Yawn.
Another no-hitter was thrown this week in Major League Baseball.
In the Year of the Pitcher, no-hitters are becoming nearly as frequent as those pitched in high school softball games. There have now been five thrown this season, including two perfect games.
Detroit’s Armando Galarraga would have had a perfect game last month, but lost it with one out to go in the ninth inning on a bad call at first base by umpire Jim Joyce.  Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza is the latest one to do it, shutting down the Tigers in a 5-0 win at Tropicana Field on Monday night. And that’s not a misprint. It was a Rays pitcher who tossed the no-hitter, not a Rays opponent.
For the first time in Tampa Bay franchise history, all 13 years of it, the club has a pitcher with a no-hitter to his name. It’s about time too, because the Rays have been on the other end of a no-hitter or perfect game four times, twice this season and three times since 2009.
“We needed one,” said Garza, who faced the minimum 27 batters. “I don’t care who it came from. We just needed one for our own confidence. It’s fun.”
Garza, who came to the Rays in a trade with Minnesota before the 2008 season, gave up a second-inning walk, followed by a double play. Rays right-fielder Ben Zobrist made the defensive play of the day with a diving catch on the run near the wall off the bat of Danny Worth in the third inning.
“It was one of those days where everything lined up,” Garza said. “The defense made great plays. That ninth inning, I kept telling myself, ‘Just finish it, just battle. If it’s meant to happen, it’s going to happen.”
Garza (11-5) accomplished the gem by throwing heat. Of his 120 pitches, 99 were fastballs. He struck out six.
Matt Joyce provided the offense for Tampa Bay with a sixth-inning grand slam, which happened to be the first Rays hit of the night.
This is the first season with at least five no-hitters pitched since 1991, when there were seven. There were also seven no-hitters thrown in 1990.
StatsWatch: Here’s how the other four pitchers who have thrown a no-hitter or perfect game (and one special mention) have fared since (through July 27):
“    Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies (15-2, 2.75 ERA), is 12-2 with a 3.02 ERA, including a one-hitter and a pair of two-hit games since his no-hitter at Arizona on April 17.
“    Dallas Braden, A’s (5-7, 3.77 ERA), is 1-5, 4.11, including four games in which he allowed 10 or more hits, since his perfect game vs. Tampa Bay on May 9.
“    Roy Halladay, Phillies (11-8, 2.28 ERA) is 4-5, 2.60, with three games of 10 or more hits allowed and none with less than five hits given up since his perfect game at Florida on May 29.
“    Edwin Jackson, Diamondbacks (6-9, 5.01 ERA), is 1-3, 6.92 with no less than six hits, four runs allowed per game in four starts since his no-hitter at Tampa Bay on June 25.
“    Armando Galarraga, Tigers (3-3, 4.43 ERA), is 2-1, 5.25 in eight starts since his one-hitter, or perfect game, considering the missed call at first base, on June 2 against Cleveland.
Mauer, Twins, explode: Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer went 5-for-5 with a career-high seven RBIs in a 19-1 rout over Kansas City on Monday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Mauer is the third catcher in history to have at least five hits and seven RBIs in one game.
The others were Walker Cooper, for the Reds against the Cubs in 1949 (six hits, 10 RBIs), and Victor Martinez, for the Indians against the Mariners in 2004 (five hits, seven RBIs).
Mauer had three singles, a double and a three-run homer.
New Hall members: Andre Dawson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Sunday, topping off a brilliant 21-year career. Dawson, who played for the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs, was an eight-time All-Star. He hit 438 home runs with 1,591 RBIs and stole 314 bases in a career that stretched from 1976-96.
Former manager Whitey Herzog, umpire Doug Harvey, broadcaster Jon Miller and sports writer Bill Madden were also inducted.
Diamond Notes: The 17,009 fans who witnessed Matt Garza’s no-hitter on Monday night at Tropicana Field are among the lowest attendance totals for a no-hitter. It was the  fifth-lowest attendance for a no-hitter thrown since 1995. Kevin Brown’s no-hitter for Florida against San Francisco on June 10, 1997 was witnessed by only 10,257 fans at Candlestick Park…Pitcher Dan Haren, who was traded to the Los Angeles Angels by Arizona on Sunday, has struggled following the All-Star break in recent seasons. In the last four years, Haren’s ERA ranged between 2.01 and 3.52 before the break, and 4.15 to 4.91 after. This year, Haren had a 4.36 ERA before the All-Star break, before ballooning to 6.51 in three starts after the break.

