The defending World Champion St Louis Cardinals are the class of the National League, and all of baseball, on May 11th. Their 20-11 record is just half a game behind the Rangers for the best mark in all of baseball. More importantly, the Cardinals have a +75 run differential, which is seven better than the Rangers and 51 better than the Braves in the National League. Coincidentally, the Cardinals opponent at Busch Stadium this weekend....is said Atlanta Braves.

The Braves have had a mediocre May thusfar. They swept the Rockies at Coors Field, but lost a series at home to division rival Philadelphia, while also managing to only score five runs in a series loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Braves still have a 4-2 record this road trip, and just one win in this series against the Cardinals will ensure a winning trip. But that won't be an easy task at all. The Cardinals have the best offense in the NL, with an .824 OPS that is 60 points higher than the second-best Rockies. Their pitching staff has a 3.07 ERA, second best in the NL behind the Nationals. Their pitching charge is led by the rotation, which has a 2.82 ERA (again, second best in the NL).

Atlanta has had an interesting season when it comes to their component stats. The team is winning games based on offense, not pitching. The team's .745 OPS is third in the NL, while on the mound, their 4.25 ERA is just 13th in the league. The Braves rotation, thought to be one of the best in the league this year, has struggled with a 4.44 ERA. Their bullpen, dominant just a year ago, has slipped to a 3.88 ERA, but a majority of that comes from the awful Chad Durbin.

The Braves do get a slight break in this series, as they'll be facing the worst Cardinals starter, Adam Wainwright, on Saturday. However, Wainwright is bookended by Jaime Garcia (3.76 ERA, 3.08 FIP) on Friday, and the breakout pitcher of the year, Lance Lynn, on Sunday. Atlanta will send the horrifically unlucky Mike Minor to the mound tonight (who has a FIP two runs lower than his ERA), Brandon Beachy (a rotation leading 1.62 ERA) on Saturday, and the always solid Tommy Hanson on Sunday.

When it comes to offense, the Braves are led by their outfield. Michael Bourn, Jason Heyward, and Martin Prado have each been worth at least one win this season, and add fantastic defense to their hot bats. When healthy, third baseman Chipper Jones has powered the offense, homering five times in just 21 games. It's been a career renaissance for Jones, who will retire after this season. The right side of the infield, Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman, have both also hitting well for the Braves, combining for ten homers and 45 RBI this year. The only below average regulars on offense for the Braves have been rookie shortstop Tyler Pastornicky (not surprising) and catcher Brian McCann (very surprising), who is actually being outhit this year by his backup, David Ross.

The Cardinals offense has been led by a pair of men that weren't Cardinals at the beginning of last year: shortstop Rafael Furcal (who has a .931 OPS in the leadoff hole), and free agent signing Carlos Beltran, who already has ten homers and five stolen bases, and is looking like the guy the Mets gave a nine figure contract to years ago. Playoff hero David Freese has continued his hitting prowess into the regular season with a .925 OPS this year, and catcher Yadier Molina is playing with a renewed fire after getting a contract extension. And Allen Craig, who missed the first month of the year, has a .778 slugging percentage in just seven games this season.

It'll be a difficult series for both teams, but it's worth noting that the Cardinals have had a very easy schedule so far, playing just seven games against teams above .500 (and those teams are each just one and two games over .500). St Louis has feasted on the weak NL Central so far, playing six games each against the Brewers, Pirates, and Cubs. In fact, they've played just four games out of the division: three against the Diamondbacks (who they swept) and one against the Marlins to kick off the year. They're beating the hell out of everyone so far, but these really aren't great teams they're playing. Atlanta will be the first significant challenge for the Cardinals this year. However, it IS worth noting that the Cardinals are 4-0 in the non-central games they've played this year, and 5-2 in the games against teams above .500.

The Braves have had a very divergent schedule, with 12 games against teams above .500 (5-7 record), and just nine games within in the NL East (3-6 record). The only team they've played more than once is the Mets, whom they played six of their first twelve games against. There hasn't been much of an overlap in Atlanta's schedule, which is a huge contrast when compared to St Louis's schedule.

