack in Hall of Fame fashion. Randy Wells, easily my favorite Cub, beat out a grounder on which umpire Chad Fairchild called him safe at first base. Umps almost never blow this call, but Fairchild blew this one, costing the Cubs a run and maybe more. Mt. Piniella, neck veins fixing to burst, erupted with fiery argumentative goodness (VIDEO).

Lou whipped off his cap twice — because Fairchild neglected to toss him out the first time — and screamed expletives like a crusty old sailor.

"I didn't have to say much after the cap," Piniella said. "I think the cap said it all. The umpire missed the call. What can I say? I saw it very plain from where I was."

In the past, Piniella has admitted to concocting a tantrum but this one was straight from his blackened heart. Piniella started simmering earlier in the at-bat after umps didn't give Wells a close call on a grounder down the third-base line.

And as you can tell from the screen capture, it gave some amateur photographers/videographers something to record.

Athletics 5, Tigers 1: First pitch came way too early for the Tigers, who swung with sleep in their eyes against Dallas Braden.

Braves 11, Phillies 1: Jair Jurrjens takes a no-no into the seventh, but Paul Bako breaks it up with a two-out single.

Curse you, Paul Bako!

The hit took Bobby Cox off the hook; he wasn't sure how to handle Jurrjens going beyond the alarming 100-pitch barrier. Jurrjens finished with 97 pitches.

"It would have been interesting if I'd had to make that decision," Cox said. "Bako helped me out."

Bless you, Paul Bako!

White Sox 6, Indians 2: The Indians already have used a league-high 25 pitchers, only one of whom is any good.

Reds 1, D-backs 0: Johnny Action Pitcher! Cueto and Garland accessories sold separately!

As far as I'm concerned, we can all stop making t-shirts because no one's ever going to top this one featuring Ken Griffey Jr. in Simpsons form. Not going to happen. No way, no how.

The lucky owner of this shirt is none other that Brian Haley, a loyal Stewie who purchased it off eBay from a seller named Finale94. Brian says "this is the only shirt I'll wear from now on" and, really, can you blame him? A jungle doesn't have enough green to color my jealousy.  

Fashion Ump ruling: Game-winning grand slam

For a few more Fashion Ump calls, read below ...

* * * 

Speaking of Seattle, the Fashion Ump made a trip out there a few weeks ago and added an old-school M's trident hat to his collection of fitteds. Dan Meyer would be proud.

Fashion Ump: RBI double 

* * *

If the Royals and Pirates can play every year while wearing Negro League uniforms, then our support of interleague play strengthens that much more.

Fashion Ump: Complete game shutout

* * *

There are many men born to wear a baseball uniform. Bill Cosby was not one of them.

Fashion Ump: Gut check time?

* * *

* * *

More teams than ever are wearing a red jersey of some sort and I'm generally a fan ...

Fashion Ump: 6-for-6, hit for the cycle

* * *

... though not when the Blue Jays wear it on Canada Day.

Fashion Ump: Oh, Canada?

Kevin Youkilis (1,915,303 votes) over Mark Teixeira (1,875,256) for AL first baseman

Teixeira shook off a horrid start to post great numbers, but Kevin Youkilis' 1.031 OPS is only second to Ben Zobrist's in the AL and he doesn't have the advantage of playing half his games in Yankee Stadium's jetstream. The two first basemen have been neck-and-neck for the past few months and it's likely this battle is driving a majority of the voting traffic to MLB.com's servers. 

Ian Kinsler (2,170,100) over Dustin Pedroia (2,163,270) for AL second baseman

A few weeks ago, everyone thought that Youk-Tex would be the closest All-Star race, but Kinsler and Pedroia have barged into the spotlight. In a perfect world, Toronto's Aaron Hill should be receiving votes for his spectacular first half, but since he has less than half the votes of Ian and Dusty, the nod here goes to Kinsler based on power numbers, better performance on the basepaths and superior defense. (By the way, if you're wondering about Zobrist — who was a utilityman extraordinaire before Akinori Iwamura's season-ending injury — he's not even on the All-Star ballot this season.)

Torii Hunter (1,490,800) over Josh Hamilton (1,635,781) in the AL outfield

Just when you think that the All-Star voting block has become knowledgeable and savvy — Longoria! Kinsler! — you see something like Josh Hamilton being voted into the AL's starting lineup despite only playing an injury-riddled 35 games so far this season. Hamilton could return to the Rangers this weekend, but even Texas fans should be casting votes for Hunter. Despite last year's Home Run Derby, he's not deserving and he could really use the rest. 

