Sunday NHL finale and MLB action (Sun./Mon.) (cop-out)

Sunday would put a wrap on the NHL regular season with the final five games, beginning with the...

Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Corey Crawford played in goal. Chicago led off with a Michael Frolik tally, his eleventh of the season coming from Patrick Kane. Detroit answered with a Tomas Holmstrom goal, his 18th of the year going down unassisted. Pavel Datsyuk put the Red Wings in front with his 23rd of the season, with help from Danny Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi. Detroit extended their lead with Drew Miller sinking his tenth of the campaign, assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler. The Blackhawks replied on a Brent Seabrook marker, his ninth of the year, fueled by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Viktor Stalberg. Cleary got the goal back for the Red Wings with his 26th of the season, guided in by Bertuzzi and Brian Rafalski. Chicago made it 4-3 with a Duncan Keith goal, his seventh of the year, helped in by Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, but the lack of further offense stuck them with a loss. Datsyuk, Seabrook, and Cleary were the three stars.

Next up, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Johan Hedberg took to the blue paint. New Jersey took the early lead with Patrik Elias sinking his 21st of the season, courtesy of Brian Rolston and Henrik Tallinder. Boston tied it with Rich Peverley recording his 18th of the campaign, assisted by Michael Ryder and Andrew Ference. The Devils retook the lead in the third period with Vladimir Zharkov recording his second of the year, with help from Anssi Salmela. New Jersey extended the lead with Alexander Urbom netting his first of the season, helped along by Jacob Josefson and David Clarkson. The Bruins made it 3-2 with a Chris Kelly goal from Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk, but they only had four seconds left in the game, thus they lost. Zharkov, Urbom, and Hedberg (24 for 26 saves) were the three stars.

Out to Colorado, with the Avalanche hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Peter Budaj took to the nets. Edmonton opened up with Teemu Hartikainen netting his third of the season on the power play from Linus Omark and Kurtis Foster. Colorado answered with Ryan O'Reilly sinking his 13th of the year, thanks to David Jones and Daniel Winnik. Fifty seconds later, the Avalanche took the lead with the unassisted sixth of the season by Philippe Dupuis. The Oilers retied the game in the second period with Foster's eighth of the year, a power play goal powered by Magnus Paajarvi and Omark. Edmonton got in front with Lian Reddox sinking his first of the season, assisted by Ryan O'Marra. Milan Hejduk retied it for Colorado in the third period on his 22nd of the year, a power play goal made possible by Matt Duchene and Jones. The tie lasted into overtime, where the Avalanche took the 4-3 win over the Oilers with a power play goal by Jones, his 27th of the campaign getting help from Duchene and Hejduk. Longtime Av Adam Foote, Hejduk, and Jones were the three stars. Congratulations to Foote on a good career and may he enjoy retirement.

South and east to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Chris Mason went out and blocked pucks. Atlanta opened with Andrew Ladd's 29th of the season on the power play, with assists by Bryan Little and Nik Antropov. Pittsburgh tied it with a second period power play goal by Tyler Kennedy, his 21st of the year powered by Matt Niskanen and Ben Lovejoy. The Penguins got the lead on the 17th of the season, thanks to Max Talbot and Lovejoy. Michael Rupp kept Pittsburgh going with his ninth of the year, assisted by Eric Godard and Lovejoy, the latter wrapping up a sock trick. Mark Letestu also scored for the Penguins, with his 14th of the season gathering steam off Eric Tangradi and Alex Kovalev. The Thrashers got a goal back with Tim Stapleton sinking his fifth of the campaign on the power play via Antropov and Ron Hainsey. Pittsburgh wrapped it up 5-2 with Mike Comrie scoring his first of the year into the empty twine, helped in by Pascal Dupuis and Niskanen. The three stars went to Lovejoy, Dupuis, and Ladd.

The last game of the regular season was in Minnesota, with the Wild hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jose Theodore played in the creases. Minnesota opened on a Brad Staubitz goal, his fourth of the season made possible by Brent Burns and Carson McMillan. Dallas answered with Brad Richards' 28th of the year, with help from Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn. The Stars took the lead with a Brenden Morrow power play goal, his 33rd of the season powered by Eriksson and Alex Goligoski. The Wild retied it with Jared Spurgeon on the power play, his fourth of the year guided in by Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu. Minnesota took the lead with the first of the season by Colton Gillies, thanks to Kyle Brodziak and Chuck Kobasew. Dallas tied it yet again with another power play goal, Goligoski's 14th of the year, assisted by Eriksson and Richards. The Wild gained the lead again with Antti Miettinen netting his 16th of the season, helped along by Brunette and Koivu. Pierre-Marc Bouchard netted the last goal of the year, his 12, into an empty net, with assistance from Cal Clutterbuck and Greg Zanon. With the 5-3 final for Minnesota, Gillies, Spurgeon, and Eriksson took home the three stars.

Baseball scores on Yahoo! scores and schedules page because I'm pressed for time. Here's what Sunday and Monday look like. Sunday and Monday are in the links.

Fantasy Hockey All-Stars finale and Fantasy Baseball All-Stars Week 1

This period of time here is the overlap between the two seasons of hockey and baseball. We'll start with the just concluded hockey season and the championship week all stars:

Center: Jason Spezza, 2 goals, 5 assists, +3, 2 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Left Wing: Alex Ovechkin, 2 goals, 2 assists, +2, 0 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 18 shots on goal
Right Wing: Loui Eriksson, 3 goals, 4 assists, +2, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 13 shots on goal
Defenseman: Brent Seabrook, 2 goals, 3 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 13 shots on goal
Goaltender: Jaroslav Halak, 2 wins, 0.50 goals against average, 50 saves, .980 save percentage, 1 shutout

As you can see, a bit lower than recent weeks on the scoring and such. Right wing was a productive area especially, while defenseman was very weak, as Seabrook was the 32nd best player of the last week. As an added bonus, your top performers both overall and by category follows:

Center: Steven Stamkos, 45 goals, 46 assists, +3, 74 penalty minutes, 36 power play points, 272 shots on goal
Left Wing: Daniel Sedin, 41 goals, 63 assists, +30, 32 penalty minutes, 42 power play points, 266 shots on goal
Right Wing: Corey Perry, 50 goals, 48 assists, +9, 104 penalty minutes, 31 power play points, 290 shots on goal
Defenseman: Dustin Byfuglien, 20 goals, 33 assists, -2, 93 penalty minutes, 24 power play points, 347 shots on goal
Goaltender: Tim Thomas, 35 wins, 2.00 goals against average, 1699 saves, .938 save percentage, 9 shutouts

