The Daily Closer: What's A Guy Got To Do To Get A $%&#&! Win Around Here?

Notes from a day in baseball:

• Forget About It Jake. It's Phoenix. There's such a thing as being too good, evidently. As Jake Peavy was literally striking out everyone in the Diamondbacks lineup on Wednesday — at one point fanning nine straight — karma was building against him at an equally alarming rate. No way would Fate let this game expire without taking a few cuts itself, and it did, against reliever Trevor Hoffman in the ninth. After Peavy had struck out 16 over seven innings, coming within one strike of tying Tom Seaver's major league record of 10 consecutive strikeouts, it all went for naught when Stephen Drew hit a two-out, two-run homer off Hoffman in the ninth to give Arizona a 3-2 win. But it was glorious while it lasted; Peavy striking out the side in the second, third and fourth innings, and missing his 10th straight when he walked Eric Byrnes on a 3-2 pitch after a check swing call by first base umpire Jeff Kellogg. And tough night for D-Backs Chris Young and Carlos Quentin, who struck out three times each. Arizona manager Bob Melvin wasn't around to see the end; he was ejected in the fifth for argiung balls and strikes.

• No Relief In Sight. Boston's Curt Schilling vs. Baltimore's Daniel Cabrera; who ya got? They gave up one run each, leaving it to the respective bullpens to decide things. And since the Orioles spent $42 million on theirs ( half of that on mustaches, we hear), they ended up winning, right? Um, Red Sox, 6-1.

• Here, Just Hit It. Now witness Colorado's Willy Taveras, who entered Wednesday's game against the Mets hitting .135. His average is now .259. A 5-for-5 day will do that. The Rockies had 20 hits in an 11-5 win.

• The Mariner Moose Is Talking Smack. Is Jarrod Washburn that good, or is Oakland that hobbled by injuries? Washburn threw a three-hit shutout in Seattle's 2-0 win.

• New This Season On Fox. Cliff Floyd and Derrek Lee. They're cops. Each had four hits in Chicago's 9-3 win over the Brewers, who lost starter Ben Sheets to a groin strain in the third inning. And the Cubs won in Wrigley, no less!