Tonight we shift our attention to Arlington for the Brewers' final interleague road series of 2013.

Tonight at 7:05 the Brewers will face Rangers righty Alexi Ogando (3.28 ERA, 4.36 FIP) in just his sixth major league start since June 1. Ogando pitched five innings against the Angels on Wednesday and allowed two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out four. He threw 97 pitches in that appearance, the most he's thrown since coming back from a bout with shoulder inflammation.

Despite having spent a big part of the year on the DL Ogando has already thrown more innings in 2013 (74) than he did while spending all of 2012 as a reliever (66). His velocity has dipped significantly this season, from 97 on his average fastball a year ago to 93 in 2013. He's also throwing his slider almost a third of the time and consistently using his changeup for the first time.

Ogando has never faced the Brewers in the regular season. The only current Brewer who has seen him before is Yuniesky Betancourt, who walked in their only combined plate appearance.

He'll face Marco Estrada (4.96 ERA, 4.47 FIP), who has a tough act to follow in his second start back from the DL. Estrada pitched five scoreless innings against the Giants on Wednesday, allowing a single hit and striking out six without walking a batter. He threw 76 pitches in the outing.

Estrada's arsenal showed no signs of rust Wednesday after multiple months on the shelf. His fastball still sat right around 90 and he'll throw it about 60% of the time. Eight of the 12 changeups and ten of the 18 curveballs he threw last week went for strikes.

Estrada has never faced the Rangers in the regular season. No current Ranger has faced him ten times or more, but Geovany Soto is 1-for-4 against him with a home run and two walks.

As of this writing I haven't seen tonight's lineup. If you have, please drop it in the comments.

And in the bullpen:

• Michael Gonzalez last pitched on Saturday.
• Brandon Kintzler and Alfredo Figaro last pitched on Friday.
• John Axford, Rob Wooten and Donovan Hand last pitched on Thursday.
• Burke Badenhop last pitched on Wednesday.
• Jim Henderson last pitched on Tuesday.

It's a hot one in Texas tonight, and there's a chance weather could be an issue. Expect a game-time temperature around 94 under partly cloudy skies and a possibility for isolated thunderstorms late in the game. The winds should be around 10 mph and blowing from left to right.

(Read in your best Steve Busby voice) Alexi Ogando opened up an Olive Garden on the mound - serving up unlimited soup, salad, and meatballs.

Player of the Game: Mitch Moreland hit a home run.

Win: Marco Estrada (5-4)
Loss: Alexi Ogando (5-4)
Save: Jim Henderson (17)

HR: Scooter Gennett (3,4), Khris Davis (4), Mitch Moreland (17)

MVP: Scooter Gennett (.313)
LVP: Aramis Ramirez (-.113)

Fangraphs Win Expectancy Graph
Boxscore

Making only his second start after coming off the DL, Marco Estrada was able to cool off a scalding hot Rangers team that had won eight straight games and was averaging more than six runs a game in those eight wins.  Estrada looked great in his six innings pitched and led the Brewers to a 5-1 victory.

The Brewers started off the scoring tonight on a second deck home run from Scooter Gennett in the top of the third inning.  The home run was Gennett's third of the season and second in the last three games.

Mitch Moreland tied the game for the Rangers in the first at-bat of the bottom of the third with a home run that barely snuck over the wall in right field.

After a walk from Logan Schafer, Scooter Gennett broke the tie with his second home run of the game into right field.  Gennett has swung a hot bat lately and after going 2 for 4 Tuesday night, he is now 7 for 15 with five runs, three home runs, and six RBIs in his last four games.

Khris Davis knocked Alexi Ogando out of the game in the seventh inning with his fourth home run of the season.  Besides the home runs, the Brewers weren't able to manage all that much against Ogando.  Ogando allowed six hits, two walks, and four earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched.

While Ogando may not have been able to avoid the long ball, Estrada was able to keep the ball in play and put together a very good start.  In his second start since coming off the DL, Estrada held one of the hottest offenses in baseball to just one run in six innings on four hits and no walks.  Estrada has now given up only one run in 11 innings pitched since he returned to the starting rotation.

The Brewers added their fifth run of the game in the top of the eighth inning on some pitiful defense from the Rangers.  After an Aoki groundout, Jean Segura singled and then stole second base.  Segura moved up to third on a wild pitch from Joakim Soria during a twelve-pitch walk to Jonathan Lucroy.  After a botched squeeze attempt, Segura found himself in a rundown that he managed to score on because of terrible execution from Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

Michael Gonzalez entered for the Brewers in the eighth inning following a scoreless inning from Brandon Kintzler and loaded the bases with only registering one out.  Rob Wooten entered with the bases loaded and struck out Elvis Andrus.  Jim Henderson came in after Wooten and was able to get the final out of the inning on a lineout to third base from Ian Kinsler.

Henderson put runners on first and second with only one out in the bottom of the ninth, but was able to escape and collect his 17th save of the season.

The Brewers will be in Texas again tomorrow before heading home to take on Cincinnati in a four game series this weekend.  The series starts a stretch in which the Brewers will play 32 of their next 35 games against NL Central opponents.  After two scoreless starts, Tyler Thornburg will take the mound for the Brewers against Matt Garza for the Rangers.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

David Hernandez made his first appearance for AAA Reno last night in an effort to work his way back to the major league roster. He pitched two shutout innings on 1 hit and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 28 pitches, 18 for strikes. It remains to be seen how quickly Hernandez can get back to his old self and get back. The big club certainly could use him so let's hope it doesn't take him too long and the opportunity to pitch some low-pressure innings helps him do that.

Snake Stars
3 Stars:Ender Inciarte, Mobile 3 for 4, 1 BB, 1 R, HR (4), 2 RBI, SB (40)
2 Stars: Stryker Trahan, Missoula 2 for 4, 1 BB, 2 R, HR (6), 3 RBI
1 Star: Brad Snyder, Reno 3 for 5, 3 R, 1 DBL, 2 RBI
0 Stars:Yosbel Gutierrez, Hillsboro 0 for 4, 2 K

Triple A: Reno 14 Nashville 3. Mike Bolsinger dug a small hole early when Nashville scored 3 runs in the first. But it was all Reno after that. Bolsinger threw 5 shutout innings after the first with 9 strikeouts and the offense banged out 15 hits and 14 runs. Brad Snyder led the way going 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI.

Double A: Mobile 3 @ Huntsville 4. Bradin Hagens had another respectable start going 5 innings while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts. But the bullpen couldn't hold the slim lead. Ender Inciarte had a big night going 3 for 4 with his 4th home run and his 40th stolen base.

High A: Visalia 7 @ Bakersfield 4. Brandon Sinnery had a slightly bumpy start allowing 4 runs over 5+ innings though he did strike out 6. But the offense bailed him out late with 3 runs in the 8th and 2 more in the 9th to seal it. Gerson Montilla hit a 2-run homer, his 14th, and Jake Lamb hit a solo shot and walked 3 times to lead the offense.

Low A: South Bend - Off Day

Short Season A: Hillsboro 0 Salem-Keizer 3. The inept Hillsboro offense was at it again getting shut out on 6 hits. Aaron Blair started and was mediocre allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 4 innings.

Rookie: Missoula 12 Grand Junction 3. Adam Miller tossed 7 strong innings allowing 2 runs (1 earned) and the offense pounded out 15 hits and 12 runs. Stryker Trahan led the way going 2 for 4 including his 6th home run. Chuck Taylor went 4 for 6 out of the leadoff spot and scored twice. Jake Miller hit a 2-run homer.

AZL Rookie: Dbacks 2 @ Brewers 4. Anfernee Benitez got roughed up for 4 runs in 5 innings and the offense had no response. Justin Van Grouw tossed 3 shutout innings of relief. The offense had just 2 hits.

There were a ton of close games yesterday so there were many events that made a difference in determining a team's win expectancy. Nobody was as vital as Paul Goldschmidt and his 76% WPA but there were a handful of clutch performances that you have to hear about!

The Smallest Sample Size -- Game Results for 8/13/13

Photo credit: Getty Images

Angels 7, Yankees 14

Last night, CC Sabathia (-1% WPA) gave up a two run homer in the first to Mark Trumbo but was able to keep Anaheim's bats in check thereafter. But he couldn't hit the strike zone. Overall, he was able to throw six innings but gave up three runs (two earned) and six walks alongside three hits and seven strikeouts. Jason Vargas (-29% WPA), making his return from the disabled list, but couldn't miss any bats. He survived through four and a third but allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk. Michael Kohn (-15%) gave up two more runs in the sixth that basically put the game away. To make things worse, Joe Blanton (-1% WPA) came in afterwards and proceeded to give up six more runs in just two innings while allowing nine (!!) baserunners. Alfonso Soriano went three-for-six with two homers and a 30% WPA.

