Song of the Week XIX

This week, we have a new song from the band Augustana as our song of the week. The track is called Borrowed Time, off of their self-titled third album. The song is reflective of our lives, knowing that our time is limited on this planet. In that, they also say that you should live up life and enjoy yourself. The song itself has a strong rhythm and peaceful melody, and is a little bit more country than their previous works. That's all for this week, with this feature running again next week.

Sandwich Showdown XVIII

This weekend we have another great battle. The Spicy Italian on Herbs and Cheese opposes a Steak and Cheese on Garlic. The Spicy Italian struck at its usual level of goodness. The flavors on it worked very well together. The bread was also striking at an average level. Meanwhile, the Steak and Cheese was exceptionally tasty. Combined with toasted power, it had a significant edge. Both meaty and bread flavors were outstanding and the Steak and Cheese easily took the win this week. This feature runs again next week.

Saturday Baseball 5-14

First of all, some posts may look incomplete, as there was work done on the website that hosts this blog. Also, in NHL news, I take this time to honor Derek Boogaard, who passed away May 13th, 2011. Thoughts and prayers with his family for their loss. In baseball now, we lead off with...

The Washington Nationals hosting the Florida Marlins. Anibal Sanchez and Livan Hernandez were set to pitch. Florida opened with a solo home run by Mike Stanton in the seventh inning. This would make the final score 1-0, with Hernandez taking the loss, Sanchez earning the win, and Leo Nunez converting the save. Stanton and Laynce Nix were the top hitters.

To Cleveland, with the Indians hosting the Seattle Mariners. Erik Bedard and Alex White get the starts. After a first inning delay, the game has been postponed.

Down to Atlanta, with the Braves hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Blanton and Jair Jurrjens were on the mound. Atlanta had a pair of solo home runs in the first inning off of Martin Prado's and Nate McLouth's bats. Philadelphia got a run back in the sixth inning with a Jimmy Rollins single to knock in Michael Martinez. The Braves answered back in the bottom of the same inning as David Ross laid down a bunt single to bring in Dan Uggla, which was followed by a Prado single to knock in both Freddie Freeman and Ross. The Phillies got some back with Wilson Valdez doubling Raul Ibanez in, followed by John Mayberry's groundout that allowed Valdez to score. The final would stand at 5-3, with Blanton taking the loss, Jurrjens grabbing the win, Jonny Venters picking up a hold, and Craig Kimbrel closing out for the save. Rollins and Prado were the best batters.

Heading out west, the Colorado Rockies host the San Diego Padres. Aaron Harang and Jhoulys Chacin get the starting nods. San Diego led off in the second with Kyle Williams singling Brad Hawpe in home. Colorado answered in the third with Carlos Gonzalez hitting an RBI-single to bring around Dexter Fowler, Troy Tulowitzki knocking two in with a double, those being Jonathan Herrera and Gonzalez, though Tulowitzki was caught trying to reach third, and Todd Helton blasting a solo shot. Gonzalez also lifted a solo shot in the fourth for the Rockies. Colorado kept going in the fifth with Ty Wigginton singling home Todd Helton and Chris Iannetta hitting a sacrifice fly to score Seth Smith. The Padres got going again in the seventh inning with Chacin committing an error that led to Cameron Maybin and Ryan Ludwick scoring, followed up by Chris Denorfia singling in Phillips and Jason Bartlett's sacrifice fly to drive in Eric Patterson. San Diego added on some more in the eighth with Ludwick's sacrifice fly to score Hawpe and a tying run came with Patterson singling home Maybin. The Padres would take a 9-7 lead, the eventual final with a two-run homer by Hawpe, also bringing in Jorge Cantu. Mike Adams got the win and Heath Bell converted the save, while Matt Lindstrom had a hold that was blown up by Rafael Betancourt, and Huston Street finished the implosion to take a loss. Hawpe and Gonzalez were the the best hitters.

Back into Texas, with the Houston Astros hosting the New York Mets. R.A. Dickey is poised to oppose J.A. Happ in a battle of pitchers with initials as first names. Houston got their first runs in the first with a groundout by Clint Barmes allowing Michael Bourn to dash home, Brett Wallace doubling home Hunter Pence, Chris Johnson's RBI-single bringing around Carlos Lee, and Bill Hall hitting a single that would finish off Wallace's trip around. New York got on the board with Justin Turner singling home Jose Reyes. The Mets got another run in the fourth with a solo shot by Daniel Murphy. The Astros added a pair of homers in the sixth with Hall and Matt Downs both going for solo shots. Lee would add another of the same in the next inning for Houston. Reyes made it a 7-3 loss with his single to bring home Jason Pridie in the ninth inning. Dickey had the loss and Happ got the win. Reyes and Hall were the top hitters.

