Indians 4 - Orioles 2

- Grady Sizemore is back!  He came off the DL (micro-fracture) Sunday and hit a home run in his second at-bat.  He also hit a double and struck out once.  What he does this season is anyone's guess, but he's probably a safe bet not to hit for average. 
- Fausto Carmona turned in his third straight start where he pitched at least 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs or less.  He got 13 ground balls to just 3 fly balls with 5 strikeouts and 1 walk.  It's his first win of the season and also the first game in which he received any run support. 
- Travis Hafner went 2-3 and hit his 4th homer.  The 33 year old is now batting .354/.407/.646.  I'm starting to buy in, are you?
- Brian Roberts was 3-4 with a run.  He has 1 walk in 61 plate appearance, not exactly what you want from your leadoff hitter.  As a team, the Orioles are last in baseball in walks with 32.
- Chris Perez needed only 10 pitches to toss a perfect 9th for his 5th save. 
- W: Fausto Carmona (1-2), L: Brad Bergesen (0-2), SV: Chris Perez (5); HR: Grady Sizemore (1), Carlos Santana (2), Travis Hafner (4)

Red Sox 8 - Blue Jays 1

- Jon Lester received his first win of the season, after he allowed 1 earned run over 6 innings.  He did a good job getting ahead of hitters, throwing first pitch strikes to 16 of the 25 batters he faced.  Getting 12 ground balls to just 1 fly ball also helped.
- Jacoby Ellsbury, the prolific power hitter that he is, hit a 3-run bomb.  In 2009, his last full season, it took him until June 17th to hit his 3rd homer of the season. 
- If you can explain Carl Crawford's slow start (.127/.172/.145), please do so in the comments.
- Jed Lowrie went 1-4 with 2 runs and is now hitting .462/.500/.654.  He's the hottest hitter the Red Sox have and will hopefully continue to see at-bats.
- Jesse Litsch struck out 5 and walked 1 in 6 innings, but allowed 6 runs (4 earned) in the loss.
- Corey Patterson went 1-3 with a walk and stolen base, in place of the injured Rajai Davis. 
- W: Jon Lester (1-1), L: Jesse Litsch (1-1); HR: Jacoby Ellsbury (3); SB: Corey Patterson (2), Jayson Nix (3), CS: Corey Patterson (1), Juan Rivera (1)

Twins 4 - Rays 2

- The big news here is the removal of Joe Nathan from the closer's role, after he blew his second save on Saturday.  His velocity is down more than 2 mph from where it was in 2010 and he hasn't regained the command of his pitches that he once had, prior to his TJ surgery.  Matt Capps has taken over and Sunday he got his first save with a perfect 9th inning. 
- Brian Duensing allowed 2 earned over 7 innings in a win, his first of the season. 
- Hellboy aka Jeremy Hellickson pitched 7 innings and allowed 4 earned runs.  He struck out 3 and walked 2 in the loss.  It's nice to see his control improve from his previous 1 strikeout, 5 walk effort. 
- Steve Holm went 2-4, in place of the injured Joe Mauer. 
- Sam Fuld went 2-5 and is now hitting .347/.389/.551.  He's about the only Rays player that is hitting this season. 
- Ben Zobrist's struggles continued as he went 0-3 with a run.  At least he took a walk.
- W: Brian Duensing (1-0), L: Jeremy Hellickson (1-2), SV: Matt Capps (1); HR: Jason Kubel (2); SB: Jason Repko (1)

Angels 4 - White Sox 2

- Dan Haren stayed hot against the White Sox, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing 2 earned runs for his 4th win of the season.  He struck out 6 and walked none to push his K/BB ratio to 25/2.
- Mark Buehrle turned in another ho-hum performance, allowing 4 earned runs in 7 innings on 10 hits and 2 walks.  He's allowed at least 4 earned runs in 3 of his 4 starts. 
- Mark Trumbo hit his 2nd homer of the season in a 2-4 effort.  It'll be interesting to see how the Angels hand his at-bats when Kendrys Morales comes back next month. 
- Vernon Wells went 1-4 and now has a four game hitting streak. 
- Carlos Quentin hit two doubles, but didn't register a RBI as the White Sox 1-4 hitters combined to get on base once.
- Fernando Rodney pitched a perfect 8th, setting up Jordan Walden for his 3rd save. 
- Jesse Crain struck out 4 in two innings of work. 
- W: Dan Haren (4-0), L: Mark Buehrle (1-1), SV: Jordan Walden (3); HR: Mark Trumbo (2)

