Trib: Brewers in front for C.C.

The Brewers might be behind both the Cubs and Cardinals in the standings, but apparently they have the best opportunity to make the biggest splash in the trade market. The Chicago Tribune reports that Milwaukee's minor league talent allows them to make the best offer for C.C. Sabathia, even if the Brewers won't admit to it right now.

Saturday games

Cubs @ Cardinals - Lilly vs. Lohse doesn't overwhelm, but Lohse owns 10 victories, and Lilly is attempting to equal him as the top two teams in the N.L. Central attempt to close out the first half with a series win.

Red Sox @ Yankees - Masterson vs. Mussina looked like a better matchup two weeks ago when both guys were flying high. Now Masterson is fighting for his roster spot with Clay Buchholz making a case to return to the majors.

Athletics @ White Sox - Smith vs. Floyd may be the pitching matchup of the day. Smith dominated the Sox earlier this year.

Blue Jays @ Angels - Halladay vs. Lackey is the pitching matchup of the day. Halladay (9-6, 2.90) deserves to be on the A.L. All-Star team, while Lackey (6-1, 1.44 would be there if he had pitched enough.

Quality Arroyo

Give credit to Reds starter Bronson Arroyo. After giving up 10 earned runs in one inning at Toronto on June 24th he's posted back-to-back quality starts. The latest is a borderline gem: six innings, five hits, no runs. He's the winner in Cincinnati's 3-0 shutout of the Nationals.

Fantasy Impact: Washington's offense is not the toughest Arroyo will face, but he's clearly not washed up. Arroyo did walk three batters and only threw 54 strikes out of 95 pitches, but this is very acceptable after what could have rattled him for a while. He's a ho-hum starter for your fantasy team that will turn into trouble from time to time.

Bombs away

The Marlins and Rockies put up some fireworks of their own Friday, combing for 35 runs on 43 hits. The Marlins outhit the Rockies by one, but the Rockies outscored the Marlins by one. Six different players hit home runs. There were eight home runs total with Ryan Spilborghs and Matt Holliday both lauching a pair. We should have expected a big night when Hanley Ramirez led things off with a home run to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

Fantasy Impact: Don't look now, but demoted Rockies closer Manny Corpas was the only pitcher to go at least two innings and not allow a run, dropping his ERA to 5.23. He's now spotless in his last seven outings. Last year he stole the closer job from Brian Fuentes. After losing the job back to Fuentes this year he might put pressure on him again down the stretch.

Long and short on Marmol

The Cubs' Carlos Marmol threw three pitches in San Francisco, and his ERA jumped another 19 points to 3.75. After tossing back-to-back balls to Rich Aurilia in the seventh, the Giants veteran deposited Marmol's only strike over the left field fence. Marmol was pulled without recording an out.

Fantasy Impact: Marmol's ERA reached a season-low 1.04 in mid May. It was at 2.09 on June 15th. Then came a four-run, no-out performance at Tampa. Marmol's never seemed to be the same. For a guy who looked like a challenger to Kerry Wood for the closer's role back in spring training, this is a long fall. The Cubs need Marmol to return to form, otherwise their bullpen could make this a short autumn.

More Lester

It took Red Sox starter John Lester 105 pitches to shutout the Yankees in a five-hitter. Lester struck out eight Yanks, lowering his ERA to 3.21 in a 7-0 victory. He's now 7-3 on the year.

Fantasy Impact: Lester looks like he's growing into an ace, but he's got a ways to go to earn that title in fantasy ball. Lester gave up six runs the last time he pitched. He's a work in progress, but still a really good one.

The unlikeliest star

Tigers outfielder Marcus Thames didn't own a starting spot in the Detroit Tigers lineup when the year got started. Now the Detroit Free Press is considering him a potential candidate for the All-Star game. Don't laugh, their theory is plausible. The Tigers don't have anyone with a clear-cut better first half of the season except for Magglio Ordonez, and he's injured.

Somehow, I don't see this happening, but it's an interesting consideration.

The case for Paul Konerko

For all of the offensive problems Dewayne Wise and Brian Anderson have experienced over their Major League careers, they're forcing the White Sox into a difficult decision once Paul Konerko returns next week.

Konerko, who's been out with an oblique problem, is hitting just .215. Anderson's modest .232 is about his low point for the season, but much better than his .118 mark in 2007. Wise is a career .210 hitter in just over a half season of Major League work, but he's entered Thursday over .300. Konerko's numbers are the worst of the bunch right now, and Anderson is the best defensive player in the group. While he and Wise play center, not first (Konerko's spot), starting centerfielder Nick Swisher moved over to first while Konerko rested. The Sox could leave Swisher there and platoon the centerfielders, meaning Konerko would be out of a starting spot.

Fantasy Impact: Swisher is the only player guaranteed to contribute regular at bats, but it would be surprising to see Konerko dropped out of the lineup right away. His track record is nothing short of very good, and the Sox are more likely to throw him in the fray to see if he can sink or swim before they make a move. Konerko will be expeted to pull out of the funk, and if he can't, Anderson and Wise will become no better than part-timers, not exactly attractive to fantasy owners.

MLB gloss coming off?

This article from Forbes would seem to stand opposite to everything ever uttered by Bud Selig regarding the popularity of baseball today.

Selig always talks about this being the golden era of baseball. Just one month ago he was at it again:

"Today is the golden era of baseball," Selig said. "The game today is more popular than it has ever been in its long and distinguished history."

That may, in fact, be true depending on what set of statistics you look at. But if fewer fans are going games, even for economic reasons, that means baseball is slightly out of touch with what fans are looking for. That's makes any boom period slightly less shiny, even if it is still fairly golden.

DNA matches Clemens

The piling on continues for Roger Clemens. Apparently the DNA matches the paraphernalia Brian McNamee submitted to federal agents. Here's the latest from MLB.com.

Here's wondering whether or not Clemens will deflect the latest information by saying McNamee planted the evidence. This story just won't go away.

A rant on All-Star voting

All-Star voting is over, and for two reasons I did not participate this year.

First, I don't think fans should have the opportunity to pick the All-Star teams, and this first reason comes via two reasons that support that reason: A) The All-Star game decides home-field advantage in the postseason, so the best teams should be on the field - not the teams fans want to see. B) The All-Star game is not "The Most Popular" game, meaning players who have proven themselves with their play over the first-half of the season should get the chance to play. They shouldn't play because they are liked. They should play because they've starred on the field.

Second, the opportunity to vote for months prior to the close date and up to 25 times on the MLB site is just insanity. Anyone can rig that system, and if you're the fan of lets say the Cubs or the Red Sox, what's stopping you from piling up the other league's ballot box with scrubs? A weaker N.L. lineup might get the Red Sox home-field in the World Series this year. Cubs fans should be doing whatever it takes to get that opportunity. What's stopping them?

Fans need to realize that this isn't an election - there's no free speech in the selection of an All-Star team. They should ask baseball to do the right thing and change the way All-Star teams are selected. The best players need to be on the field. That's especially true when the game means something. Then again, the game was never intended to decide home-field in the first place, so maybe the argument should start with eradicating the problem, not the symptoms of that problem.

Buck on sports broadcasting

Awful Announcing is upset with Joe Buck (what's new), but to listen to Buck's lament about the time it takes to follow sports is somewhat disappointing. He says sports are no longer as "special or unique" as they once were because of the overwhelming access these days. He'd rather watch the primetime reality stuff on network TV.

The access these days is what makes is easier to follow sports, Joe, not more difficult. As someone who has broadcast games and sports shows, I can understand how overwhelming all of the preparation can be - but that preparation gives you the opportunity to do what no one else does. You're there, you have the access, you have the opportunity to reach people.