Westward again to California, with the Oakland Athletics hosting the Chicago White Sox. Gavin Floyd and Tyson Ross are set to pitch. Oakland opened the scoring with Cliff Pennington singling in Kevin Kouzmanoff, followed by Daric Barton's sacrifice fly to finish the trip for Pennington. The Athletics added on with a David DeJesus triple to bring around both Barton and Josh Willingham, followed by Kurt Suzuki's single finishing DeJesus' trip. Chicago got on the board with a two-run homer by Paul Konerko, also scoring Alexei Ramirez. Oakland wrapped up the scoring in the seventh by making it 6-2 as DeJesus dashed home after a Carlos Quentin error. Floyd was pinned with the loss and Ross got the win. Konerko and DeJesus were the best of the hitters.

Northeast to Detroit, with the Tigers hosting the Kansas City Royals. Jeff Francis and Brad Penny have the ball. Detroit opened in the first with a Miguel Cabrera single to bring around Austin Jackson, followed by Victor Martinez doing the same for Scott Sizemore, and Jhonny Peralta following suit to complete Cabrera's trip. This would be only scoring, leading to a 3-0 Tigers win, with Francis pitching a complete game loss, Penny going 8 innings of 5-hit ball, and Valverde mopping up for a save. Billy Butler and Peralta were the best hitters.

South to Arlington, with the Texas Rangers hosting the Anaheim Angels. Dan Haren and Derek Holland are the pitchers for the game. Texas drew first blood with Adrian Beltre's single driving in Mitch Moreland. Anaheim got two runs, one in the fourth and the other in the sixth, on Alberto Callaspo doubles, which brought in Maicer Izturis and Howie Kendrick. The Rangers tied it back up in the eighth with Michael Young singling in Ian Kinsler. The Angels would take a ninth-inning lead at 3-2 as Izturis singled to drive home Jeff Mathis. This was the final score, with Darren Oliver taking the loss, Fernando Rodney being dinged for a blown save, Scott Down earning the win, and Jordan Walden picking up the save. Callaspo and Beltre were the best of the batters.

North again to Minnesota, where the Twins welcome the Toronto Blue Jays. Jo-Jo Reyes and Nick Blackburn are penciled in for the starts. Jose Bautista led off the scoring for Toronto by reaching on an error to bring home Yunel Escobar. Minnesota answered with a Justin Morneau single and subsequent error to bring in Denard Span, followed up by Delmon Young hitting a sacrifice fly that got Trevor Plouffe in home. The Blue Jays tied it back up in the second with J.P. Arencibia going yard for a solo shot. The Twins tacked on again in the sixth with a Michael Cuddyer solo home run. Toronto tied it back up in the eighth with Patterson's triple to drive in Escobar. The tie lasted into extra frames, specifically the eleventh with Bautista blasting a two-run homer to score Patterson, Arencibia doubling in both Juan Rivera and Aaron Hill, Rajai Davis walking with the bases loaded to push home Arencibia, and Patterson hitting a sacrifice fly to bring around John McDonald for a 9-3 final score. Jon Rauch picked up the win and Glen Perkins had the loss. Arencibia and Cuddyer were the best of the batters.

To Cincinnati, with the Reds hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. Kyle McClellan and Johnny Cueto were the pitchers. Cincinnati opened with a second inning solo shot by Brandon Phillips, followed by Ramon Hernandez in the third inning with the same thing. The Reds added on again in the fifth inning with another Hernandez homer, and Phillips' RBI-single to score Drew Stubbs. Stubbs scored again for Cincinnati with a Phillips sacrifice fly in the seventh. St. Louis got on the board with a Jon Jay pinch hit three-run tater, also bringing around Daniel Descalso and Tyler Greene. The Reds added on in the bottom of the eighth with Fred Lewis singling home Scott Rolen before dashing home on a wild pitch to make it 7-3. McClellan was stuck with the loss, while Cueto got a win and Logan Ondrusek had a hold. Jay and Hernandez were the best hitters.

