A look at the Diamond all-star ballot

The 2014 all-star ballot is out and the all-star break comes your way after Sunday's doubleheaders. The all-star game will be played Tuesday night in ... Let's look at the potential candidates for the Diamond Conference position players:

DIAMOND Conference
C: Joe Mauer is among three San Francisco Experience at the top of the batting charts and leads the league's catchers in most every category, including hits (100), doubles (27), RBI (38) and runs scored (64). Among his competition is Livingston's Wilin Rosario, whose primary attribute is power with 13 home runs.

1B: Rookie Matt Adams of Durham enjoyed a 17-game hitting streak, the league's second-longest this season to lead Diamond 1B with 93 hits. If it's a slugger you're looking for, Livingston's Paul Goldschmidt has 27 homers, tied for second in the league, to go with 73 RBIs and 91 hits. There's also Empire City's Chris Davis who has pop, with 22 HRs. Marietta's Mike Napoli could garner consideration with his 24 doubles and 48 RBI.

2B: Livingston's recent acquisition of Robinson Cano gives the Lords of Swing the among the top home run hitters of Diamond second basemen. Jed Gyorko has been manning the keystone regularly, bopping 20 dingers -- more than the 16 Cano hit before coming over from Hopatcong. For more traditional 2B candidates, look at Hillsborough's Jason Kipnis (.286/.374/.417) and Durham's Dustin Pedroia (91 hits, 17 doubles). There's also Howie Kendrick of Marietta and his .293/.324/.498 line thanks to 12 homers.

SS: Hanley Ramirez has been putting up Mitchell Award-level numbers in the first half batting in the middle of a murder's row of a lineup in San Francisco. He's led the batting race off and on (.349) and has the league lead in doubles (36), extra base hits (56) and RBIs (91), and with a few games to go until Sunday's All-Star break, he's got an outside shot at 100 RBIs by the break. Livingston's Ian Desmond could be a shoo-in any other year with his 16 HRs, 15 doubles and 44 RBI.

3B: Durham's David Wright has always been a fan favorite and a model of consistency, putting up a respectable first half, with 14 home runs, 51 RBI and 52 runs scored while batting near .300. But it could be back to San Francisco, where Matt Carpenter has been challenging for the batting title all season (.349). Despite just 3 HR, Carpenter has 29 doubles and 67 runs scored thanks to an OBP of .420. Adrian Beltre of Empire City provides defense but also has a leading 91 hits while Livingston's Eric Chavez is batting .300 and slugging .483 with his 87 hits.

OF: Like first base, outfield is always a crowded race with all the big bats and this year is no different. You could make a case for taking multiple players from league leaders Livingston or San Francisco. Carlos Beltran has been hitting whether it was in Bridgewater or Livingston, bashing a combined 17 HRs and 52 RBI. Livingston boasts a second Carlos (Gonzalez) who's got 21 HRs and 46 RBI to go with a .282/.358/.577 line. San Francisco meanwhile has Colby Rasmus patrolling center while also batting an impressive .329/.386/.675, with 22 HRs and 71 RBI. Jayson Werth is among four Experience players with more than 100 hits (103) and also has 17 HRs, 58 runs and 60 RBI. Livingston's Shin Soo-Choo is no slouch with 88 hits, 50 runs and 50 RBIs, batting .317/.407/.493.

You don't want to vote for me?

There are others who could garner consideration, such as Marietta's Brandon Moss with 17 HRs and 54 RBI (.285/.384/.625). Daniel Nava of Hillsborough is right behind him in the RBI department with 53 and there's Empire City's Hunter Pence, with 15 HRs and 41 RBI, with a solid .286/.345/.497.

If it's more speed than power you're looking for, there's Durham's Jacoby Ellsbury and his league-high 17 SBs, which complement his .305 BA, 90 hits and 21 doubles. Or look for Hopatcong's Carlos Gomez who might get lost in the numbers after coming over from Livingston. He's got a league-high 10 triples to go with 12 SBs.

DH: Marietta's Adam Lind has fashioned an envious .311/.400/.545 line in the first half, slapping 13 home runs and 42 RBI. Durham's Pedro Alvarez provides pop too with 18 home runs but it's all or nothing with him, evidenced by his .232/.301/.485 line. The ageless Raul Ibanez also has hit 17 homers for Hopatcong but like Alvarez, is batting closer to .200 than .300.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the Micro Conference ballot for position players.

