Albert Pujols.

BY ROB SHAW
sportsnet.ca

Here’s A View of the Diamond, with everything from a former top pick shutting out the Yankees to Albert Pujols approaching yet another career milestone.

MARINERS

By limiting the Indians to no earned runs on Sunday, Mariners ace Felix Hernandez was able to lower his ERA to 2.62. Nonetheless, Hernandez came away with a loss thanks to six unearned runs. His record is now 8-10 despite a Cy Young worthy ERA and WHIP.

INDIANS

Indians prospect Michael Brantley is getting every crack at becoming a legit big leaguer. On Sunday the 23-year old outfielder belted a home run and drove home three RBI. Despite the fine performance, Brantley’s season average is just .203.

REDS

Former top prospect Homer Bailey gave the Reds a huge lift with six innings of scoreless ball en route to his second win of the season, to secure a sweep of the Marlins. Bailey was masterful in his control as he did not walk a single batter, lowering his ERA to 4.92 on the season.

MARLINS

Marlins rookie slugger Mike Stanton remains red-hot with two hits on Sunday, to lift his average to .275. He now has a six-game hit streak with five runs, four home runs and eight RBI during that stretch.

BRAVES

The Braves continue to dominate on the hill. The clear ace of the franchise is veteran Tim Hudson, who is now in the running for a Cy Young award with a 14-5 record and sterling 2.13 ERA so far this season. He has won five games in a row, while allowing just two runs during that stretch.

DODGERS

The Dodgers have all sorts of problems from the recent struggles of Jonathan Broxton to the unforeseen slump of Matt Kemp, but one player who cannot be blamed is infielder Ryan Theriot. Since joining the Dodgers, he has hit .309 with 10 runs scored in 14 games.

DIAMONDBACKS

After hitting just four home runs in the first three months of the season, Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew has belted four home runs this month. He has also scored 12 runs and driven in 10 RBI halfway through this month. On the season, Drew still has been disappointing with just eight homeruns, six steals and a .264 average. He has yet to come close to his 2008 season when he blasted 21 home runs with a .291 average.

NATIONALS

The heck with Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen, rookie shortstop Ian Desmond is having a heck of a rookie campaign. Though he struggled for most of the first half of the season, Desmond has played at a higher level since the All-Star break with a .300 average, three home runs, and five steals. On the season, the middle infielder now has nine home runs, 13 steals, 48 RBI and a .265 average. His only major flaw has been his inability to draw walks; he has drawn just two walks since the All-Star break.

RAYS

Rookie hurler Jeremy Hellickson improved to 3-0 on Sunday with a strong six innings against the Orioles. His ERA is now 1.35 through three Major League starts.

ORIOLES

In his third full season in the Majors, Adam Jones continues to take strides towards stardom. Though he needs to work on his plate discipline, Jones currently boasts 17 home runs with a .282 average.

PIRATES

Former Vanderbilt Commodore Pedro Alvarez had an ugly debut in June batting just .152 with 22 strikeouts in 14 games. The following month, Alvarez hit .255 and had his first seven career home runs in 25 games. This month, Alvarez is starting to put everything together. He is batting .318 with three homeruns and 11 RBI through 14 games.

ASTROS

Astros rookie Chris Johnson remains on a torrid pace, most recently collecting three hits, two runs and his sixth home run of the season on Sunday afternoon. His average now stands at .360 through 178 at bats this season.

TIGERS

Desperate for offense, the Tigers should turn to Ryan Rayburn, a utility player with 30 career home runs in 820 career at bats. Rayburn has belted home runs in three of his last four games and deserves an everyday gig.

WHITE SOX

On Sunday, Paul Konerko blasted his 29th home run of the season, his highest total since 2007 when he slammed 31 dingers. With a .302 average and 80 RBI, Konerko has easily surpassed expectations and with a quarter of the season yet to be played, Konerko has a shot at his career high of 41 home runs, set in 2004.

YANKEES

Alex Rodriguez’s three-homer barrage on Saturday improves his chances of extending a remarkable statistic. It’s been 12 years in a row that A-Rod has belted at least 30 home runs and driven in 100 RBI. While he only has 21 home runs this season, A-Rod already has 97 RBI.