Goals: Corey Perry (50), Steven Stamkos (45), Jarome Iginla (43)
Assists: Henrik Sedin (75), Martin St. Louis (68), Daniel Sedin (63)
+/-: Zdeno Chara (33), Toni Lydman, David Backes, Kevin Bieksa (32)
Penalty Minutes: Zenon Konopka (307), Chris Neil (210), Theo Peckham (198)
Power Play Points: Daniel Sedin (42), Martin St. Louis (41), Nicklas Lidstrom (39)
Shots on Goal: Alex Ovechkin (367), Dustin Byfuglien (347), Jeff Carter (335)
Wins: Roberto Luongo and Carey Price (38), Cam Ward, Jimmy Howard, and Miikka Kiprusoff (37)
Goals Against Average: Tim Thomas (2.00), Roberto Luongo (2.11), Pekka Rinne (2.12)
Saves: Cam Ward (2191), Carey Price (1982), Ilya Bryzgalov (1957)
Save Percantage: Tim Thomas (.938), Pekka Rinne (.930), Cory Schneider (.929)
Shutouts: Henrik Lundqvist (11), Tim Thomas (9), Carey Price (8)

A lot of data there to process for you all, but that would be like a huge all-star list, except for penalty minutes which is irrelevant in the real game. Now for the baseball in its first week

Catcher: Russell Martin, 5 runs, 9 hits, 3 home runs, 8 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, .300 average, .344 on base percentage
First Base: Joey Votto, 12 runs, 15 hits, 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, 1 stolen base, .455 average, .548 on base percentage
Second Base: Howie Kendrick, 9 runs, 14 hits, 4 home runs, 4 RBIs, 0 stolen bases, .389 average, .488 on base percentage
Third Base: Scott Rolen, 9 runs, 9 hits, 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, 0 stolen bases, .290 average, .314 on base percentage
Shortstop: Willie Bloomquist, 8 runs, 13 hits, 1 home run, 5 RBIs, 6 stolen bases, .394 average, .429 on base percentage
Outfield: Jose Tabata, 11 runs, 13 hits, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, 5 stolen bases, .342 average, .457 on base percentage
Starting Pitcher: Jered Weaver, 20.2 innings pitched 3 wins, 27 strikeouts, 0.87 earned run average, 0.87 WHIP
Relief Pitcher: Neftali Feliz, 5.1 innings pitched, 3 saves, 4 strikeouts, 0 holds, 0 earned run average, 0.19 WHIP

That's a lot more for baseball. I wish you all well on your seasons. In hockey, I ended up taking four first places, four second places, and two third places. Half of my teams in the top three is a beautiful thing.

Song of the Week XV

This week we pull off a heavy metal song from the band Drowning Pool. This song comes from their album Desensitized, and the track is called Hate. As the title implies, there is a strong amount of anger in the song. The vocals are screamed as opposed to the cleaner singing found throughout the rest of their works. This is because of the singer at the time, Jason Jones, who brought his own style for the one album he worked on. This album is generally considered to be their weakest one, but it's simply unique, which fits with the dynamic transformations the band has gone through during their career. This feature will run again next week.

Sandwich Showdown XIV

This week we have a Roast Beef on Roasted Garlic going against a Chicken on Herbs and Cheese. The Roast Beef opened with a strong taste and a nice kick. Being toasted gave it an advantage in heartiness. The Chicken answered back with its only brand of warmth. It also had a flavorful blast to add a dynamic to the competition. This one was one of the closer ones we've seen, but the Chicken just barely takes the showdown this week. This feature will run next weekend as well.

Saturday Sports, full coverage

I may regret trying this, but I will attempt all sports coverage for Saturday. Beginning with hockey, we start in New York...

With the Rangers hosting the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist played in front of the goals. New Jersey opened the scoring on a Nick Palmieri goal, his ninth of the season created by Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. New York replied with a Chris Drury goal, his first of the year, assisted by Erik Christensen and Mats Zuccarello. Kovalchuk put the Devils back in front with his 31st of the campaign, with helpers by Andy Greene and Anssi Salmela. The Rangers tied it back up in the second period with Wojtek Wolski notching his 12th of the season, guided in by Ruslan Fedotenko and Mike Sauer. Ryan McDonagh put New York in the lead with his first of the year, fueled by Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik. Brandon Prust continued the run for the Rangers, his 13th of the season getting assistance from Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan. New York wrapped up a 5-2 win with a Prospal goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Artem Anisimov and Dan Girardi. McDonagh, Drury, and Prospal were the three stars.

Into Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Ottawa Senators. Curtis McElhinney and Tim Thomas got the starts. Daniel Paille put Boston up front early with his sixth of the season, assisted by Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Ottawa tied it with Bobby Butler recording his tenth of the year, from Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza. The Bruins retook the lead in the second period on a power play goal by Nathan Horton, his 26th of the season, powered by Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic. Boston made it a 3-1 game, the eventual final, with an unassisted goal by Rich Peverley, his 17th of the year. Thomas (31 for 32 saves), Horton, and Peverley were the three stars.

Down to Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun played goal for the game. Florida opened the scoring in the third period with Bill Thomas sinking his fourth of the campaign, with Patrick Rissmiller and Tim Kennedy picking up the assists. This would be the only goal, with Vokoun (28 save shutout), Thomas, and Neuvirth (22 for 23 saves) taking the three stars.

Into Carolina, where Hurricanes hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning for a chance in the playoffs. Mike Smith and Cam Ward tended the twines. Tampa Bay opened with a Dominic Moore tally, his 18th of the season, guided in by Steve Downie and Marc-Andre Bergeron. The Lightning extended their lead with Vincent Lecavalier netting his 25th of the year, with help from Martin St. Louis. Tampa Bay kept rolling with Steven Stamkos finally scoring his 45th of the season, with Teddy Purcell and Simon Gagne providing the help. The Lightning continued on in the second period with Brett Clark potting his ninth of the year, assisted by Lecavalier and St. Louis. Carolina finally put a dent in the scoreboard with Cory Stillman netting his 12th of the season, a power play goal powered by Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes pulled a little closer on Chad LaRose's 16th of the year, from Brandon Sutter and Jamie McBain. Tampa Bay pulled back away with an empty netter from Gagne, his 17th of the season, fueled by Nate Thompson. The Lightning secured victory 6-2 with St. Louis putting his 31st of the year away into empty twine, thanks to Purcell and the goalie Smith. Smith (42 for 44 saves and an assist), Lecavalier, and St. Louis took the three stars.

