Major Injuries: Jon Lester, Scott Baker, Asdrubal Cabrera, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun

Yankees 9, Indians 2

- I don't get too overwrought over All-Star snubs, so I won't make the case for CC Sabathia here, but I wonder if there was some sort of backlash because of his early run support when he wasn't pitching so well? Anyhow, he threw seven shutout innings Tuesday, striking out 11, walking just two.
- Carlos Carrasco's recent string of good starts came to a halt against the Yankees, as he allowed six runs on 10 hits and three walks over four innings.
- Give me a final number on Curtis Granderson's homers for the season. After two more homers Tuesday, he's up to 25. Will he get to 40?
- Derek Jeter had two hits, putting him at 2,996. Is anyone else annoyed at the line of questions wondering whether Joe Girardi will rest Jeter on Wednesday? Maybe I'm just cranky.
- Mariano Rivera was once again unavailable thanks to a sore triceps.
- Asdrubal Cabrera left the game in the fourth inning with a sprained ankle. He hurt the ankle on a throw in the third inning and tried to stay in the game, to no avail. He's day-to-day - we'll see how the ankle reacts overnight.
- Matt LaPorta should return from the DL on Wednesday.
- HR: Granderson 2 (25); SB: Brett Gardner 2 (22).

Nationals 3, Cubs 2

- Ross Detwiler allowed two runs in 2011 debut over 5.1 innings to get the win. He might get another start Sunday to allow the Nats to limit Jordan Zimmermann's innings. He had just one strikeout.
- Jeff Baker's hideous throw paved the way for the Nats to score three runs in the first inning on what should have been a double play. He was getting a start at second base, with Darwin Barney moving to shortstop, to give Starlin Castro a night off. Baker later left with back spasms, which he appeared to incur on the play in question in the first inning.
- Aramis Ramirez homered yet again - 11 of his 13 homers have come since June 8.
- Ramon Ortiz became the Cubs' 10th different starting pitcher this season. He didn't allow a run after the three-run first, going six innings overall.
- Mike Morse (forearm) once again didn't start, but he was able to pinch-hit. Ryan Zimmerman (abdomen) returned, going 2-for-4.
- HR: Aramis Ramirez (13); SB: Tony Campana (9); SV: Drew Storen (21).

Pirates 5, Astros 1

- Even though I'm a Reds fan, I want the Pirates' feel-good story to continue. I'm dubious, in part because I don't think the starting pitching will hold up, but it's cool to see a great ballpark sell out after so much pain inflicted on this fan base.
- Speaking of the starting pitching, Jeff Karstens had another good outing, holding the Astros to a run over seven innings. He only had three strikeouts, but didn't walk a batter. He has given up only 18 walks all season, while allowing 17 homers. The combination of no walks and a ballpark that limits the damage inflicted by flyballs like PNC is a nice one for him.
- The Astros once again went with the three-Rodriguez pitching staff for the game - Wandy, Fernando and Aneury. It sort of reminds me of when I used to collect baseball cards, and the cards would occasionally have a tidbit about the player on the back. If it was a scrub, usually it would say something like "... Conrad enjoys hunting and fishing in the offseason...." The Astros are that equivalent.
- Josh Harrison was given the day off at third base after his home plate collision Monday, though he passed concussion tests. Brandon Wood started in his place at third base and homered. Wood also drew his 11th walk as a Pirate, against only 128 at-bats. That's more walks than he drew with the Angels in two-plus seasons with them, covering 281 at-bats.
- HR: Clint Barmes (4), Brandon Wood (4); CS: Matt Diaz (1).

Cardinals 8, Reds 1

- Good Feeling Gone: Edinson Volquez showed a lot of positive signs in his last start against the Rays, but gave it all back Tuesday night against the Cards. His first inning nemesis reared it's ugly head, giving up back-to-back homers to Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman. Holliday's three-run homer off him in the fifth effectively sealed the deal for the game, too. He ended up allowing seven runs (six earned).
- The Reds fell below .500 for the first time since May 3 with the loss. As with Volquez, the Reds as a whole have given away their positive vibes from that Rays series, losing 2 of 3 to the Indians and now the first two against the Cardinals.
- Drew Stubbs struck out four more times. To think I was feeling pretty good about being on Stubbs Island for the first two months of the season.
- Despite getting activated from the DL Tuesday, Albert Pujols never got into the game. He is projected to start Wednesday, though.
- Jaime Garcia once again dominated at home - he's 5-1 with a 0.94 ERA there.
- HR: Matt Holliday 2 (12), Lance Berkman (23).

