Pittsburgh Pirates May Awards

For April's awards, click here.

Hitter of the Month: Andy LaRoche
LaRoche had a pathetic April due to a very, very slow start. But since then he has been hitting the cover off the ball. After batting .254 in April, LaRoche has rebounded to bat .330 in May and has raised his BA to .299.

Andy also has put together 2 11-game hitting streaks this year and his .411 OBP in May led the team. He also has slugged .457 for the month, which is 2nd on the team.

LaRoche hit 6 doubles, 2 homers, and drove in 14 batters in 28 games.

Pitcher of the Month: Zach Duke
Duke become's North Side Notch's first repeat winner of this award as he had yet another stellar month. Duke posted a 2-3 record and a 2.98 ERA in 6 starts over the month of May. He also picked up his 2nd complete game of the year.

Duke walked just 11 batters as opposed to his 26 strikeouts in 42.1 innings.

He also was the only Pirates' starter to finish the month with an ERA under 4.00.

Minor League Hitter of the Month: Miles Durham
Durham, 26, was the Pirates' 22nd round pick in the 2006 draft. He is currently playing in Lynchburg. Durham had a spectacular month batting .333 with 6 HR and 21 RBI. He posted an OPS of .948. Durham gets most of his playing time in right field. If he can continue to put numbers up that are close to the ones he put up in May, you can expect him to move to Altoona soon.

Minor League Pitcher of the Month: Brad Lincoln
This one's a no-brainer, and Pirates' fans should be happy about that. Lincoln, 24, was the Bucs' 1st round pick in 2006 out of Houston. After missing all of 2007 and some of 2008 due to arm surgery, Lincoln looks to have returned to the prospect he was when the Bucs picked him 4th overall in '06. Lincoln has started 5 games in May and has allowed runs in only 2 of them. He is 1-1 with a 0.80 ERA in 33.2 innings over that span. He struck out 29 batters while only walking 6. On May 21st, Lincoln hurled a 2-hit, complete game shutout against Bowie. He hasn't allowed a run since May 15th. Look for Lincoln to keep this up and move to AAA soon. He is looking like a very strong candidate to be called up in September for a few starts as well.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 30

SCOREBOARD
Red Sox (28-22) 3 at Blue Jays (29-23) 5
W: Tallet (3-3) L: Ramirez (4-2) S: Downs (7)

Marlins (23-27) 7 at Mets (27-21) 3
W: Johnson (4-1) L: Redding (0-2) S: Nunez (1)

Twins (24-27) 2 at Rays (25-27) 5
W: Price (1-0) L: Liriano (2-7) S: Choate (2)

Dodgers (34-17) 0 at Cubs (25-23) 7
W: Dempster (4-3) L: Stults (4-2)

Braves (24-25) 2 at Diamondbacks (22-28) 3 - F/11
W: Pena (5-2) L: Bennett (2-2)

Tigers (27-21) 6 at Orioles (23-27) 3
W: Verlander (6-2) L: Albers (0-2) S: Rodney (9)

Yankees (29-20) 10 at Indians (21-30) 5
W: Sabathia (5-3) L: Carmona (2-5)

Reds (26-22) 5 at Brewers (29-20) 9
W: McClung (2-1) L: Harang (5-5)

Nationals (13-35) 6 at Phillies (27-20) 9
W: Hamels (3-2) L: Martis (5-1) S: Lidge (11)

Astros (19-28) 4 at Pirates (22-27) 7
W: Karstens (2-2) L: Rodriguez (5-4) S: Capps (10)

White Sox (23-25) 5 at Royals (23-26) 3
W: Linebrink (2-2) L: Cruz (3-1) S: Jenks (11)

Athletics (18-29) 1 at Rangers (30-19) 14
W: McCarthy (5-2) L: Anderson (2-5)

Padres (24-25) 7 at Rockies (20-28) 8
W: Street (1-1) L: Bell (2-1)

Mariners (24-26) 4 at Angels (24-24) 3 - F/10
W: Batista (3-1) L: Arredondo (1-2) S: Aardsma (8)

Cardinals (29-20) 6 at Giants (24-24) 2
W: Carpenter (3-0) L: Zito (1-6)

HR LIST
Albert Pujols 2 (16)
Ryan Howard 2 (14)
Clete Thomas 2 (3)
Adrian Gonzalez (19)
Nelson Cruz (14)
Curtis Granderson (12)
Prince Fielder (12)
Hank Blalock (12)
Luke Scott (11)
Nick Swisher (10)
Mike Cameron (10)
Grady Sizemore (9)
Ryan Braun (9)
Adam Lind (8)
Brandon Phillips (8)
Shin-Soo Choo (7)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (7)
Brad Hawpe (7)
Jorge Posada (6)
Scott Hairston (6)
Jeremy Hermida (5)
Jose Lopez (5)
Miguel Olivo (4)
Marlon Byrd (4)
Carl Crawford (3)
Reed Johnson (3)
Rocco Baldelli (2)
Ronnie Belliard (2)
Joe Dillon (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 29

SCOREBOARD
Dodgers (34-16) 1 at Cubs (24-23) 2
W: Lilly (6-4) L: Billingsley (6-3) S: Gregg (8)

Athletics (18-27) 3 at Rangers (28-19) 6
W: Wilson (3-2) L: Casilla (1-2) S: Francisco (11)

Tigers (26-21) 2 at Orioles (23-26) 7
W: Bergesen (2-2) L: Willis (1-2)

Nationals (13-34) 4 at Phillies (26-20) 5
W: Happ (3-0) L: Detwiler (0-1) S: Lidge (10)

Yankees (28-20) 3 at Indians (21-29) 1
W: Pettitte (5-1) L: Lee (2-6) S: Rivera (10)

Astros (19-27) 6 at Pirates (21-27) 1
W: Moehler (2-3) L: Ohlendorf (5-5)

Red Sox (28-21) 3 at Blue Jays (28-23) 6
W: Janssen (1-1) L: Wakefield (6-3) S: Downs (6)

Marlins (22-27) 1 at Mets (27-20) 2 - F/11
W: Feliciano (2-1) L: Sanches (1-1)

Twins (24-26) 3 at Rays (24-27) 5
W: Shields (4-4) L: Baker (2-6) S: Choate (1)

Athletics (18-28) 2 at Rangers (29-19) 5
W: Feldman (4-0) L: Gonzalez (0-1)

Reds (26-21) 2 at Brewers (28-20) 3
W: Looper (5-3) L: Cueto (4-3) S: Hoffman (12)

White Sox (22-25) 11 at Royals (23-25) 2
W: Richard (2-0) L: Bannister (4-2)

Padres (24-24) 0 at Rockies (19-28) 3
W: Marquis (7-3) L: Young (4-3) S: Street (8)

Braves (24-24) 10 at Diamondbacks (21-28) 6
W: Jurrjens (5-2) L: Garland (4-4)

Mariners (23-26) 5 at Angels (24-23) 2
W: Vargas (2-0) L: Lackey (1-1) S: Aardsma (7)

Cardinals (28-20) 2 at Giants (24-23) 4
W: Cain (6-1) L: Pineiro (5-5) S: Wilson (11)

HR LIST
Luke Scott 2 (10)
Nelson Cruz (13)
Evan Longoria (13)
Jermaine Dye (13)
Prince Fielder (11)
Michael Cuddyer (9)
Josh Willingham (7)
JD Drew (7)
Andruw Jones (5)
Matt Kemp (5)
Corey Hart (5)
Yunel Escobar (5)
Juan Rivera (5)
Billy Butler (4)
Chad Tracy (4)
Jose Lopez (4)
Travis Buck (3)
Marlon Byrd (3)
Omir Santos (3)
Ramon Hernandez (3)
Koyie Hill (2)
Carl Crawford (2)
Edwin Maysonet (1)

Kansas City At It Again

Well as usual, when something in KC seems too good to be true, it usually is. I haven't posted much on here mostly because of work, but also because I've just been too bummed lately and couldn't find much to be positive about. If one thing goes wrong, so does everything else, and there really is no explanation for it. Our major positive of the beginning of the year (pitching) has dried up and left for who knows where. Adding insult to injury, it seems our offense has never really arrived fully. I'm writing this just after a whopping 11-2 loss against the White Sox. I mean come on there isn't a real reason why the floor has dropped out, but I can't honestly tell if we'll ever see it again. The boys in blue need to hurry up and find their rythm, or it's gonna be a long road to September. We need to make it to the All-Star break and quick at that. There are 2 more games left against the ChiSox, then it's on to the Rays.

Game 2
Saturday May 30, 2009 at 6:10pm CT vs. Chicago White Sox
KAN Gil Meche (2-5), vs. CHW Mark Buehrle(6-1)

Game 3
Sunday May 31, 2009 at 1:10pm CT vs. Chicago White Sox
KAN Zack Greinke (8-1), vs. CHW John Danks (4-3)

The only positive is the obvious Zack Greinke. If you don't get run support though, then you don't get the win.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 28

SCOREBOARD
Rays (23-27) 1 at Indians (21-28) 2
W: Herges (1-0) L: Niemann (4-4) S: Wood (8)

Red Sox (28-20) 3 at Twins (24-25) 1
W: Beckett (5-2) L: Swarzak (1-1) S: Papelbon (13)

Tigers (26-20) 1 at Orioles (22-26) 5
W: Hernandez (1-0) L: Galarraga (3-5)

Dodgers (34-15) 2 at Cubs (23-23) 1
W: Wolf (3-1) L: Wells (0-2) S: Troncoso (3)

Braves (23-24) 2 at Diamondbacks (21-27) 5
W: Haren (4-4) L: Lowe (6-3) S: Qualls (12)

HR LIST
Jason Varitek 2 (10)
Luke Scott 2 (8)
Joe Crede (9)
Nolan Reimold (5)
Willy Aybar (3)
Bobby Scales (2)

Rays/Twins Preview & Isringhausen is a BUM!!

The Tampa Bay Rays come home after being on the road the last 7 days, but things really got bad after being swept in Cleveland in a 4 game series that finished up with a 2-1 loss today. But that doesn't tell the half of it. The Rays were 7-3 coming into the series against Cleveland and were starting to resemble the 2008 AL Champions that they were. But management is a reason why this season has probably turned to the dark side for this up and coming Rays team. Huh?? What?? Oooohhh - Why is the question? Three words...JASON DERIK ISRINGHAUSEN!!! Any team with this guy on their roster - THEIR ACTIVE ROSTER NO LESS - is a team of destiny - destined for the cellar!! Isringhausen is well known in Cardinal Country. He is known for a couple things in St. Louis. He is known for helping the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 - he got injured in mid-late August and that allowed Adam Wainwright to take over the closers role...which in turn meant that Izzy couldn't pitch...and ironically the Cards were able to finish off games in the 9th and the rest is history. The other thing Izzy is known for is helping the Cardinals set a Major League Baseball Record for blown saves in a season. So I am really trying to understand this.

Why?

Why would management go out and sign a 36 year old bum that couldn't pitch a 1-2-3 inning against a bunch of high schoolers. I understand if you are a....wait a minute...no I don't!!! There is no reason for this guy to be pitching in the majors or the minors anymore. Izzy helped the Rays blow a 10-0 lead on Monday in Cleveland. But truth be told - Izzy had a pretty good stat line by his standards...0.0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 3 BB, 0 K - 23 pitches and 9 for strikes...ARE YOU SURE!!!! He needs to be arrested for impersonating a Major League Pitcher.

And I'm serious - it is those kind of losses that will stick with your team for a month or 2 - look - it is already happening. They went on to lose the remaining 3 games of the series against the lowly Indians.

Now the Rays need to regroup and will look to do so starting Friday night in Tampa against the Minnesota Twins and MVP candidates Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. The Rays are 11-10 at home, while the Twins have been dreadful on the road, 5-14. Pitching Probables

Scott Baker will be on the mound in the opener for the Twins against James Shields.

Saturday's game will be a matchup of future southpaw aces Francisco Liriano going against Rays phenom David Price.

Sunday's Matinee will be Nick Blackburn for the Twins against the Rays Matt Garza.

Cardinals/Giants Preview

The schedule makers didn't do the St. Louis Cardinals any favors this week - they traveled to Milwaukee and played the Brewers for 3 games (the Birds won the last 2 games of the series to win the series) and now they travel for a 3 game series in San Francisco starting Friday night. After the game Sunday - the Redbirds fly home for an 8 game home stand. Usually when the Cards travel out to the West Coast, they get to play another series against the Dodgers or the Diamondbacks - but not this time. In a way it is a good thing - the Cardinals have traditionally been a bad team on the West Coast. The Cardinals are 7-2 in their last 9 games even though they are only batting .228 as a team and averaging only 3.4 runs a game. Their pitching over that span of games is almost historic - 81.2 innings pitched, allowing 8 earned runs - 0.81 ERA...mmmm wonder why they are 7-2. I was always taught by my Father and coaches while growing up playing baseball that if the other team didn't score - we wouldn't lose...and that is still true to this day!! Pitching Probables for the series

Friday night, Joel Pineiro will toe the rubber for the Cardinals against Matt Cain. I am telling all gamblers out there...BET THE OVER in this game. In 2 career starts against the Giants, Pineiro is 0-2 with a 8.10 ERA. Cain against the Cardinals, 2 career starts, 0-1, 9.58 ERA...OVER!!!

