Braves Imporve to 8-1

Wednesday April 10^th Games:

Atlanta 8, Miami 0
Mike Minor combined with 3 relievers to shutout the Marlins in Atlanta as they improved to 8-1 on the season and completed the 3-game sweep of Miami.  Atlanta catcher Evan Gattis, filling in for All-Star Brian McCann who is injured, hit his 3^rd HR of the season and could be a regular starter if he continues to rake ball like he has in his brief time up with the big club.

St. Louis 10, Cincinnati 0
Jake Westbrook threw a 5-hit complete game shutout and the John Jay, Carlos Beltran & Matt Adams all homered in a 7 at-bat span to lift the Cardinals to the 2-1 series win.

Toronto 8, Detroit 6
The Blue Jays rallied from 5 runs down as catcher J.P. Arenciba hit a 3-run double in the 8^th inning to give Toronto the lead for good.

Tampa Bay 2, Texas 0
Matt Moore combined with 5 relievers to shutout Texas on the coldest day game ever played in Arlington, 39 degrees.

Arizona 10, Pittsburgh 2
Wade Miley allowed 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings and A.J. Pollock went 4-5 with a pair of HRs as the Diamondbacks won the 3-game series 2 games to 1.

San Francisco 10, Colorado 0
Barry Zito pitched 7 shutout innings and Buster Posey knocked in 3 runs with 3 hits as the Giants completed the sweep of the Rockies in San Francisco.

New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians (postponed due to rain)

Milwaukee, Chicago Cubs (postponed due to rain)

Philadelphia 7, New York Mets 3
Dominic Brown and Chase Utley hit first inning HRs and Kyle Kendrick won his first game of the season as the Phillies won the 3-game series 2 games to 1.  Lucas Duda hit 2 HRs for the Mets in the loss.

Washington 5, Chicago White Sox 2
Bryce Harper hit a 2-run HR and Ian Desmond a pair of triples as the Nationals helped pitcher Jordan Zimmerman improve to 2-0.

Baltimore 8, Boston 5
Manny Machado hit a go-ahead 3-run HR off Boston closer Joel Hanrahan in a 5-run 9^th inning as the Orioles stunned the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  Chris Davis got it started in the 9^th inning with his 5^th HR and as Baltimore escaped with the win.

Kansas City 3, Minnesota 0
Billy Butler and Jeff Francouer each homered and Wade Davis combined with 2 relievers to shutout the Twins in Kansas City as they completed the 3-game sweep of the Twins.

Oakland 11, Los Angeles Angels 5
Brandon Moss hit his 2^nd HR in consecutive days and drove in 5 runs as the A’s pounded Joe Blanton early and often in Anaheim.

Houston 8, Seattle 3
Chris Carter and Rick Ankiel each hit a 2-run HR as the Astros won the 3-game series 2 games to1 for their first series win of the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, San Diego 3
Carl Crawford led off the game with a HR and A.J. Ellis added a 2-run shot to lift the Dodgers past the Padres in San Diego.  Chad Billingsley picked up the win for L.A.

A.L. MVP Watch:    Lance Berkman, Texas Rangers.  Hitting .480 in the cleanup spot for the Rangers.

N.L. MVP Watch:   Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies. On pace to hit .333 with 36 HRs & 162 RBI.            

Record Watch -   Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones leads the majors with 16 hits and is on pace for a record 324.

Fantasy Spin – Adam Jones enjoyed a breakout season in 2012 setting career highs in hits, HRs and RBI and is off to a fast start this season.  He's currently batting .470 and is primed for a huge year.  But owners should be a little weary as he walks very infrequently and he's never stolen more than 16 bases in a season.  Batting 4th and playing 82 home games in Camden Yards will help a ton, so owners should reap all the benefits of this 26-year old star who is just coming into his prime.

News & Notes:   Texas Rangers CEO and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan has decided to stay with the Rangers and continue his determination to win the World Series, having fallen just short 2 of the last 3 years.

A goat's head was delivered to Cubs owner Tom Ricketts yesterday by an anonymous source.  The goat's head is in reference to a "curse" placed on the team during the 1945 World Series when restaurant owner Billy Sianis brought his goat to a game, but was asked to leave and he vowed the team would never win again.  The Cubs lost that series and have never been back. They last won a championship in 1908, the longest drought in professional sports.

History – Team History  -  Miami Marlins

            The Marlins joined the National League in 1993 along with the Colorado Rockies and up until 2011 they played their home games at Sun Life Stadium which they shared with the Miami Dolphins.  They now play at Marlins Park in downtown Miami, on the site of the former Orange Bowl. 

            The Marlins have the unique distinction of winning the World Series in each year they made the playoffs (only twice).  They beat the American League champion Cleveland Indians in 1997 on a game 7 walk-off single by Edgar Renteria, and beat the Yankees in 2003 in 4 games with skipper Jack McKeon who took over early in the season when the team was faltering.

Trivia – Today’s Question – Who is the Miami Marlins all-time Home Run leader?

Yesterday’s Question:   Who is the Mets all-time leader in hits, runs, total bases, doubles, RBI & walks?

Answer: David Wright

Thursday 4/11 Schedule with probable pitchers in parentheses.  My picks to win are highlighted.  Yesterday’s Picks:   9-4  Overall:  70-57 Times EST 1:05 PM Toronto Johnson (0-0) @ Detroit Fister (1-0) 2:20 PM San Francisco Vogelsong (0-1) @ Chi. Cubs Feldman (0-1) 7:05 PM Chi. White Sox Axelrod (0-0) @ Washington Haren (0-1) 7:05 PM N.Y. Yankees Hughes (0-1) @ Cleveland McAllister (0-1) 7:10 PM Baltimore Tillman (0-0) @ Boston Aceves (0-0) 10:05 PM Oakland Griffin (1-0) @ L.A. Angels Vargas (0-0) 10:10 PM L.A. Dodgers Greinke (1-0) @ San Diego Marquis (0-1) 10:10 PM Texas Grimm (0-0) @ Seattle Hernandez (1-1) Vegas Bet:  Lastly, here’s an actual bet you can make in Las Vegas casinos today:  Over/Under 8 strikeouts by Felix Hernandez tonight vs. Texas. Yesterday’s Bet: 5:1 Odds that either Justin Upton or Mike Morse hit a home run. Result: Neither homered so hopefully you didn't make the bet