Monday Night Long Balls

Offense was the order of the day throughout the league Monday night as two players compiled six RBIs each amidst multi-home games.

Adam Jones blasted three home runs to lead Rowdy Roddy Pipers over division rival Marietta, 10-7, at Bullhead Memorial Stadium. The Pipers centerfielder, acquired in the offseason from Vancouver for two draft picks, homered in his first three at-bats, all off of the Mighty Men's Chris Carpenter: two-run bombs in the 2nd and 6th innings, with a solo shot in the 4th. He capped off his night with a run-scoring single in the 7th, finishing 4-for-4 with 6 RBIs. He was hardly the only Piper with four hits: Prince Fielder and Michael Young each went 4-for-5 to help C.C. Sabathia even his record at 8-8.

Over in St. Louis, two Cutters both blasted a pair of home runs to lead Hoboken to a 13-4 victory. David Ortiz hit a solo shot and a two-run bomb while one of Jose Bautista's two home runs -- his league-leading 34th and 35th -- was a grand slam to help him finish with six RBIs.

It wasn't entirely about the batters though. Traded last week along with two draft picks in exchange for Javier Vazquez, Doug Fister made his second outstanding start for Sardine City, going eight innings for the win. Now 2-0, Fister has yielded only three runs over 16 innings for the Straphangers, after a 3-9 start with a 4.53 ERA for Bridgewater.

Sabathia reaches 15th all-time in wins

An efficient outing by C.C. Sabathia Saturday night moved the big left-hander up the DMBL record books. Sabathia shut down the Hoboken Cutters for seven innings, scattering five hits and one run against the franchise that initially drafted him, in Rowdy's 5-3 road win.

Sabathia improved to 3-0 this season for the Roddy Pipers, earning his 109th career win, to match David Cone and A.J. Burnett for 15th all-time in DMBL victories. It was his 274th career start, which matched Andy Benes for 20th all-time, and broke a tie with Bartolo Colon. Originally an ineligible 14th-round pick in the 2001 draft, Sabathia also moved into the top 20 in all-time innings pitched, also passing Colon, and now with 1,675 2/3 innings.

Colon returned to the DMBL this season after a five-year absence, having last pitched for Hillsborough in 2006. He was a supplemental fifth-round pick by Blue Ridge in this year's draft, but so far has spent the season on the Bombers' reserve list.

Century mark within reach for seven hurlers

A handful of pitchers are within striking distance of reaching 100 career wins during the 2010 season. Only 15 players in DMBL history have eclipsed the century mark.

Vancouver's Roy Oswalt, acquired in the offseason from Amityville for Adam LaRoche, starts the season closest to 100 with 97 (tied with Al Leiter for 16th all-time). A good first half of 2010 could mean 100 career wins by the All-Star break for A.J. Burnett of Las Vegas (93) and Johan Santana of Arkansas (90).

It's going to take a strong season for Hoboken's Mark Buehrle (86), Philly lefthanders Barry Zito (85) and C.C. Sabathia (84), and Kevin Millwood of Marietta (84) to reach 100 wins. Even a decent year -- heck, a lousy year might do it -- from any of the four will put them past David Wells (89) and into the top 20 all-time in wins.

Mussina now 6th all-time in wins

Mike Mussina notched his 11th win of the year on Sunday in a 7-4 win over Blue Ridge. With the victory, Mussina moved past John Smoltz into 6th all-time in wins with 172, and now only trails the five pitchers who have won 200 games (Schilling, Pedro, Clemens, Johnson, Maddux).

Though he didn't factor in the decision, Hillsborough's C.C. Sabathia struck out 9 Sugar Bears in a 4-3 loss on Sunday to become the 31st pitcher in DMBL history to reach 1,000 strikeouts. The eight-year veteran, now with his third team, had career highs of 192 strikeouts and 205 2/3 innings pitched last season and is on pace to set new career marks this season. He has 138 2/3 IP and 129 strikeouts in 20 starts.