Carpenter vs. Zito on Saturday

Wainwright vs. Sanchez on Sunday

The Cards should take the final 2 games of this series...and if they can win the 12-11 game on Friday night - they may sweep the series in San Fran.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 27

SCOREBOARD
Cardinals (28-19) 3 at Brewers (27-20) 2
W: Wellemeyer (5-4) L: Parra (3-6) S: Franklin (12)

Blue Jays (27-23) 10 at Orioles (21-26) 12 - F/11
W: Baez (4-1) L: Wolfe (1-1)

Tigers (26-19) 8 at Royals (23-24) 3
W: Porcello (6-3) L: Davies (2-4)

Pirates (21-26) 2 at Cubs (23-22) 5
W: Marmol (1-1) L: Chavez (0-2) S: Gregg (7)

Dodgers (33-15) 8 at Rockies (18-28) 6
W: Kershaw (3-3) L: Jimenez (3-6)

Mariners (22-26) 6 at Athletics (18-26)
W: Bedard (3-2) L: Cahill (2-5)

Rays (23-26) 7 at Indians (20-28) 12
W: Aquino (1-0) L: Sonnanstine (3-5) S: Vizcaino (1)

Marlins (22-26) 6 at Phillies (25-20) 2
W: Badenhop (3-2) L: Myers (4-3)

Astros (18-27) 1 at Reds (26-20) 6
W: Arroyo (7-3) L: Paulino (1-4)

Nationals (13-33) 4 at Mets (26-20) 7
W: Santana (7-2) L: Zimmerman (2-2)

Yankees (27-20) 9 at Rangers (27-19)
W: Burnett (3-2) L: Holland (1-2)

Red Sox (27-20) 2 at Twins (24-24) 4
W: Slowey (7-1) L: Matsuzaka (0-3) S: Nathan (8)

Padres (24-23) 8 at Diamondbacks (20-27) 5
W: Peavy (5-5) L: Buckner (1-1) S: Bell (14)

White Sox (21-25) 1 at Angels (24-22) 3
W: Weaver (4-2) L: Floyd (3-5) S: Fuentes (13)

Braves (23-23) 3 at Giants (23-23) 6
W: Johnson (4-4) L: Kawakami (3-6) S: Wilson (10)

HR LIST
Jay Bruce 2 (14)
Hideki Matsui 2 (7)
Adrian Gonzalez (18)
Adam Dunn (16)
Mark Teixeira (15)
Jason Bay (14)
Ian Kinsler (13)
Aaron Hill (12)
Evan Longoria (12)
Russell Branyan (11)
Miguel Cabrera (10)
Dan Uggla (9)
Robinson Cano (9)
Cody Ross (7)
Luke Scott (6)
Mark Teahen (6)
Shin-Soo Choo (6)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (6)
Ben Francisco (5)
Nolan Reimold (4)
Ryan Spilborghs (4)
Daniel Murphy (4)
Matt Stairs (3)
Reed Johnson (2)
Carlos Ruiz (2)
Placido Polanco (1)
Bobby Crosby (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 26

SCOREBOARD
Blue Jays (27-22) 2 at Orioles (20-26) 7
W: Berken (1-0) L: Romero (2-1) S: Johnson (1)

Rays (23-25) 1 at Indians (19-28) 5
W: Pavano (5-4) L: Garza (4-3)

Marlins (21-26) 3 at Phillies (25-19) 5
W: Blanton (3-3) L: Miller (1-2) S: Lidge (9)

Astros (18-26) 4 at Reds (25-20) 6
W: Masset (2-0) L: Byrdak (0-1) S: Cordero (13)

Nationals (13-32) 1 at Mets (25-20) 6
W: Hernandez (4-1) L: Stammen (0-1)

Cardinals (27-19) 8 at Brewers (27-19) 1
W: Wainwright (5-2) L: Suppan (3-4)

Yankees (26-20) 3 at Rangers (27-18) 7
W: Jennings (2-1) L: Aceves (3-1)

Pirates (21-25) 1 at Cubs (22-22) 6
W: Marshall (3-3) L: Snell (1-6)

Tigers (25-19) 1 at Royals (23-23) 6
W: Greinke (8-1) L: Jackson (4-3)

Red Sox (27-19) 2 at Twins (23-24) 5
W: Blackburn (4-2) L: Lester (3-5) S: Nathan (7)

Dodgers (32-15) 7 at Rockies (18-27) 1
W: Milton (1-0) L: Cook (3-2)

Padres (23-23) 5 at Diamondbacks (20-26) 6
W: Scherzer (2-3) L: Correia (1-3) S: Gutierrez (1)

White Sox (21-24) 4 at Angels (23-22) 2
W: Colon (3-4) L: Saunder (6-3) S: Linebrink (1)

Mariners (21-26) 3 at Athletics (18-25) 4
W: Braden (4-5) L: Batista (2-1) S: Bailey (2)

Braves (23-22) 0 at Giants (22-23) 4
W: Lincecum (4-1) L: Medlen (0-2)

HR LIST
Chris Davis 2 (12)
Jayson Nix 2 (4)
Carlos Pena (16)
Adam Dunn (15)
Mark Teixeira (14)
Justin Morneau (14)
Mark Reynolds (13)
Adam Jones (11)
Torii Hunter (11)
Aubrey Huff (8)
Mark DeRosa (8)
Joey Votto (8)
Colby Rasmus (5)
Ryan Garko (5)
Gary Sheffield (5)
Kosuke Fukudome (5)
Clint Barmes (5)
Chris Duncan (4)
Kelly Shoppach (4)
Laynce Nix (4)
Jose Guillen (4)
Nolan Reimold (3)
Asdrubal Cabrera (2)
Jeff Keppinger (2)
Adam Wainwright (1)
Nick Stavinoha (1)
Bobby Abreu (1)
Chris Burke (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 25

SCOREBOARD
Astros (18-25) 5 at Reds (24-20) 8
W: Harand (5-4) L: Rodriguez (5-3) S: Cordero (12)

Blue Jays (27-21) 1 at Orioles (19-26) 4
W: Guthrie (4-4) L: Tallet (2-3) S: Sherrill (10)

Cardinals (26-19) 0 at Brewers (27-18) 1 - F/10
W: Villanueva (2-3) L: McClellan (2-2)

Yankees (26-19) 11 at Rangers (26-18) 1
W: Hughes (3-2) L: Harrison (4-4)

Tigers (25-18) 13 at Royals (22-23) 1
W: Verlander (5-2) L: Meche (2-5)

Red Sox (27-18) 6 at Twins (22-24) 5
W: Penny (5-1) L: Liriano (2-6) S: Papelbon (12)

Dodgers (31-15) 16 at Rockies (18-26) 6
W: Ohman (1-0) L: De La Rosa (0-5)

Padres (23-22) 9 at Diamondbacks (19-26) 7 - F/10
W: Mujica (2-1) L: Pena (4-2) S: Bell (13)

Mariners (21-25) 1 at Athletics (17-25) 6
W: Anderson (2-4) L: Jakubauskas (3-5) S: Cameron (1)

Braves (23-21) 2 at Giants (21-23) 8
W: Sanchez (2-4) L: Vazquez (4-4)

Rays (23-24) 10 at Indians (18-28) 11
W: Sowers (1-2) L: Isringhausen (0-1)

Marlins (21-25) 5 at Phillies (24-19) 3
W: Volstad (4-3) L: Moyer (3-5) S: Lindstrom (9)

Nationals (13-31) 2 at Mets (24-20) 5
W: Maine (4-3) L: Lannan (2-4) S: Rodriguez (13)

Pirates (21-24) 10 at Cubs (21-22) 8
W: Gorzelanny (2-1) L: Cotts (0-2) S: Burnett (1)

White Sox (20-24) 17 at Angels (23-21) 3
W: Danks (4-3) L: Santana (0-2)

HR LIST
Ryan Howard 2 (12)
Ryan Garko 2 (4)
Adrian Gonzalez (17)
Nelson Cruz (12)
Jermaine Dye (12)
Joe Mauer (11)
Lance Berkman (10)
Michael Cuddyer (8)
Jim Thome (8)
Nate McLouth (8)
Paul Konerko (7)
Chris Snyder (5)
Milton Bradley (5)
Chase Headley (4)
Gary Sheffield (4)
Freddy Sanchez (4)
Jeff Bailey (3)
Kenji Johjima (3)
Gabe Gross (3)
Gerald Laird (2)
Travis Buck (2)
Travis Ishikawa (1)
Wes Helms (1)

Rays/Indians Preview

Happy Memorial day to all our active troops, our retired veterans and obviously God Bless to all that died fighting for our country. Baseball is a huge part of the Memorial Holiday....so let's get to the preview.


The Tampa Bay Rays will travel to Cleveland to play the Indians in a 4 game series starting tonight. The Rays come in at 23-23 for the season - but they are 7-3 in their last 10 and have finally shown flashes of the 2008 team that was AL East Champs. Even though the Rays are at an even .500 - they are only 4 games back of the division leading Boston Red Sox. About 10 days ago - these two teams played a 4 game series in Tampa - and the Rays took 3 out of 4...and that was the start of this impressive run. And now - the biggest, smartest move the Rays have made all season...David Price is been called back up to the big club - and he will make his season debut tonight to open the series. Price was the closer for the Rays in the playoffs in 2008, and he was, how do you say it - what's the word I'm looking for...oh yeah...MONEY!! He was surprisingly sent down to AAA during spring training - and management has obviously swallowed its pride and admitted they were wrong...who are we kidding? Scott Kazmir was put on the 15 day DL and that opened a spot in the rotation. Management admitting they were wrong - like that would ever happen!!

The Indians are headed in the other direction going 4-6 in their last 10 games and sit in last place in the AL Central at 17-28, 8.5 games back of the division leading Detroit Tigers. Look for a similar result in this series from 10 days ago - the Rays taking 3 of 4. Pitching Probables

Mon, May 25 TPA Price (0-0) vs. CLE Carmona (2-4)

Tue, May 26 TPA Garza (4-2) vs. CLE Pavano (4-4)

Wed, May 27 TPA Sonnanstine (3-4) vs. TBA

Thu, May 28 TPA Niemann (4-3) vs. CLE Huff (0-1)

Cardinals/Brewers Preview

Happy Memorial day to all our active troops, our retired veterans and obviously God Bless to all that died fighting for our country. Baseball is a huge part of the Memorial Holiday....so let's get to the preview.

The St. Louis Cardinals travel to Milwaukee to start a 3 game series today against the Brewers. The Cards allowed a late run to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, otherwise they had a chance to have back to back 3 game series sweeps. The Birds swept the Chicago Cubs in the previous series and took 2 out of 3 from the Royals. This turnaround started when Cris Carpenter came off the disabled list - prior to that - the Cardinals were 3-7 in their previous 10 games. The Cardinals and the Brewers played a 3 game series in St. Louis about 10 days ago - and the Brewers swept the Cardinals - so their is a little bit of a revenge factor for the Cards going into this series.

