Shot Of The Night

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Sorry about shot of the night being late again but I've been in a strikeout coma. And as soon as I'm finished with this shot, I'm going back to writing about Golden Sombreros. Seriously hitters, it was cute when you used to give me maybe a 4 strikeout performance once a week. But 6 in 2 days? Anyway, last night's shot of the night was Cane and Abel: 2-2.5 oz rum, 1/2 can Red Bull® energy drink and it's in honor of Matt Cain. I'm actually proud of what I did there, screw you.

Cain threw 8 shutout innings to improve his record to 8-8. He allowed 3 hits and 3 walks but struck out 9. Cain is overshadowed by Tim Lincecum in San Francisco but I always thought he was an underrated pitcher. Turns out he's never had an xFIP under 4.22 and his BABIP is almost always way under .300. It makes him a pretty interesting case. He's either always lucky or his normal BABIP is actually closer to .275 than .300. Even when you remove fielding, he out performs his FIP every season. Can anybody smart out there explain why that is to me?

Honorable Mention: Cole Hamels
Hamels threw 8 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball but didn't get a decision. That would have never happened if Chase Utley was healthy. But luckily for the Phillies, Dom Brown should be on the way. Unfortunately for the Phillies, they'll have to move Jayson Werth instead of Raul Ibanez.

Curveballs for Jobu

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

Today's honorary bat boy: Bobby Meachum



Twins 13, Phillies 10 (11). Minnesota trailed 9-4 heading to the ninth, but scored five to tie it. Joe Mauer's only hit of the game was a big one-a tying homer off Brad I'm Awesome No Wait My Career Is Done I'm Awesome Again Is My Career Really Over? I'm Pretty Good Again Oooohhh Hung One To Mauer Lidge. Drew Butera and Ross Gload traded solo home runs in the 10th. The 11th was all Twins as Delmon Young and someone named Matt Tolbert drove in the runs. As a whole, Lidge and fellow relievers Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin and Danys Baez were Simply Irabuian: 3 13 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 3 HR.

Pirates 6, Indians 4. And that my friends is what a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball victory looks like. The Buccos snapped a 12-game losing streak, winning for the first time since June 5 (2010).



Orioles 5, Padres 4. That's two wins in four games On Baltimore's west coast trip, which ends today. With Kevin Millwood shaking off a three-run first by pitching five straight scoreless innings, for at least one day Baltimore avoided being relegated to the AAA International League in favor of first-place Durham.

Braves 5, Royals 4. I sat a bar with a Miller High Life and called Troy Glaus' walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Ask this guy I know named Craig, he was standing right next to me. He said "you're spilling Miller High Life on my foot, jerk," right before I called Glaus' 14th home run that extended Atlanta's lead in the NL East to 1 1/2 games. Wilson Betemit: DNP.

Bluejays 3, Giants 0. Matt Cain and Toronto's Jesse Litsch matched penguin eggs for seven innings before the Bluejays got a two-run home from Aaron Hill in the eighth to help decided it. Cain, who has given up more than three earned runs once in 14 starts, deserved a better fate, but SF does employ Pat Burrell and bat him fifth so it's really their own fault. Litsch, who didn't get out of the third inning in a seven earned run-debacle at Colorado June 13, threw seven shutout innings and allowed just three base runners in his second start of the season.