2k hits for Pujols, 200 SBs for Ichiro

Albert Pujols became the 14th player in DMBL history with 2,000 career hits. Philly's main man reached the milestone during the week leading up to the all-star break. While he homered off Roy Oswalt later in the game, it was a first-inning single that turned out to be 2k for Pujols. The Endzone Animals eventually topped Las Vegas for an 11-8 win, thanks to 10 runs in the last two frames, capped by a walk-off David Wright grand slam.

The first overall pick of the 2002 draft is on track to pass Mike Piazza (2,025) and Jeff Bagwell (2,047) and if he can pick up his current pace slightly (now 88 hits in 88 games), Pujols could surpass current free agent Bobby Abreu (2,089) for 11th all-time by season's end. Catching Ken Griffey, Jr. -- 10th with 2,176 hits -- would have to wait until the 2013 campaign. The Dominican native is still a few seasons away from challenging all-time hits leader Derek Jeter, who took that crown earlier this year.

(Trivia question: Who was selected second overall in the 2002 draft, after Pujols? Answer at the end of this post.)

Pujols had a career-low 161 hits in 2011, a year after his career-high 208 (when he won his second straight Mitchell Award), and has averaged 192 hits per season. He has been remarkably steady, logging at least 600 at-bats in each of his 10 seasons and playing an average of 160 games per year.

Two other players could reach the 2,000-hit mark this year: Vancouver's Todd Helton started the second half of the season needing just 13 more hits while Pujols' teammate, Ichiro Suzuki, was 29 hits away.

Ichiro reached his own career milestone this week. The Japanese import stole his 200th career base on Monday night, in the first game after the all-star break. The theft broke a tie with Chuck Knoblauch for 8th all-time. Ichiro started the year tied with Otis Nixon and Alex Rodriguez, each with 197 stolen bases.

(Trivia answer: The now-defunct Honolulu Sharks selected Oswalt -- way!)

Hurting at the Hot Corner

If you're a third baseman, watch out! It's been a tough week so far for players at the hot corner.

First, on Sunday, Amityville's Aramis Ramirez was placed on the 15-day Disabled List after accidentally ingesting three gallons of vanilla ice cream -- even though he's severely lactose intolerant. "I thought it was mayonnaise," Ramirez said. Why he thought it was OK to eat three gallons of mayonnaise remains to be determined. The Ant Slayers replaced him with Jack Hannahan.

The next day, Philadelphia's David Wright also went on the 15-day D.L. after suffering from a severe case of turf toe while playing Madden NFL. The Endzone Animals signed Chris Johnson.

Just two days later, Newark captain Chipper Jones tweaked something or other. I mean, it's Chipper Jones. The dude has hurt every part of his body over the last 16 years. He's one big ache at this point. Jones didn't go on the D.L. as he's expected to be back by the weekend, but Jason Kubel also got hurt after claiming he could eat 100 pounds of jelly beans in an hour. Kubel won the bet, but will spend the next two weeks in a diabetic coma. But while the Sugar Bears have backup outfielders, they don't have another third baseman on the roster, so they had to sign one too -- Justin Turner.

But don't worry. Even with those three third basemen signed, there's still 15 available in free agency -- including three-time DMBL All-Star Scott Rolen.

"What the fuck, man?" a distraught Rolen asked after hearing the Endzone Animals -- who had taken him #2 overall in the 1998 draft, and where he played for 10 of his 13 seasons -- had signed Johnson instead of him.

"I need five goddamn RBIs to get to 1,000. Five!" Rolen said. "Six home runs to get to 250. One lousy double to get to 400!"

When last seen, Rolen was frantically sticking pins in his Ryan Zimmerman voodoo doll.

Ohh, Ahh! A big July 4th trade!

While the rest of America was chilling and grilling this Independence Day weekend, the Arkansas Golden Falcons and Philadelphia Endzone Animals pulled off one of the biggest deals of the season. Let's break it down.

Philadelphia Endzone Animals -- Traded Mike Leake and Ryan Franklin, pitchers, Pablo Sandoval, third baseman, and their 1st and 2nd round picks in 2012, to the Arkansas Golden Falcons for David Wright, third baseman, Johan Santana and Joakim Soria, pitchers, Ryan Raburn, outfielder, and their 3rd round pick in 2012.