Copyright © 2010  Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media

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2010, Reds, 7 HR vs. Cubs
2008, Reds, 7 HR vs. Brewers
2008, Reds, 7 HR vs. Cubs
2008, Reds, 7 HR vs. Cubs

Copyright © 2010  Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

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As the weather heats up, so do tempers.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was caught on camera in yet another meltdown, yelling at first baseman Derrek Lee and storming through the dugout after the first inning of last Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. And Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton got into a heated discussion with teammate Evan Longoria in Sunday’s game against Arizona.

Zambrano’s tirade was triggered in the first inning, when he apparently became angry at Lee, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez for not diving for hard-hit balls down the line. Zambrano also gave up a three-run homer to Carlos Quentin, putting the Cubs down 4-0.

“That’s something that can’t be tolerated,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of Zambrano’s tantrum.

Zambrano (3-6) did not return to the game and was sent home by Piniella. The pitcher was suspended for three games and then placed on the restricted list this week. Zambrano will get help from doctors for anger management problems, and will return to the team after the All-Star break, probably in the bullpen, where he spent five weeks earlier this season.

“We’ve obviously had a lot of transgressions in the past with Carlos,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “So I think we all agree it’s time he got help. You’re hopeful that maybe once and for all he can put some of his problems he’s had with teammates and in other areas behind him and move on.”

At Tampa Bay, Longoria was upset that center-fielder Upton didn’t position himself properly nor run hard after a ball hit to the wall by the Diamondbacks’ Rusty Ryal for a triple in the fifth inning. Gerardo Parra followed with a two-run homer in Arizona’s 2-1 victory. It was the Rays 11th loss in their last 16 games.

“It’s a byproduct of a frustrated team,” Longoria said. “We’re trying to win games and guys are going to have differences of opinion. I just wanted to know what was going through his head. The bottom line, we’ve talked about it and it goes no further than today.”

AL wins interleague play, again: The American League continued its domination in interleague play this season, going 134-118 over the National League. That’s seven straight years the AL has topped the NL.

The Chicago White Sox had the best interleague record at 15-3, followed by Texas (14-4), Boston (13-5) and the New York Mets (13-5). Mark Buehrle went 4-0 for the White Sox, who won 11 straight with sweeps over Pittsburgh, Washington and Atlanta and two over the Cubs before their streak ended on Sunday. Jake Peavy had a 0.78 ERA in 23 innings pitched and Bobby Jenks recorded eight saves for the White Sox.

Offensively, the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton led interleague hitters with a .472 average. Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder, Baltimore’s Adam Jones and the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Napoli slugged seven home runs each. David Wright drove in 24 runs for the Mets.

Interleague play began in 1997, and the NL held the early edge, 4-3, through 2003. But in the past five years, the AL is 712-548 vs. the NL, and has won 10 of 14 years of interleague play.

Prior bids for return: Former major league pitcher Mark Prior was scheduled to work out before big league scouts this week at USC, according to FOX Sports’ Tracy Ringolsby. Prior, 29, hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2006 with the Chicago Cubs. He was signed last season by San Diego, but did not appear in a game and was released.

Prior, who has been plagued by shoulder and arm injuries for most of his career, was drafted in 2001 by the Cubs behind Joe Mauer. His best season was in 2003, when he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA, 245 strikeouts and 50 walks. Prior helped the Cubs reach the NLCS that year.

In five major-league seasons, Prior was 42-29 with a 3.51 ERA.