It looks like the Cardinals have the edge in pitching matchups in this series with Carpenter and Adam Wainwright pitching in the 1st 2 games of this series...Probable Starters

Mon, May 25 STL Carpenter (2-0) vs. MLW Gallardo (4-2)

Tue, May 26 STL Wainwright (4-2) vs. Suppan (3-3) - can be seen on ESPN

Wed, May 27 STL Wellemeyer (4-4) vs. Parra (3-5)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 24

SCOREBOARD
Rockies (18-25) 3 at Tigers (24-18) 1
W: Hammel (1-3) L: Willis (1-1) S: Street (7)

Phillies (24-18) 4 at Yankees (25-19) 3 - F/11
W: Condrey (4-0) L: Tomko (0-1)

Indians (17-28) 3 at Reds (23-20) 4 - F/11
W: Fisher (1-0) L: Vizcaino (1-2)

Rays (23-23) 4 at Marlins (20-25) 5 - F/11
W: Sanches (1-0) L: Cormier (0-1)

Blue Jays (27-20) 2 at Braves (23-20) 10
W: Bennett (2-1) L: Camp (0-2)

Mets (23-20) 5 at Red Sox (26-18) 12
W: Wakefield (6-2) L: Redding (0-1)

Orioles (18-26) 5 at Nationals (13-30) 8
W: Villone (2-0) L: Ray (0-1) S: Hanrahan (5)

Pirates (20-24) 4 at White Sox (19-24) 3
W: Grabow (3-0) L: Jenks (0-2) S: Capps (9)

Rangers (26-17) 5 at Astros (18-24) 0
W: McCarthy (4-2) L: Hampton (2-4)

Royals (22-22) 3 at Cardinals (26-18) 2
W: Bannister (4-1) L: Pineiro (5-4) S: Cruz (2)

Cubs (21-21) 2 at Padres (22-22) 7
W: Young (4-2) L: Lilly (5-4)

Diamondbacks (19-25) 2 at Athletics (16-25) 6
W: Outman (2-0) L: Garland (4-3)

Giants (20-23) 4 at Mariners (21-24) 5
W: Hernandez (5-3) L: Zito (1-5) S: Aardsma (6)

Angels (23-20) 10 at Dodgers (30-15) 7
W: Bulger (2-1) L: Billingsley (6-2)

Brewers (26-18) 3 at Twins (22-23) 6
W: Baker (2-5) L: Bush (3-1)

HR LIST
Adam Dunn 2 (14)
Brian McCann 2 (5)
Mark Teixeira (13)
Justin Morneau (13)
Ian Kinsler (12)
Adam Jones (10)
Prince Fielder (10)
Joe Mauer (10)
Mike Cameron (9)
Mike Lowell (8)
Joe Crede (8)
Chad Bartlett (7)
Kevin Youkilis (7)
John Baker (6)
Josh Hamilton (6)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (5)
Kelly Johnson (5)
Jason Giambi (5)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (5)
Ken Griffey Jr. (5)
Kevin Kouzmanoff (4)
Ramon Castro (3)
Fred Lewis (3)
Adrian Beltre (3)
Reed Johnson (1)
Eric Hinske (1)
Jack Wilson (1)
Brian Anderson (1)
Landon Powell (1)
Jamie Hoffmann (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 23

SCOREBOARD
Royals (21-22) 0 at Cardinals (26-17) 5
W: Lohse (4-3) L: Hochevar (0-2)

Phillies (23-18) 4 at Yankees (25-18) 5
W: Veras (3-1) L: Lidge (0-2)

Rangers (25-17) 6 at Astros (18-23) 3
W: Feldman (3-0) L: Moehler (1-3)

Blue Jays (27-19) 3 at Braves (22-20) 4
W: Lowe (6-2) L: Janssen (0-1) S: Soriano (4)

Rockies (17-25) 4 at Tigers (24-17) 3
W: Marquis (6-3) L: Galarraga (3-4) S: Street (6)

Orioles (18-25) 2 at Nationals (12-30) 1
W: Bass (3-1) L: Tavarez (1-4) S: Sherrill (9)

Pirates (19-24) 0 at White Sox (19-23) 4
W: Richard (1-0) L: Ohlendorf (5-4)

Mets (23-19) 3 at Red Sox (25-18) 2
W: Feliciano (1-1) L: Papelbon (0-1) S: Putz (2)

Indians (17-27) 7 at Reds (22-20) 6
W: Vizcaino (1-1) L: Weathers (0-1) S: Wood (7)

Brewers (26-17) 2 at Twins (21-23) 6
W: Swarzak (1-0) L: Looper (4-3)

Rays (23-22) 10 at Marlins (19-25) 3
W: Balfour (2-0) L: Nunez (2-2)

Diamondbacks (19-24) 8 at Athletics (15-25) 7 - F/11
W: Pena (4-1) L: Breslow (1-3) S: Qualls (11)

Cubs (21-20) 1 at Padres (21-22) 3
W: Geer (1-1) L: Wells (0-1) S: Mujica (1)

Angels (22-20) 4 at Dodgers (30-14) 5 - F/10
W: Broxton (5-0) L: Arredondo (1-1)

Giants (20-22) 5 at Mariners (20-24) 1
W: Cain (5-1) L: Lowe (0-2)

HR LIST
Nelson Cruz 2 (11)
Joey Votto 2 (7)
Raul Ibanez (17)
Hank Blalock (11)
Jermaine Dye (11)
Torii Hunter (10)
Miguel Cabrera (9)
Joe Mauer (9)
Chris Iannetta (8)
Dan Uggla (8)
Alex Rodriguez (7)
Derek Jeter (7)
Mark DeRosa (7)
Joe Crede (7)
Jack Cust (7)
Todd Helton (6)
Derrek Lee (5)
Miguel Tejada (5)
Kelly Johnson (4)
Jason Giambi (4)
Juan Rivera (4)
Skip Schumaker (3)
Alexei Ramirez (3)
Cristian Guzman (2)
Omir Santos (2)
Ramon Hernandez (2)
Nomar Garciaparra (2)
Adam Kennedy (2)
Fred Lewis (2)
John Mayberry Jr. (1)
Geoff Blum (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 22

SCOREBOARD
Orioles (17-25) 4 at Nationals (12-29) 2 - F/12
W: Reimold (2) L: Sherrill (8)

Rockies (16-25) 3 at Tigers (24-16) 4
W: Porcello (5-3) L: Jimenez (3-5) S: Zumaya (1)

Phillies (23-17) 7 at Yankees (24-18) 3
W: Myers (4-2) L: Burnett (2-2)

Indians (16-27) 1 at Reds (22-19) 3
W: Arroyo (6-3) L: Laffey (3-1) S: Cordero (11)

Rays (22-22) 15 at Marlins (19-24) 2
W: Sonnanstine (3-4) L: Nolasco (2-5) S: Thayer (1)

Mets (22-19) 5 at Red Sox (25-17) 3
W: Santana (6-2) L: Matsuzaka (0-2) S: Rodriguez (12)

Blue Jays (27-18) 0 at Braves (21-20) 1
W: Kawakami (3-5) L: Carlson (1-3) S: Gonzalez (7)

Rangers (24-17) 6 at Astros (18-22) 5 - F/10
W: O'Day (2-0) L: Hawkins (1-2) S: Francisco (10)

Brewers (26-16) 3 at Twins (20-23) 11
W: Slowey (6-1) L: Parra (3-5)

Pirates (19-23) 0 at White Sox (18-23) 2
W: Floyd (3-4) L: Duke (5-4) S: Jenks (10)

Royals (21-21) 0 at Cardinals (25-17) 5
W: Wellemeyer (4-4) L: Davies (2-3)

Diamondbacks (18-24) 2 at Athletics (15-24) 1
W: Buckner (1-0) L: Cahill (2-4) S: Rauch (2)

Cubs (21-19) 0 at Padres (20-22) 4
W: Peavy (4-5) L: Zambrano (3-2) S: Bell (12)

Angels (22-19) 3 at Dodgers (29-14) 1
W: Oliver (1-0) L: Wade (0-3) S: Fuentes (12)

Giants (19-22) 1 at Mariners (20-23) 2 - F/12
W: White (1-0) L: Miller (1-1)

HR LIST
Adrian Gonzalez (16)
Raul Ibanez (16)
Carlos Pena (15)
Brandon Inge (12)
Mark Teixeira (12)
Ryan Zimmerman (11)
Nelson Cruz (9)
Lance Berkman (9)
Jayson Werth (8)
Jason Varitek (8)
Grady Sizemore (8)
Hanley Ramirez (8)
Michael Cuddyer (7)
Alex Rodriguez (6)
Derek Jeter (6)
Matt Holliday (6)
Aaron Rowand (5)
Seth Smith (4)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (4)
Jimmy Rollins (3)
Gary Sheffield (3)
Denard Span (3)
Chris Young (3)
Elvis Andrus (3)
Nolan Reimold (2)
Tyler Greene (2)
Gabe Gross (2)
Alexei Ramirez (2)
Dioner Navarro (2)
Carlos Ruiz (1)

The Battle of Florida Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Florida Marlins will battle it out to see who reigns supreme in the state of Florida. The games will be played at Land Shark Stadium in Miami. The Rays have won 6 of their last 9 games coming into the weekend, and are starting to resemble the team they were in 2008, AL Champions. The Rays started the season 11-1, but have went 8-22 since that torrid start. The Rays will send Andy Sonnanstine (2-4, 7.36) to the mound in the series opener tonight against Ricky Nolasco (2-4, 7.78). Jeff Niemann (4-3, 4.97) will start Saturday's game against TBA. TBA has always been a tough pitcher to face for every team in the league...okay - bad joke...the Marlins pitcher at this point is to be announced. Sunday's finale might be the best pitching matchup in all of baseball that day. James Shields (3-4, 3.43) will toe the rubber for the Rays against Marlins ace Josh Johnson (3-1, 2.54).
This should be a great series, with the Marlins expecting a total crowd of 8 people for the weekend series...sorry - couldn't resist a little more bad humor before the 3 day weekend begins.

Royals/Cards Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals will start a 3 game series against the Kansas City Royals tonight at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals just finished sweeping the Chicago Cubs in a 3 game series, winning the last game of the series last night 3-1. The Cardinals pitching staff only allowed 2 runs in the series and better yet, the Birds got a boost from getting ace Cris Carpenter back, as he pitched 5 shutout innings on Wednesday night. Before the Cubs series, the Cardinals were 3-7 in their last 10 games...so yes, Albert Pujols is the MVP of the team, if not the league, but Carpenter is just as important to this organization. The Cardinals are lucky enough to miss Zack Greinke during this 3 game series, although Greinke has started to look human the last outing or two. If the Cards can win the 1st game of the series - I think they will sweep the weekend I-70 series. The probable pitching mathcups for the series are:

Fri, May 22 KC Davies (2-2, 5.01) vs. STL Wellemeyer (3-4, 5.87)

Sat, May 23 KC Hochevar (0-1, 16.88) vs. STL Lohse (3-3, 4.66)

Sun, May 24 KC Bannister (3-1, 2.75) vs. STL Pineiro (5-3, 3.48)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 21

SCOREBOARD
Phillies (22-17) 12 at Reds (21-19) 5
W: Blanton (2-3) L: Owings (3-5)

Rangers (23-17) 3 at Tigers (23-16) 4
W: Jackson (4-2) L: Millwood (4-4) S: Rodney (8)

Twins (19-23) 20 at White Sox (17-23) 1
W: Blackburn (3-2) L: Colon (2-4)

Indians (16-26) 8 at Royals (21-20) 3
W: Pavano (4-4) L: Ramirez (0-2) S: Betancourt (1)

Athletics (15-23) 5 at Rays (21-22) 6
W: Nelson (1-0) L: Ziegler (0-1)

Rockies (16-24) 9 at Braves (20-20) 0
W: Cook (3-1) L: Medlen (0-1)

Pirates (19-22) 4 at Nationals (12-28) 5
W: Tavarez (1-3) L: Gorzelanny (1-1) S: Hanrahan (4)

Orioles (16-25) 4 at Yankees (24-17) 7
W: Aceves (3-0) L: Eaton (2-5) S: Rivera (9)

Diamondbacks (17-24) 4 at Marlins (19-23) 3
W: Zavada (1-0) L: Martinez (0-1) S: Qualls (10)

Blue Jays (27-17) 1 at Red Sox (25-16) 5
W: Lester (3-4) L: Ray (1-2)

Brewers (26-15) 4 at Astros (18-21) 3
W: McClung (1-1) L: Fulchino (0-1) S: Hoffman (11)

Cubs (21-18) 1 at Cardinals (24-17) 3
W: Wainwright (4-2) L: Marshall (2-3) S: Franklin (11)

Giants (19-21) 2 at Padres (19-22) 3
W: Bell (2-0) L: Wilson (2-3)

Angels (21-19) 3 at Mariners (19-23) 0
W: Saunders (6-2) L: Bedard (2-2) S: Fuentes (11)

HR LIST
Raul Ibanez (15)
Albert Pujols (14)
Jason Bay (13)
Mark Reynolds (12)
Curtis Granderson (11)
Chase Utley (11)
Ryan Howard (10)
Joe Mauer (8)
Ben Zobrist (8)
Robinson Cano (8)
Brandon Phillips (7)
Adam LaRoche (7)
Nick Markakis (7)
Dan Uggla (7)
Joe Crede (6)
Michael Cuddyer (6)
Jason Bartlett (6)
Brian Roberts (6)
Todd Helton (5)
Hideki Matsui (5)
Hunter Pence (5)
Brian Barden (4)
Chris Snyder (4)
Miguel Tejada (4)
Howie Kendrick (4)
Aaron Rowand (4)
Juan Rivera (3)
David Murphy (2)
Clete Thomas (1)
Matt Tolbert (1)
Greg Dobbs (1)
Gary Matthews Jr. (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 20

