| John Mayberry and Erik Kratz celebrate the Phillies' victory over Francisco Rodriguez and the Brewers. (Getty Images) |
The Yankees not only gained Ichiro Suzuki on Monday, but their win coupled with the Orioles' loss gave them a seven-game lead in the American League East, the largest league in baseball.
Full Monday scoreboard with recaps and box scores for every game
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Jeff Samardzija, Cubs: Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza may be headed out of town, but Samardzija is showing that he has the stuff to be a front-line starter. On Monday, he held the Pirates to just one hit in eight innings, walking one while striking out five. He overshadowed Pittsburgh starter Erik Bedard, who gave up just two hits and struck out 11 in seven innings. However, he gave up an RBI double to Alfonso Soriano in the fourth, and that's all Samardzija needed.
Josh Johnson, Marlins: The Marlins' asking price for Johnson may have gone up a little bit -- even though the price was probably high to begin with. With several scouts in Miami to watch the right-hander against the Braves, he gave up just one hit in six innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out nine. A blister cut short his outing, but he's not expected to miss his next start.
Kendrys Morales, Angels: Entering Monday's game against the Royals as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, Morales hit a two-out, three-run double to break up a tie against Kansas City.
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New York Mets: The Yankees added a future Hall of Famer on Monday and their cross-town rivals welcomed Snooki. Oh, and then there was the game. According the the Elias Sports Bureau, the Mets became just the third team since 1990 to lose consecutive games, both in extra innings, both by five-plus runs. The only other teams to do it were the 1994 California Angels and the 1973 Houston Astros.
Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers: The Phillies entered Monday's game 0-42 when trailing after eight innings this season. Thank goodness for the Brewers' bullpen. In his third save attempt as the Brewers' closer, Rodriguez walked three, allowed three hits and four runs to blow a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The Phillies won the game on Ty Wigginton's sacrifice fly. The Brewers have now blown 17 saves, the second most in the National League behind the Rockies (18).
Laz Diaz, umpire: It's too easy -- and inaccurate -- to say an umpire cost a team a game, but Diaz sure didn't help the Braves. Diaz called Jason Heyward out at first to complete a double play in the ninth inning, even though replays showed Heyward clearly beat the throw from Jose Reyes. Chipper Jones followed with an RBI single, but Freddie Freeman then flew out to center to end the game on what should have been the second out.
Rested and ready to leave town? After "recharging his batteries," Zack Greinke is ready to take the hill again. The right-hander may be making his final start with the Brewers as he has yet to take up Milwaukee on its contract offer. Greinke, 9-3 with a 3.57 ERA, faces lefty Cliff Lee, 1-6 with a 3.72. 7:05 p.m.
Last chance: The Indians are only four games out of first in the AL Central and have a chance to make a run at the first-place Tigers in a three-game series at Progressive Field. Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start against Doug Fister in the first game of the series on Tuesday. 7:05 p.m.
The King vs. Ichiro: As if it hadn't already happened, with the trade of Ichiro Suzuki to the Yankees, Felix Hernandez is officially the face of the Mariners. And in Suzuki's second game as a Yankee, he'll face off against Hernandez. Hernandez is 6-5 with a 3.45 ERA in 12 career starts against the Yankees. 10:10 p.m.
Tuesday's probable pitchers
• The new Moneyball: What in the name of Scott Hatteberg is going on in Oakland? The A's have the second-worst OBP in baseball and are seventh in steals. [San Francisco Chronicle]
• Longoria topped: For the past few years, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs.com has done a ranking of the top 50 players with the highest trade value. For the first time in years, the Rays' Evan Longoria doesn't top the list. Because of injuries, Longoria's No. 4. So, who has the most trade value in baseball? You've got to click to find out.
• Fighting words: How good is Mike Trout? Ron Washington is catching heat for saying he's "not Willie Mays." Yeah, that's just mean. [ESPNDallas.com]
• Chip Caray 'hacked': Braves announced Chip Caray claims his Twitter account was "hacked" -- Awful Announcing finds the claim dubious at best.
• Great 28: The Hardball Times used a simulator to run a season with 28 of the greatest teams of all time -- and the greatest? The 1927 Yankees.
• Go Go Ichiro: Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard released a 3-year-old song about Ichiro after Monday's trade. [Vulture.com]
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