Giants 2, Nationals 4

Despite only getting four innings from their starter due to a rain delay, the Nationals were able to win last night. Gio Gonzalez (21% WPA) only allowed six baserunners while recording just twelve outs but the Washington bullpen was able to string together five more innings while only allowing two runs (one earned). Tyler Clippard was able to navigate an intense situation (3.29 pLI) but still recorded a Shutdown. Meanwhile, the Giants couldn't get the same production from their relievers. Madison Bumgarner (6% WPA) threw four innings with four strikeouts and one run allowed via six baserunners. Guillermo Moscoso (-20% WPA) relieved him and melted down in his two innings with four base runners and two earned runs. Adam LaRoche smacked a two run homer that proved to be the difference which contributed to his 29% WPA.

Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2

Todd Redmond (28% WPA) watched the lead that he preserved dissipate once the ball was handed over to the Toronto bullpen. He tossed five and a third shutout innings while only giving up three hits. Ryan Dempster (29% WPA) pitched seven solid innings, only giving up one run and six baserunners, and left with the lead thanks to a series of clutch hits from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. Junichi Tazawa melted down (-16% WPA) thanks to giving up a solo shot to J.P. Arencibia. The Blue Jays had a couple other opportunities to put the game away but just couldn't capitalize. In extra innings, Shane Victorino smacked a two-run scoring single that shifted the win expectancy by 40.5% and Koji Uehara (13% WPA) was able to pitch a perfect inning to win the game for Boston.

Phillies 1, Braves 3

Kris Medlen provided a clutch double (12% WPA) to give the Braves a 1-0 lead and was able to throw seven innings of one-run ball, with his only mistake being a Domonic Brown single in the top of the sixth. As a pitcher, Medlen (22% WPA) provided a 22% WPA, only giving up five hits and one walk while striking out five. Meanwhile, Ethan Martin (-14% WPA) lasted just five innings and pitched decently, but was done in by a Chris Johnson two-run homer eventually sealed the game.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Mariners 5, Rays 4

Ben Zobrist (25% WPA) and Brad Miller (14% WPA) both smacked two homers in last night's game but the Rays couldn't muster any other kind of offense whereas the Mariners were put over the top with a clutch Dustin Ackley triple. Chris Archer (-36% WPA) has started to regress and gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in just five innings. Erasmo Ramirez (-32% WPA) wasn't much better as he allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk in five and a third. Yoervis Medina, Oliver Perez and Danny Farquhar were all able to preserve the one-run lead with Shutdowns and kept the Rays from getting back into the game.

Reds 6, Cubs 4

Jeff Samardzija's command has failed him over a couple of his previous starts and especially in this one. Shark (-16% WPA) allowed four runs, one of which on a wild pitch, along with four walks and six hits in six innings. Homer Bailey (-25% WPA) also had some trouble as he allowed four runs on six hits (three homers) and three walks over six and a third. This game ended up being a battle of bullpens and the Reds were able to get four straight Shutdowns while Eduardo Sanchez lost his control at the worst time and melted down (-41% WPA), leading to a Cubs loss.

Brewers 5, Rangers 1

Should Alexi Ogando (-10% WPA) remain in the rotation? Or would he be better suited for the bullpen? Last night, he gave up three homers and three other hits for a total of four runs in six and a third. Scooter Gennett, batting in the nine hole, clubbed two of the three homers and provided a 31% WPA for the Brewers. Marco Estrada pitched well as he only allowed one run on four hits in his six innings. The Milwaukee bullpen breezed into the eighth before running into some trouble but got out of it and kept the Rangers off the board.

Indians 5, Twins 2

Josh Willingham was able to get the Twins on the board early with a solo homer to lead off the second but from there on out, the Indians just poured on the offense as the Twins struggled to get anyone on base. Samuel Deduno (-21% WPA) struck out the side in the first, pitched a perfect second and then crumbled. Overall, he made it through six innings but gave up four runs on eight baserunners while only recording one strikeout after he sat down the first three batters he faced via the 'K.' Zach McAllister (18% WPA) was great, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Ryan Raburn's two run homer (19% WPA) in the sixth added some vital insurance to their 3-1 lead.

Tigers 3, White Sox 4

Should of kept Avisail Garcia!! With two important hits, one of which was a triple that turned into an three-run inside-the-park homer because of an error, and a walk that eventually became the winning run, Garcia provided a whopping 42% WPA for the White Sox. In fact, it seemed that he was the only one to really provide any help in win expectancy from the Chicago offense. Max Scherzer (-5% WPA) pitched decently through six innings but was tagged for two runs on seven baserunners. Hector Santiago (12% WPA) had some bouts with his control and was chased after five, giving up one run, four walks and six hits. Jim Leyland inexplicably removed Jeremy Bonderman for Phil Coke and not Detroit's best reliever, Joaquin Benoit, with the bases loaded. Coke (-16% WPA) faltered and gave up the walk-off hit to Alejandro De Aza.

Marlins 1, Royals 0

Yesterday featured a pitching duel between Bruce Chen and Jose Fernandez. Yes, that Bruce Chen, who now sports the lowest ERA of pitchers with 70+ innings thrown. Then again, he was facing the Marlins offense which may have helped his seven shutout innings become possible. Chen (44% WPA) struck out six, walked three and allowed three hits while Fernandez (44% WPA) matched his shutout innings but with two less walks. Neither offense could get a run across home until the tenth when Kelvin Herrera (-30% WPA) hit Jake Marisnick with a pitch, who then stole second and scored on Christian Yelich's (38% WPA) third hit of the night.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Pirates 3, Cardinals 4

As you can see, last night's matchup between the NL Central favorites was all over the place. The Pirates were expected to win with a 3-2 lead going into the ninth until Mark Melancon (-39% WPA) melted down and gave up a poorly timed RBI single to Allen Craig that swayed the Cardinals' win expectancy from 16.6% to an even 50%. Seth Maness (38% WPA) and Jeanmar Gomez (40% WPA) duked it out in extras and both were able to keep the opposing offense off the board. With Gomez removed from the game before the 14th inning, Jared Hughes (-37% WPA) came in and quickly lost the game by giving up two hits while only getting one out. Both offenses had their opportunities throughout the game but Adron Chambers' sole hit (31% WPA) of the night sent the Cardinals home with a win.

Padres 7, Rockies 5

Not many teams win when their starter allows eleven hits, three walks and five runs in just four and two thirds but the Padres found a way to last night. Jeff Manship (-22% WPA) was worse than Eric Stults (-13% WPA) as he gave up two homers and six runs in five innings. The Rockies had comforted him with a 4-1 lead after the first but it was quickly blown in the second as Manship gave up a homer to Nick Hundley, a triple to Will Venable and RBI single to Alexi Amarista. Colorado had a win expectancy of 70.5% to start the second but it shrank to 47% once the Padres rallied and took the lead. The Rockies threatened to get back into the game during the third with the bases loaded and nobody out but Charlie Blackmon flew out to center and Manship, who wasn't pinch-hit for, proceeded to ground into a double play. After that, the Padres had it in the bag.

Orioles 3, Diamondbacks 4

Have yourself a day, Paul Goldschmidt (77% WPA). There aren't many games that are carried by just one player but Goldschmidt did just that for the Diamondbacks last night. Down 2-3 in the ninth, Goldie, leading off, stepped to the plate and launched a game-tying homer off of Jim Johnson which eventually sent the game into extra innings. Neither team could get any runs across until Goldschmidt's turn to bat came up again. This time, leading off in the eleventh, he jacked another dinger to win the game. Absolutely incredible. Goldschmidt singlehandedly put the team on his back and evidently had a tremendous impact on the game as the core factor behind Arizona's win.

Astros 5, Athletics 4

Bartolo Colon, it's been fun. But yesterday proved to be another game of regression for the wily ol' vet. Lasting just four innings, Colon (-31% WPA) gave up five runs on seven hits and a walk; all that Houston needed to win the game. Jordan Lyles stifled Oakland through seven innings with one earned run on seven baserunners. The Athletics were only able to score one run until the eighth inning when Josh Reddick singled Jed Lowrie home and Yoenis Cespedes smacked a two-run homer. Even after the comeback and the score now at 5-4, the Athletics only had a 17.1% win expectancy. Chia-Jen Lo was able to settle everything down in the eighth and close out the game for a Shutdown (24% WPA).