Despite all that, the Cardinals are still a much better, much more complete team. The last time the teams played was last September, and the Cardinals swept ther series en route to an 18-8 finish that propelled them over the Braves to a playoff berth and eventually, a World Championship. For a pick, I'm going to say that the Cardinals take two out of three, only losing the middle game of the series.

Photos courtesy of Daylife.com

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Colby Lewis of the Texas Rangers had a very strange game yesterday, in the first game of a doubleheader between the Rangers and Orioles. Rangers starter Colby Lewis allowed five hits, six runs, one walk, and struck out a career-high 12. Of course, each of those five hits was a homer. Lewis was the first player in nearly 100 years to allow five homers along with ten strikeouts in one game. Almost just as incredibly is the fact that all but one (the final one) of the homers that Lewis allowed was a solo homer. The Rangers actually had a very real chance to win the game, losing 6-5. So close, yet so far...

Game of the Night: Nationals 4, Pirates. Nothing really jumped out at me upon looking at yesterday's slate, so I went with this game. The Pirates scored a pair of runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker. Then, the Nationals took over. Washington scored three runs in the sixth, coming on a solo homer from Roger Bernadina and a two-run shot from Adam LaRoche. They added an insurance run in the ninth on a Rick Ankiel solo homer. Both starters pitched relatively well, especially Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg went just six innings, and allowed five hits, and just one of his two runs was earned. He walked three, and struck out 13. Jeeeeeeez.

Pitching Line of the Night: CC Sabathia didn't allow and earned run for the Yankees against the Rays over eight innings, on seven hits, one walk, and ten strikeouts. Pretty good. No one else really stood out on the night.

Hitting Line of the Night: Tigers left fielder Andy Dirks went 4/4 with two runs, a walk, and a homer. His teammate Miguel Cabrera went 4/5 with three RBI and a double. Michael Brantley of the Indians also had a good night, going 4/5 with two RBI and a pair of doubles.

Spotlight Series: We had a double dose of games today. In game one, the Orioles prevailed 6-5 in the Colby Lewis homer show. Wei-Yin Chen held his own during his start, going 7 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on six hits, walking one and striking out five. Yorvit Torreabla had three hits in a losing effort for the Rangers, while his teammate David Murphy hir a three run, pinch hit homer in the ninth to make it a one run game. Game two went in the Rangers favor, as they won the game 7-3. Derek Holland didn't allow an earned run over six innings, while Orioles starter Tommy Hunter (quickly back in the majors after a brief minor league stint) allowed four earned over six innings, walking one and striking out seven. Elvis Andrus went 2/3 with two runs, two RBI, and two walks for the Rangers on offense, and Josh Hamilton hit his 15th homer of the year.

Other Games: The Yankees beat up David Price early, and hung on for a 5-3 win. Josh Beckett wished he was on the golf course as the Indians beat him up en route to an 8-3 win. The Blue Jays beat the Twins 6-2 on the strength of a four hit game from Yunel Escobar. The Tigers offense went ape on Bartolo Colon, as Detroit won 10-6.

Today's Games: Jeremy Hellickson will go for the Rays against the Orioles. Felix Hernandez starts for Seattle in the Bronx. Gio Gonzalez starts for the Nationals in Cincinnati. CJ Wilson faces his former team and the man Texas brought in to replace him, Yu Darvish. Veterans will duel in Miami, with Johan Santana taking on Mark Buehrle. Felipe Paulino goes for the Royals against Gavin Floyd. Matt Garza will go for the Cubs against the Brewers. Madison Bumgarner starts for the Giants in Arizona.

Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.

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The hits just keep on coming for the Los Angeles Angels: catcher Chris Iannetta will require surgery on his wrist, and will miss 6-8 weeks. Iannetta was plunked on May 2nd (the day of Jered Weaver's no-hitter), and after three days off, attempted to play through the injury. It didn't work. Iannetta had a .706 OPS on the season with three homers.

Here's the bad news for the Angels: prospect Hank Conger down in AAA is also on the DL with a sprained elbow, and apparently isn't ready to be called up. The Angels' best choices at the catching position right now are Iannetta's backup Bobby Wilson (who has a .522 OPS and no extra base hits in 30 appearances this season), minor league stalwart Robinzon Diaz down in AAA Salt Lake (.705 OPS), and Diaz's backup John Hester (.746 OPS between Norfolk and Salt Lake).

