D.C. ends streak, Vancouver chokes

Just a few notes before we get to the games. Tonight will be a double header, followed by an early game tomorrow morning. After that, game play will be kind of spotty, since I'll be in Romania. There will be a one-week absence at some point during next week. After tomorrow's blog post, there will be no more posts for 3 weeks, probably after the season is done. I am not sure how well I will be able to FTP from Romania, so it's possible that I may not be able to play the games until I get back. Thanks in advance for your patience.

Hoboken lost to Arkansas yesterday 11-5. Hanley Ramirez and Mike Napoli each had two errors, leading to the Cutters giving up a costly six unearned runs. Napoli, in particular, wore the goat horns today, considering he left the game due to injury in the second inning. Perhaps he was dying of shame? Dan Haren, meanwhile, held the Cutters in check, pitching six innings and surrendering only two runs while striking out ten.

Hoboken's loss gave the Sharks a chance to move up in the standings into fourth. The Sharks took full advantage with a 12-10 win over Carolina. Adrian Gonzalez had a huge day, going 4-5 with 5 RBIs. Jason Jennings once again was shelled - six runs in just 1/3 of an inning, making the shutout in his last outing a distant memory.

D.C. finally broke their losing streak with a 10-3 thrashing of Sardine City. John Maine gave the Slappers eight solid innings and Esteban German (5-6) and Alfonso Soriano (3-5 with 4 RBIs) provided the offense. The Slappers totalled 20 hits in the rout.

Hillsborough held off D.C. with a 9-0 win over Marietta. Felix Hernandez pitched seven innings of 3-hit ball and struck out seven to earn the win. Ryan Howard hit his 59th home run of the season and Robinson Cano was 4-5 with three runs scored.

Vancouver is pulling their biggest choke job after dropping their second straight game to Las Vegas. This time the Fist were pounded 11-2 and held in check by El Duque, Orlando Hernandez. Hernandez pitched seven innings and struck out eight, while surrendering only one run on four hits. Surely when Vancouver saw the Rats on their schedule they figured they had three easy wins, but now, they've dug themselves a hole and face the first-place Endzone Animals next.