I don't think Buck is a bad guy necessarily, nor is he out of his mind to complain about his job (who doesn't). I don't, however, think he's a very good sportscaster on many, many levels. Maybe this explains it.

Cleveland needs to sell

It's time for the Cleveland Indians to sell. Another extra-inning heartbreaking loss to the White Sox leaves them 12.5 games out of first with four teams to catch in the A.L Central. With ten teams ahead of them for a Wild Card berth and just 28 days from now until the trade deadline, expect offers to fly in for high-priced stars like C.C. Sabathia. The big lefty actually started Wednesday's loss, a 6-5 no-decision that A.J. Pierzynski put to bed with his 10th-inning solo home run. It was Pierzynski's second home run of the night.

Rays of hope

The Tampa Bay Rays swept the Red Sox with three hard-fought wins, giving themselves a very possible shot at not only first place in the A.L. East at the All-Star break, but also a chance for the best record in baseball in the first half of the season. The Rays own one fourth-place finish and nine fifth-place finish in their 10-year history. Since the Rays inception only one team, the 2006 Blue Jays, has cracked the Yankees/Red Sox 1st-2nd lock at the top of the division. Toronto missed the post season that year, but if Tampa plays .500 ball the rest of the way, they're almost guaranteed to make the playoffs.

Nothing magical about Madrigal

Warner Madrigal's Major League debut for Texas is about as scary as they come. The first time out he blows a save in spectacular fashion, giving up six runs on five hits while only retiring one Yankee. He came in with the lead, left with a certain loss and his ERA is 162.00 -- as New York put it on Texas 18-7.

Kuroda returns

The Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda made a solid impression in his first game back from the disabled list. Kuroda pitched seven innings, giving up just five hits and no runs in a 4-1 win over Houston.

Fantasy Impact: Kuroda was on the DL for just under a month with shoulder tendinitis. He was mixing in good and bad starts leading up to the injury, and now with clearance to pitch again, expect a few more good outings. If the shoulder is healthy, he's a good fifth starter or better on a fantasy roster.

60 saves

The Angels' Francisco Rodriguez is well on his way to breaking the single-season saves record. Wednesday he closed out number 34 on the year, going one inning and striking out a batter to preserve a 7-4 win over Oakland. K-Rod is just 23 shy of Bobby Thigpen's 57, and we've not yet reached the All-Star break.

Fantasy Impact: K-Rod is pitching as well as he ever has, despite the fact that he is striking out less than a batter per inning for the first time in his career. At this point 60 saves seems a possiblity.

Bruce bruises Pirates pitching

Jay Bruce homered twice tonight for the Reds. Bruce hit the first in the bottom of the first in a response to the four runs Pittsburgh scored in the top half of the inning. Bruce then hit a three-run homer in the third, giving Cincinnati a brief 5-4 lead in a game they eventually lost, 9-5.

Fantasy Impact: Bruce is busting out of his power slump. His last home run before tonight's dual blasts came on June 13th. He's now up to six homers this season to go along with a .292 average. Bruce has been hailed the next Larry Walker. You should drool over that, but it might not be fair to compare just yet. He's a rookie, so expect more slumps like the one he just jumped out of.

Thompson hit hard

Reds rookie Daryl Thompson struggled in his second Major League start, and he really struggled tonight. Thompson worked just 4.1 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits in a 9-5 loss to the Pirates. Thompson yielded four runs in the first, then settled down the rest of the way. He did cough up two solo shots to Xavier Nady in the third and the fifth.

Fantasy Impact: Thompson is just another one of those Reds rookie starters who has to take a few lumps on his way to serviceable MLB pitcher. It might take a while, but he's got a ton of upside.

Thanks to Danks

The White Sox can thank starter John Danks for their dramatic 3-2 win over Cleveland Tuesday. Danks matched Cleveland ace Cliff Lee pitch-for-pitch, going eight innings, striking out eight, while giving up just one run. With their teams deadlocked after eight, things were turned over to the bullpens, which, in turn, gave up three runs in the ninth inning. The Sox win the game, 3-2 on an RBI base hit by Orlando Cabrera in the 10th after Alexei Ramirez's game-tying home run.

Fantasy Impact: Danks is making the South Siders forget the guy they traded for him. Brandon McCarthy was dealt to Texas for Danks and two other prospects just before Christmas, 2006. McCarthy is hurt this year. He hasn't pitched. Danks has pitched brilliantly. His ERA is down to 2.50, and he deserves better than his so-so total of five wins.

Cain can pitch

Giants starter Matt Cain turned in his best performance of 2008 against the Cubs Tuesday, striking out 10 while yielding just one run over eight innings. He wins his 5th game, 2-1.

Fantasy Impact: This is Cain's second double-digit strikeout game of the year, of which he only had one all of last season. Cain held opponents to one run or less eleven times in 2007, but many of them came early in the year. With this victory, Cain's picked up his fifth start of holding an opponent to one run or less -- which has to make you wonder if he's saved something special for the second half. His ERA is down to 4.13 as it was 6.64 back on April 18th.

Cubs still chasing C.C.

Speaking on WSCR radio in Chicago this afternoon, baseball analyst and White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone said the Chicago Cubs were still in the hunt for C.C. Sabathia. Stone believes the Cubs have the right combination of "Major League ready" talent and prospects to land the Indians ace should Cleveland consider itself unlikely to compete for the postseason.

Some of the "MLB ready" players who came up in the discussion were pitcher Sean Gallagher and infielder Ronny Cedeno. Stone mentioned prospects Donny Veal, Tyler Colvin and Jeff Samardzija as trade possiblities.

Stone also mentioned the A's Rich Harden and the Blue Jays' A.J. Burnett as players the Cubs could go after.

Lance - a lot of production

Lance Berkman hit his 22nd home run, knocked in his 68th RBI and scored twice as the Astros beat the Dodgers, 4-1. Berkman's average is up to .365.

Fantasy Impact: Anyone who thought Berkman would cool down by now is dead wrong. The Astros' first baseman is cooking. Last year at this time he was hitting just .263, which scared off some fantasy owners in this year's draft. Berkman, however, is a career .304 hitter with 281 home runs. If you jumped on him in an early round he's rewarding you now.

Mr. Smith goes to Anaheim

The A's Greg Smith dominated the Angels in Anaheim, going for his first complete game in a 6-1 win. Smith improves to 5-6 on the year, giving up just a run on four hits. The Angels 3-4-5 slots, filled with Vlad Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick, combined to go 0-12.

Fantasy Impact: A great rebound outing for the rookie left-hander who lost 4-0 to Philadelphia the last time out. Smith's ERA drops to 3.44, and he could be in the running for A.L. Rookie of the Year.

Hawpe's hot

The Rockies' Brad Hawpe finished up a torrid June with his eigth home run in Colorado's 15-8 loss to San Diego. Hawpe's season average is up to .260 after hitting well over .300 for the month. He batted just .218 in May and spent time on the disabled list.

Fantasy Impact: I heard somebody call Hawpe the left-handed Manny Ramirez in the offseason. Not quite, but he's pretty good when he's going well. It looks like he's solved what was keeping him from hitting the ball with authority. He's a good number two outfielder.

Gonzalez, Padres snap skid

Losers of eight straight, the Padres finally got it right in Denver tonight. Edgar Gonzalez hit his first home run since June 11th, and then hit a second homer to cap off a seven-run 9th, going 4-5 with three runs and three RBI in a career game for him. San Diego wins, 15-8.

The Padres put up their 15 runs on 22 hits, as seven different players had multi-hit games including Edgar's little brother Adrian.

Fantasy Impact: Adrian Gonzalez hasn't homered in a week, but he's still hitting the ball well. Edgar was a fill-in for the injured Tadahito Iguchi. Now he's hitting .325 and has three homers in 123 at bats. Although they look very similar despite despite a near four-year age gap, Edgar will never been confused with his brother. Adrian's hit 21 home runs this year and is a fantasy stud. Like the Padres, pick up Edgar for the time being as a hot stop gap.

