The Day in Review

Wonderful news, everybody... the Prodigal Son has returned! Alex Rodriguez is finally off the DL and back in the Yankees lineup. Whether or not he can return to being the best hitter in baseball, of course, remains to be seen.

Injury News

• Jake Peavy hit the 15-day DL with a strained right elbow. If you didn't see this one coming for a while, you might be living under a rock. The good news: no ligament damage, so surgery doesn't seem imminent for the Padres ace.
• Ryan Church and Yunel Escobar collided at the end of the Mets-Braves game. Church went to the hospital with a head injury, while Escobar probably had a knee bruise. Neither injury appears to be serious.
• Eric Gagne has a sore right shoulder. Nothing is going well for him this year, except I suppose that no matter how poorly he pitches, he doesn't lose his job as closer for Milwaukee.

Notable Performances

• Scott Kazmir struck out eight in seven innings against Oakland. He's surprised me with his effectiveness since his return from the DL.
• Cole Hamels struck out 11 Nationals in seven innings, giving up no runs. He was denied the win, however, because the Philly bats couldn't get a run across the board until he left.
• Detroit had the kind of game we've been expecting all year. Edgar Renteria paced them with a 4-for-4, 5 RBI day. He hit a HR, along with Magglio, Guillen, and Granderson.
• Ichiro stole his 21st base last night. Kinda makes up for the low BA and slugging percentages.

Farewell, Mike Piazza. You were an outstanding catcher and an under appreciated hitter, in my opinion. That's what you need to know about the day.