Thursday's first pitch

Leading Off
The Chicago Cubs are getting desperate. They seem to have turned their eyes to an unemployed 3-time Cy Young Winner. That's right, the Fuzzies are scouting Pedro. However, Rick Morrissey is wondering why Sweet Lou hasn't gone apecrackers yet.
Regional Roundup
Except for the Phillies, all the Mid-Atlantic teams won.

• O's fans need to thank Aubry Huff. Of course, Wieterites were loving the big man's first big blast.


• Joe Blanton's ERA might be high, but at least he's going deep into games. Is there too much pressure in Philly for the World Champs?


• The Nats want a younger rotation. Newborns. They want Newborns. At least they toddlers don't have torn rotator cuffs.


• The La Roche's sparked the Pirates over the Yankees.

Best of Rest

• Pudge passed Fisk, but the Rangers beat the Astros thanks to Ian Kinsler and David Murphy


• The Royals headed into Wednesday's game with a 4-game streak and their ace on the hill. What happened?


• Here's a look at the All-Wisconsin All-Stars.


• Chien-Ming Wang has received a stay of execution.


• Manny Ramirez is ready to hit a minor league stadium near you.


• Eric Chavez dreads the idea of having surgery again.


• It seems like everyone is watching Brad Penny.

Batter's Eye

• During the Rangers-Astros game, Omar Vizquel tied Luis Aparicio's record for hits by a Venezuelan. The Gold Glove winner has put together a Hall of Fame worthy career and had a bit of a resurgence of late. After batting .222 last season with five stolen bases, the 42-year-old is batting .322 with three swipes in a limited role with the Rangers.

Today in history
1975 -- Fred Lynn drove in 10 runs with three homers, a triple and a single in a 15-1 Boston victory over the Detroit Tigers. Lynn's 16 total bases tied an AL record.

1986 -- California's Don Sutton pitched a three-hitter for his 300th career victory as the Angels beat the Texas Rangers 5-1. The 41-year-old right-hander became the 19th pitcher in baseball history to win 300 games.

The Closer
Roy Halladay is heading to the disabled list. It's not quite unexpected. However, he's baseball's best pitcher, even when he's dinged up.
So there goes the thought of a 30 win season. Twenty however, is still a possibility. But we doubt he'll throw in the All-Star game.