1. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood: The Tigers were about to lose the division lead they had worked so hard to obtain. They had lost two in a row in their pivotal series against the White Sox, but Kenny Rogers wasn’t about to let them get swept. Rogers allowed a Paul Konerko homerun in the first but shut down the White Sox the rest of the way, going seven innings and striking out 5. He improved his record to 8-3 on the year, as the Detroit offense gave him plenty of support. Placido Polanco and Marcus Thames each homered in the Tigers’ 6-2 victory, and Detroit stayed atop the division standings. Chicago will take on divisional foe Cleveland next, while Detroit plays an under-the-radar Blue Jays squad.
2. That’s crazy: The Kansas City Royals, as usual, are the worst team in baseball, but yesterday they defeated a divisional leader in the least likely way possible. Facing the Rangers, the Royals came back from an 11-4 deficit to win 16-12. The game marked the highest-scoring effort in the majors this season, and featured 12 combined runs by both teams in the 3rd inning. Both starters pitched awfully, as Texas’ Kameron Loe allowed 8 runs and KC’s first-time starter Kyle Snyder allowed 9. For the Royals, David DeJesus had 3 RBIs, 3 runs and a homer. Mark Teahen went 4-4, and Doug Meintkiewicz and Matt Stairs each had 3 RBIs. Everyone in the Royals lineup got a hit and a run, and all but one drove in a run. The Rangers might have won had they not stranded 17 baserunners over the course of the game. They still have control of the AL West by 3.5.
3. El Duque returns: Orlando Hernandez was a Diamondback this time a month ago, and on Thursday he gave the team some second thoughts about trading him. El Duque, now with the Mets, pitched a complete game and allowed just 1 run against his former squad. This was Hernandez’s first good start of the year, as even afterwards he still has a 4-5 record and a 5.48 ERA. Anyway, the Mets’ 7-1 win featured offense too, as Carlos Beltran hit his 15th homer of the year. Beltran, after vastly underperforming last year, is proving why the Mets signed him to that huge contract. He is on pace for 47 homers, 127 RBIs, and 31 steals. The Diamondbacks have now lost four games in a row, and they hold a narrow 1-game lead in the tough NL West.
4. Red tide: Watch out National League, as the Cincinnati Reds are on a tear. The club won their 8th game in a row after a 7-1 blasting of the Chicago Cubs. Reds ace Bronson Arroyo improved to 8-2 after allowing just 1 run in seven innings. Arroyo is a top candidate for the NL Cy Young this year, as so far he has a 2.31 ERA and 68 strikeouts. The Reds offense was led by Ryan Freel and Brandon Phillips homeruns, and the club took an outright lead in the Central. Meanwhile, the pitiful Cubs are only two games ahead of the Pirates.
5. The Sheff stops cookin’: What started out as bad news for the Yankees has gotten worse, as Gary Sheffield’s injury is actually more severe than expected. Sheffield, who tore a ligament in his wrist after an April 29 collision, will undergo surgery. He is not expected to return until September, which means the Yankees will be without him and Hideki Matsui for most of the regular season. Sheffield will be replaced by Melky Cabrera, who has hit .277 in limited action this year.