Friday's first pitch

Leading Off
Aubrey Huff was the hero again. He sure has been a solid signing for the Orioles. In Huff's first eight seasons he had one 30-homer campaign, two 100-RBI years and one with 30 doubles.
In Huff's tumultuous first year, he made fun of Port Town and batted a professional .280 with 15 home runs and 34 doubles. Then, last season, he was quietly dominant. The Huffster batted .304 with 32 home runs, 108 runs driven in and 94 runs scored. He also smacked 48 doubles, good for third in the league. He was also in the top five in slugging (5th), hits (5th), total bases (3) and extra-base hits (1).
Sure, he's batting just .266 this year, but his nine home runs are solid, his 14 doubles put him on pace for another 30-plus season, and he could come close to 100 RBI again.
Did the Orioles think they'd get a guy who'd average 100 RBI for a three-year span when they got Huff? That's highly doubtful.
But it's what they've gotten. So they should be very happy.
Regional Roundup
The Mid-Atlantic is proving patience is a virtue.

• Peter Schmuk says the Orioles only need a bit of experience before they really contend in the AL East. The wait is almost over.


• For Nats fans, the wait was well worth it, as their boys shutout the vaunted Yankees.


• The Blue Jays swept the Phillies. Meanwhile, Bill Conlin says Rueben Amaro should wait on prospect Michael Taylor and not deal him at all.


• The Pirates fell to a dominant Nick Blackburn. The LaRoche Brother's are finally providing some pop.

Best of Rest
We've got speed. We've got power. We've got some surprising numbers.

• John Shea has a nice obit on Dusty Rhodes, who was a hero in 1954.


• Chone Figgins and Juan Pierre remain friends. And fast.


• The Brewers are enjoying the work of a Cubs castoff.


• Adrian Gonzalez continues to blast Major League pitching like he's playing Whiffle Ball.


• Is Rick Porcello going to win the Rookie of the Year award?


• You'll never guess who leads the American League in slugging right now.


• Trey Hillman says be a man. Pitch to Pujols.

Batter's Eye

• Are the Red Sox the team to beat? A Boston Globe writer thinks so. Right now, we here at The Southpaw would argue the Dodgers are the team to beat. But the Sawx are pretty strong.

Today in history
1941 -- En route to 56, Joe DiMaggio hit in his 32nd consecutive game, going 3-for-3, including a home run, against the Chicago White Sox.

1942 -- Paul Waner got hit number 3,000 -- a single off Rip Sewell -- but the Boston Braves lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6.

1973 -- Cincinnati's Pete Rose and Willie Davis of the Los Angeles Dodgers both got their 2,000th hits. It was a single for Rose against the San Francisco Giants and a home run for Davis against the Atlanta Braves.

The Closer
OK, first it was the Fuzzies. Now the Spanks are looking into the diminutive firebrand. That's right, the New York Yankees are scouting Pedro Martinez. That's the three-time Cy Young winner. He also happens to be a 5-inning guy who has an 85 MPH fastball. Eitherway, he'll give the team a boost. However, some Yankees fans are skeptical.
To quote Yankees fan and coworker Mike Hoover, "They just lost to the Nationals, 3-0. Pitching is not the problem. Joba's pitching great. Wang pitched great the other day. Pettitte's pitching great. Burnett is pitching great. Hughes is pitching great. Rivera's pitching great. They've got a whole stable full of people up in Wilkes-Barre they can bring in. But they've got to get Pedro because they're panicking."