Full slate Saturday, just as there is every Saturday. Let's dive in without a fancy narrative this time.
Full Saturday scoreboard with box scores and recaps for every game
3 UP
The Braves: Since an eight-game losing streak, the Braves are 8-1. Saturday's victory was their sixth straight. Dan Uggla had a huge three-run blast and Andrelton Simmons hit his first career homer to pace the offense. On the hill, Tommy Hanson worked eight strong, only being touched up by a Jose Bautista two-run homer, and there's no shame in that. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth to close down the save, and there's no hotter team in baseball. Most impressive: This hot streak has come against the Cardinals, Nationals, Marlins and Blue Jays.
Ryan Vogelsong, Giants: The guy the Giants picked up off the scrap heap prior to last season just continues to pay dividends. Saturday, he spun a 7 2/3 inning gem against the Rangers, allowing the defending AL champs only three hits and one run. Vogelsong lowered his ERA to 2.26 in the process and he could be headed to his second-straight All-Star Game -- this from a player who was in Japan from 2007-09 and couldn't get out of Triple-A in 2010. Also: The Giants have now won 10 of their last 13.
Trevor Cahill and the Diamondbacks: This past offseason, Trevor Cahill came to the D-Backs in a trade that shipped Jarrod Parker to the A's. There were several other pieces involved, but the two pitchers squared off Saturday night in Arizona. In a head-to-head situation like that, you always like to get the better end. Cahill and his Snakes did just that. The offense knocked around Parker for eight hits and six earned runs in five innings, while also drawing five walks. The big blow was a Miguel Montero grand slam in the fifth. Cahill did his part, too, going 7 1/3 innings and giving up two runs. He struck out seven. And the D-Backs won, 8-3, to crawl within one game of .500.
3 DOWN
Indians' offense: They simply were held down by a brilliant pitching effort, and there's no reason to look negatively upon a single game where that happens. But the Indians find themselves here just so we can point out they were shut out for the first time this season Saturday. So, in effect, they're getting props by being here in the "down" section.
Rockies' rotation/Jeff Francis: The Rockies' rotation is in such dismal shape that they grabbed Jeff Francis -- who asked the Reds for his release from their Triple-A affiliate -- and started him Saturday against the Angels. And the Angels battered him for 10 hits and eight earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Remember, the Rockies already tried Jamie Moyer in the rotation and then released him.
Jeff Samardzija, Cubs: In his past eight starts, Samardzija had a 2.26 ERA with more strikeouts per inning. Saturday's performance was quite the departure from those lofty standards. The Twins roughed "Shark" up for eight runs on nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings. He only struck out one in easily his worst outing of the season.
Young gun: With Tim Hudson's ankle ailing, the Braves will look to stay hot with youngster Julio Teheran on the hill. The 21-year-old right-hander is the top prospect in the Braves' system. He struggled in 19 2/3 innings last season at the big-league level, but he was only 20 and it's a new season. He'll square off against Ricky Romero (7-1, 4.02) and the Blue Jays. A Braves win would mean the Blue Jays' fourth-straight loss and send them back to .500. They haven't been below .500 all season. 1:35 p.m. ET
Timmy takes on Texas: This rematch of the 2010 World Series heads to a rubber game and it's a very intriguing matchup. The Rangers are really playing poorly of late, having dropped eight of 11, faltering offensively and defensively at different times. Giants "ace" Tim Lincecum (2-6, 5.83) has struggled pretty much all season. So what'll give, do the Rangers or Lincecum break out of a funk? Alexi Ogando (1-0, 2.27) goes for the Rangers. 4:05 p.m. ET
Break out the eye patches: The Pittsburgh Pirates 11 of their past 14, so lump them in with the Braves, Giants and Twins as the hotter teams in baseball. Sunday, they will go for a fourth straight victory. Bruce Chen (5-5, 4.37) and the Royals stand in the way, with A.J. Burnett (5-2, 3.76) getting the ball for Pittsburgh. 1:35 p.m. ET
Sunday's probable pitchers
• Enough already: Philadelphia fans booed Santa Claus ... in 1968! Isn't there a statute of limitations on mocking Philly for it? Seriously, it's been more than 43 years. Time to move on. Please send the memo to the Baltimore fan who showed up to a game against the Phillies dressed as Santa Claus (MLB.com video). No, I don't think it's a coincidence. No, I don't think it's funny. It's really, really stupid.
• Touching story: I couldn't do this story justice in a short blurb, so please read the story of Matt Lenz's special moment. He's a junior baseball player for Grand Island, NY, and recently lost his father to cancer. (Buffalonews.com)
• Making impressions: 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper continues to impress. After having seen Harper in person for the first time, Red Sox DH David Ortiz offered up his thoughts:
That kid bryce Harper is the real deal....god bless him.....34
— David Ortiz (@davidortiz) June 9, 2012
• Quick change: We know that advanced metrics like FIP, xFIP and SIERA are used in an attempt to predict future "regressions to the mean," in the sense that the stats are supposed to tell us who is getting more fortunate and less fortunate with their ERA figures. But some pitchers consistently either under- or overperform those peripherals. Beyond the Box Score tries to sort out why, and the use of the changeup is prominently involved.
• McCarthy weighs in on NBA: While players like Brandon Phillips and Logan Morrison seem to get a lot more credit among fans for their Twitter activities, Brandon McCarthy is easily my favorite. Saturday afternoon, before the Heat-Celtics game, McCarthy offered up this thought:
As things turned out, it was evidently LeBron James that spurred the Heat to the NBA Finals. I wouldn't know. I don't watch the NBA unless my Pacers are playing.Kinda cool how no matter what happens tonight, Lebron is already responsible.
— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) June 9, 2012
• Catch the Pirate fever! With the Pirates hovering above .500 and sitting in second place in the NL Central, it would appear some fans are jumping on the bandwagon. According to the Pirates' official Twitter account, the attendance Saturday late afternoon was 39,312, the seventh-largest crowd in PNC Park history.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.
