RealGM Wiretap
By Christopher Reina
Each MLB team is represented below, marked by a not-so-subtle nod to the general managers we focus so much of our site's attention towards and our namesake.
American League
The Brian Cashman
? Mike Axisa of River Avenue Blues: "With the memory of his two first starts fresh in everyone?s minds, Javy Vazquez went out tonight trying to pick up not just a win for the team, but also a win for his confidence. Staked to a three run lead before he even threw a pitch, Javy fired off four shutout innings before serving up garbage time homers to Travis Buck and Kurt Suzuki, but more on that later. It was clear from the start that Vazquez didn?t have his best stuff, and he struggled to put hitters away all night. Sixteen of the 23 batters he faced saw at least four pitches in their plate appearances, and ten saw at least five. The A?s are a patient team, but it?s not a lineup that should require just under a hundred pitches for five innings of work. Vazquez threw 107 pitches on the night, mixing it up with 51 fastballs, 24 curveballs, 19 changeups, and 13 sliders. His fastball didn?t start to crack 90 mph with regularity until the third inning, and he put at least one batter on base in every inning he pitched." The Theo Epstein
? Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe: "There was the distinct possibility that as Darnell McDonald stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, very few of the 37,614 at Fenway Park could identify the Red Sox outfielder. There was the possibility, too, that just as few knew he had been added to the roster only hours before, taking the place of fan favorite Jacoby Ellsbury. Didn?t matter. McDonald, who began the day not on the team?s 40-man roster and the game on the bench, did what the Red Sox have failed to do so often this season. With Jason Varitek having doubled his way ahead of McDonald, the pinch hitter slammed a 2-2 pitch into the seats above the Green Monster, pulling the Red Sox even with the Rangers at 6, inciting that crowd, and helping erase the memory of the nine stolen bases the Sox had given up earlier in the game. And those fans certainly knew his name by the time he came to bat in the ninth, with the bases loaded and two outs. They stood for him then, hoping and praying he could halt Boston?s five-game losing streak, and six-game skid at home. He did. McDonald?s high drive scraped the wall, sending Kevin Youkilis home for a much-needed 7-6 win." The Alex Anthopoulos
? Tom Dakers of Bluebird Banter: "Tonight 3 for 4, a homer and 2 doubles. That's his 7th home run of the season, tying him with Nelson Cruz for league lead. Add in the 6 doubles and the .364 batting average and maybe we can go a few moments without hearing about his contract." The Mike Flanagan
? Dave Cameron of USS Mariner: "Can you imagine being Dave Trembley right now? His team is 2-13, faces Felix Hernandez tomorrow, and then has 12 consecutive games against the Red Sox and Yankees before a four game series against the Twins. There?s a chance (okay, it?s pretty remote, but still) that Baltimore could be 2-30 on May 10." The Andrew Friedman
? Erik Hahmann of DRaysBay: "Unfortunately for the Rays, David Price wasn't quite as dominant. After going seven innings while striking out at least seven in his two previous outings, he only lasted into the sixth this time around. He wasn't pitching poorly by any stretch, getting 10 swinging strikes on 68 fastballs thrown. It just so happens that when the batters did make contact with a pitch it went somewhere where a defender wasn't. I was surprised to see Maddon pull Price that early. He had only thrown 93 pitches to that point. Yes, he had just allowed a home run to Andruw Jones and a single to Pierzynski, but I figured Maddon would let him work out of the situation himself." The Dave Dombrowski
? Al of Bless You Boys: "So what was the story of the game? The inability to get a big hit is the obvious one, but it has to be the ineffectiveness of Rick Porcello. The young right-hander gave up 6 runs, 8 hits and 2 walks in 4.1 innings. I'm aware it's too early in the season to be alarmed over Porcello's slow start, so no panic buttons need to be pushed?yet." The Mark Shapiro
? Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer: "Matt LaPorta is going to be a busy man now that Russell Branyan has rejoined the Indians. LaPorta is scheduled to make his 2010 debut in left field Thursday afternoon. When he's not playing left field, he'll be playing first base. Branyan is initially expected to play only four games per week at first because of a herniated disk in his back that led to him opening the season on the disabled list. "We think Matt is young enough to do that," said manager Manny Acta. LaPorta played plenty of outfield last year -- 29 games in left field and 10 in right. He played 10 games at first as well, but he's been on a slow-play program this year because he's recovering from two off-season surgeries on his left hip and left big toe. He played only first base in spring training and through the first 12 games of the regular season." The Bill Smith