Over to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller opposed Steve Mason for half the game, before Jhonas Enroth took over the twine. The scoring began in the second period with Derek Dorsett netting his fourth of the season for Columbus, assisted by Samuel Pahlsson and Chris Clark. Buffalo matched this with a Jason Pominville goal, his 22nd of the year, guided in by Steve Montador and Brad Boyes. The Sabres took the lead with Chris Butler scoring his second of the season, thanks to Paul Gaustad and Mark Mancari. Tyler Ennis extended the Buffalo lead with his 20th of the year, helped in by Boyes. The Blue Jackets got back within a goal on Jared Boll sinking his seventh of the campaign, fueled by Matt Calvert and Derek MacKenzie. Columbus retied it in the third period with Kristian Huselius netting his 13th of the season, with help from Antoine Vermette and Sami Lepisto. The Sabres got the lead back with Drew Stafford's 31st of the year, a power play goal made possible by Pominville and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Gaustad bolstered the Buffalo lead with his 12th of the season, also on the power play, powered by Boyes and Tyler Myers, the former making a sock trick. Huselius tallied to make it a 5-4 deficit for the Blue Jackets with twenty-three seconds remaining, his 14th of the year and second of the game on the power play coming off of Grant Clitsome and Derick Brassard. They would not be able to overcome, and the three stars went to Pominville, Boyes, and Huselius.

Up north in Toronto, the Maple Leafs hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and James Reimer played between the pipes. Ryan White put Montreal in front early with his second of the season, guided in by Lars Eller and Tom Pyatt. Brian Gionta extended the lead for the Canadiens with his 28th of the year, a power play goal powered by Scott Gomez and Mathieu Darche. Toronto got on the board with Phil Kessel's 32nd of the campaign, helped along by Joe Colborne. Montreal got the goal back in the second period with Gionta tallying again, his 29th of the season and second of the game coming on the power play via Yannick Weber and Roman Hamrlik. The Canadiens cemented a 4-1 victory with Tomas Plekanec notching his 22nd of the year shorthanded in the third period, thanks to Pyatt. The three stars went out to Gionta, Kessel, and Price (27 for 28 saves).

South to Philadelphia, where the Flyers hosted the New York Islanders. The starting goalies were Rick DiPietro and Sergei Bobrovsky, although the latter was replaced by Brian Boucher quickly, and the former did not complete the game as Al Montoya mopped up a second of game time. Philadelphia led off just sixteen seconds into the game with Kimmo Timonen potting his sixth of the season, thanks to Mike Richards and Kris Versteeg. The Flyers added on thirty-one seconds later as Scott Hartnell sank his 23rd of the year, courtesy of Ville Leino and Andrej Meszaros. New York found the scoreboard as Michael Grabner scored his 34th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Islanders tied it as the fifth of the year from Travis Hamonic went down, a power play goal from John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. Nineteen seconds later, Philadelphia had the lead again, as Danny Briere sank his 34th of the season, also an unassisted goal. Tavares retied it for New York on his 29th of the year, made possible by Dylan Reese and P.A. Parenteau. The Islanders took the lead in the second period with Parenteau's 20th of the season, a power play goal powered by Tavares and Matt Moulson. Meszaros retied it for the Flyers with his seventh of the year, assisted by Matt Carle and James van Riemsdyk. Hartnell gave Philadelphia the lead with his 24th of the campaign and second of the game, with Briere and Meszaros doing the work. Meszaros extended the Flyers lead with his second of the game and eighth of the season, a power play goal with guidance from Briere and Jeff Carter. Darroll Powe finished off a 7-4 victory for Philadelphia with his seventh of the year into the empty twine, fueled by Versteeg. Meszaros, Hartnell, and Boucher (25 for 26 saves in relief) were the three stars.

Over to St. Louis, with the Blues hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jaroslav Halak took care of the cages. St. Louis led off the scoring with T.J. Oshie in the second period with his 12th of the season, assisted by David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues wrapped it 2-0 with Alex Steen netting his 20th of the year unassisted in the third period. The three stars were Oshie, Halak (24 save shutout), and Steen.

Up to Calgary, where the Flames hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Henrik Karlsson were the goalies for the game. Calgary opened the scoring in the second period with Jarome Iginla netting his 43rd of the season, a power play goal from Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Mikael Backlund put the Flames further ahead with his tenth of the year, also on the power play, via Giordano. Vancouver got on the board in the third period with Alexandre Burrows netting his 26th of the season, assisted by Daniel Sedin. The Canucks tied it on the power play with the 41st of the year by Ryan Kesler, powered by Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. The tie lasted into overtime, where Vancouver beat Calgary with a Christian Ehrhoff goal, his 14th of the campaign, guided in by Alexander Edler and Jannik Hansen. Giordano, Kesler, and Backlund took the three stars.

To Los Angeles, with the Kings hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Dan Ellis and Jonathan Quick played in the blue paint. Anaheim opened with Brandon McMillan sinking his eleventh of the season unassisted. The Ducks extended their lead with Saku Koivu scoring his 15th of the year, a power play goal powered by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim added on another goal, this time from the tape of Francois Beauchemin on the power play, his fifth of the season gathering steam off of Koivu and Lubomir Visnovsky. Los Angeles got on the board with a power play goal by Ryan Smyth, his 23rd of the year making it 3-1 thanks to Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. The gloves dropped off even during the goalless third period, with Sheldon Brookbank and Teemu Selanne going fist to fist with Kyle Clifford and Brad Richardson. Despite this, the three stars were Koivu, Dustin Brown, and Ellis (43 for 44 saves).

Wrapping the hockey up in San Jose with the Sharks hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov stood 200 feet away from Antti Niemi. Ian White got the scoring going for San Jose in the second period, his fourth of the season assisted by Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Wellwood. The Sharks extended the lead with Joe Pavelski potting his 20th of the year on the power play, courtesy of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Phoenix got on the board with a Lauri Korpikoski tally, his 19th of the season going unassisted. San Jose made it 3-1 with Logan Couture netting his 32nd of the year, a power play goal powered by Dany Heatley and Wellwood. Niemi (35 for 36 saves), White, and Bryzgalov (34 for 37 saves) got the three stars.

Onward to the baseball...