Down to Tampa Bay, with the Rays hosting the Baltimore Orioles. Brad Bergesen and Wade Davis had the starts. Baltimore led off with a Vladimir Guerrero double, scoring Derrek Lee. The Orioles went yard in the fifth and sixth as Mark Reynolds let off a solo shot and Jake Fox's blast also scored Adam Jones. Jones singled home Nick Markakis in the seventh for Baltimore. The Orioles capped off a 6-0 win with Lee's eighth inning double knocking in Brian Roberts. Bergesen had a complete game victory, only allowing 4 hits and a walk, while Davis was the losing pitcher. Fox and Ben Zobrist were the best batters.

Up north in Milwaukee, the Brewers hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jeff Karstens and Chris Narveson were on the mound. Milwaukee opened the scoring in the fourth inning with solo home runs from both Prince Fielder and Brandon Boggs. Pittsburgh answered with a sacrifice fly by Jose Tabata to bring home Ronny Cedeno. The Brewers were busy in the seventh with a Craig Counsell fielder's choice that brought in pinch hitter Corey Hart, a Fielder single to knock in Rickie Weeks, Casey McGehee's two-RBI double to score both Counsell and Ryan Braun. The Pirates got one run back with a solo home run by Lyle Overbay in the eighth. This was answered by one of the same from Braun in the bottom of the inning, leaving the final at 8-2 Brewers. Karstens was stuck with the loss, while Narveson took the easy win and LaTroy Hawkins picked up a hold. Overbay and Fielder took top batting honors.

Westward to Los Angeles, with the Dodgers hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks. Josh Collmenter and Chad Billingsley were the starters. Arizona got on the board first in the second with a sacrifice fly by Melvin Mora to bring home Stephen Drew. This would be the only scoring, with Billingsley taking a loss despite only giving up a hit, while Collmenter got the win, Aaron Heilman and David Hernandez picked up holds, and J.J. Putz closed out a save, combining only to allow four hits to the Dodgers. Mora and James Loney were the best hitters in a pitching friendly game.

To the Bronx, with the New York Yankees hosting the Boston Red Sox. Josh Beckett and CC Sabathia were the game's designated starting pitchers. Boston opened the game in the fifth with a two-run double off Jacoby Ellsbury's bat, scoring both Jed Lowrie and Carl Crawford. The Red Sox got some more done in the seventh with Jason Varitek singling, followed by an error by Nick Swisher that allowed a dash home for Mike Cameron, and then a three-run blast by Adrian Gonzalez to score Varitek and Dustin Pedroia as well. The final would be 6-0, with Beckett taking the win and Sabathia taking the loss. Gonzalez and Curtis Granderson were the best hitters.

Lastly, the Chicago Cubs hosted the San Francisco Giants. Ryan Vogelsong and Doug Davis got the ball for the starts. San Francisco opened in the first inning with Buster Posey singling in Freddy Sanchez and then reaching third on errors. The Giants did some more in the third inning with Cody Ross reaching base on an error, allowing Vogelsong to score, followed by a similar play that brought Pat Burrell aboard and scored Aaron Rowand to make it 3-0. This was the final in the rain-shortened, seven inning game. Vogelsong had an abbreviated complete game win, while Davis took the loss. Posey and Darwin Barney were the top hitters.

Sunday's games may or may not be covered. If not, check Yahoo! Sports for the information. Conference Finals posts will go up today for NHL playoffs as well.

Western Conference Semifinal: 2San Jose Sharks VS 3Detroit Red Wings

Game 1: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California. In net: Jimmy Howard for Detroit and Antti Niemi for San Jose. Detroit opened with a Nicklas Lidstrom goal, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk. San Jose tied it in the third period with Joe Pavelski netting his fourth of the postseason on the power play, powered by Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle. The tie lasted into overtime, where the Sharks beat the Red Wings 2-1 with a Benn Ferriero goal, courtesy of Logan Couture and Boyle. The three stars went to Ferriero, Pavelski, and Datsyuk. San Jose took a 1-0 series lead with the win.

Game 2: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California. In net: Jimmy Howard for Detroit and Antti Niemi for San Jose. San Jose opened with an Ian White goal, coming off of Dany Heatley and Ryane Clowe with the man advantage. The Sharks extended their lead in the third period with a Niclas Wallin goal, assisted on by Clowe and Logan Couture. Detroit got on the board with a power play goal socred by Henrik Zetterberg and aided by Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom, to bring the score to 2-1. This would be the final, with the three stars going to Niemi (33 for 34 saves), White, and Wallin. With the win, the Sharks extended the series lead to 2-0.