Mets 2, Dodgers 4

The ace-off between Matt Harvey and Hyun-Jin Ryu turned out to be more one-sided than expected. Harvey (-26% WPA) labored through six innings and gave up four runs, eight hits and two walks while only striking out three. Ryu (20% WPA) only made one mistake, a first inning homer to Juan Lagares, and sailed through seven innings. Kenley Jansen's new attempt at a perfect nine innings was RUINED as he gave up a hit, walk and run in his inning of work.

. . .

All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

Mike Mulvenna is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @mkmulv.

More from Beyond the Box Score:

• Kenley Jansen channels Mariano Rivera
• A three true outcomes collision course
• Jeff Heath and the art of finishing strong
• Lineouts! 08/13/13: Abreu defects, Puig adjusts and Cy Young battles
• The Smallest Sample Size 8/13/13: Darvish dominates

Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, currently serving a suspension for his connection in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal, is being sued by a former friend according to ESPN. The lawsuit alleges that Braun defamed his friend while he was helping him successfully appeal a PED suspension.

Ralph Sasson, 29, also accuses Braun of taking steroids while at the University of Miami, committing academic fraud, and accepting money while he was still a college athlete. Sasson says that he was contacted in 2011 and tasked with the job of doing research on Dino Laurenzi, Jr., the tester that conducted Braun's positive PED sample.

Braun's attorney Howard Weitzman said in a statement that the case has "no merit":

"This lawsuit is an unfortunate attempt to capitalize on Ryan's recent press attention for taking responsibility for his actions. The factual allegations and the legal claims have absolutely no merit. We believe the lawsuit will be dismissed," he said in a statement.

The lawsuit claims that Braun made defamatory statements about Sasson to "undisclosed parties" and that he refused to "prank call" an ESPN reporter that was conducting the network's investigation into Braun. It is not known was sort of damages Sasson is seeking in the case.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will soon admit to using performance-enhancing drugs during the 2011 season, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Friends of the 29-year-old slugger who wish to remain anonymous told USA Today that he plans to apologize to Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, sample collector Dino Laurenzi Jr. and others. In addition to his reported upcoming admission of guilt, Braun will also provide reasons for taking PEDs, per Nightengale.

Things haven't been going so well for Braun lately. After he was slapped with a 65-game suspension by MLB, the seven-year veteran had a lawsuit filed against him by a former college friend, accusing Braun of PED usage, academic fraud and the acceptance of money from University of Miami boosters.

Braun does not want to be linked to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, people close to him told Nightengale. That wasn't the case on Friday, when word got out that Rodriguez implicated Braun and others by leaking unredacted versions of forms that included the names of multiple players.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

I've got to say, it's getting really hard to temper my enthusiasm for Javier Baez. It seems like he really can do whatever he wants.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got zapped by the New Orleans Zephyrs (Marlins), 5-2.

It was a pretty good start for Yoanner Negrin, who allowed two runs on nine hits over six innings. Negrin struck out seven and didn't walk anyone, so that's impressive. He did hit one batter. Still impressive.

Alberto Cabrera has struggled badly in August. Today, he allowed three runs in the seventh inning, the only inning he pitched. Cabrera surrendered two hits and he walked two. Cabrera fanned one.

Jae-Hoon Ha continues his strong finish to the season, going 2 for 4 with a double and a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. It was Ha's sixth home run and fifth for Iowa.

Shortstop Edwin Maysonet was 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies

Javier Baez hit a walkoff, two-run home run as the Tennessee Smokies blinded the Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers), 8-6.

Starter Matt Loosen put the Smokies in a 6-2 hole as he allowed six run on six hits over 4+ innings. His control was an issue as he walked five and struck out five.

Hunter Cervenka was the beneficiary of Baez's home run, as he had pitched a scoreless top of the ninth. Cervenka walked two, one intentionally, but didn't allow a hit. He struck out one.

Baez's home run was his 31st on the season and 14th for the Smokies. He was 2 for 4 with a walk and he scored twice. Baez also made an impressive diving catch in the top of the ninth.

Baez wouldn't have been in position to win it if it weren't for the efforts of second baseman Jonathan Mota. Mota hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 6-4 and a two-run single in the eighth to tie the score. Mota was 2 for 4 and it was his seventh home run this year.

Third baseman Christian Villanueva was 1 for 2 with two walks and a two-run double in the bottom of the first.. He scored once.

The win was Tennessee's seventh straight. Second-place Jackson won, so their lead remains at six games.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs harpooned the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 5-1.

A strong start for Corey Black, who allowed only one run over five innings for his second Cubs win and fifth in the Florida State League. Black surrendered eight hits. He struck out eight and only walked one.

DH Dustin Geiger hit a two-run home run in the third inning, his fourteenth of the season. Geiger was 1 for 4.

First baseman Dan Vogelbach and third baseman Kris Bryant were both 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars were swarmed by the Burlington Bees (Angels), 5-1.

Starter Felix Pena didn't pitch poorly, but took the loss anyway. Pena retired the first nine batters of the game and lasted six innings and allowed three runs, only two of which were earned, on three hits.  Pena struck out five and didn't walk anyone.

Kane County's only run came on a home run by catcher Willson Contreras in the third inning. It was Contreras's 11th home run of the season. Contreras went 2 for 4.

Center fielder Oliver Zapata was 2 for 4 with a double.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks cleaned up the Tri-City Dust Devils (Rockies), 6-2.

Jose Rosario got his first win of the season by allowing one run over five innings. He surrendered three hits while walking one and striking out three.

Jose Arias threw three innings of relief without allowing a hit and a walk, although he did allow two baserunners with a  hit batsman and an error. Arias struck out three.

First baseman Jacob Rogers had a two-run double in the third and an RBi double in the ninth as part of a 2 for 4 game. He also walked once.

Center fielder Kevin Encarnacion went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored twice.

DH Shawon Dunston was 1 for 2 with a double and three walks. He stole a base and scored twice.

Salem-Keizer won, so Boise remains a game out of first place. However, since Salem-Keizer won the first half, Boise has a 12 game lead over Eugene for the second-best overall record. That would come into play if Salem-Keizer won both halves. So for Boise is really concerned about Salem-Keizer's four game lead over Hillsboro at this point.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Padres, 6-0.

Yankees 10, Red Sox 3:Alfonso Soriano was at it again on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in the Yankees' rout of Boston. Soriano knocked in four runs, bringing his total over his last four games to 18. He also had a dozen hits during that stretch, becoming the first player with at least 12 hits and 18 RBI in a four-game span in major league history.

Soriano is also the first Yankee with four consecutive three-hit games since Johnny Damon did it in 2006.

Alex Rodriguez had a pair of hits and Mark Reynolds hit his first home run since joining the Yankees. Andy Pettitte earned the win by allowing three runs -- none earned -- on six hits in 6 ⅔ innings.

Dodgers 4, Phillies 0: Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run to give the Dodgers their ninth consecutive win and spoil Ryne Sandberg's big-league managerial debut. The Phillies' offense mustered up just three hits against Zack Greinke, who worked around four walks to toss seven shutout innings.

Cliff Lee struck out six batters in eight innings, but allowed three runs on five hits en route to the Phillies' 20th loss in their last 24 games.

At least the cameramen at Citizen's Bank Park were on their game:

Braves 3, Nationals 2:Justin Upton hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to send Atlanta to its 18th win in 20 games. The win also gave the Braves a 15 ½-game lead over the Nats in the National League East.

Alex Wood was brilliant in 6 ⅓ innings, racking up nine strikeouts while allowing a run on five hits. Upton, Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons had two hits apiece. Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper went 1-for-2 and reached base via hit-by-pitch twice.

Royals 2, Tigers 1: Kansas City hurler Danny Duffy outdueled Justin Verlander, holding the Tigers scoreless for six innings while allowing just one hit. Verlander gave up only two runs in eight innings, but surrendered a home run to Eric Hosmer and allowed a run-scoring ground-rule double to Emilio Bonifacio in what proved to be the deciding run.

Ramon Santiago's eighth-inning solo home run was one of just two hits the Tigers had in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Billy Butler and Justin Maxwell had two hits apiece for the Royals.

Royals 3, Tigers 0 (Game 2):James Shields tip-toed around four walks to make it through seven innings without allowing a run. The Tigers finished with just four hits in Game 2, meaning they had six hits in 18 innings on Friday.