Mariners 3 - Royals 2

- Michael Pineda pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball in a win.  He walked 4, but struck out 5 and allowed only 3 hits.  He threw first pitch strikes to 15 of the 23 batters he faced. 
- Jeff Francis produced his fourth straight quality start with 6.1 innings and 3 earned runs.  He still doesn't have a win on the season, but it's hard to complain when he has a 3.00 ERA and only 3 walks in 27 innings. 
- Justin Smoak hit two singles to up his season line to .300/.419/.460.  He has now reached base in 7 straight games. 
- Jarrod Dyson hit leadoff and went 0-2 with 2 walks and another stolen base, his 5th.  Before Saturday he hadn't started a game, so it's hard to count on him for his speed in AL leagues. 
- Alex Gordon went 1-4 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games. 
- W: Michael Pineda (2-1), L: Jeff Francis (0-1), SV: Brandon League (3); SB: Jarrod Dyson (5), Mike Aviles (3), CS: Miguel Olivo (1), Alcides Escobar (2)

A's 5 - Tigers 1

- Trevor Cahill was excellent, pitching 8 innings and allowing only 1 earned run.  He struck out 9, walked none, and scattered 4 hits, one of which was a solo homer to Casper Wells.  80 of his 112 pitches were for strike.
- Brad Penny allowed 5 earned runs in 5 innings on 4 hits and 4 walks. 
- Mark Ellis led all hitters with 2 hits, both doubles.  Daric Barton predictably walked twice. 
- The Tigers 2-5 hitters went 1-16 with 9 strikeouts.  Again, Cahill was just nasty.
- Tyson Ross struck out 2 in a scoreless 9th inning and could start this week for Dallas Braden (shoulder).
- W: Trevor Cahill (2-0), L: Brad Penny (0-2); HR: Casper Wells (1)

Yankees 6 - Rangers 5

- CC Sabathia remains winless, after pitching 6.1 innings and allowing 4 earned runs.  PitchFx says the velocity on his fastball is down almost a full mph (92.7) from where it was last season (93.6).
- Alexi Ogando pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 5 earned runs, all via home run.  The wind was blowing all over the place and likely had an effect on the ball.  Of course, Robinson Cano's homer was 402 ft long and didn't need any help from the wind to get out.  Ogando didn't have to leave the game because of a blister, which is encouraging.
- Eric Chavez started at 3B with Alex Rodriguez (oblique) out of the lineup.  Chavez went 2-4 with a run and RBI. 
- Russell Martin went 2-3 with a 2-run homer off Ogando.  After hitting 12 home runs over the last two seasons combined, it's a bit surprising to see Martin hitting for this much power, so early in the season.
- Michael Young went 3-4 with two doubles, a RBI, and 2 runs.  He's batting .367/.371/.500 as the Rangers DH.  When he asked for a trade prior to the season, he must not have factored in the health records of his teammates. 
- Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th for his MLB leading 7th save. 
- W: Rafael Soriano (1-0), L: Arthur Rhodes (0-1), SV: Mariano Rivera (7); HR: Adrian Beltre (4), Curtis Granderson (4), Robinson Cano (4), Russell Martin (4); SB: Elvis Andrus (4)

Pirates 7 - Reds 6

- Edinson Volquez started this game by serving up back-to-back home runs to Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata.  He then loaded the bases and walked in a run, before Ronny Cedeno hit a sac-fly to make it 0-4, all in the first inning.  In the 6th inning he served up a solo shot to Garrett Jones.  All told, the damage report read 6 earned runs in 5.2 innings with 6 strikeouts and 6 walks. 
- Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones both hit homers and stole a base.  Where I'm from, that's called a full house. 
- Jay Bruce went 4-5 with his 2nd homer of the season.  This is only the beginning for Bruce.
- Miguel Cairo subbed in for Brandon Phillips (groin) and went 3-4 with a run and RBI.
- Pedro Alvarez struckout twice in an 0-4 effort.  That's now 20 strikeouts in 57 at-bats with no home runs. 
- Francisco Cordero pitched a scoreless 9th with 1 strikeout.
- Joel Hanrahan loaded the bases in the 9th, but got out of it for his 5th save.
- W: Chris Resop (1-0), L: Logan Ondrusek (2-1), SV: Joel Hanrahan (5); HR: Andrew McCutchen (3), Jose Tabata (3), Garrett Jones (3), Miguel Cairo (1), Jonny Gomes (6), Jay Bruce (2); SB: Jose Tabata (8), Neil Walker (1), Garrett Jones (1), CS: Andrew McCutchen (3)