Brian McCann (1,458,909) over Yadier Molina (1,846,629) for NL catcher

You know how newspaper editorial boards will get behind a candidate and blindly hammer one aspect even though they know darn well they're wrong in the big picture? That's me with McCann. He has superior offensive numbers to Molina in 10 less games, but not enough to trump Molina's better defensive status and status as a hometown hero. However, as a RepubliMcCann — groan — I must remain loyal to the party. Vote early, vote often.

Carlos Beltran (2,085,028) over Alfonso Soriano (1,916,598) in the NL outfield

Beltran won't be able to appear in this one, but it's imperative he holds off Soriano and keeps the Cubs left fielder in the fourth place that's so much better than he deserves. Soriano's numbers shouldn't even give him right to be in the same zip code as the Midsummer Classic, let alone the starting lineup. Giving Beltran the starting nod would allow Charlie Manuel to replace him with a much-more deserving player like Brad Hawpe, Justin Upton or, heck, even Soriano's slumping teammate, Kosuke Fukudome.

But if the spotlight-shy Pujols was hoping to ho-hum his way to another MVP season in 2009, he's got another thing coming.

Not only is he scheduled to be the hometown belle of the ball at the All-Star Game in two weeks, he officially trained everyone's eyes on his home run total with two blasts off Randy Johnson in Tuesday night's 6-3 loss to the Giants, bringing his '09 count to 30. He's only the seventh player to reach 30 by July 1 (it's been done a total of 10 times) and though it's the first time for Pujols, it's the 32nd time someone has reached the number by the All-Star break. He's the first player to hit more than 30 home runs in each of his first nine seasons.   

The game capped off a great month for Pujols, though not necessarily for the Cardinals. While his team took advantage of his tear by going 12-17, El Hombre put up 14 homers (which ties a career-best) and 35 RBIs (which sets one) in June. He's currently hitting .332/.453/.743 and if that doesn't want to make most MLBers quit and do something else, it really should. 

The crazy part? Pujols doesn't even think he's swinging the bat all that well (and if he thinks that about himself, you wonder what he thinks about his slug teammates): 

"Yeah, I've got 30 home runs, or whatever, but I don't think I have that consistency that I had like I was the first two months in '06. It felt in '06 that every swing that I was taking, I was hitting the ball hard. I was seeing the ball so good. This year, yes, it's been great. It was a great month. So far, great season. But I felt that it's kind of like up and down."

So can Pujols top his career high of 49 homers from the 2006 season and make a run at the 60+ plus club? Given the attention and speculation that'd bring up, would he even want to?

Below, I've compiled a list of the players in the 60+ club, as well as those who had 30 homers by July 1st. Pujols has already played in 78 games. Only three played in more and only one of those guys — Sammy Sosa in '98 — went onto eclipse the number. On the flip side, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth and McGwire (v. '99) weren't even within a couple swings of 30 by the end of June. Chicks may no longer dig the long ball as much as they used to, but Pujols still has a shot to capture our attention with a run at 60.

*Strike-shortened season

— Without the benefit of game logs, I wasn't about to spend all the time going through individual box scores to see how many games Babe Ruth played through June 30 in these three seasons. 

Game of the Day
Orioles Magic 11, Red Sox 10

Funny peculiar: The Red Sox laughed it up after realizing the entire infield forgot how many outs there were in the sixth inning; Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, et al, came off the field when only two Orioles had been retired. They could afford to laugh; the AL East leaders had a huge lead and appeared on their way to their ninth-straight victory against the last-place Birds (VIDEO).

Wipeout: Trailing 10-1 with nine outs to go, the O's staged a rally for the ages, putting up five runs in the seventh and five more in the eighth. The go-ahead run, scoring on Nick Markakis' RBI double with Teflon-coated Jonathan Papelbund on the mound, capped the biggest comeback in Baltimore's franchise history (VIDEO).

"When you talk about playing all 27 outs," O's manager Dave Trembley said, "that's tonight."

All 27 outs, Red Sox. Not 26. Twenty-seven.

