GAME DAY 89

YUMA 6, CASSELTON 1

WP: Edinson Volquez (3-4, 3.42)
LP: John Danks (0-3, 13.20)

Vladimir Guerrero snapped a 1-1 tie in the fifth with a two-run single, and Asdrubal Cabrera hit his first home run of the year subbing for the injured Yuniel Escobar, and the Firebirds (48-42) pulled within one of West-leading Lexington. Despite the win, Yuma has to know that they’ve dropped five games in the standings overall since June 15^th, and their efforts to acquire another bat for their lineup continue.

BLACK MESA 6, LEXINGTON 5

WP: Takashi Saito (10-1, 1.70)
LP: Jensen Lewis (1-2, 3.09)

Takashi Saito blew the save, as he and Andy Pettite combined to give up four runs in the eighth, but Lexington’s rally went for naught when Dustin Pedroia played hit-and-run, smacking a two-out double to score Coco Crisp running on the play and lift the Anomalies (39-48). With the ‘vultured’ win, Saito became the first BARB reliever this season to win in double figures, a remarkable accomplishment with two-fifths of the season yet to play. It was just the seventh win in their last 25 games for the sagging club, which was above .500 and in the Western hunt as recently as June 15^th.

OAKEYLAND 3, POTTSYLVANIA 0

WP: Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-6, 5.09)
LP: Mark Buehrle (6-8, 3.88)
“Dice-K” had his best-ever BARB outing coming off the DL, throttling the light-hitting Creepers and allowing just two hits (Ryan Theriot, Kenji Johjima) in shutting out Pottsylvania. Nick Swisher gave the Far East import all the runs he needed with a first-inning RBI single, and Mark Ellis followed with his 13^th homer of the year, a two-run shot, to help the Ballers (33-50) pull back into a tie for third in the Central race.

FROSTBITE FALLS 6, DARWIN 4

WP: Ben Sheets (3-7, 4.15)
LP: Scott Kazmir (8-4, 3.28)
SV: Nathan (20)

For the second straight outing, curveballing Ben Sheets gave up no earned runs but had to overcome some poor defense and a late rally to get the win. Leading 6-0, Sheets put two runners on for Josh Hamilton in the eighth after an uncharacteristic muff of an easy grounder by 1B Carlos Pena. Hamilton, the subject of trade interest, then whacked his 8^th homer in just 113 at-bats to deny Sheets’s shutout bid. But Joe Nathan came on to get his 20^th save, 2^nd in the league after Francisco Rodriguez’s 21 with the Moabs.