Pirates batting pitcher eighth

The Pittsburgh Pirates are making batting the pithcer eighth an National League Central trend. The Cardinals started the trend when they played their backup catchers, followed by the Brewers trying it with catcher Jason Kendall hitting ninth. Now the Pirates will bat shortstop Jack Wilson last.

Cordero done for year

The Natinoals' Chad Cordero is out for the year. Jon Rauch inherits the job full-time, which he's handled quite well to this point, notching 16 saves in Cordero's absence. He doesn't get a lot of chances, however, playing for Washington.

Fantasy Impact: Rauch is allowing less than a base runner per inning. That's a good recipe for earning saves. He's no worse than a second-tier closer, and probably one of the best at that.

Ram out

The Cubs' Aramis Ramirez is gone for at least the next three games attending to a family matter in his native Puerto Rico. Chicago is on the road for four games in San Francisco, meaning Ramirez will miss all but Thursday's game at this point.

Fantasy Impact: He's too valuable to pass on in weekly leagues. Ramirez is arguably the most productive third baseman this side of Alex Rodriguez. David Wright also comes to mind.

A.L. dominance

After Sunday play interleague play has resulted in the American League outperforming the National league 149-102 this year for a .594 winning percentage. If the A.L. played the N.L. over a 162 game schedule the Junior Circuit would got 96-66.

The A.L. finished play togday with a 8-6 win total over the national league for a winning percentage of .571. The lower winning percentage for today did impact the A.L.'s overall winning percentage just a touch, but averaged out over 162 games it was not enough to lower the 96-66 record.

Dan (Ugh)la

Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla rolled his ankle Saturday rounding third base, putting a scare into both Marlins fans and fantasy owners. It turns out it's only a sprain as x-rays came back negative. Now the Marlins are saying Uggla might only miss a few days.

Fantasy Impact: Great news for fantasy owners. Uggla leads the National League with 23 home runs, and appears to be a safe bet for at least the end of this week's games.

Houston, you gave the Yankees another problem.

Starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang wasn't the only Yankee injured in houston a couple of weekends back. Left fielder Hideki Matsui's played with a balky knee ever since that day, and tonight between double-headers with the Mets, the Yanks shut him down.

Fantasy Impact: Significant impact, considering Matsui was hitting .323 heading into the double-header. His power numbers were down, but a couple of weeks off he might spring to life and belt 15 bombs in the second half.

Mulder off DL, Isringhausen to DL

The Cardinals have activated Mark Mulder and put him in their bullpen. It sounds like he's going to be their left-handed specialist for the time being.

Mulder will temporarily fill the void left by Randy Flores, who has left ankle tendinitis and on Thursday became the seventh Cardinals pitcher on the DL. Flores had been the second left-handed reliever alongside Ron Villone.

"I'm definitely excited. Obviously, there's a need for it," Mulder said. "I've always liked facing lefties."

Jason Isringhausen was unavailable on Friday night and could be headed back to the disabled list after feeling a pop in his knee while stretching in the dugout during Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Fantasy Impact: Drop Mulder. He won't get any saves, or so it would seem, and he's not going to help you much as a setup guy unless you play in a league with holds. Isringhausen looks to be less and less a part of the Cardinals future if this sort of things keeps up. He's 35, and certainly on the downslide of his career. The Cardinals might turn things over to their young guns for the rest of the year at the back of the 'pen.

It's a Grand game

Curtis Granderson is beginning to look like himself again. The Tigers centerfielder is 3-4 tonight with two runs scored and a stolen base. He led off the ball game with a base hit, steal and a run scored as Detroit got two in the first on Colorado.

Granderson's average is up to .290 right now, and we're still playing in Detroit with the Tigers up 5-0 through six.

Fantasy Impact: Granderson has just five steals this year, but his numbers are coming up as a whole. If you drafted him early thinking big things, you might not fully cash in. But now is not the time to trade him. Granderson looks like he's going to be strong in the second half.

Yank 'em all

Didn't matter whom the Yankees turned to today, their pitchers all got scored on by the Mets. Dan Giese lasted four innings, giving up six. Three straight relievers followed up with a combined effort of five innings, nine earned. LaTroy Hawkins was the best of the bunch, "limiting" the Mets to one run in two inninngs. Very respectable, and even moreso considering he's got a 6.03 ERA.

Home city, still home-filed advantage

Even going on the road in your own home city is rough this year. With most MLB teams struggling on the road, the Cubs rolled across Chicago to the south side and got lit up by the White Sox today, 10-3. Nick Swisher swatted his ninth home run, a grand slam that put the Sox ahead 8-0 on Cubs starter Ryan Dempster in the third. Just last week the Cubs swept the Sox on Chicago's north side.

Garza gearing up for July

The back end of the Tampa Bay rotation is in constant flux. Seemingly all at once Rays starters Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine and Matt Garza dominate and disappoint. It's rare for any of them to have three consecutive starts that are either all good or all bad.

Take, for instance, Garza's Thursday. He threw a one-hitter against Florida in which the only hit was a Hanley Ramirez home run. Other than that he was nearly flawless, and although he's had a tendency to hit major highs and lows, Garza did become the first of these three Tampa tossers to string together back-to-back-to-back quality starts since Sonnanstine did so in late April.

Garza is the hot one in the bunch, and now is a good time to stay strong. We're just over a month from the trade deadline, and Double-A prospect David Price is on the fast track to the Majors. In his first Double-A start tonight, Price struggled a bit but still delivered a quality start. Two more of those and, well, he'll have a longer string of success than Jackson has all season. He'll have a better three-game stretch than Sonnanstine's experienced in two months.

Gonzo for, um, Gonzo

It looks like A's rookie Carlos Gonzalez is going to get more at bats now that Ryan Sweeney's gone down with an ankle injury. Anther interesting tidbit in this San Francisco Chronicle article spells out something that bugs me about fans these days -- their expectation level just for being in the right place at the right time is becoming absurd. Check out what happened after Gonzalez hit his first MLB home run last week:

The rookie outfielder didn't get the ball from his first home run a week ago because the fan who caught it wanted more than the three bats and autographed ball Gonzalez offered. He hit his second career homer Thursday, a solo shot in the sixth, and it landed over the wall in right and was retrieved for him.

"It's not home run No. 1, but it's No. 2, and my mom and my family are going to enjoy it," he said.

Sorry, but the fan who won't accept Gonzalez's fair payment for the ball is a meat head. It's merely a home run ball. It's not number 756. A few bats and an autographed ball is more than fair compensation. Get over yourself. You were lucky it landed in your lap.

Fantasy Impact: I'm liking Carlos Gonazalez at this point. He was the prize piece in the deal that sent Dan Haren to Arizona, and he's proving that he can be a consistent contributor at the big league level. He's going to have peaks and valleys, but the fact that he's hit mostly extra base hits to this point is a harbinger for future success.

No relief for Redbirds

When they broke from spring training it appeared the Cardinals's biggest concerns were starting pitching and every starting spot except for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. The Birds have been generally solid in those capacities, but after blowing a ninth-inning lead in a 3-2, 10-inning loss at Detroit on Thursday, it is relief pitching that's costing them wins right now.

Cardinals starters have the best winning percentage in the majors at 36-17 (.679).

Ryan Franklin, who suffered his fourth blown save when Gary Sheffield homered off him in the ninth, said, "We're also crushing the whole league in holds (60). Our holds are way more than our blown saves. You can't look at just one part of it."

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the Cardinals bullpen converted 75.6 percent of their save opportunities last year, but only 55.8 this year. They blew 11 saves in 2007. They've blown 19 in 2008. If Ryan Franklin Jason Isringhausen aren't the answer, the Cardinals still have potentials answers in Kyle McClellan and Chris Perez. McClellan's had the better run of late.