Sometimes a monkey: Oscar Salazar hit a three-run homer in the seventh — one of seven hits the O's had in the inning against the Boston bullpen — to help get his team closer. Markakis (VIDEO) had been 0-for-7 with four strikeouts against Papelbon (who came in 20-for-20 in save opportunities against the Orioles) before he lined a two-run double off the left-field wall. Pinch-runner Jeremy Guthrie, a pitcher, scored the tying run.

Oft times, a passionate speech will inspire a comeback. Other times, a team will rely on a Rally Monkey. Some places let loose the Kraken. In Baltimore, when they have no other option, the local baseball wizards perform a little Orioles Magic.

"It happened real fast. We beat them up pretty good and then they beat us up pretty good," Pedroia said.

Disbelief: The night appeared to belong to another comeback kid, John Smoltz, who pitched well for four innings in his second start for the Red Sox that had followed a rough debut. But a 71-minute rain delay cut his outing short, and the O's resurgence really put a damper on things.

"No one would have ever dreamed it would play out the way it did," said the 42-year-old Smoltz, who was seeking his first victory in 438 days. "It's one of those games when you shake your head and can't believe what you just saw."

Feelin' Rundown (Babe Ruth's outhouse was nowhere to be found in these parts):

Rockies 3, Dodgers 0: A positively Maddux-like, two-hit, no-walk stunner for Jason Marquis, who needed 86 pitches to become the NL's first 10-game winner. Cubs' GM Jim Hendry is spinning in his freshly dug grave.

The Rox were 14 games out of first place on May 27, but have shaved off nearly half of that since Clint Hurdle was shot into outer space.

Pirates 3, Cubs 0: A flurry of trades leaves the angry remaining Bucs with only 23 players, but was it really necessary for the Cubs to help them out by loaning them Kosuke Fukodome for a night*? The galling part of the Eric Hinske deal: Pittsburgh also sent $400,000 to the Yankees to help pay for his contract. Because the Yankees are hurting for cash.

The LaRoches' want to make it so their batting averages are so similar, only their mom can tell them apart.

*similar joke also used after Nate McLouth deal.

Massive hip bump!

Yankees 8, Mariners 5: The Yankees had a golden opportunity to start a new tradition — the ceremonial last pitch — but they go conventional with Mariano Rivera, who kicked off the game by celebrating his recent 500th career save. Fun with numbers: Since the start of 2008, Rivera's strikeout/walk ratio is 117-9.

Braves 5, Phillies 4 (10 inn.): The Phillies fall in Atlanta for the first time since '07! Krystal burger for everyone!

D-backs 6, Reds 2: It would have been better, in a double-reverse-inverted-ironical sort of way, if Dan Haren homered against Micah Owings. But it was Bronson Arroyo pitching, so that's just going to have to get us through. Haren also lowered his ERA to 2.19.

"A great night for Dan Haren," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's really remarkable in how he brings his best to the table every game. Even his second- and third-best nights are better than most."

White Sox 11, Indians 4 (seven inn.): Cliff Lee's streak of lasting until the fifth inning, dead, at 47 games.

"It seemed like they knew what was coming with every pitch," Lee said. Hmm. Hmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hmm.

We report. YOU decide.

Marlins 7, Nationals 5 (seven inn.): "It's not a secret, you don't need to be an expert on math to know that walks plus errors equals runs," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "We lead the world in walks and we are right there too in errors."

And you thought the Nats would never lead the league in anything again.

Rays 4, Blue Jays 1: Seven in a row for the Rays, who really need to be transferred to the AL Central if they're going to make it back to the playoffs. The Jays have scored six runs in the past four games and you don't have to be an expert on math to know that ain't enough.

Brewers 6, Mets 3: Mike Burns (not familiar with his work) gets the best of Johan Santana (name rings a bell). The good news for New York: the Mets fell to 9-18 in June and there's no way that record can get worse. Jerry Manuel led a 30-minute, closed-door postgame meeting, but the Mets stunk that up, too. Meet the Mess. Meet the Mess. Meet the Mess.

Rangers 9, Angels 5: Scott Feldman beats Joe Saunders in heated contest of guys with white-collar last names. "Feldman! Where are those TPS reports? ... Saunders! Bring back my stapler!"

Two home runs for Marlon Byrd. He doesn't sound like he works in an office.

