hot spots

The last day of September shapes up as a very entertaining day in baseball. From a Mississippi perspective, keep an eye on the events in St. Louis, where Ole Miss product Lance Lynn (17-7) starts for the Cardinals against Washington. The Cards are still hunting the second wild card in the National League; the Nationals are still trying to fend off Atlanta in the NL East and also battling for the league’s best record. In Atlanta, former Mississippi Braves star Kris Medlen (9-1) goes to the bump to face the New York Mets. Hattiesburg native Fred Lewis could play a role there for the Mets. In the crazy American League, Texas, clinging to first place by 2½ games in the West, plays host to the wild card hopeful Los Angeles Angels in a doubleheader. Former Mississippi State standout Mitch Moreland figures to get some big at-bats for the Rangers. And Weir’s Roy Oswalt might be needed out of the Texas pen again. Oakland, 2½ games behind Texas and 2½ games up on the Angels in the No. 2 wild card race, hosts Seattle. UM alumnus Seth Smith likely will be in the Oakland lineup today against Mariners righty Erasmo Ramirez. Baltimore, currently tied with the New York Yankees atop the East, hosts Boston, cast in a rare role as spoiler. Ex-M-Braves Jarrod Saltalamacchia (25 homers) and Mauro Gomez (.281) swing big sticks for the BoSox. Still waiting on a Bill Hall (Nettleton) sighting in the Orioles’ lineup. Tampa Bay, still alive (barely) in both the East Division and wild card races, is at Chicago, where the White Sox have dropped 2 games behind Detroit in the Central. The Rays have former Itawamba CC star Desmond Jennings, who struck out four times in their win on Saturday. Does he get benched today? The ChiSox have Jackson native Donnie Veal, a big lefty who has been a good addition to their bullpen. P.S. Former M-Braves star Craig Kimbrel, a legit NL Cy Young candidate, notched his 41st save on Saturday. Of his 21 pitches, 14 were at 96 mph or better, including a 100. His last pitch was a knee-buckling breaking ball for strike three.

been that kinda year

Alex Presley made the final out in Homer Bailey’s no-hitter on Friday night, a fitting footnote in a tough year for the former Ole Miss standout. Presley went 0-for-4 in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 loss to Cincinnati, dropping his average to .236 in 100 games. He does have 10 home runs and seven triples, but he also has 71 strikeouts and just 18 walks. In sum, it has not been the kind of season the Pirates were hoping to get from Presley after he hit .298 in 52 games in 2011. The job as left fielder and leadoff batter was his for the taking this spring, but he wound up back in the minors after a slow start. The left-handed hitting Presley has gotten regular playing time again lately but is batting just .214 over his last 10 games. The Pirates, after another second-half collapse, figure to make some changes in the off-season. Presley could be on shaky ground. There are a bunch of other outfielders in the fold, including superstar Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Travis Snider and touted prospect Starling Marte. P.S. Ex-Rebels star Zack Cozart had a hand in the only run the Reds scored in Bailey’s no-no. Cozart’s first-inning single moved Brandon Phillips from second to third and Phillips then scored on a Todd Frazier sac fly. … Meridian Community College alumnus Cliff Lee got another no-decision (No. 15 this year) in Philadelphia’s 2-1 loss to Miami. The Phillies were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Lee is 6-8 with a 3.12 ERA.

worth noting

Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz got his first win since July 6, throwing five shutout innings in Colorado’s 6-0 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Pomeranz, working under the Rockies’ stringent pitch limit, is 2-9 with a 5.01 ERA. “The big thing was just being relaxed,” he told mlb.com. … In a key game at U.S. Cellular Field, Pascagoula native Tony Sipp cherry-picked — he retired the one batter he faced — a win as Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4, dropping the ChiSox a game behind Detroit in the American League Central. Jackson native Donnie Veal was charged with the game-tying run in the sixth inning as Chicago failed to hold a 4-3 lead. … Nettleton native Bill Hall has been recalled by Baltimore and is eligible for the postseason roster. Journeyman Hall hit 15 homers in Triple-A this season, as if Buck Showalter’s O’s needed any more power. … Washington third-base coach Bo Porter reportedly will get the Houston managerial job for 2013. Former Jackson Mets infielder Tim Bogar, now a Boston coach, was among the candidates for the job.

