MLB

In an exciting game that came down to the final at bat, the Mets beat the Braves behind Ike Davis‘ first career home run and a brilliant relief appearance from Hisanori Takahashi, who went three innings and struck out seven to get the win.

Notes

• John Maine left after just 3.2 innings with muscle spasms and pain in his non-throwing elbow. His line: 3.2IP, 4H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K, 0HR.

It is never too early to look towards the possibilities that lie ahead. 

For baseball fans, their team’s future is gently weaved into a farm system possessing a variety of players from the past several MLB amateur drafts. 

It was during last night's game at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim that I realized Joe Girardi does indeed hate New York Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson .

Why do I think that? Because after another game which has Robertson finishing off a tough inning by retiring batters with ease, Girardi pulls him in favor of a new reliever to begin the next inning.

Pure lunacy.  

Eighteen months ago, the NY times announced that it was actively shopping its stake in New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Red Sox, NESN, Fenway Park, and other real estate holdings. It said it was selling its 17.5 percent stake in NESV in an effort to raise cash and shield the paper from the rapidly-developing revenue squeeze that hit the newspaper industry in the wake of the recession.

Right from the start let me say that I love Ken Griffey Jr. Without a doubt, he is one of the all-time greats to play the game (so far).

I had to throw the qualifier in because he seemingly has become one of those greats that tarnish their own legacy by playing years past their expiration date. If he was a carton of milk and you drank him, you'd get food poisoning and maybe die.

He currently ranks fifth on the career home run list, with 630. He is 15th all-time in RBI with 1,833, and his roots are firmly planted in the soil of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Despite their early-season struggles, the Chicago Cubs have plenty of reasons not to be afraid just yet. From the revamped minor league system, to a smarter Jim Hendry, to the twenty-fifth man on the roster (and the fortieth in September), the Cubs organization and their ever-loyal fans have no reason to worry about the 2010 season.

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Here’s a look at the two-start pitchers for week four.

Five Stars
Chris Carpenter: ATL, CIN
Yovani Gallardo: PIT, @SD
Roy Halladay: @SF, NYM
Josh Johnson: SD , WAS
Jered Weaver: CLE, @DET

Adam Dunn finally made a splash.  The Mets finally tried Jose Reyes hitting third.  Tim Lincecum proved again why he’s the best pitcher in the game. 

Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Hitters:

Red Sox southpaw Jon Lester pitched 5.2 shutout innings this evening, but his bullpen allowed two runs in the seventh inning and another in the eighth as the visiting Baltimore Orioles tied the game, thereby leaving the lefty with only a no-decision to show for his efforts.

But the Sox scored in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a bases-loaded walk to Adrian Beltre, and they went on to win the ballgame, 4-3, in front of 37,367 fans at Fenway Park.

Welcome to Colorado.