Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Tim Teufel

Yankees 9, Diamondbacks 3. Dan Haren had gone seven innings, allowing three runs and was at 109 pitches. Naturally, it was time for Arizona manager A.J. Hinch to go to his bullpen, or The Rudy Steins as I like to call them. The Yankees said "yes, we have no problem hitting against AA pitchers," and in the eighth, NY broke it open with six runs against Esmerling Vasquez (6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) and Chad Qualls (8.88 ERA, 2.26 WHIP). Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte continues to amaze. The southpaw threw seven innings of two-run ball and Alex Rodriguez homered (first since June 3) and drove in three for the defending champions, who are a season-best 1 1/2 games up in the East.

Cardinals 9, Bluejays 4. Jose Bautista came in to the 2010 season with 59 career home runs, never hitting more than 16 in any of his four full seasons. After hitting two off Jaime Garcia, Bautista has a ML-high 20 home runs and his OPS+ of 146 is 48 points higher than his career mark. Oh, yes, something about the winning team. Matt Holliday, whose nickname on Baseball Reference is "Big Daddy", has had a fun four games, going 11-for-17 with five home runs. St. Louis stays a game up on Cincinnati in the Central because....

Reds 4, Athletics 2. This was just a case of playa-hatin'. In this particular incident, Oakland pitcher Dallas Braden didn't respect Bronson Arroyo (8 IP, 2 ER) or the 305, and the Reds kept Whitey winless since May 9. Coco Crisp sighting: two-run home run in the third for Oakland's only runs.

Mariners 2, Cubs 0. A lot of Mariners' trade talk centers around Cliff Lee, but is Jason Vargas available? Another dominant start-7 IP, 4 H, 7 K, 1 BB-for the lefty, who last year was demoted to the bullpen after a dreadful start against the Royals, if you can believe that. This season, he's been a perfect compliment for the ridiculous Lee. Imagine if the Mariners had an offense.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Mackey Sasser




Rockies 1, Bluejays 0. This is what interleague play is all about. The Toronto-Colorado rivalry: just good, old-fashioned hatred. Rockies' righty Jason Hammel was excellent again-8 IP, 6 H-and after a rough start to the season has struck out 24, walked eight and allowed three earned runs combined in his last four starts.

Mets 3, Orioles 1. Hisanori Takahashi is making a case for greatest Takahashi in baseball history after his seven innings of one-run ball. Hisanori has now pitched well in three of his five starts after moving into the rotation May 21. The other Takahashi, Ken, also pitched for the Mets and in 2009 had a 2.96 ERA in 28 appearances. It's neck-and-neck.



New York has won consecutive road games for the first time since last July 25-26. That's bad, but it's not nearly as bad as: the Orioles since 1998.

Devilrays 6, Marlins 5. Carlos Pena homered in his sixth consecutive game, a franchise record and two shy of the ML record held most-importantly by Don Mattingly, and some others.

Giants 5, Athletics 4. The last time Barry Zito faced his former team May 21, he allowed six earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. Saturday, the southpaw was much-less Irabuian, giving up solo home runs to Matt Carson and Adam Rosales in seven strong innings. Zito knows now that you just don't mess with Matt Carson (949) and Adam Rosales (312).

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Kent Tekulve




Astros 5, Rockies 4. The 'Stros are what you would call a streaky team. They started the year 0-8, won eight of their next 10, lost eight in a row and 11 of 12, won four straight, lost 13 of 17, and have since won eight of 10 after taking three of four from Colorado. Roy Oswalt pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and struck out nine.

Whitesox 3, Tigers 0. I'll do this one in KenHarrelsonVoice™:

"Johnny Danks twirls a one-hitter through seven, attaboy Danksey. Vizzy put one on the board eeee-yesss, and lookat A.J., little pop out of A.J. today, attaboy A.J. Little bingo for Alexei, he had a duck snort in the fifth. Good guys three, bad guys zero. The crew's pick to click Mark Kotsay went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Kotsy'll get 'em tomorrow though. Batting cage under the first-base stands, Kotsy be there in the morning, you better believe it. Attaboy Kotsy."

Reds 7, Giants 6. Second baseman Brandon Phillips ripped a two-run triple to cap a rally in the eighth for the Reds, who I can say for the first time on June 11 are the best team in the NL Central. Phillips had a four-hit game, and I think the second baseman from Redan HS (GA) could be putting together his finest season. His 120 OPS+ is 27 points above his career average and he's getting on base more, which clashes with the philosophy of Dusty Clogs Baker.

Athletics 6, Angels 1. This Trevor Cahill guy is OK. He gave up six hits in a career-high eight innings. The right-hander from Oceanside-760-(Braden'd) has now allowed three earned runs or less in all nine starts since he got beat up by Toronto in his first start of the year April 30. That's definitely the most words I've ever written about Trevor Cahill.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Ken Oberkfell




Astros 3, Cubs 1. Carlos Zambrano made his first start since April 20. Not too bad: 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, but Felipe Paulino was much better: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 7 K. The win was the Stros' fourth straight, getting them to within one game of fifth-place Milwaukee in the race for 2nd-Smelliest NL Central team.

Quote of the night

Cubs' play-by-play man Len Kasper: "Lance Berkman told me (second baseman) Jeff Keppinger's personality is similar to Jeff Kent's (personality)."

Color commentator Bob Brenly: "Jeff Kent had a personality?"

Twins 5, Athletics 4 (11). Dallas Braden didn't recognize the 612 (Minneapolis area code) and the Twins made him pay for it, big willie style. Braden gave up four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings and is winless since his perfect game May 9. No word on whether Justin Morneau, a New Westminster, British Columbia native is going to have V3L 0A2 tattooed on his stomach after a 2-for-4, 2 RBI night.

Mets 4, Marlins 3. R.A. Dickey, left for squirrel meat after a miserable 2009 season with Minnesota, has been better-than-terrible for the Mets. The knuckleballer won his third consecutive start, pitching 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball, and also went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate.



Redsox 11, Orioles 0. Clay Buchholz, perhaps the ugliest man on the Boston roster, and that's saying a lot (see: Lackey, John; Youkilis, Kevin; Ortiz, David), pitched a five-hit shut out. Juan Samuel's first game as manager didn't go well, but in all fairness to the rookie skipper, neither will Saturday's game.

Diamondbacks 7, Rockies 6. There is a small sampling of joy in Phoenixville, mighty Ryan Roberts has just singled to center field. The pinch-hitter ripped a base hit off Manuel Corpas to cap a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth and end Arizona's 10-game losing streak. Corpas pitched like he was auditioning for a spot in the Diamondbacks' bullpen: 10 pitches, 1/3 of a inning, 3 H, 2 ER.