- Curtis Granderson hit his 10th HR tonight. He didn’t do that last year until July 26. Even considering he missed a month in 2010, that’s mighty impressive.
– Curtis Granderson has four home runs against LHP this year. He had four home runs against LHP all of last year.
— In this game, a Texas catcher picked someone off for the first time since 2007.
—- Mariano Rivera had more strikeouts than Ivan Nova, and Nova pitched 7.1 innings and Mo only one.
- Eric Hosmer debuted tonight. By walking twice, Eric Hosmer now has as many walks as Vlad Guerrero this year, and one of Vlad’s was intentional.
- Jason Pridie had a huge home run for the Mets.
– On the same day as Hosmas, Brandon Guyer made his major league debut for the Rays. He hit a home run.
— Same with Trevor Plouffe for the Twins.
—- Somehow, the Red Sox gave up nine runs to the Twins. Nine!! THE TWINS!!!!!!
—– Two of those runs scored on balks.
- Cliff Lee struck out sixteen. Seriously, sixteen.
– He lost, because he gave up runs and Atlanta didn’t.
— h/t @junkstats, Cliff Lee has three 10+ K, 3+ R starts this year. Matt Garza (who finally allowed a home run today) has two. The rest of baseball combined has five.
— While Lee was in the middle of striking out sixteen (sixteen!!! With one walk!!!!!), Derek Lowe had a no-hitter through six innings.
—- Along those lines, I guess, Ricky Nolasco struck out eleven and gave up just two runs over seven innings, but his team lost too.
- Speaking of no-hitters, Jaime Garcia had a perfect game through seven innings.
- Chone Figgins XBH! Who next, Derek Jeter? (I LAUGH OR ELSE I WOULD CRY.)
- West Coast update: after Heath Bell blew a three-run lead in an attempt to set the Padres’ all-time straight saves record – this after the Diamondbacks gave Huston Street his first blown save yesterday, too – the Padres did eventually win… on a catchers’ interference and a bases-loaded walk. And the Diamondbacks’ bullpen has actually been okay this year.