? Adam Peterson of Twinkie Town: "J.J. Hardy crushed the ball all night, but he ended up with a 0-3 to show for it. He lined a ball right at Grady Sizemore in the second, and nailed another at 'em ball to second baseman Luis Valbuena in the fifth. I expect Hardy's luck will balance out." The Kenny Williams
? Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune: "The best cure for the White Sox's offense Tuesday night turned out to be dependable pitching from John Danks. Several hours after manager Ozzie Guillen said he would stick with one lineup against right-handed starters and another against lefties, Danks ended the Sox's four-game losing streak and snapped the Rays' seven-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory." The Dayton Moore
? Craig Brown of Royals Authority: "(Kyle) Davies has now had Game Scores of 50, 50 and 46 in his first three starts. Certainly, nothing great, but he?s been consistent. Isn?t that something we?d like from the number five starter? Of course. If Davies can throw six innings and give up three or four runs in every start, that?s absolutely something we?d take. Consistency has always been an issue with Davies, so we?ll see how he fares in his next several starts. The Billy Beane
? Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times: "Signing a top young pitcher to a contract extension is not headline news for a lot of teams, but it tends to draw attention when you are the budget-conscious Athletics. Oakland did it with Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Rich Harden, all of them standouts. Such was the case for Brett Anderson, a hard-throwing, 22-year-old left-hander. On a team that as recently as last season was trading away its veteran players for groups of minor leaguers, Anderson?s deal last week, which will carry him through his arbitration years and one year of free agency, may serve as notice that Oakland is ready to reassert itself as a contender." The Jack Zduriencik
? Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times: "Using a pinpoint fastball and devastating changeup, (Jason) Vargas limited the Orioles to a run on three hits through seven innings, much as counterpart Doug Fister had done the previous night." The Tony Reagins
? Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times: "The success of the Scioscia era has been built upon a foundation of starting pitching, and this year's starters finally appear ready to lead. Scott Kazmir won his first start of the season on Tuesday, completing a turn in the rotation in which each of the five starters earned a victory. "What our starters do is really going to dictate how this team will fare," Manager Mike Scioscia said. Kazmir, who had two strikeouts in his only other start this season, struck out two of the first three batters on Tuesday, and five of the first 12." The Jon Daniels
? Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram: "The Texas Rangers ran wild on the base paths Tuesday night, and their hitters even collected some hits with runners in scoring position. Their starting pitcher could have been more efficient, but he was leading by four runs when he left the game in the sixth inning. The bullpen wasn't great, but the four relievers who worked the late innings never should have been pitching in tight situations. Defense continues to plague the Rangers. The key blow in a 7-6 walk-off loss to Boston wasn't either of the two clutch hits by journeyman Darnell McDonald, but a little popup down the left-field line that turned from an inning-ending catch by Josh Hamilton into a two-run double." National League
The Brian Sabean
? Henry Schuilman of the San Francisco Chronicle: "All the spring talk of who pitches where in the rotation can become moot awfully fast. Consider Todd Wellemeyer. He is the Giants' fifth starter, but he faced the opponents' Opening Day pitchers (Atlanta's Derek Lowe and Los Angeles' Vicente Padilla) in his first two starts and will do so again when he takes on Jon Garland today.. The Giants have not used their off days to skip or push back Wellemeyer's turn because they want to protect the young arms in their rotation. They still could do so next week. If Wellemeyer takes his next scheduled turn against Philadelphia on Tuesday, he will miss No. 1 Roy Halladay and draw Jamie Moyer instead." The Ned Colletti
? Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times: "Something was clearly wrong. Chad Billingsley's line made that much clear: seven runs and seven hits in three innings. But in the wake of his latest on-the-mound meltdown that resulted in the Dodgers' 11-9 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park, Billingsley stood in front of his locker and said that everything felt fine. "I made some good pitches," he said. "I wasn't walking guys. As far as everything I wanted to work on between last start and this start, I thought I accomplished it." He had no explanation for the results." The Dan O'Dowd
? Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies: "The Colorado Rockies will eventually find a new president. They won?t, however, replace Keli McGregor. McGregor had an ability to make things better in life. His fame came in athletics. The loss will be felt by the lives he has touched, and then some. He was a two-time as All-American tight end at Colorado State University. More importantly, as original Rockies managing general partner Jerry Morris put it, ?he was an All-American in life.?? " The Josh Byrnes
? Derrick Gould of the Post-Dispatch: "Ten times in his career Arizona Diamondbacks ace Dan Haren has allowed six runs or more in a game, and only once has he gotten the win. Make that twice. The St. Louis Cardinals tagged Haren with seven runs (all earned) tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix, but starter Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals couldn?t hold on to three different leads and lost, 9-7. Ryan Ludwick homered twice off Haren and Albert Pujols hit his sixth home run of the season. All three homers came before Haren had eight outs in the game. Those homers, however, weren?t enough to chase Haren from the game, as the Arizona righty stayed in long enough to go 4-for-4 at the plate and get the win from the mound." The Jed Hoyer
? Dex of Gaslamp Ball: "Before the game, I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to get a hit off of Jonathan Sanchez. Call me a bad fan. So, sure enough, we get one hit off of Jonathan Sanchez, thanks to The Savior, Chase Headley. You combine that one hit with Scott Hairston's immense hatred of the Giants to turn it into a run and that's all you really need to win a game. Isn't it weird to be in first place this late into the season? I bet this means they're keeping Adrian." The Doug Melvin
? Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel: "It must have?seemed like one as the?Brewers waited for their first well-pitched game, one through nine innings. Right-hander Dave Bush finally stepped forward Tuesday night in Game No. 13?and delivered the first gem, tossing seven shutout innings as the Brewers whipped Pittsburgh, 8-1, at PNC Park. ?Today, we put it all together,? Bush said after the Brewers captured a series opener for the first time in five tries. ?That?s the kind of game we?re capable of playing.? Bush actually had been more than decent in his first two outings, leaving with leads both times only to watch the bullpen allow them to slip away. But en masse the pitching staff had been mostly awful, posting a 6.06 earned run average and allowing fewer than five runs just once. Prior to this romp over the schizophrenic Pirates ? they?re 7-6 but have been outscored, 57-13, in their losses ? the Brewers? pitching staff had not allowed fewer than four runs in a game." The Jim Hendry
? Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue: "Carlos Zambrano's solid six innings were wasted. Z lowered his ERA by more than two runs by allowing only a pair of tallies in those six innings -- and even that might have been avoided if he would have just thrown strikes to Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, who came into this season with a lifetime batting average of .085. That's the second time in the last week that a Cub pitcher has gotten himself into trouble by walking his opponent. With two out, how can you not throw strikes to a hitter this bad? Obviously, Z then got angry with himself for walking Pelfrey and served up a meatball that Jose Reyes smashed into the gap in left-center for the only two runs the Mets would need." The John Mozeliak
? Cardinal Diaspora: "The Cardinals can?t score a run without a home run. Which, I mean, if they can get 7 runs a game just of the home run, then I guess they?ll be pretty alright. But wouldn?t you like to see them scratch out a run or two a game on something other than the long ball? The Walt Jocketty
? Mark Sheldon of MLB.com: "When it comes to Nick Masset, Reds manager Dusty Baker is standing by his eighth-inning set up man. It's been a very rough run for Masset lately Masset and Tuesday added to the list. Given a 9-5 lead in the eighth, he gave up four runs and four hits, including the game-tying three-run homer by Matt Kemp. In eight games, Masset's ERA is 14.14 (7 IP, 13 H, 11 ER, 2 HR) We'll get Nick straight," Baker said. "He's got the stuff. We've seen it. He's going through a little bad period right now. We need him badly. He'll find it." " The Ed Wade