Mets 3 - Braves 2

- Tommy Hanson staked the Mets 2 runs in the first inning. but settled down after that, allowing just 1 over the next four.  He now has a 6.00 ERA in innings 1-3 and a 1.00 ERA from the 4th inning on.  Warm-up a little longer maybe?
- Dillon Gee got the win, after he went 5.2 innings and allowed 1 earned run.  He was taking the place of the injured Chris Young (bicep).
- Jason Heyward finally hit second in the order, instead of 6th.  Did Fredi Gonzalez finally see the light?  Nate McLouth, the Braves' usual number two hitter, had the day off, so we'll see what happens when he's back in the lineup.  Heyward was 2-4 with a homer. 
- Josh Thole, who had been hitting 8th in the order, hit second for the Mets and went 2-4 with 2 RBI and a run.  A nice bump in his stock if he can hang there.
- Brad Emaus went 0-3 with a walk and strikeout.  He's wearing out his welcome with a .162/.262/.162 batting line. 
- R.A. Dickey pitched a scoreless 7th inning.  This is what happens when you play two double-headers in the course of three days.
- W: Dillon Gee (1-0), L: Tommy Hanson (1-3), SV: Francisco Rodriguez (2); HR: Jason Heyward (4); SB: Jose Reyes (6), CS: Josh Thole (1), Brian McCann (1), Eric Hinske (1)

Nationals 8 - Brewers 4 (Game 1)

- In rounds 1-3 Yovani Gallardo was untouched.  In the 4th, Mike Morse hit him with a sac fly.  Danny Espinosa swept his leg in the 5th with a 3-run homer.  Then in the 6th, Ivan Rodriguez knocked him out with another 3-run homer.  That's 7 earned runs in 5.1 innings… Get him a body bag!
- Jason Marquis allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings on 9 hits and 1 walk.  That's three straight quality starts now with 15 strikeouts and 3 walks. 
- Ian Desmond went 2-4 with a homer and 2 runs from the 7th spot in the lineup.  It was his first hit in five games.
- Jonathan Lucroy went 1-4 and has now gotten a hit in all four of his games, since returning from the DL.
- W: Jason Marquis (1-0), L: Yovani Gallardo (1-1); HR: Danny Espinosa (2), Ian Desmond (2), Ivan Rodriguez (1)

Nationals 5 - Brewers 1 (Game 2)

- Drew Storen got his first save of the season with 2 scoreless innings to end things.  He came on in the 8th with a 3-run lead and stayed in after the team tacked on an extra run in the bottom of the inning.  It was the first save opportunity since Sean Burnett blew a save on Friday.  This could be the changing of roles we've all expected or it could be a tease of things to come.
- Livan Hernandez held the Brewers to 1 run over 7 innings for a win.  He allowed 6 hits and walked none.  He's now 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA and while it doesn't feel as gimmicky as his 2010 season, it's clear his deal with the Devil is still intact.
- Marco Estrada pitched 6 innings and allowed only 1 run with 7 strikeouts, but was handed the no-decision.  He's just holding things down till Zack Greinke is back in the mix.
- Danny Espinosa went 1-3 with a 3-run triple.  In points leagues, that's almost as good as a grand slam, right?
- Mike Morse went 1-2 in the first game and 1-4 in this game, both knocks were singles.  He's now batting .200/.286/.229 with 1 extra base hit on the season.  I was told there'd be power at this party.
- W: Livan Hernandez (2-1), L: Kameron Loe (1-1), SV: Drew Storen (1); HR: Adam LaRoche (2), Jerry Hairston Jr. (1); SB: Ian Desmond (6)

Phillies 3 - Marlins 2

- Cole Hamels and Anibal Sanchez pitched well enough to get the win, both they both left with the game tied.  Hamels went 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs with 7 strikeouts.  Sanchez pitched 6 innings with 2 earned runs and 8 strikeouts.  This was a big improvement over Sanchez's last start (4.2 innings with 6 earned runs to the lowly Astros).
- Placido Polanco hit his first homer of the season.  He's healthy and batting .373/.413/.492 with 12 RBI.
- Chris Coghlan, the Marlins leadoff hitter, finally stole his first base of the season on Sunday.  He stole 18 bags over the last two season combined.
- Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless 8th with 2 strikeouts for a vulture win.  It was his 5th appearance without a run scoring.
- W: Ryan Madson (1-0), L: Ryan Webb (0-2), SV: Jose Contreras (3); HR: Placido Polanco (1); SB: Chris Coghlan (1), Logan Morrison (1), Emilio Bonifacio (2), Jimmy Rollins (4)