Hosmer homered again in the nightcap, taking Tigers starter Jose Alvarez deep in the third inning to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. Kansas City cut its deficit in the AL Central to 6 ½ games with the sweep of first-place Detroit.

Rays 5, Blue Jays 4:Jose Lobaton had three hits, including a walk-off triple in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull Tampa Bay to within one game of the AL East-leading Red Sox. The Rays won despite being outhit by Toronto, 13-8. Maicer Izturis led the Jays with three hits, while Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie finished with two apiece.

Pirates 6, Diamondbacks 2:Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen each had two hits and Jose Tabata hit a two-run home run off J.J. Putz to seal the win for Gerrit Cole, who struck out five in six innings of two-run ball.

Arizona finished with just five hits, two of which came off the bat of Martin Prado. Brandon McCarthy took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 ⅔ innings.

Brewers 7, Reds 6: Jonathan Lucroy, who was 0-for-5 with five strikeouts against Aroldis Chapman entering Friday, hit a two-run, walk-off homer against the Reds' closer to cap off a three-hit performance.

Jean Segura also had three hits and Juan Francisco hit his 18th home run of the season for the Brewers. Chris Heisey and Todd Frazier homered for Cincinnati, which lost to Milwaukee for just the fourth time in 11 games in 2013.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 0: The Cubs jumped on St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook for three runs in the first and wound up scoring all seven of their runs off the veteran sinkerballer. Donnie Murphy, Welington Castillo and Darwin Barney had three hits apiece for the Cubs and Nate Schierholtz knocked in three runs.

Jake Arrieta surrendered just two hits in seven shutout innings, striking out seven batters and walking two. Carlos Beltran had both of the Cardinals' hits.

Mariners 3, Rangers 1:Hisashi Iwakuma baffled the Rangers for seven innings, registering eight strikeouts while giving up a run on four singles. Justin Smoak provided a large chunk of Seattle's offense, which accounted for all three of its runs in the final two innings. Smoak went 2-for-3 with a ninth-inning solo home run and Corey Seager shouldered the rest of the Mariners' offensive load with his two-run homer in the eighth.

Texas' bullpen spoiled a solid performance from starter Derek Holland, who tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed only two hits.

Rockies 6, Orioles 3: The Rockies used the help of four home runs to earn just their second win in their last 11 tries on the road. Charlie Culberson hit his first career dinger and Todd Helton launched his 362nd. Charlie Blackmon and Wilin Rosario homered in between.

The Orioles got home runs from Nate McLouth and Matt Wieters, but went without a hit from Adam Jones' one-out single in the third inning until Wieters' long ball with one out in the ninth.

Giants 14, Marlins 10: San Francisco scored 11 runs off Miami starter Nathan Eovaldi but needed a solid bullpen performance to get out of Marlins Park with a win.

Hector Sanchez hit his second home run in as many days, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that gave the Giants an 11-4 advantage. Justin Ruggiano homered twice for the Marlins to keep it respectable, but 19 hits by the Giants -- including four apiece from Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval and three from Hunter Pence -- proved to be too much to overcome.

Ruggiano, Christian Yelich and Donovan Solano each had three hits for Miami in the loss.

White Sox 5, Twins 2: Joe Mauer homered to cap off a three-hit day, giving him nine knocks over his past three games, but it wasn't enough for the Twins, who scuffled against White Sox starter Jose Quintana. Quintana struck out seven and allowed two runs on six hits in 6 ⅔ innings to earn his seventh win of the season.

Adam Dunn hit his 28th home run of the year and Jeff Keppinger added a solo homer. Both players, as well as Dayan Viciedo, finished with two hits.

Athletics 3, Indians 2: Asdrubal Cabrera lined into a game-ending double play with one out and runners on first and second to end Cleveland's rally attempt in Oakland. Yoenis Cespedes got the A's started on the right foot, blasting a two-run home run in the first inning.

A.J. Griffin issued five walks but gave up just four hits in five innings of one-run ball. Sean Doolittle ended Griffin's shot at a win when he allowed a game-tying single to Nick Swisher in the seventh inning, but Eric Sogard saved the day for the A's with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning.

Mets 5, Padres2: Jon Niese scattered six hits and a walk while allowing just a run to pick up the win for New York. Meanwhile, his club teed off on San Diego starter to the tune of three home runs: Marlon Byrd and Ike Davis each had solo shots in the third, and Daniel Murphy drove in two with a blast in the fifth.

Will Venable hit a solo home run of his own for the Padres.

Astros 8, Angels 2: Houston broke open a close game with back-to-back ninth-inning home runs by Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez. Dominguez and L.J. Hoes each had three hits. Brad Peacock allowed two runs, neither earned, on four hits to get the win.

Hank Conger had two hits and drove in a run. L.A. Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen left in the seventh after being hit on the hand by a ball.

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• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

The Milwaukee Brewers activated starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo from the disabled list on Saturday, sending pitcher Donovan Hand to Triple-A to create room on the active roster, according to the team's official Twitter page.

Gallardo will start Saturday for the first time since leaving early July 30 with hamstring tightness. The Brewers placed him on the disabled list the next day.

The 2013 season has not been kind to Gallardo, who has suffered through his worst career season. Over 23 starts, he has a 4.91 ERA and 1.481 WHIP along with diminished strikeout numbers and a higher-than-average amount of hits allowed. Gallardo, who has been one of the most used pitchers of the last five years, has also seen a significant velocity drop in his fastball.

The popular thought was that young starter Tyler Thornburg would be sent back to Triple-A to continue his development. Instead, it appears Milwaukee will keep him up to see what he can do in a lost season.

Hand has pitched in 20 games for the Brewers, including seven starts. He has a 3.83 ERA and a 30:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hand will likely be recalled in two weeks when rosters expand in September.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Martin Maldonado has had a better effect on pitchers than Jonathan Lucroy.

We've heard plenty about Jonathan Lucroy, his ability to frame pitches, and how he's the complete package with the offense that he also brings to the team. However, is he as good as everyone thinks? That's what Noah looked into earlier this week, when he compared Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado's ability to catch different pitchers. In terms of the statistical numbers, they tended to favor Martin Maldonado. Noah looked further into it, looking at pitch selection and other factors, and found some patterns in all of it. Whatever the reason is, Maldonado has had more success this year.

While the Brewers haven't excelled in the draft, it hasn't been as bad as we have thought either.

Many of us have criticized Bruce Seid and the drafts he has put together over the last several years. The criticism has been that Seid hasn't built a strong system and it is hurting the future of the Brewers. However, has it been as bad as we think? That's what Cheeseandcorn looked into earlier this week, breaking down the results of the draft over the last several years and how the Brewers compared to other teams. The results he found showed that the Brewers have at least been around the same level as other teams, at least in the later rounds. Is Bruce Seid better than we have given him credit for? Maybe he is.

It's time to let Scooter play.

With Rickie Weeks going on the DL for the rest of the year last week, the Brewers needed a new second baseman for the rest of the season. By default, the responsibility fell to Scooter Gennett as next up on the depth chart. He may have got the job by default, but the majority of fans agree with the choice. In this week's tracking poll, 84% of voters favored Scooter Gennett as the new full time second baseman. He proved earlier this week that he is capable of putting up some power numbers with a two home run game on Tuesday night, and also has made plays on defense that Rickie Weeks wasn't able to make. Is Gennett the Brewers second baseman of the future? He'll get the chance to prove it over the remaining 40 games.

We started the Carlos Gomez MVP watch a little too late (or maybe too early).

Last week, Kyle started a weekly look at the chance of Carlos Gomez winning the MVP this season. In this week's update, Gomez's chances were trending downward after he continued to struggle this week while other candidates continued to improve. However, the bigger challenge to his candidacy may have come later in the week, when he went down with an injury on Thursday night. Though he was in a lot of pain initially, the MRI came back with no structural damage and he is listed as day-to-day. For now, he is avoiding the DL, but a minor injury to another player or a lingering recovery for Gomez and he still may end up on the DL.

The injury wheel and roster shuffling keeps going.

It was another week of roster shuffling and injury covering, as the Brewers tried to keep themselves at something resembling full strength. The week started off with the return of Aramis Ramirez, as he was activated from the 15-day DL and Caleb Gindl was sent back to Nashville. It wasn't long before the next change came as the Brewers had to react to Carlos Gomez's injury. To compensate, they sent Alfredo Figaro to Nashville and recalled Sean Halton on Friday morning to help cover in the outfield. Finally, last night, they activated Yovani Gallardo from the 15-day DL to start on Saturday, and optioned Donovan Hand back down to Nashville.

