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First place in the NL East is on the line this weekend as the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals kick off a three game series tonight at Turner Field. The Nationals currently hold a one-game lead but need to win at least two games in Atlanta to remain atop the division on Memorial Day.

The Braves look to reverse their recent slump and avoid a season-high fifth straight loss. The league’s second-best offense averaged just two runs per game and was hitless in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position as they were swept by the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week.

Atlanta sends veteran Tim Hudson to the mound in the opening game tonight. Hudson is 14-3 with a 2.05 ERA in his career versus the Nationals/Expos franchise, the second-most wins and best ERA among active pitchers against the team.

Hudson has also not allowed more than three earned runs at home in his last 19 starts. That’s the longest current streak of consecutive home starts allowing three or fewer earned runs, and the longest by a Braves pitcher since Greg Maddux reeled off 23 such starts from 1993-95.

The Nationals enter the series having won three of their last four games, getting strong performances from their top three studs in the rotation – Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez – before losing to Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Tonight Ross Detwiler takes the ball for the Nationals. Detwiler had the last non-quality start by a Washington pitcher when he allowed a season-high six runs in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Detwiler allowed a total of eight earned runs in his first six starts combined (2.10 ERA), but has given up 10 earned runs in 10 innings (9.00 ERA) over his last two outings. Lefties are 3-for-7 with two extra-base hits against him during that span, after he held them to just two hits in 29 at-bats (.069 BA) in his first six starts this season.

Splitting Aces
Two aces who have had uncharacteristic struggles this season face off in south Florida tonight when Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants visit Josh Johnson and the Miami Marlins.

A two-time Cy Young winner, Lincecum has a career-worst 6.04 ERA and just one quality start this season. He has allowed at least four earned runs in six of nine starts, after doing so just seven times in 33 starts last year.

One major issue appears to be a significant drop in fastball velocity, along with a shrinking difference between the speeds of his heater and changeup. His fastball is averaging just 89.9 mph this season, after averaging 92.2 mph last year, while his changeup velocity has barely moved (83.7 mph in 2011, 83.1 mph in 2012).

Johnson struggled early on, going winless with a 6.69 ERA in his first six starts, but is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA over his last three outings. His fastball has become much more effective, as opponents are hitting .125 against the pitch in his past three games, compared to .391 in his first six starts.

Ask the Atlanta Braves whether Mike Leake's arm or bat did more damage to their hopes of winning on Monday night, and they might hesitate to answer.

We'll detail his arm below. What Leake will likely remember the most is that, in his 117th career at-bat, he hit his first major league home run. It was his first RBI this season, though his .333 batting average suggests there might be more on the way.

On the mound, here's how Leake beat the Braves:

" Leake threw a lot more cutters than he has in most of his starts this year, using the pitch 28 times, getting eight outs and allowing no hits. Leake has only used his cutter more in one start this year. Leake only has 27 strikeouts in 2012, but most of them have come with his cutter (7).

" Leake was efficient, throwing just two pitches in three-ball counts. Leake had thrown 31 pitches in three-ball counts in his previous three starts combined.

" Leake was in the zone all night, throwing 48 pitches in the zone, but surrendering just one hit on a pitch in the zone. Leake also had three strikeouts on pitches in the zone, his most in a start since August 10, 2011.

Elsewhere around MLB:

The Red Sox sent three outfielders onto the field vs the Orioles on Monday who began the season in places other than Boston. Daniel Nava and Che-Hsuan Lin started the season in Pawtucket, and Marlon Byrd was with the Cubs. Of course, each had at least one hit and one run scored in the Red Sox two-run win.

The injury bug finally bit the Texas Rangers, but it had held off for quite a while. With Neftali Feliz being placed on the DL, it's the first move the Rangers have made to their 25-man opening day roster this season. They were the last team to make a move to an opening-day roster. According to the release from the team, it's also the latest date the Rangers had ever gone in a season before making their first roster move.

It had been almost 13 years since the Kansas City Royals shut out the New York Yankees in New York. The last time it happened was August 18, 1999 in a game where Carlos Beltran started in center field for the Royals and Paul O'Neill started in right for the Yankees.