Starting with the Boston Red Sox hosting the New York Yankees. Ivan Nova and Clay Buchholz got the ball for the starts. New York opened the scoring in the second inning with a Nick Swisher groundout scoring Alex Rodriguez and then a double by Eric Chavez to score Robinson Cano. Boston got on the board the next inning with Kevin Youkilis grounding out but allowing Dustin Pedroia safe access to home plate. The Yankees replied with a Russell Martin three run homer, also bringing in Curtis Granderson and Chavez. The Red Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth with Jacoby Ellsbury's fielder's choice to bring in J.D. Drew, and then a Pedroia double to score Ellsbury and Carl Crawford. New York went on a home run binge in the next three innings, as a two run shot came from Granderson, knocking Swisher in, and Cano and Martin each had solo shots. This made the final 9-4 Yankees. David Robertson took the win and Buchholz was tacked for the loss. Martin and Pedroia were the top batters.

Moving along to Atlanta, with the Braves hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. Roy Oswalt and Brandon Beachy took the starts. Philadelphia opened up with a Ben Francisco single, scoring Shane Victorino. Atlanta replied in the third inning with Freddie Freeman singling to score Alex Gonzalez and Martin Prado's single and subsequent error by Francisco to allow Freeman safe passage. The Phillies got back with a two run tater by Brian Schneider, scoring Raul Ibanez. Philadelphia continued in the seventh inning with a Carlos Ruiz pinch hit grand slam, with the plate being crossed by Ibanez, John Mayberry, and Wilson Valdez, followed by Ryan Howard doubling to knock in Victorino. The Phillies added on in the tenth as Ruiz came up with another RBI, scoring Michael Martinez with a double before Victorino finished Ruiz's trip on a single. This brought the final to 10-2, with Oswalt grabbing the win and Beachy getting stuck with the loss. Ruiz and Gonzalez were the best hitters.

To Detroit, where the Tigers hosted the Kansas City Royals. Bruce Chen took on Phil Coke with the pitching. Kansas City was first on the board, with a second inning single by Wilson Betemit, scoring Billy Butler, before moving up a base on a bad throw, and this brought Jeff Francoeur in when Alcides Escobar hit a fielder's choice. Francoeur added on a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Royals, which brought in Alex Gordon. Detroit avoided a shutout by making it 3-1 on a Ryan Raburn solo home run. Chen got the win, holds were given to Aaron Crow, Tim Collins, and Robinson Tejada, and the save was converted by Joakim Soria, while Coke took a loss. Butler and Raburn had the best hitting status.

South to Chicago, with the White Sox hosting the Tampa Bay Rays. Wade Davis dueled with Philip Humber in pitching. Tampa Bay opened with a Ben Zobrist double to score Dan Johnson. Chicago answered with a Gordon Beckham sacrifice fly to bring in Brent Morel. Morel added on a fourth inning single, which allowed a run by Paul Konerko. The White Sox extended the lead in the seventh inning as A.J. Pierzynski doubled to score both Alex Rios and Konerko. The Rays tried to close the gap in the ninth on a Felipe Lopez solo shot, but it would only make it a 4-2 loss. Davis got stuck with the loss, Humber got the win, Will Ohman and Sergio Santos took holds, and Chris Sale was the save converter. Lopez and Pierzynski were the best of the hitters.

Doubleheader time! The Baltimore Orioles hosted a pair with the Texas Rangers. Colby Lewis and Zach Britton pitched the first game. Baltimore got the early lead in the first inning with a solo home run by Nick Markakis. Mark Reynolds also went to the yard with a three run bomb, also knocking in Luke Scott and Adam Jones. In the third inning, Jones singled to make it 5-0 by scoring Vladimir Guerrero. This would last through the next six innings, as Britton took the win and Lewis got tacked for the loss. Josh Hamilton and Reynolds were the best hitters in game one. Game two brought Matt Harrison and Jake Arrieta to the pitching mound. Baltimore opened the scoring again with a Jones solo home run. Texas answered with Elvis Andrus two-RBI single to score Mike Napoli and Mitch Moreland, followed by Hamilton bringing in both Ian Kinsler and Andrus, and capping off the six-run inning was a two-run tater by Adrian Beltre, finishing Hamilton's trip. The Rangers added on in the fourth inning with Napoli sending his solo shot over the fence and a double by Kinsler knocking in Moreland. Texas restarted the scoring in the seventh inning with Nelson Cruz sacrificing his at-bat to score Beltre. The Rangers did some more damage in the ninth inning with Beltre doubling for Hamilton's sake, and then getting knocked in on the three run tater by Cruz, also scoring Michael Young. With a 13-1 score, Harrison got the win, and Arrieta suffered a large loss. Beltre and Jones were the top batters in game two.

Down to Houston, where the Astros hosted the Florida Marlins. Javier Vazquez and Bud Norris took the ball for the starts. Houston opened the scoring in the first inning with a Hunter Pence double to knock in Angel Sanchez. Florida answered with Donnie Murphy grounding out but scoring Mike Stanton. The Astros replied in the bottom of the second on a Norris double to bring in Bill Hall and Sanchez helping Norris complete his trip around. Houston added on as Pence singled, helping Michael Bourn score in the fifth inning. The Marlins righted the ship a bit in the next inning with a Stanton double to bring in Logan Morrison and a Greg Dobbs two run home run to finish Stanton's trot. Florida continued their scoring pattern as Chris Coghlan doubled to bring in Wes Helms, before Omar Infante did the same for him. Dobbs hit an eighth inning double for the Marlins as well, which knocked in Gaby Sanchez. The Astros tried to get back with a Brett Wallace single scoring Carlos Lee, but they failed to score again and lost 7-5. Fernando Abad took the loss, Vazquez got the win, Randy Choate, Ryan Webb, and Clay Hensley took holds, and Leo Nunez got the save. Dobbs and Pence took top batting honors.

To Pittsburgh, with the Pirates hosting the Colorado Rockies. Greg Reynolds pitched against Charlie Morton. Colorado opened up with a first inning groundout into a double play by Carlos Gonzalez, sacrificing Jonathan Herrera but scoring Dexter Fowler. Ryan Doumit answered for Pittsburgh in the next inning on a two run homer to bring in Lyle Overbay. Gonzalez got the Rockies going again in the third with a single to knock in Fowler again. Seth Smith tacked on a sixth inning solo home run for Colorado. The Pirates answered in the seventh with Matt Diaz's single to score Ronny Cedeno. The Rockies retook the lead with a three-run double by Ty Wigginton, bringing around Herrera, Gonzalez, and Jose Lopez. Pittsburgh got one additional run with Jose Tabata's solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, but still lost 6-4. Jose Veras took the loss, while the win went to Matt Belisle, who also had a blown save, holds were taken by Matt Reynolds and Rafael Betancourt, and Matt Lindstrom nabbed the save. Smith and Doumit were the best hitters.