The Brewers haven't seen a lot of stability in their roster lately, but the DL is nearly clear of non-season ending injuries at this point. The only player currently on the DL that has a shot of returning this season is Mark Rogers. He is currently rehabbing and if it goes well, we could see him in the last month of the season.

Ryan Braun is still hanging around the Brewers news.

It has been a while since we heard much from Ryan Braun, but he popped back up into the Brewers news this week. The first appearance was a picture from Deadspin, showing him hanging out with some friends back in California. It's not exactly what we want to see right now, but we didn't expect him to stay locked up in his house for several months. He came back into the news in a big way on Friday with several reports coming out around him.

The first report revealed some interesting information about how his name ended up being leaked in link to Biogenesis, that a member of Alex Rodriguez's camp leaked his name. More news came out on Friday as it was revealed that a former friend of Ryan Braun's filed a defamation lawsuit against Braun, which included allegations of him taking PEDs before 2011. Reports also came out that Braun would talk to the media next week and admit to his PED usage and offer apologies. It was a lot to take in on one day, and we will have to see how all of this new information plays out.

There is great baseball all around, you just have to look for it.

This last lesson isn't really about the Brewers, but just a note I wanted to add about teams you can support beyond the Brewers. Personally, I support a team locally here in Madison called the Madison Mallards. They are part of a summer collegiate baseball league called the Northwoods League, which gives college baseball players a place to get experience in an environment similar to the minor leagues. This includes hitting with wooden bats, using a ball at minor league specifications, and playing daily games.

I would never tell you not to go to a Brewers game if you have the chance. However, I also realize that some of you live in areas that are a good distance from Miller Park, or any MLB stadium. If you're looking for some baseball, all you need to do is look around, there's something in the area. In Wisconsin (and around the Midwest), there are several other teams that play in the Northwoods League that provide great fan experiences. There's also the Class A Midwest League, which features minor-league teams around the Midwest affiliated with different MLB teams. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (the Brewers class A affiliate) are a part of this league. I'd suggest looking around and finding what is in your area. Maybe you will find a nice side team to follow in addition to the Brewers. Most of these leagues are already finished or winding down for the season, so you may have to wait until next year to check them out.

Finally, I just want to finish by congratulating the Madison Mallards on their championship season. They won the Summer Collegiate World Series in the Northwoods League last night, defeating the Duluth Huskies to win their second championship. Keep an eye on these players; we may see some of them in the Brewers system one day.

Scooter Gennett - Milwaukee Brewers (8% Owned) - 3 HR's in the past 7 days is definitely a mirage, but Gennett can be a useful plug-in option for the rest of the season with Rickie Weeks on the DL. There is definitely some pop in the bat, and he can run a bit but it's his patient plate approach and ability to bat to ball that leaves me excited about his prospects.

Corey Dickerson - Colorado Rockies (1% Owned) - Dickerson has been making the most of every opportunity and has hit at every stop of his career. There is double digit power in the bat (he hit 32 HR's two years ago in the Sally league) and it obviously plays up in Colorado. Charlie Blackmon appears to be getting the majority of the AB's in Car-Go's absence, but I expect Dickerson to steal most of those away in the coming weeks.

J.B. Shuck - Los Angeles Angels (4% Owned) - Shuck has been a lot of fun to watch atop of the Angels lineup. He can swipe a bag and is in a great position to accumulate a ton of runs. Shuck doesn't strike out often and tends to get hits in bunches.

Eduardo Nunez - New York Yankees (2% Owned) - Nunez has arguably the power power of all available SS options and has guaranteed playing time for the next few weeks. He's hitting towards the bottom of a weak New York offense, but if you need to make up ground in HR, Nunez could provide a late-season boost.

Khris Davis - Milwaukee Brewers (1% Owned) - Another pure power play, Davis has been mashing in his short 32-game sample (164 wRC+). If he can cut down on the strikeouts (and his minor league numbers suggest he might be able to) Davis can carve out a nice role in Milwaukee next year.

Jake Arrieta - Chicago Cubs (1% Owned) - Arrieta was dominant in his first start for the Cubs as he shut down the St. Louis Cardinals for 7 innings. He's a former top prospect, so this performance didn't come out of nowhere and I think he's capable of a few more of these starts. Arrieta will get plenty of opportunities in Chicago, and ultimately I think he sticks in 2014 and becomes a useful fantasy SP.

Brad Peacock - Houston Astros (1% Owned) - It's a foolish move to invest in Houston starting pitching, but I think Peacock bucks the trend. Since joining the rotation, Peacock has put up excellent numbers: 19.1 IP, 20 Ks, 8 BBs, 4 ER, and a W. He might be more than a spot-starter for the remainder of 2013.

J.J. Hoover - Cincinnati Reds (3% Owned) - Hoover has been unscored upon in his last 21 appearances, spanning 24.1 IP. This is largely due to his improved control as he only has allowed one walk in his past 10 appearances. Even if you aren't in a hold league, take advantage of Hoover's dominance and let him contribute quality innings.

Danny Duffy - Kansas City Royals (1% Owned) - I don't know what to make of Danny Duffy. He's seen very little success since his perch on top of many prospect lists, but he also pitched 6 innings of 1-hit ball against the Detroit Tigers. He isn't guaranteed a rotation spot, so I'd hold off for now, but another positive start could signal a real change for Duffy.

Paco Rodriguez - Los Angeles Dodgers (5% Owned) - Another RP with no chance of closing, Paco Rodriguez is going to contribute the quality innings that help bolster fantasy pitching stats in the playoffs. He gets a lot of high-leverage opportunities, which can help him poach a few W's, and he strikes out more than a batter per innings. Run Paco out there and let him eat some critical innings.

Win: Yovani Gallardo (9-9)
Loss: Mat Latos (12-4)
Save: Jim Henderson (18)

MVP: Yovani Gallardo (.355)
LVP: Jonathan Lucroy (-.136)

Fangraphs Win Expectancy Graph
Boxscore

With Mat Latos on the mound and Yovani Gallardo making his return from the disabled list, one might have expected to see the Reds come out on top tonight, but Gallardo was able to shut down the Reds and the Brewers young hitters put together a string of hits to pull out a victory in Miller Park Saturday night.

In the fourth inning, the Brewers were able to do some damage with two outs.  Khris Davis and Scooter Gennett started the rally with back-to-back singles and Logan Schafer followed them with a double to right field that scored both Davis and Gennett to give the Brewers the only runs they would score all night.

With 82 pitches and one out in the seventh inning, Ron Roenicke decided to remove Yovani Gallardo after a Brandon Phillips single.  Brandon Kintzler came into the game and gave up a bloop single to the very first batter he faced.  After another single from Ryan Ludwick to load the bases, Kintzler was able to get pinch hitter Xavier Paul to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Gallardo looked very good tonight in his return.  Before the game, Roenicke told reporters they would be cautious with Gallardo and probably hold him to around 75 pitches.  He started off the game by retiring eleven straight batters before walking Joey Votto and giving up his first hit to Brandon Phillips in consecutive at-bats in the fourth inning.  In six plus innings of shutout baseball, Gallardo gave up three hits and two walks while striking out three.  It was a very promising return and hopefully a sign of things to come the rest of the season.

Kintzler returned for a perfect eighth inning to retain the two-run lead and get the Brewers to Jim Henderson.  Henderson sat down the meat of the Reds lineup tallying three strikeouts to end the game and seal the Brewers 2-0 victory.

The Brewers will wrap up their series against the Reds tomorrow with Wily Peralta on the mound.  In two August starts, Peralta has given up only three runs over the 14 innings he has pitched and will look to continue that success against the Reds on Sunday.  Homer Bailey will try to put an end to his struggles against the Brewers tomorrow after giving up 10 runs in his two starts against the Brewers this season.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

I wrote this in a comment in last night's Wrap and on Twitter, but in case you missed it, the Pacific Coast League is realigning next year as Tucson is moving to El Paso. The big difference for Iowa is that instead of being in a division with Nashville and Memphis, they'll be in a division with Colorado Springs and Oklahoma City. Omaha stays in the same division with Iowa. Also, Albuquerque is moving from the American Conference to the Pacific Conference, so the I-Cubs will only have to visit ABQ every other year. On the other hand, they'll have to go to Colorado Springs a lot now, and that's only a slightly worse hitting park that Isotopes Park.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were shut out by the New Orleans Zephyrs (Marlins), 3-0.

