MOTHER OF ALL BLOWOUTS?

If the Brooklyn Moabs wanted to make a statement, they have my attention, as they laid an old-fashioned whipping on the defending world champs, scoring eight times in the 4th en route to a 16-3 wipeout of the visiting Worcester Eliminators.

Ted Lilly (0-1, 10.14) couldn't take the blame for the fourth, however, as he never escaped the third. After giving up a two-out, two-run HR to Ben Zobrist in the first, the tater-prone Lilly was knocked out of the box by Adrian Beltre's three-run blast.

Craig Breslow (0.2 IP, 5 ER) got the last out in the third, but the only out he could record in the fourth was a sacrifice by opposing hurler Justin Verlander, who got his man over. Joba Chamberlain (2.2 IP, 4 ER) gave up an RBI single to Troy Tulowitzki, a two-run single to Beltre and an RBI triple to Ryan Howard to compound matters, and only got out of the inning without further damage courtesy of a double-play ball off the bat of Zobrist. When the smoke cleared, Brooklyn had put together eight runs courtesy of six singles, a triple, two walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice (!)

All the offense meant that Justin Verlander (1-0, 4.09) was a cinch to pick up his first win of the year, going eight for an easy win. Verlander's only real trouble came at the hands of rookie Mike Morse, who hit a pair of triples and scored twice. Ian Stewart would get into the act for the Moabs, hitting a pinch-hit two-run HR in the eighth off rookie Kanley Jansen, to make the game's final tally 16-3, with Carlos Carrasco getting an inning of 'garbage time' in the ninth.

In other BARB action:

SIN CITY 5, FROSTBITE FALLS 3

WP: Edison Volquez (2-0, 1.13)
LP: Brett Anderson (1-1, 4.11)
SV: Rodriguez (3)

Ian Desmond went 4-for-4 to lead the Cowboys attack, and Edison Volquez essentially neutralized the Squirrels other than RF Jayson Werth, who scored all three runs for Frostbite Falls, in part by hitting a pair of HR in a losing cause. Former Moabs closer Francisco Rodriguez continued his run of early-season success.

POTTSYLVANIA 4, LOS ANGELES 2

WP: Chris Carpenter (1-1, 4.38)
LP: Aaron Harang (0-1, 6.52)
SV: Balfour (1)

Ryan Ludwick had three hits, including his 2nd HR of the year, and would score the go-ahead run on Matt Kemp's sac fly as the reeling Creepers finally snapped their season-starting losing streak, improving to 1-5 om getting off the 'schneid'.

CASSELTON 6, PHILADELPHIA 5

WP: Joe Nathan (1-1, 9.82)
LP: Jose Valverde (0-1, 19.29)

Joe Nathan blew the save big-time, allowing a three-run bomb to Alberto Callaspo in the eighth, but his teammates got him off the hook by scoring three in the bottom of the ninth off Valverde, with the final blow being J.J. Hardy's single over a drawn-in outfield. Nathan, who had squandered a 3-2 lead, ironically would be the pitcher of record.

YUMA 10, CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 1

WP: C.C. Sabathia (1-1, 3.21)
LP: Jered Weaver (1-1, 5.25)


Braun, Prado and Zimmerman all went deep in the early innings off a vulnerable Jered Weaver, and Jeff Niemann was similarly ineffective in long relief (4 ER), as the defending Western champs waylaid the visiting .45's in Yuma.

NEW ENGLAND 8, AC/BC 2

WP: Danny Haren (2-0, 1.13)
LP: Josh Johnson (0-1, 6.57)

Miguel Cabrera doubled and homered to drive in three runs, and Dan Haren pitched another solid game (7 IP, 2 ER) to help the Yankee Stompers to a one-sided win over visiting AC/BC in New England.