Pena 6-for-6 as Tigers rout Royals 17-7. The Tigers had 27 hits, the most in MLB since last June 27. (Yahoo!)

Yankees rout Orioles to complete sweep. The scores: 11-3, 12-9, 18-5. (Yahoo!)

Red-hot Rolen leads Cards past Pirates. He now has 49 RBIs. (Yahoo!)

Foul tip: Schilling pitched in to nab drunk drive suspect. "Morris, who was reportedly wearing assorted Red Sox gear when arrested, could not be reached last night for comment, and police said they could not confirm whether he, like Schilling, had pahked his cah at Fenway Pahk that night." (Boston Herald)

Ward hits for cycle, Pirates beat Cards. Daryle and his father Gary are the first father-and-son duo to hit for the cycle in the majors. (Yahoo!)

Marlins snap Reds' win streak at seven. Tommy Phelps and two others combined on a one-hit shutout. (Yahoo!)

Varitek lifts Red Sox over A's. Derek Lowe continued to struggle, giving up 9 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings, but he got the W. (Yahoo!)

Chat wrap: Rob Neyer.

Ryan (Gardner): Hey Rob, do you see the Red Sox getting rid of Derek Lowe if continues to pitch like garbage, and if so what would they be trying to get?

Rob Neyer: I think you trade for another starter (or bring Kim back from Pawtucket) and send Lowe to the bullpen. Lowe just doesn't have any trade value at this point.

(ESPN.com)

Reggie belongs in A's cap at Cooperstown. "Jackson wearing a Yankees cap on his Hall of Fame plaque isn't the travesty that, say, Wade Boggs wearing a Devil Rays cap would be. But it still shouldn't have happened, and the Hall of Fame has wisely taken the choice away from the players to ensure it doesn't happen again." (Inside Bay Area)

Gwynn has Aztecs hitting, winning & in pursuit of NCAA berth. San Diego State is three wins from qualifying for the NCAA regionals for the first time since 1991. (Yahoo!)

Divisional Diary: NL East. "Juan Pierre is hitting way over his head. Of course, he’s 26, so this could be his peak. Hee Seop Choi is being given a chance to play every day and he has responded with lots of walks and lots of power. Miguel Cabrera is showing everyone he is the real deal, and Mike Lowell is earning his pay. One thing that should help the Marlins over the next few weeks is the absence of Wil Cordero. Now if manager Jack McKeon could find someone to take Jeff Conine’s PAs, he’d be in good shape." (Baseball Think Factory)

Just some random eye candy. Pictures of Citizens Bank Park. (PhilliesBlog)

Pictures and Observations from 5/25. "Before I say the following let me just say that my girlfriend will testify with regards to its validity. I called Ken Griffey Jr.'s home run. We were standing up in the concourse to avoid the rain, and I mentioned that Junior seems to play well angry, mentioning his elevated level of play when he was dropped to fifth in the batting order. The crowd was electric and I looked at her and said 'Three run homer right here.'" (Reds Daily)

Griffey hits 492nd HR, Reds win again. Their seventh straight win. Paul Wilson is 7-0. (Yahoo!)

The List: Week #7. "Thomas Wolfe was wrong: A-Rod in the three-game series versus his former team, the Texas Rangers, .385/.429/.692 and 1.121 OPS. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter is enjoying perhaps the worst season by a leadoff hitter ever. He is on pace to be the first man since Mario Mendoza in 1979 to hit under .200 and have an OBP under .260, a SLG under .290, and an OPS under .550. His numbers in Texas? .154/.214/.154. Ouch!" (All-Baseball.com)

When Two Wrongs Do Make a Right. Mike examines the game-ending botched rundown that happened in Toronto a couple of nights ago. (Mike's Baseball Rants)

Ranking the NL Middle Infields. Number 1: The Padres, with Mark Loretta (maybe last year wasn't a fluke) and Khalil Greene. Number 2: The Dodgers (Alex Cora and Cesar Izturis). (Dodger Thoughts)

Comings and Goings (5/20-5/23).

Theo Epstein has a lot of decisions to make in the next year, but has already decided on the fate of David Ortiz and Trot Nixon. Ortiz will make a shade over six million dollars in both 2005 and 2006, leaving the Red Sox enough money to pursue the higher priorities. It was obvious that after last year's playoff run, the heart and soul of the Red Sox that is Ortiz had to be brought back.

OK, so what's left? Well, Jason Varitek, Nomar Garciaparra, Bill Mueller, Pedro Martinez, and Derek Lowe are the five big free agents that Epstein must consider. My guess is that Varitek stays, but Kevin Youkilis takes Mueller's job on the hot corner. The team decides that despite his recent string of injuries, locking up Nomar is a helluva lot safer than putting tens of millions into Pedro's right arm. And, Derek Lowe's horrendous 2004 leaves him out to dry, instead being courted by the Rockies due to that GB/FB ratio.