Mike Leake was drafted in the first round of the Supplemental Draft (#221 overall) by Vancouver, but released in Spring Training. Philly signed him as a free agent in April, released him two weeks later, and then signed him again two weeks after that. It's no surprise that the 23-year-old right-hander has had an up-and-down season in MLB, with a 6.94 ERA and 1.97 WHIP in May, but a 2.63 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in June. At the moment he looks like a keeper, with a 4.03 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The Reds drafted Leake with the #8 overall pick in the 2009 draft and immediately promoted him to the majors, the first starting pitcher to make that jump since Jim Abbott in 1989, so he definitely has some potential. Leake is eligible for this season in DMBL, but has yet to make his debut.

Ryan Franklin was having a bad year for the Animals, posting a 4.68 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. Acquired from the Amityville Ant Slayers during the off-season with Nelson Cruz and a 10th Round pick in 2011 for Andre Ethier, a 6th Round pick in 2011 and a 3rd Round pick in 2012, Franklin has had a long career as a journeyman reliever, starting in 2003 with Tijuana; he's also pitched for Las Vegas, Carolina, Hillsborough, Philadelphia,
Amityville, Philadelphia again, and now Arkansas. His best year was probably 2008, when he posted a 3.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in middle relief with the Mudcats. At age 38 and having a brutal season in MLB (8.46 ERA, 1.84 WHIP), it appears Franklin has no keeper value. It's unclear why the rebuilding Golden Falcons would even want him on their roster; in his first appearance with his new team, he took the loss after giving up a walk and a home run.

Pablo Sandoval might be the heart of the deal for the Golden Falcons. "Kung Fu Panda" was drafted in the second round (#26 overall) as an ineligible prospect by the Blue Ridge Bombers in 2009. He made his debut the following year, hitting .272/.330/.445 with 42 2B, 17 HR and 73 RBI.
Blue Ridge traded him to Philadelphia in the first deal of the 2011 off-season, sending him to Philly along with a 6th Round pick for Victor Martinez. But Sandoval had a big-time sophomore slump this year, hitting just .256/.298/.383 in 277 AB, forcing Philly to look for an upgrade. But the Golden Falcons can afford to be patient with the 24-year-old switch-hitting third baseman, who is hitting .302/.343/.509 for next season.

So that's who the Endzone Animals gave up... who did the Golden Falcons send them in exchange?

Johan Santana was drafted with the #3 overall pick in the 2003 draft by the Endzone Animals, and would remain there for the next seven seasons. He had monster years in '05 (17-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) and '07 (20-2, 3.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), and overall went 83-53 for Philly. During the 2009 off season, Santana was traded straight up to Arkansas for Alex Rodriguez. But Santana couldn't recapture his previously form and had two brutal years for the Golden Falcons, going 8-16 with a 5.70 ERA, 1.59 WHIP in '09, and 8-9 with a 5.82 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in '10. But this season, Santana was finally having another big season -- 12-5, 3.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and an All-Star selection -- and now he's back with the Animals. For next season, though, Santana is 32 years old and still isn't eligible for 2012 as he rehabs from a shoulder injury. If he comes back in mid-August as expected, he just might get the 10 starts he needs, but it will be close.

David Wright is the surprise player in the deal. The Golden Falcons made a huge deal to trade up to the #1 pick in order to land him in the 2005 draft, and he's spent his entire career with Arkansas. A career .289/.347/.496 hitter, Wright was regarded as the "face of the franchise" by many in the organization. But the emergence of minor league sensation Mike Moustakas apparently made Wright expendable. Wright was having a fine season for the Golden Falcons, hitting .276 with 24 HR and 69 RBI. However, just like Santana, Wright isn't eligible for the 2012 season at the moment, needing 78 more plate appearances. The 28-year-old third baseman is currently rehabbing a stress fracture in his lower back. If he can get back to the majors by early September, he'll likely qualify for 2012. A bigger question may be if he'll be usable -- when he got hurt, he was hitting just .226/.337/.404. But given his age and past performance, it seems likely that Wright will be on someone's protected list next season.

