Wednesday MLB games, +links for Thursday and Friday

Another day for baseball, and we begin in...

Detroit, where the Tigers host the Texas Rangers. Dave Bush and Max Scherzer pitched to start the game. Texas led the scoring in the sixth inning with Nelson Cruz's single to score Adrian Beltre before completing his trip around on a David Murphy single. Detroit replied in the bottom of the inning with Brennan Boesch's RBI-double driving in Victor Martinez, and coming home on a Brandon Inge sacrifice fly. Inge secured a 3-2 victory for the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run. Mark Lowe blew the save and Darren Oliver took the loss, while Jose Valverde picked up the win. Cruz and Inge were the best batters. Detroit took the series 2-1.

A blowout in Minnesota, with the Twins hosting the Kansas City Royals. The Royals would take the game 10-5, dinging Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano with the loss, securing Kyle Davies with a win, giving holds to Kanekoa Texeria and Tim Collins, and Jeremy Jeffress converted the save. Mike Aviles and Denard Span took top batting honors. The short series was split 1-1.

To Chicago, where the White Sox hosted the Oakland Athletics. Brett Anderson and John Danks threw the spheres. Oakland opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a solo home run by Hideki Matsui. Chicago replied in the fifth inning with Gordon Beckham's double to bring in Juan Pierre. The White Sox added on the next inning with Ramon Castro reaching on a fielder's choice, pushing Carlos Quentin in, followed by Brent Morel's sacrifice to the pitcher providing time for Alex Rios to dash home. Rios made it home again as Morel reached on Kevin Kouzmanoff's eighth inning throwing error. The Athletics found a rally in the ninth inning with Josh Willingham singling to knock in Conor Jackson, before Cliff Pennington had a two-RBI single, which brought around both Willingham and Coco Crisp. The tie at four lasted into the tenth inning, where Oakland set up a similar inning to the one just past as Crisp singled Jackson in, before Daric Barton's two-RBI single to score Willingham and Crisp, winning the game 7-4. Grant Balfour got the win and Brian Fuentes got the save, while Jesse Crain had a hold before Matt Thornton blew a save and got tacked for the loss as well. Matsui and Pierre had the top bats. Oakland took the series 2-1.

To the Pacific Northwest, where the Seattle Mariners hosted and were blown out by the Toronto Blue Jays. Kyle Drabek and Jason Vargas took the mound, although neither was a factor in the decision that saw Marc Rzepczynski get the win while Chris Ray had a blown save and a loss. Jamey Wright did record a hold previous to the Ray's meltdown. Jose Molina and Justin Smoak were the top batters. Seattle took the series 2-1.

Onward to San Diego, where the Padres hosted the Cincinnati Reds. Travis Wood opposed Tim Stauffer from the mound. Cincinnati opened on Juan Francisco grounding into a fielder's choice, bringing around Joey Votto. The Reds added on with a fifth inning double by Votto that scored Drew Stubbs. San Diego got on the board with a seventh inning sacrifice fly by Nick Hundley, bringing in Chase Headley. The Padres added on with Jorge Cantu's game tying groundout that brought in Orlando Hudson. Hudson finished it up by scoring Hundley in the ninth to win the game 3-2 on the RBI-single. Jordan Smith and Aroldis Chapman had holds before Nick Masset blew the save and also got stuck with the loss, and Heath Bell snagged the win. Votto and Hundley had the hot bats. Despite the loss, the Reds did take the series 2-1.


To New York, with the Yankees hosting the Baltimore Orioles. Chris Tillman and A.J. Burnett were the pitchers. New York got the early lead with a three-run homer from Alex Rodriguez, also scoring Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. The Yankees added on in the second with a Jeter single knocking in Russell Martin before accompanying Teixeira again at the plate after Robinson Cano's double. New York added another run with Jorge Posada hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning. Baltimore finally found the scoreboard in the seventh on a pair of two-run homers, the first with Matt Wieters scoring Mark Reynolds and the second had Brian Roberts bringing in Robert Andino. This made the score 7-4, which was a final. Tillman took the loss, Burnett hung on for a win, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano had holds, and Mariano Rivera closed out the game. Wieters and Rodriguez were the top batters.


Into Pittsburgh, where the Pirates suffered a 6-0 blowout by the Milwaukee Brewers. Starters Shaun Marcum and Kevin Correia took the win and loss, respectively. Prince Fielder and Matt Diaz were the best hitters.

