While lefty starter Joe Saunders came out strong through eight innings on Friday night at Angel Stadium, Brian Fuentes was not able to slam the door on a 1-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Kansas City's Mike Aviles was able to break through the shutout attempt with an RBI hit, his second hit of the ballgame, forcing the Angels to extend into extra innings where the Halos would fall short 2-1 to the Royals in Game 1 of a holiday weekend in Southern California.

In just a matter of days, things have gone from bad to worse for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Injuries and losses continue to mount, all the while the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets have increased their lead in the NL East.  And, division aside, the Phillies currently sit fifth in the Wild Card standings.

After a brief revival from the offense, it has seemingly gone back in the tank. Heck, pitchers must be starting to feel like they need to hurl a perfect game to win—although that almost didn't work for Roy Halladay.

It’s time to check in on three more prospects from around the minor leagues. Are any of them primed to make an impact in the not too distant future? Let’s take a look:

Giacomo Casanova once said, "By recollecting the pleasures I have had formerly, I renew them, I enjoy them a second time, while I laugh at the remembrance of troubles now past, and which I no longer feel." We could say that about quite a few players on the Red Sox roster, and the Red Sox franchise itself. It's funny how you can use a quote by a ladies man and use it for baseball, isn't it?

Mat Latos continues to roll on the mound.  Max Scherzer continues to put his early season struggles behind him.  

Bruce Bochy hasn't done anything differently from the San Francisco Giants' fast start in April to the roller-coaster ride that got them spiraling downward in a seven-game losing streak.

Bochy didn't make Tim Lincecum, oddly, less dominating. The manager didn't have anything to do with Pablo Sandoval's struggle at the plate. The bullpen many like to insist he mismanages really just isn't very good.

There's no reason to fire Bochy, unless you believe in momentum and chemistry and "shaking things up in the clubhouse."

For the second time this season, the Rockies made Tim Lincecum, the two-time defending Cy Young winner, look like just another pitcher.

This time, 22-year-old Jhoulys Chacin kept the Rockies in the game long enough to win 6-3.

The Yankees had a slim lead for most of yesterday’s game, but with two outs in the eighth inning CC Sabathia gave up the lead as the Mariners tied the game at two. But Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to help the Yankees win 4-2 .

Here are some notes:

It’s one thing to have prospects in your organization, but it is another thing to have those prospects develop and become solid major league players. That is the issue facing the Baltimore Orioles right now.

Even though his win-loss record through 17 starts in 2010 is just 9-7, Roy Halladay is having one hell of a season. Hopefully that will be a little more clear after looking through this slide.

By the way, he's more than twice as deserving of a spot on the NL All-Star Team than Jamie Moyer.

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