The NL West is competitive, but for all the wrong reasons. The Diamondbacks are in first, six games above .500. Then, there's a gap, and the Rockies, Padres, and Giants sit hovering around the .500 mark. The Padres are the only team above .500 this month, with a 14-10 record. This is going to be one of those dog eat dog divisions this year, and the winner is going to end up with something like 84 wins, isn't it?
PIC OF THE DAY
Gordon Beckham smashes into Conor Gillaspie, allowing the Mets to tie the game. Hawk Harrelson predictably went insane. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)
Game of the Night: Yankees 4, Rangers 3. On a night full of blowouts, this game was one of two walkoffs. Leonys Martin hit his second homer of the night in the fifth inning for Texas to give Yu Darvish a 3-1 lead, but he handed it back quickly, allowing solo homers to Brett Gardner in the fifth and Jayson Nix in the sixth. In the bottom of the ninth, Tanner Scheppers allowed a solo homer to Ichiro to end the game. After Martin's homer in the fifth, the Rangers had just three baserunners over the rest of the game, and none of them made it to second base. Talk about a shutout by the New York bullpen.
Pitching Lines of the Night: Chris Sale dominated the Mets in that 5-4 White Sox victory, allowing three runs on four hits in eight innings, walking two and striking out 13. Kyle Kendrick torched the Padres in Philly's 6-2 victory, giving up two runs on seven hits in eight innings, striking out six without a walk. Matt Moore handed the Blue Jays their second straight loss in Tampa Bay's 5-1 win, giving up one run on four hits in six innings, striking out 11 and walking…six? Jeff Locke continued his stellar start to the year in the Pirates' 9-4 win in Seattle, giving up two runs on four hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out four.
Hitting Lines of the Night: Rickie Weeks perhaps continued on his road to breaking out of his season-long slump in the Brewers' 9-3 win over the Cubs, going 3/4 with three runs, four RBI, a double, and two homers. Starling Marte powered the Pirates offense against the Mariners, going 3/5 with three runs, a triple, and two homers. Allen Craig bombed the Astros in a 13-5 Cardinals win, going 4/5 with two runs, three RBI, and a homer. Brandon Belt had a good game for the Giants in their 6-5 loss to the Dodgers, going 3/4 with two runs, two RBI, a double, and a homer. Leonys Martin finished his night in the Bronx by going 2/3 with two solo homers.
Other Games: The Nationals rode a five run third to a 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks. The Marlins doubled up the Twins 4-2. Chris Davis homered in Baltimore's 6-3 win over Cleveland. The Angels smashed the Tigers 14-8. The Red Sox torched the Rockies 11-4. Jason Heyward led the Braves to a 4-3 win over the Royals. The A's beat the Reds 7-3.
What You Missed: Brian Cashman trashed Alex Rodriguez. The Cubs cut ties with both Carlos Marmol and Ian Stewart. The Phillies still think they're contenders…how cute. The first half all-underrated team.
Today's Games: RA Dickey starts for the Blue Jays in Tampa Bay. Homer Bailey takes on AJ Griffin in Oakland. Jeanmar Gomez returns to the hill for the Pirates against Felix Hernandez in Seattle. Roy Oswalt starts for the Rockies in Boston against John Lackey. Andy Pettitte starts for the Yankees, hosting the Rangers. Jordan Zimmermann starts for the Nationals as they host the Diamondbacks. Scott Feldman and the Cubs take on Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers in Milwaukee. Lance Lynn starts for the Cardinals in Houston. Tim Lincecum and the Giants take on Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in LA. Cole Hamels get the nod for the Phillies in San Diego.
National TV: Reds-Athletics (3:30, MLB Network), Rockies-Red Sox (4 PM, MLB Network), Rangers-Yankees (7 PM, ESPN2)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