Over to Washington, D.C., with the Nationals hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. Roy Halladay and John Lannan pitched. Philadelphia opened the scoring in the fourth inning with Ben Francisco's groundout allowing passage for Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies added on in the fifth inning with Placido Polanco singling to knock in Wilson Valdez, and Ryan Howard getting beaned by Lannan, forcing Halladay across the plate. Washington got on the board in the ninth, with Laynce Nix singling in Rick Ankiel and Danny Espinosa doing the same for Jayson Werth, but the Nationals fell short by a 3-2 margin. Halladay tossed a complete game in the win, while Lannan was stuck with the loss. Polanco and Adam LaRoche were the top batters.

To Los Angeles, where the Angels hosted the Cleveland Indians. Carlos Carrasco and Ervin Santana were throwing the spheres. Cleveland opened with Shin-Soo Choo sacrificing his at-bat to score Asdrubal Cabrera. Los Angeles got back into the game in the fourth inning as Howie Kendrick doubled and then scored as Asdrubal failed to field the ball correctly, followed by Torii Hunter's two-run homer bringing in Bobby Abreu. The Indians found a run in the fifth as Michael Brantley hit an RBI-double to score Adam Everett. Choo tied it in the eighth inning with a groundout to the pitcher, which allowed passage for Brantley to come home. The tie lasted into the twelfth inning, as the Angels took a 4-3 win with Jeff Mathis' sacrifice fly to score Vernon Wells. Chad Durbin ended up with the loss, and Scott Downs had a blown save, but Hisanori Takahashi did get the win. Brantley and Hunter were the best batters. The Angels took the series 2-1.

To Atlanta, where the Braves took a 5-1 loss to the Florida Marlins. Josh Johnson had the win and Tim Hudson was stuck with the loss. Chris Coghlan and Chipper Jones were the best hitters.

Up in Boston, the Red Sox were ready to play the Tampa Bay Rays, but the rain won. The game has been postponed.

Back into New York again, as the Mets hosted the Colorado Rockies. Esmil Rogers and Jonathon Niese played on the mound. New York was first on the board in the first inning with Carlos Beltran doubling to score Daniel Murphy. The Mets added on in the second with Angel Pagan dashing home on a wild pitch. Colorado found the scoreboard in the fourth inning with Todd Helton's single driving home Troy Tulowitzki. New York replied with Murphy's double to bring in Jose Reyes. The Rockies took a lead with a three-run bomb by Tulowitzki in the fifth inning, bringing around Seth Smith and Jonathan Herrera. Colorado added on in the sixth with Ryan Spilborghs solo shot. The Mets tried to close in, making it 5-4 with a Pagan sacrifice fly to score David Wright, but they mustered no further offense and took that margin as a loss. Niese had the loss, Rogers had the win, holds went to Matt Reynolds, Felipe Paulino, and Matt Lindstrom, and Huston Street made the save. Tulowitzki and Murphy were the top batters for the game.

Down to Houston, where the Astros were beaten 9-5 by the Chicago Cubs. Carlos Zambrano and Wandy Rodriguez, the starters, had the win and loss, respectively. Holds were given to Marcos Mateo, Sean Marshall, and Kerry Wood before the Cubs had built up enough of a lead to avoid a save chance. Alfonso Soriano and Matt Downs were the best of the hitters. Chicago took the series 2-1.

West to Arizona, where the Diamondbacks were dealt a 15-5 loss by the St. Louis Cardinals. Jake Westbrook had the win and Ian Kennedy had the loss. Colby Rasmus and Russell Branyan were the top hitters. The Cardinals took the series 2-1.

Finally for Wednesday, the San Francisco Giants hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ted Lilly took on Jonathan Sanchez. San Francisco opened in the first inning with Aubrey Huff hitting a sacrifice fly to score Aaron Rowand. The Giants added on with Mike Fontenot's double to score Brandon Belt in the second. Los Angeles got on the board in the fourth with a two-run tater by Rod Barajas, bringing around Marcus Thames. The Dodgers got some more runs as Aaron Miles drilled a double to knock in Thames again, and he advanced to third on an error. San Francisco answered in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of home runs, solo shots from Pablo Sandoval and Fontenot. This made the score 4-3, with Sanchez taking the win, holds being awarded to Ramon Ramirez, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, and a save going to Brian Wilson. Lilly was the losing pitcher. Miles and Fontenot were the top hitters. The win gave the Giants a 2-1 series victory.