StatsWatch: Here are the major league’s RBI leaders (through Monday) –

Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, 66

David Wright, Mets, 61

Vladimir Guerrero, Rangers, 60

Corey Hart, Brewers, 60

Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 57

Paul Konerko, White Sox, 56

Troy Glaus, Braves, 56

Ryan Howard, Phillies, 55

Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 54

Diamond Notes: Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia is out with a broken left foot, suffered on Friday after he fouled a ball off his instep. Pedroia, who was batting .292 with 12 home runs, is expected to miss six weeks…Edwin Jackson, who threw a 149-pitch no-hitter for Arizona last week, will skip his scheduled start on Wednesday. Jackson’s next start will be Friday or Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers… Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer gave up his record 506th home run on Sunday, a two-run shot by Toronto’s Vernon Wells. Moyer passed former Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for the most homers allowed in a major league career.

Copyright © 2010  Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

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David, Diana, and their granddaughter

The community of Holtville, along with the rest of the Imperial Valley, is coming together to support the family of Pastor David Strong during his illness.  David retired this year due to medical reasons from the Holtville Unified School District, where he was a teacher for 31 years.  He also coached the Cross Country/Track teams at Holtville High School for 12 years.  He and his wife Diana raised their son Michael and daughter Sarah in Holtville, where David has also been the Pastor of Calvary Chapel for 25 years.  This past year has been a devastating year to this family, and now the community is rallying to support a man who has given so much to Holtville, and especially to the young people of Holtville.

According to Diana, David began experiencing aching bones and joints about three years ago, mostly after his runs with the track team.  About a year ago, his symptoms took on a rapid progression, and after much testing, he was diagnosed with Erdhiem-Chester Disease.  There are less than 200 diagnosed cases of ECD in the world, and it is extremely difficult to treat.  There is no cure for this disease which causes the white blood cells to multiply and attack the major organs of the body, as well as the bones.  David is suffering the debilitating effects of this dreadful disease and is currently at Carmel Mountain Rehabilitation Center in San Diego.  He is receiving chemotherapy for this disease which acts like a cancer and autoimmune disease.  Since the patients who are diagnosed with ECD rarely live long enough to do any testing of medications and treatments, all treatments, including chemotherapy, are considered experimental, and therefore not reimbursed by the insurance company.  There is also a question as to whether the insurance will continue to pay for the physical, occupational, and speech therapy after the end of this week.  If refused, Diana states that she will bring David back home, where she will need to hire an assistant to help with his medical care.  This, too, will not be covered by insurance.

Special accounts for the Strong family have been set up at all Sun Community Federal Credit Union locations.  There will also be a bake sale at the Turning Point Ministries Car Wash in Holtville on Saturday morning, of which all proceeds will go to the Strong family.  T-shirts designed by Bruce DeLoach are also available at the Holtville Chamber of Commerce for $20, and 100% of the proceeds will be given to the family of Pastor Strong to help with these mounting expenses.

According to Diana, “We are trying to stay strong.  We know that God does all things for a purpose, and we are just praying that His will be done.”  Doctors have been amazed at the strong faith of this family who is facing such sorrow and financial difficulty and Diana says she is glad that they have been able to show their faith and true love for the Lord during this difficult time.  She also stated that they hope they can get the awareness raised about ECD so that other patients might get a quicker diagnosis, and there might be time for some medical trials to develop an effective treatment for the disease.

A special fund has been set up for David Strong and his family at Sun Community Federal Credit Union. Please write checks out to “David Strong Medical Fund” and deliver or mail to any branch of the credit union.

Anyone interested in supporting the Strong family can make a donation at any Sun Community location.

http://www.suncommunityfcu.org/

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There’s more than one thing that’s steaming in “Hotlanta” these days. Atlanta’s baseball team — the Braves — finished the month of May off with a flourish, going 16-4 after starting the season 13-18.

After Monday’s win over Philadelphia, the Braves had made up 7 1/2 games in the standings to take over first place in the NL East by a half-game over the Phillies.

