1. Going gonzo: Alex Gonzalez hit two of the Braves' four home runs in the opening game of a doubleheader with the Mets on Saturday. After facing D.J. Carrasco a couple of times during the spring, Gonzalez knew he'd get something to hit:
"I faced him a couple times in spring training. I remembered you'd got to be ready for this guy ? he throws a lot of strikes and be focused. He's got kind of a side-arm, he'll throw a fastball and slider side-armed. The first at-bat, I hit a breaking ball, put a good swing on it, hit a homer. The second at-bat, be aggressive, got a pitch to hit and I hit a homer. (It was) a cut fastball."
Derek Lowe finally got some run support after his lineup scored nothing for him in his previous two starts. In the nightcap, Jair Jurrjens made his first start of the season and pitched seven shutout innings as Atlanta swept the doubleheader.
2. Freddy looks ready: Maybe the Yankees' starting rotation will be okay, after all. Freddy Garcia shut the Texas Rangers out for six innings in a 5-2 victory at Yankee Stadium, his first scoreless outing since 2006. And for all the talk around the Bronx about lost velocity in recent weeks, Garcia was successful with the old real estate approach: location, location, location.
3. Pitch it like Beckett: The Red Sox currently have the worst record in the majors at 3-10, but may have their old ace back. Josh Beckett showed that his scoreless start against the Yankees last Sunday was no fluke, holding the Blue Jays to one run over seven innings in Boston's 4-1 victory. In his last 15 innings, Beckett has allowed one run, five hits, and struck out 19 batters.
4. Verlander tries new pitch: Whatever Justin Verlander was trying to throw, it looked ugly and didn't work. Facing David DeJesus, Verlander looked as if he wanted to make a pickoff throw to first base, but decided instead to throw a pitch. At least that's how it looked. The umpires didn't know what to call, but after talking it over, decided it was a balk. Throwing more conventional pitches didn't work either, as the Athletics teed off on Verlander for five doubles in a 6-2 win.
5. Call him Johnny Walkoff: Johnny Damon loves being the hero. For the second time in three games, he got a walkoff hit for the Rays in a 4-3 dumping of the Minnesota Twins. All those game-winning hits and RBIs have also emboldened Damon to possibly create a new word:
"I'm starting to get that comfortability with my teammates right now," Damon said. "They're counting on me, so being able to have that comfortability is great. I wouldn't be in that situation if my teammates didn't help me get there."
We're still checking with the judges on whether or not "comfortability" is a word. It's hard to get ahold of those guys on a Sunday morning.
6. Castro rocks Rox: Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro almost hit for the cycle in a 4-for-5 night at Coors Field. His three-run homer -- one of 17 hits for the Cubs -- blew the game open in an 8-3 win over the Rockies. So much for Colorado's seven-game winning streak.
7. Angels go to Chatwood: Tyler Chatwood got his first major league win, holding the White Sox to one run over seven innings in a 7-2 win. That extended the Angels' win streak to four, pushing to one game out of first place in the AL West. The Angels also may have found a new catcher, as Hank Conger made his third consecutive start.
8. Skipper wants to see you... all of you: After the Mariners' 7-0 loss to the Royals, Eric Wedge had all he can stands, and can't stands no more. The M's manager called a closed-door team meeting and said he's tired of watching bad baseball. Even the Red Sox don't strand 11 runners on base. Oh, wait ?�yes, they do.
9. Lincecum, Cain, then a foot sprain? If the Giants were looking for a reason to take Barry Zito out of their starting rotation, he may have given them an excuse. Zito sprained his foot while diving for a bunt in a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks. He's never missed a start due to injury before, but the schedule might allow the Giants to skip his turn in the rotation twice as he heals.
Ali Campoverdi Giuliana DePandi Pamela Anderson Amber Arbucci Christina Aguilera
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