Milwaukee was next on the list, as the Brewers hosted the Chicago Cubs. Matt Garza and Chris Narveson took the starts. Milwaukee opened with a first inning double by Ryan Braun, bringing in Rickie Weeks before getting the last two bases on a double from the bat of Prince Fielder. Fielder doubled in the third inning as well for the Brewers, knocking in Nyjer Morgan and Braun both. Fielder continued his doubling spree with another in fifth, with Braun getting safe passage once more. The Brewers collected an eighth inning run off a Morgan walk forcing in Carlos Gomez. The score sat at its 6-0 final, with Narveson getting the win and Garza taking the loss. Marlon Byrd and Fielder were the best batters.

To New York, where the Mets hosted the Washington Nationals. Tom Gorzelanny and Chris Capuano were the pitchers. New York dented the scoreboard first with Carlos Beltran's two run homer to bring around Jose Reyes. Washington answered with a three run tater of Danny Espinosa's bat, scoring Wilson Ramos and Rick Ankiel. Beltran took it to the yard again in the fourth inning for the Mets, this time a solo shot. The Nationals shot back to take the lead on a solo home run for Ian Desmond. New York replied with a sixth inning, two-RBI triple for Ike Davis, scoring David Wright and Beltran, before he came home on Daniel Murphy's single. The Mets capped off an 8-4 win with Reyes double scoring Scott Hairston and Brad Emaus. Gorzelanny was pinned with the loss while Capuano got the win, Taylor Buchholz and Bobby Parnell picked up holds, and Francisco Rodriguez converted the save. Espinosa and Beltran were the top batters.

To Minnesota, where the Twins hosted the Oakland Athletics. Gio Gonzalez and Nick Blackburn were the pitchers. Oakland opened the scoring with Mark Ellis reaching base on Alexi Casilla's throwing error, allowing Kurt Suzuki safe passage home. This was the only score in the game, and Gonzalez took the win, Grant Balfour had the hold, and Brian Fuentes converted a save as Blackburn was stuck with the hard-luck loss. Daric Barton and the erratic Casilla were the top batters.

Down south to Arizona, where the Diamondbacks hosted the Cincinnati Reds. Bronson Arroyo and Daniel Hudson were the pitchers. Cincinnati opened the scoring in the first inning with Scott Rolen singling to bring in Brandon Phillips, followed by a Jay Bruce sacrifice fly to score Joey Votto. Arizona got on the board with a sixth inning Melvin Mora single, bringing in Chris Young. The Reds capped the game off in the ninth inning with Jonny Gomes' two-run double for Votto and Rolen, Ryan Hanigan singling to complete Gomes trip, and Chris Heisey using his own single for the same purpose on Hanigan, running the final to 6-1. Hudson took the loss, Arroyo had the win, and two holds were given to Bill Bray and Aroldis Chapman. Gomes and Russell Branyan were the best of the hitting.

To Southern California, where the San Diego Padres hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hiroki Kuroda opposed Dustin Moseley. Los Angeles opened up in the first inning with Andre Ethier singling to bring around Tony Gwynn. Ethier also had a homer in the fifth inning, followed by Juan Uribe reaching base on an error and Matt Kemp finding the plate. The Dodgers made it 4-0 with Casey Blake singling to drive in Gywnn. This would be the final, with Kuroda grabbing the win, Jonathan Broxton picking up a save, and Moseley taking the loss. Ethier and Brad Hawpe were the top hitters.

Staying in the same area, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hosted the Toronto Blue Jays. Brett Cecil and Matt Palmer were handed the ball. Los Angeles opened with Howie Kendrick sending a solo home run out in the first inning. Toronto tied it with Travis Snider's groundout to bring safe passage for Adam Lind. The Blue Jays added on in the third with Lind scoring John McDonald with a sacrifice fly. The Angels replied in the bottom of the inning with Maicer Iztruis doubling to score Jeff Mathis, before getting knocked in with a Bobby Abreu single, and then having Abreu come in on Vernon Wells' single. Toronto answered back with a fourth inning Rajai Davis single scoring both Edwin Encarnacion and McDonald, and Davis made it second on an errant throw, before coming the rest of the way on Aaron Hill's single. Peter Bourjos tied it back up for Los Angeles in the bottom of the inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to bring in Alberto Collaspo. This tie lasted for a whole game's worth of time, until the fourteenth inning, where Izturis bumped in Bourjos. Jon Rauch took the loss, while the Angels deprived bullpen caused Dan Haren, a starter, to come in and earn a win. McDonald and Izturis were top batters.

Up to Seattle, where the Mariners hosted the Cleveland Indians. Justin Masterson took on Doug Fister for the game's pitching. Cleveland found the scoreboard with a fourth inning sacrifice fly by Orlando Cabrera to score Asdrubal Cabrera, but a botched fielding play by Milton Bradley allowed Shin-Soo Choo to score as well. Seattle got on the board in the seventh inning with Michael Saunders singling to allow Justin Smoak passage home, and Luis Rodriguez got to third on a Michael Brantley error, but the Mariners were destined to lose 2-1. Fister was stuck with the loss, Masterson picked up the win, Rafael Perez and Travis Sipp took holds, and Chris Perez converted the save. Orlando Cabrera and Chone Figgins were the top batters.

Lastly, the San Francisco Giants hosted the St. Louis Cardinals. Jaime Garcia and Matt Cain played from the mound. San Francisco opened in the fifth inning with Mark DeRosa singling to score Pat Burrell. St. Louis tied it in the next inning as Skip Schumaker scored on a wild pitch. The Cardinals took the lead when Colby Rasmus sent a ball over the fence in the seventh. The Giants snagged a 3-2 victory in the bottom of the ninth with a clutch two-RBI double by Miguel Tejada, scoring both Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. Miguel Batista had a hold, but Ryan Franklin blew the save and was also stuck with the loss, allowing Ramon Ramirez the win. Rasmus and Tejada were the best batters.

Friday Sports

Pretty heavy slate of games to be played on Friday. We begin with...