“There’s a lot of baseball left, but we have made a great recovery,” said Braves manager Bobby Cox. “We bent a little bit, but we never broke.”

Chipper Jones, who went into Tuesday’s game with eight hits in his last 16 at-bats with seven RBIs, homered along with Troy Glaus in Atlanta’s 9-3 win.

Rookie Jason Heyward, who leads the team with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs, had a two-run triple in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Pittsburgh, and Jones’ run-scoring single in the eighth inning snapped the tie. It was the Braves ninth win in their last at-bat.

“It keeps on giving us confidence in those late innings that somebody’s going to step up and do it,” Jones said.

The Braves have improved behind Martin Prado, hitting .323; Glaus (37 RBIs); Tim Hudson (5-1, 2.24 ERA); Tommy Hanson (5-3, 3.78 ERA, and Derek Lowe (seven wins). Atlanta, which ranks 10th in runs and 10th in ERA in the majors, averaged 6.3 runs per game during the 20-game stretch, and seven runs per game during its six-game winning streak, through Monday.

Weird and wacky: The Los Angeles Dodgers have had an interesting week.

First it was the lights going out at Wrigley Field in a game last week. Then it was a walk-off balk in Monday night’s win over Arizona.

In last Wednesday’s game in Chicago, a bank of lights behind home plate went out in the top of the fourth inning, just as the Dodgers’ Blake DeWitt was facing a 3-1 pitch from Tom Gorzelanny. The pitch was called ball four.

But as DeWitt ran down the line, the rest of the lights went dark. An electrical fire in the neighborhood caused the power outage. The game was delayed for 18 minutes before power was restored.

“I had never seen that before,” DeWitt said. “It was about mid-pitch. It’s not a real good feeling either, because I completely took my eye off the ball and the pitcher. It was pretty odd.”

Dodgers manager Joe Torre experienced something similar during his playing career.

“I got in the batter’s box one time in Montreal and as the pitcher was winding up the lights went out,” Torre said. “I was diving for cover. I had a hotel room on the 13th floor on that trip too, so it was a little frightening.”

The Dodgers went on to win Wednesday’s game 8-5.

This week, Monday’s game provided another strange situation.

Diamondbacks reliever Esmerling Vasquez balked, allowing Casey Blake to score the winning run from third base.

“I just took a couple of steps to see if I could startle him a little bit,” Blake said. “Most of the time, it doesn’t work. But sometimes it does.”

Blake threw Vasquez’s motion off by faking a run home.

“I saw what he did,” Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said. “He flinched, both his legs buckled, and he balked. It was pretty plain and simple, so I didn’t talk to anybody.”

It was the first walk-off balk in the majors since Colorado’s Taylor Buchholz did it against Atlanta in 2008.

In Monday’s game, the Dodgers tied it 4-4 on a two-run error by Diamondbacks’ second baseman Kelly Johnson. It was Johnson who was balked home by Buchholz in the game two years ago.

Ramirez in the outfield: Manny Ramirez’s reputation as a poor outfielder continued last week in Chicago. Ramirez appeared to loaf after three balls hit to the outfield in the first two games of the Dodgers series against the Cubs.

“He’s had these leg issues,” Torre said. “He’s not moving as he had before. He said it was his fault on that ball that hit the wall. He thought it was going out of the ballpark and he stopped running after it.”

Ho-hum, another perfect game: Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay threw a perfect game on Saturday, retiring all 27 batters he faced in a 1-0 win at Florida. It was the second perfect game in May, with Oakland’s Dallas Braden doing it on May 9 against Tampa Bay.

It was the 20th perfect game in major league history. Mark Buehrle pitched one for the Chicago White Sox against Tampa Bay last season, making it three such gems in less than a year.

