Curveballs for Jobu

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

Today's honorary bat boy: Chris Bosio



Yankees 6, Athletics 2. That's five straight for the defending champions after A.J. Burnett allowed two earned runs in seven solid innings and Mark Teixeira continued a good July with a three-run bomb in a five-run Yankees' fourth. Teixeria is 9-for-25 (.360) with two home runs and 9 RBIs in seven July games. Nick Swisher had a big night as well, falling a triple short of the cycle. This should help Swisher's online candidacy for the final AL all-star spot as it is being reported that Frankie Nostrils late Wednesday got on his computer and voted 11,000,000 times. This time it counts.

Giants 15, Brewers 2. Buster Posey Watch: 4-for-4, 2 HR (1 GS), 6 RBIs. Tim Lincecum also gave up one earned run and struck out 10 in seven innings after allowing 17 earned runs in 27 innings in four previous starts against Milwaukee. Brewers starter Chris Narveson was simple SuperIrabuian, scattering nine hits and nine earned runs in 3 1/3 IP. Milwaukee third baseman Casey McGehee on bouncing back Thursday: "We are not going to go out there defeated before we go out there." McGehee's correct, there's no way Milwaukee can lose before the game begins.

Whitesox 5, Angels 2. Chicago won despite making five errors. That's just OzzieGuillenSmartBall.

Rockies 8, Cardinals 7. The rest of the St. Louis bullpen saw what Ryan Franklin did in the ninth inning Tuesday (1/3 IP, 6 ER) and said anything Ryan can do we can do just as poorly. The Cards, fresh off blowing a six-run, ninth-inning lead and losing 12-9, coughed up a 7-4 cushion in the eighth Wednesday as Colorado won its third straight on Chris Iannetta's lead off homer in the ninth.

Marlins 4, Dodgers 0. Despite the fact that Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez was given the NL Cy Young award last month, Florida's Josh Johnson can still finish second. The righty was brilliant again Wednesday, limiting LA to six hits in eight fantastic innings. Johnson in his last 11 starts, spanning 79 innings, has given up seven earned runs (0.80 ERA).

Curveballs for Jobu

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

Today's honorary bat boy: Ricky Bottalico



Tigers 12, Orioles 9. I don't know Kevin Millwood personally, but I'm assuming the 2010 season hasn't been very fun for him. Millwood lasted an inning Monday, surrendered five runs, and has allowed AL-leading totals in hits (135), earned runs (69) and home runs (20). That's the triple crown of Horrendous. After Millwood was asked to please leave, the dynamic trio of Mark Hendrickson, Koji Uehara and Matt Albers shockingly made things worse.

Giants 6, Brewers 1. Buster Posey Watch: 2-for-4, 3rd home run. Kameron Loe Watch: 1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 R (2 ER).

Royals 6, Mariners 4 (10). Kyle Farnsworth with a scoreless ninth for the win and Yuniesky Betancourt with a go-ahead RBI-single in the tenth. I've got nothing else.

Phillies 3, Braves 1. Philly lost three of four games from Pittsburgh last weekend and the contraction rumors began swirling. Roy Halladay quieted that talk for at least one night, firing his seventh complete game as the third-place Phils shaved a game off first-place Atlanta's East lead.

Curveballs for Jobu

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

Today's honorary bat boy: Andres Thomas




Twins 2, Braves 1. Francisco Liriano is officially back. The Twins' lefty dominated in his rookie season (2006), then had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2007 season. He struggled in '08 and really struggled a year ago-nearly 10 hits allowed per nine innings and a 1.55 WHIP-before returning to his '06 form through this season's first two months. He handcuffed the Braves over eight innings, fanning 11, and in his 12 starts, Liriano's had two hiccups, against Baltimore May 8 and Boston May 20, but the other 10 have been excellent.



Redsox 12, Phiilies 2. When Jamie Moyer broke into the big leagues, women weren't even allowed to brush their teeth, let alone vote. That's why tonight's outcome is so shocking. Moyer's one inning, nine-earned run performance was the worst start of his 59-year career. If you're a left-handed pitcher, you throw 75 miles per hour, you're starting at Fenway Park, and you don't have good stuff and can't locate anything, it's going to be a very short outing.

Royals 6, Reds 5 (11). Wilson Betemit drew a walk; Kyle Farnsworth threw two scoreless innings. I don't know what the hell is going on, but if Breyers Cookies & Cream ice cream isn't still delicious, then I know something is wrong.





Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 2. I don't know how he did it, but Rodrigo Lopez got Albert Pujols to look silly in three at-bats (strike out looking, infield pop up and ground out). Unfortunately for Lopez, whose career has gone south since an excellent rookie year in 2002, Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan are just much better players than Pujols. Schumaker got the scoring started with an RBI-double in the second and Ryan's three-run home run in the seventh helped St. Louis pull away.

Giants 6, Athletics 2. This Tim Lincecum youngster is going to be just fine. The two-time defending Cy Young winner hadn't looked himself in his previous handful of starts, but tonight he pitched eight strong for the win. Buster Posey Watch: 1-for-4, RBI-triple. Season: .461 OBP, 21-for-49 (.428).