For Thursday scores click here, and for Friday, click here. Hockey posts are up for the quarterfinals, with each series getting its own post. Remember to look for those posts, as they will contain all the games as they are played. I am still attempting catch-ups, which is the explanation for the links, and I should get a hold of it this weekend, at least for awhile.

Tuesday MLB and coverage adjustment

As the title would imply, I am adjusting my recaps to fit in my schedule better. Only games that feature pitching stats beyond a win and a loss (in other words: saves, holds, and blown saves), will be covered. Blowouts will be mentioned but not put in excessive detail. With that, we begin with...

Detroit Tigers hosting the Texas Rangers. C.J. Wilson and Brad Penny took the mound. Texas opened in the first with a Josh Hamilton triple to score Michael Young. This was answered by a Ramon Santiago groundout to get Detroit on the board as Austin Jackson crossed the plate. The Rangers retook the lead with Young's sacrifice fly to bring in Mitch Moreland. The Tigers kept pace with the same thing for Victor Martinez, knocking in Ryan Raburn in the fourth inning. Texas regained the lead again in the sixth inning as Adrian Beltre grounded out but gave space for Elvis Andrus to come home. Detroit responded in the bottom of the inning on Raburn's double to score Santiago before coming in himself on a Brennan Boesch single. The Rangers tied it with Nelson Cruz singling and scoring Young. The Tigers made it 5-4 in the ninth inning with Miguel Cabrera's bases loaded single to bring around Brandon Inge. This was a final score, with Darren O'Day getting pinned with a loss. Brayan Villarreal had a hold, although Joaquin Benoit blew the save, setting up a winning situation for Jose Valverde. Young and Raburn were the top batters.

The New York Yankees hosting the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the Milwaukee Brewers were both postponed prior to starting.

Onward to Washington, where the Nationals hosted the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Blanton and Livan Hernandez got the starts. Philadelphia got out to a second inning lead with Ryan Howard's solo home run, but Washington answered in the bottom of the inning on Danny Espinosa's sacrifice fly to bring in Wilson Ramos. The Nationals added on in the fourth with a Ramos double bringing around Jayson Werth, before he was bumped in by Jerry Hairston, Jr.'s, followed by Hernandez sacrificing to the pitcher but giving time for Lance Nix to come around. Werth added a solo shot in the fifth inning. Washington kept going with a Ramos walk with the bases loaded, forcing in Rick Ankiel. The Phillies learned how to score again with Raul Ibanez grounding into a fielder's choice, providing safe passage for Jimmy Rollins, and Howard scored and Ibanez got on second with a wild pitch. The Nationals padded their lead with Alex Cora singling to knock in Espinosa. Philadelphia made it a 7-4 defeat with Placido Polanco singling to score Wilson Valdez, which would not be enough. Blanton was the losing pitcher, Hernandez was the winner, Tyler Clippard recorded a hold and Sean Burnett made the save. Howard and Werth were the top hitters.

Also postponed in New York was the Mets game at Citi Field against the Colorado Rockies.

The Atlanta Braves hosted the Florida Marlins in a 5-0 Atlanta victory. Tommy Hanson picked up the win, defeating Chris Volstad. Mike Stanton and Jason Heyward were the top batters.

Up to Boston, where the Red Sox hosted the Tampa Bay Rays. David Price and Jon Lester were the starters. Boston opened with a Darnell McDonald solo home run in the third inning. Tampa Bay replied in the fifth inning with Sam Fuld's fielder's choice to score Kelly Shoppach. The Rays continued with Johnny Damon bringing in a pair of Johnsons, Dan and Elliot. The Red Sox made it 3-2 in the sixth inning with Jed Lowrie doubling to score Dustin Pedroia. It would not be enough to save Boston, who lost by that score. Lester got stuck with the loss, while Price picked up the win, Joel Peralta got a hold, and Kyle Farnsworth had the save. Damon and Lowrie were the best batters.

Down to Houston with a blowout, where the Astros defeated their guests, the Chicago Cubs, 11-2, behind the arm of Brett Myers. He picked up the win while opposing James Russell. Tyler Colvin and Hunter Pence were the best of the hitters.