party on

The Atlanta Braves threw an impressive celebration on Tuesday night after former Mississippi Braves star Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer clinched a postseason berth. What they did tonight was equally impressive. Showing no signs of a letdown (or a hangover), the Braves followed Paul Maholm’s lead and beat Miami 3-0, keeping the heat on Washington in the National League East race. Maholm, the Mississippi State product, was sharp, allowing just five hits and no walks in 6 2/3 innings. He is 3-4 with a 4.09 ERA since the Braves got him from the Chicago Cubs, but that’s a bit deceiving. Seven of his nine starts with the Braves have been good ones. Maholm, a lefty who is at his best when he keeps the ball low in the zone, might get a crack at starting in the postseason if the Braves get to the NLCS. He has pitched better than right-hander Tommy Hanson of late. P.S. Good news for Clint Hurdle. The former Jackson Mets skipper reportedly will return as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, despite the Bucs’ second-half collapse.

scatter shots

Roy Oswalt made his first appearance since Sept. 9 on Monday night and contributed to a big win for Texas. The right-hander from Weir and Holmes Community College threw two clean innings of middle relief as the Rangers rallied to beat Oakland, their closest pursuer in the American League West, by a 5-4 count. Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland had two hits and an RBI for Texas, now 5 games up on the A’s. … Jackson native Donnie Veal notched his first career save as the Chicago White Sox stopped a five-game skid with a 5-4 win over Cleveland. The ChiSox remain a game up on Detroit in the AL Central. Veal has a 0.75 ERA in 21 appearances. The big left-hander, drafted out of an Arizona junior college by the Cubs, passed through Trustmark Park in Pearl with Tennessee back in 2007 and ’08. … Lance Lynn worked seven strong, fanning nine, in St. Louis’ 6-1 victory over Houston. The former Ole Miss star is 17-7, 3-0 in three starts since returning to the rotation. “I see him with a whole different demeanor,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheney told mlb.com. St. Louis is 3½ games clear of the field in the battle for the second National League wild card. … Atlanta, with former Mississippi Braves pitcher and rising star Kris Medlen (8-0 as a starter this year) on the mound tonight, can clinch at least a wild card berth with a win over Miami. … Itawamba Community College alumnus Desmond Jennings, now with Tampa Bay, and Taylorsville High product Billy Hamilton, a Cincinnati minor leaguer who broke the stolen base record this summer, are among the featured players in Sports Illustrated’s most recent issue (Sept. 24), which was devoted to speed. Not mentioned was one of the fastest players currently in MLB, Jarrod Dyson, the ex-Southwest Mississippi CC standout who stole his 29th bag on Monday.

the main event

Mike Minor vs. Roy Halladay. At one point this season, this would have seemed like a laughable matchup. Today, it belongs on the MLB marquee when Atlanta and Philadelphia, both hunting playoff berths, meet at Citizens Bank Park. Former Mississippi Braves left-hander Minor was 4-6 with a 6.20 ERA after 15 starts this season and many were wondering why he wasn’t back in the minors. Halladay, despite some injury issues this season, is simply one of the best in the game, a two-time Cy Young award winner. But over their last 10 starts, Minor actually has pitched better than Halladay, looking more like the crafty hurler who dominated hitters in Double-A back in 2010. Minor, 9-10 with a 4.31 ERA for the year, is 4-3 with a 2.32 in his last 10 starts. Halladay, 10-7, 4.03 overall, is 6-2 with a 3.66. The Braves just haven’t scored behind Minor, a problem they’ll try to correct today. P.S. Zack Cozart was back in the Cincinnati lineup at shortstop on Friday for the first time in two weeks. The ex-Ole Miss star was 0-for-4 in the first-place Reds’ loss to Los Angeles. … UM product Drew Pomeranz lasted just three innings (85 pitches) for Colorado, allowing four hits, five walks and four earned runs. He did not take the loss in Friday’s 15-5 defeat against Arizona, however. It was 4-4 when he left. The former first-round pick (by Cleveland) remains 1-9 with an ERA of 5.30. Not what the Rockies were counting on. … Weir’s Roy Oswalt has been cleared to rejoin the Texas bullpen, but he didn’t work Friday in the first-place Rangers’ 6-3 loss at Seattle.