Game 3: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan. In net: Antti Niemi for San Jose and Jimmy Howard for Detroit. Devin Setoguchi put San Jose in front first with his second of the postseason, a power play goal made possible by Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Detroit answered with Nicklas Lidstrom sinking his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom on the power play. The Red Wings took the lead with Patrick Eaves sinking his third of the postseason, thanks to Darren Helm and Kris Draper. Setoguchi tallied to retie it for the Sharks, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, a power play goal once again, helped along by Dan Boyle and Thornton. Detroit retook the lead with Pavel Datsyuk netting his third of the postseason, with helpers provided by Zetterberg and Lidstrom on the man advantage. San Jose tied it in the third period with a Boyle goal, coming off of Kyle Wellwood and Torrey Mitchell. The tie lasted into overtime, where the Sharks beat the Red Wings 4-3 as Setoguchi finished his hat trick with his fourth of the playoffs, guided in by a sock-trick assist from Thornton. Setoguchi, Zetterberg, and Datsyuk were the three stars. San Jose now owns a 3-0 series lead.

Game 4: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan. In net: Antti Niemi for San Jose and Jimmy Howard for Detroit. Detroit led off the scoring with a Todd Bertuzzi goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary. The Red Wings added on two more from Nicklas Lidstrom's tape, his third and fourth of the playoffs, the first going down thanks to Cleary and Bertuzzi and the second of the power play, powered by Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Seventeen seconds later, San Jose was on the board with a Logan Couture goal, his third of the postseason fueled by Ryane Clowe. The Sharks pulled closer in the second period with Dan Boyle netting his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Kyle Wellwood and Clowe. San Jose tied it with a Dany Heatley goal from Clowe and Couture, the former getting a sock trick on his third of the postseason. Detroit retook the lead at 4-3 with a Darren Helm goal, his second of the playoffs coming off of Patrick Eaves and Brian Rafalski. This would be the final with the three stars going to Lidstrom, Clowe, and Bertuzzi. This cut the Sharks series lead to 3-1.

Game 5: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California. In net: Jimmy Howard for Detroit and Antti Niemi for San Jose. San Jose led off with the fifth of the postseason by Devin Setoguchi, assisted by Dan Boyle and Joe Thornton. The Sharks extended their lead in the second period with Joe Pavelski recording his fifth of the playoffs, with help from Ryane Clowe and Kyle Wellwood. Fifty-three seconds later, Detroit got on the board with Niklas Kronwall netting his second of the postseason, helped along by Pavel Datsyuk and Brad Stuart. San Jose got the goal back as Logan Couture netted his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Dany Heatley. The Red Wings quickly answered with a Jonathan Ericsson tally, coming off of Henrik Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Detroit tied it on Danny Cleary's second of the postseason, guided in by Kronwall and Todd Bertuzzi. The Red Wings took the lead with Tomas Holmstrom netting his third of the playoffs, with the help of Nicklas Lidstrom and a sock-trick clinching assist by Datsyuk. This would be the final, giving the Red Wings a 4-3 win, and the three stars were awarded to Datsyuk, Pavelski, and Howard (39 for 42 saves). The win cut San Jose's series lead down to 3-2.

Game 6: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan. In net: Antti Niemi for San Jose and Jimmy Howard for Detroit. San Jose led off the scoring in the third period with a Logan Couture goal, his fifth of the postseason coming off of Dany Heatley. Detroit tied it with Henrik Zetterberg notching his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula. The Red Wings took the lead with Filppula netting his second of the postseason, thanks to Pavel Datsyuk. Detroit made it 3-1 with an unassisted empty-netter by Darren Helm, his third of the playoffs. This was the final, with Datsyuk, Niemi (42 for 44 saves), and Filppula taking the three stars. This tied the series at 3.

Game 7: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California. In net: Jimmy Howard for Detroit and Antti Niemi for San Jose. San Jose led off with a power play goal by Devin Setoguchi, his sixth of the postseason coming off of Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle. The Sharks extended their lead with the sixth of the playoffs from Logan Couture, an unassisted goal. Henrik Zetterberg put Detroit on the board in the second period with his third of the postseason, courtesy of Valtteri Filppula. San Jose got the goal back with Patrick Marleau's third of the playoffs finding twine thanks to Setoguchi and Boyle. The Red Wings cut the score to 3-2 with Pavel Datsyuk putting away his fourth of the postseason, helped along by Brad Stuart and Jonathan Ericsson. This was a final score, with Boyle, Setoguchi, and Datsyuk taking the three stars. San Jose won the series 4-3.