Up to Minnesota, where the Twins hosted the Kansas City Royals. Jeff Francis and Brian Duensing got the ball. Minnesota opened up the scoring in the third on Joe Mauer's sacrifice fly that brought in Alexi Casilla. Kansas City answered quickly with Wilson Betemit singling to knock in Billy Butler, followed by Mike Aviles sacrificing his at-bat for Jeff Francoeur to score. The Twins got back into it with a two-RBI single by Luke Hughes, scoring both Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. The Royals tied it with Melky Cabrera singling and driving in Alcides Escobar. The game lasted to the tenth inning, where Minnesota clinched a 4-3 victory with a Danny Valencia single bringing around pinch-runner Jason Repko. Robinson Tejada was dealt the loss, while Dusty Hughes picked up the win. Betemit and Cuddyer took top batting status.

To Chicago, where the White Sox hosted the Oakland Athletics. Trevor Cahill opposed Edwin Jackson. Oakland got the first run in the second inning with Mark Ellis doubling for Ryan Sweeney's sake. Chicago answered in the bottom of the inning with Alexei Ramirez blasting a three-run homer, scoring Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski, followed by a Paul Konerko fielder's choice that allowed passage home for Juan Pierre. The Athletics got back into the game with Hideki Matsui producing two runs, a third inning sacrifice fly bringing around Daric Barton and a fifth inning single scoring Coco Crisp. Oakland took the lead with a two run tater from Kevin Kouzmanoff's bat, also bringing in Ellis. Pierre answered for the White Sox with a single, driving in Ramirez. The game lasted to the tenth inning, where Chicago got a home run from Ramirez, the solo shot giving them a 6-5 win. Tony Pena had a blown save, but teammate Chris Sale got the win later anyway, while the loss went to Bobby Cramer. Top batters were Matsui and Ramirez.

To Arizona, with a 13-8 blowout victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Chris Carpenter had the loss, while Armando Galarraga had a win, and Joe Patterson recorded a hold at a close point in the game. Lance Berkman and Chris Young were the best of the good hitters in the offense-filled game.

To San Diego, with another blowout, as the Cincinnati Reds pummeled the Padres 8-2, most of which came in the eleventh inning. Sam LeCure and Clayton Richard pitched, but they both did not factor in the decision. Aroldia Chapman had a hold before Nick Masset blew the save, although Logan Ondrusek still picked up a win for the Reds side of the ledger, while Cory Luebke was stuck with the loss after blowing up his duty. Drew Stubbs and Alberto Gonzalez were the top batters.

Down to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, with the Angels hosting the Cleveland Indians. Fausto Carmona and Dan Haren played on the mound. Los Angeles/Anaheim opened with a Peter Bourjos solo home run. The Angels made it 2-0 with Mark Trumbo going yard himself, also a solo shot. This was the final, with Carmona taking a loss, and Haren taking a 1-hit, 2-walk, complete game shutout. Shin-Soo Choo and Bourjos had the top batting.

Up north to Seattle, where the Mariners hosted the Toronto Blue Jays. Ricky Romero and Michael Pineda were the pitchers. The scoring opened with Seattle in the third inning a two-run Ryan Langerhans home run, also scoring Brendan Ryan, followed by Jack Wilson making it home at some undefined point in the inning according to my sources. I apologize for the lack of specificity. Toronto got on the board in the eighth with Corey Patterson hitting a two-RBI single to drive in both Edwin Encarnacion and Yunel Escobar. They would lose 3-2, with Romero taking the loss despite pitching a complete game, while Pineda got a win, Chris Ray took a hold, and Brandon League converted the save. Patterson, a former Mariner, and Langerhans got the top batting honors.

Lastly, to San Francisco, with the Giants hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chad Billingsley and Tim Lincecum took the starts. Los Angeles opened in the fourth inning on a Matt Kemp double to bring in Jamey Carroll, followed by James Loney reaching on a Brandon Belt error, allowing Andre Ethier time to find the plate, before Kemp's trip was finished on a Juan Uribe double. San Francisco answered in the bottom of the inning with Buster Posey drilling a single to knock in Freddy Sanchez before coming around on Pablo Sandoval's double. The Giants added on in the fifth with Aaron Rowand's single driving in Belt, before Posey did the same for Rowand. The Dodgers replied in the seventh with a solo shot from Marcus Thames. San Francisco capped a 5-4 victory with Rowand finding a way home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Blake Hawksworth took the loss, Guillermo Mota had a hold, Jeremy Affeldt blew the save but picked up the win, Sergio Romo had another hold, and Brian Wilson's beard converted a save. Kemp and Posey took top batter status.

That's all for Tuesday. I'm still a tad behind, but I'm working on it. Stanley Cup Quarterfinal posts will be out tonight.

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.