(The Hardball Times)

Kearns joins in on the fun. He helped the Reds complete a four-game sweep of the Astros. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Quirky statistics are in favor of the Reds. Paul Daugherty asked D'Angelo Jimenez, Barry Larkin and Bill James why the Reds are winning. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Saying Goodbye. Joe Sheehan on Doug Pappas. (Baseball Prospectus)

Doug Pappas author archives. (Baseball Prospectus)

Boston fans have had it good. Cold Pizza and Page 2 are counting down the "Most Tortured Sports Cities", and they rank Boston fifth. Bill Simmons sets them straight.

Am I happy to be a Red Sox fan? Absolutely.

We had Lynn, Rice, Fisk, Yaz and Tiant in the '70s; the Clemens Era in the '80s; Nomar and Pedro in the '90s ... jeez, there was always something happening. We have Fenway. We have die-hards spread across the entire country, like Cyrus's armies in "The Warriors," enough manpower to overpower half the home crowds in the American League. We have owners willing to spend upward of $100 million a year to remain competitive, an exclusive group, like being one of the only guys at a poker table with chips. We have a complicated blood-feud with the Yanks that reached Cold War proportions last winter. And we always have next year. Because you never know.

One thing I do know: We shouldn't be on this list of losers. And if anyone at Cold Pizza wants to respond ... well, I can't hear you, I have two Super Bowl rings clogging my ears.

(ESPN.com)

Ortiz leads Red Sox to sweep of Jays. Boston now has the second-best record in baseball, behind Anaheim. (Yahoo!)

Rivals in Exile: Injuries and Slumps. Ben Jacobs and Larry Mahnken on the Red Sox and Yankees. (The Hardball Times)

Florida is taking felons off voter rolls. Hmm...George Steinbrenner spends a lot of time in Tampa. Is he a legal resident of Florida? Just wondering. (Houston Chronicle)

King Kaufman on Doug Pappas, who passed away last week at 43. "No one I've ever read has a more thorough understanding of how baseball economics work, and no one, anywhere, was a more fierce enemy of commissioner Bud Selig. As Pappas was fond of writing: Draw your own conclusions." (Salon)

Labrum, It Nearly Killed Him. Will Carroll on baseball's most fearful injury. (Slate)

The Unfooled. "Baseball Prospectus, at its best, is a loose confederation of scientists -- skeptical, uncertain, inquisitive, nimble-minded. And at its worst it just churns out the same old lazy preconceptions. I think Chris Kahrl may do well to remember Greil Marcus' quote about the critic Robert Warshow: 'I am not fooled, this man says, and critics have to be willing to be fooled.'" (Redbird Nation)

Dome is no longer home sweet home."The SkyDome, which turns 15 years old in a couple of weeks, has entered middle age as sports stadiums go. The thrill is mostly gone, even if the thrilling, and still generally unmatched, roof technology remains in good working order. Everything else? Looking old. In some areas starting to get a little rundown." (Toronto Star)

LeCroy's pinch-hit slam lifts Twins. (Yahoo!)

Game Diary: Day Baseball. Aaron Gleeman's notes on the game. (The Hardball Times)

Dialed In: May 19, 2004. Chris Dial took his 2-year-old to a minor league game, and she had a great time. Then he went home and saw the end of Randy Johnson's perfect game. (Baseball Think Factory)

Heading South. Bryan Smith on the Southern League, home of the Carolina Mudcats and the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. (The Hardball Times)

Duquette on WFAN. "With the Mets playing inspired - albeit inconsistent - ball, it seems the fans are not the only ones intoxicated with thoughts of post season play. Mets GM Jim Duquette, appearing on WFAN's Mac & Sid Show, has apparently taken a few swigs out of the bottle of Absolut Playoffs as well. Duquette made it painfully clear that he is willing to trade away prospects, perhaps even 'better known talent' in the Mets farm system for an impact player or two and wants to do it sooner rather than later." (The Shea Hot Corner)

Dear Angela. Brian isn't really stalking a Skydome waitress...is he? (Top of the Ninth)

Big Unit throws perfect game. Not bad for a 40-year-old. (Yahoo!)

Derek Zumsteg: "Today, I was flipping around watching games while writing something else up when I found the Diamondbacks game. The announcers were talking all about the perfect game he had going and I started yelling 'Shut up! Shut up!' at the television. I'm a guy who'll rail at the stars against astrology, I'll talk until spoons bend about what a bunch of baloney telekinesis is, I'll bore you to death about my hatred for John Edward, but when it comes to baseball and a chance to see one of the great games in history, I flip back to the superstitious caveman in a second." (Baseball Prospectus)

Giants' Schmidt one-hits Cubs in 1-0 win. Oh, big deal. (Yahoo!)