Just when you think things couldn't get worse for the Angels, they have. I don't think a trade will be in play here due to the presence of Conger, even if he's injured at the moment. The Angels acquired Iannetta this offseason in a trade with the Rockies for pitcher Tyler Chatwood, Iannetta has a club option for the 2013 season, but it can be voided by Iannetta since he was traded. With this injury, and Conger hopefully around once his elbow heals up, I don't think that Iannetta will be an Angel in 2013.

Photos courtesy of Daylife.com

[h/t: Hardball Talk]

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The Toronto Blue Jays have quizzically signed former Angels (and more recently, Orioles) DH Vladimir Guerrero to a minor league deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The deal is worth $1.3 million, and will be prorated for his time in the majors.

The 37 year-old Guerrero looked pretty much done last year in Baltimore, posting just a .733 OPS, along with a career low 13 homers. His 2.9% walk rate was also the lowest of his career, worlds lower than his career average...which says something, considering how much of a hacker he is.

This seems like mainly an insurance move from the Blue Jays, who have primarily been using Edwin Encarnacion (and his ten homers and .911 OPS) at DH this season. There is absolutely no benefit to playing Guerrero over Encarnacion, so don't expect to see him get much playing time there. Guerrero hasn't played the outfield with regularity in years, so he'll probably just be a bench player in Toronto.

Unless of course, Adam Lind continues to struggle at first base. Lind has just a .630 OPS this year, but you can largely attribute that to a .218 BABIP. But when you consider that this is his third straight year with a sub-.300 OBP, his days with the Blue Jays could be numbered, and Encarnacion could take over at first while Guerrero DHs.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com

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In an interview with Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro had a startling revelation: that the team actaully could be sellers at the trade deadline this year.

“July is so far ahead,” Amaro said. “We just have to get on track. But if July comes and we’re playing like this, we’ll be sellers. How we play now will determine whether we’ll be buyers or sellers in July.”

This is a startling statement from the GM of a team who last year, set a franchise record for wins. A team that has won the NL East for five consecutive seasons. A team that has been the class of the National League over the last five years. And they could possibly be selling in two months?

Amaro does make some good points in the interview, namely that the Phillies aren't playing well right now. Their offense has a league-low 5.7% walk rate, and their .299 wOBA is in the league's bottom ten. With just 22 homers, the Phillies are also in the bottom ten in the league, but they're actually better than division rivals New York and Washington. Philadelphia's rotation has been dominant so far, with a 3.06 ERA that is in the top five in the league, and a 2.96 FIP that is second best in the game, behind just the Nationals. 

But the bullpen? Oh god, the bullpen. The Phillies bullpen has a 5.59 ERA, worst in the league, nearly a run worse than the next-worst team in the league, the Brewers. Their 6.78 strikeout rate is third worst in the league, and they've also got the worst groundball rate in the league at 37.9%. Only two relievers have a positive fWAR: the injured David Herndon, and the erratic Antonio Bastardo. Everyone else is either neutral (including Jonathan Papelbon, who got shelled on Monday), or has negative value.

Who would the Phillies sell off? Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels are both free agents this offseason, and could command significant value. I wouldn't expect BOTH to be dealt, but one of them would be a possibility. Victorino has just a .703 OPS this year (including a horrifying .298 OPS), and if he continues to struggles, might not command a lot in return. He'll likely improve though, as he's got five homers, nine steals, and just a .245 BABIP. Hamels on the other hand, has been dominant. He's striking out nearly ten batters per nine innings, has a team-leading 2.33 FIP (and is second in ERA at 2.45), and he's looking like he'll be getting a huge contract this offseason.

As for other pieces to deal...there really isn't much. Nobody is going to want Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, or Chase Utley, due to their contracts and injury history. Third baseman Placido Polanco is washed up. Hunter Pence could be worth something, given that he's under team control for next year as well, but he's got a .299 OBP right now and is showing his hacking tendencies in full. 

An interesting name that the Phillies could look to deal is catcher Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz has gained a cult following in Philly, and has a .916 OPS so far this season. He leads the team with 1.3 fWAR. But at the same time, he's 33 years-old, and isn't a guy that should be locked up long-term, and has a reasonable option for next season. He's not a part of the Phillies' long-term plans, but could provide a great boost to a team looking for a good hitting catcher in this day and age, where strong hitting catchers are coveted.

While you can say that it's still early and that the Phillies have plenty of time to make up ground in the NL East, they have to jump ahead of four teams, with the Nationals being fantastic on the mound and the Braves being dominant with the stick. It's too early to wave the white flag, but keep an eye on this situation.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com

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If there is one overarching theme to the 2012 season so far, it is that closers are dropping like flies.  By my count, 13 different teams have already replaced the closer they intended to start the season with and we aren't even at the quarter pole yet.  Based on the reaction of most fans, losing a good closer is like losing a vital organ and being stuck with a bad closer is like being trapped in a bad marriage.

Keeping those over-the-top reaction in mind, let's now take a quick look at how the teams that have lost their closer have fared:

Tampa Bay - from Farnsworth to Rodney: Despite losing the overachieving Farnsworth to injury, the Rays have been perfectly fine with Fernando Rodney, who they picked up off the scrap heap before the season after being a grease fire in Anaheim for the last two seasons.  In fact, Rodney might be the most dominant reliever in baseball right now.

Toronto Blue Jays - from Santos to Cordero to Janssen: Santos was a bit off before he got hurt, but the Jays replaced him with Francisco Cordero because he is an "experienced closer."  The "experienced closer" just lost the job after giving up a walk-off grand slam to Brandon Inge.  Now Janssen is in the role and figures to be just fine.

New York Yankees - from Rivera to Robertson: Losing the greatest reliever of all-time is rough but the Yankees are in great shape because they have Robertson, despite his recent blown save, and a fallback plan of highly effective Rafael Soriano.

Boston Red Sox - from Bailey to Aceves: To absolutely no one's surprise, Andrew Bailey was felled by injury before the season.  The Sox have threatened to flip-flop on their replacement plan a few times, but Aceves has been perfectly serviceable in his work as closer, though his stats are inflated by two particularly epic flameouts.

Chicago White Sox - from Santiago to Sale... sort of: The Pale Hose oddly chose to go with Santiago despite him being a relative unknown.  That decision didn't pan out, but the ChiSox have been more than fine since pulling the plug as they've gotten solid replacement work from Addison Reed and Matt Thornton, though they still felt compelled to bring Chris Sale out of the rotation and into the closer role, who has yet to get a chance to prove that move smart or stupid.  If that fails too, the White Sox can just turn back to Reed or Thornton.

Kansas City Royals - from Soria to Broxton: Soria was another pre-season loss, but Broxton has stepped into his shoes and filled them and then some (that is not a Broxton fat joke, as far as you know).  Oh, and Broxton probably isn't even the second-best reliever in that bullpen.

LA Angels - Walden to Downs: The Halos had little patience for Walden after he lost the ability to throw his slider anywhere near the plate.  Longtime setup man Scott Downs has taken over the gig and still hasn't given up a run this season.

Washington Nationals - Storen to Rodriguez/Lidge then just Rodriguez: Young closer Drew Storen was lost just before the season, so the Nats turned the closer spot over to a platoon of Brad Lidge and Henry Rodriguez, an arrangement that worked out well for a brief time.  Lidge then went down with an injury of his own and now Rodriguez is handling closing duties all by his lonesome and not even remotely missing his counterpart.

Miami Marlins - Bell to Cishek: Big splash free agent capital-C Closer Bell has been a bust with a capital-B.  He got demoted to middle relief earlier in the week with Cishek being named his nominal replacement, it is far too early to pass judgment on him, though he did blow his first save attempt since being made the "official" closer last night.

Cincinnati Reds - Madson to Marshall: Ryan Madson fell into the Reds' lap as a free agent but then fell onto the operating table for Tommy John surgery.  Sean Marshall has been good but not great in his stead.

Chicago Cubs - Marmol to Dolis: Marmol has been going off the rails for years and finally crashed his way out of the closer role this week.  Relative unknown Rafael Dolis slammed the door in his first two chances as the new closer.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Guerra to Jansen: Guerra had eight saves but blew three chances.  That isn't awful, but the Dodgers couldn't live with it since they had Jansen and his ridiculous strikeout rate waiting in the wings.