Tyler Greene's game-winning HR for the St. Louis Cardinals came off a 100.5 MPH fastball from Andrew Cashner. That's the fastest pitch anyone has homered on since 2009.

Hitters could have their way Monday night in Cincinnati when a pair of struggling starters take the mound for Monday Night Baseball (7 ET on ESPN).

The Atlanta Braves are hoping Mike Minor can avoid making history. Minor has allowed at least six earned runs in four straight starts, the longest streak in the majors since Kenny Rogers in 2008 and tied with Rosy Ryan of the 1925-26 Boston Braves for the longest streak in franchise history.

Minor was 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA through his first four starts of the season, but his ERA has jumped to 7.09 after being roughed up in each of his past four outings.

Minor’s reversal of fortune can be tied to his fastball, which has been ineffective in his past four starts. Over that span, opponents are hitting .339 with six home runs against Minor’s heater after batting .277 with no homers in his first four starts of the season.

But the Cincinnati Reds will send their own slumping starter to the mound Monday.

After going 12-9 with a 3.86 ERA in 2011, Mike Leake has lost his first five decisions in 2012 and brings a 6.21 ERA into Monday’s start. With a loss Monday, Leake would become the fourth Reds pitcher to start a season 0-6 in the last 15 years, joining Dontrelle Willis (2011), Homer Bailey (2008) and Brian Reith (2001).

And while Minor is having major issues with his fastball, it’s the changeup that is giving Leake the most trouble. Opponents have nine hits in 17 at-bats ending in a Leake changeup this season, including five extra-base hits.

Only Luke Hochevar (.600) and Aaron Harang (.556) are allowing hitters a higher batting average among qualifiers than Leake (.529) on changeups this season.

Leake has pitched well against the Braves in limited opportunities, however. He has a 1.50 ERA in two career starts against Atlanta with eight strikeouts and four walks. If Leake can fix his off-speed issues, he could lead the Reds to their eighth win in their last 11 home games in the series.

Stats & Info insights into this morning's top sports stories

1. SANTANA GETS NO SUPPORT AGAIN: FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Ervin Santana became the first pitcher in MLB history to start five straight games in which his team was shut out. The Angels lost 4-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, and Albert Pujols went 0-4. Pujols has now gone homerless in 108 consecutive at bats to start the season, the longest single-season streak of his career. He's 2-20 with two singles during the Santana "shutout" streak.

2. HELP ME RONDO: FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Rajon Rondo became the first player in NBA history to record 17 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals in a playoff game. It is his seventh career triple-double in the playoffs, which is tied with LeBron James for sixth-most all-time. Rondo was suspended by the league in Game 2 of this series, and he becomes the first player in NBA playoff history to record a triple-double after missing his team's previous game.

3. TIGER MISSES CUT: Tiger Woods missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship - his eighth career missed cut on the PGA TOUR. He missed the cut at this event in 2010, meaning this is the first event that he's missed the cut twice during his professional career. Phil Mickelson needed to make a putt on final hole to avoid missing the cut as well - if he had missed it, it would've been the first time they both missed the cut in the same PGA TOUR event.

4. BRAVES COME BACK: The Atlanta Braves trailed the Colorado Rockies 5-0 after one inning on Friday, but came back for the 9-8 win in 11 innings. FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: it is the first time the Braves overcame a 5-0 1st inning deficit since October 1, 1991 when they beat the Reds 7-6 despite trailing 6-0 after the first inning.

5. CINCO DE MAYO: It is Cinco de Mayo, so your fifth "Top Thing to Know" is going to be five fun mini-facts about today's action:

1) The last time a horse won the Triple Crown (1978), Kentucky had just won the NCAA Tournament - sound familiar?

2) The last time a Kentucky Derby was run on Cinco de Mayo (2007), Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought Oscar De La Hoya. Street Sense and Mayweather Jr. were the winners.

3) The only time a horse won the Triple Crown when the Kentucky Derby was run on Cinco de Mayo was in 1973, when the legendary Secretariat accomplished the feat.

4) The longest active win streak on Cinco de Mayo is by the Tampa Bay Rays, who have won their last six. The longest active losing streak is by the Miami Marlins, who have lost their last five.