SCOREBOARD
Rockies (15-24) 4 at Braves (20-19) 12
W: Vazquez (4-3) L: De La Rosa (0-4)

Rangers (23-16) 3 at Tigers (22-16) 5
W: Verlander (4-2) L: Harrison (4-3) S: Rodney (7)

Diamondbacks (15-24) 6 at Marlins (19-21) 8
W: Volstad (3-3) L: Davis (2-6) S: Lindstrom (8)

Orioles (16-24) 4 at Yankees (23-17) 11
W: Hughes (2-2) L: Guthrie (3-4) S: Rivera (8)

Pirates (19-21) 2 at Nationals (11-28) 1
W: Grabow (2-0) L: Hanrahan (0-2) S: Capps (8)

Athletics (15-22) 7 at Rays (20-22) 6
W: Anderson (1-4) L: Kazmir (4-4) S: Ziegler (5)

Phillies (21-17) 1 at Reds (21-18) 5
W: Harang (4-4) L: Moyer (3-4)

Blue Jays (27-16) 3 at Red Sox (24-16) 8
W: Penny (4-1) L: Cecil (2-1)

Diamondbacks (16-24) 11 at Marlins (19-22) 9 - F/13
W: Qualls L: Nunez S: Rauch

Cubs (21-17) 1 at Cardinals (23-17) 2
W: Carpenter (2-0) L: Dempster (3-3) S: Franklin (10)

Brewers (25-15) 4 at Astros (18-20) 6
W: Rodriguez (5-2) L: Gallardo (4-2) S: Sampson (2)

Indians (15-26) 6 at Royals (21-19) 5
W: Laffey (3-0) L: Ponson (1-5) S: Wood (6)

Twins (18-23) 4 at White Sox (17-22) 7
W: Danks (3-3) L: Liriano (2-5) S: Jenks (9)

Giants (19-20) 1 at Padres (18-22) 2
W: Gaudin (1-3) L: Sanchez (1-4) S: Bell (11)

Angels (20-19) 0 at Mariners (19-22) 1
W: Jakubauskas (3-4) L: Santana (0-1) S: Aardsma (5)

Mets (21-19) 1 at Dodgers (29-13) 2
W: Leach (1-0) L: Putz (1-3) S: Broxton (11)

HR LIST
Jason Varitek 2 (7)
Carlos Pena (14)
Raul Ibanez (14)
Jason Bay (12)
Brandon Inge (11)
Jermaine Dye (10)
Adam Jones (9)
Nick Swisher (9)
Nelson Cruz (8)
Mike Cameron (8)
Robinson Cano (7)
Mike Lowell (7)
Paul Konerko (6)
Dan Uggla (5)
Melky Cabrera (5)
Michael Cuddyer (5)
Yunel Escobar (4)
Ryan Raburn (3)
Chad Tracy (3)
Chris Snyder (3)
Ty Wigginton (3)
Miguel Tejada (3)
Kevin Kouzmanoff (3)
Willy Aybar (2)
Wilkin Ramirez (1)
Nolan Reimold (1)
David Ortiz (1)
Ryan Hanigan (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 19

SCOREBOARD
Rockies (15-23) 1 at Braves (19-19) 8
W: Jurrjens (4-2) L: Hammel (0-3)

Rangers (23-15) 0 at Tigers (21-16) 4
W: Willis (1-0) L: McCarthy (3-2)

Orioles (16-23) 1 at Yankees (22-17) 9
W: Sabathia (4-3) L: Bergesen (1-2)

Pirates (18-21) 8 at Nationals (11-27) 5 - F/10
W: Gorzelanny (1-0) L: Beimel (0-3)

Athletics (14-22) 4 at Rays (20-21) 1 - F/11
W: Casilla (1-1) L: Wheeler (1-1)

Phillies (21-16) 4 at Reds (20-18) 3
W: Hamels (2-2) L: Cueto (4-2) S: Lidge (8)

Blue Jays (27-15) 1 at Red Sox (23-16) 2
W: Wakefield (5-2) L: Tallet (2-2) S: Papelbon (11)

Diamondbacks (15-23) 5 at Marlins (18-21) 3
W: Garland (4-2) L: Johnson (3-1) S: Qualls (9)

Brewers (25-14) 4 at Astros (17-20) 2
W: Bush (3-0) L: Ortiz (2-2) S: Hoffman (10)

Indians (14-26) 5 at Royals (21-18) 6
W: Farnsworth (1-3) L: Wood (1-2)

Twins (18-22) 2 at White Sox (16-22) 6
W: Buehrle (6-1) L: Baker (1-5)

Cubs (21-16) 0 at Cardinals (22-17) 3
W: Pineiro (5-3) L: Lilly (5-3)

Giants (19-19) 1 at Padres (17-22) 2
W: Young (3-2) L: Zito (1-4) S: Bell (10)

Angels (20-18) 6 at Mariners (18-22) 5
W: Palmer (5-0) L: Hernandez (4-3) S: Fuentes (10)

Mets (21-18) 3 at Dodgers (28-13) 5
W: Billingsley (6-1) L: Maine (3-3) S: Broxton (10)

HR LIST
Adam Dunn (12)
Jay Bruce (12)
Mark Teixeira (11)
Ryan Howard (9)
Mike Jacobs (9)
Mark Reynolds (9)
Jermaine Dye (9)
James Blake (9)
Hanley Ramirez (7)
Joe Mauer (7)
Alex Rodriguez (5)
Matt Holliday (5)
Mark Teahan (5)
Paul Konerko (5)
Scott Hairston (5)
Colby Rasmus (4)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (4)
Ken Griffey Jr. (4)
Kevin Millar (3)
Kelly Shoppach (3)
Chase Hundley (3)
Andy LaRoche (2)
Ronny Cedeno (2)
Willy Aybar (1)
Russ Ortiz (1)

Cards/Cubs Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals welcome the Chicago Cubs to St. Louis with a 3 game series starting tonight at Busch Stadium. The last time these two teams met was a series near the end of April - the Cardinals were sitting in 1st place and getting great pitching and some timely hitting and took 2 out of 3 from the Cubs that weekend. Now - the Cardinals are 4-10 in their last 14, have dropped to 3rd in the NL Central and were swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers this past weekend and their manager, Tony LaRussa admitted after the game Sunday that his team is struggling.

The Cubs come in winning 5 out of their last 6 games and are starting to look like the team everyone thought they would be at the beginning of the season. And they have been doing this without All Star 3rd Baseman Aramis Ramirez who is out at least 4 more weeks with a dislocated shoulder. When healthy, the Cubs are the class of the NL Central - and should runaway with the division in the 2nd half.

Pitching Probables for the Series

Tues May 19, 2009 CHC (Lilly) @ STL (Pineiro)
Wed May 20, 2009 CHC (Dempster) @ STL (Carpenter)
Thurs May 21, 2009 CHC (Marshall) @ STL (Wainwright)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 18

SCOREBOARD
White Sox (15-22) 2 at Blue Jays (27-14) 3
W: Carlson (2-1) L: Dotel (1-1) S: Downs (5)

Rockies (15-22) 5 at Braves (18-19) 1
W: Marquis (5-3) L: Lowe (5-3)

Twins (18-21) 6 at Yankees (21-17) 7
W: Pettitte (4-1) L: Perkins (1-3) S: Coke (1)

Pirates (17-21) 12 at Nationals (11-26) 7
W: Ohlendorf (5-3) L: Mock (0-2)

Athletics (13-22) 4 at Rays (20-20) 13
W: Niemann (5-3) L: Gallager (1-2)

Diamondbacks (14-23) at Marlins (18-20) - POSTPONED

Brewers (24-14) 8 at Cardinals (21-17) 4
W: Looper (4-2) L: Lohse (3-3)

Angels (19-18) 10 at Mariners (18-21) 6
W: Lackey (1-0) L: Washburn (3-3)

Mets (21-17) 2 at Dodgers (27-13) 3 - F/11
W: Troncoso (1-0) L: Stokes (1-2)

HR LIST
Mark Teixeira 2 (10)
Kendry Morales 2 (8)
Ryan Zimmerman (10)
Russell Branyan (10)
Jim Thome (7)
Jack Cust (6)
Michael Cuddyer (4)
Alex Rodriguez (4)
Nick Johnson (4)
Colby Rasmus (3)
Craig Monroe (3)
Kevin Millar (2)
Skip Schumaker (2)
Denard Span (2)
Orlando Cabrera (2)
Juan Rivera (2)
Mat Gamel (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 17

SCOREBOARD
Athletics (13-21) 7 at Tigers (20-16) 11
W: Miner (3-1) L: Cahill (2-3)

Brewers (23-14) 8 at Cardinals (21-16) 2
W: Parra (3-4) L: Wellemeyer (3-4)

Twins (18-20) 2 at Yankees (20-17) 3 - F/10
W: Aceves (2-0) L: Crain (2-2)

Dodgers (26-13) 12 at Marlins (18-20) 5
W: Kershaw (2-3) L: Koronka (0-2)

White Sox (15-21) 2 at Blue Jays (26-14) 8
W: Halladay (8-1) L: Floyd (2-4)

Indians (14-25) 5 at Rays (19-20) 7
W: Sonnanstine (2-4) L: Huff (0-1) S: Percival (6)

Phillies (20-16) 8 at Nationals (11-25) 6
W: Escalona (1-0) L: Tavarez (0-3) S: Lidge (7)

Angels (18-18) 0 at Rangers (23-14) 3
W: Jennings (1-1) L: Weaver (3-2) S: O'Day (1)

Rockies (14-22) 4 at Pirates (16-21) 11
W: Duke (5-3) L: Embree (1-2)

Astros (17-19) 6 at Cubs (21-15) 5
W: Moehler (1-2) L: Harden (4-2) S: Sampson (1)

Orioles (16-22) 4 at Royals (20-18) 7
W: Cruz (3-0) L: Johnson (2-2)

Reds (20-17) 1 at Padres (16-22) 3
W: Peavy (3-5) L: Arroyo (5-3)

Red Soc (22-16) 2 at Mariners (18-20) 3
W: Aardsma (1-1) L: Ramirez (4-1)

Mets (21-16) 0 at Giants (19-18) 2
W: Cain (4-1) L: Pelfrey (4-1) S: Wilson (9)

Diamondbacks (14-23) at Braves (18-18) - POSTPONED

HR LIST
Ben Francisco 2 (4)
Alfonso Soriano (12)
Aaron Hill (11)
Curtis Granderson (10)
Johnny Damon (10)
Prince Fielder (9)
Russell Branyan (9)
Adam Lind (7)
Nate McLouth (7)
Cody Ross (6)
JD Drew (6)
Alex Rios (5)
Ivan Rodriguez (5) - 300th career HR
Derrek Lee (4)
Ramon Santiago (3)
Alex Rodriguez (3)
Chris Dickerson (2)
Kevin Kouzmanofff (2)
Orlando Cabrera (1)
Adam Kennedy (1)
Juan Castro (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 16

Interesting stat of the day, yesterday was the first day of the season that at least one player did not hit their first home run of the season.

