Bullpen savior Phillies lefthander Antonio Bastardo has posted a 0.87 ERA and given up just 11 hits in his first 31 innings. The Phillies have three key relievers on the disabled list: Brad Lidge, Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson. Five other relievers -- Michael Stutes, Juan Perez, Drew Carpenter, Scott Mathieson and David Herndon -- spent time with the Class AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs this year. They call it the Pig Pen.
Heavenly defense One thing helping make the Angels' pitching so potent is their outfield defense. Baseball Info Solutions announced its midseason defensive All-Stars last week, using its Runs Save statistic, and Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos and right fielder Torii Hunter ranked as the best defensive players at their positions.
Two of a kind With the Twins' Jim Thome approaching 600 home runs and the Yankees' Derek Jeter approaching 3,000 hits, Rays manager Joe Maddon was asked which milestone would be more impressive. Maddon said Thome's, since only six people have hit 600 home runs and Jeter on Saturday became the 28th with 3,000 hits. "They're both just really deserving members of baseball history," Maddon said.