It was a good start for Justin Grimm, but not good enough since Iowa didn't score any runs. Grimm allowed three runs on four hits, including a solo home run, over seven innings. Grimm struck out eight and didn't walk anybody.

Right fielder Ty Wright was 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies seven-game win streak was snapped as they lost to the Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers), 6-4.

Eric Jokisch started and took the loss. He pitched 6.1 innings and he allowed four runs on six hits, although one run was unearned. Jokisch struck out five and only walked one.

First baseman Justin Bour went 2 for 3 with a double. He scored one run and had one RBI.

In your nightly Javier Baez watch, Javy was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored one run and had one RBI.

But Jackson lost as well, so Tennessee's lead in the division stays at six games.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs lost to the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 10-2.

Rough start tonight for Ivan Pineyro, who allowed six runs on eight hits over his five-innings of work. Pineyro walked two and struck out four.

Third baseman Kris Bryant was 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Center fielder Pin-Chieh Chen went 2 for 4 with a walk.

Lakeland won, so Daytona's lead in the division fell to four games.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars usurped the Clinton LumberKings (Mariners), 7-6.

Michael Heesch pitched the first six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. One of the three runs was unearned. Heesch walked three and only struck out one.

Michael Hamann entered the game with two on and one out in the top of the eighth and the score still tied at six. He retired the next two batters and got the win when Kane County scored in the bottom of the inning. Hamman stayed in the game to pitch the ninth and allowed a leadoff double, but then retired the next three batters to end the game. Hamann allowed one hit over 1.2 innings and didn't strike out or walk a batter.

First baseman Rock Shoulders was 2 for 3 with a double and two walks, one of which was intentional. Shoulders scored twice and had one RBI.

Center fielder Oliver Zapata went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice bunt. Zapata knocked one run home and scored one of his own.

Third baseman Giuseppe Papaccio was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Second baseman Gioskar Amayadoubled to lead off the eighth inning, went to third on Zapata's bunt and then scored the eventual winning run on a wild pitch. He was 1 for 5.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks were blown away by the Tri-City Dust Devils (Rockies), 11-0.

Michael Wagner made his first professional start and took the loss after he gave up three runs over three innings. Wagner surrendered six hits and he walked two. Wagner had one strikeout.

Juan Paniagua followed Wagner and was even worse. Paniagua allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits over his three innings. He walked three and struck out two.

The Hawks had four hits. Shortstop Carlos Penalver was 2 for 3.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Reds, 9-7.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez returned to baseball activities Sunday after spraining his knee crashing into a wall Thursday, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

Gomez made a great catch in the fourth inning against the Reds, robbing Brandon Phillips of an extra base-hit. He crashed into the wall on the play, and was immediately lifted from the game.

The outfielder underwent an MRI, which revealed no serious damage. Gomez had been seen limping around on crutches last Friday, but hopes to return to the field at the end of the week.

Gomez was able to complete a pool workout and play catch on the field, and plans to take batting practice later in the week, according to McCalvy. The Brewers have not set a timeline for his return, but McCalvy believes that Friday's series opener against the Reds is a logical return date.

The 27-year-old has had a breakout season, hitting .289/.340/.520 while playing excellent defense in centerfield. Fangraphs credits Gomez with 5.8 WAR, the second-highest WAR among NL position players.

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• Miguel Tejada suspended 105 games for failed drug tests

• Gauging the Jose Dariel Abreu market

• Neyer: Revisiting great players’ graves

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Win: Homer Bailey (8-10)
Loss: Wily Peralta (8-13)

HR: Khris Davis (6)

MVP: Scooter Gennett (.010 WPA)
LVP: Wily Peralta (-.304 WPA)

Fangraphs Win Expectancy Graph
Boxscore

The Reds scored nine runs and didn't have a single extra base hit. That should tell you how fun this game was. Wily Peralta was Wily bad, allowing seven earned runs over 4.1 innings. Tyler Thornburg was bad in relief. The Brewers offense was bad, with three hits over eight innings against Homer Bailey, and a fourth hit coming in the ninth. Burke Badenhop and Michael Gonzalez were pretty good to finish the game, but whatever at that point.

Instead of talking about the vast array of bad in this game, let's focus on the incredible Khris Davis. He hit his sixth home run of the season today to keep the Brewers from being shut out. He also picked up a single to give the Brewers half of the teams' hits on the day. Here are some fun stats about him.

• With just a handful more at-bats to qualify him for the title, Khris Davis would lead all National League hitters with his .984 OPS.
• At his current pace, if Khris Davis received 600 plate appearances, he would hit 54 home runs! Wow!
• At his current pace, if Khris Davis received 600 plate appearances, he would score 134 runs on the season! You have no concept!
• At his current pace, if Khris Davis received 600 plate appearances, he would drive in 116 runs on the season! Whoa nelly!
• Khris Davis will almost certainly hit more home runs than Ryan Braun this season. Khris Davis has not tested positive for any performance enhancing supplements and never will. Ergo, Khris Davis is on a Hall of Fame path!
• So far, Khris Davis has hit six home runs. That is the most of a Brewers rookie since Norichika Aoki hit 10 in 2012!
• If Khris Davis starts 30 of the Brewers remaining 38 games and received four plate appearances in each game, he could be expected to hit another 11 home runs, giving him 17 on the season! Yasiel Puig has hit eleven home runs all year long! Puig is on pace to finish with around 15 home runs! Khris Davis is better than Yasiel Puig!
• Khris Davis is on pace to be the first Brewers rookie to finish with equal to or more home runs than Ryan Braun since the first time Ryan Braun matched Ryan Braun as a rookie in 2007!

Suspended Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun told players around MLB prior to 2012 spring training that the man who collected his urine sample that tested positive for synthetic testosterone was anti-Semitic in an attempt to discredit him, according to Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan. Braun also accused the man, Dino Laurenzi Jr., of being a fan of the Chicago Cubs.

Braun went to some of the biggest stars in the game in hopes of drumming up some support, including 2011 MVP runner-up Matt Kemp, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, among others. Many of the players Braun talked to reportedly believed the allegations against Laurenzi, although a person close to the collector denied the anti-Semitic claim.

The positive test on Braun's urine in 2012 was initially going to cost the outfielder 50 games for violating the league's drug policy, but he was let off the hook due to a chain-of-custody error during the process. Laurenzi had kept Braun's urine sample stored in his house because there was no FedEx store close by to ship the sample in accordance with MLB rules. Despite assertions from the lab that the sample wasn't tainted, Braun's lawyers successfully argued that the chain of custody was broken and their client should have his suspension revoked.

Braun has since been suspended for the rest of the 2013 season due to his links to Biogenesis, a company which has provided performance-enhancing drugs to more than a dozen major league players. The Brewers star is expected to publicly come clean about his drug use in the near future.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Miguel Tejada suspended 105 games for failed drug tests

• Gauging the Jose Dariel Abreu market

• Neyer: Revisiting great players’ graves

• A-Rod’s attorney accuses Yankees of withholding MRI results

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Sunday featured a ton of starters getting shelled but it seems that they weren't helped too much by the defense behind them. The Dodgers could directly see that their game was lost on two errors by Hanley Ramirez in the worst situation!

The Smallest Sample Size -- Game Results for 8/18/13

Photo credit: Getty Images

Tigers 6, Royals 3

A matchup between a great lineup that features the best hitter in baseball versus a soft tossing pitcher due for some serious regression turned out just like you'd expect it to. Bruce Chen (-20% WPA) gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk in five and a third. Max Scherzer (29% WPA) didn't really face much competition (.66 pLI) and cruised through eight innings, only allowing two runs on five hits. The who-can-hit-the-most-homers battle between Miguel Cabrera (24% WPA) and Chris Davis continued yesterday as both smacked dingers.

Giants 5, Marlins 6

Tom Koehler (-28% WPA) and Madison Bumgarner (-30% WPA) were both erratic yesterday and gave up the leads that their offense had staked for them quickly. Koehler walked four and gave up seven hits over five innings but was only tagged for three runs. Bumgarner walked four as well but gave up two less hits yet was charged with four runs. With a 4-3 lead, Mike Dunn (-40% WPA) melted down, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while only recording two outs. Of course, the Giants continued the trend that was going on all game and Guillermo Moscoso (-30% WPA) gave the lead up. Jeff Mathis (36% WPA) had a 1.121 wOBA in a super small sample size of four plate appearances and had the game winning double that scored Ed Lucas from first.