doubling down

The Oakland A’s needed to win. Seth Smith needed a breakout game. With September pressure in the air, both things happened today at Comerica Park in Detroit, where the former Ole Miss standout cranked out three hits and four RBIs and his A’s walloped the Tigers 12-4. Oakland, battling Detroit, among others, in the American League wild card chase, had lost the first two games of the series and three straight overall. Smith was in a slump (see previous post), but it didn’t look that way today. The left-handed hitting slugger went 3-for-4 with a walk, belted his 14th home run and scored three times. Though he’s hitting just .249, Smith’s RBI total is up to 50 and he’s only three homers shy of equaling his single-season high. Perhaps today was the start of a strong finish for both team and player. Now’s the time. Autumn’s closing in.

out in the wild

Lance Lynn was at it again for St. Louis on Wednesday night. The former Ole Miss star, making his second spot start since being taken from the rotation, threw 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston as the Cardinals won 5-0 and strengthened their grip on the National League’s No. 2 wild card berth. Lynn, who has 16 victories, has won both of his starts in place of Jake Westbrook and has allowed only one run in 12 1/3 innings in that span. Whether Lynn will stay in the rotation remains uncertain. … Philadelphia is hanging around, 4 games behind St. Louis, thanks in no small part to Jonathan Papelbon. The ex-Mississippi State standout notched his 36th save on Wednesday. Over his last 10 appearances, Papelbon has allowed just one earned run while recording six saves and two victories. … In the American League, Oakland currently holds the No. 2 wild card spot (a half-game behind Baltimore) despite a three-game losing streak. The A’s could use some more thump from Ole Miss alum Seth Smith, who is homerless in his last 10 games and batting just .211 over that period. … Tampa Bay’s hopes are fading. The Rays have lost seven of 10 and are 5½ games back of Oakland. Desmond Jennings, the Itawamba Community College product, went 2-for-5 with a triple, two runs, two RBIs and a stolen base in a 13-3 win over Boston on Wednesday. Where has that been all year, Rays fans must be wondering. P.S. Ex-Ole Miss standout Zack Cozart, out of the Cincinnati lineup since Sept. 3 because of an oblique injury, might return this weekend when the Red host Los Angeles. The rookie shortstop is hitting .243 with 13 bombs. Cincy has virtually locked up the NL Central and is battling Washington for the league’s best record.

in praise of prado

It seems unfathomable now that Atlanta actually considered trading Martin Prado in the off-season for Colorado’s Seth Smith. No offense to Smith, the former Ole Miss star and a fine player now in Oakland. But without ex-Mississippi Braves star Prado in the lineup, Atlanta would very likely be lost in the wilderness of National League also-rans. Chipper Jones is a great hitter, when he plays. Michael Bourn had a superb first half, Jason Heyward is providing much-needed power and Freddie Freeman has had his big moments. But Prado is the Braves’ glue. A .296 career hitter, he slumped to .260 in 2011. Hardly seemed like a reason to panic. After Monday’s four-hit game in a big win over Miami, he’s at .303 for this season with 76 runs, 66 RBIs, 38 doubles, nine homers and 17 stolen bases. He leads the majors in two-strike hits. But forget the stats. Prado also has a baseball IQ that is off the charts. That was evident during his brief stints in Pearl — 39 games in 2005 and 43 in ’06, the year he first reached Atlanta. He can play anywhere in the field, hit anywhere in the order. He’s a heady baserunner. Need a ground ball to the right side? He can do it. Fly ball to score a run? Ditto. Bunt? Sure. To put it succinctly, he can play this game. Can’t imagine the Braves without him. P.S. Interesting, isn’t it, that you can put together an entire lineup of ex-M-Braves now with MLB clubs other than Atlanta. At catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Mauro Gomez, Brent Lillibridge, Yunel Escobar and Brandon Hicks around the infield. Gregor Blanco, Gorkys Hernandez and Jeff Francoeur in the outfield. Jordan Schafer off the bench. On the mound, Matt Harrison (or Scott Diamond). In the pen, Tim Collins, Manny Acosta, Francisely Bueno, Jaye Chapman.