Western Conference Semifinal: 1Vancouver Canucks VS 5Nashville Predators

Game 1: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver. Vancouver opened the scoring in the second period with a Chris Higgins tally, his second of the postseason coming off of Maxim Lapierre and Kevin Bieksa. This would be the final after a scoreless third period, with Rinne (29 for 30 saves), Mason Raymond, and Luongo (20 save shutout) earning the three stars. Vancouver took a 1-0 series lead with the victory.

Game 2: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver. Vancouver took the lead in the second period with the fourth of the postseason by Alexandre Burrows, with help from Ryan Kesler for the shorthanded goal. Nashville tied it late in the third period with Ryan Suter's goal, courtesy of Martin Erat and Joel Ward. After a scoreless first overtime and half of a second, the Predators defeated the Canucks with Matt Halischuk netting his second of the playoffs, thanks to Nick Spaling and Suter. Rinne (32 for 33 saves), Luongo (44 for 46 saves), and Kesler took the three stars. The win by Nashville tied the series at 1.

Game 3: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In net: Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Nashville was the first to strike this game, with a shorthanded goal by David Legwand, coming via Ryan Suter and Nick Spaling for his third of the postseason. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a Ryan Kesler goal, assisted by Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin on the power play. The Canucks took the lead with Chris Higgins potting his third of the playoffs, with help from Kesler and Alexander Edler. The Predators found an equalizer later in the third period with Joel Ward recording his fourth of the postseason, guided in by Martin Erat. The tie lasted into overtime, where Vancouver beat Nashville 3-2 with another Kesler goal, his second of the game and of the playoffs, fueled by Mikael Samuelsson and Ehrhoff on the power play. The three stars were awarded to Kesler, Rinne (44 for 47 saves), and Higgins. The win put Vancouver in the series lead by a 2-1 margin.

Game 4: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In net: Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Vancouver opened the scoring with a Christian Ehrhoff goal, his second of the postseason coming off of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. Nashville answered with a power play goal by Joel Ward, his fifth of the playoffs powered by Cody Franson and Martin Erat. The Canucks regained the lead with Alexander Edler's second of the postseason, assisted on by Ryan Kesler and Ehrhoff. The Predators retied it again with a Franson marker, made possible by David Legwand and Ward. Vancouver got the lead back once again, with Kesler netting his third of the playoffs on the power play via Henrik and Ehrhoff. The Canucks finished the game off 4-2 with Henrik's empty netter fueled by Alexandre Burrows and Kesler. Kesler, Ehrhoff, and Ward took the three stars. The win put Vancouver up 3-1 for the series.

Game 5: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Roberto Luongo. Nashville opened with a shorthanded goal by David Legwand, his fourth of the postseason by Joel Ward. Vancouver tied it with a Raffi Torres tally, assisted by Jannik Hansen and Dan Hamhuis. The Canucks took the lead with the fourth of the playoffs by Ryan Kesler, courtesy of Mason Raymond and Chris Higgins. The Predators tied it back up with Legwand's second of the game and fifth of the postseason, an unassisted goal. Nashville got two more goals in the third period from Ward, his sixth and seventh of the playoffs, with Mike Fisher guiding in the first one and Jordin Tootoo doing the same for the second. Kesler made it 4-3 for Vancouver with his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, fueled by Alexander Edler and Torres. This would be the final, with Ward, Kesler, and Legwand getting the three stars. This cut the Canucks series lead to 3-2.

Game 6: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In net: Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Vancouver led off with a Mason Raymond goal via Ryan Kesler. The Canucks extended their lead on the power play with the sixth of the postseason by Daniel Sedin, powered by Kesler and Henrik Sedin. Nashville made it 2-1 in the second period with a David Legwand tally, his sixth of the playoffs finding twine thanks to Joel Ward and Sergei Kostitsyn. This would go on to be the final, with Kesler, Raymond and Legwand grabbing the three stars. Vancouver took the series 4-2.

Baseball for May 9th/Tuesday Link

Today we have a reduced schedule of games on a travel day, but we begin with...

