ByRight now, he’s about to break the record for the number of homers hit in the first round of the Home Run Derby, and he still has two outs to go.
The old dude pitching to him has GOT to be tired.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reds (46-50) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| Brewers (52-43) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
Jerry Hairston, Jr. capped off a career-best first half of the year and celebrated by tweaking his hamstring when running to first. Cincinnati should have traded him when they had the chance.
C.C. Sabathia faced the Reds for the second time in a week or two, dominating the Reds again. Cincinnati mustered just two runs, both of which came on sacrifice flies. So much for small ball getting you victories.
Homer Bailey made his triumphant return to the big leagues, filling in for the disabled Aaron Harang. Bailey actually did well, turning in his best start of the year, of not his career. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 4. His fastball was back in the 90s, too.
Cincinnati heads to the break in 4th place. They’ve played well lately, winning 7 of their last 10, so it’ll probably delude the owner into thinking they can compete this year. I do hope they actually attempt to stockpile better talent. If their GM makes smart moves, the Reds could be a force next year. Well, assuming Dusty Baker is handed his justly deserved pink slip.
As for Milwaukee, they rebounded from two straight losses to the Reds. Sabathia proved to be the ace pitcher they traded for, stopping the losing streak and letting them pick up a game on the Cubs. Milwaukee hits the halfway mark in 3rd place, only 5 games out.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals (53-43) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 0 |
| Pirates (44-50) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 1 |
The Cardinals out-slugged the Pirates in the rubber match of their final series before the All Star break. The win gave St. Louis the series win, as well, in a three-game set that saw the teams combine for 46 runs. Pitching wasn’t a strong suit for either team.
Joel Pineiro was roughed up for the Cardinals yesterday, but his offense bailed him out. Not so lucky for Pittsburgh was Ian Snell, who was great until the 4-run fourth inning.
Xavier Nady and Jason Bay both continued to hit well, keeping their trade-deadline value up. Perhaps they were auditioning for their future team, as Bay has started being linked with the Cardinals in trade rumors. The Pirates better hope that’s not another Aramis Ramirez situation, should it happen.
St. Louis picked up a game on the losing Cubs to finish the traditional first half of the season 4.5 games back. Pittsburgh stumbles into the break in 5th place, but only a half game ahead of the last-place Astros.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astros (44-51) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| Nationals (36-60) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Brandon Backe started for the Astros and shut out the Nationals yesterday, going 7 innings and allowing no runs and only 5 hits.
Oh yes, he also went 2 for 3, scoring 2 runs, to raise his average to .345. That’s second best for Houston, just behind Lance Berkman at .347, in case you were wondering.
Houston enters the All Star break sitting in last place in the Central. They have won two in a row, but with a banged up Roy Oswalt, the team is definitely in need of a few days off. Besides, those two wins were against Washington. If Cincinnati has shown the MLB anything, it’s that the Nationals suck.