5) Great news for Dallas Mavericks fans, for one day at least - no defending NBA champion has ever been eliminated from the playoffs on May 5.

Stats & Info insights into this morning's top sports stories.

1. LAKERS BEAT THUNDER IN WILD GAME: The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma Thunder, 114-106, in double overtime. One of the best games of the season was marred by an incident late in the second quarter. Metta World Peace was ejected after he hit Thunder guard James Harden in the head with his elbow. The Lakers forward has been suspended 13 times, totaling 111 games, in his career.

2. KINGS COMPLETE HUGE UPSET: The Los Angeles Kings shocked the Vancouver Canucks, 2-1, in overtime to win the Western Conference Quarterfinals in five games. According to Elias, Vancouver is the first Presidents' Trophy-winning team to be knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in fewer than six games.

3. YOUNG SEGUIN SAVES THE DAY: The Boston Bruins defeated the Washington Capitals, 4-3, behind the first career playoff OT goal of 20 year-old Tyler Seguin. Each game in this series has been decided by one goal. According to Elias, the Bruins-Capitals series is the first in NHL playoff history in which each of the first six games were decided by a one-goal margin.

4. HAMLIN WINS AT KANSAS: Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. It’s Hamlin’s second win of 2012, and 19th of his Cup Series car. The win also marked the 199th Cup win for the #11 car, making it the winningest car in series history.

5. KENNEDY WINS AGAIN: The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Atlanta Braves, 6-4, as Ian Kennedy improved to 3-0 this season. According to Elias, Kennedy has won his last nine regular-season decisions, tying him with Clayton Kershaw for the second-longest current winning streak in the majors, behind Ivan Nova (15).

Stats & Info insights into this morning's top sports stories

1. DARVISH ROUGHED UP, BUT GETS WIN IN DEBUT: Yu Darvish allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings in his MLB Debut, including four in the first inning. However, he got the win as the Texas Rangers won 11-5 against the Seattle Mariners. FROM ELIAS: He was the first pitcher in more than 100 years to win his major-league debut in a start in which he allowed four or more runs in the first inning. That had last been done by Bill Steele of the 1910 St. Louis Cardinals, who surrendered five runs to the Cincinnati Reds in the opening frame of his first big-league game, but was credited with the win when St. Louis rallied for a 14-7 victory.

2. ZITO THROWS FIRST SHUTOUT IN A WHILE: Barry Zito threw his first shutout since 2003 as the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. FROM ELIAS: Zito ended his streak of 274 consecutive starts without a shutout, the third-longest drought in major-league history. Tim Wakefield (353 straight, from 1997 to 2011) and Kirk Rueter (299 in a row, from 1995-2005) had longer spans.

3. SPURS STREAK ENDS: The San Antonio Spurs' 11-game winning streak was snapped after a 91-84 loss to the Utah Jazz. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili didn’t play on Monday. It is the second time this season that Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili didn’t play in a loss that snapped an 11-game win streak. The first time was on February 21 in a 40-point loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

4. THREE TEAMS GET FIRST WIN, TWO STILL LOOKING: The Giants, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees all won Monday, leaving just two winless teams remaining in MLB. The Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins both dropped to 0-4 with losses. It’s the Braves worst start since 1988 when they started 0-10. It’s the Twins worst start since 1981, also an 0-4 start.

5. KNICKS-BULLS ... THE REMATCH: The New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls square off in Chicago on Tuesday. The two teams met two days ago in New York with the Knicks winning 100-99 in overtime. Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 43 points in that game and became the fifth player in the last five seasons to make a game-tying shot in the last 15 seconds in regulation, then make the game-winning shot in the last 15 seconds in OT.

Justin Verlander became the first 19-game winner in the majors Monday night with a strong performance against the Tampa Bay Rays. Verlander struck out eight and allowed three hits over seven innings.

He has now won seven straight starts, the second time this season he's accomplished that feat. (He's the first pitcher with a pair of streaks like that since Frank Viola, with the 1988 Minnesota Twins).