Lee of faith

Indians' starter Cliff Lee won his 11th game tonight against San Francisco, and looked like he went back to his April/early May bag of tricks to get it done. Lee worked eight innings, striking out 11, while allowing just one run on four hits as Cleveland supported him with four runs. It was his best outing since a complete game shutout against Toronto back on May 12th, which lowered his ERA to 0.67. Now he's at 2.34 after a recent rough patch.

Fantasy Impact: Aberration or a return to dominance? That question seems to follow Lee around. He's had his moments, and then he's had his moments. It looks like this year will be filled with more good moments than bad, as long as he can mix in days like this as the grind gets tougher in the second half.

Edinson's bell rung

Reds' starter Edinson Volquez suffered his worst outing of the year at Toronto Thursday, and his first non-quality start since his first three starts this season. Volquez couldn't get through the fifth, giving up five earned runs on seven hits. He walked three and served up Scott Rolen's sixth home run.

Fantasy Impact: There's no reason to worry about Volquez at this time. His ERA climbed all the way to a measly 2.08. He's the best pitcher in the National League over the first half of the season. If he puts together an above-average second half he'll be looking at 20 wins for his troubles.

Kershaw cursed?

Only 69 pitches by Dodgers' rookie starter Clayton Kershaw today. He threw 40 strikes, going four innings with two earned runs in his second loss of the season. Kershaw hasn't won yet as a professional pitcher, including losses or no-decisions in every start he's made in the minors.

Fantasy Impact: For those that thought Kershaw might come up and dominate at the Major League level, this is discouraging, but Kershaw hasn't pitched that poorly. While he's still looking for that first win, his ERA is a respectable 4.36. He's struggled with control, but tends to limit the big inning. He's a respectable low-end option until he harnesses his impressive stuff.

Roberts wins final battle and war

Brian Roberts and the Orioles come away big winners on Chicago's north side. Roberts outperformed Mark DeRosa in two of the three games, including the series finale, as the Orioles win 11-4 to become the first team other than the Milwaukee Brewers to take a series at Wrigley this year. Here's the second baseman linescore for the game:

BR: 5 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
MD: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K

Here's their combined linescore for the series:

BR: 14 AB, 4 R, 6 H, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K
MD: 9 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K

Roberts had a better average and scored three more runs in the series. No surprise that the catalyst's team had the better fate in the series. Cubs fans will certainly be wondering "what if" concering the trade that never materialzed for Roberts. DeRosa is still a solid second baseman.

Roberts vs. DeRosa tied, 1-1

Brian Roberts won the first battle of head-to-head productivity against Mark DeRosa, but the Cubs' second baseman bounces back strongly in game two of the three-game Cubs-Orioles series.

BR: 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 RBI, 0 K
MD: 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 K

DeRosa's run-scoring single came in the first inning, leading to Baltimore starer Matt Albers getting lifted after recording just one out. Cubs win, 7-4, and so does DeRosa.

Pujols returns

Albert Pujols is adamant about returning from a strained calf injury tonight in Detroit. He won't DH if he can help it, because it sounds like he really wants to play first.

"If I'm ready to play first base, I think I'm going to play first base," Pujols said, adjusting his stance of the day before. "If I feel the same way I feel today, I think I'm going to be playing (Thursday).

"Something crazy has to happen ... for me not to play."

Pujols continues to impress with both his ability and his willingness to play. He's old-school tough, and here's guessing he goes yard tonight.

Fantasy Impact: Owners must be thrilled, and holding their breath that he hasn't returned too soon. I for one thought Pujols would be shut down for the rest of the season by the All-Star break with his elbow issue. It's been no issue, however, as Pujols is one of the top sluggers in the league. With the Cardinals in the playoff race for what appears to be the long-haul, Pujols isn't getting his elbow worked on any time soon.

Stults studly again

Eric Stults mesmerized the White Sox Wednesday in Los Angeles. The lefty call-up for the Dodgers (Kuroda and Penny are both on the DL) threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits while striking out three in his second straight win since arriving from Triple-A Las Vegas. This reporter was dismayed about the outcome, not only because Stults' win came against lights-out Gavin Floyd, but also because it hurt his fantasy team. I respect his honesty, but is that the first time a MSM blogged openly about his fantasy baseball team, because I've never see this before.

Fantasy Impact: Stults isn't going to hurt or help my fantasy team. I'm not picking him up, and I'm not going to see the guy that did while Stults is on his roster. That's not to say I'm not playing the guy again this year. That's to say that Stults is not going to be on his roster very long. The career minor-leaguer is 29-years-old, and he's seen very little action at the MLB level. In 71.1 innings, he has a 4.68 ERA, and that's after his two gems this year. A good marker for success at the MLB level is strikeouts at the minor league level. Stults fanned 81 batters in 89.1 innings last season, but he's never approached that ratio of nearly a strikeout per inning at the Triple-A level before. Once Penny or Kuroda is ready, Stults is likely to be gone, unless he pitches his way out of the rotation first. Pass.

Cinderella is a Bulldog

Congratulations to Fresno State for clinching the College World Series with a 6-1 win over Georgia. Fresno is one of the all-time Cinderellas in sports. The Bulldogs were basically a 13 seed in the NCAA baseball tournament (the committee only seeds the top eight teams). They were paired in the tournament pod across from Arizona State, the number three overall seed, which makes ASU a number one seed in their regional. One plays 16 in round one, and the winner gets either the number eight or nine winner in the regional. The winner of that second game would play Fresno State's pod, which would be the number four, five, 12 and 13 seeds. Fresno was the worst of that pod, making them the equivalent of a number 13 seed.

Fileted Fish

Ryan Tucker's only made three Major League starts in his career, that's why his ERA jumped from 4.50 to 6.75 in one night. The actual reason for the jump is four-fold, as in four extra base hits by the Tampa Bay Rays. Tucker lasted just four innings, and when he couldn't get anyone out in the fifth he was done. He gave up seven earned runs on eight hits.

At least he's not Eulogio De La Cruz. Whatever ails Tucker is contageous, because Cruz couldn't get a single runner out himself. Tampa scored five runs before Cruz was lifted, his ERA climbing from 6.00 to 21.00. Tampa is up 14-0 in the sixth.

Fantasy Impact: Tucker's a stop-gap for the Marlins. Josh Johnson is expected back from a rehab stint right around the All-Star break. He can't get to Miami soon enough. Drop Tucker and grab Johnson, then wait for his arrival.

Cano goes yard

After getting shelled by Pittsburgh, the Yankees are returning the favor tonight. The Yankees have eight runs on 10 hits through their half of the sixth, and even Robinson Cano got into the act, connecting for his fifth home run.

Fantasy Impact: Cano needs to get going. He's hitting just .236, and many fantasy owners drafted him early expecting a .300 average and close to 20 home runs. Cano can get himself back to respectability with just a couple of modest streaks, but he looks a long way from a top-shelf second baseman.

Campillo can still pitch

After a lackluster game on Tuesday with a ton of fielding miscues, the Braves made it through Wednesday with just one error committed -- by their pitcher, Jorge Campillo. Campillo made few mistakes on the hill. He gave up just four hits and two earned runs through seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.54.

Fantasy Impact: Campillo suffers from blisters, but only had to throw 88 pitches to go this deep in the ballgame. His ERA had been climbing steadily over his last handful of starts. This gets it going in a better direction. He's turned into a fairly reliable option, but will probably not emerge into a fantasy ace given his track record.

David Wright righting the ship

David Wright's .272 average and 12 homers entering Wednesday had Mets fans and fantasy owners a little bit concerned for their starting third baseman. No worries tonight. Two at bats, two home runs.