ROYALS

The Royals pitcher that limited the Yankees to two hits over eight innings was none other than former first pick overall Bryan Bullington. The 29-year old had been 0-6 up to that start for four different Major League squads in 19 career appearances. Bullington earned the promotion to the Majors this season after an impressive run at Omaha for the Royals Triple-A affiliate. There he went 8-2 with a 2.82 ERA. The 6’4 right-hander also offered a quality start against the Angels, limiting them to three runs in six innings. No longer a prospect, Bullington’s value will be very limited, pitching for the hapless Kansas City Royals.

CARDINALS

With four home runs and 11 RBI over his last nine games, Albert Pujols is currently in one of his better streaks. He is now just 14 RBI shy of reaching 30 home runs with 100-plus RBI and a .300-plus average every season of his career. At 30-years-old, Pujols is already worthy of the Hall of Fame.

RANGERS

While Rich Harden was again placed on the DL, closer-turned-starter CJ Wilson was sensational in limiting the Red Sox to just one run and four hits en route to his 11th win of the season. After nabbing 38 saves over the last two seasons with a 7-8 record, Wilson is now 11-5 with a stellar 3.19 ERA through 24 starts this season.

RED SOX

As tempted as the Red Sox may be to switch the roles of Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard, there likely won’t be any major moves forthcoming. As much as Papelbon has struggled this season, he is just a save shy of becoming the first closer to commence his career with five straight 30-plus save seasons. His 3.20 ERA isn’t all that bad either, so they will certainly give him a shot at bouncing back from his sixth blown save of the season.

ROCKIES

Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart is riding an eight-game hit streak, most recently blasting his 17th home run on Sunday. At just 25-years-old, the former first round pick still has a shot at evolving into one of the better sluggers in the game.

BREWERS

Though he still strikes out a ton for a leadoff batter, Rickie Weeks has been a bright spot for the Brewers this season. He came a long ball shy of the cycle on Sunday with four hits, lifting his average to .278 this season. Weeks will likely evolve into a middle of the order hitter, as his 23 home runs and 25 doubles could be optimized with runners on base.

BLUE JAYS

It’s been a nice turnaround for Blue Jays slugging infielder Aaron Hill. At the All-Star break, Hill owned a .189 average and often hit seventh in the lineup. Since then, Hill has heated up with a .288 average with six home runs over his last 27 games.

ANGELS

Danny Haren has pitched well for the Angels since they’ve acquired him, but it has not translated into wins. In fact, Haren’s record is just 1-3 for the Angels this season despite a 3.44 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. The main issue has been a lack of run support, as the Angels have scored 12 runs in his five starts.

PADRES

Maybe a move to San Diego isn’t a career-killer for Ryan Ludwick. The former Cardinals outfielder seems to be doing just fine next to Adrian Gonzalez, instead of Albert Pujols. In 14 games with the Padres, Ludwick has three home runs and eight RBI along with a respectable .275 average. For his career, Ludwick is a .310 hitter at Petco Park with four home runs in 17 games played.

GIANTS

It is time to panic for Tim Lincecum’s fantasy managers. If you still have him on your roster, it will be nearly impossible to recoup all of his past value in a trade. The Giants ace got rocked by the Padres on Sunday, falling to 11-7 on the season with a 3.62 ERA. Lincecum has lost three games in a row and now has an ERA more than a run higher than the previous two seasons.

PHILLIES

Phillies closer Brad Lidge has been fantastic lately. He has not surrendered a run in his past 6.1 innings. During that stretch, Lidge’s ERA has fallen from 5.57 to 4.28. Lidge has successfully notched 10 of his 11 save opportunities since the All-Star break.

METS

Similar to popular Long Island, New York native Billy Joel, David Wright is a man of extremes. The star third baseman has six home runs, 29 RBI and a .404 average in June. Currently Wright is in an August swoon with no home runs, no RBI and a .114 average midway through the month. Aside from his rookie season, Wright had never before hit below .300 for a full season. His average currently sits at .287.