Giants 6, Cardinals 3: That must have been Cris Cartenter, the Redbirds right-hander from days of yore, instead of Contemporary Chris, whose ERA grew 64 points. The Unit allows homers Nos. 29 and 30 to Phat Al, but avoids heavier damage in picking up career victory No. 303.

Twins 2, Royals 1: Are the Royals still here?

Padres 4, Astros 3: No good deed goes unpunished for the Padres, who lost Adrian Gonzalez to a strained right knee. Maybe.

"We'll see how I wake up," Gonzalez said. "My body is kind of weird. Sometimes I feel something and I wake up the next morning and I feel great. Then sometimes I wake up and something aches that I didn't feel the night before.

"Hopefully, going by my past, I will wake up and feel better."

Tigers 5, Athletics 3: Maybe the A's need Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross to come by for a sit-down. The Tigers walk seven and error two but the charity is wasted.

Red Sox at Orioles, 7:05 ET John Smoltz's Boston debut didn't exactly go as planned last Thursday. Not only did he give up four runs in the first inning, he gave them up to the Nationals in the Red Sox's only loss that series. Tonight he's moving up the Beltway to face Baltimore and the 42-year-old is already trying to buy himself some extended rotation time. 

Says Smoltz:

"There's been so much going on in the last eight days, I'm kind of glad it's over so I can resume the five-day rotation and do what every pitcher does and that's make improvements from game to game."

Given that he's headed to the Hall of Fame, Smoltzie definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt. A good performance at Camden Yards tonight could give the Red Sox their ninth straight win over the visiting-but-not-really-visiting Orioles.

Mets at Brewers, 8:05 Don't look now but the Mets are under .500 for the first time since May 5 and even manager Jerry Manuel is labeling the team "below average." Fortunately, Johan Santana gets the nod against a guy named Mike Burns tonight. Unfortunately, the Mets will then have another four games until he pitches again.  

Giants at Cardinals, 8:15 Cy Young alert! Randy Johnson takes on Chris Carpenter in a matchup of two teams that could be wild card hunting later this fall.

White Sox at Indians, 7:05 Cliff Lee has owned Chicago recently, going 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA over his last three starts. But even if that trend continues tonight, he's not guaranteed a victory. Despite three straight quality starts (with a 1.96 ERA over that span), Lee has only come away with one win — that no-hitter bid against St. Louis. 

Phillies at Braves, 7:10 So if Atlanta wins tonight, will it be because of Jeff Francoeur's underwear or the fact that Joe Blanton is starting for Philadelphia? I say the latter.

He hasn't replicatied Manny Ramirez's high-fiving of a fan at Camden Yards or somersault routine in the outfield, but Jason Bay can still make outfielding an adventure from time to time. Here he comes up with a ball hit by Matt Wieters in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game against the Orioles. (Please note that this game was actually played in Baltimore, despite what the fans in the background might tell you.) 

So have at it amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How should this caption read?

Follow the jump for winners from Friday's footwear-focused C-a-C:

Denard Span counters DP by stealing shoe

1st — Aaron Toch. "Our payroll doesn't cover cleats. You sure you don't need this?"

2nd — Max S. "You may have gotten the out, but I have your shoe, so who's the real winner here?"

3rd — Smoshed. "Denard, I don't know what to say. Not only are you out, I just can't believe a player coming out of the Minnesota organization would have this kind of confusion on how to spike someone going into the bag."

HM — Geoff. "Listen Craig, I'm stealing second, I'm stealing your shoes and I'm stealing your wife. If you want to keep your kids, you'll co-operate. And don't tell nobody I'm stealing third next. And you better have another pair of shoes for me the next time I come by."

HM — Trigga Play. "It's Agent 99, she's calling to say you can't hit."

Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter?

There's no doubt that both were the two biggest titans not named Joe Torre during the championship years and it's hard to imagine the Yankees winning without either future Hall of Famer wearing pinstripes.

But for argument's sake, if you were Bob Watson back in 1996 and someone came to you with the future numbers of both Jeter and Rivera and said you could only keep one, which one would you be tabbing as your franchise player for the next 15-20 years?

My kneejerk reaction, of course, was to say "Derek Jeter, duh" and I'm assuming that it's probably the same for many of you. He plays every day, has rarely seen a season that ended with a sub-.300 average and has become the face of the franchise.

Rivera, though, is getting support from a lot of corners. Ed Valentine from Pinstripe Alley says he'd take Mo over The Captain. Radio maven Sweeny Murti says Rivera's impact on the Yankees is only surpassed by Babe Ruth's. When I think about how difficult it is to build a bullpen year after year, the consistency of Rivera suddenly becomes a huge selling point. 

However, I'm eager to see what the loyal Stewies think, so cast your vote and make your argument in the comments below. Two favorite 'Stripes, one roster spot. Who gets it? 

• Jeff Suppan's stats for the Brewers aren't very good — 5-6, 4.86, 1.66 —  but I still don't think they're bad enough to work around the zero tolerance for human trafficking that I assume eBay has in place. [Home Run Derby]

• Sports Illustrated just polled players on the managers they'd least like to play for and the top four — Lou Piniella, Ozzie Guillen, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre — have all won World Series. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. [View From The Bleachers]

• The depth-deprived Yankees have traded for Pittsburgh's Eric Hinske, making that the fifth team in four seasons for the pride of Menasha, Wisconsin. [YFSF]

• When Hinske dons the pinstripes for the first time, he'll have played for every AL East team except the Orioles. [Bugs & Cranks]

• J.C. Romero could be facing battery charges down in Florida for his alleged Barkley-type encounter (sans window) with a fan. [Phillies Nation]

• Andre Ethier's grip on the The Walkoff King crown remains tight. [TrueBlueLA]

• Baltimore's Brad Bergersen as a darkhorse candidate for AL ROY? [Mr. Irrelevant]

• This is probably the weirdest baseball card rap video I've ever seen and it's possibly not safe for your work. Trading baseball cards for sex? I feel pretty confident in saying that's never for anyone, anywhere. [Blue Heaven]

• The Pittsburgh Pirates, good for what ails you — or at least the Cubs. [Bleed Cubbie Blue]

• The Mark DeRosa trade could end up looking really smart for the Cardinals at the end of the season if he's classified as a Type A free agent in the NL. [MLB Trade Rumors]

• An essential if sometimes forgotten truth of baseball: Sometimes the other pitcher is really, really good (and named Tim Lincecum). [Viva El Birdos]

Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

The Naked Truth: 12 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB, .339/.404/.555

Having a nice little Saturday: Hanley Ramirez is no longer underrated — the former Rookie of the Year just won the NL Player of the Week award for belting two grand slams and driving in 15 runs last week — but it's still easy to miss just how historically great he is. He's enjoying his third straight season with an OPS over .940. Only three shortstops have ever played more than 500 games before turning 26 and put up a .900 career OPS — Alex Rodriguez, Arky Vaughn, and Hanley. If he keeps this up, he wouldn't be just a Hall of Famer — he'd be an inner-circle Hall of Famer.

You're my boy, Blue!: Hanley's homers are a bit down this year from last year, when he slugged 33 as the regular leadoff hitter. But this year, he's getting more RBIs, as he's been hitting third. His strikeout rate, walk rate, and homer rate are all down this year, and more similar to 2007 than 2008. His line drive rate is up, however, and his Batting Average on Balls in Play is extremely high — .368, compared to a league average around .300 — but that's not too far above his career BABIP of .344. (By comparison, Miguel Cabrera's career BABIP is .345.) A few of last year's homers seem to have become doubles this year, but that's not too much of a concern. Of some concern is the apparently tight groin he complained about in early June, which has limited his steals. He also went nearly a month between homers and perhaps the groin had something to do with that, too.

Think KFC will still be open?: It's frightening to think that his stats might actually be suppressed by injury. His recent steals and homers suggest that he's feeling better. He's hitting so well that cleanup hitter Jorge Cantu is getting mock-jealous:

"Cantu said I've got to leave some RBIs out there," Ramirez joked to MLB.com. "But I've just got to do my job."

With 18 RBIs in his last eight games, yeah, I'd say he's been doing his job.

Who else is streaking through MLB's quad?

* * *

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

The Naked Truth: 1-2, 18 saves, 1 BS, 2.93 ERA, 1.011 WHIP, 39/3 K/BB

Having a nice little Saturday: Mariano Rivera just recorded his 500th save (and first career RBI, a bases-loaded ninth inning walk against the hapless Mets), so you might think that his AL Player of the Week award was just for old times' sake. But don't you believe it. At age 39, and after offseason shoulder surgery, he's currently posting the highest strikeout rate and best strikeout-to-walk rate of his rather illustrious career. Will this guy ever stop being good?