Fantasy Impact: Wright's first home run was a solo shot, the second one came with a runner on, giving him three RBI in a game he's destined to get at least four at bats. Stay tuned. This could get him going again.

Hooray for a day game

It's Wednesday, and we finally have day baseball in the majors this week. Here's a look at the best pitching matchups Wednesday has to offer.

Milwaukee at Atlanta 1:05 pm ET
-Jorge Campillo (2-2, 2.54) has struggled in three of his last four starts. Jeff Suppan (4-5, 3.92) got shelled for the first time in a long time his last time out.

St. Louis at Detroit 7:05 pm ET
-Kyle Lohse (9-2, 3.63) vs. Armando Galarraga (7-2, 3.03) in the battle of least likely staff studs.

Cincinnati at Toronto 7:07 pm ET
-What's happened to Aaron Harang (3-10, 4.33)? Roy Halladay (8-6, 2.90) looks to avoid liners off his head.

L.A. Angels at Washington 7:10 pm ET
-Ervin Santana (9-3, 3.17) and the Angels are strong on the road this year (26-12), while Tim Redding (6-3, 4.12) is the only winner in Washington's rotation.

Chicago White Sox at L.A. Dodgers 10:10 pm ET
-Gavin Floyd's (8-3, 3.19) brilliance against one-start wonder Eric Stults (1-0, 1.50)

T.J. Simers skewers Ned Colletti

L.A. Times writer T.J. Simers says the Dodgers don't know how to make a deal, and begs Ned Colletti not to make a deal in his latest column. He goes as far as asking Colletti to leave the country for the next month so he can't acquire players like Esteban Loaiza again.

The phone rings, and it's Colletti. "Please, please, no more trades," I begin, while suggesting a vacation that might take him overseas for the next few weeks.

"I've never been to Europe," he says, and I think we could get a collection going and make that happen.

It's a pretty humorous article in the least, but goes to show at least part of the reason the Dodgers haven't won anything in 20 years.

Bad Wood: MLB testing maple

Major League Baseball's got a committee working on the maple bats issue.

Along with conducting field and laboratory tests, the panel will consult with manufacturers and experts and also survey what protective devices are in place for fans and players at the 30 big league ballparks.

Could "protective devices" include extending the screen behind home plate?

Smoltz looks to the future

While Curt Schilling felt free to declare that his career might be over following shoulder surgery, John Smoltz is feeling less comfortable in doing so. He's eyeing a return for next season.

"I realize I won't be able to fade away on my own terms," he said of his comeback bid, "meaning I realize at some point I'm going to have to say, 'This is it.' "

That point where he would call it a career would probably not be until after spring training. He can begin light throwing in four months.

"I don't know when that time would be," he said. "Barring a major setback, I think it would be a long time. Optimism can last a lot longer in this realm than it would in a scenario that says, 'If I'm not at this point in spring training, [end] it.' "

Smoltz' surgery and recovery sounds very painful. He says he'd rather go through Tommy John ligament replacement again rather than what he's going through now.

I've always liked Smoltz, and I like how he's approaching this recovery with such honesty. Schilling, on the other hand, has gone the dramatic route. Something tells me he'll make a good sportswriter some day.

First and Worst

The American League went 10-4 in interleague play Tuesday night and is now 109-76 against the National League overall for a .589 winning percentage. If the two sides played 162 games against one another, the A.L. would go 95-67, a one game improvement over their record after Monday's interleague games. In other words, the A.L. looks like a first place team, and the N.L. looks like a last place team.

Stat man

Lance Berkman struggled early in 2007 on his way to a sub par season by his standards. Berkman batted .278 and slugged .510, the lowest totals he's put up in any full season.

Tuesday Berkman hit his 21st home run. His two extra base hits give him 48 this season. According to the Houston Chronicle, Berkman reached 48 extra base hits last year on September 2nd.

Fantasy Impact: Berkman is probably the best all-around player in fantasy baseball this year. He's hitting .358 and posting triple crown type numbers. His 12 steals are a surprise and a new career high.

Sheets to walk at season's end

Ben Sheets' latest outing was not enough for the Milwaukee Brewers to bring him back next season. The Brewers' ace, who's struggled to stay healthy for years, looks to be headed for free agency.

"That's the direction I'm headed right now," said Sheets. "You can't invite yourself back."

Sheets referred to the club's decision not to try to negotiate a new deal before or during the 2008 season. General manager Doug Melvin has said on more than one occasion that he preferred not to address Sheets' contract status until after the season.

Sheets goes on to say that he's not only not expecting a deal to be offered, but he probably won't be interested in negotiating one this late in the season. The blog doesn't say whether the Brewers might deal Sheets to another team before the trade deadline. They're rumored to be in the C.C. Sabathia hunt, which would mean they're trying to win now. They probably aren't sellers.

Fantasy Impact: Sheets is always an injury scare, but the fact that he's pitching in a contract year and using it as an audition for free agency bodes well. He's 9-1 with a 2.59 ERA.

Bushed trying to figure out Bush

Dave Bush continues to baffle fantasy owners with confounding inconsistency. Tonight the good Bush showed up in Atlanta for his second straight dominant outing. Bush worked seven innings giving up four hits and one run.

Milwaukee wins, 4-1. Jeff Francouer was a bright spot of sorts for the Braves, going 2-4 with his new contacts. He came in hitting just .243.

Fantasy Impact: It was Francouer's first multi-hit game since June 16. For a guy that hit .293 last year, that's saying something. Bush looks to have the makeup to be a special major leaguer, but he can't put it together. In his last two starts Bush gave up two earned runs in 15 innings. In his two previous starts he gave up eight in 10. He's a risky start because you never know which Bush you're going to get, and he seems to fail a time or two more than he succeeds.

Riggleman defeats Manuel

In the war between interim managers, Mariners skipper Jim Riggleman only needed two games to take out the Mets and Jerry Manuel. After a 5-2 win on Tuesday, a night that Riggleman had to get creative with his pitching staff after Felix Hernandez's fifth inning injury forced him from the game, Riggleman could coast on Wednesday. R.A. Dickey went seven scoreless innings for the victory, and Riggleman's lineup produced 11 runs on 15 hits including two home runs.

Manuel got tossed along with center fielder Carlos Beltran in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes. Seattle rolls, 11-0. Manuel can save a little face by winning the final battle of the series on Wednesday.

Hank hates you two

While I don't feel strongly either way on the DH rule, Tuesday provided us with an example of pitchers continuing to have success at bat (much to the dismay of Hank Steinbrenner). Andy Sonnanstine and Scott Olsen appeared determined to continue the cause for letting pitchers hit.

Sonnanstine coaxed a third-inning walk and then scored on Akinori Iwamura's two-run homer. Not to be outdone, Olsen singled home a run in the fourth. Both pitchers gave up two runs tonight, with each of them marking up the other's ERA.

Fantasy Impact: Only Olsen pitched well enough and long enough to get the win, giving up four hits in seven innings. He was saddled with a no decision in the end, the same fate as Sonnanstine. While Olsen has rebounded from a disastrous 2007 (15 losses) to post a 7-4 mark in '08, Sonnanstine is still full of hits and misses. He was actually a no-hit wonder at the plate tonight, deftly sacraficing a runner over in his other plate appearance. Sonnanstine is hitting .667 this year. He's 2-3.

Bad Wood

Just caught on Baseball Musings that plate umpire Brian O'Nora was drilled in the head by a broken bat tonight. Musings asks, "Does anyone know if it was a maple bat?"

It certainly was one of those constantly cracking maple sticks. Maybe this will be the straw to get baseball and the players union together to collectively get rid of these toothpicks.