Another career Golden Falcon, Joakim Soria, also was taken in the first round (#7 overall in 2008) by Arkansas. He's had three outstanding seasons for Arkansas, going 10-8 with 41 saves with a 3.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 272.1 innings. This season represented his first bump in the road, posting a 4.17 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, with 14 saves but 8 blown saves -- just one less blown save than he'd had in his entire career! Soria's outlook for next season isn't rosey -- 4.37 ERA, 1.29 WHIP -- and the Golden Falcons already have their next closer lined up with youngster Drew Storen.

With three former first round picks heading to Philadelphia, the final player in the deal from Arkansas's side is easy to overlook: Ryan Raburn. Drafted in the 8th Round (#105 overall) in 2010,
Raburn hit .250/.297/.495 last year and just .220/.323/.358 this year. Unless he has a Hall of Fame second half, the 30-year-old corner outfielder is likely not a keeper in 2012 (.207/.242/.344). Like Franklin, the inclusion of Raburn in the deal left many scratching their heads. Any guesses? A source inside the Arkansas organization said that Raburn and Santana share a "special relationship" and left it at that.

Arkansas also received two draft picks in the deal, Philly's 1st Round pick in 2012 and 2nd Round pick in 2012. But Arkansas also sent back its 3rd Round pick in 2012. Considering their current placement in the standings, Philly's 2nd is likely to be at the end of the 2nd and Arkansas's 3rd is likely to be at the top, so it might be a jump of only five or six places.

So who won the trade? At the moment, this deal clearly favors the Endzone Animals, who are chasing the Vancouver Iron Fist for the Morris Division lead and the Hoboken Cutters for the top wildcard slot. They already had one of the best rotations in baseball with Adam Wainwright (10-8, 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP), Travis Wood (5-1, 2.59, 1.22), Roy Halladay (11-6, 2.94, 1.17) and Jered Weaver (7-9, 3.37, 1.09); now they add Santana (12-5, 3.24, 1.26). They upgrade their offense and defense at the hot corner by turning Sandoval into Wright. And even in an off year, Soria is a huge improvement over Franklin. Even if all three turn out to be non-keepers -- a distinct possibility at this point -- they have dramatically improved their team for this season.

However, Arkansas clearly made this deal with an eye toward the future. They gave up four players who, at the moment, are either ineligible or not worth keeping in 2012 (although Wright will probably be protected no matter what). But even if those players had little or no value to a rebuilding Golden Falcons team, they did have value as trade bait. Did the Golden Falcons get enough for Santana, Wright, and Soria? (Let's ignore Raburn.) Sandoval is four years younger than Wright and so far is having a much better year. Leake is a young starting pitcher who has had a roller coaster season, but could be a good pitcher for years to come. The two picks (or one and a half, from the bottom of the 2nd to the top of the 3rd) are nice, but if Sandoval and Leake don't turn out to be long-term keepers, Arkansas fans may not remember this deal fondly in years to come.

Hamilton cycles in defeat to Newark

The battle between Newark and Marietta hasn't gone the Mighty Men's way, losing the first two, including yesterday's 10-9, extra inning loss. But they have one thing up on the Sugar Bears - most cycles. Yesterday, Josh Hamilton managed a rare feat, hitting for the cycle. Overall he was 4-6 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs. Hamilton started his day by hitting a leadoff double in the 2nd inning, then followed that up with a single in the 3rd. The two easiest components of the cycle were out of the way. In the 5th inning, Hamilton hit a two-run homer that gave the Mighty Men a temporary 6-5 lead. Lest you think that the extra innings gave Hamilton some extra opportunities, he hit his triple in the 7th inning, again breaking a tie and giving the Mighty Men an 8-7 lead. After that, he was done, though the game wasn't... Hamilton would bat two more times, striking out in the 8th and flying out in the 10th. For the curious folks, the last cycle was hit by Vladimir Guerrero last year, then with Blue Ridge against Las Vegas on June 17.

In another extra inning affair, Carolina topped Arkansas 4-3. The Falcons took an early 3-0 lead in the 1st inning on a 3-run David Wright homer. Carolina finally tied the game up in the 8th with a 3-run inning. It seemed like no one would score until the 14th inning, when Arkansas got into trouble giving up back to back singles with one out. After intentionally walking the bases loaded, Aramis Ramirez came through with the game winning single. Amazing that the game was so close considering that the Mudcats outhit the Falcons 18-7 in the game, leaving 19 baserunners stranded throughout the game.

