SQUIRRELS NOTCH FIRST WIN

The four-time BARB world champions, losers of their first two games, finally got into the 'W' column thanks to their ace, Tim Lincecum, who overcame some early wildness to best visiting Sin City, 4-1.

Lincecum (1-0, 1.13), walked Colby Rasmus and Brandon Philips, the last walk coming after Philips had stolen second. The Squirrels ace uncorked a wild pitch that Victor Martinez couldn't handle to put two runners in scoring position, and Nelson Cruz beat out an infield hit to deep short to score a run.

Cowboys 3B David Wright then BLISTERED a ball....right at Rickie Weeks for the second out!

A proverbial inch over on the bat, and Sin City would've scored a bushel of runs. As it was, Lincecum and company would escape giving up only one run. And that was the only run Lincecum would surrender, as 'The Freak' mowed down the opposition for the next seven frames. Albert Pujols, finally getting into the act with a bat, hit a solo HR to tie the game in the fourth and added a sac fly and a run-scoring groundout off rookie draftee Travis Wood (0-1, 4.50). It all ended up as a 4-1 lead, which Joakim Soria made stand up with eleven pitches in the ninth for his first save, and his club's first win.

In other BARB action:

YUMA 4, PHILADELPHIA 0

WP: Clay Buchholz (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Matt Garza (0-1, 5.14)

Denard Span had three hits and former Rebel (and new Firebird) Martin Prado snapped a scoreless tie in the sixth with a two-run single, while Buchholz would need 101 pitches to go the distance, scattering three singles for his first-ever BARB shutout. The only safeties surrendered to the underperforming Rebels lineup were in the bottom of the order: DH Ryan Raburn in the second, SS Asdrubal Cabrera in the fifth, and C Miguel Montero in the seventh....all with two out. The 1-6 hitters? Zero hits, one walk, four K's. Not exactly a 'Murderer's Row'....!

AC/BC 2, CASSELTON 0

WP: Peter Moylan (2-0, 3.86)
LP: R.A. Dickey (0-1, 2.25)
SV: Franklin (1)

Veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey took a shutout bid into the eighth, outlasting an effectively-wild Jonathan Sanchez....but, unfortunately for Dickey, his team could manage only two singles and a double off the lefthander. In the eighth, the bane of every knuckleballer's existence finally showed itself. Josh Hamilton doubled with two out, and Dickey fanned David Ortiz....on a ball that eluded the catcher, Geovanny Soto!

Ortiz reached on the wild pitch, Hamilton took third, and the next batter (RF Ryan Doumit) doubled sharply over the head of Jay Bruce, scoring Ortiz and pinch-runner James Loney all the the way from first, a two-run hit. Ryan Franklin then worked a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year, and a win in . . . AC/BC.

(Alex, if you're reading this, where is your ballclub when it's playing at home?)

ST. FRANCIS 2, CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 1

WP: Brett Myers (1-0, 1.13)
LP: C.J. Wilson (0-1, 2.25)
SV: Cordero (2)

Brett Myers worked eight innings of one-run ball, added a pair of singles to extend rallies, and watched his catcher (veteran Rod Barajas) jack a slider from C.J. Wilson out of the park, as the visiting Friars held on to win on the road in the Golden State. Central Cali's only run in the contest came courtesy of big 1B Prince Fielder, who whacked his first HR of the season in the fifth.

NEW ENGLAND 4, LOS ANGELES 3
WP: Ricky Romero (1-0, 3.86)
LP: Trevor Cahill (0-1, 5.68)
SV: Papelbon (1)

Los Angeles's bullpen woes continued, with Rafael Perez failing in another save situation and the club suffering another one-run loss with expensive (and seemingly unreliable) closer Brad Lidge on the DL. Trevor Cahill took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh, only to pooch it away with a little help from Perez and another big hit from Dustin Pedroia, a go-ahead RBI single. Pedroia is hitting .462 to start the season.