Wednesday's first pitch

Leading Off
The Dodgers are 12-0 at home right now. The last team to do that was the 1911 Tigers. Interestingly enough, that team, which was managed by Hall of Famer and Pittston, Pa., native Hughie Jennings, finished fourth in the American League. Ty Cobb, however, did bat .420 with 24 triples.
The Nationals, right now, have five home victories, and might not reach 12 home wins until June.
Regional Roundup
Except for the World Champs, it was a tough day for the Mid-Atlantic.

• Koji Uehara was dominant for the Orioles. But thanks to the O's inept offense and poor bullpen performance, the right-hander was forced to take another loss.


• The Phillies' rotation continues to struggle. But they're, somehow, in some way, still in first place. This could be it for Chan "Heave" Ho Park. Chase Utley could sit another game out.


• The Nationals game was suspended after 10 innings.


• Really, Pirates? You can't beat the Brewers. We're talking about the Brewers here. They don't even have CC Sabathia anymore.

Best of the Rest
The Reds have four shutouts this year. You read that right, four shutouts.

• Brandon Phillips crushed the Fish with a grand slam.


• Jorge Posada is going on the disabled list.Is anyone shocked? Not here at The Southpaw.


• Manny who? The Red Sox have a new Yankee killer.


• Hey, there's the kid who won the Cy Young last year. Remember him?


• Carlos Delgado, you cad. You almost had us. Dropping that ball that lead to two runs. You almost cost the Mets the game. Almost.

Batter's Eye

• Gene Wojciechowski writes about Mr. Gullible, Joe Girardi. It's definitely worth the read.

Today in history
1915 -- As a pitcher for Boston, Babe Ruth had three hits, including his first major league home run when he connected off Jack Warhop of the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds.

1982 -- Gaylord Perry of the Seattle Mariners became the 15th major league pitcher with 300 victories when he defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 at the Kingdome.

1994 -- Anthony Young won as a starter for the first time in more than two years as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1. The win ended Young's 29-game losing streak as a starter.

1998 -- Rookie Kerry Wood tied the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, pitching a one-hitter to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros 2-0. The 20-year-old right-hander tied the record set by Boston's Roger Clemens against Seattle in 1986, and matched by Clemens against Detroit in 1996. Wood broke the NL record of 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, held by Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver and David Cone.

The Closer
The Philly Inquirer's Phil Sheridan has a great column on how steroids were involved in A-rod's rise and Tyler Hooten's death.