Justin Verlander held the O-Bombers to only 2 hits in 8 innings, earning his 9th win in a 12-2 blowout. Freddy Sanchez hit two home runs and drove in 4 runs in the game and Russell Martin was 2-3 with 3 RBIs. The Hitmen maintain a 4-game lead over the red hot Mudcats.

Josh Johnson pitched a complete game, holding the Cutters to 2 runs on 6 hits in a 7-2 Sardine City win. Johnson had struggled this season before an injury sidelined him for a month, then struggled in his first two starts. But he turned things around in his next start against Arkansas and now pitched this gem against Hoboken. Johnson's record was 3-13 before going on the DL and he is now 5-15.

Wright, Felix take top honors

The Falcons looked pretty dead only a few weeks ago, but have recently come back into the playoff race. Tied with Philadelphia for 7th and 6 games out of the final playoff spot, the Falcons still have a (admittedly long) shot at a wild card slot. Leading the charge for the Falcons this week is David Wright. The third baseman hit .429 this week with a .568 on base percentage and .750 slugging. He also hit 2 homers, scored 8 runs, and drove in 10. Wright is this week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week.

His competition this week: Carolina's Xavier Nady (.455/.486/.758, 7 R, 11 RBI), Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez (.435/.500/.913, 3 HR, 6 R), Newark's Manny Ramirez (.458/.536/.708, 7 RBI), Amityville's Dioner Navarro (.417/.440/.792, 8 RBI), and Sardine City's Ryan Braun (.400/.438/.733, 2 3Bs, 6 R).

It looks like Hillsborough has taken a comfortable lead in the Morris Division, despite Carolina's efforts to reclaim the division title. The Hitmen's pitching has come on lately, with young phenom Felix Hernandez assuming the ace role this week. King Felix was 2-0 this week with a 1.15 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He struck out 22 batters and walked only 2 in 15.2 innings. Hernandez is this week's Handerpants Pitcher of the Week award.

The rest of the best: Amityville's Dallas Braden (1-1, 1.08, 0.84 WHIP), Las Vegas' A.J. Burnett (0.64, 0.86 WHIP, 15 K) and Josh Beckett (1-0, 2.35, 16 K, 0.65 WHIP), D.C.'s David Bush (1-1, 2.30, 0.89, 12 K), Blue Ridge's Gavin Floyd (1-0, 2.30, 0.83) and Carolina's Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.50).

Amityville horrifies Mighty Men

Amityville stifled Marietta once again, this time a 3-hitter by Armando Galarraga. Galarraga, who had been 3-17 entering the game, blanked the Mighty Men, striking out 6 and walking only one. Yesterday, the Mighty Men were three-hit by Dallas Braden. This, of course, coming on the heels of a 3 game set where they scored 7 runs in each game... Marietta will try to reverse their fortune against Blue Ridge today.

Carolina's 5-run outburst in the 6th inning yesterday led the team to a 5-3 win over D.C. The rally was capped by a 3-run Bengie Molina home run off starter Chris Young. Meanwhile, Hillsborough was shellacked by Blue Ridge 11-6 - and it would have been worse if not for a meaningless 5 runs in the 9th inning. Chris Ianetta was 2-5 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs for Blue Ridge. Vancouver meanwhile knocked off Las Vegas in a 12-inning marathon. Victor Martinez's bases loaded single scored the winning run in the 12th to give the Fist a 5-4 victory and 3-game sweep of the Rats. After the dust settles, that leaves the Hitmen with a shrinking 4 1/2 game lead on Carolina, with Vancouver 6 games off the mark.

Philadelphia's hopes for a playoff run took a hit yesterday after a 6-2 loss to the arch rival Falcons. Arkansas exploded for 6 runs in the 6th in which David Wright hit a 3-run home run. Rookie Jair Jurrjens improved to 11-6 in the victory. The Falcons are now only 1/2 a game behind the Animals as the top challenger to the wildcards.

Berkman, Wright stay red hot

Lance Berkman kept his hot streak alive with another home run today and 4 RBIs. David Wright is trying to keep pace with a homer and 2 RBIs as well. Both players have exploded the last two games and will compete over the weekend for a box of Fonsecas. Arkansas was getting blown out in last night's game by a 9-3 margin entering the bottom of the 8th, but Wright hit his 2-run homer to bring the team to within 4 runs. Then in the 9th, it all fell apart for D.C. Ray Durham led off with a single then Ty Wigginton was hit by a pitch. Martin Prado and Ryan Ludwick both walked. Then with the bases loaded, Berkman hit a mammoth shot over the right field wall to win the game for Arkansas.