In that span, he's gone at least seven innings and posted at least seven strikeouts.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he's the first pitcher with a streak that long reaching those parameters since Pedro Martinez did so over the 1999 and 2000 seasons, both years in which Martinez won the AL Cy Young award.

In addition, Verlander reached 19 wins in 127 team games, the fastest a Tigers pitcher has gotten to 19 wins since Mickey Lolich reached 19 wins in 114 team games in 1972.

Verlander joins Martinez and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers in the divisional era to post a WHIP of less than 0.90 (minimum 20 decisions).

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Verlander is 18-0 this season when the Tigers have scored at least three runs in his starts.

The last pitcher to finish a season 18-0 or better in games in which his team scored at least three runs was Martinez (19-0 in 2002 in starts when the Red Sox plated more than two runs).

ELSEWHERE AROUND THE MAJORS:

•Cliff Lee led the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-0 win over the New York Mets, with seven shutout innings and seven strikeouts. Lee has won his past four decisions (allowed two runs in last 31 innings), and 10 of his past 12 decisions overall. He's 10-2 at home this season and is 6-1 against New York teams since 2008 (2-0, 0.43 ERA vs the Mets).

•With a scoreless inning in Monday’s 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves reliever Jonny Venters continued an amazing recent run of success. Venters has now pitched 22 2/3 scoreless innings, a streak that began on July 4. In that span, opponents are 8-for-75 against him with 27 strikeouts (albeit, with 14 walks). Left-handed hitters are 2-for-24.

Left-handed hitters have missed on 33 of their 41 swings against Venters’ slider. He ranks first in the majors in miss percentage against his slider (80.5 percent)

Mark Simon contributed to this story

Craig Kimbrel closed out Atlanta's 1-0 victory against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday for his 37th save of the season, setting the NL rookie single-season save record in the process.

The 23-year-old Kimbrel moved out of a tie with Todd Worrell, who saved 36 games as a rookie for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986. Kimbrel is now three saves shy of tying the MLB rookie record for saves in a season, a mark currently held by Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, who set the record last season.

The NL Rookie of the Year candidate has been one of many Braves, younger than the age of 25, to have significant impact this season.

Some impact has been recent, as was the case for Thursday's starting pitcher Mike Minor. The 23-year-old Minor, who's been up and down from the minors, struck out a season-high nine in six innings against and improved to 3-2 this season.

Despite the 3-2 mark, the Braves are actually 7-2 in Minor's starts this season, winning in his past six starts in a streak dating back to June 11.

Over the course of this season, fellow starter Brandon Beachy has had more of an impact on the Braves' rotation.

The 24-year-old Beachy is 5-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 18 starts this season. Beachy has been a regular in the rotation since June 22, going 4-1 in 10 starts in that span.

Beachy has averaged 9.9 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched, the best mark by a Braves starter this season. Combine that with a 3.65:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Beachy has been a solid contributor in the Braves rotation.

At the plate, a pair of lefties have been mainstays in the Braves lineup. While one has pushed his teammate in the NL Rookie of the Year race, the other has been mired in a sophomore slump.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, 21, has batted .293 this season with 16 HR and 60 RBI and leads rookies with an .820 OPS. He also enjoyed a 20-game hit streak that ended August 7. The streak was the second-longest by a Braves rookie in team history, topped only by Alvin Dark's 23-game streak in 1948.

Freeman has batted .338 since the All-Star Break, compared to .274 before it.

As Freeman has thrived, 22-year-old right fielder Jason Heyward has struggled in his sophomore campaign. As of Thursday, Heyward has batted .220/.313/.392 this season is in stark contrast to the .277/.393/.456 he posted his rookie season.

But even with the disappointing season from Heyward, the Braves' future -- both in the short- and long-term -- still appears promising.

The first three months of Dan Uggla's Atlanta Braves career was an unmitigated disaster, particularly when one considers it was the first season of a brand new contract extension. However, over the last month and a half Uggla has looked very much like the impact hitter that the Braves thought they were acquiring this offseason.