News, Notes and Quotes (May 18, 2004). Aaron Gleeman on Bill Simmons, the Rockies' lineup, Chone Figgins, and more. (The Hardball Times)

Under The Knife: Injuries Punch In. "It's never simple with David Wells. The report that Wells cut his hand and forearm in a 'home incident' started everyone wondering what had happened. With Wells, I don't even want to guess, because no matter how outrageous the guess is, Wells can top it." (Baseball Prospectus)

Castilla's two-run homer in ninth caps comeback. The Rockies came back from 6-0 to beat the Phillies 7-6. (ESPN.com)

Glaus to have shoulder surgery, might miss rest of season. "Anaheim slugger Troy Glaus, a three-time All-Star and this year's AL home run leader, will have surgery on his right shoulder Friday and might be sidelined for the rest of the season...'I don't think there's any time frame on this,' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. 'It's going to hinge on what Dr. Yocum finds when he goes in there.' Glaus will join outfielder Garret Anderson, designated hitter Tim Salmon, first baseman Darin Erstad and reliever Brendan Donnelly on a crowded Angels' disabled list." (Yahoo!)

The Exp000000000s. "There is offensive futility, and then there is offensive futility that makes the Pirates look good. It's not just the NL either. Through Saturday, the Expos were the only major-league team with fewer than 100 runs scored this year. In fact, they were the only team with under 130 runs. The next worst offense, belonging to the Devil Rays, has an OPS that is 12% higher than Montreal's, and they have scored nearly 43% more runs per game." (The Hardball Times)

George Steinbrenner - Love Him or Hate Him. Joe doesn't hate him. (The View from the Bleachers)

M's offense offends GM Bavasi.

Bavasi said no deals are near, but rumors are circulating the Red Sox and Royals are trying to entice the Mariners into a three-way trade. Boston would trade pitcher Byung Hyun Kim and, possibly, outfielder Johnny Damon to the Mariners in exchange for pitcher Freddy Garcia and minor league starter Cha Seung Baek.

If the Red Sox could get the Mariners to bite, Garcia would then be shipped to Kansas City, with outfielder Carlos Beltran going to Boston.

Oh, sure. And then the Red Sox will send Baek to the Astros for Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Taking Stock of Trading Bonds. The Crank says it would be good for Barry, good for the Giants and good for baseball. (TDA Bullpen)

Sheets has most K's in game since 2001. He struck out 18. (ESPN.com)

Mariners drop the ball in 7-6 loss to Twins. The bullpen blew a 6-2 lead, and the Twins won in the 11th. (Seattle Times)

David Cameron: "The M's made a point of acquiring a bunch of impatient hacks who can't drive the ball, and it's no surprise that they can't score runs. You just can't single your way to blowouts. Screw the broadcasters and their love for little ball and moving runners along; good offenses draw walks and hit home runs. The Mariners do neither, and until they learn the value of patience and power, they are going to be a poor offensive club." (U.S.S. Mariner)

Massachusetts town uncovers evidence about its place baseball history.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- City officials and historians released a document Tuesday that they say shows baseball was being played in Pittsfield in the late 1700s, long before legend credits Abner Doubleday with drawing up the rules of the game.

The evidence comes in a 1791 by-law to protect the windows in Pittsfield's new meeting house by banning anyone from playing baseball within 80 yards of the building.

"It's clear that not only was baseball played here in 1791, but it was rampant,'' said historian John Thorn, who was researching the origins of baseball when he found a reference to the law in an 1869 book on Pittsfield's history. "It was rampant enough to have an ordinance against it.''

(Yahoo!)

Transaction Analysis: May 5-10. "I suppose Ben Christensen deserves something. How about good riddance? It would be hard to imagine a more despicable act on the field than his cowardly attack on Anthony Molina, but among any roster of second-tier sins are the apologies made on his behalf by some in the working press and within the Cubs' organization. For his crimes, I had hoped he'd never make it, and I remain hopeful that in this one small case, the universe continues to have a sense of justice." (Baseball Prospectus)

Project Knuckleball. "There is no right way to hold a knuckleball when throwing it (seams, no seams; two fingers, three), and no predictable flight pattern once it leaves the hand. 'Butterflies aren’t bullets,' the longtime knuckleballer Charlie Hough once said. 'You can’t aim ’em—you just let ’em go.'" (The New Yorker)

Gonzalez swats 3 HRs in D-Backs' rout of Mets. (ESPN.com)

'Caveman' Damon to shave for Boston charity. He's keeping the long hair, though. (ESPN.com)

Cooperstown Confidential: May 8, 2004. Bruce Markusen on the "Friday Night Massacre" of 1974, when the Yankees traded away four pitchers. Also, notes on the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Billy Cowan and Gonzalo Marquez. (Baseball Think Factory)

Diz or the Arkansas Hummingbird? Matthew Namee on Dizzy Dean and Lon Warneke. (The Hardball Times)

Fast start helps Cards beat Phillies. (Yahoo!)