Phillies 14, Marlins 2

- Cole Hamels pitched well after leaving his last start early with a bruised non-pitching hand, allowing just two runs over eight innings. He struck out five, walked one and allowed eight hits, with the two runs coming on a John Buck homer.
- Jack McKeon was damned when he did (intentionally walking Ryan Howard to load the bases), and damned when he didn't (letting Chris Volstad pitch to Howard, who subsequently homered). Howard now has eighth homers in 26 at-bats against Volstad.
- Placido Polanco sat out with a sore back that's been bothering him for a while now. Shane Victorino sat out with a sprained right thumb for the second day in a row.
- Mike Cameron is now a Marlin - he'll be active Wednesday after getting traded for a player to be named later, or cash considerations. He might just play regularly in center field, if he can hold up health-wise - his competition right now is Bryan Petersen and Dwayne Wise.
- The Marlins are moving Clay Hensley to the starting rotation when he comes off the DL.
- HR: Ryan Howard (18), Raul Ibanez (10).

Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 2

- The missed call on Edwin Encarnacion to end the game was a classic "the ball beat the runner" call made in my softball leagues. Even more annoying than the call being transparently incorrect was the coverage it received in MLBN's recap show - sure, they played the quotes from the Jays and showed the clearly missed tag on the replay, but then they turned around in a different segment and called Jason Varitek's play the "perfect block and tag" with one of their sponsored segments. Way to whitewash the truth there, fellas.
- Jon Lester was nearly perfect for four innings before leaving with an injured left lat muscle. He will go through extensive tests Wednesday to determine how severe the problem is.
- Brett Cecil dug himself an early 3-0 deficit but then stabilized, not allowing another run after the third inning, going eight innings overall.
- Kevin Youkilis sat out because of the bruised back muscle that he suffered Monday.
- Clay Buchholz is going down to North Carolina for a second opinion on his back injury.
- HR: Jose Bautista (28), Dustin Pedroia (8); CS: Corey Patterson (7); SV: Jonathan Papelbon (18) - Worst save ever? He allowed two runs on Bautista's homer, then benefited from the missed call at home plate. He gave up four hits and a walk in the inning.

Braves 5, Rockies 3

- Dan Uggla is still hitting .178, but he homered, doubled and walked twice in the win over the Rockies.
- Freddie Freeman remained on fire, homering in his first at-bat after homering twice Monday.
- Despite those heroics, it was Derek Lowe who had the big hit of the game - a bases clearing double to knock in three runs.
- The Rockies played without both Troy Tulowitzki (quad) and Carlos Gonzalez (wrist).
- Ian Stewart is up again because of those injuries to CarGo and Tulo. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, batting seventh. The Rockies moved Ty Wigginton to left field.
- HR: Freddie Freeman (12), Dan Uggla (13); SV: Craig Kimbrel (26).

Rangers 4, Orioles 2

- Josh Johnson has been mentioned as one of the relievers that might be available in trade talks as we approach the deadline at the end of the month, but he had a rare bad outing Tuesday. He gave up three runs, turing a 2-1 lead into the final 4-2 deficit.
- J.J. Hardy had another leadoff homer and his 13th homer of the year. Meanwhile, Jim Hoey toils in the minors for the Twins and Tsyuoshi Nishioka has been awful at the plate since taking over up the middle.
- Mitch Atkins, formerly with the Cubs, where he was designated for assignment at the end of the season, held the Rangers to a run over his six innings of work. He's not a big-time prospect, obviously, and his lack of K's even at the Triple-A level this year (5.66 K/9) suggest he won't stick in the O's rotation too long. Then again, Brian Matusz got bombed in his first Triple-A start, so he's not coming back anytime soon.
- HR: Matt Wieters (8), J.J. Hardy (13); SV: Neftali Feliz (17).

Royals 5, White Sox 3

- Felipe Paulino wasn't great (nine hits and two walks allowed in six innings, albeit with nine K's), but he finally earned his first win of 2011, and his first win as a Royal. This was a great free talent grab for the Royals, something they need to be on the lookout for again in the future. I'm not saying that Paulino is ever going to be an ace, but guys that can miss bats at the big league level don't just grow on trees. He's exactly the profile of a pitcher worth taking a chance on.
- Adam Dunn had another rough night, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Fellow slumper Alexis Rios was given another night off. I'm still stubborn enough to think both can still turn around their awful seasons and could make good buy lowest candidates.
- Jake Peavy wasn't terrible, but got hit at the wrong time, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks over six innings. The White Sox haven't announced yet what their intentions are once John Danks returns from the DL.
- Joakim Soria was a little shaky in recording the save - he gave up two singles, didn't strike anyone out, and got the last out on a hard-hit fielder's choice that Alcides Escobar made a nice play on.
- HR: Paul Konerko (22); SB: Melky Cabrera (11), Jeff Francoeur (14), Juan Pierre (12); SV: Joakim Soria (14).

