Around the Horn (6/13)

Yankees fans are still reeling from the memory of the Red Sox hitting 4 straight home runs against Chase Wright back in April. The reeling Mets will be thinking about John Maine's performance last night for a while. Facing the Dodgers, Maine gave up 3 straight home runs. To Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp and pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo. Kuo's HR was additionally irritating because of the manner in which Kuo flipped the bat away after hitting the ball. Mets skipper Willie Randolph noted it in his post game remarks.

Elijah Dukes won't be getting a good citizen award any time soon. The Devil Rays outfielder was recently in the news for a dispute with his ex-wife, that had him allegedly threatening the children teaches. Now a 17-year old foster child that lives with a friend of Dukes, has said she is pregnant with Dukes' child. When she told Dukes, with whom she says she had consensual sex with, he threw a cup of Gatorade in her face. The Devil Rays need to dump this bum while they can.

One Devil Ray player that is getting positive attention is veteran 1st Baseman Carlos Pena. Pena has built up a reputation over the years as a great glove, and he'll either hit a HR or strike out. After spending last season toiling in the Yankees minor league system and a short stint with the Red Sox, Pena signed a minor league deal with the D-Rays during the off-season. He seemed to be the same old Pena, hitting .194 on May 4th, but everything has changed since.
After last night's grand slam, 5 RBI game, Pena is now hitting .311-14-38 with a 1.055 OPS.

Oakland may be without closer Huston Street for a lot longer than originally anticipated. Street has already missed more than month with a nerve irritation in his elbow. He began throwing again last week, but has been shut down due to pain in the area. Angel's doc Lewis Yocum found no damage, but Street will be getting a second opinion.

Blue Jay's starter A.J. Burnett has had persistent arm woes and it cropped up again last night. Burnett had to leave in the 5th inning of a game with the Giants due to a strained shoulder. For now, the team is categorizing it as not serious.