Diamondbacks 4, Pirates 2

Pittsburgh had quite the rare achievement yesterday. Technically, they received two quality starts in one game! Charlie Morton (8% WPA) only gave up two runs over seven innings with ten base runners and Kris Johnson (15% WPA) pitched another six innings and gave up the other two runs on five hits and two walks. Adam Eaton had four hits in eight plate appearances, good for a 51% WPA, 42% of it coming from the 16th inning double that scored two runs to ice the game. The Diamondbacks were able to get five Shutdowns from their bullpen after Wade Miley exited and kept the game alive long enough for the clutch double.

Rockies 2, Orioles 7

Baltimore was led by tremendous performances from Adam Jones and Chris Davis and breezed through Jhoulys Chacin (-11% WPA) and the Rockies. With two homers between them, they combined for a 30% WPA and Scott Feldman (15% WPA) kept the Colorado offense from getting them back into the game.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers 2, Phillies 3

If you take Carlos Ruiz (33% WPA) out of yesterday's game, the Phillies only managed three hits and two walks but still came away with a win. Cole Hamels (14% WPA) continued his second half surge, allowing just two runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts. Ricky Nolasco tossed a quality start as well but the game was eventually lost on two Hanley Ramirez errors on routine groundballs to short. Hey, at least the Phillies scored a legitimate run for Ryne Sandberg!

Nationals 1, Braves 2

Despite the score being 2-1, Atlanta was in complete control for nearly the entire of the game. Their win expectancy only dropped below 75% after the fourth inning once, when Jayson Werth singled in the lone run for Washington. Julio Teheran (32% WPA) was lights out and tossed six shutout innings with five strikeouts. Gio Gonzalez threw a quality start with seven innings of two-run ball and nine strikeouts but the Nationals just couldn't figure out Teheran and the impressive Atlanta bullpen. It really is amazing what the Braves have gotten out of their bullpen since the losses of Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters.

Blue Jays 1, Rays 2

Ice cream for Jose Lobaton! Todd Redmond only gave up one run over six innings but still posted a -11% WPA, likely because Chris Archer (20% WPA) was lights out until the seventh when he surrendered a solo homer to Edwin Encarnacion. The Tampa bullpen was excellent, recording three Shutdowns in relief of Archer's great start. Brad Lincoln (-38% WPA) only recorded one out before melting down and allowing the solo dinger (43% WPA) to Lobaton.

White Sox 5, Twins 2

The White Sox staked out their lead early and Hector Santiago (14% WPA) almost gave it away but was able to hold on for six innings of two-run (one earned) ball. Samuel Deduno (-28% WPA) was torched for five runs and eight hits through five innings. Both offenses end up being silenced after the fifth. Chicago scored five runs but only two batters posted positive additions to their win probability: Alexei Ramirez (29% WPA) and Avisail Garcia (12% WPA).

Reds 9, Brewers 1

The score speaks for itself. The Reds' win expectancy didn't drop below 98% after the fifth inning. Wily Peralta (-30% WPA) was having a nice start to the second half but has fallen off as of late, culminating in yesterday's implosion of seven runs on 12 baserunners in four and a third. The only batter that recorded a negative WPA for Cincinnati was Cesar Izturis, making him the perfect two-hole hitter for Dusty Baker. Homer Bailey (17% WPA) may not have broke a sweat all game (.27 pLI), allowing just three hits and a run with eight strikeouts over eight innings.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 1

Edwin Jackson (-11% WPA) struggled with control, walking four, allowing six hits and three runs (one earned) over six innings and could be considered a hard luck loser thanks to Adam Wainwright's downright dominant performance. Apparently not wanted to be bested by Clayton Kershaw's dominance from Saturday night, Waino (24% WPA) struck out eleven and gave up five hits and a run over seven innings. Jon Jay (19% WPA) stuffed the score sheet with two hits (double + homer) and a walk in five plate appearances.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Mariners 4, Rangers 3

Erasmo Ramirez struggled to strikeout batters but maintained his control whereas Yu Darvish struggled to keep his control while maintaining his elite strikeout rate. Three runs were tagged on Darvish (10% WPA) who walked four and allowed seven hits in just seven and a hit. Ramirez (16% WPA) gave up four hits and two runs (one earned) but just struck out two batters. The game was tied going into the ninth, but for some reason, closers continue to struggle in non-save situations. Joe Nathan (-28% WPA) earned himself a rare Meltdown (2013 30:2 SD/MD ratio before yesterday) by giving up the eventual game winning run on two hits and two walks.

Astros 7, Angels 5

The win expectancy chart illustrates that the Astros ruled the first third of the game, the Angels came back and maintained a 50% chance of winning for the middle only for Houston to come back and win the game. Jason Vargas (-3% WPA) pitched averagely, allowing three runs on ten baserunners in just five and a third but J.C. Gutierrez (-36% WPA) melted down and gave up a three run homer to Matt Dominguez that sealed the game in the seventh. Dominguez actually had himself a game yesterday, contributing four hits in five plate appearances and a whopping 48% WPA.

Indians 3, Athletics 7

Looks like Scott Kazmir may still be dealing with a little bit of dead arm. Yesterday, Kazmir (-44% WPA) gave up ten hits, two of which were homers, that led to five earned runs in five innings. Tommy Milone wasn't very efficient and lasted just four and two thirds for a -17% WPA with three runs (one earned) given up. The Oakland bullpen managed to shut down the Indians for the remaining five and a third. There was a short-lived rally in the fifth that chased Milone but otherwise Cleveland struggled to get any kind of advantage in win expectancy.

Mets 3, Padres 4

Matt Harvey, somehow, keeps lowering his FIP. After yesterday's 1.54 FIP in six innings that included two runs and six hits along with six strikeouts, Harvey now sits at an even 2.00. But because he gave back the lead and left with the score tied, he only provided 4% to the Mets' win probability. Eric Stults (-16% WPA) allowed eight baserunners in six and two thirds and gave up three runs. Offense came and went through the game but Will Venable's walkoff homer (38% WPA) that led the ninth against Pedro Feliciano was able to keep this game from becoming an extra innings affair.

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6

Ryan Dempster, inexplicably, wasn't ejected after (clearly) purposely beaning Alex Rodriguez in his first at bat. Joe Giradi quickly realized the pitcher's intentions and stood up for his controversial third basemen but to no avail, eventually being thrown out of the game. It was all downhill for Dempster after that. A-Rod scored after the HBP and six more runs crossed home and were attached to Dempster after nine hits and a walk in just five and a third (-23% WPA). CC Sabathia (-35% WPA) wasn't much better, having allowed six runs on five walks and seven hits while recording just six strikeouts but was somehow credited with a win (Kill the win).

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All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

Mike Mulvenna is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @mkmulv.

More from Beyond the Box Score:

• The battle for the AL West
• Is Clayton Kershaw a legitimate MVP candidate?
• Reviewing instant replay
• The Smallest Sample Size 08/16/13: Walk-Off and Blow Out Friday!
• Revocable Waivers: The Hitchhiker's Guide

Win: Michael Wacha (2-0)
Loss: Brandon Kintzler (3-1)
Save: Edward Mujica (32)

HR: Carlos Beltran (21), Jon Jay (7), Norichika Aoki (6), Aramis Ramirez (7)

MVP: Aramis Ramirez (.244 WPA)
LVP: Brandon Kintzler (-.482 WPA)

Fangraphs Win Expectancy Graph
Boxscore

The Brewers and Cardinals went back and forth all night. One team would score and the other seemed to match in the very next inning. Eventually though, one team wasn't able to match the other and that team was the Brewers as they fell to the Cardinals 8-5 Monday night.

Carlos Beltran started the scoring early for the Cardinals tonight with a solo home run in the first inning.

The Brewers tied the score in the bottom of the third inning. After Marco Estrada walked, Norichika Aoki singled on a line drive to right field. Jean Segura's sacrifice fly to right center moved Estrada over to third base before Jonathan Lucroy singled to right to score Marco Estrada to tie the score 1-1.

The Cardinals wasted no time taking the lead again in the very next inning. Allen Craig led off the inning with a single to center field. Yadier Molina followed Craig with a double down the right field line to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

To lead off the bottom of the 5th inning, Aoki yanked a solo home run to right field that tied the game once again.

