Thursday's first pitch

Leading Off
Is Andruw Jones back? Could it be true? He did bash three, count 'em three, home runs Wednesday. The plump center fielder used to be a star for the Atlanta Braves. Then he signed a big deal with the Dodgers. And stunk up the joint. Batted under .200. Barely hit home runs. Couldn't track down fly balls.
Well, Jones had to sign a minor league deal late in spring training to even get a job. This year, he has shown improvement, batting .250. He's also accumulated 14 home runs and 34 runs batted in.
Our bet, you're better off with Nyger Morgan, Shane Victorino or Adam Jones.
Regional Roundup
Shane Victorino provided the excitement, the Orioles provided the rally, Pittsburgh provided the defense and that Nats, well, they were just dreadful.

• Shane Victorino continues to make a push to be on the All Star team. Two days after getting four hits and scoring five runs, he got the game-winning hit. Is the price for Roy Halladay too high?


• It looked different. But the Orioles got the job done.


• The Pirates are excelling at one thing: defense. Offense, however, would have helped against the Astros.


• John Lannan has quietly shined.

Best of Rest

• The Blue Jays released B.J. Ryan.


• When you think Prince Fielder wins game, you don't picture him hustling out an infield hit.


• Steve Phillips was bloviating about what's wrong with David Price. The way to fix him, Genius Phillips said, is to get him to throw strikes. Revolutionary thought, Steve. Anyway, the Rays won in the last at bat.


• David Ortiz homered as the Red Sox won. It was Tim Wakefield's 11th win.


• Oliver Perez did his part.


• Two Angels stars had MRIs.

Batter's Eye

• Joel Sherman has a fun piece for Sports Illustrated about the all-unexpected team. There are several guys out there having seasons no one expected.

Today in history 1940 -- The NL recorded the first shutout in All-Star play, with a 4-0 win at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Five pitchers -- Paul Derringer, Bucky Walters, Whit Wyatt, Larry French, and Carl Hubbell -- held the AL to three hits. Max West hit a three-run homer.

1946 -- After a one-year break due to war travel restrictions, the Americans trounced the Nationals 12-0 at Fenway Park, the most one-sided of the All-Star games. Ted Williams of the Red Sox didn't disappoint the hometown fans. He hit two homers and two singles for five RBIs.

1991 -- Cal Ripken Jr. hit a three-run homer to lead the AL over the NL 4-2 in the All-Star game for the AL's fourth straight victory in the contest.

1996 -- Mike Piazza launched an upper-deck home run in his first at-bat and lined an RBI double next time up, leading the National League to a 6-0 victory in the All-Star game in Philadelphia.

The Closer Sports Illustrated has a piece on prospects who could play a big role in the second half. We might be prospect friendly here at The Southpaw, but we do have to say this: If you need to rely on a prospect for your pennant aspirations, you're in trouble. For every Marty Bystrom and Felix Rodriguez there's 45 rookies who come up and are put in situations that won't help them succeed. That's not the way you build an organization.