Wednesday's first pitch

Leading Off
So, the doctor is on the market. The rumor mill is starting to churn big time. Is he going to Boston? Or Philly? Then again, maybe everyone's overreacting. All J.P. Ricciardi said was that he's willing to listen. The real question is whether or not the Phillies, Red Sox or a surprise team have enough prospects to pry the American League's best pitcher away. Some argue the fit just isn't right for Fenway. So maybe he is headed to the Liberty City.
Regional Roundup
An Oriole adds to his legend.

• Luke Scott is a fan favorite in Baltimore, with chants of "Luuuuuuuuuuuuke" following him everywhere. He exploded Tuesday, driving in seven runs. But he wasn't the only one who went off. Dave Trembley went bonkers. The O's have some very movable pieces right now.


• A day after scoring 22 runs, the Phillies waste a strong pitching performance by JA Happ, who should be 8-0. Jimmy Watch:1-for-5, run scored, two strikeouts. Up to .224. Improvement since Jimmy Watch began: 17 points.


• It's funny Tom Boswell wrote this, because we were just thinking the same thing last night and piecing together a blog post. Well, Boswell has it all right here. Blow up the Nats. There are several good building blocks. The rest, trade them for more building blocks.


• The Pirates broke out of their slump Tuesday.

Best of Rest

• Joe Mauer's batting average has dropped to .384 after an 0-for 3 day. Since 2004, Joe Nathan has been just as great as Mariano Rivera.


• Josh Beckett looked continued his strong streak of scintillating stuff.


• The Cardinals broke out quickly against the Brewers.


• Michael Rosenberg believes in the Tigers.


• Eric Bedard impressed with his short outing.


• Did Jon Harper just write the Mets obituary? Probably a bad move.


• Andruw Jones homered.

Batter's Eye

• This is fantastic. Alan Embree won a game without throwing a pitch. The last guy to do that: the immortal B.J. Ryan. That's just how bad the Nationals are.

Today in history
1941 -- Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit a three-run, two-out homer in the ninth to give the AL a dramatic"7-5 victory in the All-Star game at Detroit's Briggs Stadium. Up to that point Arky Vaughn of the Pittsburgh Pirates was the NL hero with two home runs, the first player to do so in All-Star play. Joe and Dom DiMaggio both played for the AL, marking the first time that brothers appeared in the same All-Star game.

1958 -- The 25th anniversary All-Star game, at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, went to the AL, 4-3 in a game that only produced 13 singles. This was the first All-Star game in which neither team got an extra-base hit.

The Closer
Big bad VLad left the Angels game early with a strained muscle in his leg. It's never good when a star goes down. But the thing with Guerrero is not only is he still underrated, he's amazing to watch in All-Star games, home run derbies and such. He's been riddled with injuries this season and there was no doubt he was going to age quickly. But here's hoping he can stay around for a couple more productive years.