$A OF Jeff Salazar is making the most of his opportunity with the Diamondbacks. Starting for the third consecutive game, he went 3-4 with two doubles. Given how poorly the other D'backs outfielders not named Eric Byrnes have hit over the first 91 games, Salazar deserves regular at-bats.
Brewers' rookie 3B Ryan Braun homered twice last night to bring his season total to 13. With Josh Hamilton out of commission with an injured wrist, Braun has taken the lead in the NL ROY competition over Hunter Pence.
Speaking of which, Rockies rookie SS Troy Tulowitzki hit his 10th HR of the season and is closing fast on Pence's #2 spot. While I do not believe Braun's position of importance ( batting third) on a division-leading team can be overcome, I do believe Tulowitzki can be second if the Rockies put together the type of season in the second half that I thought it would have before the season started. Especially with the accolades flowing so freely to the Padres and Dodgers, the Rox would be positioned perfectly as underdogs, and we know how the press loves to root on those.
The Dodgers' post-hype pitching prospect Chad Billingsley threw six shutout inning last night in a duel against San Francisco's Matt Cain. He has thrown 18 inning in July and allowed three runs 13 hits, 6 walks and 16 strikeouts with two wins. He is as good a bet as Matt Cain in the second half especially if you need Ws.