StatsWatch: Detroit starter Max Scherzer had 14 strikeouts on Sunday against Oakland. He fanned the entire A’s starting lineup. Here were his victims:

Daric Barton, 3 K’s

Ryan Sweeney, 2 K’s

Mark Ellis, 2 K’s

Gabe Gross, 2 K’s

Jack Cust, 1 K

Landon Powell, 1 K

Cliff Pennington, 1 K

Rajai Davis, 1 K

Kevin Kouzmanoff, 1 K

Copyright © 2010  Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

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Benji Angulo on the Tee

Holtville California

This years tournament had some new and exciting prize opportunities with three different hole in one prizes, one being $10,000 in cash, another being a new Toyota Camry or Nissan Altama and the biggest cash prize being a shot for $1,000,000.

The tournament had 80 participants that were broken up into two flights. It was a best ball scramble and was scored as 1 point for par, 2 points for birdie, 3 points for eagle and 4 points for a hole in one.  Two teams came in with 29 points to tie for first place in the first flight. The team members were George Maloof, Lorena Maloof, Enrique Zapata and Margarita Zapata and team members Ben Aguirre, Ben Aguirre Jr., Manuel Aguirre and Bill Reed. The winners of the second flight with 28 points were the team of Alex Calderon, Jon Edney, Jon Edney Jr. and Bob Hahn.

The shot for $1,000,000 was giving to the player who got closest to the hole on the 165 yard par three eleventh hole. Bo Gaskin got the closest with his shot that ended up 7’9” from the hole. This gave him the opportunity to take another shot for the $1,000,000. The shot had to be witnessed by three tournament officials and be video taped. Bo Gasken defiantly had the right club as his shot ended up pin high but some forty feet to the right. Bo Gaskin is a member of the Barbara Worth country club and said that the shot for $1,000,000 was the most pressure that he had ever felt on the golf course.

The Tournament is organized by the Green and Gold Hall of Fame and proceeds are used to help the schools and the students with their athletic, music art and educational needs and providing scholarships for their further education.

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Benji Angulo on the Tee

Holtville California ― The fourth annual John Kirchenbauer Golf Tournament was a big hit this past Saturday, bringing out 80 participants to the Barbara Worth Country Club in Holtville, California.

This year’s tournament had some new and exciting prize opportunities with three different Hole-in-one prizes: $10,000 in cash, a new Toyota Camry or Nissan Altama, and the biggest cash prize being a shot for $1,000,000.

The tournament had 80 participants that were broken up into two flights. It was a best ball scramble and was scored as 1 point for par, 2 points for birdie, 3 points for eagle and 4 points for a hole-in-one. Two teams came in with 29 points to tie for first place in the first flight. The first team was consisting of Ben Aguirre, Ben Aguirre Jr., Manuel Aguirre and Bill Reed. The winner of the second flight, with 28 points, was the team of Alex Calderon, Jon Edney, Jon Edney Jr. and Bob Hahn.

The shot for $1,000,000 was given to the player who got closest to the hole on the 165 yard par three eleventh hole. Bo Gaskin got the closest with his shot that ended up 7’9″ from the hole. This gave him the opportunity to take another shot for the $1,000,000. The shot had to be witnessed by three tournament officials and be video taped. Bo Gasken definitely had the right club, as his shot ended up pin high but some forty feet to the right. Bo Gaskin is a member of the Barbara Worth Country Club and said that the shot for $1,000,000 was the most pressure that he had ever felt on the golf course.

The Tournament is organized by the Green and Gold Hall of Fame Committee and proceeds are used to help the high school student body its athletic, music, art and educational needs and by providing scholarships to promote further education.

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A little adversity didn’t hurt Jimmie Johnson at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday. A week after crashing his car into the wall at Texas and finishing 38th, Johnson dominated the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 to build on his points lead with one race left in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Johnson led 238 of 312 laps and gained 35 points on Mark Martin in the standings in winning his series-leading seventh race of the season. His 108-point margin all but seals a record fourth consecutive title.

“We knew we had to come out today and run well,” Johnson said. “We knew this was going to be a great track for the 5 and also for the 24. The only way to get any points on ‘em would be to lead the most laps and win the race.