anticipation in pearl

There was joy in Lynchburg, Va., this week — and hope that it might spread to Pearl next year. The Mississippi Braves missed out on the postseason in 2012 — for the fourth straight year — but there is reason to believe next year might be different. The Class A Lynchburg Hillcats, the M-Braves’ feeder club, won the Carolina League championship. And a good number of those players could be at Trustmark Park in 2013. Spots should be available. The team’s shortcomings (a 62-77 overall record) notwithstanding, the core of the 2012 M-Braves’ lineup likely will move to Triple-A. Catcher Christian Bethancourt, first baseman Joey Terdoslavich, second baseman Phil Gosselin, third baseman Joe Leonard and outfielder Todd Cunningham (a postseason Southern League All-Star) handled themselves well enough in Double-A to rate a promotion. Starting pitchers Sean Gilmartin (an SL All-Star), Zeke Spruill, Gary Moran (the league ERA champ) and David Hale are strong candidates for Triple-A Gwinnett’s 2013 opening day roster. The lead dog in the pack of players likely headed this way next spring is outfielder Matt Lipka, a first-round pick in 2010 and a top-rated prospect. He was injured much of this season (.271 in 51 games) and didn’t play in the Hillcats’ postseason run. He may have to play his way onto the Mississippi club in spring training, but he’ll get every opportunity. Other Hillcats alums to watch for in Pearl next year include: shortstop Nick Ahmed (.269, 40 stolen bases), second baseman Tommy La Stella (.302), first baseman Chris Garcia (.285, 11 homers), outfielder/DH Adam Milligan (.255, 15 homers), catcher Braeden Schlehuber (.270) and third baseman Edward Salcedo (17 homers, 23 steals). Milligan and Schlehuber already have some Double-A time. The top starting pitchers at Lynchburg were Gary Schlosser (13 wins, 3.38 ERA), Cody Martin (12 wins), Aaron Northcraft (10 wins) and J.R. Graham, who was 9-1 for the Hillcats before moving to Mississippi, where he also impressed. The hard-throwing Graham could be the M-Braves’ ace in 2013. Power-hitting catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis, who missed a big chunk of 2012 with an injury, and outfielder Keenan Wiley should be back in the M-Braves’ fold next year, lending some needed experience to what projects as a young lineup. If the ex-Hillcats bring their championship chemistry with them … well, sure, next year might be different.

a shot in the arm

On Thursday night, in his first start since Aug. 24, Lance Lynn became just what St. Louis was looking for: a stopper. The right-hander from Ole Miss went six innings, allowing five hits, two walks and one run, as the Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in a key National League series. St. Louis halted a three-game losing streak and moved 2 games ahead of L.A. in the chase for the second wild card. Lynn, making a spot start, improved to 15-7 and lowered his ERA to 3.95. He reportedly simplified his mechanics during his time in the bullpen and seemingly returned to his All-Star form on Thursday. Surely Lynn will get another starting opportunity down the stretch. P.S. There are rumors that Roy Oswalt’s sore arm might spell the end of the Weir product’s rocky season with Texas.

the hot hand

When Cliff Lee is on, he’s very good, about as good as any pitcher in MLB. And of late, the former Meridian Community College standout has been on. Lee — who owns 124 career wins and a Cy Young Award and has worked in two World Series — pitched a sterling seven innings on Wednesday night to beat Miami 3-1, helping Philadelphia win its seventh straight. Over his last six starts, Lee is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA. For the year, he is 5-7, 3.36 with an amazing 14 no decisions, a reflection of the early season struggles the Phillies endured. But they’re not struggling anymore. At 72-71, the Phils are 3 games out of the second wild card spot. With Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels at the front of their rotation and ex-Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon (34 saves) in the bullpen, this is not a team anyone wants to face in the postseason. Atlanta’s worst nightmare might be meeting Philly in the one-game wild card playoff. P.S. MSU product Paul Maholm finished with an ugly line in the Braves’ 8-2 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday: 4 1/3 innings, 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 runs (6 earned). But it’s worth noting that he shut the Brewers out for four innings and if Chipper Jones makes a couple of plays at third base, the disastrous fifth could have turned out very different. Now the reeling Braves get Washington at Turner Field this weekend.