SCOREBOARD
Brewers (22-14) 1 at Cardinals (21-15) 0
W: Suppan (3-3) L: Wainwright (3-2) S: Hoffman (9)

Twins (18-19) 4 at Yankees (19-17) 6 - F/11
W: Aceves (1-0) L: Breslow (1-2)

White Sox (15-20) 1 at Blue Jays (25-14) 2
W: Ray (1-1) L: Linebrink (1-2) S: Downs (4)

Indians (14-24) 2 at Rays (18-20) 4
W: Garza (4-2) L: Pavano (3-4) S: Nelson (2)

Astros (16-19) 4 at Cubs (21-14) 5
W: Marshall (2-2) L: Hawkins (1-1)

Angels (18-17) 3 at Rangers (22-14) 5
W: Padilla (3-2) L: Loux (2-3) S: Wilson (2)

Phillies (18-16) 8 at Nationals (11-23) 5
W: Myers (3-2) L: Olsen (1-4) S: Lidge (6)

Athletics (13-20) 1 at Tigers (19-16) 9
W: Porcello (4-3) L: Braden (3-5)

Mets (21-15) 9 at Giants (18-18) 6
W: Santana (5-2) L: Johnson (3-4) S: Putz (1)

Orioles (16-21) 3 at Royals (19-18) 2
W: Hill (1-0) L: Davies (2-2) S: Sherrill (7)

Dodgers (25-13) 3 at Marlins (18-19) 6
W: Miller (1-1) L: Weaver (2-1) S: Lindstrom (7)

Red Sox (22-15) 5 at Mariners (17-20) 3
W: Beckett (4-2) L: Olson (0-1) S: Papelbon (10)

Diamondbacks (14-23) 12 at Braves (18-18) 0
W: Scherzer (1-3) L: Kawakami (2-5)

Rockies (14-21) 4 at Pirates (15-21) 7
W: Burnett (1-1) L: Belisle (1-1) S: Capps (7)

Phillies (19-16) 7 at Nationals (11-24) 5
W: Carpenter (1-0) L: Cabrera (0-5) S: Condrey (1)

Reds (20-16) 5 at Padres (15-22) 6 - F/16
W: Perdomo (1-0) L: Owings (3-4)

HR LIST
Raul Ibanez 3 (13) - 2 HR in Game 1, 1 HR in Game 2
Justin Morneau (12)
Jay Bruce (11)
Jason Bay (11)
Ryan Zimmerman (9)
Mark Teixeira (8)
Carlos Lee (8)
Lance Berkman (8)
Ryan Howard (8)
Jayson Werth (7)
Joe Mauer (6)
Josh Willingham (6)
Nate McLouth (6)
Jason Varitek (5)
John Baker (5)
Corey Hart (4)
Micah Hoffpauir (4)
Clint Barmes (4)
Laynce Nix (3)
Edgar Gonzalez (3)
Aaron Rowand (3)
Alex Rodriguez (2)
Brian Giles (2)
BJ Upton (2)
Ryan Raburn (2)
Jeff Bailey (2)
Yuniesky Betancourt (2)
Chris Snyder (2)
Nick Hundley (2)

Kansas City Royals Preview

Well I'm back after studying for finals. There has not been much to be happy about for the Royals as of late. I'm writing this in the middle of a four game series against the Orioles where KC took lost the first one Thursday, and then won the game last night. Before that win the KC was 6-6 out the last 12, with a 6 game win streak to begin and a 6 game losing streak to end. Pitching was the main problem in the losses, minus Zack Greinke only giving up one where the offense decided to sit the game out. Speaking of Zack, he is up to 7-1 and his ERA has only jumped to a whopping .60. Mike Jacobs just keeps launching the ball over the fence, and last night saw the Royals finally pick up the offensive pace. While Detroit is technically tied with us now in the Central division, Kansas City looks to win more in these next few games. On a Bullpen update, because Joakim Soria was put on the DL, Luke Hochevar has come back from Triple-A Omaha and his first start was, well, horrendous. He was only in 2 innings and gave up 8 earned runs. The Royals lost 3-12 after keeping the previous 3 losses very close (including Greinke's 0-1 game). Now on to the rest of the series at Kauffman Stadium.

Game 3
Saturday May 16, 2009 at 6:10pm CT vs. Baltimore Orioles
KAN Kyle Davies (2-1), vs. BAL Rich Hill (1-0)

Game 4
Sunday May 17, 2009 at 1:10pm CT vs. Baltimore Orioles
KAN Luke Hochevar (0-1), vs. BAL Koji Uehara (2-3)


Hopefully Hochevar can regain his confidence after his last start, and the Royals can again start a multiple game win streak. After this series Kansas City will be up against the Indians who are last in the division but always seem to be a tough team to play. Then on to our National League rivals the St. Louis Cardinals on the 22nd to start some inter-league play.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 15

SCOREBOARD
Athletics (13-19) 1 at Tigers (18-16) 14
W: Jackson (3-2) L: Anderson (0-4)

Twins (18-18) 4 at Yankees (18-17) 5
W: Veras (2-1) L: Nathan (1-1)

Phillies (17-16) 10 at Nationals (11-22) 6 - F/12
W: Happ (2-0) L: Wells (0-1)

White Sox (15-19) 3 at Blue Jays (24-14) 8
W: Cecil (2-0) L: Danks (2-3)

Rockies (14-20) 3 at Pirates (14-21) 1
W: Embree (1-1) L: Capps (0-3) S: Street (5)

Indians (14-23) 7 at Rays (17-20) 8
W: Wheeler (1-0) L: Vizcaino (0-1)

Dodgers (25-12) 6 at Marlins (17-19) 4
W: Weaver (2-0) L: Volstad (2-3) S: Broxton (9)

Angels (18-16) 8 at Rangers (21-14) 10
W: Millwood (4-3) L: Saunders (5-2)

Diamondbacks (13-23) 3 at Braves (18-17) 4
W: Gonzalez (2-0) L :Pena (3-1)

Mets (20-15) 8 at Giants (18-17) 6
W: Stokes (1-1) L: Wilson (2-2) S: Rodriguez (11)

Reds (20-15) 3 at Padres (14-22) 5
W: Correia (1-2) L: Harang (3-4) S: Bell (9)

Red Sox (21-15) 4 at Mariners (17-19) 5
W: Jakubauskas (2-4) L: Lester (2-4) S: Aardsma (4)

Orioles (15-21) 1 at Royals (19-17) 8
W: Greinke (7-1) L: Eaton (2-4)

Brewers (21-14) at Cardinals (21-14) - POSTPONED (Rescheduled for Monday)

Astros (16-18) at Cubs (20-14) - POSTPONED (Rescheduled for July 30)

HR LIST
Justin Morneau 2 (11)
Ian Kinsler 2 (11)
Ichiro Suzuki 2 (4)
Adrian Gonzalez (15)
Brandon Inge (10)
Aaron Hill (10)
Jermaine Dye (8)
James Blake (8)
Mike Jacobs (8)
Ryan Howard (7)
Grady Sizemore (7)
Ben Zobrist (7)
Brad Hawpe (6)
Kendry Morales (6)
Joe Mauer (5)
Derek Jeter (5)
Shin-Soo Choo (5)
Cody Ross (5)
Josh Hamilton (5)
Joey Votto (5)
Paul Konerko (4)
Andruw Jones (4)
Chipper Jones (4)
Miguel Olivo (3)
Brett Gardner (2)
Stephen Drew (2)
Ryan Raburn (1)
BJ Upton (1)
Xavier Paul (1)
Erick Aybar (1)
Fred Lewis (1)

Cards/Brewers Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers open a 3 game series in St. Louis tonight in a battle of 1st place teams in the NL Central. The Birds come in with a record of 4-6 in their last 10 games and the Brewers have been insanely hot as of late, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. In those last 10 games, the Cardinals have given up at least 5 runs or more in 8 of those games...that quality starting pitching the Birds had in April has been missing for most of May. Plus the loss of Ryan Ludwick, Troy Glaus and Chris Carpenter hasn't helped the situation. Kyle Lohse will be on the mound in the opener against Yovani Gallardo; Adam Wainwright, who just hasn't been himself so far this season will pitch on Saturday afternoon against former Redbird Jeff Suppan. And then in the finale, Todd Wellemeyer will be oppeosed by Manny Parra.

The Cards should take the 1st two games of this series - and let's hope so, Wellemeyer is just horrible.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 14

SCOREBOARD
Tigers (15-16) 5 at Twins (18-17) 6
W: Breslow (1-1) L: Seay (0-1) S: Nathan (6)

Mariners (16-19) 2 at Rangers (20-14) 3
W: Harrison (4-2) L: Morrow (0-3)

Marlins (17-18) 3 at Brewers (21-14) 5
W: Bush (2-0) L: Badenhop (2-2) S: Hoffman (8)

Dodgers (24-12) 5 at Phillies (16-16) 3 - F/10
W: Broxton (4-0) L: Durbin (1-1) S: Troncoso (2)

Red Sox (21-14) 4 at Angels (18-15) 5 - F/12
W: Bulger (1-1) L: Delcarmen (1-1)

Yankees (17-17) 3 at Blue Jays (23-14) 2
W: Sabathia (3-3) L: Carlson (0-2) S: Rivera (7)

Indians (14-22) 11 at Rays (3-4) 7
W: Carmona (2-4) L: Shields (3-4)

Padres (13-22) 3 at Cubs (20-14) 11
W: Dempster (3-2) L: Gaudin (0-3)

Orioles (15-20) 9 at Royals (18-17) 5
W: Guthrie (3-3) L: Meche (2-4)

Astros (16-18) 5 at Rockies (13-20) 3
W: Rodriguez (4-2) L: Hammel (0-2) S: Hawkins (5)

Cardinals (21-14) 5 at Pirates (14-20) 1
W: Miller (1-0) L: Karstens (1-2)

Mets (19-15) 7 at Giants (18-16) 4
W: Parnell (2-0) L: Wilson (2-1) S: Rodriguez (10)

HR LIST
Adrian Gonzalez (14)
Hank Blalock (10)
Chris Davis (10)
Prince Fielder (8)
Aubrey Huff (7)
Carlos Lee (7)
Ben Zobrist (6)
Bill Hall (4)
Hideki Matsui (4)
Alex Rios (4)
Shin-Soo Choo (4)
Billy Butler (3)
Colby Rasmus (2)
James Loney (2)
Ross Gload (1)
Drew Macias (1)

Indians Travel to Tampa for a 4 Game Set

The Tampa Bay Rays will host the Cleveland Indians at Tropicana Field this weekend. These two teams are arguably two of the more disappointing teams in baseball so far this season. The Indians came into the 2009 season with the current Cy Young Award winner in Cliff Lee and also one of the top 5 overall talents in baseball, outfielder Grady Sizemore. But those two corner stone players has not constituted to success so far this year - the Indians are 13-22 and are in last place in the AL Central, 5 1/2 games behind division leading Kansas City Royals.

The Rays come into the 2009 season as American League Champions. And in my opinion, are much more of a disappointment than the Indians. The Rays have AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria, the best player in the playoffs in 2008, BJ Upton, and a starting staff with James Shields, Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza - all 3 of these guys could be aces on over half the teams in the league. The Rays are 16-19 and sit 6 1/2 games back of AL East division leader Toronto Blue Jays.

I would expect the Rays to take 3 out of 4 in the series and hope to get back into this division race before the end of May.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 13

SCOREBOARD
White Sox (15-18) 0 at Indians (13-22) 4
W: Lee (2-5) L: Buehrle (5-1)

Braves (17-17) 8 at Mets (18-15) 7 - F/12
W: Bennett (1-1) L: Takahashi (0-1) S: Gonzalez (6)

Nationals (11-21) 6 at Giants (18-15) 3
W: Martis (5-0) L: Zito (1-3) S: Wells (2)

Cardinals (20-14) 2 at Pirates (14-19) 5
W: Ohlendorf (4-3) L: Pineiro (4-3) S: Capps (6)

Rays (16-19) 8 at Orioles (14-20) 6
W: Niemann (3-3) L: Bergesen (1-1) S: Howell (1)

Dodgers (23-12) 9 at Phillies (16-15) 2
W: Wolf (2-1) L: Moyer (3-3)

Yankees (16-17) 8 at Blue Jays (23-13) 2
W: Pettitte (3-1) L: Richmond (4-2)

Mariners (16-18) 5 at Rangers (19-14) 6
W: Wilson (2-2) L: Morrow (0-2)

Marlins (17-17) 6 at Brewers (20-14) 8
W: Looper (3-2) L: Nolasco (2-4) S: Hoffman (7)

Padres (13-21) 4 at Cubs (19-14) 6
W: Lilly (5-2) L: Young (2-2) S: Marmol (3)

Tigers (17-15) 10 at Twins (17-17) 14 - F/13
W: Crain (2-1) L: Lyon (1-3)

Astros (15-18) 15 at Rockies (13-19) 11
W: Hampton (2-3) L: Marquis (4-3)

Reds (20-14) 10 at Diamondbacks (13-22) 3
W: Cueto (4-1) L: Augenstein (0-2)

Red Sox (21-13) 4 at Angels (17-15) 8
W: Palmer (4-0) L: Wakefield (4-2)

Royals (18-16) 2 at Athletics (13-18) 7
W: Outman (1-0) L: Bannister (3-1)

HR LIST
Adrian Gonzalez 2 (13)
Ryan Theriot 2 (5)
Alfonso Soriano (11)
Raul Ibanez (10)
Jason Bay (10)
Brandon Inge (9)
Justin Morneau (9)
Rickie Weeks (9)
Torii Hunter (9)
Russell Branyan (8)
Miguel Cabrera (8)
Victor Martinez (7)
James Blake (7)
Mike Jacobs (7)
Chris Iannetta (7)
Ian Stewart (7)
Mike Napoli (6)
Jason Bartlett (5)
Brain Roberts (5)
Joe Crede (5)
Jason Kubel (5)
Josh Hamilton (4)
Jeff Larish (4)
John Baker (4)
Ryan Garko (2)
Ty Wiggington (2)
Felix Pie (2)
Martin Prado (2)
Gary Sheffield (2)
Fernando Tatis (2)
Adrian Beltre (2)
Kenji Johjima (2)
Jimmy Rollins (2)
Skip Schumaker (1)
Brett Gardner (1)
James Loney (1)
Chris Coghlan (1)
Geovany Soto (1)
Augie Ojeda (1)
Gerardo Parra (1)

Can Duke keep this up?

