Sunday wasn't just about the All-Star rosters, there was actually some baseball played, so let's get after it…
Full Sunday scoreboard with box scores and recaps from all games
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Kip Wells, Padres: Kip Wells? Kip Wells. In his second start with the Padres, the 35-year-old right-hander threw seven shutout innings against the Rockies. Wells gave up six hits and two walks, while striking out two, picking up his first victory since 2009.
Travis Blackley, A's: Who? Blackey, a 29-year-old Australian lefty, got the better of Yu Darvish and the Rangers on Sunday, holding the high-powered Texas lineup to just one run. The A's claimed Blackley off of waivers in May, and since then he's 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA as an Athletic. Blackley was in the Giants' bullpen to start the season and pitched in four games before being put on waivers. After three relief appearances for the A's, he was moved to the rotation. Since then he's put up a 3.19 ERA. Blackley debuted in the big leagues as a 21-year-old for the Mariners in 2004, pitched in two games for the Giants in two games in 2007 and resurfaced in San Francisco this season.
Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals: It wasn't that long ago that everyone was asking what was wrong with Zimmerman -- no more. Zimmerman went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBI in Sunday's victory over the Braves. He has five multi-hit games in his last eight.
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Jay Bruce, Reds: The Cincinnati All-Star is a very good defensive right fielder, but he didn't appear to know exactly where he was on Angel Pagan's pop up in the bottom of the ninth. With the score tied and runners on first and second for the Giants with two outs, Bruce appeared to think he was closer to the wall than he really was. He jumped and missed the ball, allowing the winning run to score. After the game, Bruce said he was embarrassed and believed he deserved an error on the play, even though he wasn't charged with one.
Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra, Diamondbacks: While Bruce wasn't charged with an error, Arizona's Montero and Young were charged with errors on the game's last play. Tied in the ninth inning in Milwaukee, the Brewers' Carlos Gomez stole second and Montero's throw went into center field. Gomez went to third and Parra's throw went off Gomez's helmet and into the stands on the third-base side, allowing Gomez to walk in with the winning run.
Erik Bedard, Pirates: Sunday may have been Canada Day, but it wasn't one Canadian's day. The Pittsburgh left-hander lost his fifth consecutive road start, giving up five runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis. At PNC Park, Bedard is 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA, on the road he's 2-7 with a 6.59 ERA. During his five-game road losing streak, he has a 9.51 ERA.
I'm lovin' it: James McDonald didn't make the National League All-Star team, but he certainly had a case for a trip to Kansas City. McDonald, a 27-year-old right-hander, has put together an impressive first start, with a 7-3 record and a 2.44 ERA. McDonald has cut his walk rate drastically, while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. He also has a WHIP of 0.979. While he didn't hear his name on Sunday, with injuries, he could hear it soon. 7:05 p.m. ET
Surging fish: Before last Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, Miami had won just five games in the month of June and had two different six-game losing streaks. But the Marlins were able to salvage the final game of the series against St. Louis before sweeping the Phillies. The Marlins went 5-23 last June, but hope Sunday's win is the start of a July similar to the one the team put together in 2011, when they went 17-10. A tall task awaits Carlos Zambrano and the Marlins in Milwaukee, where Brewers starter Zack Greinke is 15-0 with a 2.47 ERA in his career. 8:10 p.m. ET
Stretching out: In his first four games back from the disabled list, Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA, but six of the 12 earned runs he's given up have come in the first inning. Because he was coming back from Tommy John surgery, Matsuzaka had shortened the time between his pregame warmup and the start of the game out of fear his elbow would tighten up. With four starts under his belt, he's going to stretch out his pregame routine in order to give himself a little more rest before the start of the game. 10:05 p.m. ET
Monday's probable pitchers
• Mr. Trout's wild ride: Mike Trout's season started in the minor leagues, but his next step is appearing in next week's All-Star Game. The ride has not only changed his life, but also the lives of his parents. [Los Angeles Times]
• Brewers looking for a shortstop: If the Brewers deal Zack Greinke, it's likely they'll be looking for a shortstop in return, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Perhaps they could get Alcides Escobar.
• Thanks for nothing: History often comes at the discretion of a guy you've never, ever heard of -- the official scorer. Al Saravevic of the San Francisco Chronicle writes about the position.
• Experiment results: The Rockies recently went with a four-man rotation. How's that working out? Through the first 10 games, the Rockies rotation has an ERA of 8.56. Their starters had an ERA of 6.28 through the first 65 games. It's a small sample size, sure, but you'd think there would have to be some success for them to stick with it. [Denver Post]
• Chicken Express Snow Monkey Night: Yep. It was Chicken Express Snow Monkey Night at Rangers Ballpark on Sunday. Really. Jim Reeves of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram has the story of the South Texas snow monkeys and Nolan Ryan's involvement.
• Party like it's 2002: With Dusty Baker and the Reds in town, the Giants honored the 2002 team that was just nine outs from the franchise's first World Series title. [San Jose Mercury News]
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