1. Pujols injury update

Albert Pujols will be out for about six weeks with a fractured left wrist in a season filled with ups and downs for Puj. He sustained this injury after colliding with Wilson Betemit of the Royals in a baseball play gone wrong. The Cards have had to deal with many injuries this season to their stars. Matt Holliday has missed time, David Freese is still out, and Adam Wainwright has missed the entire season.

"You can't replace a player of his magnitude," general manager John Mozeliak said. "It just seems like we've had to deal with one injury after another.

"We still have to find ways to win games, and that's what we'll do."

The Cardinals have found ways to win games thanks to some amazing play by Lance Berkman. I don't see him cooling off. He's hitting line drives, and his BABIP is right where it should be. Detractors will point to a high HR/FB%, but that number is in line with his career numbers. Berkman is healthy, and he's mashing.

2. All Boston does is win, win, win no matter what

I feel bad for the Padres, because they stood no chance. The Red Sox scored ten runs in the seventh inning and won the game 14-6 behind Adrian Gonzalez. The interesting thing is that Orlando Hudson was the only player to hit a homer in this game. He went 3 for 5 with two runs and three RBIs. Chase Headley went 4 for 5 with a double and two runs (he scored on Hudson's dinger).

The Red Sox scored on a double play, twice on an HBP, and twice again on a walk. Evan Scribner gave up four earned runs without getting an out, and Ernesto Frieri gave up four earned runs without even giving up a hit. He walked two and was responsible for the two batters hit by pitches. Adrian Gonzalez went 3 for 5 with a double, two runs, and three steaks.

3. Lidstrom will return

This is great news for hockey fans in general, and it's the best news ever for Red Wings fans. Fellow defenseman Brian Rafalski surprised everyone by retiring when all eyes were on Lidstrom. Much to the relief of GM Ken Holland, Lidstrom will play another season in the NHL. He still hasn't lost it, and he is my pick for the Norris Trophy.A testament to his sportsmanship and leadership, Lidstrom is also a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy and Mark Messier Leadership Award.

4. Tim Hudson

That's all I need as a header for this one, because it was all about Hud in the Braves' 2-0 victory over the Jays. His Game Score of 85 was backed by a remarkable performance through eight innings. Hudson gave up just two hits and a walk while striking out eight. He broke the 1,600 mark in this game. The amazing Craig Kimbrel got his 20th save of the year by striking out the side.

Ricky Romero had a strong outing, but that was overshadowed by the greatness of Hudson. The veteran starter his his second career homer in the seventh inning with two outs. It was a two-run shot to left that was 401 feet out, and it generated the only runs scored in the game. It's safe to say that Hudson didn't have a bad game.

5. Is Jimmer a bust?

Jimmer was great in college, but I don't see him panning out in the NBA. He's a great shooter, he works hard, he's a leader, and he knows how to win games. But there have been tons of guys with those qualities who have busted out. Why? They're not good enough. Jimmer isn't a true point guard because he is only an average passer and he stinks on D. I see him being a below average player in the NBA whose real value is as a scorer off the bench. I love the kid, but I just don't see him as a guy who deserves to be a lottery pick. He should go in the late teens because of his college production.

Can the Cards get a break?

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6/20 Daily Rundown: Edwin Rodriguez Resigns

June 20th 2011 06:32

1. Edwin Rodriguez steps down

Marlins fans were shocked when Edwin Rodriguez unexpectedly resigned yesterday (not re-signed). He was frustrated with their current ten game losing streak and 1-18 slump. Rodriguez is the first Puerto-Rican manager in history, and the Marlins had no intention of firing him. He was doing a good job this season, and won the respect of his players. I guess this slump was too much for him, and it's a shame that he quit.

"This was an extremely frustrated, proud man,"president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. "This kind of caught us a little off guard. I know there's been a lot of speculation, everything, but this is not something I thought was going to happen today."

2. McKeon to Marlins?

"So we can move ahead with the business of playing baseball and trying to win games," Beinfest said. "When you have a change like this, with a popular person, I think it's tough on a lot of people. You just need to go play baseball, and that's first and foremost."

Jake McKeon is most likely going to be named as the new interim manager. That quote above from Beinfest was about how the Marlins are going to try to name a interim manager as quickly as possible. McKeon was the Marlins' manager in 2003 when he was Manager of the Year and guided the Fish to a World Series title. Cubs fans and Yankees fans (like me), block that year out.
McKeon retired after the 2005 season, and he is now 80.

3. Yankees (Read: Swisher) rally past Cubs

Speaking of the Yanks and Cubbies, here's a mini-recap of the final game in the three game series involving these two storied franchises. The Bronx Bombers came back to win this one 10-4. Chicago won the first game, but the Yankees charged back and won the last two games in this three game set.

Nick Swisher was up with nobody out and two runners on and took a 2-0 pitch for a ride into right field. The 407 foot shot broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Yanks a commanding lead they would never relinquish. The Early Wynn home run by Swisher was yet another hit in a recent hot streak for Swishalicious after two bad slumps earlier this season. The Yanks had a big ninth inning to make it 10-4.

A-Rod went 3-4 with 3 runs, a walk, an RBI, and a double. He's been playing with a strained left shoulder for weeks now. What a beast. Brett Gardner hit his first career homer that led off a game, and he finished with an impressive line. Gardner went 3-5 with two runs, one steak, and a dinger.

James Russell and Sean Marshall got clobbered by the Yanks' hitting, and CC Sabathia wasn't even good on this day when offenses ruled. A-Ram went 4-5 with a run, and Soriano had his own Early Wynn shot.

4. Pujols injured

Every Cardinals' fan will cringe when they read this headline. The best player in baseball sprained his left wrist and also injured his shoulder trying to tag out Wilson Betemit in the sixth inning. Both players collided, but it really wasn't anyone's fault. It was just a baseball play gone bad. Skip Schumaker hit a walk-off homer to beat the Royals 5-4 in a bittersweet game for the Cardinals.

5. Verlander does it again

Man is Justin Verlander a monster. He led the Tigers to a 9-1 trouncing of the Colorado Rockies after pitching his second straight complete game. He wasn't quite as dominating as James Shields was, but Justin Verlander was definitely good enough. The only run he gave up was a long solo shot by Ty Wigginton in the fifth inning. It was the .267 hitter's seventh dinger of the season, and it measured at about 424 feet. That was one of only four hits Verlander gave up. He has thrown at least 100 pitches in all of his starts this season. I wouldn't be worried though because this guy has endurance.

Brennan Boesch's hot streak continues as he hit 3-4 with 3 runs, one RBI, and a monster solo shot of his own that went 422 feet out. Miguel Cabrera was 2-4 with 3 runs, a double, an RBI, and a walk. Alex Avila was 2-4 with a run and two ribbies. Rex Brothers gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on two hits and walked one without getting an out in the seventh inning.