The New York Islanders meeting up with their wartime enemies, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Al Montoya made the starts. Pittsburgh opened the scoring with Michael Rupp notching his eighth of the season, courtesy of Eric Godard and Craig Adams. Two fights followed, reminiscent of the previous bloodbath between these two teams, with Godard dropping gloves with Trevor Gillies, possibly to send a message from Eric Tangradi, and then Zenon Konopka and Aaron Asham took a dance later in the period. Both instances were heavily punished on the ice, and it curtailed the violence for the rest of the game. The scoring restarted in the second period with Zbynek Michalek scoring his fifth of the year for the Penguins on the power play from Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy. New York found twine with the stick of Blake Comeau sinking his 23rd of the season, via Matt Moulson and Jesse Joensuu. Comeau would strike again for the Islanders to tie it in the third period on his second of the game and 24th of the year, a power play goal powered by Michael Grabner and Travis Hamonic. Mark Letestu put Pittsburgh back in front with his 13th of the season, assisted by Rupp and Asham. Hamonic found another equalizer for New York with his fourth of the year, made possible by Kyle Okposo. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Chris Kunitz put the Penguins up 4-3 over the Islanders. Letestu, Comeau, and Rupp were the three stars.

Into the battle of Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Dwayne Roloson took care of the twines. Vincent Lecavalier put Tampa Bay out front first with his power play goal, the 23rd of his season, made possible by Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos. Florida tied it with Jason Garrison notching his fifth of the year, with assists from Mike Santorelli and Evgeny Dadonov. The Lightning retook the lead with Ryan Malone's 14th of the season, an unassisted goal. Tampa Bay extended their lead on the second goal of the game and 24th of the year for Lecavalier, a penalty shot for the crime by Keaton Ellerby. The Lightning added on some more distance with Pavel Kubina netting his fourth of the season on the power play, thanks to Malone and Steve Downie. Santorelli made it a 4-2 deficit, and eventual loss, for the Panthers with his 20th of the year, assisted by Joe Callahan and Dadonov. Lecavalier, Malone, and Mike Lundin got the three stars.

Back north into Buffalo, with the Sabres hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jhonas Enroth were called on to start. Philadelphia opened the scoring on Scott Hartnell's 22nd of the season, coming off of Danny Briere and Sean O'Donnell. Buffalo tied it in the second period with Nathan Gerbe sinking his 15th of the year, thanks to Paul Gaustad and Mark Mancari. Jason Pominville put the Sabres in front with his 21st of the season, with helpers provided by Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly. The Flyers retied it with Kris Versteeg, his 21st of the year finding twine shorthanded via Claude Giroux. Thirty-nine seconds later, Briere's 33rd of the season had Philadelphia back in front, and Hartnell and Matt Carle picked up assists. Ryan Miller played the third period in relief of Enroth. Buffalo retied it in the third period with Gerbe's second of the game and 16th of the year, guided in by Vanek and Steve Montador. Vanek secured a 4-3 victory in the ensuing overtime as his 32nd of campaign went in unassisted. Gerbe, Vanek, and Briere were the three stars.

Back south to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Ondrej Pavelec were sent to block pucks. Carolina opened with a Jeff Skinner goal, his 31st of the season, helped along by Tuomo Ruutu. The Hurricanes added on with Erik Cole netting his 26th of the year, via Cory Stillman. Carolina struck in the second period with Joni Pitkanen on the power play, his fifth of the season powered by Jamie McBain. Keeping with the one assist theme, The Hurricanes got a third period tally from Brandon Sutter, his 14th of the year, with Chad LaRose getting the helper. Carolina kept going with Jussi Jokinen's 19th of the season, fueled by Ruutu and Skinner. The Hurricanes added some more with Ruutu on the power play, his 19th of the year finding twine thanks to Jokinen and Skinner. With thirty-nine seconds remaining in the regulation time, Bryan Little put his 18th of the campaign in the net, courtesy of Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler. With the 6-1 score, the three stars were awarded to Skinner, Ward (18 for 19 saves), and Ruutu.

Heading over to Detroit, where the Red Wings hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jimmy Howard had control in the creases. Chicago opened with a Brent Seabrook goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks also got a Ben Smith goal, his first of the year, thanks to Patrick Kane. Chicago rolled on with a Brian Campbell tally, his fifth of the season, assisted by Michael Frolik and Kane. The Blackhawks added on with Hossa's 25th of the year in the second period, a power play tally powered by Seabrook and the goalie Crawford. Detroit finally got on the board as Drew Miller netted his ninth of the season, with help from Johan Franzen and Justin Abdelkader. The Red Wings ended up losing 4-2 after Tomas Holmstrom netted his 17th of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Ericsson and Brad Stuart. Kane, Hossa, and Seabrook were the three stars.

Down to Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Pekka Rinne played goal. Nashville opened with a Patric Hornqvist marker, his 20th of the season, assisted by Mike Fisher and Shea Weber. The Predators added on in the second period with Matt Halischuk netting his fourth of the year, via Jerred Smithson and Jordin Tootoo. Hornqvist tallied again for Nashville with his 21st of the season and second of the game, this time needing no assistance. Columbus got on the board as R.J. Umberger guided in the 17th of the campaign for Derick Brassard. The Predators made it 4-1 with Sergei Kostitsyn notching his 23rd of the year, with helpers provided by Hornqvist and Kevin Klein. This final score cemented a three stars of Rinne (44 for 45 saves), Hornqvist, and Halischuk.

Heading north to Edmonton, where the Oilers hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Devan Dubnyk played between the pipes. Minnesota got lead as Brent Burns netted his 17th of the season on the power play, powered by Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild extended the lead in the second period with Jared Spurgeon notching his third of the year, thanks to Bouchard and Koivu. Edmonton got on the board with a Teemu Hartikainen goal, his second of the season, assisted by Jordan Eberle and Chris VandeVelde. Minnesota secured a 3-1 win with an empty netter by Andrew Brunette, his 18th of the year providing sock tricks for Bouchard and Koivu. Koivu, Hartikainen, and Bouchard took the three stars.

Into Colorado, with the Avalanche hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Peter Budaj opposed each other. Dallas led off with Mike Ribeiro scoring his 19th of the season, thanks to Karlis Skrastins. The Stars extended the lead in the second period on a Loui Eriksson goal, his 27th of the year, guided in by Brad Richards and Jamie Benn. Brandon Yip put Colorado on the board with a shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the campaign, fueled by Philippe Dupuis and Jonas Holos. Dallas got the goal back in the third period with Brenden Morrow netting his 32nd of the season, courtesy of Steve Ott and Ribeiro. Yip made it 3-2 for the Avalanche, with his second of the game and 12th of the year made possible by Jay McClement and Holos. This was the final, with Ribeiro, Morrow, and Yip taking the three stars.

