Daily Baseball Blog: 5/6

Did You Know

Adam Dunn, who hasn't stolen a single base since 2008, wasn't always slow of foot. In two years in the minor leagues between 1999 and 2000, he stole 45 bases in 215 games. In 2002, his first full season in the majors, he stole 19 bases, good for 19th in the National League. Another player that seems slow, Mark Reynolds, stole 35 bases from 2008-2009, including 24 in '09, 13th in the National League.

Today in Baseball History

5/6/1953: 28-year-old St. Louis Browns starter Bobo Holloman tosses a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics in his major league debut. The success does not carry over, however, as he goes 2-7 with a 6.07 ERA the rest of the season, finishing the season with totals of 3-7 with a 5.23 ERA. He would never pitch in the majors again after walking 50 batters in 69.1 innings.

News

Dodgers signed Bobby Abreu (2012: 0 HR, 5 RBI, .208 AVG, 0 SB, age 38) to a minor league deal.

Mariners starter Felix Hernandez was the first pitcher to 50 strikeouts.

Game Scores

Nationals (18-9) beat the Phillies (13-15) 7-1.

Orioles (18-9) beat the Red Sox (11-15) 8-2.

Royals (9-17) beat the Yankees (14-13) 5-1.

Dodgers (18-9) beat the Cubs (10-17) 5-1.

Braves (17-11) beat the Rockies (12-14) 13-9.

A's (14-14) beat the Rays (19-9) 4-3 (12 innings).

Top Scorer: Braves beat the Rockies 13-9. 

Standings

AL East: Rays (19-9, .679 WPCT). AL Central: Indians (14-11, .560). AL West: Rangers (18-9, .667).

NL East: Nationals (18-9, .667). NL Central: Cardinals (16-11, .593). NL West: Dodgers (18-9, .667).

AL Wild Cards: Orioles (18-9, .667) and Blue Jays (16-12, .571). 

NL Wild Cards: Braves (17-11, .607) and Mets (14-13, .519).

Bottom Team: Twins (7-19, .269). Longest Winning Streak: Marlins and Astros, 5 games. Longest Losing Streak: Red Sox, 4 games.

League Leaders

Offensive: AVG: Jon Jay (Cardinals), .405 (30-74). Home runs: Matt Kemp (Dodgers), 12. RBI: Andre Ethier (Dodgers), 28. Stolen bases: Emilio Bonifacio (Marlins), 13.

Pitching: Wins: Madison Bumgarner (Giants), Lance Lynn (Cardinals), David Price (Rays), and James Shields (Rays), 5. K's: Felix Hernandez (Mariners), 51. ERA: Ryan Dempster (Cubs), 0.95 (28.1 innings, 3 earned runs). Saves: Chris Perez, 10.

Top Performers

Offensive: Chad Tracy (Nationals): 3-4, double, home run (2), 2 RBI, 2 runs, AVG up .068 from .167 to .235, hitting streak to 2 games (5-9, .556).

Pitching: Felix Hernandez (Mariners): Win (3-1), 8 shutout innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 9 K's (51), ERA drop: 0.34 runs from 2.23 to 1.89.

Worst Pitching Performance: Aaron Cook (Red Sox): Loss (0-1), 2.2 innings, 7 runs (6 earned), 8 hits, 1 walk, 0 K's (0), ERA jump: -.-- runs from -.-- to 20.25.

-- 
Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. BAA: batting average against. K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman