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  • The Juice: Bryce Harper’s triple against Halladay keys Nats win, Dodgers roar back

    The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

    Three years in the making: Bryce Harper hit his third triple of the season already, and he drove in two runs against Roy Halladay to lead the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory at Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The 19-year-old said in Mark Zuckerman's Nats Insider — in a post titled "Broad Street Beatdown" — that he's actually been scouting Halladay for three years and he couldn't wait to exploit a perceived weakness. Harper's two-run triple put the Nats ahead in the third inning and keyed their sixth straight victory at Citizens Bank Park.

    "I've been watching him for about three years," Harper said. "He throws a first-pitch curveball to so many people, and they just let it get over the plate. So I was just really trying to get something up in that situation and get something going. We had two guys on, and you had to get them in."

    Halladay, who came in with a dominating record against Washington, reflected on what's going wrong in Philly, which has lost four straight and is 21-23 overall.

    Dodger time: The injury riddled Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 30-13 by picking up an unlikely 8-7 victory at Arizona. Ivan DeJesus muscled-up for a two-out, two-run, go-ahead double in the ninth against closer J.J. Putz, and shortstop Dee Gordon hung in there on defense to help turn an acrobatic game-ending double play with runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth. Arizona squandered a five-run lead in the seventh, and is 11 1/2 games out of first place. The Dodgers are 7-2 without Matt Kemp in the lineup.

    Waino bueno once again: Adam Wainwright tossed his first shutout since August 2010, a 4-0 victory against San Diego, which gave the St. Louis Cardinals' top starter a big sense of relief. Wainwright said he told teammate Jake Westbrook this might be the best feeling he's ever had pitching — which is saying something given Wainwright's accomplishments. Waino missed the 2011 season because of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery:

    ''All of the emotion came from just knowing it's been over a year since I've done that,'' Wainwright said. ''Mentally, I was so much better.''

    * * *

    You really like me!: Closer Chris Perez apparently made up with Cleveland Indians fans, who cheered him like crazy before and after he picked up the save in a 5-3 victory against the Tigers. Perez has made a couple of rants recently about the lack of fan support at the Indians ballpark, and has wondered why the overall mood in Cleveland isn't better, given that his team's in first place. He's even willing to give away tickets to games to boost attendance. Fans have responded (mostly) kindly and Perez seemed appreciate it on Twitter:

    Wow, I'm truly humbled, honored, and grateful for the reception Cleveland! Huge team win for us tonight. Let's keep it going tomorrow

    * * *

    Quote of the Day: ''I had chills going through my body. It's such a great feeling to see the fans on their feet like that. You know, it really means a lot to have the support of the fans behind us. It's a pretty special feeling.'' — Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz, who allowed two hits and had nine strikeouts in a 4-1 victory against the Red Sox. The O's have won six of eight and at 28-16 sit atop the AL East after finishing last in 2011. Matusz, a top pitcher before injuries came, had a 10.69 ERA and made two trips to the disabled list in '11.

    * * *

    Play of the Day: Get off your butt and do something!

    Oh, he did. Josh Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics does what every Little League third baseman is told not to do — he cut off the shortstop in the hole — but he recovered nicely to throw out Maicer Izturis at first base. The A's made a few terrific defensive plays on the night, but they were dominated on the scoreboard by the Angels 5-0. C.J. Wilson and Ernesto Frieri combined on a one-hitter and Albert Pujols hit his fourth homer, his third deep in seven games.

    * * *

    Three Facts for the Water Cooler:

    • Knuckleball maven R.A. Dickey struck out a career-high 11 in a 3-2 Mets victory against Pittsburgh. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle noted that he also threw only two balls in the dirt over seven innings.

    • Reds closer Aroldis Chapman hit 100 mph (not in his car) three times in 18 pitches, striking out two for the save that preserved a 4-3 victory against the Braves. Brandon Phillips added two homers for Cincy.

    • Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco set the Miami Marlins franchise record for career victories, improving to 69-52 to surpass Dontrelle Willis, and the Fish beat the Rockies 7-6. The Marlins are 16-5 in May, though only 22,242 fans showed in their new ballpark, the smallest attendance so far.

    * * *

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  • The Juice: Felix Hernandez bests Yu and the Rangers, Chris Capuano and Dodgers keep rolling

    The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

    Round 1 to the King: Felix Hernandez dominated the first of what we hope will be many matchups against Yu Darvish, freezing the mighty Texas Rangers lineup during a 6-1 victory Monday night at Safeco Field. .

    After giving up a combined 10 runs in his previous two starts, King Felix looked like his old self. He struck out seven batters while allowing six hits and walking two. Combined with a weekend sweep at Colorado, the Mariners have now won four straight games.

    Hernandez's lone blemish of the night came when he surrendered a homer to Mitch Moreland in the eighth inning, but the Mariners offense had provided more than enough insurance by then (and we know that's not always the case). Darvish was far from sharp, lasting only four innings while giving up four runs and walking a season-high six batters. It was the first time in his MLB career that he did not pitch into the sixth and he was denied a chance to become the majors' first seven-game winner.

    ''I was apologetic. I wasn't able to go deep in the game as a starter should,'' Darvish said through an interpreter. ''Giving up those runs with only four hits; overall the approach and substance wasn't that good.''

    Dashing Dodgers: Don Mattingly says his Los Angeles squad owns simple momentum, a fact that's hard to argue. Chris Capuano won his sixth game of the season in a 6-1 victory over Arizona at Chase Field. Despite a recent rash of injuries, the Dodgers have won five straight and have put a good amount of distance between themselves and the rest of the NL West. The D-backs are now 10 1/2 games out of first place after winning the division in 2011. Meanwhile, only the Giants trail the Dodgers by single digits and they're still seven games back.  

    Free baseball!: Speaking of the Giants, they had the good sense to start off their series in Milwaukee with a win. It took a little longer than expected, though, with the 4-3 victory over the Brewers only sealed when backup catcher Hector Sanchez homered in the 14th inning. Santiago Casilla pitched the two final innings to get the win.

    Next stop: B&O Warehouse: The Red Sox looked like they were going to resume their recent struggles against the Orioles after entering Monday's sixth inning trailing by three runs. But it was this electrifying blast by David Ortiz that sparked a rally en route to an 8-6 win and it was easy to see why. Ortiz's shot at Camden Yards was only the 62nd to reach Eutaw Street.

    The answer is no: Bryce Harper got his wish and was showered by only boos (and not batteries) on his first visit to Citizens Bank Park. Cole Hamels' favorite target went 2 for 4 with one run in a rainy 2-1 victory over the Phils. Gio Gonzalez struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced and pitched six solid innings before handing it over to a bullpen that bent but never broke. The Phillies have lost 12 of their last 15 games against Washington.

    * * *

    Quote of the Day: ''I don't remember much.  I know he went from very bad to very good to very old." — Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen on the times he faced Colorado's Jamie Moyer during his career. Guillen was a lifetime 4 for 22 against Moyer, who is one year older than the nine-year managing veteran.

    * * *

    Photo of the Day: Feeling zen? Maybe not so much

    Cubs starter Matt Garza allowed seven runs in three innings during Chicago's 8-4 loss to the Houston Astros, leading manager Dale Sveum to say "'that was not Matt Garza pitching ... it's not the Matt Garza I've seen. It seems like he got out of whack somehow.'' The Cubs have lost seven straight games.

    * * *

    Three Facts for the Water Cooler

    • Cincinnati's Mike Leake, Zack Cozart and Drew Stubbs hit back-to-back-to-back homers off Mike Minor during a 4-1 win over the Braves, but it hadn't been that long since the Reds hit three straight homers in a game. The team also did it against Colorado's Alex White last Sept. 10.

    • In a 6-2 victory over the Rays, Toronto's Kyle Drabek became the first AL pitcher to win a game while walking six batters and recording three wild pitches since Juan Guzman did it for the Jays in 1994.

    • Calling all boobirds: A 6-0 loss to the Royals dropped the Yankees to last place in the AL East. This is the latest they've been this low in the standings since May of 2008, which is also the last time that New York missed the postseason.

    Want more baseball fun all season long?
    Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!

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