? Evan Hochschild of the Crawfish Boxes: "In a trade that rivals the Bourn-Lidge swap in terms of notoriety, Matt Lindstrom gave us the leg up in our off season Robert Bono for Lindstrom deal. He did give up his first run of the season, but he was crisp once again and got outs on the ground." The Neal Huntington
? Charlie of Bucs Dugout: As much as I'd love to chalk up?Charlie Morton's troubles this season to bad luck (and when I see something like Alcides Escobar lunging at a pitch way out of the zone and doubling down the line, or a grounder to third that turns into an infield single, or the dubious defense Morton had behind him all night, I tend to start thinking that way), he was a mess, walking the opposing pitcher, throwing a wild pitch, and needing about eight trillion pitches to get through the first inning. He'll stay in the rotation now, though, because his upside is high and because the Pirates don't really have anyone better." The Frank Wren
? David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Sentinel: "While Heyward?s three homers and 15 RBI in his first 12 games have surpassed my expectations in those categories, I?d advise anyone against projecting those numbers over 162. That is, unless you really believe Heyward has a chance of putting up 40 homers and 200 RBI this season. That said, I?ve sort of revised my own projections for Heyward after watching the phenom do his thing these past couple of weeks. Going into the season I figured it was reasonable to expect something along the lines of .270 average, .340 OBP, 30 doubles, 15-18 homers and 70-75 RBI from a 20-year-old kid with barely 200 plate appearances above A-ball, notwithstanding his No. 1-prospect-in-baseball status. If you asked today, I?d go with something closer to .280-.285, .360-370 OBP, 30 doubles, 25 homers and 80-90 RBIs. And that would probably be enough to easily win him the NL Rookie of the Year award. Frankly, it wouldn?t surprise me if he surpasses those totals, or if he falls a bit short. Remember, 20 years old. He?s hit .302 with a .423 OBP and .581 slugging percentage, and leads the majors with a .727 average with runners in scoring position. His three homers are two more than any other major league rookie, and his 15 RBI are more than any two other rookies combined ? not to mention, more than any other two Braves combined. The Omar Minaya
? James Kannengieser of Amazin' Avenue: "Mike Pelfrey and Jose Reyes, two homegrown talents, were the heroes tonight. Big Pelf built on his dominating outing against the Rockies with a terrific seven-inning, six strikeout performance. His fastball was topping out at 94 mph and, more importantly, his offspeed stuff was effective. Pelf has historically relied heavily on his fastball so watching him mix in the splitter, changeup and even the occasional curveball was a treat. If he can keep that K:BB ratio north of two and continue to minimize home runs allowed it will be a successful season for the big man.. Reyes had his best game of the season, going 4-5 with a two-run triple and a stolen base. He continues to show some rust in the field but the athleticism is still there -- he looked good on the basepaths tonight. Perhaps the day off on Monday helped recharge his batteries after the exhausting weekend?" The Ruben Amaro
? Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley: "Phillies fans on Twitter, Facebook, and Internet message boards were infuriated last night when Ryan Madson blew a three-run lead and as sure a victory as the Phillies are going to get this year. The disappointment was justified as the Phillies had a 98.7% chance of winning the game with two outs and a runner on first base in the ninth inning. Even when Troy Glaus hit the two-run home run, the Phils were 95.9% favorites. Madson?s latest outing coupled with previous struggles in the ninth inning has led many to conclude that he is unfit psychologically to handle the responsibilities of closing out games. Really, it is no different than the criticisms of Cole Hamels being a sissy or mentally weak or what have you. It?s armchair psychoanalysis, as I like to call it. And it?s bunk science based on small sample sizes, confirmation biases, and misinterpretation of data." The Larry Beinfest
? Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald: "With their 7-5 setback to the last-place Astros at Minute Maid Park, the Marlins continued their habit of dropping series openers. The Marlins have lost the opening game in each of their five series, but are 8-1 in all of their other games. ``I guess that's one of those things you can't explain,'' said Marlins starter Chris Volstad. " The Mike Rizzo
? Patrick Reddington of Federal Baseball: "Adam Dunn goes 0 for 4 with 2 K's, strands 4 and finishes the game with a .163 AVG, .379 OBP, .279 SLG, 14 walks and 11 K's in 14 games played so far this season...Defense at first considered, "Not Bad." " Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. Click here to follow his Twitter feed.
