Bob Watson, Major League Baseball vice-president in charge of discipline, issues a rare blame directed at an umpire regarding an ejection. Watson states that pitcher Roy Oswalt will face no further action following his ejection from a game on May 31st, but that umpire Bill Hohn “would be addressed in a stern way”. Oswalt had yelled at himself in disgust after throwing a ball in the 3rd inning and was immediately tossed by Hohn.

ByTom

Bob Watson, Major League Baseball vice-president in charge of discipline, issues a rare blame directed at an umpire regarding an ejection. Watson states that pitcher Roy Oswalt will face no further action following his ejection from a game on May 31st, but that umpire Bill Hohn “would be addressed in a stern way”. Oswalt had yelled at himself in disgust after throwing a ball in the 3rd inning and was immediately tossed by Hohn.

Scott Rolen hits two homers and a double and drives in four runs against his former team as Cincinnati defeats St. Louis, 9 – 8, in a wild game that leaves the Reds in sole possession of first place in the NL Central. Also swinging a hot bat is Joey Votto, who collects four hits including a homer, but Johnny Cueto blows leads of 3 – 0 and 7 – 3. It takes a sacrifice fly by Drew Stubbs against Blake Hawksworth in the 7th to decide the game in Cincinnati’s favor.

ByTom

Scott Rolen hits two homers and a double and drives in four runs against his former team as Cincinnati defeats St. Louis, 9 – 8, in a wild game that leaves the Reds in sole possession of first place in the NL Central. Also swinging a hot bat is Joey Votto, who collects four hits including a homer, but Johnny Cueto blows leads of 3 – 0 and 7 – 3. It takes a sacrifice fly by Drew Stubbs against Blake Hawksworth in the 7th to decide the game in Cincinnati’s favor.

Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies throws his second career shutout – his first was his no-hitter on April 17th – in beating San Francisco, 4 – 0. He is the first pitcher to reach 10 wins in the majors this year, defeating defending Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

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Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies throws his second career shutout – his first was his no-hitter on April 17th – in beating San Francisco, 4 – 0. He is the first pitcher to reach 10 wins in the majors this year, defeating defending Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

Alex Rodriguez may not be his usual superhuman self this season, but it’s still a bad idea to issue an intentional walk to face him with the bases loaded. The Indians find this out the hard way, as A-Rod connects for a grand slam in the 7th inning, turning a 2 – 1 Yankees lead into an 11 – 2 rout. The slam is the 20th of his career, placing him third on the all-time list, behind Lou Gehrig (23) and Manny Ramirez (21).

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Alex Rodriguez may not be his usual superhuman self this season, but it’s still a bad idea to issue an intentional walk to face him with the bases loaded. The Indians find this out the hard way, as A-Rod connects for a grand slam in the 7th inning, turning a 2 – 1 Yankees lead into an 11 – 2 rout. The slam is the 20th of his career, placing him third on the all-time list, behind Lou Gehrig (23) and Manny Ramirez (21).

San Diego score their most runs at home since moving to PETCO Park in 2004, routing New York, 18 – 6. The last two runs are scored against Oliver Perez, who has pitched so poorly that manager Jerry Manuel has relegated him to the deepest reaches of the bullpen. Jerry Hairston hits a grand slam for the Padres, who remain two games ahead in the NL West.

ByBaseball

San Diego score their most runs at home since moving to PETCO Park in 2004, routing New York, 18 – 6. The last two runs are scored against Oliver Perez, who has pitched so poorly that manager Jerry Manuel has relegated him to the deepest reaches of the bullpen. Jerry Hairston hits a grand slam for the Padres, who remain two games ahead in the NL West.

The Tigers designate pitcher Dontrelle Willis for assignment. He seemed to have turned a corner in his comeback bid when he made the Tigers’ starting rotation out of spring training, but has only won one game all season. This may not yet be the end of the line for the gregarious lefthander, though, as both the Diamondbacks and Marlins have shown interest in acquiring his services. On June 1st, Willis will be traded to Arizona for P Billy Buckner.

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The Tigers designate pitcher Dontrelle Willis for assignment. He seemed to have turned a corner in his comeback bid when he made the Tigers’ starting rotation out of spring training, but has only won one game all season. This may not yet be the end of the line for the gregarious lefthander, though, as both the Diamondbacks and Marlins have shown interest in acquiring his services. On June 1st, Willis will be traded to Arizona for P Billy Buckner.

Corey Hart hits a two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 2 – 0 win over the New York Mets at Miller Park. The homer ends a string of 35 consecutive scoreless innings by Mets pitching.

ByBaseball

Corey Hart hits a two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 2 – 0 win over the New York Mets at Miller Park. The homer ends a string of 35 consecutive scoreless innings by Mets pitching.

Matt Cain of the Giants pitches a one-hitter in defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5 – 0. The only hit is a 2nd-inning double by Mark Reynolds.

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Matt Cain of the Giants pitches a one-hitter in defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5 – 0. The only hit is a 2nd-inning double by Mark Reynolds.

The Tigers fail to take advantage of a three-home run performance by Miguel Cabrera, falling, 5 – 4, to Ben Sheets and the Oakland Athletics. Reliever Ryan Perry is the loser. The A’s get some bad news after the game, as they announce that two-time All-Star pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who has made only 5 starts this year, needs to undergo surgery on a bothersome hip and will be out for the rest of the season.

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The Tigers fail to take advantage of a three-home run performance by Miguel Cabrera, falling, 5 – 4, to Ben Sheets and the Oakland Athletics. Reliever Ryan Perry is the loser. The A’s get some bad news after the game, as they announce that two-time All-Star pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who has made only 5 starts this year, needs to undergo surgery on a bothersome hip and will be out for the rest of the season.

Jason Hammel of the Rockies sets a personal best with 8 strikeouts before he runs into trouble in the 6th inning of a game against the Diamondbacks. He departs with a 3 – 2 lead, but the Rockies’ hitters go on a late-game power surge, with Seth Smith, Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Spilborghs hitting consecutive 7th-inning home runs to seal an 8 – 2 win. The Rockies have won 7 of 8, keeping pace in the surprisingly competitive NL West with the San Diego Padres, who have been making headlines with a sub-3.00 team ERA, and the surging Los Angeles Dodgers, who are 17-7 in May.

ByBaseball

Jason Hammel of the Rockies sets a personal best with 8 strikeouts before he runs into trouble in the 6th inning of a game against the Diamondbacks. He departs with a 3 – 2 lead, but the Rockies’ hitters go on a late-game power surge, with Seth Smith, Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Spilborghs hitting consecutive 7th-inning home runs to seal an 8 – 2 win. The Rockies have won 7 of 8, keeping pace in the surprisingly competitive NL West with the San Diego Padres, who have been making headlines with a sub-3.00 team ERA, and the surging Los Angeles Dodgers, who are 17-7 in May.