Brian: "Ryan Madson wears #63, but I don't think he'll be heading to the minors anytime soon. He's now pitched 19 innings in the majors without allowing an earned run (wonder what the record is to start a career), and his stuff is flat-out wrinkly. He sorta reminds me of a righthanded Ken Dayley -- neither guy is capable of throwing anything straight. Even a 93 mph fastball that Madson threw to Renteria had some serious movement on it." (Redbird Nation)

It's a Commitment to Mediocrity. "With their $46 million payroll and tight-fisted owner, the Reds don't get many opportunities to make a statement to fans about their commitment to winning. They had a chance to make one Wednesday and passed." (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Derek Zumsteg went to the 16-inning Mariners/Twins game on Tuesday, and had a blast. "It's time for the 14th-inning stretch! I sing, my wife sits and grinds her teeth. She is not amused to hear that there is also a 21st-inning stretch." (Baseball Prospectus)

MLB decides not to place Spider-Man ads on bases. (Yahoo!)

Clemens passes Carlton, improves to 6-0. He's now second on the all-time strikeout list with 4,140. Nolan Ryan's record of 5,714 is probably safe. (Yahoo!)

Yankees run winning streak to eight.

Tony Clark doubled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the ninth inning and the surging Yankees won their eighth straight game, 4-3 over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.

"I've always said from spring training, your No. 1 guy is just as important your No. 25 guy,'' Clark said. "I'm the 25th guy. I needed a situation to contribute. I was fortunate.''

(Yahoo!)

Mueller, Red Sox end five-game slide. (Yahoo!)

Baseball sells 'Spider-Man' ads on bases.

Baseball will receive about $3.6 million in a deal negotiated by Major League Baseball Properties with Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Inc., a high-ranking baseball executive said on condition of anonymity.

The Yankees and Boston Red Sox will get more than $100,000 each, the team executive said, also on condition of anonymity. Most of the other 13 teams playing at home that weekend will get about $50,000 apiece, the team executive said.

(Yahoo!)

Nate Silver on Alfonso Soriano's short-term and long-term prospects. (Baseball Prospectus)

Stealing Second(s). How to improve the Dodgers. (The Bench Coach)

Give me 10 runs, and I'll get you a win... How to improve the Tigers' pitching. (The Detroit Tigers Weblog)

Free Benny Kauff (Part Three). (The Hardball Times)

Triple-threat Maddux leads Cubs by Cards. "Maddux pitched seven strong innings, stole a base, got an infield hit and scored twice in the Chicago Cubs' 7-3 victory over the Cardinals on Monday." (Yahoo!)

Indians hand BoSox fourth straight loss. Jake Westbrook outdueled Curt Schilling. The Sox need Nomar and Nixon back ASAP. (Yahoo!)

The Baseball Time Machine: Johnny Wagner. What if Honus Wagner had been born in 1964 instead of 1874? (The Hardball Times)

Barry, Scoring Runs, OBP, and the Demise of "Baseball Tonight." (The Book of Mike)

Baseball Primer is now Baseball Think Factory. They've overhauled their website, and they're still working out the kinks.

Pedro breaks off contract talks with Red Sox. (ESPN.com)

Brian: "Martinez's goal in going to the press with his contract frustration, no doubt, was to initiate a campaign of public outrage. The hope was that Sox fans would feel he was being cheated, turn on Theo and Larry, and put on the heat for more money. Problem is, we're on their side. Much like Bill Belichick, Epstein has made a lot of good moves lately, and we'll happily defer to his opinion. Were this a ladder-day Dan Duquette or a happily-lunching Lou Gorman, it might've worked. But Theo has New England's ear, and he's likely to keep it." (Top of the Ninth)

Rivals in Exile: Reversal of Fortune. Ben Jacobs and Larry Mahnken discuss the Red Sox and Yankees, a week after Boston's sweep. (The Hardball Times)

Best. Start. Ever. Joe Sheehan on Barry Bonds' April. (Baseball Prospectus)

Rockies Try the Four-Man. "Let me repeat that: the COLORADO ROCKIES are going to a FOUR-MAN ROTATION. In one stroke, Dan O'Dowd has mixed together two of the most compelling issues in baseball analysis today--how to win at altitude, and how to optimize the usage of your pitchers." (Baseball Prospectus)

2004 NL East Established Win Shares Report. (The Baseball Crank)