San Francisco Giants - Wilson to Casilla: Brian Wilson and his famed beard barely go going this year before needing Tommy John surgery.  He was replaced and arguably upgraded upon by Santiago Casilla.

Ineffectiveness, injury, whatever the case may be, 13 teams have a different closer than they started the season with.  How many of the new closer's have failed?  One, Cordero in Toronto, and arguably Aceves in Boston, though it is premature to make a call on two of the cases.  The point here I think is pretty obvious, replacing a closer, whatever their pedigree isn't as hard as one would think.  One can then infer from that the next logical conclusion that if finding a quality back-up closer is so easy, then a lot more pitchers are capable of closing than we care to admit.  So why is it we burn so many calories worrying about who gets the call in the ninth inning of a close game?  Just look at the list above, nearly half the league had to break glass in case of emergency to find a new closer or even two new closers.  They almost all landed on their feet.

And that doesn't even take into account teams like the Orioles who had to temporarily replace their closer, Jim Johnson, and got strong work from the cast of characters filling in for him.  The Diamondbacks had a similar story when J.J. Putz was unavailable for a brief time.  Again, replaced with the greatest of ease.  It just goes to show that it isn't so important that you have one outstanding reliever so much as having several good relievers so that you have options. 

Closers, setup men, middler relievers.  Whatever the role, the truth is relief pitchers are volatile commodities.  No matter how good a reliever is, they can fall off into oblivion in a hurry.  You don't have to look any further than Heath Bell to see how that works.  Yet teams still throw huge amounts of money at the likes of Jonathan Papelbon and then don't use him in two extra innings losses to division rivals in three days.  That's a double whammy, paying megabucks for a guy that can seemingly be easily replaced and then not using him.

If all of this doesn't teach teams that the "Closer" role is obsolete, I don't know what will.

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After last night's 6-2 Angels win over the Twins, as the Angels are doing their postgame handshakes, shortstop Erick Aybar taps first baseman Albert Pujols on the elbow. Pujols proceeds to whip his glove at Aybar, and looks really, really irritated afterwards, inspecting his elbow. It's worth noting that the elbow that Aybar tapped was the one that Pujols has had problems with in the past and had surgery on.

This morning, the incident is probably already water under the bridge. But with both guys signed long-term (Aybar through 2016, Pujols through 2021), the Angels really can't afford a rift between the two. I really don't think that Aybar is going to be tapping Pujols' elbow anytime soon after what happened last night.

Both players had a pair of hits last night in the Angels victory over the Twins, but both are struggling overall this season. Maybe this incident will break them out of their season-long funks.

[h/t: The Big Lead]

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We're only about a month in to the 2012 season but if the performance of so many first rounders is proof positive enough, it could go down as an all-time great class. The reason was due to pitching depth that was basically unheard of. But what's funny is that considering the pedigree of this week's selection, it's interesting that many believe he is overlooked not just from a draft perspective, but from a TEAM perspective, as well.

Archie Bradley was the OTHER Oklahoma pitching prospect. The one everyone knows about is, of course, Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy, who is #1 on my Top 10 Prospects list right now and who has the stuff right now to be an ace at the Major League level if he can put it all together. On top of that, even as the #7 overall pick, the second high school pitcher taken and the second pick taken by Arizona due to compensation, Bradley got lost in the shuffle from the guy Arizona picked first: Trevor Bauer.

But now, Bradley is establishing himself in a way where he might be second to neither by the time he becomes a Major Leaguer. Bundy, as impressive as he is, has been doing it in short stints, and Bauer, for all the bats he has missed, has been inefficient to the point where he has to overexert himself over only just a few innings. Bradley has found a happy medium between the two, and with it has come some moments that make him one of the best pitchers going in the minors.

At 6'4" and 225 pounds, Bradley has the size to be a workhorse at the Major League level, and with it comes an aresnal that is well polished for a high school arm. He sits in the mid to upper 90's with a great fastball that has life from a high 3/4 delivery. He also has a hammer curve that grades as plus and while he never used a changeup when he was in high school, there is already word that his changeup is coming along just fine.