Miguel Olivo, the player whose bat injured O'Nora, switched to and Ash bat the rest of the night. He was 0-1 with maple, 1-3 with Ash. Kansas City shortstop Mike Aviles also switched to ash for the remainder of the game.

"I go back and forth," Aviles said. "Honestly, I don't want them to get rid of it because I like using maple. I like the option of having both if I want to use it."

Aviles went 2-2 with the ash bat with two runs, an RBI and a walk. He was 0-1 with his maple model, striking out in the first inning.

This article and then this article would've been enough for me to switch from maple bats to ash for good.

Runs in bunches for STL

Curtis Granderson extended his hitting streak to 12 games, and three different Tigers homered, but it wasn't enough to beat the Cardinals in Detroit. Ivan Rodriguez hit just his third home run, Miguel Cabrera hit his 11th and Gary Sheffield, freshly back from the DL, hit his fourth. Unfortunately for the Tigers they were all solo shots off of Braden Looper.

The Cardinals got three in the sixth off of red-hot Tigers starter Kenny Rogers, and then followed it up with three more in the seventh, all the runs but one coming on singles. Birds get another road win after taking two of three in Boston, 8-4.

St. Louis is just 3.5 games behind the Cubs thanks to Chicago's loss to Baltimore at Wrigley.

Likable Lefties

As I posted earlier, the Jonathan Sanchez vs. Aaron Laffey match up in Cleveland turned out to be one of the best duels of the night. Their linescores:

JS: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
AL: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Sanchez pitched a bit longer and a bit better. He dominated in strikeouts and was more effective with his pitches, throwing 70 strikes in 114 pitches to Laffey's 60 strikes in 108 pitches.

Fantasy Impact: Both of these guys deserve to get fantasy starts at this time. Sanchez' ability to pitch into the 8th earned him his seventh win as the Giants escape 3-2. Laffey earned a no decision.

Roberts vs. DeRosa (Orioles vs. Cubs)

In Chicago it's the "what if" series, otherwise known as known on Chicago's north side as Cubs vs. Orioles. The "what if" is Brian Roberts, as in what if the Cubs had been able to trade for the Orioles second baseman? We'll probably never know, but tonight began the heavy scrutiny of current Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa as he goes head-to-head with the guy who Cubs fans hoped would be playing his position. The line score for Roberts and DeRosa in game one:

BR: 5 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 1 RBI, 1 K
MD: 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 RBI, 1 BB

Roberts clearly wins this battle, and his run-scoring sixth inning triple was followed by a two-out infield single hit to DeRosa. Roberts scored on that play. Baltimore goes on to win, 7-5, snapping the Cubs' 14-game home win streak.

Fantasy Impact: Roberts started slow, but is now hitting .296 after his 3-5 effort. DeRosa's average also climbed to .286. He's not the base-stealing threat Roberts is, and the Cubs wanted Roberts' ability at the top of the order. He's the better second baseman, but DeRosa is decent as a mid- to low-end fantasy option.

Razzin' Rasner

The Pittsburgh Pirates dismantled Yankees starter Darrell Rasner Tuesday night. Pittsburgh tallied nine runs on 10 hits, hitting two home runs. Rasner's ERA is up to 4.50 from 3.64

Fantasy Impact: Just five starts back Rasner's ERA was 1.80 after suffering his first loss at Baltimore. Now he's won just once in his last six starts and is looking like a marginal fantasy optinon at best. With the volatility of the Yankees staff he's probably not going anywhere, but then again with the volatility of the Yankees staff he isn't necessarily safe, either.

Toronto's torrid pace

New manager, new hitting coach. It's working in Toronto - at least for tonight. The Jays bust out for nine runs in the first two innings. They scored six in the first. Scott Rolen hit a three-run homer, and Gregg Zaun hit a two-run shot. Rolen followed it up in the three-run second with a run-scoring double. Bronson Arroyo gave up 10 of the 11 runs.

Omar's ovation

Former Indian Omar Vizquel, who hadn't been back to Cleveland in four years, made his triumphant return with the San Francisco Giants tonight. He received about a minute-long standing ovation in his first at bat. Vizquel grounded out to third.

Sheff's ready to cook

Gary Sheffield is back up with the Tigers and hitting seventh in tonight's lineup against the Cardinals. Sheffield was typically batting third in the order until he went down with oblique and shoulder issues at the end of May.

Fantasy Impact: After a string of seven seasons with at least 135 games played, Sheffield will miss that mark for the third straight year. He's hitting just .213 this year, the second lowest mark of his career since a part-time season with Milwaukee in 1991. His OPB and SLG number are way down from his standards, so you can expect a resurgence in every offensive category. Even at 39, he's dangerous in any given at bat.

Reds don't talk Dunn

Given the chance to defend Adam Dunn in the wake of J.P. Ricciardi's uncalled for criticism that Dunn didn't like baseball enough to be traded for, Walt Jocketty kind of side-stepped the query.

Asked Monday what he thought of Dunn as a player, Reds GM Walt Jocketty said: "I'd rather not comment. You look at his run production. But it's not my position to give a scouting report on him. I like him as a player. He's someone we're going to have to decide on. He's still young, so that's not a factor."

Not surprising to see Jocketty tight-lipped, but why didn't anyone with the Reds come to his defense? The Enquirer says it's for one of two reasons: first, the Reds don't want to pump him up too much with free-agency looming, or second - they don't want to talk about his flaws because they'll trade him.

Fantasy Impact: Dunn's numbers have taken a tumble recently. He's hitting just .219, but does have 18 home runs. He's a three-category guy at best, so as long as he's hitting bombs, scoring runs and knocking them in, don't worry much about the average.

Frenchy hoping for better batting eye

Jeff Francoeur's visit to an eye specialist gives him a new contact lens, and perhaps new confidence. He needs both. The guy hit .293 for the Braves last year, but dropped 50 points in the average department and 46 points in slugging so far this year.

Fantasy Impact: Francoeur's faced criticism in his fourth season in the bigs. For the last two years he played all 162 games on the schedule. This year he's played 77 while the Braves have played 78. It appears he's not going anywhere, and it is likely that he'll rebound in some way this year.

Youkilis eyeing return by weekend

Kevin Youkilis looks like he's on the road to recovery after an eye injury forced him out of Monday's game. He saw an eye-specialist today after Terry Francona told him he wouldn't be playing.

Youkilis had a CT scan on his face Monday night and doctors told him and the team that he would recover.

Francona said he hoped to have Youkilis back for Wednesday's finale against Arizona or Boston's first game in Houston on Friday, following an off-day Thursday.

"He's not going to play (Tuesday night) just because of the watering that would make it hard to send him up there to hit, unless that clears up," Francona said. "I'm sure they'll dilate it, which takes a while to get back to normal anyway."

Fantasy Impact: Eye injuries are scary things, but this sounds pretty minimal in terms the damage done. Day-to-day leagues will want to rest Youkilis today and perhaps tomorrow, but it looks like he'll be free to swat home runs by the weekend.

No Iwamura chads in Tampa

Voting in Florida was already infamous. Now a Tampa Tribune reporter calls foul on the MLB All-Star ballots. Just yesterday I posted this piece on voting issues. Here's calling for MLB to rethink the entire All-Star selection process. Anyone agree?

And you are?

The Washington Nationals face a tough question for any team that moves from one city to another and changes its nickname - do they erase the past and start fresh, or do they embrace the Montreal Expos history as their own? Here's an interesting story from the Washington Post.

Padres pondering now and later

MLB Trade Rumors says the Padres' winning percentage should dictate that they're sellers rather than buyers this year. They can't seem to figure that out. But the Padres have a track record for hemming and hawing before pulling the trigger on a big decision.