In 2005, the Pirates called up a 22-year old starter who had put up dazzling numbers in the minors. In his minor league career up to that point, he was 43-17 with a 2.38 ERA. That player was Zach Duke, who was selected in the 20th round of the 2001 draft.

When the Bucs called him up from AA-Altoona in July of 2005, he was in the midst of a dazzling season with the Curve where he was 12-3 with a 2.92 ERA. What followed his call-up was even more astounding than what one could expect from those minor league stats.

His major league debut went ok as he gave up 3 ER in 7 innings against Milwaukee as he didn't factor into the decision. However, he followed that up with 4 straight starts without giving up an ER. By the end of the season he had made 14 starts and finished with an 8-2 record and miniscule 1.81 ERA. The Bucs had finally found their ace.

Or did they? The next season, Duke was not nearly as effective as his rookie season. He finished 10-15 with a 4.47 ERA. Not a bad season, but not what the Bucs were hoping for. The next year was worse as he was 3-8 and his ERA had ballooned to 5.53. He was also injured and missed about 2 months of the season. After getting healthy again in 2008 he won only 5 of his 31 starts and finished with a 4.82 ERA.

At this point after the '08 season, it seemed like we would never see anything that would come close to Duke's 2005 season from him again. Duke had basically established himself as a below average major league starter and what seemed like a fourth or fifth starter on an average team.

Pirates' GM Neal Huntington made it known at the beginning of spring training that Duke was among one of the Pirates' pitchers whose spot in the rotation was not yet solidified. Duke pitched well enough in spring training to be named the team's #3 starter. His 3.86 ERA in the spring really didn't represent how well Duke actually pitched. That ERA is only that high due to one really bad start.

With that being said, Pirates fans really were not expecting anything spectacular from Duke this season. I was hoping he would be able to post better numbers than last season, but if I had to project his stats for the season, I would have said something like 8 wins and an ERA of 4.50 or so.

This season, Duke has shown a total resurgence. He has made 7 starts and has not allowed more than one run in 5 of those starts. His record stands at 4-3. His win total this year matches his total from 2008 and is one better than 2007. He's pitched into the 6th inning of every single start, which is huge considering how awful the bullpen is. So what's different about Duke this year from his past few?

First and foremost, he is walking fewer batters. He is currently walking 1.98 batters per 9 innings, which is the best number he's posted in his career.

He's also striking out more batters. That number stands at 5.04 K/9. That's the highest number he's had since his 2005 season. 5.04 still isn't very good, the major league average is 6.89. But is is still a significant improvement from his previous 3 seasons.

The reason why Duke's strikeout numbers are so critical to his success is that throughout his career, hitters are batting .325 against him when they put the ball in play. The average pitcher's BABIP is usually around .305 or so. Basically, for Duke, the less balls players can make contact on, the better. In 2005, Duke's BABIP was .296...which is better than average. This season, that number is at .261...which is great.

Another stat that looks to be significantly improved for Duke is his HR/9. Currently he gives up .54 HR/9, which is his lowest since 2005. He's also sporting his lowest WHIP ([walks+hits]/IP) of his career at 1.08.

So...back to the original question. Can Duke keep this up? What jumps out to me right now is that Duke's BABIP is currently at .261 when his career average is .325. Is it possible he can keep it that low? Yes. But it's not likely. I expect that to move back towards the mean a little.

Even though I see Duke's BABIP going up, I think he can continue to avoid walks, continue to strike out hitters at his current pace, and avoid giving up the long ball. If he keeps doing what he's doing in those areas, he will put together a solid season.

His ERA is currently sitting at 2.52. Expect that to ultimately make its way into the mid 3 range. And if Duke can pitch an entire season with an ERA around 3.50, the fans, the team, and myself will be extremely happy.

Duke is still just 26 years old, which means he's entering the prime of his career as a starting pitcher. Hopefully we are starting to see the beginning of a nice stretch from Duke. Who knows...maybe he'll be a main piece of the rotation by the time the team's "window" will be open.

[Stats taken from Fangraphs and Baseball Reference] [photo: Pittsburgh Sports Report]

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 12

SCOREBOARD
Rays (15-19) 5 at Orioles (14-19) 7
W: Bass (2-1) L: Sonnanstine (1-4) S: Sherrill (6)

Cardinals (20-13) 1 at Pirates (13-19) 7
W: Duke (4-3) L: Wellemeyer (3-3)

White Sox (15-17) 7 at Indians (12-22) 4
W: Carrasco (1-0) L: Sowers (0-2) S: Jenks (8)

Dodgers (22-12) 3 at Phillies (16-14) 5
W: Park (1-1) L: Kershaw (1-3) S: Lidge (5)

Yankees (15-17) 1 at Blue Jays (23-12) 5
W: Halladay (7-1) L: Burenett (2-1)

Braves (16-17) 3 at Mets (18-14) 4 - F/10
W: Rodriguez (1-0) L: Bennett (0-1)

Mariners (16-17) 1 at Rangers (18-14) 7
W: Holland (1-1) L: Lowe (0-1)

Marlins (17-16) 3 at Brewers (19-14) 6
W: Parra (2-4) L: Koronka (0-1) S: Hoffman (6)

Tigers (17-14) 2 at Twins (16-17) 6
W: Slowey (5-1) L: Galarraga (3-3)

Padres (13-20) 2 at Cubs (18-14) 6
W: Harden (4-1) L: Peavy (2-5)

Astros (14-18) 1 at Rockies (13-18) 12
W: Jimenez (3-4) L: Paulino (1-3)

Reds (19-14) 3 at Diamondbacks (13-21) 1
W: Owings (3-3) L: Haren (3-4) S: Cordero (10)

Red Sox (21-12) 4 at Angels (16-15) 3
W: Ramirez (4-0) L: Shields (1-3) S: Papelbon (9)

Royals (18-15) 3 at Athletics (12-18) 12
W: Cahill (2-2) L: Hochevar (0-1)

Nationals (10-21) 7 at Giants (18-14) 9
W: Medders (2-1) L: Beimel (0-2)

HR LIST
Adam Jones 2 (8)
Prince Fielder 2 (7)
Jim Thome 2 (6)
Ian Stewart 2 (6)
Albert Pujols (13)
Adrian Gonzalez (11)
Aaron Hill (9)
Chris Davis (9)
Rickie Weeks (8)
Bengie Molina (8)
Mike Cameron (7)
Adam LaRoche (6)
Mike Jacobs (6)
Brandon Phillips (6)
JD Drew (5)
Brad Hawpe (5)
Jack Cust (5)
Milton Bradley (4)
Joe Crede (4)
Joe Mauer (4)
Todd Helton (4)
Josh Hamilton (3)
Jeff Larish (3)
Coco Crisp (3)
Nick Johnson (3)
Pablo Sandoval (3)
Jayson Nix (2)
Ramon Santiago (2)
Brandon Moss (1)
Bobby Scales (1)

29 Games and counting for Zimmerman

Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals has a 29 game hitting streak going into tonight's matchup versus the San Francisco Giants. Zimmerman will face Matt Cain tonight at AT&T Park in San Fran - Cain is 3-1 on the year with a 2.61 ERA. But this has not bothered Zimmerman at all through this streak. This hitting streak is legit - he has been getting hits in his 1st or 2nd at bat on a consistent basis every evening - the guy is just raking. The longest all time hitting streak is 56 games by Joe DiMaggio back in 1941. The NL record is held by Willie Keeler back in 1986/1897 - and the modern day NL record is held by Pete Rose when he had a hit in 44 consecutive games for the Cincinnati Reds and the Big Red Machine back in 1978.

If Zimmerman can get a hit tonight - he really has a chance to make this hitting streak go for a while more. His next few scheduled opposing pitchers are Barry Zito, Joe Blanton, Brett Myers, Chan Ho Park, Jamie Moyer and Ross Ohlendorf. None of those guys are dominant - Ryan really has a chance to make this hitting streak national news if he can get this thing to 35 or more games.

With all that said - I love seeing history - and if there are no cancellations, rainouts, etc and he doesn't get injured or sit any games out - he would tie Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak on June 10th at home against the Cincinnati Reds and could break it on Sunday afternoon against the Reds. Think about that though - he still has to go another full month without a 0fer - and that is just crazy talk...but good luck to you Mr. Zimmerman - I'm rooting for you.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 11

SCOREBOARD
White Sox (14-17) 4 at Indians (12-21) 9
W: Pavano (3-3) L: Floyd (2-3)

Braves (16-16) 8 at Mets (17-14) 3
W: Lowe (5-1) L: Santana (4-2)

Reds (18-14) 13 at Diamondbacks (13-20) 5
W: Arroyo (5-2) L: Garland (3-2)

Nationals (10-20) 7 at Giants (17-14) 11
W: Johnson (3-3) L: Cabrera (0-4) S: Wilson (8)

HR LIST
Ryan Zimmerman 2 (8)
Mark Reynolds (8)
Justin Upton (7)
Josh Willingham
Felipe Lopez (4)
Laynce Nix (2)
Adam Rosales (2)
Ronnie Belliard (1)

Rays/O's Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays make a quick 2 game trip into Baltimore to take on the Orioles starting on Tuesday evening. The Rays are coming from Boston where they dropped 2 out of 3 in the series, but they had won 3 in a row before that. So they are finally showing signs of getting rid of that World Series hangover as they have played much better as of late. Andy Sonnanstine (1-3, 5.79) will take the hill in the opener for the Rays and will be opposed by Mark Hendrickson (1-4, 5.13). And in the finale, Jeff Niemann (2-3, 5.65) will toe the rubber for the Rays against Brad Bergesen (1-0, 4.98).

Cards/Pirates Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals will finish up their 6 game road trip with a 3 game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The Cardinals just swept the Pirates in a 2 game series in St. Louis back on May 6th & 7th. The Cardinals will send Todd Wellemeyer (3-2, 4.75) to the hill in the opener against Zach Duke (3-3, 2.79). Wellemeyer was the National League pitcher of the month back in May 2008 - and the Redbirds are hoping he can continue that success in 2009. The Cardinals still lead the NL Central by 2 games over the Milwaukee brewers, but they are 4-5 so far this month.

The remaining pitching matchups for the series:

Wednesday May 13th

STL Joel Pineiro (4-2, 3.66)
vs.
PIT Ross Ohlendorf (3-3, 4.14)

Thursday May 14th

STL Mitchell Boggs (1-0, 3.50)
vs.
PIT Jeff Karstens (1-1, 5.19)

BLBB's Extra Innings Recap

Who's Hot
New York Mets
The Amazin's have won seven straight and eight of ten to move into first place in the NL East. They have taken a one game lead over the confusing Florida Marlins and begin a series with the Braves tonight (Lowe v Santana, 7:10 EST, ESPN). They took two of two from Atlanta at Turner Field last week and also swept a two game series with the Phillies at home on Wednesday and Thursday. Johan Santana has been good so far going 4-1 with a 0.91 ERA and 54 K's and Carlos Beltran has had a very strong early season.
HONORABLE MENTION: LA Dodgers (22-11); Boston Red Sox (20-12)

Ryan Zimmerman
The first Zimmerman to make a name for himself on the Nationals had a really good week. Well make that, he has had a really good 28 games. Zimmerman is currently on a 28 game hitting streak and has only failed to hit once in a game in this young season. He is hitting .488 with one HR and six RBIs in nine games this month and owns a .346 average, six bombs and 22 RBIs over the whole season. Good luck trying to get a hit now that I have jinxed you Ryan.
HONORABLE MENTION: Evan Longoria .358, 11 HR, 44 RBI; Ryan Braun .345, 8 HR, 28 RBI

Joe Saunders
The first man to beat Zack Greinke is almost entitiled to this slot am I right? In a classic pitcher's dual, Saunders and Greinke both went the distance with Greinke giving up one earned run, which was enough to lose the game with because Saunders shut out the Royals. In his two starts this month he has gone a total of 15.2 innings and has only given up two earned runs and struck out 13. The Angels will continue to count on him to get them through until Kelvim Escobar, John Lackey and Ervin Santana all return from their personal party, aka the DL.
HONORALBE MENTION: Zack Greinke (6-1), 0.51 ERA, 3 ER, 59 K's; Johan Santana (4-1), 0.91 ERA, 4 ER, 54K's

Who's Not
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates looked good for the first month of the season, sitting higher than expected in the NL Central for most of that time. But the first week of May has not been so kind. The Bucs are on an eight game skid and have lost nine of ten. They are now (12-19) and are already 7.5 games back of the division leading Cardinals (20-12). They have shown signs of life but will need to put it all together to make noise in the division.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Washington Nationals (10-19); Cleveland Indians (11-21)

