hot stuff

Former Mississippi State standout Mitch Moreland continues to rake for Texas, which leads the American League West. After a dismal start, Moreland is hitting .406 with two homers over his last 10 games, including a 3-for-4 performance on Saturday in a 5-2 win over Cleveland. He has watched his average rise from .139 to .277. … Some contend that AL East leader Tampa Bay, now 19-9 after a tough loss to Oakland, is the best team in baseball. A key figure for the Rays has been new leadoff batter Desmond Jennings, the former Itawamba Community College star. Jennings is batting .273 with three homers, 11 RBIs, seven steals and 19 runs. … MSU product Paul Maholm, after a weak start for the Chicago Cubs, is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last three starts. That’s for a 10-16 club. … Ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn is 5-0 with a 1.60 for National League Central leader St. Louis. ’Nuff said. … Former Mississippi Braves outfielder Jordan Schafer, battling some back problems, has managed to maintain a 25-game on-base streak for Houston. Schafer is hitting .261 with two homers and 11 stolen bases as the Astros’ leadoff man. … Former M-Braves star Tyler Pastornicky has held his own at the plate for Atlanta, batting .273, better than many of the club’s veterans. He has also been solid at shortstop. … Meanwhile, back in Double-A, Andrelton Simmons, who made a run for the big-league shortstop job in spring training, has stepped up with a .323 average, 13 RBIs and six steals for the Mississippi Braves. Yes, he can hit. … Recent arrival Evan Gattis is batting .381 with three homers and eight RBIs in five games with the M-Braves. He gets his first shot in spacious Trustmark Park today (5 p.m., vs. Pensacola). … Former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton made Baseball America’s High-A All-Star team for April. He hit .398 with 29 steals for the month with Cincinnati’s Bakersfield team in the California League. P.S. The field is almost set for the MACJC Tournament, which starts later this week. Itawamba Community College (which will host the double-elimination affair in Fulton), Hinds and Jones County swept their best-of-3 series. Mississippi Gulf Coast beat Northeast 7-5 late Saturday in a rain-delayed opener that was moved to Biloxi. They’ll play Game 2 (and maybe 3) there today.