“It wasn’t easy. I’m very, very proud of how we delivered and rose to the occasion.”

Martin finished fourth behind runner-up Jeff Burton and Denny Hamlin. Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. was fifth.

“It would have been easy for us to come in here with our tails between our legs, really bow out,” Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus said. “We didn’t do that. We wanted to come in here confident and go after it and attack.”

Johnson will eliminate Jeff Gordon just by starting the last race at Homestead-Miami this weekend, and can claim another championship if he finishes 25th or better.
Busch aims for first title: Kyle Busch won’t win the Sprint Cup this year, but he will win his first NASCAR national series title when he starts the Nationwide Series race at Homestead-Miami on Saturday. Busch is so far out in front that he needs only to start the race to win the championship.
Busch has led the series standings for the last 28 weeks. He has a series-high eight wins and has led a record 2,625 laps. Overall, Busch has won 19 races the three national series this season. His 29 career Nationwide victories are fourth all-time.
CHASE FOR THE CUP DRIVER STANDINGS

RANK DRIVER POINTS WINS
1. Jimmie Johnson 6492 7
2. Mark Martin 6384 5
3. Jeff Gordon 6323 1
4. Kurt Busch 6281 2
5. Tony Stewart 6207 4
6. Juan Montoya 6203 0
7. Greg Biffle 6171 0
8. Denny Hamlin 6140 3
9. Ryan Newman 6081 0
10. Kasey Kahne 6016 2
11. Carl Edwards 5972 0
12. Brian Vickers 5826 1

Others: 13. Kyle Busch, 14. Matt Kenseth, 15. Clint Bowyer

CHASE FOR THE CUP DRIVER PROFILE: Jimmie Johnson

Season at a Glance: Jimmie Johnson entered the season contending for a record fourth Cup title. He took over first place after the fourth Chase race at Fontana and leads all drivers with seven wins. Four of those victories have come in the Chase, the third time he has accomplished that.

Noteworthy: Johnson is one of only two drivers (Matt Kenseth) to qualify for all five Chase’s.

Car: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
Car Owner/Team: Jeff Gordon/Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief: Chad Knaus
Years in the Chase: 6th year
Career Cup Wins: 47
Best Points Finish: 1st in 2006, 2007 and 2008

SPRINT CUP
RACE PREVIEW:

RACE 36: Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
DATE, TIME: Sunday Nov. 22, 11:30 a.m. Pacific.
TV/RADIO: ABC/MRN
RACE LENGTH: 400.5 miles, 267 laps
TRACK: 1.5-mile, oval
GRANDSTAND SEATS: 65,000
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Carl Edwards
TRACK FACTS: The track was built after Hurricane Andrew left a trail of destruction south of Miami in 1992. The first Cup race at Homestead-Miami was held on Nov. 14, 1999, won by Tony Stewart…Greg Biffle has the most wins at Homestead-Miami with three straight from 2004-06…Mark Martin, who trails Jimmie Johnson by 108 points, gained 132 points on Johnson at the track in 2005, and has gained 111 or more points on Johnson in a single race four times since.

NASCAR FUN FACT: Ron Hornaday Jr. became the Camping World Truck Series first, four-time champion with his fourth-place finish at Phoenix last weekend.
NASCAR NOTES: There will be changes next season with teams and drivers, including Kurt Busch’s crew chief Pat Tryson leaving for Michael Waltrip Racing, where he’ll have the same position on Martin Truex Jr.’s team. Truex is leaving Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing. Jamie McMurray will leave Roush Fenway Racing and could replace Truex at Earnhardt/Ganassi. And Michael Waltrip is ending full-time Cup racing and going with a limited schedule next season…Will Danica Patrick race in the Nationwide Series next year? The IndyCar star driver might fit in with the JR Motorsports team co-owned by Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr., but Hendrick isn’t saying for certain. “I think everything is an option,” Hendrick said about Patrick possibly joining his team. “It’s just too early to really comment on it. Nothing is ever imminent until it’s signed.”

Copyright © 2009 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

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