Wednesday's first pitch

Leading Off
Uh oh. The Phillies have a real starting pitching controversy on their hands. Jamie Moyer, who was bumped from the rotation so Pedro Martinez could start, dominated in six innings of relief.
Martinez left the game after a rain delay in the third inning. He'd given up a solo home run during three frames of well pitched ball. He'd walked none and whiffed three, tossing 26 of 38 pitches for strikes.
Moyer took over and tossed six frames of shutout ball, striking out five and walking none. The stingy lefty gave up just two hits.
That's a quality start.
Regional Roundup

• Peter Schmuck already misses Aubrey Huff.


• Tom Boswell reflects on the Stephen Strasburg deal. Now that Mike Rizzo locked up The Future, his reward is to be replaced.


• The Pirates aren't dropping any games to accommodate the G8 Summit.


• What's going on with the closer's role in Philly. Is it going to be Scott Eyre, or does Brad Lidge still have the spot.Jimmy Watch: 1-for-5, strike out. .242.

Best of Rest

• In Minnesotta all the talk was about a washed up quarterback. All the action, however, was sparked by a fantastic catcher and MVP candidate who could will his team into the playoffs.


• Is this a last gasp by the Red Sox, or are they about to mount a comeback.


• Speaking of late season rallies, the Red Sox are going to have to compete against this team. And that won't be easy.


• The Cardinals are about to gamble on John Smoltz.


• The Mariners were big spenders when it came to the draft.


• It was a good day to be a New York baseball fan. The Mets won. So did the Yanks.


• Ryan Garko was a big hero for the Giants, who are clinging to playoff hopes.

Batter's Eye

• Dan Connolly asks, "Who is baseball's best Natural?" in honor of Robert Redford's birthday.

Today in history
1909 -- The Philadelphia Phillies were rained out for the 10th consecutive day, a major league record.

1951 -- Eddie Gaedel, a 3-foot-7, 65-pounder, made his first and only plate appearance as a pinch-hitter for Frank Saucier of the St. Louis Browns. Wearing No. 1/8, Gaedel was walked on four pitches by Detroit Tigers pitcher Bob Cain and then was taken out for pinch-runner Jim Delsing. The gimmick by Browns owner Bill Veeck was later outlawed.

1957 -- New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham announced that the team's board of directors had voted 9-1 in favor of moving to San Francisco.

The Closer
When we think of the California Angels we think of dominant pitching, good defense and a great manager.
Sure, they've had Troy Glaus, Garrett Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero and Tim Salmon over the years, but they've also won with Adam Kennedy, David Eckstein and Scott Spezio.
This year, however, is a bit different. After last night's game every player in the starting lineup had a .300 batting average or better.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time that happened was the 1930 Giants and Cardinals.