Adam Wainwright shut out the Iron Fist on 3 hits in a 4-0 win for Blue Ridge. Carl Crawford was 4-4 and Michael Young hit a homer and drove in 2 against his former club. Vancouver's offense has gone into a tailspin since David Ortiz was injured 4 days ago. Since then, the club has scored a total of 4 runs and has 25 hits in 4 games. The good news is that Ryan Doumit will rejoin the team today after being out for almost 3 weeks. The bad news is, the catchers were not the problem - Victor Martinez and Jeff Clement have combined to go 6 for 15 in the past 4 games (.400 average).

Roy Oswalt pitched the day's other shutout - a 4-hit effort against Las Vegas. Oswalt struck out 9 Rats to improve to 4-3 in the 4-0 victory.

The Sugar Bears rallied in the 9th to take a 6-5 decision against the Cutters. Jack Cust's 3-run homer gave the Sugar Bears just enough to overcome the deficit while Joey Devine pitched a 1-2-3 inning for his 7th save. With the Rats and Mighty Men both losing, the Sugar Bears are once again tied for 1st place in the Hanover Division.

Berkman, Wright lift Falcons

Vancouver and Blue Ridge battled to a 1-0 final, with the Iron Fist taking the decision. Zack Greinke pitched 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball and striking out 7 to improve to 5-2 on the season. Billy Wagner picked up his 10th save. The lone run scored in the third when Chase Utley doubled in Curtis Granderson. Gavin Floyd was the hard-luck loser, pitching 8.1 innings and giving up 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

Carolina regained the lead in the Morris Division with a 5-4 win over Philadelphia. Xavier Nady was 2-3 with 3 RBIs, including the game sac fly in the 8th. Mark Reynolds was 3-3 for the Animals. Meanwhile, Hillsborough was stifled by Mike Mussina and the Mighty Men. Mussina pitched a complete game, giving up only 2 hits and one run while striking out 10. Felix Hernandez had 9 strikeouts in 5 innings on the losing end, but a pair of Ryan Theriot errors undid the team.

New Jersey outlasted Sardine City 5-4, despite only getting 4 hits total in the game. The problem was the 7 walks issued by the Straphangers, including 4 by the team's bullpen. Ubaldo Jimenez pitched well (6.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K) but got a no-decision. The Buddahs scored 4 runs in the eighth when the Sardine City bullpen walked three straight batters to load the bases then served up a spicy meatball to Mike Jacobs who deposited it into the right field bleachers.

Lance Berkman's 3 home runs and 6 RBIs propelled the Falcons to a 9-7 victory over D.C. yesterday. David Wright also hit 2 homers in the contest. The two batters drove in all of Arkansas' 9 runs.

Sardine City suffers big losses

Hoboken scored five runs in the first inning against Arkansas and then kicked it into auto-pilot the rest of the way. Luckily for them, it was enough, escaping with a 5-4 win. Hanley Ramirez was 4-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Miguel Cabrera was 0-5 and ended his league-high 16-game hitting streak. He may not be on top for long as David Wright extended his 15-game streak with a 1-4 night.

Sardine City took a tough 16-3 loss, but they ended up losing even more. Rookie hurler Phil Hughes was lost for a month with an undisclosed injury. Scott Baker seems to be the likely replacement, but the Straphangers haven't issued a public statement yet.

Mariano Rivera made his 800th appearance for the Mighty Men. Unfortunately for them, he ended up taking the loss - a 5-4 squeaker to Hillsborough. The Hitmen have now won six straight and have moved up to second in the Morris Division and fourth overall (though in a weird scheduling quirk, they actually are percentage points behind 5th place Tampa Bay).

The Buddahs took out their offensive frustrations on Blue Ridge yesterday. Tied up at five and going into extra innings, the Buddahs scored six runs in the top of the frame and won 11-6. It was the second highest-scoring game of the season for New Jersey. Kazuo Matsui, entering the game for starter Ty Wigginton, was 3-3 with 3 RBIs, and Shane Victorino was 3-6 with 2 doubles.