With that said, what are the differences between the Uggla who didn't hit at all in the first three months of the season and the one currently on a 28-game hitting streak? Let's look at a couple of things:

1. He's hitting pitches on the outer-third of the plate and beyond much better now.

2. When he makes contact with a slider from a right-handed pitcher, he’s crushing it.

When Uggla was going bad, he couldn’t make contact with sliders from right-handed pitchers. He only was putting about one-third of his swings in play. Now, he’s putting half of his swings against sliders from righties into play and doing major damage. When making contact with a slider from a right-handed pitcher during the streak, he’s 11-for-22 with five home runs. And to tie back to the previous note, four of those have come on sliders on the outer-third.

3. His groundballs are finding holes in the infield defense.

When Uggla was struggling, roughly one of every five groundballs he put into play became a hit, which is close to the league average. During his hit streak, nearly half of his groundballs have found holes and added to his hit total. Some may say that he’s gotten really lucky during his streak with more grounders finding holes in the defense. But it’s also worth noting that he’s hitting those groundballs a lot harder, according to Inside Edge video review. Before the streak, he made hard contact on 12 percent of the groundballs he hit; during the streak that rate has doubled to 25 percent.

4. One last point for Uggla and we’ll use heat maps to illustrate it. If you look through July 4, Dan Uggla had no “hot zones” – literally. Now…he’s got plenty, as you’ll see below.



David Pinto of BaseballAnalytics.org takes a different look at Uggla’s turnaround.

The Texas Rangers extended their win streak to 11 games Sunday, the most consecutive wins by any team since the Phillies won 11 in a row last September. With a win Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, Texas will have the longest win streak by a team since the 2006 Boston Red Sox won 12 in a row. The Rangers would also pull within two games of the longest win streak in franchise history, 14 straight wins back in 1991.

For every winner there's a loser, and that was the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. The Mariners 3-1 loss to the Rangers was the team's ninth defeat in a row. That's their longest losing streak since 12 straight losses back in September 2008.

The Mariners were set down in order by Neftali Feliz in the ninth inning. Feliz might be young, but one would guess the Mariners have already seen more than enough of the reigning AL Rookie of the Year. Mariners hitters are now 0-33 all-time vs Feliz with 13 strikeouts.

Elsewhere are the majors on Sunday:

• Jim Thome moved within four HR of becoming the eighth member of the 600-HR club, launching a 464-foot blast against the Kansas City Royals. Thome's bomb was the longest HR in the short history of Target Field. It was also his 500th career HR in the American League, making him the 11th player in AL history to reach the 500-HR mark.

• Freddie Freeman's walk-off single, his first career walk-off hit, gave the Atlanta Braves their seventh win in 10 games. Atlanta is now 17-6 since June 19 and hasn't lost consecutive games during that span.

• The Oakland Athletics jumped all over Joel Pineiro, scoring a season-high eight runs in the first inning and forcing Pineiro from the game after just ⅓ IP. Pineiro becomes the second pitcher in Angels history to allow eight or more runs in while not recording more than one out in a game. He joins Mark Langston, who allowed eight runs to the Yankees in the first inning on June 4, 1995.

There were a number of strong performances on the mound Friday. Here’s an in-depth look at how some of Friday’s pitchers got the job done:

How Atlanta Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens shut out Baltimore:
• Jurrjens kept the ball down, with 63 of his 112 pitches (56.3 percent) tracked down in the zone or below it. Jurrjens got 15 of his outs and six of his eight strikeouts on low pitches. For the season, Jurrjens is 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA in five starts this season when more than 50 percent of his pitches are low.

• Jurrjens took advantage of a generous strike zone. He got 11 called strikes on pitches out of the strike zone, tying his most in a start in the last three seasons. Six of Jurrjens' eight strikeouts came on pitches out of the zone, tying his most in a start in the past three seasons. Five of those strikeouts were on pitches the Orioles chased out of the zone.

How Cleveland Indians pitcher Justin Masterson beat Cincinnati:
• Masterson benefited from a Reds lineup that included just three left-handed hitters, matching the fewest against Masterson this season. Entering Friday, left-handers were hitting .313 against Masterson, while righties were hitting just .189 this season. But Friday, lefties were 1-for-9 with two double plays against Masterson.

• Including double plays, Masterson got 13 outs on groundballs, his most in a start since his first start of the season, on April 3.

