Well, Kansas City might be a bottom-dwelling team, but even the worst teams in baseball win about 40 percent of the time, so tonight's loss to the Royals isn't the end of the world. Hmmm, note that Milton's mysterious calf injury cleared up right after leaving the Chicago area. USS Mariner claims that "When Milton Bradley isn’t in the line-up, this offense stinks" but he was back tonight, so perhaps this offense just stinks. USS Mariner has some harsh words, so go there. I like to spread sweetness and light . . .

Meanwhile, Carlos Silva had a rough outing as he gives up 7 hits and 3 ER in 7 innings, getting a no-decision v. the Nationals. I was at the game, and a howling wind blowing in from the north/northeast (over the left field wall) made for a lot of interesting defense, as pop flies at the top of their arc just stopped dead and then sometimes went backwards. But the wind didn't save Silva from the barrage of homers that Fnarf predicts for him, as only 5 of his 21 outs were fly balls to outfielders (though one or two caught by the shortstop might've been to left field were it not for the wind). In fact, had Geovany Soto not run into a 9-2 double play in the second, Silva mighta gotten the win. Woulda coulda shoulda mighta—didn't.

Tomorrow, I hope to Liveslog the last few innings of the Mariners-Royals, depending on when I get out of a seminar at the Chicago History Museum. Meanwhile, on This Date in Baseball History:

1959 Yomiuri Giant Sadaharu Oh hits the first of his homers in Japan.

He would eventually hit 868, making him the true home run king of professional baseball. His autobiography, A Zen Way of Baseball, is a great baseball autobiography. Admittedly, that's a shitty genre, but still. His achievements helped legitimize the Japanese professional game in the eyes of parochial Americans, eventually leading to more player exchange between the two great baseball nations, and I hope that the day Ichiro is inducted into Cooperstown, Oh is in the audience. Or already in the Hall himself.