You're my boy, Blue!: Mo only looks human this season by comparison to last season, which was in some ways the most dominant of his career. However, he's already tied his career high in homers allowed — he's given up five longballs, which is remarkable considering he's only issued three walks — less than halfway through the season, Still, he's been so pinpoint with his control and so stingy with the walk that the occasional dinger won't be the end of the world. That's been the only blemish on yet another remarkable campaign.

Think KFC will still be open?: Matthew Carruth at Fangraphs cautions that Rivera's good fortune may not continue, because he's not inducing as many swinging strikes and his ground ball rate has lessened. However, Carruth also notes that the home run rate is also likely to come down, so while he probably won't end up with numbers as good as last year, he's almost assured to finish with good-looking numbers by any standard other than his own.

Regardless of his final numbers at the end of the year, he'll always be a true Yankee, telling the NYT: "I'm a team player. My team fought hard today to give me that opportunity to be there. I tried to do my job. Really, all the 500 saves belong to my teammates."

Is this guy a ballplayer or what?

* * *

Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves

The Naked Truth: 5-7, 3.04 ERA, 1.059 WHIP, 125/23 K/BB

Having a nice little Saturday: Entering Monday's games, Javier Vazquez was leading the world in strikeouts, but Tim Lincecum zoomed past him with an 8K shutout of St. Louis. Vazquez is now second in the NL in Ks, second in strikeouts per walk and first in strikeouts per 9 innings. But despite all that, he's 1-6 in his last seven starts in large part because his team scored 10 total runs for him in those seven games.

You're my boy, Blue!: Vazquez has long been a frustrating pitcher whose great strikeout numbers have been done in by a propensity to the long ball that was not helped by pitching in the American League or in Arizona. In his return to an NL pitchers' park, he's having a career year, with career bests in nearly every stat you could think of: ERA, WHIP, hits per 9 innings, K/9, HR/9, SO/9, BB/9, and K/BB. He isn't getting overly lucky, either: his BABIP is .305, slightly higher than his career average and his great strikeout numbers are bolstered by a career-high 20 percent swinging strike rate. He's got his mojo working and it shows.

Think KFC will still be open?: Javy Vazquez is no relation to mixed martial artist Javier "Showtime" Vazquez, but both have been kicking ass and taking names this year. The former Expo has been philosophical about being so frequently let down by his offense, saying, "It has happened to me so much that I don't get frustrated anymore." If there's any justice, he'll be selected to his second career All-Star Game, so he can finally get the privilege of pitching for a team that can actually hit.

* * *

Here's an additional trio of players who are hotter than hot ... 

Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers: Dumped by the Cubs, who felt they didn't need organizational depth at third base (oops!), McGehee has been platooning at second and third base for the Brew Crew, and making the most of it. In 22 games in the month of June, he's batting .389/.450/.708 with five homers and 18 RBI, including a game-winning grand slam against the Mets last night.

Jason Kubel, Minnesota Twins: Jason Kubel is quietly having a terrific year as the Twins' DH, batting .313 with 13 HR, 42 RBI, and a .925 OPS. He's been especially hot in June, when he hit eight homers and put up an OPS of 1.077. Mauer and Morneau get all the ink, but Kubel's been the Twins' third-best hitter, and he's not far behind Morneau either.

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants: Perhaps you've heard of this gentleman. He's had at least 7 strikeouts in all but three starts this year, and in his last four starts has three complete games, two of them shutouts and one giving up only one run. In those four games, he's pitched 35 innings and racked up 37 strikeouts against three walks — That's basically Mariano Rivera's entire season. Yikes.

Now Jeff Francoeur wants a pair of Thanksgiving shorts to replace Giambino's golden thong as MLB's underpants du jour.

In a I-don't-want-to-know-how-he-got-that-information item, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says that Francoeur plans to be wearing his "turkey underwear" when the Braves open a series tonight against the Phillies.

Frenchy says Atlanta is 7-0 while he's sporting them and he's hitting .500 (3-for-6) in the two games he specifically said he was wearing the festive underthings.

We'll have to take his word on all stats named because Baseball-Ref's Play Index does not have a "boxers vs. briefs" filter. (Well, at least not yet.)  