After dragging their feet for more than a third of this season the Padres did decide that prospect Chase Headley should be up in the Majors. Much of Headley's situation likely dealth with his future free agency status, but with the job the rookie is doing right now things seem to be working out. Hopefully for their sake they realize MLBTR is right in this case and then once again take their time to come to that conclusion. With holes in the outfield and underachievers at catcher and shortstop the Padres need to look to the future, because there's no way it is happening this year.

Tuesday tossers

A rare Monday-Tuesday without any day games means we're waiting for a night slate of games. After Monday's outstanding pitching matchups we're left with intriguing matchups this evening rather than heavyweight bouts.

Mark Buehrle (4-6, 4.28) vs. Derek Lowe (5-6, 3.90) might be the best matchup, but the most intriguing come with the young guns going tonight. A large percentage of these pitchers are either trying to hold rotation spots with veterans out or they're first-year starters try to prove their worth for the long haul.

My favorite match-up pits a pair of lefties in the Giants Jonathan Sanchez (6-4, 4.23) and the Indians Aaron Laffey (4-4, 2.98). Laffey lost for the first time in five outings the last time he pitched. He's looked shaky at times in his last few outings. Sanchez is a strikeout guy with a strong pedigree for success in the minors, even if he wasn't heralded as a big league prospect. He took a no-hitter into the sixth against the Tigers his last time out, but lost the game 5-1.

Dealing E-Pat

Could Eric Patterson be the consistent MLB performer his brother Corey never blossomed into? Corey Patterson has certainly provided sparks of his five-tool talent, but he's now hitting .189 at the age of 29. Eric belted his first Major League home run against the White Sox Sunday, and might be part of a Cubs trade package, according to the Chicago Tribune. He's hitting .318 with an .875 OPS in 22 at bats with the Cubs.

D-backs' Young changing approach

The Arizona Republic reports that Chris Young is not losing confidence with his recent slump. He's trying some things to break out, according to manager Bob Melvin.

Melvin said before the game that Young has been concentrating on fixing weaknesses in his game to the point where he hasn't utilized his strengths, suggesting the natural pull hitter has been trying too hard to go the other way.

Interesting that "going with the pitch" rather than trying to pull it would seem a good way to get out of a slump, and Young is being advised to do the opposite.

Roberts finally in Chicago

We've got the obligatory Brian Roberts trade talk stories coming out today with the Orioles in Chicago to visit the Cubs. Apparently the imminent deals reported in spring training were never very close, according to Orioles president Andy MacPhail.

Despite media reports suggesting otherwise, MacPhail denied he was ever really close to trading Roberts to the Cubs. MacPhail spoke to several teams this offseason about Roberts, including the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians, according to league sources.

However, the talks with the Cubs are the ones that went public. The Cubs made a multi-player offer for Roberts that included shortstop Ronny Cedeno and pitching prospects Sean Gallagher and Donald Veal. The teams talked about several other packages but could never agree on a deal, and both sides have benefited in the short term.

As the article points out, things have worked well for both teams. The Cubs own the best record in the majors. The Orioles have played competitive baseball.

Hernandez better, Mulder not better

Mark Mulder did not make his Triple=A start for Memphis Monday night, which means he won't pitch for the Cardinals this weekend.

Felix Hernandez' ankle is not as bad as some imagined. The Seattle Times quotes Mariners' manager Jim Riggleman as calling the injury "mild." I guess the injury looked worse than it actually was. Hernandez tried to pitch again after he was hurt and then left the field in agony.

Junior Circuit, not Griffey Jr.

99 wins, 72 losses. That's the American League's interleague record after outplaying the National League again Monday night to the tune of a 4-1 mark. Only Arizona's narrow 2-1 win over Boston got the N.L. on the board. The A.L now owns a winning percentage of .579 or a record of 94-68 if the two sides played one another over 162 games.

Looking at those numbers, interleague records would be a much better way of awarding home-field advantage in the World Series than rewarding the All-Star game league winner. The American League is a much tougher group of teams, therefore the winner of that league deserves to have one more World Series game at home.

While the N.L. still has a shot to earn that extra home game, they are less-likely to have the better team of stars on the field at the start of the Midsummer Classic. Ken Griffey Junior is getting voted into the Senior Circuit's starting lineup along with his well-below-average .249 batting average. His inclusion is just another strike against this bumbling system. Here are several others.

Rockies rolled in KC

The Colorado Rockies scored four runs on just six hits Monday Night and still managed to leave 14 runners on base in an 8-4 loss at Kansas City. Matt Holliday did most of the damage for the visitors with two hits in three at bats, including his ninth home run.

The Royals went deep three times. Mark Teahen (8) and Jose Guillen (13) made it a miserable night for Rockies starter Jeff Francis (7 ER, 4 IP). Ross Gload hit his first after Francis (3-7) departed. Brian Bannister picks up his seventh win, giving up three runs (none earned) in seven innings.

What the Angels were Lacking

The Angels beat the Nationals tonight, 3-2. John Lackey, who sat out the better part of two months with an injury, worked 8 strong innings tonight while allowing just one earned run for his 5th win. Vlad Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the sixth.

Fantasy Impact: Lackey's bounced back from injury with relative ease. Guerrero is now Guerrero.

Holy Sheets!

Ben Sheets won his ninth game tonight, a 4-1 masterpiece against the Braves. Sheets struck out seven, going the complete game in just 106 pitches. He threw 73 for strikes. Mike Cameron supported Sheets with his 12th home run.

Fantasy Impact: Sheets is doing things he's never done before. He's stayed healthy (for the most part) this year, and he's just three wins shy of his season high of 12. Sheets also went over 100 innings for the year. He hasn't reached 200 since 2004.

Haren vs. Beckett

In a battle of aces in Boston, Dan Haren outduels Josh Beckett for a 2-1 win. Here are their lines:

DH: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
JB: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

While Haren did enough to earn the win, Beckett pitched very well himself going an extra inning and tallying three extra strikeouts.

Fantasy Impact: There's not much between these two, except for the fact that Haren won tonight. He faces alot more pitchers in the National League than Beckett does in interleague play, so expect Haren's ERA to remain lower the rest of the way.

Felix vs. Johan

Not only did Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years, he also hit the first home run in Mariners history. To top it all off, he hit the grand slam off the Mets' Johan Santana, sparking a 5-2 Mariners win at Shea Stadium.

Then Hernandez experienced the bad luck that is the Mariners these days, twisting his ankle on a play at home plate. Some outlets are calling it a sprain, but even ESPN's baseball tonight hesitated to call it more than an ankle injury at this time.

Santana gave up five runs, but just one of them was earned.

Fantasy Impact: Hernandez tried to stay in the game, but couldn't put much pressure on the left ankle, which is his plant leg. He looked to be in a ton of pain. Baseball tonight's analyst said he could be out up to two months, worst case. Sounds like Chien-Ming Wang territory.

Santana managed to go seven innings, giving up seven hits and striking out four in picking up the loss. He's still pitching well overall but at times looks a touch less than his usual dominance.

Ponson to pitch Friday

Newsday reports that Sidney Ponson is fine, even after going just four innings in his recent minor league start. Ponson is tentatively scheduled to pitch Friday for the Yankees.

Ponson, who signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees last week, made his debut for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. In four innings, he allowed two runs, one earned, three hits and three walks, striking out two.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Ponson's short outing was a result of pitch count, as he had not pitched in a game since June 4, when he went four innings for the Rangers. He pitched seven innings May 31.

Fantasy Impact: The moment he was signed by the Yankees, Ponson's value improved. He's not going to guarantee fantasy owners much in 5X5 stat categories, but he will be in line for a few wins thanks to that New York lineup.

O's turn to Cintron

Alex Cintron couldn't make the Cubs out of spring training. Now he's the starting shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. When the Orioles designated fellow former Cub Freddie Bynum for assignment, Cintron inherited the job for the interim.