? Mike Axisa of River Avenue Blues: "With the memory of his two first starts fresh in everyone?s minds, Javy Vazquez went out tonight trying to pick up not just a win for the team, but also a win for his confidence. Staked to a three run lead before he even threw a pitch, Javy fired off four shutout innings before serving up garbage time homers to Travis Buck and Kurt Suzuki, but more on that later. It was clear from the start that Vazquez didn?t have his best stuff, and he struggled to put hitters away all night. Sixteen of the 23 batters he faced saw at least four pitches in their plate appearances, and ten saw at least five. The A?s are a patient team, but it?s not a lineup that should require just under a hundred pitches for five innings of work. Vazquez threw 107 pitches on the night, mixing it up with 51 fastballs, 24 curveballs, 19 changeups, and 13 sliders. His fastball didn?t start to crack 90 mph with regularity until the third inning, and he put at least one batter on base in every inning he pitched." The Theo Epstein
? Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe: "There was the distinct possibility that as Darnell McDonald stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, very few of the 37,614 at Fenway Park could identify the Red Sox outfielder. There was the possibility, too, that just as few knew he had been added to the roster only hours before, taking the place of fan favorite Jacoby Ellsbury. Didn?t matter. McDonald, who began the day not on the team?s 40-man roster and the game on the bench, did what the Red Sox have failed to do so often this season. With Jason Varitek having doubled his way ahead of McDonald, the pinch hitter slammed a 2-2 pitch into the seats above the Green Monster, pulling the Red Sox even with the Rangers at 6, inciting that crowd, and helping erase the memory of the nine stolen bases the Sox had given up earlier in the game. And those fans certainly knew his name by the time he came to bat in the ninth, with the bases loaded and two outs. They stood for him then, hoping and praying he could halt Boston?s five-game losing streak, and six-game skid at home. He did. McDonald?s high drive scraped the wall, sending Kevin Youkilis home for a much-needed 7-6 win." The Alex Anthopoulos
? Tom Dakers of Bluebird Banter: "Tonight 3 for 4, a homer and 2 doubles. That's his 7th home run of the season, tying him with Nelson Cruz for league lead. Add in the 6 doubles and the .364 batting average and maybe we can go a few moments without hearing about his contract." The Mike Flanagan
? Dave Cameron of USS Mariner: "Can you imagine being Dave Trembley right now? His team is 2-13, faces Felix Hernandez tomorrow, and then has 12 consecutive games against the Red Sox and Yankees before a four game series against the Twins. There?s a chance (okay, it?s pretty remote, but still) that Baltimore could be 2-30 on May 10." The Andrew Friedman
? Erik Hahmann of DRaysBay: "Unfortunately for the Rays, David Price wasn't quite as dominant. After going seven innings while striking out at least seven in his two previous outings, he only lasted into the sixth this time around. He wasn't pitching poorly by any stretch, getting 10 swinging strikes on 68 fastballs thrown. It just so happens that when the batters did make contact with a pitch it went somewhere where a defender wasn't. I was surprised to see Maddon pull Price that early. He had only thrown 93 pitches to that point. Yes, he had just allowed a home run to Andruw Jones and a single to Pierzynski, but I figured Maddon would let him work out of the situation himself." The Dave Dombrowski
? Al of Bless You Boys: "So what was the story of the game? The inability to get a big hit is the obvious one, but it has to be the ineffectiveness of Rick Porcello. The young right-hander gave up 6 runs, 8 hits and 2 walks in 4.1 innings. I'm aware it's too early in the season to be alarmed over Porcello's slow start, so no panic buttons need to be pushed?yet." The Mark Shapiro
? Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer: "Matt LaPorta is going to be a busy man now that Russell Branyan has rejoined the Indians. LaPorta is scheduled to make his 2010 debut in left field Thursday afternoon. When he's not playing left field, he'll be playing first base. Branyan is initially expected to play only four games per week at first because of a herniated disk in his back that led to him opening the season on the disabled list. "We think Matt is young enough to do that," said manager Manny Acta. LaPorta played plenty of outfield last year -- 29 games in left field and 10 in right. He played 10 games at first as well, but he's been on a slow-play program this year because he's recovering from two off-season surgeries on his left hip and left big toe. He played only first base in spring training and through the first 12 games of the regular season." The Bill Smith