Diamondbacks 7, Brewers 3

- Just when you think you can trust Randy Wolf, the blowup version shows up. He gave up seven runs to the Diamondbacks, including four in a brutal first inning. He later gave up two homers in the third inning to seal the deal.
- Justin Upton hit a 452-foot bomb, his 14th of the season. He does it a different way than teammate Wily Mo Pena, but between them they get a ton of distance on their homers.
- Ryan Braun sat out a third game in a row with a calf injury.
- HR: Justin Upton (14), Gerardo Parra (5), Corey Hart (10), Prince Fielder (22); Willie Bloomquist (9), Ryan Roberts (13); SV: David Hernandez (5).

Twins 3, Rays 2

- Scott Baker left his start after five innings with flexor muscle strain and will probably miss Sunday's start before the All-Star break. He's quietly been fantastic this season, posting a 3.01 ERA and 104 K's in 110.2 innings. This after a rough start to the season.
- Matt Capps for the second appearance in a row was yanked before he could close the door, once again with Glen Perkins coming in for the one-out save. This after Capps allowed a homer to B.J. Upton and then allowed two more runners to reach. He's had three bad outings in a row and just got the dreaded vote of confidence. Over/under on when Joe Nathan is closing?
- Speaking of the Glen Perkins save, it came on a disputed call at first base on a Johnny Damon ground ball. It wasn't obvious, like the Encarnacion call above, but wouldn't having replay to make sure we get the call right be a good option?
- James Shields picked off two more runners, giving him a whopping 10 on the season.
- Evan Longoria is playing with a strained tendon in his foot, though he's staying in the lineup.
- HR: B.J. Upton (13); SB: Ben Zobrist (8); SV: Glen Perkins (2).

Angels 1, Tigers 0

- Dan Haren won the pitching duel of the evening over Justin Verlander, holding the Tigers to just two hits and no walks while striking out nine. It was his 100th career win.
- Brennan Boesch left with a bruised knee after fouling a pitch off the knee. Andy Dirks replaced him in the lineup and might end up playing more as a result.
- Justin Verlander was one of three Tigers ejected by Joe West - this as he was leaving the game. He was upset about being forced to change balls earlier in the game - seems like a strange thing to hold onto for multiple innings.
- There were no HR, SB or SV's. That's what happens when you have a 1-0 game with the winning pitcher throwing a complete game.

Mariners 4, A's 2 (10 innings)

- Felix Hernandez had a win swiped from under him when Brandon League blew the save in the ninth, in small part because of Carlos Pegeuro's bobble in left field after Jemile Weeks started the inning with a double. League vultured the win when the Mariners rallied in the 10th inning.
- Dustin Ackley kept it rolling with a homer and a stolen base off of Trevor Cahill.
- Cahill was much better after his last start against the Marlins was a disaster, allowing two runs (one earned) over seven innings.
- Josh Willingham (Achilles' tendon) could return over the weekend, which likely means a demotion for Chris Carter.
- HR: Dustin Ackley (3), Kurt Suzuki (7); SB: Ichiro Suzuki (22), Ackley (2), Franklin Gutierrez (3), David DeJesus (2); CS: Jemile Weeks (3), Coco Crisp (8), Kurt Suzuki (2); SV: Jamey Wright (1); BS: Brandon League (4).

Mets 6, Dodgers 0

- Jason Bay continued his climb to respectability, homering twice. Carlos Beltran continued to boost his trade viability with another homer.
- With Andre Ethier out with an illness, Matt Kemp was left on Good Hitter Island by himself. He had two hits, two stolen bases, but also got thrown out on a play at the plate.
- Mike Pelfrey had a rare good road start - but then again, he was facing a watered-down Dodgers lineup.
- Jon Garland will have shoulder surgery and is out for the season, meaning that Rubby De La Rosa has a rotation spot for the rest of the season, performance and health willing.
- Ted Lilly gave up two of the three homers that the Mets hit - I still think he's a good buy-low, as the homers really aren't all that out of line with his career, nor are his velocity readings.
- HR: Carlos Beltran (13), Jason Bay 2 (6); SB: Matt Kemp 2 (24).

Padres 5, Giants 3

- Cameron Maybin had the big hit against Matt Cain, working the count before hitting a two-run triple. He's one of many Padres perfectly representing the tough home/road split that they have: .628 home OPS, .856 road OPS. Chase Headley is in the same boat, essentially, though he starts off at a higher batting average. Headley was a half-foot from a homer Tuesday night, hitting one off the top of the tall wall in right center.
- Tim Stauffer wasn't fantastic, but good enough to get the win - 3 R, 2 ER over six innings. After that, the Padres did their bullpen shutdown routine, with a little luck on a play at home where Andres Torres was tagged out on a wild pitch on a throw back to pitcher Chad Qualls. Torres had worked his way on with a 16-pitch walk against Qualls.
- Thanks to yet another second base injury, Miguel Tejada made his first start at second base, allowing Brandon Crawford to stick at shortstop.
- SB: Andres Torres (9); CS: Nate Schierholtz (4); SV: Heath Bell (26).