For the second time Monday night, the Cardinals broke the tie in their very next at-bat. Yadier Molina singled with one out in the top of the sixth and Jon Jay followed him with a two-run home run to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

After a scoreless sixth, the Brewers did some damage in the seventh. Segura started off the inning with a bunt single that he advanced to second on due to an overthrow from Michael Wacha. Lucroy scored Segura from second on a single to center to shrink the Cardinals lead to just one. Following Lucroy's single, Aramis Ramirez connected on his first home run since June 26 and gave the Brewers a one run lead.

With a one-run lead, Brandon Kintzler came into the game for the Brewers and got two quick outs on a Jon Jay double play. Things went downhill quickly from there. With two out, the Cardinals put together five consecutive singles to give themselves a 6-5 lead before Brandon Kintzler was removed. Burke Badenhop came into the game with the bases loaded and gave up a two-run double to David Freese on the very first pitch he threw.

The Brewers were able to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth after a Jeff Bianchi single and a ground-rule double from Khris Davis, but Scooter Gennett was unable to keep the game alive as he grounded weakly to first baseman Matt Adams to end the game.

Kyle Lohse takes the mound for the Brewers tomorrow against his former team. Lohse has yet to beat the Cardinals this season in three attempts. Lance Lynn will face off against the Brewers for the second time this season. In his only start against the Brewers on May 18, he gave up four runs in five innings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

There were some awesome pitching performances last night but then there were a handful of downright awful showings that practically guaranteed their team's loss within the first four innings. In other news, the race for the AL East is going to be one fun ride with the Rays and Orioles matchup already feeling like a playoff matchup. And there's no question that Francisco Liriano has been the best offseason signing in 2013, right?

The Smallest Sample Size -- Game Results for 8/19/13

Photo credit: Getty Images

Mets 6, Twins 1

Dillon Gee pitched great yesterday, holding the Twins to one unearned run over seven and two thirds. With only six hits and a walk, he notched nine strikeouts and provided a 31% WPA. On the other hand, Kyle Gibson just can't miss many bats in his first stint at the major league level, which seemed to end after yesterday's start since he was demoted back to the minors. Giving up ten hits, two walks and four runs in under four innings to the Mets, Gibson (-20% WPA) didn't really pitch in very intense situations but still struggled. Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing and Jared Burton were able to combine for nine strikeouts of 21 batters faced whereas Gibson could only sit two out of 20 down via the K.

Rockies 4, Phillies 5

Ethan Martin (14% WPA) was cruising through six innings but apparently tired, lost some velocity and was tagged for a two runs, one coming off a monster homer to Troy Tulowitzki. Still, with a 5-2 lead at the end of the seventh inning, the Phillies had a 94.8% win expectancy. But the game had to be handed to the woeful Phillies bullpen, which means anything is possible. Hairdresser turned reliever, Luis Garcia (-27% WPA), melted down and allowed Colorado to get back into this game with two runs scored. We were treated with a rare Jonathan Papelbon (15% WPA) appearance, who came in and slammed the door shut on the Rockies.

Rays 4, Orioles 3

Last night's matchup between the Rays and Orioles had the pace of and felt like a playoff game. Chris Tillman (-16% WPA) gave up two dingers in six innings and ended up being charged for all four runs. The Baltimore bullpen was able to keep the Rays off the board for the rest of the game but it proved to be too much of an uphill battle for their offense. David Price (8% WPA) was a little leaky, having given up ten hits and two walks in just five innings. Joel Peralta (-14% WPA) melted down and gave up a homer to Matt Wieters later in the game but Tampa still had a 63.2% WPA. Fernando Rodney (21% WPA) danced around a hit and a walk but was able to shoot 'dem arrows and secure an important win for the Rays.

Diamondbacks 3, Reds 5

Arizona fell behind early, tied it up and then Randall Delgado immediately gave the game away. Finishing with a line of seven hits, three walks and five earned runs in six innings, Delgado himself (-28% WPA) ended up hurting the Diamondbacks' chances more than the entire lineup. Bronson Arroyo (5% WPA), quality start king, hurled another one while being tagged for three earned runs in six innings. J.J. Hoover, Aroldis Chapman and Manny Parra were able to keep Arizona's bats silent for the remaining three innings and combined to see only two batters over the minimum.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Dodgers 2, Marlins 6

Jose Fernandez has had my NL Rookie of the Year vote for a couple weeks now but last night's dominant performance likely won over some more voters. Facing one of the hottest offenses in the league, Fernandez (5% WPA) held the Dodgers to two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while racking up eight strikeouts. Hyun-Jin Ryu (-10% WPA), another ROY candidate, was almost as great but gave up a Logan Morrison double with runners in scoring position, giving the Marlins the lead in the sixth. After Ryu's exit, Los Angeles struggled to get two outs from their bullpen as three more runs were given up in just one third of an inning.

Astros 5, Rangers 16

The Rangers barraged 16 runs on the Astros, nine of which were tagged to Lucas Harrell (-37% WPA), who only managed seven outs and faced just 17 batters. Matt Garza could have thrown meatballs down the middle of the plate for most of the game and it probably still wouldn't have been close. He ended up allowing five earned runs in six and two thirds with eight hits and eight strikeouts. At the end of the third, the Rangers had a 99.2% win expectancy. Could Garza have been pitching to the score??!

Nationals 1, Cubs 11

Another blowout! Jordan Zimmermann (3), Fernando Abad (1) and Ian Krol (1) gave up a total of five dingers to the Cubs! Nate Schierholtz (25% WPA) was seeing beachballs at the plate and smacked two homers and a super small sample size 1.364 wOBA. Donnie Murphy chipped in a pair of homers and a 1.047 wOBA too. Zimmermann (-31% WPA) only lasted five innings and gave up eight runs on nine baserunners. Jeff Samardzija (19% WPA) got his control back, for the time being anyway. He tossed a complete game while only giving up six hits and one run that came on a Wilson Ramos homerun.

Cardinals 8, Brewers 5

Please kill the win. Michael Wacha, in relief, allowed three runs on four hits in an inning and posted an awful -50% WPA that originally gave the Brewers the lead in the seventh but was credited with a win. If it wasn't for Brandon Kintzler having an epic meltdown (-48% WPA), Wacha would've been in line for the loss. But instead, he contributed nothing but a negative winning probability and was bailed out by Matt Adams and the St. Louis offense.

Indians 5, Angels 2

The Indians staked out a four run lead against Jered Weaver in four innings and never looked back. Although Zach McAllister gave a run back in the bottom of the fourth, Cleveland's win expectancy never dropped below 70.6% after their offensive outburst. Weaver (-18% WPA) gave up eight hits and four runs, two of which came from a homer off the bat of Lonnie Chisenhall in six innings. McAllister (22% WPA) posted a quality start, allowing just one run in six and a third on five hits.

Mariners 1, Athletics 2

Jarrod Parker (42% WPA) hurled a complete game, giving up just one run on eight hits with an equal amount of strikeouts. Aaron Harang (20% WPA) was pretty good as well, just allowing one run over seven innings. Carter Capps melted down in the ninth thanks to a walk-off solo homer (43.2% WPA) off the bat of Brandon Moss. Moss and Jed Lowrie were the only ones to record extra base hits off of the Mariners, with Moss' being the ultimate difference maker.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Pirates 3, Padres 1

Andrew Cashner (-9% WPA) was the hard luck loser of the day last night. Only giving up one earned run over seven innings, he allowed five hits and two walks but the Padres didn't stand a chance against a lights-out Francisco Liriano (36% WPA). The best offseason signing spun seven shutout innings, striking out thirteen and allowing just six baserunners. Pedro Alvarez (27% WPA) basically provided the entire offense for the night for Pittsburgh and proved to be all that Liriano and the bullpen needed to walk away with a win.

Red Sox 7, Giants 0

Tim Lincecum (-25% WPA) can't stop teasing us. First he's throwing a no-hitter and striking out 13, then he's giving up eight runs in under four innings before reeling off three consecutive starts of seven innings or more and less than two earned runs. He imploded in his previous start against Washington and did so again last night against the Red Sox. Struggling with his control, Big Time Timmy Jim gave up four walks, nine hits and five earned runs in just five innings. Jon Lester (24% WPA) was in hot pursuit of a complete game shutout but gave up back-to-back singles in the ninth that convinced John Farrell to pull the hook.

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All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.

Mike Mulvenna is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @mkmulv.

More from Beyond the Box Score:

• Adjusting to Life in the Pen
• Justin Masterson tries the strikeout
• Lineouts! 08/19/13: Scherzer wins again, Ellsbury market, and Dempster's control
• The best position players that never got a chance
• The Smallest Sample Size 8/19/13: Errors Everywhere!