? Adam Peterson of Twinkie Town: "J.J. Hardy crushed the ball all night, but he ended up with a 0-3 to show for it. He lined a ball right at Grady Sizemore in the second, and nailed another at 'em ball to second baseman Luis Valbuena in the fifth. I expect Hardy's luck will balance out." The Kenny Williams
? Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune: "The best cure for the White Sox's offense Tuesday night turned out to be dependable pitching from John Danks. Several hours after manager Ozzie Guillen said he would stick with one lineup against right-handed starters and another against lefties, Danks ended the Sox's four-game losing streak and snapped the Rays' seven-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory." The Dayton Moore
? Craig Brown of Royals Authority: "(Kyle) Davies has now had Game Scores of 50, 50 and 46 in his first three starts. Certainly, nothing great, but he?s been consistent. Isn?t that something we?d like from the number five starter? Of course. If Davies can throw six innings and give up three or four runs in every start, that?s absolutely something we?d take. Consistency has always been an issue with Davies, so we?ll see how he fares in his next several starts. The Billy Beane
? Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times: "Signing a top young pitcher to a contract extension is not headline news for a lot of teams, but it tends to draw attention when you are the budget-conscious Athletics. Oakland did it with Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Rich Harden, all of them standouts. Such was the case for Brett Anderson, a hard-throwing, 22-year-old left-hander. On a team that as recently as last season was trading away its veteran players for groups of minor leaguers, Anderson?s deal last week, which will carry him through his arbitration years and one year of free agency, may serve as notice that Oakland is ready to reassert itself as a contender." The Jack Zduriencik
? Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times: "Using a pinpoint fastball and devastating changeup, (Jason) Vargas limited the Orioles to a run on three hits through seven innings, much as counterpart Doug Fister had done the previous night." The Tony Reagins
? Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times: "The success of the Scioscia era has been built upon a foundation of starting pitching, and this year's starters finally appear ready to lead. Scott Kazmir won his first start of the season on Tuesday, completing a turn in the rotation in which each of the five starters earned a victory. "What our starters do is really going to dictate how this team will fare," Manager Mike Scioscia said. Kazmir, who had two strikeouts in his only other start this season, struck out two of the first three batters on Tuesday, and five of the first 12." The Jon Daniels
? Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram: "The Texas Rangers ran wild on the base paths Tuesday night, and their hitters even collected some hits with runners in scoring position. Their starting pitcher could have been more efficient, but he was leading by four runs when he left the game in the sixth inning. The bullpen wasn't great, but the four relievers who worked the late innings never should have been pitching in tight situations. Defense continues to plague the Rangers. The key blow in a 7-6 walk-off loss to Boston wasn't either of the two clutch hits by journeyman Darnell McDonald, but a little popup down the left-field line that turned from an inning-ending catch by Josh Hamilton into a two-run double." National League
The Brian Sabean
? Henry Schuilman of the San Francisco Chronicle: "All the spring talk of who pitches where in the rotation can become moot awfully fast. Consider Todd Wellemeyer. He is the Giants' fifth starter, but he faced the opponents' Opening Day pitchers (Atlanta's Derek Lowe and Los Angeles' Vicente Padilla) in his first two starts and will do so again when he takes on Jon Garland today.. The Giants have not used their off days to skip or push back Wellemeyer's turn because they want to protect the young arms in their rotation. They still could do so next week. If Wellemeyer takes his next scheduled turn against Philadelphia on Tuesday, he will miss No. 1 Roy Halladay and draw Jamie Moyer instead." The Ned Colletti
? Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times: "Something was clearly wrong. Chad Billingsley's line made that much clear: seven runs and seven hits in three innings. But in the wake of his latest on-the-mound meltdown that resulted in the Dodgers' 11-9 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park, Billingsley stood in front of his locker and said that everything felt fine. "I made some good pitches," he said. "I wasn't walking guys. As far as everything I wanted to work on between last start and this start, I thought I accomplished it." He had no explanation for the results." The Dan O'Dowd
? Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies: "The Colorado Rockies will eventually find a new president. They won?t, however, replace Keli McGregor. McGregor had an ability to make things better in life. His fame came in athletics. The loss will be felt by the lives he has touched, and then some. He was a two-time as All-American tight end at Colorado State University. More importantly, as original Rockies managing general partner Jerry Morris put it, ?he was an All-American in life.?? " The Josh Byrnes
? Derrick Gould of the Post-Dispatch: "Ten times in his career Arizona Diamondbacks ace Dan Haren has allowed six runs or more in a game, and only once has he gotten the win. Make that twice. The St. Louis Cardinals tagged Haren with seven runs (all earned) tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix, but starter Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals couldn?t hold on to three different leads and lost, 9-7. Ryan Ludwick homered twice off Haren and Albert Pujols hit his sixth home run of the season. All three homers came before Haren had eight outs in the game. Those homers, however, weren?t enough to chase Haren from the game, as the Arizona righty stayed in long enough to go 4-for-4 at the plate and get the win from the mound." The Jed Hoyer
? Dex of Gaslamp Ball: "Before the game, I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to get a hit off of Jonathan Sanchez. Call me a bad fan. So, sure enough, we get one hit off of Jonathan Sanchez, thanks to The Savior, Chase Headley. You combine that one hit with Scott Hairston's immense hatred of the Giants to turn it into a run and that's all you really need to win a game. Isn't it weird to be in first place this late into the season? I bet this means they're keeping Adrian." The Doug Melvin
? Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel: "It must have?seemed like one as the?Brewers waited for their first well-pitched game, one through nine innings. Right-hander Dave Bush finally stepped forward Tuesday night in Game No. 13?and delivered the first gem, tossing seven shutout innings as the Brewers whipped Pittsburgh, 8-1, at PNC Park. ?Today, we put it all together,? Bush said after the Brewers captured a series opener for the first time in five tries. ?That?s the kind of game we?re capable of playing.? Bush actually had been more than decent in his first two outings, leaving with leads both times only to watch the bullpen allow them to slip away. But en masse the pitching staff had been mostly awful, posting a 6.06 earned run average and allowing fewer than five runs just once. Prior to this romp over the schizophrenic Pirates ? they?re 7-6 but have been outscored, 57-13, in their losses ? the Brewers? pitching staff had not allowed fewer than four runs in a game." The Jim Hendry
? Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue: "Carlos Zambrano's solid six innings were wasted. Z lowered his ERA by more than two runs by allowing only a pair of tallies in those six innings -- and even that might have been avoided if he would have just thrown strikes to Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, who came into this season with a lifetime batting average of .085. That's the second time in the last week that a Cub pitcher has gotten himself into trouble by walking his opponent. With two out, how can you not throw strikes to a hitter this bad? Obviously, Z then got angry with himself for walking Pelfrey and served up a meatball that Jose Reyes smashed into the gap in left-center for the only two runs the Mets would need." The John Mozeliak
? Cardinal Diaspora: "The Cardinals can?t score a run without a home run. Which, I mean, if they can get 7 runs a game just of the home run, then I guess they?ll be pretty alright. But wouldn?t you like to see them scratch out a run or two a game on something other than the long ball? The Walt Jocketty
? Mark Sheldon of MLB.com: "When it comes to Nick Masset, Reds manager Dusty Baker is standing by his eighth-inning set up man. It's been a very rough run for Masset lately Masset and Tuesday added to the list. Given a 9-5 lead in the eighth, he gave up four runs and four hits, including the game-tying three-run homer by Matt Kemp. In eight games, Masset's ERA is 14.14 (7 IP, 13 H, 11 ER, 2 HR) We'll get Nick straight," Baker said. "He's got the stuff. We've seen it. He's going through a little bad period right now. We need him badly. He'll find it." " The Ed Wade
? Evan Hochschild of the Crawfish Boxes: "In a trade that rivals the Bourn-Lidge swap in terms of notoriety, Matt Lindstrom gave us the leg up in our off season Robert Bono for Lindstrom deal. He did give up his first run of the season, but he was crisp once again and got outs on the ground." The Neal Huntington
