Both Sox In First

The White Sox have been doing it pretty much all season. They are an AL-best 11-4, their best 15 game start since 1980 and 1981. The Red Sox, after a dodgy sort of start to their season, appear to have stopped grinding their gears and ascended to the top of the AL East last night after The Fat Man won his second straight start and extended his run of scoreless innings to 15 as the Red Sox downed the O's 8-0. Amazingly, it was the first time in 12 games that Baltimore never led.

So now both Sox are in first. Well, the Red Sox are only tied for first with the O's and the White Sox are actually two games up on the Twins after they won two more from them at the beginning of the week. In the Wednesday editions of the Minnesota daily newspapers, Twins players such as Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones were quoted as saying that it's too early to worry about the White Sox's great start. You know they're getting worried if they're talking smack after getting humiliated by the same team both home and away. Whose Bitch Sox are they now?

The man who was to replace Magglio and really, Carlos Lee all in one fell swoop, Jermaine Dye, entered last night's series opener with the Tigers hitting .178, with two home runs and three RBIs, and carried an 11 at-bat hitless streak into the contest. Last night he had 4 RBIs leading the Sox over the Tigers 9-1.

Jon Garland, the fifth starter with the stats of an ace, improved to 3-0 in three starts and allowed one run on five hits over eight innings, walking two and striking out four. For the season, the right-hander has allowed only 21 total base runners over 21 innings and has yielded one home run. Garland gave up a career-worst 34 home runs during the 2004 campaign.

And with regard to their closer, with the White Sox holding a 3-0 lead over Minnesota in the ninth inning Tuesday night, the gong sounded and It's Shingo Time flashed on the U.S. Cellular scoreboard. Last season at one point Takatsu was retiring 29 straight hitters last May and June and hurling 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

Now he's being pulled for the Marvelous Marte after retiring Nick Punto on a ground out, allowing Shannon Stewart to double and Matthew LeCroy to single home the first run. Before facing the left-handed hitting Joe Mauer, who had two home runs and three hits off of Takatsu in three previous at-bats, Guillen summoned Marte.

Takatsu exited with a 12.27 ERA, eight hits allowed over 3 2/3 innings, and a team-high four home runs given up. Not all the clouds have silver linings.

No More For No Mah

Although hitting only .157 so far this season, it still must have been stunning for Cubs fans to see Nomar Garciaparra carried off the field with a groin injury in the 3rd inning of last night's first big matchup against the hated St Louis Cardinals.

Perhaps replacing him will be A new 25th man if the Goat Riders of the Apocalypse have anything to say about it. Well, they don't yet, actually.

No matter however as the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano allowed only 5 hits and one run in 8 2/3 innings and the Cubs beat the Cardinals, 3-1 and LaTroy Hawkins earned his first save of the season. The win pushed the Cubs one game over .500 for the first time since Opening Day.

As Bleed Cubbie Blue notes:

The Cubs seemed to come out and approach this game with a sense of purpose. It may be too early to have one of those "message" games, but winning at St. Louis, a house of horrors for years, in decisive fashion in front of a full house, has to buoy the spirits and confidence of every single member of the ballclub.

Nats Snap Winless Run, Tied For First

Zach Day yielded only three singles in seven scoreless innings and Jose Vidro had a two-run homer as the Nationals snapped their little two-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the stinkin' Braves in front of 27,374 who enjoyed the first shutout in Nationals history.

In the "other" NL East matchup with consequence, the Marlins won the fifth straight, this time over the Mets. Archie Bunker's Army has the details. The Marlins and Nats are tied for first.

Dodgers On Baseball's Biggest Roll

Eight straight and counting. It took them 10 innings but last night the Dodgers managed to beat the Padres 3-1 to increase their lead in the NL West to 4 1/2 games behind Jose Valentin's two out two run 10th inning single.

The Dodgers now have the best record in baseball and matched the best start in franchise history. The 1940 and '55 Dodgers, then based in Brooklyn, also opened 12-2.

The Padres have now lost four straight to the defending NL West champion Dodgers, including a three-game weekend sweep at Dodger Stadium, when they were outscored 18-3. They are 7-8 for the season.

Sheffield Exonerated

Not many times you'd see that headline in real life but it appears the for a change MLB is acting wisely and has decided not to punish Sheffield. The commissioner's office ruled that Sheffield would not be fined or suspended for his role in the incident last Thursday where an idiot tried to side-swipe his face whilst he was trying to catch a fly ball and then another idiot dumped a beer on him. Both of the Red Sox fans involved were barred from games the rest of the season. The local constabulary was even seeking charges against them as well. Put 'em in the drunk tank with Otis.

The Yankees celebrated by joining the Red Sox in pounding the Blue Jays, who no longer look very invinsible after facing the "real" contenders in the AL East. Then again, they didn't have The Miraculous Chacin on the mound for them.

Despite having what many thought was the best starting rotation in baseball, the Yankees experienced their first "quality" start last night when Carl Pavano cruised to victory in working eight innings, the longest outing by a Yankee this season, and allowing one earned run, seven hits and no walks.

Pirates Worse Than Usual

It's hard to imagine but at 4-11, the Pirates are off to worst start since 1995. I thought they started like this every season but apparently, there is usually a very brief orgasmic sense of dillusionment every season before reality sets in like cement boots. This season, the Pirates appear to be trying to save their fans the misery and let them know straight away that their worst fears are confirmed: The Pirates still suck.

Not even their ace feels like playing along. Oliver Perez was the Pirates next dream ace but in four starts this season, he's 0-2 with a 9.00 earned run average. Last season, he was 12-10 with a 2.98 earned run average.

Barry Barry Late

In case you're missing him and you're not a Giants fan, it appears that Barry The Martyr Bonds has been unable to begin any baseball-related activities since the second arthroscopic operation on his right knee and no timetable has been set for his return.

I suspect it's all the media's fault.

Today's Menu

Today's probable starters don't promise too many ace to ace matchups but a few that will be interesting:

Pedro @ Al Leiter, Part II

Moose @ Chacin: Mussina allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, though he gave up seven hits and walked three batters. Mussina's command has been spotty this season, as he has walked eight hitters in 16 2/3 innings. Chacin has allowed just three earned runs in 19 innings and is coming off last Saturday's outing in which he shut out the powerful Rangers lineup over eight innings, allowing only two hits.

Smoltz @ Patterson: Smoltz has seen opponents score in just two of the past 15 innings he's appeared. His offense has provided him a total of two runs in three starts. Patterson will face the Braves for the fourth time in his career on Thursday. He is 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA against them.

Buehrle @ Bonderman: Chisox look for more. Saturday's 2-1 victory over Seattle was impressive even for Buehrle, where the exceptional is the norm. Buehrle struck out a career-high 12 and allowed three hits, all to Ichiro Suzuki, during the complete game effort. Buehrle, whose 960 innings are tops in the game since 2001, recorded his 16th complete game in just one hour, 39 minutes. Bonderman, who has two victories against the weak-hitting Royals this year, but was roughed up by Cleveland, gets another crack at an AL Central foe.