The Pittsburgh Pirates series opener with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chad Billinsley went up against Jeff Karstens. Los Angeles got started in the first with a Juan Uribe single to score Aaron Miles. Garrett Jones tied it for Pittsburgh with his own RBI-single, bringing around Ronny Cedeno. The Pirates got back at in the eighth with three consecutive doubles to score players, hit by Neil Walker, Lyle Overbay, and Ryan Doumit, which scored a pinch runner Xavier Paul, Walker, and Overbay. This made the final 4-1 for the Pirates. Billingsley took a tough loss, while Jose Veras got the win and Joel Hanrahan converted the save. Billingsley (2-2) and Doumit (3-4, 1 RBI) had the best days at the plate.

Up to Toronto, with the Toronto Blue Jays closing up a series with the Detroit Tigers. Max Scherzer and Brandon Morrow played from the mound. Jose Bautista led off for Toronto in the first with a double to bring in Corey Patterson. The Blue Jays added another run with a solo shot from Yunel Escobar. Detroit got going in the fourth with Victor Martinez doubling in Brennan Boesch, Don Kelly singling in Miguel Cabrera, Austin Jackson lining a three-RBI double to bring around Martinez, Kelly, and Alex Avila, and another double by Roman Santiago to finish Jackson's trip. The Tigers did some more damage in the seventh inning as Martinez ripped a two-run tater to also score Boesch, a Ryan Raburn single scoring Brandon Inge, and Jackson's reaching base as Edwin Encarnacion fumbled the play allowing Jhonny Peralta to reach home safely. Toronto did a little work in the ninth as Patterson hit a two-RBI double, which benefited David Cooper and Jose Molina, followed by an Encarnacion single that finished Patterson's trip around, leaving the score at 10-5, the final. Scherzer took the win and Morrow took the loss. Martinez (3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Escobar (2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI) were the best hitters. Detroit took the series 3-1.

Continuing along to Florida, with the Marlins hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Blanton and Javier Vazquez got the starting nods. Philadelphia led off with a first inning solo home run by Jimmy Rollins. Florida answered with a Gaby Sanchez double, which knocked in both Chris Coghlan and Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins added on with Coghlan's RBI single that brought in Omar Infante. The Phillies got back at it in the third with Ryan Howard's single that would score Blanton, followed by a Ross Gload single that knocked in Rollins, and later Placido Polanco after an error by Emilio Bonifacio. Philadelphia scored some more in the fifth with Polanco's sacrifice fly allowing Shane Victorino to reach home and Gload's single driving home Howard. Florida got one back to make it 6-4 with a solo shot by Sanchez. They would lose by this score, sticking the decision on Vazquez, while Blanton picked up the win and Ryan Madson converted the save. Rollins (2-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and Sanchez (3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI) were the best hitters.

Fantasy Baseball All-Stars Week 5

This past weekend marked an important time for my teams. I've concluded the trial period on any given player has been long enough, and those sleepers that didn't pan out or the struggling players at any given position were given the boot. With that, new and fresh players have come in and I feel my teams are fairly stacked now. Here's who looked good the past week.

Catcher: Alex Avila, 4 runs, 5 hits, 3 home runs, 4 RBIs, 1 stolen base, .263 batting average, .333 on base percentage
First Base: Gaby Sanchez, 6 runs, 13 hits, 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, 0 stolen bases, .464 batting average, .531 on base percentage
Second Base: Neil Walker, 7 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, 5 RBIs, 1 stolen base, .333 batting average, .440 on base percentage
Third Base: Danny Valencia, 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 5 RBIs, 1 stolen base, .333 batting average, .368 on base percentage
Shortstop: Erick Aybar, 4 runs, 13 hits, 0 home runs, 5 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, .406 batting average, .429 on base percentage
Outfield: Jacoby Ellsbury, 6 runs, 12 hits, 0 home runs, 3 RBIs, 5 stolen bases, .387 batting average, .406 on base percentage.
Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny 15 innings pitched, 2 wins, 10 strikeouts, 1.20 earned run average, 0.60 WHIP
Relief Pitcher: Brian Wilson, 5 innings pitcher, 2 wins, 3 saves, 7 strikeouts, 0 holds, 0.00 earned run average, 0.80 WHIP
Utility Special: Adrian Gonzalez (#2 ranked overall, but also #2 at first base) 7 runs, 9 hits, 3 home runs, 9 RBIs, 0 stolen bases, .321 batting average, .345 on base percentage.

That's all for this week's stats. Hopefully you can clean up your teams if they need them and get ready for a long haul over the summer.