MLB Minutes - May 10 2010

With each passing day, the Major League Baseball inches closer to October. Sure, we're still sitting here midway through May, but each game and each pitch for that matter counts towards something.

You don't want to trust me on that? Just ask the Boston Red Sox, who've dug themselves quite a hole in the already tough American League East. Just ask Dallas Braden, who threw just the 19^th perfect game in MLB history on Sunday.

Then again, we could just continue to do what we do every week, and break the last week up into minutes.

Perfect Story Behind Perfect Game

On Sunday, Oakland's Dallas Braden hurled the 19^th perfect game in Major League history, which is a story in its own right. He fanned 7 in the game and survived a bunt attempt by power-hitting third baseman Evan Longoria to keep his gem. To do it against the team that leads the team that lead the major leagues in runs scored and had the best record in all of baseball just makes the pot sweeter.

However, the truly heart-warming storyline behind the game runs a lot deeper than the feat itself.

Braden twirled his masterpiece on Mother's Day, a day in which Major League Baseball uses pink bats to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness. Braden lost his mother to skin cancer while he was a senior in High School, and pointed to the sky to honor her memory when the last out was made. He was then greeted for a long hug by his grandmother Peggy Lindsey, who raised him after his mother's death, and was on hand for the game.

Talk about a Mother's Day gift that'll go down in history.

The Resurrection of Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones was a player who burst onto the scene at 19-years-old, hitting two home runs in his first World Series game. Jones then spent the next decade as one of the most feared power-hitting and fielding centerfielders in the game. But after his huge 51 home run season in 2005 and his 41 home run follow-up in 2006, Jones missed a beat and pitchers began to expose his swing with breaking balls and Andruw failed to adjust. After the 2007 season, Atlanta chose not to bring him back and Jones bounced to Los Angeles for a season, and then tried to resurrect his career in Texas last season. Both stops proved fruitless.

Now, here we are in 2010 and at 33-years-old, the kid is starting to get himself back a little bit. Ozzie Guillen sought to give him a chance in Chicago as a spare outfielder, but 9 home runs and 17 runs batted in later; Jones is forcing his way into the starting line-up. He's even stolen 6 bases already in 2010, his most in a season since 2004.

Jones now stands just four home runs shy of 400 for his career, and may still have a few good seasons left in the tank to take a shot at 500. That'll depend on if he continues to adjust to today's game. If he falls back into old habits, Jones'll likely just wash-out like many of today's veterans.

The Telling Tale of Run Differential

There are a lot of baseball minds that pay extra attention to run differential as a sign of what is to come from each team. Simply put, run differential is the difference between the runs scored against the runs allowed. That being said, it stands to reason that your team is going to win more games if they outscore the opponent. Granted, the numbers can be skewed by lopsided victories or defeats, but all in all, it is a fairly accurate statistic.

Top 5 Differentials

- Tampa Bay +80

- New York Yankees + 67

- Minnesota +48

- San Francisco +43

- San Diego +40

Bottom 5 Differentials

- Pittsburgh -82

- Houston -61

- Baltimore -52

- Los Angeles Angels -46

- Kansas City -42

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The top five teams have a combined record of 101-53 for a winning percentage of .656. The bottom five meanwhile has a combined record of 58-101 for a winning percentage of .365. On a side note, Pittsburgh's total is both enhanced by a recent 11-1 win over the Cubs, as well as hurt by the two series against Milwaukee where they were outscored 18-61.

Big Night for Cubs Rookie Call-up

Wanting to jolt the offense a bit, the Chicago Cubs called up top prospect Starlin Castro on Thursday to start his Major League career on Friday night against Cincinnati. The 20-year-old Castro was hitting .376 with 1 home run and 20 runs batted in at Double-A Tennessee before his call-up.

Boy did he provide the spark the Cubs needed.

In his first at-bat, Castro hit a three-run home run to right field for his first Major League hit, becoming the first Cub to do so since pitcher Jim Bullinger did in 1992. Castro then followed that up with a three run triple in his next at-bat, becoming the first player in Major League history to drive in six runs in his debut. Over the course of the weekend, Castro went 4 for 12 with 2 runs scores, a double, triple, and home run, and added 6 RBI's. Not a bad way to start of a career.

Sources:

Braden Has Major's 19^th Perfect Game - Boston.com

Andruw Jones Stats, MLB.com

MLB Standings, MLB.com

Starlin Castro Stats, MLB.com