UP
Chien-Ming Wang pitched eight more shutout innings for the Yankees to win his fifth straight start Wednesday. Coming off a two-hitter last Friday for his first career shutout, Wang buzzed through the Blue Jays to run his scoreless streak to 18 innings.
UP
Snapping a three-game losing streak, Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny showed the form that led him to be the National League starter in the All-Star Game by holding the Reds to two runs and three hits for his first win since July 5 against Arizona.
UP
Mets closer Billy Wagner made up for his blown save Tuesday by escaping a similar situtation in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s win over the Marlins, although he needed 22 pitches to strike out the last three batters after giving up a single and hitting a batter.
THREE DOWN
DOWN
Giants catcher Mike Matheny has made little progress in his recovery from a concussion and won’t play again this season. After another series of tests last week, Matheny decided should spend the rest of the year recovering to reduce the risk of further damage.
DOWN
The Twins optioned right-hander Boof Bonser to Triple-A Rochester following another rough start in which he gave up seven runs in four innings in a loss to Texas. “I’ve got to go down and do my stuff down there and get back up here,” Bonser said.
DOWN
With a surplus of starting pitchers, the Mets decided to option out rookie right-hander Mike Pelfrey and keep John Maine in the rotation. The difference? Pelfrey was 2-1 with a 5.48 ERA, while Maine, though 1-2, hadn’t allowed a run in his last two starts.
