How exclusive was greatness on Mother's Day? Let's put it this way: Nelson Cruz hit grand slam, but it wasn't a walk-off. Josh Harrison hit a walk-off, but it wasn't a grand slam ...
3 UP
Joey Votto, Reds - Coming into Sunday's action Joey Votto was leading the majors in doubles, but the home-run power was curiously absent. Well, let's just say Votto made up for lost time against the Nats. Among his three bombs on the day was a walk-off grand slam that gave Cincy a 9-6 win. According to Elias, Votto is the first player in major-league history to tally three homers and a walk-off grand slam in the same game. Oh, and the last (and only other) time Votto's ninth-inning victim, Henry Rodriguez, gave up a home run to a lefty? Two years and one day before Votto's blast.
Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins - On Sunday, Stanton went 3-for-5 with four RBI at home against the Mets. It should be noted that all four of those RBI came on Stanton's walk-off grand slam. The once-struggling slugger has now hit safely in 14 of 15 games, and six of his seven home runs have come this month.
Kevin Millwood, Mariners - The story was supposed to be Andy Pettitte, but instead it was Millwood who stole the show in the Bronx. Not only did Millwood notch his 2,000th career strikeout, but he also held the hard-hitting Yankees to one run and three hits over over 7.0 innings. Because of his efforts, the M's were able to snap an eight-game road losing streak.
3 DOWN
Jered Weaver, Angels - Weaver is no stranger to the 3-Up roll call, but here he is on the ugly side of things. This is why: 3.1 IP, 10 H, 8 R against the mighty Rangers. In a related matter, Weaver's game score of seven is the lowest of his career. Given the Angels' sizable deficit in the standings, they can't afford to squander too many head-to-head games against Texas. But Weaver didn't give them a chance on Sunday night.
Dan Wheeler, Indians - Actually, that should read "Dan Wheeler, soon-to-be former Indian." In Boston on Sunday, Wheeler managed to allow six runs on five hits in just one inning of work. His ERA for the season is now 8.56, and after Wheeler's implosion the Indians wasted no time in designating him for assignment.
Joe Saunders, Diamondbacks - After tossing a gem in Miami on April 27, Saunders's ERA for the season dropped to 0.90. Since then, however, the wheels have some off. On Sunday, the Giants -- the banjo-hitting, Pablo Sandoval-less Giants -- roughed up Saunders for six runs on 10 hits in 5.0 innings. That means Saunders has now given up 16 runs over his last 14.2 innings pitched.
Full Sunday scoreboard with box scores and recaps for all games
Dempster win watch: As if we needed another data point to emphasize the (correct) notion that pitcher win-loss records are meaningless: Ryan Dempster leads all of baseball with a 1.02 ERA, and he's turned in a quality start in every outing this season. He's also winless on the season. On Monday, he'll oppose Jake Westbrook (who himself has a 1.76 ERA) and the Cardinals in St. Louis. 7:05 pm ET
The O's next test: We keep waiting for the Orioles to plummet back to earth, and they keep being very uncooperative about the whole thing. Baltimore is coming off seven straight contests against the powerful likes of Texas and Tampa Bay, and now they'll conclude their homestand with a pair of games against the Yankees. Jason Hammel is slated to start for the Orioles, but it's not certain whether his injured knee will allow him to do so. He's been the team's top starter this season. 7:05 pm ET
Old boss vs. new boss: It's the middle of May, and the division-rival Dodgers and Diamondbacks are set to play for the first time in 2012. The Snakes, of course, won the AL West flag last season, but the Dodgers presently enjoy the largest division lead in all of baseball. As a bonus, it's a battle of aces in the opener of this two-game set, as Ian Kennedy squares off against Clayton Kershaw. 10:10 pm ET
Full Monday schedule with probables
• A batboy remembers: In the New York Times, C.J. Hoppin fondly recalls his time as a Yankee batboy during the team's 1955 tour of Japan. Highlight: Yankee players made Hoppin sign autographs for Japanese fans who didn't realize he was something less than famous.
• A scandal grows: Has the integrity of the MLB 2K12 perfect-game challenge been hopelessly compromised? The problem: "The issue at hand is that some participants figured out that they could alter their opponent’s lineup while staying in compliance with the validation checks. Each potential perfect game was assigned a 'score' based on the difficulty of the match-up, the problem is that the score wasn’t dynamic. Therefore, you could find the most lopsided matchup you could, then take all the CPUs best players out of the lineup and that wouldn’t affect the difficulty score." Commissioner Landis, simulated baseball needs you.
• 30 for 30: It's one thing for someone to visit all 30 big-league parks in a span of 30 says. It's something else entirely for a blind cancer survivor to do it. Meet Reggie Deal, the inspiring gentleman who's presently touring the majors and, in the process, teaching us all a little something about appreciating this game and this life. [MLB.com]
• Lowe of the ring: Remember when Derek Lowe had some rather important personal items stolen? One of those items was his 2004 World Series ring, and Cleveland's weekend visit to Fenway provided Red Sox honchos John Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner the perfect opportunity to hand-deliver some replacement jewelry. "You know me, I can talk," said Lowe. "But it was one of those moments where I didn't even know what to say. It wasn't like they just sent over a bat boy or sent it over. All three of them came over to give it to me. They said some really nice things." [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
• Cooler than the crown: What's even more rare than a hitter's triple crown? A hitter who mashes 50 homers while also batting .350 or higher in the same season. With an eye toward the paces of Josh Hamilton and Matt Kemp, High Heat Stats take a look at the ultra-exlusive .350/50 club.
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