How Texas Rangers starter Alexi Ogando rebounded against Florida:
• Ogando's slider was an important pitch for him Friday. Thirty-five of his 102 pitches (34.3 percent) were sliders, his second-highest percentage of the season. With two strikes, 57.6 percent of Ogando's pitches were sliders, the first start of his career where more than half of his two-strike pitches were sliders.

• Six of Ogando's strikeouts were with his slider, three more than in any of his previous starts this season. Marlins hitters were 2-for15 in
at-bats ending with an Ogando slider.

• He started 20 of 27 hitters with a first-pitch strike (74.1 percent), the highest percentage of his career. He went to just one 2-0 count, matching the low of any of his previous starts.

After three full months of baseball, the AL East remains atop our Divisional Rankings, a performance metric derived to measure relative divisional strength.

The AL East holds the lead, or share of the lead, in every major category measured by the rankings, and gained six more points since the end of May rankings were released.

The AL East was 55-39 in games outside their division in June, the highest non-divisional win percentage of any division during the month. In particular, the New York Yankees finished 18-5 in games outside the AL East.

Overall, the division has won 54.6 percent of its games against non-divisional opponents.

The AL East is followed closely by the NL East, which saw strong individual performances by members of its division in June. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee went 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA (tied for fourth-lowest ERA in a month since World War II) and New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes hit .385 with 14 extra-base hits.

These performances, as well as consistent pitching from the rest of the Phillies’ and Atlanta Braves’ rotations, helped the NL East tie for first in the category measuring individual player performances. Overall, the NL East remains in the top two of every category despite the Florida Marlins going 5-23 in June.

Since the last divisional rankings, the gap between the AL and NL East and the other four divisions has widened. There is now a 22-point difference between the NL East and the next closest division (AL West), and the top five teams in ESPN’s Power Rankings are all from either the AL or NL East.

The AL West dropped more points than any other division in June. The division struggled to produce runs, as three of the four lowest-scoring teams in baseball in June were from the AL West.

The lack of run production is apparent in the rankings as only one batter from the entire division is ranked in top 25 of ESPN’s Player Ratings.

As the AL West shows, much can change for a division in a month. Look for the rankings to change in July as interleague play ends on July 3 and teams return to face familiar divisional foes.

Home of the Braves
There is no doubt that the Atlanta Braves bullpen is one of the best in baseball; Atlanta relievers have a 2.53 ERA, second behind only San Diego, and are allowing opponents to hit .214 this season (also ranks second). How are they reaching such lofty numbers?

It's partially due to a very high strikeout rate. No relief crew in baseball has a higher rate of strikeouts per nine innings (9.2) and the Braves’ 2.88 strikeout-to-walk ratio is second to only the Rockies.

The names you should know are Jonny Venters, Eric O'Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel. While Kimbrel has gotten the majority of save opportunities this season, Venters has pitched better. O’Flaherty, who is primarily used in the seventh and eighth innings, has had a remarkable 2011 season as well, allowing an earned run in only five of his 32 outings this season.

Closer, But for How Long?
Kimbrel has had an interesting 2011 season. He has 18 saves, breaking Yhency Brazoban's record set in 2005 for most saves by a National League rookie before the All-Star break. Yet no pitcher in baseball has blown more saves than his five. In each of those instances, it’s his fastball that has given up the tying run. His heater has been relatively effective this year, but it’s certainly taken a step back when compared to 2010.

Last year Kimbrel’s fastball had a strikeout percentage of over 37 percent. This season that number is below 32 percent. Opponent OPS was a scant .526 last season; this year it’s .685. While still good, Kimbrel’s fastball has clearly lost some edge.

His velocity is still there (95.4 mph in 2010 compared to 95.7 mph in 2011), and he’s also cut down on his walk rate by over eight percent. It’s simply come down to contact. In 2010, hitters posted a .280 batting average on balls in play. This year, they’re hitting .383 in that category.

Waiting in the Wings
Enter Braves sophomore Jonny Venters. He leads all pitchers with 35 appearances this season, and has made the most of those opportunities.