Manny Ramirez
Manny, Manny, Manny. Where do we start? It's fair to say it has been a rough weekend for Manny. Manny was of course suspended for 50 games this week for violating the league's drug policy. Supposedly Manny took a female fertility drug called hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropinn. Anything with 'gonad' in it's name is not going inside of me. Manny had been playing well and leading the Dodgers to a great start but will not play again until July 3. Manny said he failed the drug test because of something in a prescription that his doctor gave him. For more Manny coverage and opinion, see the stories from earlier in the week. Manny Count: 9
DISHONORABLE MENTION: David Ortiz .224, 0 HR's, 14 RBI; BJ Upton .167, 0 HR, 3 RBI

Phil Hughes
Hughes will not be making an appearance on VH1's Best Week Ever anytime soon if he keeps playing like this. "This" is a week of (0-2) with 6 BB's, 2 K's and a 17.41 ERA. He only lasted 1 2/3 innings in his last start against the Orioles. People have talked about having him move into the fifth starter role and moving Joba to the bullpen, but I can assure you that will not be happenng yet. This week brings Hughes' totals to (1-2) with a 8.49 ERA and only 8 K's. I know he has only started three times, but this is not a good sign.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Scott Olsen (1-3), 7.00 ERA, 28 ER in 36.0 IP; Josh Beckett (3-2), 6.42 ERA, 20 BB's

STANDINGS
AL East
1. Blue Jays (22-12)
2. Red Sox (20-12)
3. Yankees (15-16)
4. Rays (15-18)
5. Orioles (13-19(

AL Central
1. Tigers (17-13)
2. Royals (18-14)
3. Twins (15-17)
4. White Sox (14-16)
5. Indians (11-21)

AL West
1. Rangers (17-14)
2. Angels (16-14)
3. Mariners (16-16)
4. Athletics (11-18)

NL East
1. Mets (17-13)
2. Marlins (17-15)
3. Phillies (15-14)
4. Braves (15-16)
5. Nationals (10-19)

NL Central
1. Cardinals (20-12)
2. Brewers (18-14)
3. Reds (17-14)
4. Cubs (17-14)
5. Astros (14-17)
6. Pirates (12-19)

NL West
1. Dodgers (22-11)
2. Giants (16-14)
3. Padres (13-19
4. Diamondbacks (13-19)
5. Rockies (12-18)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 10

SCOREBOARD
Braves (15-16) 4 at Phillies (15-14) 2
W: Kawakami (2-4) L: Taschner (1-1) S: Soriano (3)

Tigers (17-13) 5 at Indians (11-21) 3
W: Porcello (3-3) L: Reyes (1-1)

Cardinals (20-12) 8 at Reds (17-14) 7 - F/10
W: Fanklin (1-0) L: Cordero (0-2) S: Perez (1)

Pirates (12-10) 4 at Mets (17-13) 8
W: Hernandez (3-1) L: Snell (1-5)

Yankees (15-16) 5 at Orioles (13-19) 3
W: Chamberlain (2-1) L: Johnson (2-1)

Rangers (17-14) 7 at White Sox (14-16) 1
W: Padilla (2-2) L: Colon (2-3)

Cubs (17-14) 4 at Brewers (18-14) 2
W:Marshall (1-2) L: Suppan (2-3) S: Gregg (6)

Padres (13-19) 5 at Astros (14-17) 12
W: Oswalt (1-2) L: Geer (0-1)

Mariners (16-16) 5 at Twins (15-17) 3
W: Batista (2-0) L: Crain (1-1) S: Morrow (6)

Marlins (17-15) 2 at Rockies (12-18) 3
W: Cook (2-1) L: Volstad (2-2) S: Street (4)

Royals (18-14) 3 at Angels (16-14) 4
W: Shields (1-2) L: Wright (0-1) S: Fuentes (9)

Blue Jays (22-12) 5 at Athletics (11-18) 0
W: Cecil (1-0) L: Braden (3-4)

Giants (16-14) 7 at Dodgers (22-11) 5
W: Wilson (2-0) L: Mota (2-1)

Nationals (10-19) 8 at Diamondbacks (13-19) 10
W: Vasquez (1-1) L: Kensing (0-2) S: Qualls (8)

Rays (15-18) 3 at Red Sox (20-12) 4
W: Ramirez (3-0) L: Shouse (1-1) S: Papelbon (8)

HR LIST
Adam Dunn 2 (11)
Hank Blalock 2 (9)
Josh Willingham 2 (4)
Albert Pujols (12)
Jay Bruce (10)
Alfonso Soriano (10)
Adrian Gonzalez (10)
Johnny Damon (9)
Chris Davis (8)
Mark Teixeria (7)
Rickie Weeks (7)
Robinson Cano (6)
Aubrey Huff (6)
Carlos Lee (6)
James Blake (6)
Nate McLouth (5)
Troy Tuloqwitzki (5)
Joey Votto (4)
Jody Gerut (4)
Ivan Rodriguez (4)
Eric Byrnes (4)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (3)
Ken Griffey Jr. (3)
Jose Lopez (3)
Chase Headley (3)
Alex Rios (3)
Jeff Larish (2)
Miguel Tejada (2)
Micah Owings (1)
Adam Rosales (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 9

SCOREBOARD
Pirates (12-18) 1 at Mets (16-13) 10
W: Maine (3-2) L: Maholm (3-1)

Braves (14-16) 6 at Phillies (15-13) 2
W: Vazquez (3-3) L: Blanton (1-3)

Giants (15-14) 0 at Dodgers (22-10) 8
W: Stults (4-1) L: Sanchez (1-3)

Blue Jays (21-12) 6 at Athletics (11-17) 4
W: Tallet (2-1) L: Gallagher (1-1)

Rays (15-17) 14 at Red Sox (19-12) 5
W: Kazmir (4-3) L: Lester (2-3) S: Cormier (1)

Yankees (14-16) 5 at Orioles (13-18) 12
W: Eaton (2-3) L: Hughes (1-2)

Cubs (16-14) 6 at Brewers (18-13) 12
W: Gallardo (4-1) L: Dempster (2-2)

Padres (13-18) 4 at Astros (13-17) 5
W: Hawkins (1-0) L: Gregerson (0-3)

Rangers (16-14) 2 at White Sox (14-15) 3
W: Linebrink (1-1) L: Millwood (3-3) S: Jenks (7)

Tigers (16-13) 4 at Indians (11-20) 0
W: Jackson (2-2) L: Carmona (1-4)

Cardinals (19-13) 3 at Reds (17-13) 8
W: Harang (3-3) L: Lohse (3-2)

Mariners (15-16) 6 at Twins (15-16) 9
W: Liriano (2-4) L: Hernandez (4-2) S: Nathan (5)

Marlins (17-14) 3 at Rockies (11-18) 1
W: Johnson (3-0) L: Da La Rosa (0-3)

Nationals (10-18) 2 at Diamondbacks (12-19) 1
W: Lannan (2-3) L: Davis (2-5) S: Hanrahan (3)

Royals (18-13) 0 at Angels (15-14) 1
W: Saunders (5-1) L: Greinke (6-1)

HR LIST
Jason Giambi 2 (3)
Evan Longoria (11)
Chase Utley (10)
Jay Bruce (9)
Adam Dunn (9)
Raul Ibanez (9)
Ryan Ludwick (8)
Johnny Damon (8)
Nick Swisher (8)
Justin Morneau (8)
Ryan Braun (8)
Ryan Zimmerman (6)
Mark Teixeira (6)
Nick Markakis (6)
Adam Jones (6)
Carlos Beltran (6)
Lyle Overbay (5)
Aubrey Huff (5)
Brain McCann (3)
Yunel Escobar (3)
Michael Cuddyer (3)
Joe Mauer (3)
Micah Hoffpauir (3)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (2)
Mike Sweeney (2)
Julio Lugo (1)
Rocco Baldelli (1)
Lou Montanez (1)
Paul Maholm (1)
Adrian Beltre (1)
Craig Counsell (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 8

SCOREBOARD
Yankees (14-15) 4 at Orioles (12-18) 0
W: Sabathia (2-3) L: Guthrie (2-3)

Cardinals (19-11) 4 at Reds (16-13) 6
W: Cueto (3-1) L: Pineiro (4-2) S: Cordero (9)

Tigers (15-13) 1 at Indians (11-19) 0
W: Verlander (3-2) L: Lee (1-5)

Braves (13-16) 6 at Phillies (15-12) 10
W: Hamels (1-2) L: Reyes (0-2)

Rays (14-17) 3 at Red Sox (19-11) 7
W: Penny (3-1) L: Shields (3-3)

Pirates (13-17) 3 at Mets (15-13) 7
W: Parnell (1-0) L :Yates (0-2)

Mariners (15-15) 0 at Twins (14-16) 11
W: Baker (1-4) L: Jakubauskas (1-4)

Cubs (16-13) 2 at Brewers (17-13) 3
W: Stetter (2-0) L: Heilman (2-2) S: Hoffman (5)

Rangers (16-13) 6 at White Sox (13-15) 0
W: Harrison (3-2) L: Contreras (0-5)

Padres (13-17) 0 at Astros (12-17) 2
W: Rodriguez (3-2) L: Gaudin (0-2) S: Hawkins (4)

Royals (18-12) 1 at Angels (14-14) 4
W: Palmer (3-0) L: Meche (2-3) S: Fuentes (8)

Marlins (16-14) 8 at Rockies (11-17) 3
W: Nolasco (2-3) L: Hammel (0-1)

Blue Jays (20-12) 3 at Athletics (11-16) 5
W: Wuertz (2-1) L: Richmond (4-1) S: Bailey (1)

Nationals (9-18) 5 at Diamondbacks (12-18) 4
W: Martis (4-0) L: Petit (0-3) S: Wells (1)

Giants (15-13) 3 at Dodgers (21-10) 1
W: Zito (1-2) L: Billingsley (5-1) S: Wilson (7)

HR LIST
Chase Utley (9)
Jason Bay (9)
Adam Dunn (8)
Justin Morneau (7)
Ryan Braun (7)
Jayson Werth (6)
Hanley Ramirez (6)
JJ Hardy (5)
JD Drew (4)
Carlos Delgado (4)
Howie Kendrick (4)
Troy Tulowitzki (4)
Jesus Flores (4)
Milton Bradley (3)
John Baker (3)
Rod Barajas (3)
Casey Kotchman (2)
Joe Mauer (2)
Brendan Harris (2)
Ryan Sweeney (2)
Alex Rodriguez (1)
Tyler Greene (1)
Omar Infante (1)
Chris Coste (1)
Brian Buscher (1)

Could the Manny Suspension be Good for the Dodgers?

Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended by Major League Baseball today for 50 games for using hCG, a women's fertility drug. This is a huge hit to the whole LA Dodgers organization. But I think this may be a silver lining for the Dodgers.

Yes, they lose a guy who makes their whole lineup better from top to bottom. The front office loses their biggest marketing tool within Dodger Stadium. But here is why this could be a good thing in the long run. The Dodgers do not have to pay Manny for 50 games, which puts them right around the All-Star break. It's not like LA doesn't have a quality lineup without Manny - and they are in a division that is winnable without their star outfielder. They still have Orlando Hudson, Matt kemp, Andre Ethier and Russell Martin. Their staff still has Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw - a very good 1-2 punch.

Also a good thing - Manny will be healthy for the stretch drive and will only have to play a limited amount of games during the dog days of summer. So, when he comes back - he is going to be 100% - and that will be scary for everyone in the NL West. Plus, with the Dodgers saving around $8-$10 million dollars by not having to pay Manny - this team can now go out and add either another quality starter to an already deep starting staff, or strengthen a bullpen that looks like has a big time stopper in Jonathan Broxton. And who knows, with the economy the way it is - they might be able to go out and add a big time impact bat to add to the lineup - how much scarier can that lineup get?

