Baseball

It was "singles night" at PETCO Park Thursday night for the San Diego Padres, as they battered the Brewers with 13 singles, with no extra-base hits, to a final score of 9-0.

Who says singles can't have a good time?

Wade LeBlanc continued dishing donuts and combined with Tim Stauffer for a shutout of the normally slugging Brew Crew.

LeBlanc pitched 6.1 shutout innings, continuing his current streak of just one run allowed over his past 17.1 innings pitched

At the end of Spring Training, Carlos Beltran said that he wanted to begin running exercises in Port St. Lucie, Florida on April 10 and rejoin the Mets by at least early May, but three weeks after Beltran’s self-imposed deadline, he is still not close to returning to the lineup.

According to the New York Daily News, Beltran was fitted for a custom knee brace last week, which he hoped would help accelerate his rehabilitation.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel moved Jose Reyes from his typical leadoff spot into the no. 3 hole in the lineup six games ago, and since then the Mets have not lost a game going a perfect 6-0.

How much of that is due to Reyes? Well here are some of his numbers: 6 G, 22 AB, 7 R, 6 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2 SB, .273 BA, .333 OBP, .409 SLG, .742 OPS.

Right about now, some may be questioning whether or not Houston’s turnaround is legit; especially after the Astros got swept by the Cincinnati Reds after winning eight of their prior 11 games.

But, let me tell you something: this team has begun the turnaround, and the Houston Astros are well on their way to contending in the National League Central this season.

Although they may not be the hottest thing to hit the diamond in April, May will likely be a different story and it will be a time for the Astros to prove to the doubters that they can and will contend in 2010.

Here are five re

Finally. Or maybe that should read, "Final-Lee?"

The Seattle Mariners made a huge trade in the offseason to acquire the services of former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, and tonight, a month into the season, he will make his first appearance on the mound.

Lee got off on the wrong foot this year. Literally. Literal-Lee. A couple of weeks prior to spring training, he needed a minor surgery on his foot and would miss the start of the exhibition season.

The Yankees wrapped up their nine game road trip last night with a win over the Baltimore Orioles. They improved to 14-7 on the season and remain 2.5 games behind AL East leader, Tampa Bay. There are only two teams in baseball with a better record than the Yankees right now, Tampa Bay and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Looking back on the series with the O's, here are my thoughts.

Back on the Winning Track

This is not the storybook ending to the Bobby Cox era that the Atlanta Braves had envisioned.

In fact, it is a nightmarish beginning to the end of the illustrious Braves manager’s 29-year career.

Cox, in his 25th season with the Braves and in the final year of his brilliant managerial career, just watched his club endure an 0-7 road trip, their worst since 1949.

His team has lost nine straight games to drop them to an embarrassing 8-14 on the season.

R.A. Dickey pitched a one-hit shutout for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. He gave up a hit to the first batter and then retired the next 27 in a row.

After the first batter, Dickey pitched a perfect game, and only needed 90 pitches to do it.

“I felt like I could throw another nine (innings) right now and have the same result,” Dickey said. “That’s a good feeling.”

Grade: A

Matt Capps (Nationals): 3-for-3 in save opportunities, Capps has been the best closer in the game. Possibly the biggest steal in all drafts, Capps added nine strikeouts while not allowing a run. I am not sure if you should sell high at this point or keep the stud on your team: I’ll let you be the judge.

Robinson Cano posted his sixth career multi-homer game, and A.J. Burnett pitched eight scoreless innings as New York blanked Baltimore, 4-0, Thursday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

New York finished 5-4 on their nine-game road trip, while Baltimore missed an opportunity to win their first series of the season.

After Cano grounded out to end the first inning, his next three at bats resulted in extra-base hits.