What he's done in 2012 at Low-A South Bend is everything that Arizona had hoped for considering that Bob Stoops wanted Bradley to be the successor to Landry Jones as quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. He's 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA over his first seven starts. All have gone at least five innings except for his most recent one on May 8th, when he was chased after only four. He's only allowed 13 hits (Bundy-like) but has walked 21 (Bauer-like) over 35 innings. He has also struck out 38 (Bundy and Bauer-like) while holding hitters to a paltry .114 batting average (ditto).

Bradley was one of four fantastic minor league arms that Arizona had coming into the 2012 season, including Bauer, Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin, who just got the call a couple weeks back. Skaggs and Bauer are likely to join the Major League club by the end of this year, and while Bradley might be two to three years away, there's a good chance that the Diamondbacks will have an incredible rotation already once he gets there. Ian Kennedy, Trevor Cahill and Daniel Hudson are all above-average Major League starters and having the ability to pick from so many young arms is a fantastic problem to have.

And you can be sure that if Bradley continues to pitch like this, he won't be lost in that shuffle.

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While looking over some scores from today, I realized something: last year's National League playoff teams have had a slow start out of the gate. Except for one, of course. The Diamondbacks and Phillies, both of whom won their divisions and lost in the NLDS, are currently 14-18. Arizona sits in third, 6.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, whle the Phillies are last in the NL East, five games back of the Nationals & Braves. The NL Central champions from a year ago, the Milwaukee Brewers, are 13-18, and are tied for last in the division with the Chicago Cubs. Each of those three teams have a negative run differential as well. The one outlier? The 2012 World Champion St Louis Cardinals, who didn't even win their division last year. The Cardinals are currently pacing the National League with a 20-11 record, and are one of three teams in baseball with 20 wins. Their +75 run differential is 10 better than the Rangers, and a whopping 51 better than the Braves for supremacy in the National League.

Game of the Night: Marlins 5, Astros 3 (12 innings). Each team scored a run in the first inning on an error, before the Astros took a 2-1 lead in the second on a Chris Johnson solo homer. The Marlins would take a 3-2 lead in the fourth courtesy of RBI singles from John Buck and Jose Reyes. It remained that way until the ninth, and new Marlins closer Steve Cishek looked to pick up his first save since being deemed closer last weekend. Of course, he blew it while allowing three baserunners in the inning to make it a 3-3 game. The game remained scoreless after that until the 12th, when a two-run single by Omar Infante gave the Marlins a 5-3 lead that would hold.

Pitching Line of the Night: Zack Greinke had an inhuman start for the Brewers today, throwing eight shutout innings while allowing just two hits, no walks, and striking out 11. The Brewers offense gave him nothing though, and Greinke got saddled with a no decision. Jason Vargas had a stellar start for the Mariners against a potent Tigers offense, allowing just one run over eight innings on five hits, no walks, and six strikeouts.

Hitting Line of the Night: Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates went 4/4 with two runs, two RBI, and a homer. In a losing effort, Freddy Galvis of the Phillies went 3/4 with three RBI, and fell just a homer short of the cycle. In the same game, Andres Torres and Ike Davis of the Mets both went 2/4 with a homer. Davis added a double to his line, while Torres added a triple.

Spotlight Series: rain, rain, go away. Tonight's Orioles-Rangers game was rained out, and will be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.

Other Games: Brandon Morrow struck out ten and Toronto hit three homers in a 5-2 win over the A's. The Reds beat the Brewers 2-1 after scoring two off John Axford in the ninth, who relieved a dominant Zack Greinke. David Robertson allowed four in the ninth en route to a 4-1 Rays win over the Yankees. Paul Maholm outdueld Tim Hudson in a 1-0 Cubs win over the Braves. Christian Friedrich's major league debut was a success (seven strikeouts, one walk, one run in six innings), and the Rockies beat the Padres 6-2. Jake Peavy carved up the Indians en route to an 8-1 White Sox win. Cliff Lee got no support from his bullpen, as they allowed eight runs over the final three innings as the Mets won in Philly 10-6. Bruce Chen got his first win of the year as the Royals beat the Red Sox 4-3. The Pirates beat the Nationals 4-2 despite Erik Bedard leaving after just one inning of work. Ervin Santana finally got some run support from the Angels offense, and picked up his first win, 6-2 against the Twins. The Mariners beat the Tigers late 2-1. The Cardinals beat the struggling Diamondbacks 7-2. The Dodgers beat Tim Lincecum and the Giants 6-2.