Into the desert, where the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Ilya Bryzgalov took care of the goals. Andrew Ebbett used his second of the season to put Phoenix on the board, with help from Kyle Turris. San Jose replied with Ian White sinking his third of the year, courtesy of Niclas Wallin and Torrey Mitchell. The Coyotes took the lead back with Ray Whitney potting his 17th of the campaign, helped in by Shane Doan and Eric Belanger. Radim Vrbata also tallied for Phoenix with his 19th of the season, with Belanger gathering the assist. The Coyotes extended the lead in the third period on the power play from Doan, whose 20th of the year was powered by Vrbata and Lauri Korpikoski. Joe Thornton got the Sharks a little closer with his 21st of the season, assisted by Logan Couture and Douglas Murray. San Jose made it 4-3 with a Dany Heatley goal, his 26th of the year, made possible by Patrick Marleau and Jason Demers. This would be the final, and the three stars went to Doan, Vrbata, and Michal Rozsival.

Finishing up in Anaheim, the Ducks hosted their northerly neighbors, the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Dan Ellis had the puckblocking duties. Los Angeles opened with a Ryan Smyth goal, his 22nd of the season, helped in by Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll. Anaheim had the next two goals, in the second and third periods, come off Teemu Selanne's tape, his 30th and 31st of the year. Luca Sbisa and Jason Blake fueled the first one, while Saku Koivu and Blake did the honors on the decisive tally. The three stars were Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf, and Toni Lydman.

As for baseball, seeing as it wasn't an earth-shattering day, I will post a link here, and hopefully have more time in the near future to actually cover the games. Here's the scores.

Thursday Sports

A small schedule in both sports on Thursday, starting off with the four hockey games. These started with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Henrik Lundqvist played goal. Atlanta got in front with Rob Schremp in the second period, his 13th of the season coming off of Andrey Zubarev and Anthony Stewart. Fifteen seconds later, the Thrashers extended their lead with Andrew Ladd notching his 28th of the campaign, thanks to Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little. Eric Boulton made it 3-0 for Atlanta with his sixth of the year, assisted by Johnny Oduya and Schremp. This would be the final, with Pavelec (29 save shutout), Schremp, and Ladd getting the three stars.

Up to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Alex Auld opposed Craig Anderson. Montreal took the first lead in the second period with Brian Gionta netting his 27th of the season, courtesy of Mathieu Darche and James Wisniewski. Ottawa tied it in the third period with Jason Spezza recording his 21st of the year, with help from Colin Greening and Bobby Butler. Butler put the Senators on top with his ninth of the season, made possible by Spezza and Chris Phillips. With eleven seconds in regulation left, Michael Cammalleri found the equalizer for the Canadiens on his 19th of the year, helped in by Andrei Kostitsyn and Wisniewski. Ottawa topped Montreal 3-2 in the overtime period with Filip Kuba potting his second of the campaign via Butler and Ryan Shannon. Butler, Spezza, and Kuba earned the three stars.

Down to Texas, where the Dallas Stars hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Brian Elliot and Kari Lehtonen played in front of the cages. Tom Wandell put Dallas out front first with his seventh of the season, an unassisted goal. Loui Eriksson added on for the Stars with his 26th of the year, courtesy of Jamie Benn and Brad Richards. Brandon Yip put Colorado on the board in the second period with his tenth of the season, assisted by Philippe Dupuis and Matt Duchene. Dallas answered that with a power play goal from Brenden Morrow, his 31st of the year, powered by Eriksson and Mike Ribeiro. The Avalanche pulled close again with Mark Olver's second of the season, guided in by Ryan Wilson and Duchene. Ruchards secured a 4-2 victory for the Stars with his 27th of the year, fueled by Benn. Eriksson, Stephane Robidas and Wandell were the three stars.

Finishing the hockey games in Vancouver, where the Canucks hosted the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Roberto Luongo got the starts. Vancouver led off with Mason Raymond sinking his 14th of the season, with a lone assist by Jannik Hansen. Ryan Kesler had the next two Canucks goals, his 38th and 39th of the year, the earlier one coming from the Sedin twins on the power play (Henrik and Daniel, although anyone who's remotely close to enjoying hockey should know that), and the second period tally coming unassisted. Raymond would tack on another goal for Vancouver, his second of the game and 15th of the season, with Daniel and Kevin Bieksa grabbing the helpers. Kesler finished his hat trick in the third period with his 40th of the year, thanks to Chris Higgins, prompting Jose Theodore to come on in relief and bringing the 5-0 Canucks final. Kesler, Luongo (29 save shutout), Raymond had the three stars.

Over to the Diamond...

The Cleveland Indian opened up the day by hosting the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester and Fausto Carmona took the starts. Cleveland got the game's only run in the eighth inning as Asdrubal Cabrera sacrificed to score Adam Everett. Daniel Bard was stuck with the loss, Rafael Perez got the win, and Chris Perez got the win. Marco Scutaro and Shelley Duncan were the game's top batters. The Indians swept the three game series.

Heading across the state to Cincinnati, where the Reds hosted the Houston Astros. Brett Myers and Sam LeCure were handed the ball. Houston opened the scoring in the first inning with Hunter Pence grounding out but scoring Jason Bourgeois. Cincinnati replied with Edgar Renteria doubling in the next inning to bring around Jonny Gomes. The Astros took the lead back in the fourth inning with a Brett Wallace groundout, which provided safe passage for Carlos Lee. The Reds retied it again in the seventh inning as Scott Rolen sent a ball out of the yard for one run. Houston defeated Cincinnati on a Matt Downs double, bringing around Wallace for a 3-2 final in the ninth. Fernando Abad took the win, Brandon Lyon made the save, and Nick Masset took the loss. Downs and Renteria were the top batters. Cincinnati took the series 2-1.

Up to Toronto, with the Blue Jays hosting the Oakland Athletics. Trevor Cahill and Ricky Romero were the dueling pitchers. Toronto was the first to dent the scoreboard with a sixth inning single by Jayson Nix, bringing around J.P. Arencibia. Oakland answered with Andy LaRoche reaching home on a Coco Crisp strikeout on a wild pitch, which brought Crisp on to the basepaths. After two steals and then a Conor Jackson single, Crisp made it 2-1 for the Athletics, a decisive score. Cahill took the win, Brian Fuentes made the save, and Jason Frasor suffered the loss and a blown save in the odd game. Jackson and Nix were the top batters. Toronto did take the series 2-1.

