They Shut You OUT!!!

In baseball, the shutout is a wonderful thing (for the winning team, of course!).  Being able to hold the opposing team to not scoring a single run in nine innings is part of a very good day's work.  Last night, there were four shutouts in the major leagues, some of which made for some interesting baseball.  In Baltimore, the Orioles shut out the Minnesota Twins 11-0, with veteran player Vladimir Guerrero hitting a three-run homer.  Yeay for the O's, who had lost eight games in a row!  (Nerdy baseball fact of the day:  Guerrero is tied with Nap Lajoie and eight others with the twenty-fifth longest consecutive-game hitting streak - 31 games - which he accomplished back in 1999 while playing with the Montreal Expos).  Across the country in Oakland, the A's blanked the struggling Red Sox 5-0, with pitcher Brett Anderson striking out eight.  Also last night, the Marlins shut out the Pirates 6-0, with ace Josh Johnson helping his cause by driving in 2 RBIs.  But the shutout of the night (and the one that made me the happiest) came in Philadelphia, where the Brewers shut out the Phillies 9-0.  Roy Halladay got the loss (HA HA!) and now the Phillies are only a half game ahead of the Marlins for first place in the National League East.  And the Nationals?  Well it rained in St. Louis last night, so they will play a day-night double-header today ("day-night" means they play a game in the afternoon, take a break for a couple of hours, and then play another game in the evening.  As opposed to a "traditional" double-header, where they play two games with only 30 minutes between games).  But the Natinals are solidly in third place, only a game-and-a-half away from the Phillies.  (The Yankees lost to the Blue Jays in extra innings, by the way, so HA HA again!)

Weather permitting, I'll be watching the first game of the Nats/Cardinals double-header, then I'll go to my son's baseball game, then I'll come home and watch game two.  There should also be several other games on TV tonight, so I will have control of the remote.  Have a wonderful day, my friends!