So if the Dodgers can stay in the race through the All-Star break - I think this team will be an even greater favorite to come out of the National League and go to the World Series.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 7

SCOREBOARD
Mariners (15-14) 1 at Royals (16-11) 3
W: Bannister (3-0) L: Washburn (3-2) S: Soria (7)

Pirates (12-16) 2 at Cardinals (19-10) 5
W: Wellemeyer (3-2) L: Ohlendorf (3-3) S: Franklin (9)

Rangers (15-13) 4 at Athletics (10-16) 9
W: Cahill (1-2) L: McCarthy (3-1)

Braves (13-15) at Marlins (15-14) 2
W: Jurrjens (3-2) L: Sanchez (1-4) S: Gonzalez (5)

Twins (13-16) 4 at Orioles (12-17) 5
W: Johnson (2-0) L: Mijares (0-1) S: Sherrill (5)

Giants (14-13) 8 at Rockies (11-16) 3
W: Cain (3-1) L: Marquis (4-2)

Indians (11-18) 3 at Red Sox (18-11)13
W: Wakefield (4-1) L: Sowers (0-1)

Diamondbacks (12-17) 3 at Padres (13-16) 4 - F/10
W: Meredith (4-0) L: Vasquez (0-1)

Rays (14-16) 8 at Yankees (13-15) 6
W: Shouse (1-0) L: Rivera (0-1) S: Nelson (1)

Brewers (16-13) 5 at Reds (15-13) 6
W: Owings (2-3) L: Looper (2-2) S: Cordero (8)

Tigers (14-13) 0 at White Sox (13-14) 6
W: Buehrle (5-0) L: Galarraga (3-2)

Phillies (14-12) 5 at Mets (14-13) 7
W: Pelfrey (4-0) L: Moyer (3-2) S: Rodriguez (9)

Blue Jays (20-11) 1 at Angels (13-14) 6
W: Weaver (3-1) L: Ray (0-1)

Cubs (16-12) 8 at Astros (11-17) 5
W: Lilly (4-2) L: Ortiz (2-1)

Nationals (8-18) 11 at Dodgers (21-9) 9
W: Villone (1-0) L: Wade (0-2)

HR LIST
Evan Longoria 2 (10)
Alfonso Soriano 2 (9)
Bengie Molina 2 (7)
Hanley Ramirez 2 (5)
Carlos Pena (13)
Jason Bay (8)
Jay Bruce (8)
Aaron Hill (8)
Chris Davis (7)
Johnny Damon (7)
Ryan Howard (6)
Ben Zobrist (5)
Jayson Werth (5)
Kendry Morales (5)
Carlos Beltran (5)
Mike Napoli (5)
Jack Cust (4)
Matt Holliday (4)
Aubrey Huff (4)
Brad Hawpe (4)
Ian Stewart (4)
Jason Bartlett (4)
AJ Pierzynski (4)
Matt Kemp (4)
David Ross (3)
Hideki Matsui (3)
David Wright (3)
Melvin Mora (2)
Jose Reyes (2)
Josh Willingham (2)
Jason LaRue (1)
Robinzon Diaz (1)
Casey Kotchman (1)
Carl Crawford (1)
Willy Taveras (1)
Jayson Nix (1)
Miguel Tejada (1)

Manny Ramirez Suspended for 50 Games for Drug Violation

Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games this afternoon after the MLB revealed that Ramirez had failed a recent drug test. Manny had this to say when responding to the suspension:

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me," Ramirez said. "Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now."

Ramirez has waived his right to challange the suspension and will lose out on a substantial chunk of his $25 million salary. His return could be on I believe July 3rd.

This is a pretty big story if you ask me and it is more significant to me than the Alex Rodriguez steroids story. In February A-Rod was said to have used steroids while playing for the Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003. Despite what has been written about him in a recent book, the fact that the steroids were confirmed in the past is what makes Manny's issue different. Manny is the first star player to be busted while being a huge peice of the puzzle for his team. I know Palmeiro was busted but he was on his downside then. Manny has been playing great starting when he was traded to the Dodgers and continuing through this season. So far he was hitting .348 with 6 HR's and 20 RBI's to help the Dodgers jump to the best record in baseball.

The commisioner's office did not say specifically what Ramirez's drug violation was about. I find it hard to believe that so many people who deny steroids all go to doctors that give them medication that has something illegal in it without knowing. Maybe doctors really don't know but it just seems sketchy to me. Anyway, Manny is done for 50 games and now we will find out how good Orlando Hudson, Andre Ethier, and the rest of the LA Dodgers really are.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 6

SCOREBOARD
Pirates (12-15) 2 at Cardinals (18-10) 4
W: McClellan (2-1) L: Duke (3-3) S: Franklin (8)

Brewers (16-12) 15 at Reds (14-13) 3
W: Parra (1-4) L: Arroyo (4-2)

Giants (13-13) 1 at Rockies (11-15) 11
W: Jimenez (2-4) L: Johnson (2-3)

Indians (11-17) 9 at Red Sox (17-11) 2
W: Pavano (2-3) L: Masterson (2-2) S: Laffey (1)

Phillies (14-11) 0 at Mets (13-13) 1
W: Santana (4-1) L: Eyre (0-1) S: Rodriguez (8)

Mariners (15-13) 1 at Royals (17-11) 9
W: Ponson (1-4) L: Silva (1-3)

Braves (12-15) 8 at Marlins (15-13) 6
W: Lowe (4-1) L: Taylor (0-2) S: Gonzalez (4)

Cubs (15-12) 6 at Astros (11-16) 3
W: Harden (3-1) L: Hampton (1-3) S: Gregg (5)

Rays (13-16) 4 at Yankees (13-14) 3 - F/10
W: Balfour (1-0) L: Coke (1-2) S: Percival (5)

Twins (13-15) 1 at Orioles (11-17) 4
W: Bass(1-1) L: Slowey (4-1)

Blue Jays (20-10) 13 at Angels (12-14) 1
W: Halladay (6-1) L: Ortega (0-2)

Diamondbacks (12-16) 3 at Padres (12-16) 1
W: Garland (3-1) L: Peavy (2-4) S: Qualls (7)

Rangers (15-12) 3 at Athletics (9-16) 2
W: Feldman (2-0) L: Giese (0-3) S: Francisco (9)

Nationals (7-18) 3 at Dodgers (21-8) 10
W: Kershaw (1-2) L: Cabrera (0-3)

Tigers (14-12) at White Sox (12-14) - POSTPONED

HR LIST
Justin Upton 2 (6)
Carlos Pena (12)
Albert Pujols (11)
Jorge Cantu (8)
Jay Bruce (7)
Lance Berkman (7)
Aaron Hill (7)
Ryan Braun (6)
Mark DeRosa (6)
Victor Martinez (6)
Prince Fielder (5)
Brandon Phillips (5)
Luke Scott (5)
Nick Markakis (5)
Vernon Wells (5)
JJ Hardy (4)
Mark Teahan (4)
Aramis Ramirez (4)
Lyle Overbay (4)
Todd Helton (3)
Jesus Flores (3)
Yorvit Torrealba (2)
Elvis Andrus (2)
Matt Murton (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 5

The Dodgers tied an MLB mark last night by starting 12-0 at home this season. Not too bad.

SCOREBOARD
Indians (10-17) 6 at Blue Jays (19-10) 10
W: Wolfe (1-0) L: Chulk (0-1)

Astros (11-15) 10 at Nationals (7-17) 10 - SUSPENDED in 11th

Orioles (10-17) 3 at Rays (12-16) 6
W: Garza (3-2) L: Uehara (2-3) S: Percival (4)

Giants (13-12) 6 at Cubs (14-12) 2
W: Lincecum (3-1) L: Marshall (0-2)

Rangers (14-12) 7 at Mariners (15-12) 2 - F/10
W: O'Day (1-0) L: Stark (0-1)

Mets (12-13) 4 at Braves (11-15) 3
W: Hernandez (2-1) L: Kawakami (1-4) S: Rodriguez (7)

Twins (13-14) 0 at Tigers (14-12) 9
W: Porcello (2-3) L: Blackburn (2-2)

Brewers (15-12) 8 at Pirates (12-14) 5
W: Suppan (2-2) L: Snell (1-4) S: Villaneuva (3)

Red Sox (17-10) 7 at Yankees (13-13) 3
W: Beckett (3-2) L: Chamberlain (1-1)

Reds (14-12) 7 at Marlins (15-12) 0
W: Volquez (4-2) L: Volstad (2-1)

White Sox (14-12) 7 at Royals (16-11) 8 - F/11
W: Cruz (2-0) L: Broadway (0-1)

Phillies (14-10) 10 at Cardinals (17-10) 7
W: Myers (2-2) L: Wainwright (3-1)

Angels (12-13) 5 at Athletics (9-15) 3
W: Loux (2-2) L: Braden (3-3) S: Fuentes (7)

Rockies (10-15) 1 at Padres (12-15) 2 - F/10
W: Bell (1-0) L: Daley (0-1)

Diamondbacks (11-16) 1 at Dodgers (20-8) 3
W: Weaver (1-0) L: Scherzer (0-3) S: Broxton (8)

HR LIST
Albert Pujols (10)
Curtis Granderson (9)
Nelson Cruz (7)
Miguel Cabrera (7)
Jason Bay (7)
Jermaine Dye (7)
Ryan Ludwick (7)
Adam Lind (6)
Johnny Damon (6)
Chris Iannetta (6)
Bengie Molina (5)
Mike Jacobs (5)
Elijah Dukes (4)
Brian Roberts (4)
Brandon Phillips (4)
Jayson Werth (4)
Shane Victorino (4)
Scott Rolen (3)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (3)
Freddy Sanchez (3)
Yadier Molina (3)
Matt Holliday (3)
Josh Fields (2)
Alberto Callaspo (2)
Cristian Guzman (1)
Gregg Zaun (1)

BLBB's Extra Innings Recap

Who's Hot
LA Dodgers (19-8)
Let's go ahead and recognize the team with the best record in baseball this week. The Dogers currently own first place in the NL West, and by a healthy margin of 5.5 games over San Francisco. Manny Ramirez, Orlando Hudson, and Andre Ethier have all been having great seasons in just over a month of games. They helped lead the Dodgers to an 11-0 record at home so far this season and are currently riding a five game winning streak. This division could get very ugly very quick.
HONORABLE MENTION: St. Louis Cardinals (17-9); Kansas City Royals (15-11)

Manny Ramirez
It's hard at this point to pick a player who has done well over the week but I'll go with Manny this week after he went 10-22 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI's. His season average is right around .360 and he has been a huge part of leading the Dodgers to the best record in baseball so far this season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Raul Ibanez .344, 8 HR, 21 RBI; Evan Longoria .360, 8 HR, 31 RBI

Zack Greinke
Dear Zack, I'm sorry I didn't pick you last week. I just wanted to have a little diver.....Yes sir, I'm sorry. This kid is unconcious. If you haven't heard about the way he has been pitching you must have been living under a rock. I mean, no big deal that he is leading the league with six wins (in six starts as well) with three of those being complete games. The has put up zeros in 42 of the 45 innings he has pitched. I'm really not sure if you can even do that on MLB: The Show. Greinke has also amassed 54 K's and that amazing 0.40 ERA. Solid.
HONORABLE MENTION: Scott Richmond (4-0), 2.67 ERA, 26 K's; Trevor Hoffman 4 saves since returning

Who's Not
San Diego Padres
1-9 over the last ten games was enough for them to squeak this out over the Athletics and, of course, the Nationals. Just a week and a half ago the Padres were playing well coming of a series win to open Citi Field in New York. Adrian Gonzalez was mashing the ball and the Pads were a bit of surprise. Well they have started to come back down to Earth and look to be settling into the spot they will be for the whole season. Good signs from Heath Bell in the closer role so far this season.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Washington Nationals (7-17); Oakland Athletics (9-14)

B.J. Upton
A relatively easy choice this week. Upton is hitting way below the Mendoza line at .152 and has only hit safely 12 times. His home run account is still closed and his RBI's total two, which is two more than my total, by still is disappointing. I think it's safe to say Tampa is disappointed with their start so far this season and Upton's lack of production factor into that.
DISHONORALBE MENTION: Dioner Navarro .160, 1 HR, 3 RBI; Brandon Phillips .205, 3 HR, 11 RBI

Sidney Ponson
Not like this wasn't too expected. Five starts for Ponson this season and he is winless in all of them. His (0-4) record and 7.16 ERA are not positive for KC as they look to contend in the AL Central this year. He's only struck out 18 and has given up 22 ER in 27.2 IP.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4), 6.58 ERA, 19 BB's; Fausto Carmona (1-3), 6.11 ERA

STANDINGS
AL East
1. Blue Jays (18-10)
2. Red Sox (16-10)
3. Yankees (13-12)
4. Rays (11-16)
5. Orioles (10-16)

AL Central
1. Royals (15-11)
2. Tigers (13-12)
3. Twins (13-13)
4. White Sox (12-13)
5. Indians (10-16)

AL West
1. Mariners (15-11)
2. Rangers (13-12)
3. Angels (11-13)
4. Athletics (9-14)

NL East
1. Marlins (15-11)
2. Phillies (13-10)
3. Mets (11-13)
4. Braves (11-14)
5. Nationals (7-17)

NL Central
1. Cardinals (17-9)
2. Cubs (14-11)
3. Brewers (14-12)
4. Reds (13-12)
5. Pirates (12-13)
6. Astros (11-15)

NL West
1. Dodgers (19-8)
2. Giants (12-12)
3. Diamondbacks (11-15)
4. Padres (11-15)
5. Rockies (10-14)