Padres 8 - Astros 6

- Brett Myers pitched his customary 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs.  The Astros broadcasters love to comment about how he's pitched 6 innings in all one of his starts as a member of the Astros.  If you didn't know this, consider yourself educated.  He struck out 5 and walked 2 in the game and was in line for the win, before Mark Melancon had a mound meltdown. 
- Melancon, probably the Astros best reliever, allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 1 walk and 3 hits.  If you're hedging against Brandon Lyon, he's probably your best choice.
- Clayton Richard allowed 6 earned runs over 5.1 innings for the Fathers.  Against the Astros, this should hurt twice as bad.
- Angel Sanchez went 0-4, 0-4, 1-4, and 0-4 in this series.  How regressive of him.
- Carlos Lee went 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI, and a run.  He's been hustling lately on defense and playing hard, seriously.  Good work Brad Mills.
- Last season's second half wonder, Chris Johnson was 2-4 with a RBI and run.  He has 4 RBI in his last three games.
- Nick Hundley continues to be the Padres hottest hitter this season.  Sunday he went 2-5 with a home run, his third.  He's now batting .348/.415/.630.
- Mike Adams pitched a perfect 8th, before Heath Bell came in and got the save.  It was a high pressure save as a single, walk, and an error loaded the bases with one out.
- W: Ernesto Frieri (1-1), L: Mark Melancon (1-1), SV: Heath Bell (4); HR: Jorge Cantu (1), Nick Hundley (3); SB: Will Venable (3), Cameron Maybin (4), Jason Bourgeois (5), CS: Chris Johnson (1)

Rockies 9 - Cubs 5

- Ryan Dempster went dumpster with 5 earned runs in 5 innings.  His counterpart, Alan Johnson, allowed 4 earned runs in his four innings.  It was Johnson's MLB debut.
- The Rockies bullpen pitched 5 shutout innings.  Matt Belisle threw 2 innings, Matt Reynolds 1.1, Rafael Betancourt 0.2, and Huston Street the last. 
- Jonathan Herrera has been nothing short of amazing lately.  Sunday he went 1-4 with a RBI, 2 runs, a walk. He's hitting .400/.543/.571 and getting everyday at-bats at second base.  This is all possible because of Ian Stewart's nightmarish .080/.148/.080 start that has Jose Lopez at the hot corner.
- Seth Smith went 2-2 with a homer, double, and 2 RBI, before leaving with a groin injury.  No word on the severity. 
- Darwin Barney played 2B and went 2-5 with a run.  If you're still trying to handicap the Barney/Jeff Baker second base competition, that's seven straight starts for Barney. 
- W: Rafael Betancourt (1-0), L: Marcos Mateo (0-1); HR: Seth Smith (2); SB: Carlos Gonzalez (3), CS: Jose Morales (1)

Dodgers 2 - Cardinals 1

- Ryan Franklin came in with a 1-run lead, a runner on second, and no outs and proceeded to give up a 2-run homer to Matt Kemp to blow the save and the game.  Franklin had already been skating on thin ice coming into this game with 3 blown saves and an earned run allowed in all but one of his appearance, so don't be surprised if Tony LaRussa removes him from the role.  LaRussa's options are Mitchell Boggs, Jason Motte, and Miguel Batista.  I'd bet on Motte, but that's just me and I've been wrong plenty when chasing saves.
- Jonathan Broxton got the win, but didn't pitch all that great.  He allowed a run on a walk and two hits and was in line for the loss, until Franklin pulled a Fuentes/Rodney.  He's got a 4.26 ERA with 5 saves, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
- This game started out as a pitcher's duel between Chris Carpenter and Chad Billingsley.  Carpenter pitched 7 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks, while Billingsley pitched 8 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and 2 walks. 
- Matt Holliday registered 3 of the Cardinals 4 hits and their lone run.  He's batting .441/.558/.676 on the season and is showing no side effects from his recent tummy ache.
- After going 0-3 with a strikeout, James Loney is batting .150/.175/.217.  I'm willing to bet that when he goes to bed, he has nightmares that involve Jerry Sands.  Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream...
- W: Jonathan Broxton (1-0), L: Ryan Frankin (0-2), BS: Ryan Franklin (4); HR: Matt Kemp (3); CS: Matt Kemp (2)

Diamondback 6 - Giants 5

- Madison Bumgarner turned in his third straight sub-par start with 4 earned runs over 6.2 innings.  A 52.1 innings jump from '09 to '10 could be to blame.  He has 7 strikeouts to 8 walks in 14.2 this season with a 7.36 ERA.
- After Barry Enright allowed 4 earned runs over 5.1 innings, the D-Backs bullpen came in and allowed 1 run over 6.2 innings.  Closer J.J. Putz struck out 3 over 2 clean innings. 
- Brandon Belt went 0-4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.  He's batting .200/.310/.280, which might sound bad, but is actually an improvement from where he was a week ago.  If nothing else, he's starting to show a good eye at the plate with a walk in four of his last five games. 
- Xavier Nady played 1B and went 0-4 with a run, walk, and strikeout.  It was his second straight start at 1B as the Giants had yet another lefty on the mound. 
- Kelly Johnson went 1-6 with a run and strikeout.  He's been battling a head cold, which could possibly be affecting his eye at the plate as he's struck out in almost a third of his plate appearance. 
- W: Josh Collmenter (1-0), L: Dan Runzler; HR: Aubrey Huff (1), Buster Posey (3), Pablo Sandoval (4), Justin Upton (4); SB: Xavier Nady (1)