Stealing Signals: Mercy Rule!

When short on actual intelligence and analysis, I'm probably going to do this cheap round-up that folks like The Big Lead and those Babes who Love Baseball do better, so let's add in some homerism/ fantasy player rooting to make it individual. Favor will probably be lent towards teams in both leagues' Western divisions. I don't think anyone else is using this name (I hope.)

Mets 10, Cards 0 - If John Maine continues to pitch somewhat like this for the rest of the season, I think we may not have to worry quite so much about the starting rotation. Kid rattled off seven innings of one-hit ball while Carlos Beltran knocked off two moon shots and Jose Reyes knocked off a homer of his own with three RBIs to boot (Reyes is my Mets man-crush; I love legitimate lead-off hitters who can also rip homers; he's what Alfonso Soriano should have been.) The bright spot for the Cards? At least Braden Looper turned out to be half decent as a starter; that loss wasn't his fault.

Padres 5, Giants 3 - Notable mostly for Barry Bonds hitting 735, drawing us closer and closer to the inevitable spectacle where Bud Selig has to make a decision as to whether to attend for 755 come summer. The Giants look as inept early as I'd thought -- maybe giving them 4th place over the Rockies was being too kind.

Angels 5, Rangers 3 - Vladdy's your daddy, Texas, and don't you forget it. Guerrero went 6-for-11 in the series with another RBI single tonight, while Garret Anderson got two hits and Ervin Santana pitched seven solid innings.

Braves 3, Phillies 2 - This sort of crap has to give Philly fans like RUTS fits: bullpen coughs up another game on an extra-inning homer after wasting a lead left to them by a starter, victimizing Cole Hamels in the process.