All I really need to do is put on that pink bunny suit... Yes, I am the Energizer Bunny... I keep going and going! All kidding aside, I know there is no way I would ever be able to keep up with my furry friend... I can hang with him pretty good though! If you read my Tuesday's Night special blog last night, you know that I'll be heading to my local Best Buy tonight for an acoustic concert and CD signing by the band Lifehouse... Not more than an hour after I posted that, I get word from one of my close friends that she has an extra ticket to the Brad Paisley show on Saturday, June 30th... Of course I couldn't turn down the ticket... so now I've officially switched from "baseball mode" to "concert mode"... Four baseball games the first half or so of the month, and now it will end up being four concerts for me the second half - Keith Urban (6/16), Lifehouse (tonight), the Police (this Saturday), and now Brad... July is starting to fill up too... all I'll say is that I'm going to be visiting my new favorite vacation destination at least once!
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OK, baseball is the topic today... and something very unusual happened to Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana last night as he faced the New York Mets in Shea Stadium. Yes, he had his first career double in the game, but that's not what made it unusual... the man who has led the American League in strikeouts the past three years had none the first eight innings. Not to worry, the Twins had built a 9-0 lead by that time and Johan would end up striking out one batter in the ninth. Masterful as usual, Johan only gave up four hits and no walks to the struggling Mets in picking up his 7th win of the season. While on the topic of the Mets, some good news to report on their ace, Pedro Martinez. In his 5th bullpen session this month, Pedro threw 55 pitches at the team's complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Although there is not a set date for his return, it may be sooner than the original August forecast. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to stash him away on your fantasy team if you have an empty bench or DL slot.
The news is not so good for the Dodgers' Jason Schmidt. As I noted last week, his velocity was way off in his second start since his latest return from the disabled list. He didn't pitch any better or regain any velocity in his Saturday start against the Angels... Now word comes that Schmidt will undergo shoulder surgery today and be lost for an undetermined amount of time. Chad Billingsley will apparently take his spot in the rotation. If you've seen Chad pitch, you know what kind of stuff he possesses. The Dodgers' top prospect might be finally getting his chance. Grab him now if he's available in your fantasy leagues... Speaking of the Dodgers, they routed the Toronto Blue Jays by a 10-1 score. Brad Penny pitched a masterful seven innings, giving up one run, six hits and one walk while striking out six in picking up his 9th win of the year. His ERA now stands at a stellar 2.12. Juan Pierre led the Dodgers attack with three stolen bases and three runs scored, while Luis Gonzalez contributed four RBI's.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they could not pick up any ground on the NL West division leading San Diego Padres. Then again, with their ace Jake Peavy going last night, the Padres were probably hoping they could increase their 1 1/2 game lead over the Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Peavy was a little off last night, but still pitched a strong six innings, allowing three runs, six hits and two walks while striking out seven in a 12-6 Padre rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Peavy is now 9-1 and has an ERA of 1.98... currently he would be the leading candidate to start the All Star Game for the National League. Khalil Greene went 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI's to pace the Padre attack.
In Anaheim, the Angels took on the Houston Astros. Both starting pitchers struggled a lot and quite honestly were probably left in too long by their respective managers. The Angels quickly got off to a 3-0 lead off Astros starter Jason Jennings after two innings. Angels starter Bartolo Colon promptly gave the lead away in the top of the third, allowing a 3-run homer to Carlos Lee. The Angels picked up two more runs in the bottom of the frame, but Colon would give it right back again in the top of the fourth. The game was tied at five after five innings... Colon then allowed two more runs in the top of the six before finally being removed. The Astros would score twice in the seventh and would end up winning 9-5. Jason Jennings picked up his first win of the season for the Astros despite his very rocky outing, allowing four earned runs and 11 hits in his 5 2/3 innings of work.
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