? Charlie of Bucs Dugout: As much as I'd love to chalk up?Charlie Morton's troubles this season to bad luck (and when I see something like Alcides Escobar lunging at a pitch way out of the zone and doubling down the line, or a grounder to third that turns into an infield single, or the dubious defense Morton had behind him all night, I tend to start thinking that way), he was a mess, walking the opposing pitcher, throwing a wild pitch, and needing about eight trillion pitches to get through the first inning. He'll stay in the rotation now, though, because his upside is high and because the Pirates don't really have anyone better." The Frank Wren
? David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Sentinel: "While Heyward?s three homers and 15 RBI in his first 12 games have surpassed my expectations in those categories, I?d advise anyone against projecting those numbers over 162. That is, unless you really believe Heyward has a chance of putting up 40 homers and 200 RBI this season. That said, I?ve sort of revised my own projections for Heyward after watching the phenom do his thing these past couple of weeks. Going into the season I figured it was reasonable to expect something along the lines of .270 average, .340 OBP, 30 doubles, 15-18 homers and 70-75 RBI from a 20-year-old kid with barely 200 plate appearances above A-ball, notwithstanding his No. 1-prospect-in-baseball status. If you asked today, I?d go with something closer to .280-.285, .360-370 OBP, 30 doubles, 25 homers and 80-90 RBIs. And that would probably be enough to easily win him the NL Rookie of the Year award. Frankly, it wouldn?t surprise me if he surpasses those totals, or if he falls a bit short. Remember, 20 years old. He?s hit .302 with a .423 OBP and .581 slugging percentage, and leads the majors with a .727 average with runners in scoring position. His three homers are two more than any other major league rookie, and his 15 RBI are more than any two other rookies combined ? not to mention, more than any other two Braves combined. The Omar Minaya
? James Kannengieser of Amazin' Avenue: "Mike Pelfrey and Jose Reyes, two homegrown talents, were the heroes tonight. Big Pelf built on his dominating outing against the Rockies with a terrific seven-inning, six strikeout performance. His fastball was topping out at 94 mph and, more importantly, his offspeed stuff was effective. Pelf has historically relied heavily on his fastball so watching him mix in the splitter, changeup and even the occasional curveball was a treat. If he can keep that K:BB ratio north of two and continue to minimize home runs allowed it will be a successful season for the big man.. Reyes had his best game of the season, going 4-5 with a two-run triple and a stolen base. He continues to show some rust in the field but the athleticism is still there -- he looked good on the basepaths tonight. Perhaps the day off on Monday helped recharge his batteries after the exhausting weekend?" The Ruben Amaro
? Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley: "Phillies fans on Twitter, Facebook, and Internet message boards were infuriated last night when Ryan Madson blew a three-run lead and as sure a victory as the Phillies are going to get this year. The disappointment was justified as the Phillies had a 98.7% chance of winning the game with two outs and a runner on first base in the ninth inning. Even when Troy Glaus hit the two-run home run, the Phils were 95.9% favorites. Madson?s latest outing coupled with previous struggles in the ninth inning has led many to conclude that he is unfit psychologically to handle the responsibilities of closing out games. Really, it is no different than the criticisms of Cole Hamels being a sissy or mentally weak or what have you. It?s armchair psychoanalysis, as I like to call it. And it?s bunk science based on small sample sizes, confirmation biases, and misinterpretation of data." The Larry Beinfest
? Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald: "With their 7-5 setback to the last-place Astros at Minute Maid Park, the Marlins continued their habit of dropping series openers. The Marlins have lost the opening game in each of their five series, but are 8-1 in all of their other games. ``I guess that's one of those things you can't explain,'' said Marlins starter Chris Volstad. " The Mike Rizzo
? Patrick Reddington of Federal Baseball: "Adam Dunn goes 0 for 4 with 2 K's, strands 4 and finishes the game with a .163 AVG, .379 OBP, .279 SLG, 14 walks and 11 K's in 14 games played so far this season...Defense at first considered, "Not Bad." " Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. Click here to follow his Twitter feed.