Today's Games: Stephen Strasburg starts the lone NL game of the night, as the Nationals look to avoid a sweep in Pittsbugh. David Price vs CC Sabathia is a great matchup in the Bronx. Former Red Sox great Derek Lowe returns to Fenway to take on Josh Beckett. Impressive youngster Henderson Alvarez goes for the Blue Jays against the A's.

Enjoy your night of baseball, everyone.

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What more can I say about Josh Hamilton that hasn't been said by everyone on Twitter and mass media outlets? He went 5/5 with four homers and a double last night, setting an AL record with 18 total bases. Just for the hell of it, Hamilton drove in eight runs too. Perhaps ironically, all of Hamilton's homers were two run shots that scored Elvis Andrus. Huh, imagine that. In any case, the Rangers are back on the winning side of things after a sluggish last week and a half.

Game of the Night: A's 7, Blue Jays 3. Kelly Johnson drove in all three Blue Jays runs, two courtesy of a homer in the third and one that gave Toronto a 3-2 lead in the ninth. The A's had tied the game at two in the fifth on a two run homer by Josh Reddick. Then, the ninth came along. With Sergio Santos still out, Francisco Cordero came in to close the game. He faced six batters, and five of them scored. The save was officially blown when Cliff Pennington singled in Michael Taylor to tie the game. Cordero struggled with his control and loaded the bases for Brandon Inge...who hit a walk-off grand slam. Yeah, I bet the Tigers wish that Inge was hitting like that when he was with them.

Pitching Line of the Night: Jake Westbrook and Scott Diamond each threw seven shutout innings for their respective teams, with Westbrook allowing four hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts, and Diamond allowing four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. AJ Burnett had a great rebound start for the Pirates, allowing two runs over eight innings on six hits, one walk, and ten strikeouts.

Hitting Line of the Night: Well, Hamilton. Duh. But Carlos Beltran had a two homer game, driving in six in the process. Raul Ibanez also had two bombs, driving in three runs for the Yankees.

Spotlight Series: I thought the Orioles would give the Rangers a fight. I was wrong. Texas pounded Baltimore for the second night in a row, winning by a 10-3 score. Jake Arrieta allowed six runs in 6 1/3, while Neftali Feliz allowed just one over six innings, striking out eight in the process. In addition to Hamilton's monster game, Nelson Cruz had three hits, and Elvis Andrus scored four runs (all on Hamilton homers).

Other Games: The Mets scored seven straight runs to beat the Phillies 7-4. The White Sox beat the Indians 5-3 in ten innings. The Pirates got a walk-off win with a 5-4 victory over the Nationals. The Yankees beat the Rays 5-3. The Braves beat the Cubs 3-1 behind a great start from Randall Delgado. The Royals beat the Red Sox 6-4. The Astros ended the Marlins' winning streak with a 3-2 win. The Twins shut out the Angels 5-0 behind Diamond's great start. The Brewers crunched the Reds 8-3. The Cardinals beat the slumping Diamondbacks 6-1. The Tigers beat the Mariners 6-4. Jeff Suppan is 2-0 as the Padres beat the Rockies 3-1. The Giants shut down Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers 2-1.

Today's Games: Brandon Morrow goes for the Blue Jays against the A's. Johnny Cueto and Zack Greinke is a good matchup in Milwaukee. I like the matchup of Colby Lewis and Wei-Yin Chen in Baltimore. Jake Peavy goes for the White Sox against Jeanmar Gomez. Cliff Lee makes his first start for the Phillies after coming off the DL. Jon Lester goes for the Red Sox against the Royals. The struggling Josh Johnson starts for the Marlins against the Astros. Tim Lincecum and Chad Billingsley will go at it in Los Angeles.

Enjoy your day of baseball everyone.

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