From O'Brien's AJC blog:

"Francoeur said he had not worn the turkey briefs for back-to-back games all season, but will Tuesday (the Braves were off Monday, and he planned to ask his wife, Catie, to wash the underwear).

"Francoeur said Catie gave him the underwear as a gift last Thanksgiving."

It's nice that Francoeur is planning on scrubbing the underwear, but given his .248/.283/.347 slash line, perhaps he might want to keep every bit of "luck" in those shorts.

In related news, Meech of The Fightins' says he plans to mark this upcoming series with the Braves by not wearing any underwear at all.

A big BLS head nod to BBTF for the redirect. 

Drunk Jays Fans? Hey, if the name fits. Over the past two seasons, we've seen the 500 level turn into a Golden Gloves tournament, Rogers Centre forced to go dry as a Kansas county on Sunday and, for all the good that Labatt's can do, there's been a lot of simply deplorable behavior like this (NSFW).

Jays fans added to their resume on Monday night when two women — yes, females — were booted from the ballpark after aiming a beer at the head of Rays center fielder B.J.  Upton while he caught a drive by Marco Scutaro for the second out of the eighth inning

Luckily, Upton didn't get sudsed at all and was able to escape his Al Smith during the 1959 Series moment. Here's what he told TampaBay.com:

"I was turning around to walk back to my position, and I saw the umpire walking over and everyone was looking down at me. I didn't know what was going on. He goes, 'You all right?' I said, 'What happened?' I guess they said two women threw a beer at me."

At any rate, real baseball fans know that beer is for drinking, not throwing, and the sooner the majority of respectable Jays fans impart this knowledge to their bozo brothers (and, uh, sisters), the better off all of us will be.

And if you're hestitant to act and want to purse the live-and-let-puke theory? Well, then ask yourself this: Would Walter Wayne The Beer Guy (below) want them acting this way?

Game of the Day

Brewers 10, Mets 6

Use two hands next time: In the top of the sixth, McGehee dropped Fernando Martinez's routine pop up for an ugly error that allowed a two-run rally. Miller Park showered the third baseman with boos, punctuating the worst moment in what had been an unlikely rookie season.

For Milwaukee's sake, Casey at the bat was better than Casey in the field. In the bottom half of the inning, McGehee — with the error still on his mind — lined a 3-2 pitch from Brian Stokes over the fence in left-center for a grand slam. Low of lows, meet the high of highs.

"I experienced them both pretty quick," McGehee said (VIDEO).

Miller Park would have showered McGehee with booze, but he was workin'.

"If someone would have told me this time last year that I was going to have 40,000 people calling me out of the dugout for a curtain call, I would have said you were lying," said McGehee, 26.

His slow and then quick rise to adulation got McGehee talking to himself.

Nothin' left to lose: McGehee was a minor leaguer with the Cubs from 2003-2008, playing everywhere from the Tennessee coal mines to the Daytona Beach sun. One day last season, busted flat in Des Moines, he thumbed down a diesel for a ride to Chicago for a September callup. In October, the Cubs put him on waivers. Thank you, say the Brewers, who appreciate McGehee's ability to play third, second and catcher (in a pinch). And they really like his .964 OPS, which is way beyond his minor league range, but is rewarding for a guy who never gave up on his dream.

We got a screamer: Right after his slam, TV cameras caught McGehee screaming into his batting helmet in the dugout. What McGehee said to his helmet wasn't audible to me, but it probably wasn't very nice.

"Me and my helmet are going to have to have a sitdown apology session later," he joked. "I might have hurt its feelings."

Meet the Mess: The Mets fell below .500.

"We're a below average team. Period," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said.

* * *

Feelin' Rundown (nothin' ain't nothin' if it ain't free):

Giants 10, Cardinals 0: Tim Lincecum pitched a two-hitter just to warm up the mound for when he comes back with the NL squad in two weeks for the All-Star Game.

"I don't think he had a stressful inning," manager Bruce Bochy said.

They could have put this one in the books in the first after the Giants scored their first run. It became a laugher in the fourth after Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run homer.

"The way Timmy's been pitching lately, after the first run I felt pretty comfortable," Ishikawa said.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 2 (13 inn): After several, perhaps dozens, of missed scoring opportunities for L.A., Andre Ethier ended the game with a two-run homer. Ethier has four game-ending hits and the Dodgers have won 14 times in their last ups.

