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5/5 John Gall hit a pinch-hit walk-off homer to lead off the bottom of the 11th, as the Astros beat the Pirates by a score of 7-6.

5/10 Dave Ross hit a 3-run homer and Grady Sizemore added a solo shot in support of Roy Oswalt as the Astros beat the Marlins 7-1.

5/11 Barry Zito tied a season high by giving up 10 hits over 8 innings, but made the big pitches when it mattered, allowing only one run in those eight innings. The Astros beat the Marlins 5-1.

5/19 C.C Sabathia pitched a spectacular game, allowing 4 hits and no runs over 8 innings while compiling 12 strikeouts. He finally got some offensive support, with the Astros scoring 16 runs to cruise to a 16-0 win.

5/29 C.C Sabathia pitched eight innings of 3 hit ball as the Astros beat the Brewers 4-1.

5/31 Eric Munson hit a solo shot in the ninth and Graham Koonce hit a pinch-hot solo shot in the tenth to help the Astros end the month of May with a win, 4-3.

We had a little bit of a slide this month, as we are now 28-23 and several games behind St. Louis.

Down on the Farm
• 1B Delmon Young – Delmon is still on fire. Thru 50 games, he is hitting .404 with 7 HR and an OBP of nearly .483. He is also improving his defense considerably, and is no longer a liability at 1st.
• 2B Lee Lamberton – Lee is still struggling, as he is batting .234, but he does have 10 home runs.
• CF Jordan Parraz – Jordan has cooled off a bit from last year. Thru the first 48 games, he is hitting a decent .328. He is still a huge prospect, and should take over the starting CF job from Mateo next season, or perhaps later this season. His OPS is sitting at 0.852.
• CL Chad Reinke – Chad is struggling in AAA, but he has a while to figure things out. I expect him to become a solid middle reliever, or perhaps even a closer.
• CL Juan Hirt – Juan is doing very well this year. So far, he has 10 saves and an ERA of 1.29. He has also struck out 26 in 12 innings.

Around the League

Awards:
AL Pitcher of the Month: Scott Kazmir (SEA), 4-0, 1.82 ERA
NL Pitcher of the Month: Chad Gaudin (PHI), 5-1, 1.13 ERA

AL Batter of the Month: Gabe Gross (TOR), .394 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI
NL Batter of the Month: Albert Pujols (STL), .373 AVG, 11 HR, 30 RBI

Performances:
5/9 Brian Stavisky (OAK) laces five hits
5/10 Anaheim has no chance in a 2-hitter by Bear Bay (CLE)
5/11 Hideki Matsui (NYY) gets 2000th hit
5/17 Josh Phelps (TB) on fire, laces five hits
5/18 Chad Gaudin (PHI) pitches his 1st shutout of the season
5/22 Josh Beckett (FLA) pitches 2-hit shutout against New York (A)
5/24 Jeff Housman (MIL) pitches 2-hit shutout against Pittsburgh
5/24 Edwin Jackson blanks Colorado with a 2-hitter
5/28 It's NO-NO time for T.J. Tucker (WAS) against Cincinnati
5/31 Bartolome Fortunato (NYN) blanks Chicago (N) with a 1-hitter

Injuries:
5/3 Oliver Perez (PIT), Pulled Tricep Muscle, Out 9 Weeks
5/9 Kelvim Escobar (PIT), Torn Bicep Muscle, Out for the Season
5/21 Trevor Hutchinson (FLA), Bone Chips in his Elbow, Out 6-7 Weeks
5/31 Ambiorix Burgos (TB), Ruptured Elbow Ligament, Out 7 Weeks

Notable Transactions:
Trade between Kansas City and Washington :
Washington gets: 3B Greg Dobbs
Kansas City gets: RF Milton Bradley, P Bernie Delao

Trade between Detroit and San Diego :
San Diego gets: SS Chris Maples
Detroit gets: 2B Josh Barfield, P Scott Chesley

Trade between Atlanta and Washington :
Washington gets: 1B Adam LaRoche
Atlanta gets: SS Ian Desmond, P Louis Guardado