shine on

The spotlight in the National League East was claimed by Washington and Philadelphia on Tuesday night, much to Atlanta’s chagrin. Former Mississippi State star Tyler Moore hit a big home run for the relentless Nationals and ex-MSU standout Jonathan Papelbon nailed down another save for the surging Phillies. The Braves, seemingly back in an offensive funk, lost to Milwaukee 5-0 and fell 7½ games behind first-place Washington. Philly, meanwhile, climbed to 71-71 and is back in the NL wild card picture. The Phillies were 14 games under .500 on July 13. On Tuesday, Moore belted a two-run pinch homer off New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, giving the Nationals a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning of a game they would win 5-3. “I’ve failed so many times. … I’m just learning about situations in the game,” the humble Moore told mlb.com. The rookie has two pinch homers among his nine for the season and is batting .283. Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth on Tuesday to finish off a 9-7 win over Miami. He has 33 saves and five wins. But the ultra-competitive closer indicated his team hasn’t accomplished anything just by reaching .500. “Ain’t nobody here need an ego boost, you know?” he told mlb.com. P.S. Just for the record, former Delta State standout Eli Whiteside is back on San Francisco’s active roster as the first-place Giants’ No. 3 catcher. He has yet to get in a game this month.

bye bye berkie

Lance Berkman’s season is over; no immediate word on his career. The former Jackson Generals star will have a second knee surgery this year and won’t play again for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. He said he is “keeping my options open” about the future. Berkman, now 36, was a key player for the world champion Cardinals in 2011, but this season has been a virtual washout because of injuries: .263, two home runs, seven RBIs in 31 games. For his career, Berkman is hitting .296 with 360 homers and 1,200 RBIs. It'd be nice to see him end things on a better note. … Meanwhile, former Ole Miss ace Lance Lynn will get a spot start for the Cardinals, filling in for Jake Westbrook, on Thursday at Los Angeles. Lynn, who made the All-Star Game, was 13-5 as a starter but was clearly fading when pulled from the rotation after an Aug. 24 start that lasted just two innings. He has been hot and cold in six games out of the bullpen. For the season, he has a 4.04 ERA. St. Louis, chasing a playoff spot in the National League, is hoping for a strong effort from the big right-hander, who was a clutch performer in the 2011 postseason. P.S. D.J. Davis, the Toronto Blue Jays’ first-round pick and the first Mississippian drafted in 2012, helped Vancouver win the short-season Class A Northwest League pennant. Davis, from Stone County, went 3-for-5 with a run in Sunday’s clincher. He played at three levels this summer, batting .250 overall with five homers and 25 stolen bases.

one more time again

In today’s rubber game of a three-game set between playoff contenders, Roy Oswalt will get another spot start for Texas at Tampa Bay. The former Holmes Community College standout has made two previous spot starts (four earned runs in 10 total innings) since being pulled from the Rangers’ rotation. Oswalt, 4-2 with a 5.85 ERA, is getting a shot today because former Mississippi Braves ace Matt Harrison was pushed back to Tuesday. Oswalt has made just one appearance since Aug. 23 for the first-place Rangers, who lead the American League West by 4½ games. Texas manager Ron Washington said he is hoping for five innings from Oswalt, who will be opposed by the Rays’ James Shields. P.S. Former M-Braves star Andrelton Simmons homered and scored twice on Saturday to help Class A Lynchburg win the opener of the 5-game Carolina League championship series. Simmons, out since early July with a broken finger, reportedly will rejoin the Atlanta club on Monday. … Former M-Braves outfielder Matt Esquivel had one of the two hits Roger Clemens allowed Friday night in his second “comeback” appearance with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League. Esquivel is hitting .300 for the Long Island Ducks.