Cubs 3, Pirates 1: Getting away from home does the Cubs some good, as Rich Harden outshines the Duke boy to pick up his first win in six weeks, and Milton Bradley picks up his first RBI since June 12. He has driven in THREE runs in 88 plate appearances since May 28. One, a-two-whoooo, three.

White Sox 6, Indians 3: Right-hander Chris Perez, just arrived after the Mark DeRosa trade, made a first impression that will be harder to wash out than a mustard stain. He hit the first two batters he faced, walked the bases loaded and then watched all the runners score. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, the play was great.

Red Sox 4, Orioles 0: There's no such thing as Orioles Magic when Jon Lester starts and Jonathan Papelbon relieves against the Birds. Lester is 8-0 with a 2.18 ERA in 10 career starts facing the O's, and Papelbuns is 20-for-20 in save opportunities with an 0.39 ERA. Those runs allowed were just charity.

Papelbon also ties Bob Stanley (right) for the most saves in Red Sox history, 132. Dick Radatz is the only other Boston reliever with at least 100 saves. Until Papelbon, they just couldn't keep a closer in Boston.

Marlins 4, Nationals 2: Washington's Scott Olsen bummed a ride to the ballpark from his former teammate and BFF Ricky Nolasco, who was really doing him a favor — the Marlins ballpark is so far from Miami, it's actually in Georgia. Olsen paid for the ride by pitching not quite as well as Nolasco, though it was no worse than his second-best effort ever as a Gnat.

Rays 4, Blue Jays 1: Jeff Niemann beats Roy Halladay, wowwwwwwww. The Rays are making a move, having won six straight, but still look like third-best in baseball's only good division.

Angels 5, Rangers 2: Six in a row for the Halos, who move 2 1/2 games in front of StRangers.

"Over the last month, we've been playing better defense, our pitchers have been getting the job done and timely hitting," Torii Hunter said. "We're on all cylinders right now."

Astros 3, Padres 1: Oswalt retired the final 18 batters and even provided San Diego's lone run on a wild pitch. What. A. Guy.

Royals 4, Twins 2: Single, triple, homer for Miguel Olivo. Luke Hochevar politely put some guys on for the Twinkies — eight runners in the first three innings — but they just-as-politely left them all on base.

Athletics 7, Tigers 1: Ah, Rick Porcello had to pitch a stinker sooner or later. ... In honor of injured Josh Outman, the pitcher with the perfect name for a pitcher, the Stew will place its left elbow over its heart as he recovers from elbow surgery.

Angels at Rangers, 8:05 ET After overcoming a tragic and injury-plagued start, the Angels are finally in sole possession of the AL West lead, thanks in part to a best-in-baseball 14-4 interleague record and winning 12 of their last 15.

But if the Rangers — who just held first place for 43 days — want to prevent Los Angeles from winning its fifth division title in six years, they'll have to step up big against their rivals. They swept the Halos earlier this year, but have 16 contests — including seven over the next 10 days — remaining. Who here thinks the slumping Texas offense is up to the challenge?

Rays at Blue Jays, 7:07 As Rob Iracane's Twitter feed tells us, the Blue Jays have somehow been able to avoid those pesky AL East opponents. While all of their division mates have played each other at least 25 time, the Toronto scofflaws will take on a division opponent for only the 16th time in 2009. Luckily they're getting Roy Halladay back for such a tough task. He'll be making his first start in more than two weeks and is aiming to regain the league lead for wins with 11. 

Rockies at Dodgers, 10:10 Colorado has sliced seven games off its deficit with the Dodgers since Jim Tracy took over as manager. Tonight they'll attempt to double the rate of the Dodgers' NL West-lead shrinkage as Ubaldo Jimenez takes on Randy Wolf in Chavez Ravine. 

Mets at Brewers, 7:08 The Mets season may have already entered crisis mode before we learned that Carlos Beltran is figuring out whether or not he has a microfracture that would keep him out long-term. But at least the Mets have Fernando Nieve (a.k.a. "Freddie Snow") taking his 3-0, 1.31 ERA record to the mound in an attempt to run the team's Miller Park winning streak to six games. 

Giants at Cardinals, 8:15 Because any start by Tim Lincecum is worth watching. (And because the Giants have somehow earned the second-best record in the National League without many people — including yours truly — noticing.)