No, this packed house isn't because of the Orioles' play thus far this season. It's because of a torrential downpour.
Right now, Johan Santana could do anything he wants with a baseball. We're serious. He could split an atom, knock a fly off a dime, throw it through Fort Knox without it being seen.
The Orioles played a Little League game.
Leading Off
Johan Santana dominated the Phillies last night. Sure, his offense, which scored just one unearned run, didn't help him. But 10 strike outs in seven shutout innings is really impressive. Especially against the Phillies big bats of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez.
The Southpaw is currently 4-1 with a 0.91 ERA. He has 54 strikeouts in 39 innings of work.
Give him the Cy Young now.
Regional Roundup
Maybe we've had the Orioles wrong all season. Maybe they're supposed to play just six innings.
- Ryan Freel is going to extend his rehab. A known burner and dependable defender, the utility man could help this team when he returns. But he has to be healthy.
The Orioles won their rain-shortened game Wednesday night. - The Nationals have a gem in their farm system. The Nationals met with Stephen Strasburg's agent, Darth Vader.
- Albert Pujols owns the Pirates. He's is batting .611 (11 for 18) with two homers and three runs batted in over five games this season. For his career, he's .371 with 37 homers and 109 RBIs in 490 at-bats. Delwyn Young got his first start.
- So far, Rueben Amaro has been "The Decider."
Best of the Rest
- Roy Halladay continued his strong start while the Blue Jays crushed the Angels.
- The Royals beat the Mariners and remained in first place.
- Here's an update on Mike Sweeney. You might remember his story from the beginning of the season. In case you're wondering, Sweeney's getting a fair share of playing time, batting .268 with a homer and four doubles.
- The Rays beat the Yankees in 10 with some help from Carlos Pena.
Batter's Eye
- With their win over the Dodgers now own the best home start in Major League history.
Today in history
1917 -- Babe Ruth of the Red Sox allowed two hits as he outdueled Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators 1-0. Ruth knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.
1959 -- A crowd of 93,103 came to the Los Angeles Coliseum on "Roy Campanella Night" to show its affection for the paralyzed Dodger catcher. The Dodgers were beaten by the New York Yankees 6-2 in an exhibition game that followed the ceremonies.
1960 -- Norm Sherry, a replacement catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, hit a home run in the 11th inning to give his brother, relief pitcher Larry Sherry, a 3-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies in Los Angeles.
The Closer
Joe Torre has empathy for Joe Girardi. He's been there and done that. Of course, Torre won four rings along the way. Girardi probably won't be the manager at season's end.
So, Yankees fans can now say they got what they wished for and their shiny new Corvette turned out to be a lemon. Meanwhile, the Accord they traded in had cash in the trunk they never knew about.
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