campus news

Ben Hudspeth, who went 11-0 with a 1.82 ERA as a freshman for Itawamba Community College in 2012, has committed to Mississippi State, according to a release from ICC. Hudspeth, a first-team NJCAA All-American, would join the Bulldogs for the 2014 season. ICC reports that it has had at least one player sign with an SEC school for 11 straight years. Former Indians catcher Zack Randolph signed with MSU last fall and will be on the 2013 club. ICC, which went 39-13 in 2012, also sent two players to William Carey for the 2013 season: pitcher Landon Brister, who was 6-1 last season, and outfielder Jeremy Ferguson, a .325 hitter.

having a blast

The imprint of former Mississippi Braves was all over Atlanta’s 11-3 victory against the New York Mets today at Citi Field. Martin Prado was 3-for-6 with two RBIs, and Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman contributed a hit apiece in Atlanta’s 17-hit attack, which also included an RBI double by pitcher Kris Medlen. The remarkable Medlen went six innings to improve to 8-1 (7-0, 0.81 as a starter), and Luis Avilan and Cory Gearrin closed it down after a lengthy rain delay. Gearrin, doing a Craig Kimbrel impersonation, struck out the side in the ninth. Of course, the boldest mark left on this game was the work of Brian McCann, who went 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs. And he hit his first home run since July 31. It came in the fifth inning against Hattiesburg native Robert Carson, a gas-throwing left-hander. Maybe McCann has broken out of his weeks-long funk. The Braves need his bat.

on the clutch watch

Every game is big now in the big leagues. Contending teams are counting on clutch performances, such as the one Paul Maholm delivered for Atlanta on Friday night. The former Mississippi State standout threw 5 1/3 shutout innings — why oh why was he pulled? — to propel the Braves to a 3-0 win over the New York Mets, Atlanta’s third straight shutout. News flash: The Braves actually gained a game on Washington in the National League East, now sitting 6 ½ back. Maholm is 3-3 with a 3.48 ERA in seven starts for the Braves. That’s clutch. … Ole Miss product Seth Smith went 2-for-5 on Friday to help Oakland beat Seattle (and the great Felix Hernandez), halting a three-game skid. The A’s are still in the hunt in the American League West, 4 1/2 games behind Texas. Smith is 6-for-16 in September. Clutch. … Desmond Jennings, the former Itawamba Community College star, is hitting .300 with eight runs scored in his last 10 games for Tampa Bay, which is lurking just 2 games off the pace in the AL East. … The Chicago White Sox are clinging to a 1-game edge in the AL Central, and Jackson native Donnie Veal has played an unsung role. The lefty reliever has put up a 1.08 ERA in 12 appearances. … Northwest Rankin, Meridian CC and MSU alumnus Tyler Moore hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time for the first-place Nationals of late. The right-handed hitting slugger is 4-for-20 since Aug. 13. … Former Bulldogs star Mitch Moreland is batting just .200 over his last 10 games for Texas. … Since being moved to the bullpen in St. Louis, Ole Miss product Lance Lynn is 0-2 and has yielded five runs in six innings over five appearances. He took the loss Friday after giving up a 13th-inning homer to Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. The Cardinals are 8 ½ games back of Cincinnati in the NL Central. … The Reds have been without ex-UM star Zack Cozart, their regular shortstop, since Sept. 3 because of a lingering back problem.

the hit parade

With two hits off Ole Miss alumnus Drew Pomeranz on Tuesday night, Atlanta’s Chipper Jones caught and moved ahead of Mississippi native Dave Parker on baseball’s all-time hits list. The retired Parker, from Calhoun City (or Jackson or Grenada), had 2,712 hits and is the highest ranking Mississippian on the list, now No. 62 behind Jones. … Pomeranz, a former first-round pick (by Cleveland) having a difficult season, lasted just three innings against Atlanta, handcuffed by Colorado’s curious 75-pitch limit. He did not allow a run, but the Braves made the tall left-hander work, touching him for five hits and a walk. Pomeranz, who seems to have lost velocity on his fastball, lowered his ERA to 4.93, but he is saddled with an ugly 1-8 record. Colorado, using three relievers, beat the Braves 6-0. P.S. Itawamba Community College product Desmond Jennings hit his 12th homer, stole his 25th base and scored twice as Tampa Bay beat New York (and former Jackson General Freddy Garcia) 5-2 and tightened the American League East race. The Yankees are now tied with Baltimore, and the Rays are 1½ games behind. … The well-traveled Fred Lewis is back in the big leagues with the New York Mets. The former Stone County and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC star hit .294 with 13 homers and 25 steals at Triple-A Buffalo.