Venters has just a 0.47 ERA and 0.72 WHIP this season, the only pitcher in MLB with both those numbers under 0.80 (minimum 20 IP). According to Inside Edge an incredible 87 percent of two-strike at-bats become outs, 19 percent better than league average. He’s also been effective when it comes to eliminating the first batter of an inning. In those situations, Venters is converting that hitter into an out 80 percent of the time. Compare that to 62 percent last year.

He also has posted incredible numbers when called up on zero days rest. In 14 innings pitched he has allowed just one hit, while striking out 16 batters and holding opponents to a .195 OPS.

A pair of Tim's -- Lincecum and Hudson, to be exact -- shined on the mound Wednesday night.

One continued to make his case as the best strikeout pitcher ever to don a Giants uniform. The other made a season-ending arm surgery nearly three years ago seem a little more distant.

On the hill facing the New York Mets, Tim Lincecum struck out 12 in seven scoreless innings, leading the San Francisco Giants to the 2-0 win. Lincecum snapped a two-start losing streak and improved to 3-3 on the season.

It was the 29th time Lincecum struck out at least 10 in a game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lincecum passed Christy Mathewson for the most 10-strikeout games by a Giants pitcher since 1900.

Among his contemporaries, Lincecum's punchout prowess stands out even more. Since he entered the league in 2007, his 29 career 10-strikeout games are 12 more than the next pitcher (Johan Santana).

Lincecum's fastball was in rare form, clocking in at an average of 93 mph. He struck out seven Mets with his fastball, his highest total with the heater the past three seasons.

For the season, Lincecum's fastball velocity has averaged 92.8 mph, up from 91.2 mph a season ago.

Meanwhile, south of where Lincecum was overpowering Mets, Braves pitcher Tim Hudson pitched a gem in the second game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hudson allowed just one hit to the Brewers, striking out six in an 8-0 win. The shutout was Hudson's 12th of his career, but his first since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2008.

It was the third time Hudson pitched a one-hit shutout, last doing so against the Colorado Rockies on May 1, 2006. Since he began his career in 1999, Hudson's three one-hit shutouts are the most by any pitcher in that span.

Hudson needed just 102 pitches to complete Wednesday's shutout, continuing his efficiency this season. It’s already the second time in May that Milwaukee has been shut out.

That hasn't stopped Hudson from eating innings. He's managed at least six innings in each of his seven starts this season, with five of them being quality starts (at least six innings, three ER or fewer).

Certainly a good day for this pair of Tims.

Back-to-back home runs by Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez in the top of the first inning were only the start of the action at the Great American Ball Park on Opening Day. Even after Weeks and Gomez made the Milwaukee Brewers the first team to start a season with consecutive home runs since the 1969 Cincinnati Reds, there was still plenty of history to be made Thursday.

Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, Ramon Hernandez’s third career walk-off home run capped the Reds four-run rally and gave Cincinnati its third straight win over the Brewers. The Elias Sports Bureau says Hernandez is the first catcher with a walk-off homer in his team’s first game of the season since Gary Carter’s solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the New York Mets a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on April 9, 1985.

Late rallies are nothing new to the Reds, who finished third in the majors with 45 come-from-behind wins in 2010. But even the biggest Reds fan couldn’t have been confident entering the bottom of the ninth facing a three-run deficit. Historical data shows that teams trailing by three runs entering the bottom of the ninth inning win only 5.4% of the time. Don’t tell that to the Reds, who are now 1-0 for the first time since 2007.

Elsewhere in the majors Thursday:

• Albert Pujols’ 2011 season got off to the worst start possible as he went 0-5 and grounded into a career-high three double plays against the San Diego Padres. Pujols is the first player in MLB history to ground into three double plays on Opening Day, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’s also the first player to go 0-5 with three or more GIDP in any game since Miguel Tejada on September 10, 2009.

• The New York Yankees won their 11th straight Opening Day game when playing at home, a streak that dates back to 1986. That ties an MLB record also held by the New York Mets, who won 11 straight Opening Day games at home from 1971-89.

• Jason Heyward became the second player ever to homer on Opening Day in each of his first two seasons as the Atlanta Braves blanked the Washington Nationals 2-0. The Elias Sports Bureau tells us Heyward joined Kaz Matsui, who did it in 2004 and 2005.