Fantasy Impact: Hard to say, as Cintron really hasn't held a starting job for the majority of his eight-year career. He did hit .317 with 13 home runs in 448 at bats back in 2003, but the very next year he dropped down to .262 with 4 homers in 564 at bats and hasn't held a starting job since. His career average is .278, which is probably more accurate for projecting him out this year. He won't provide much pop or stolen bases.

A plaque for Omar

When the San Francisco Giants visit Cleveland on Tuesday, it will mark Omar Vizquel's first visit to the Jake in four years. Vizquel is certainly in the latter stages of a very good career, but how good is the question.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer welcomes Omar back to town with a poll asking whether Vizquel is Hall of Fame worthy. As of right now, that poll is a 95% 'yes' vote. Add your vote here.

Vizquel's consideration for the Hall of Fame is based almost entirely on defense. He's hit just .273 with 73 career homers. His range factor of 4.40 is above average (4.10) for a shortstop during his era, and his .984 fielding clip is .012 better than the average player from 1989 through 2008. By comparison, Ozzie Smith fielded with a range factor of 5.05, markedly better than the 4.10 of his day. Smith's fielding percentage is .978 -- that's worse than Vizquel -- but also .012 better than the shortstops of his day. Vizquel has won 11 Gold Gloves and made three All-Star appearances in 20 MLB seasons. Smith won 13 Gold Gloves and made 15 All-Star teams, even with a career batting average of just .262 in his 19 seasons.

Not many shortstops can compare favorably with Smith defensively over their career, and although Vizquel comes up short against the Wizard statistically, it would appear he has a good shot at the HOF.

George Carlin on baseball vs. football

The late George Carlin, in an expletive-free musing on baseball and football.

We want a pitcher

The Houston Chronicle says Shawn Chacon, who's struggled miserably of late, is out of the starting rotation in favor of Runelvys Hernandez.

Fantasy Impact: The only reason this didn't happen sooner is probably because the Astros have nothing in terms of pitching. Hernandez is a veteran who spent all of 2007 in the minors. Stay away.

Loyal Leyland

Another article from Detroit today with good insight on Edgar Renteria's future with the Tigers. Detroit has an $11 million option on a guy who is 33 and hitting .269. Jim Leyland's loyalty may keep Renteria around, but with Pudge Rodriguez, Placido Polanco and Renteria up the middle, can you really afford to keep so many aging players around -- especially when you're not playing to expectations as a team?

Tigers pitching in, not out

A Detroit Free Press article says the Detroit Tigers, who are 12-3 in their last 15 games and just 5 games out of first in the A.L. Central, are more likely to look within the organization than they are to look outside for pitching help.

Arizona's case of the Mondays

Only five games tonight around the Majors, and the game of the day is a no-brainer. Dan Haren attempts to drag a slumping Diamondback team away from the Minnesota Mongoose-egg and into Fenway Park for a showdown with the best team in the American League. Just when the Diamondbacks hit the wall, they hit the Green Monster. The Snakes not only get Boston in Beantown, but they also have to face Sox ace Josh Beckett in the opener.

At 7-4 Beckett's beatable, but not at home this year. He carries a 4-0 home record into play Monday night even though his ERA is a full run higher at Fenway. Haren has yet to win on the road this year, and while his record is just 1-3 against Boston, his ERA is still impressive at 3.26.

Helton is Graceful

That's not a good thing. By graceful, we mean he's full to the brim -- head-to-toe full -- of Mark Grace. Todd Helton doesn't just embody Mark Grace. He is Mark Grace, and when you're making $16 million that's not enough, no matter how full of Grace you are.

Helton's primary numbers this year vs. Mark Grace circa 1998 (when both players are 34 years old):

TH: 267 AB, .277 AVG/.401 OBP/.404 SLG | 35 R/ 7 HR/ 37 RBI
MG: 595 AB, .309 AVG/.401 OBP/.471 SLG | 92 R/ 17 HR/ 89 RBI

Scratch that. Helton is actually under-performing and shouldn't be compared to Grace at 34, he should be compared to Grace at 36, his last year in Chicago, or maybe even Grace at 37 when he declined even further with the Diamondbacks.

Fantasy Impact: The point is, Todd Helton is a shell of his former self. For a guy who used to hit or approach 35-40 home runs routinely, the face of the franchise in Colorado doesn't look like the guy in the mirror anymore. He looks like Mark Grace, a decent offensive player who never hit more than 17 home runs.

J.P. Ricciardi would trade for Joey Votto

Joey Votto is a self-made baseball addict. Something tells me Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi would be more impressed with Votto than Votto's teammate, Adam Dunn.

Fantasy Impact: It's a good thing Votto's hard work paid off. He's a poor man's Ryan Braun in his first season in the big leagues, which is saying a lot.

Hold on to your (BP) balls

In Monday's Miami Herald the fan who caught Ken Griffey's 600th home run -- known simply to this point as "Joe" -- is finally revealed. Joe Scherer caught two baseballs at Dolphin Stadium that day, but who knew that the first one, the one he nabbed in batting practice, would end up being so valuable.

'It turned out that as I stood up to catch the home run ball, my foot inadvertently nudged the batting practice ball, rolling to my left, the direction I was going,'' Scherer said in the statement. ``When I caught the home run ball, I looked down, saw the batting practice ball and immediately tapped it with my foot into the row of seats below my row. This caused a mad scramble for the batting practice ball and allowed me to climb one row above and head for stadium security without getting mobbed.''

The Herald says there's no word on what he'll do with his second ball. Hang on to your BP balls, kids.

The subtle nature of a rivalry

Just noticed that both the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Chicago Tribune have baseball power rankings out for Monday. The Cubs and Red Sox are fairly obvious choices for the top two teams in baseball after the Cubs swept the White Sox and Boston dropped two of three to the Cardinals at Fenway. Guess which paper still puts the Reds Sox on top.

St. Louis
Chicago

The Zambrano argument is a fair one, but the loss of Soriano hasn't taken much punch out of the Cubs. After the beating the Cardinals themselves gave Daisuke Matsuzaka on Saturday you'd think the Cubs would have to occupy the top spot. Not in St. Louis.

No movement, no baseball

First Brandon Webb loses the movement on his fastball. Now his teammate loses a fly ball leading to a five-run Twins rally for a 5-3 Sunday loss at the Metrodome.

The Arizona Republic reports that Conor Jackson's first trip to Minneapolis will be forgettable, only because it's happened so many times before.

Jackson became the latest in a long line of outfielders to lose a fly ball in the Metrodome's tan-colored roof, and the mistake led directly to the Twins' latest big inning against the Diamondbacks. They scored five times in the fifth, enough to come away with a 5-3 victory and complete a three-game sweep of the slumping Diamondbacks.

The loss drops Webb to 11-4, and his ERA is on a steady climb now at 3.40.

Fantasy Impact: No more worries about that dome roof for the D-backs this year, but after the sweep Arizona is just 39-37. Webb doesn't seem like himself. In his last three starts he's gone 15.1 innings with 14 earned runs and just 11 strikeouts. Something is not quite right.

Mark Mulder lives

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Mark Mulder is one minor league start away from returning to the big leagues. It's been a long, slow process for Mulder. He went "Mark Prior" for 2006 and 2007, not pitching much or effectively for two seasons. In his last full season Mulder went 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA for the Cardinals back in 2005, his first year in St. Louis after coming over from Oakland. Mulder will pitch Monday for Triple-A Memphis and if all goes well a call-up for a start against Kansas City over the weekend would follow.

Fantasy Impact: None until he gets through his Monday "tune up." From there it's a very measured evaluation process to discern how effective Mulder can be. After all that he's been through (two rotator cuff surgeries) Mulder is like a brand new pitcher -- brand new, but with a lengthy injury history, that is. If things don't go well, there's already been talk of retirement.