Into the Big Apple, where the New York Yankees hosted the Minnesota Twins. Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett were on the mound. New York was the first on the board in the third inning with Nick Swisher hitting a sacrifice fly to bring in Brett Gardner. Minnesota replied the next inning with Jim Thome doubling to score Justin Morneau before Jason Kubel did the same for Thome himself. The Yankees answered in the bottom of the inning with Andruw Jones' double that scored Alex Rodriguez, Russell Martin grounding out for a Robinson Cano run, and Jones coming around on a Gardner single. The Twins got within a run as Denard Span grounded out to provide a route for Alexi Casilla, but they could not muster another run to tie, and New York grabbed a 4-3 win. Liriano was pinned with the loss, Burnett took the win, Joba Chamberlain and Rafael Soriano got holds, and Mariano Rivera punched out the ninth for another save. Thome and Derek Jeter were the top batters. New York took the rain-shortened series 2-1.

Moving along, the Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the Colorado Rockies. Esmil Rogers and Paul Maholm were the starting pitchers. Colorado opened up in the first inning with Carlos Gonzalez reaching on a Neil Walker error, which allowed Dexter Fowler to score, and followed it with Troy Tulowitzki sacrificing himself to score Gonzalez. Pittsburgh answered in the bottom of inning with Andrew McCutchen grounding out to score Jose Tabata. The Rockies retook the lead on a solo shot by Tulowitzki. Gonzalez singled in the sixth as well, with Ryan Spilborghs benefiting from the hit, and Tulowitzki brought him back around once more, with a double, but he failed to safely reach third on the greedy baserunning play. Colorado rolled on in the seventh with Spilborghs singling for a run by Rogers, and Gonzalez bringing Fowler in with his sacrifice fly for a 7-1 score, the eventual final. Rogers was the winning pitcher, and Maholm was the loser. Tulowitzki and Tabata were the best hitters.

Over to Milwaukee, where the Brewers hosted the Atlanta Braves. Tommy Hanson and Shaun Marcum played from the mound. Milwaukee got on the board in the first with a two run homer by Ryan Braun, also scoring Carlos Gomez. Martin Prado answered with a two-RBI single in the second inning, with Freddie Freeman and Matt Young crossing home safely. The Brewers replied in the bottom of the inning with Nyjer Morgan scoring on a fielder's choice reach by George Kottaras. Milwaukee got another run in the seventh inning with Prince Fielder reaching on a fielder's choice (no pun intended, these are only the facts), forcing in Rickie Weeks. The 4-2 score was the final, with Hanson losing, Marcum winning, holds being awarded to Mitch Stetter, Sergio Mitre, and Kameron Loe, and the save converted by John Axford. Prado and Braun were the top hitters. Milwaukee took the series 3-1.

Down to Chicago, where the White Sox hosted the Tampa Bay Rays. David Price and Edwin Jackson were the hurlers. Chicago opened with a first inning double by Alex Rios scoring both Juan Pierre and Gordon Beckham. In the third inning, Rios scored on a Paul Konerko double. Tampa Bay got on the board in the eighth inning with Reid Brignac singling to drive in Felipe Lopez. The White Sox finished up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with Brent Lillibridge singling to score Alexei Ramirez before completing his trip on a Pierre single. Price took the loss in the 5-1 game, as Jackson got the win. B.J. Upton and Rios were the top batters.

Back east, the Philadelphia Phillies hosted the New York Mets. Jonathan Niese was the unlucky foe to Roy Halladay. Shane Victorino opened the scoring in the third inning with a single to score Wilson Valdez, and he reached second on a throwing error from Angel Pagan, and then came home on a Placido Polanco double. The Phillies kept it going in the fourth inning with Carlos Ruiz's single driving in Ben Francisco, Valdez's double knocking in Raul Ibanez, and Polanco driving in both Ruiz and Valdez. Valdez knocked in a pair of runs in the fifth inning as well, with his deep double good enough for Ryan Howard and Ibanez, although the greedy baserunner was caught at third. Ibanez added a two-run tater for Philadelphia in the seventh inning, scoring Howard again. The Phillies made it 11-0 on an eighth inning fielder's choice by Polanco, securing a path for Valdez to come home again. Halladay easily took the win, as easily did Niese with the loss. Jose Reyes and Valdez were the top batters. The Phillies snagged a 2-1 series victory.

Also, the Baltimore Orioles hosted the Detroit Tigers. Brad Penny and Chris Tillman were on the mound. Detroit opened in the first inning on a Miguel Cabrera single, scoring Austin Jackson, and Victor Martinez tacked on his own single to score Brennan Boesch. Baltimore replied in the second with a solo shot from Vladimir Guerrero and a single by Mark "K" Reynolds to bring in Adam Jones. The Tigers got back to business in the fifth inning, with a solo homer by Alex Avila and a double from Boesch to drive in Will Rhymes. The Orioles replied back with a two run homer by Jones, scoring Luke Scott as well. Detroit wouldn't have any of it, with Jackson doubling for Avila's safe passage to home. In the bottom of the seventh, Baltimore exploded with Guerrero singling to bring in Brian Roberts, and then reaching second and pushing Nick Markakis to third on a fielding error by Don Kelly. Jones would hit a sacrifice fly to push Markakis the last 90 feet, and Reynolds provided a double for Guerrero and Felix Pie to score safely. Cesar Izturis capped off the five run inning with a  single to bring Reynolds back around. This put the score at 9-5, which would end up as the final. Brad Thomas took the loss, and the blown save went to Enrique Gonzalez, while Jim Johnson gathered the win. Boesch and Jones were the best of the hitters. Baltimore grabbed the series 2-1.

Lastly, the Florida Marlins hosted the Washington Nationals. John Lannan and Josh Johnson took the mound as starters. Florida opened in the first inning with a Hanley Ramirez double to score Chris Coghlan, and a Gaby Sanchez groundout providing space for Omar Infante to score. Washington got a solo home run by Jayson Werth in the fourth inning. The Nationals kept it going with Danny Espinosa grounding out and scoring Wilson Ramos in the fifth inning. Ryan Zimmerman also produced an Ian Desmond run for Washington in the sixth inning with an RBI-single. The Marlins got an equalizer in the bottom half of the inning as Emilio Bonafacio grounded out to score John Buck. The tie lasted into the eleventh inning, as Adam LaRoche hit a two run tater for a 5-3 lead that would hold up. Tyler Clippard took a blown save, but Todd Coffey got the win and Sean Burnett picked up a save, while Edward Mujica had the loss. LaRoche and Ramirez were the top batters. Despite the loss, the Marlins took the series 2-1.

That's all. Trying to get a jump on Friday's games in at least one sport so I can work elsewhere for the weekend.