stormy times

There was a testy moment in Monday’s Texas-Kansas City game, ignited by a pitch thrown by Royals right-hander Louis Coleman. The former Pillow Academy standout from Schlater plunked the Rangers’ Nelson Cruz in the ninth inning. Cruz, who had earlier blasted one of four Texas homers off KC starter Bruce Chen, didn’t like it. Both benches emptied, but order was rather quickly restored with no ejections. Then Michael Young took Coleman deep to cap Texas’ 8-4 victory. Coleman has allowed nine homers in 43 innings this season, his second in the majors. He had a very good rookie season, posting a 2.87 ERA in 59 2/3 innings, but hasn’t been as effective in 2012, with a 4.19. Truth is, it’s been a rocky year all the way around for former Jackson Met Ned Yost’s Royals (60-74). Wonder if he’ll weather the storm. P.S. Andrelton Simmons went 1-for-3 in his one-game rehab stint with the Mississippi Braves, who lost their season finale on Monday at Mobile. Simmons is expected to make a stop at Class A Rome before returning to Atlanta. … Good to see former M-Braves star Martin Prado back at second base — his best position — as a replacement for the benched Dan Uggla.

the dog days

Tough day to be a Bulldog in the ATL. Mississippi State alumnus Paul Maholm lasted just two innings as Atlanta’s starting pitcher, giving up seven runs. Not what the playoff-chasing Braves needed. But Maholm could smile at game’s end after what happened to fellow former Bulldog Jonathan Papelbon. The Philadelphia closer gave up a jaw-dropping, three-run, walk-off home run to Chipper Jones in the bottom of the ninth that capped the Braves’ 8-7 win. That was just what the Braves needed after blowing a game in the ninth on Friday and getting shut down by former Meridian Community College star Cliff Lee on Saturday. Could be a defining moment. We won’t know until October, of course. … Just for the record, ex-Bulldogs star Mitch Moreland suffered an 0-for-5 today, but his Texas club did win and holds firm to first place in the American League West. And MSU product Tyler Moore was hitless in one AB for Washington, but the Nationals also won and stayed 6½ games ahead of the Braves in the National League East.

closing argument

Only five pitchers in major league history have topped 400 career saves. One has to think that Jonathan Papelbon has a real shot at reaching that milestone. The Mississippi State product, now closing for Philadelphia, notched his 250th on Friday night against Atlanta. He is in his seventh full season at age 31. It might be too much to expect of Papelbon to put up seven more years like his first seven. You never know when a pitcher’s arm might go. But 150 more seems reasonable, especially considering how consistent Papelbon has been. His save totals year-by-year: 35, 37, 41, 38, 37, 31 and 31 (so far in 2012). His ERA spiked to 3.90 in 2010 and his walks were up in 2009 and ’10, but he allayed any concerns with a solid final season in Boston. His last game with the Red Sox was forgettable (blown save in a must-win Game 162), but he is likely glad to be out of that circus, even if Philadelphia’s season has been a tough one. With six more saves in 2012, Papelbon will move into the top 30 on the career list. No. 1 Mariano Rivera’s 608 (and counting) is out of reach (by anyone, ever), but the top five might just be a target. Former Jackson Generals star Billy Wagner is the current No. 5 with 422. P.S. Among the players added to the expanded rosters were former Generals star Lance Berkman (off the disabled list with St. Louis) and ex-Mississippi Braves Jordan Schafer (off the DL in Houston), J.C. Boscan (Atlanta), Brandon Hicks (Oakland) and Deunte Heath (Chicago White Sox). … Atlanta announced that ex-M-Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons will start a rehab assignment on Tuesday with one of the playoff-bound Class A teams. Among the things the scuffling Braves need (deeper runs by their starters, a rejuvenated Brian McCann, more time on the pine for Dan Uggla), getting Simmons back at short (and his bat back in the lineup) is near the top of the list. Paul Janish can play defense, but he hasn’t hit a lick.