Today’s look shows a guy pitching his way out of a guaranteed $24 million, a hitter chasing 40-40, BABIP explaining a hot reliever and a cold starter, a reminder to not chase saves on draft day and lots more.

Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek had a double, a homer, and two RBIs.  It’s been a disappointing season at the plate for Varitek but he remains a fan favorite.  The fan base has an irrational belief that if the rest of the Sox can bring the team to the playoffs then Varitek will redeem himself when it matters most.  It’s hard to argue with this line of thinking after what they witnessed J.D. Drew do last year.

Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore had two hits, a homer, two runs and three RBIs.  Sizemore still has an outside shot to go 40-40 this year.  Currently, he’s on pace for 37 home runs and 40 stolen bases.  The Indians dismal season has taken a lot of the luster off Sizemore’s season but he still should have a solid showing in the MVP race.

Phillies closer Brad Lidge struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 31^st save of the season.  Philadelphia fans can point to a bunch of things not going their way in 2008, but the performance of Lidge has not been one of them. Prior to the season if I told you that Lidge would have allowed just two home runs in 52.1 innings, you would have signed on the dotted line.  The 2.10 ERA and the .197 batting-average against were sure to follow from that first one.

Blue Jays pitcher A.J. Burnett fanned 13 batters and gave up one run in eight innings to pick up the win.  Burnett has two years at $12 million per left on his contract but can opt out following this season.  A-Rod was able to get more money by opting out so it’s not unreasonable to assume Burnett could, too.  It could be a fascinating free agent year for pitchers if everyone enters the market.

Mets outfielder Nick Evans went 2-for-3 with a walk with both hits coming against lefty Jo-Jo Reyes.  This year versus southpaws, Evans is hitting .349 in 43 at-bats in the majors after hitting lefties for a .366 average in 93 at-bats in Double-A this season.  It’s tough to be on the short side of a platoon, but anyone who can hit lefties like that will always have a job in the majors.

Rays reliever Dan Wheeler fanned two in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his seventh save of the season.  For the year, Wheeler’s velocity is down, his strikeouts are down and his walks are up.  Yet he’s enjoying one of the finest seasons in his career thanks to a .192 BABIP.  His FIP is 4.39 while his ERA is 2.55 in 54 innings pitched.

Astros pitcher Brian Moehler allowed one earned run in 5.1 innings to send Houston to its 17^th victory in the last 23 games.  Moehler has won his last five decisions and the Astros are 7-1 in that stretch when Scruffy takes the mound.

Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce homered twice and drove in four runs.  Joyce filled in nicely when Magglio Ordonez was on the disabled list but now he’s struggling to find playing time.  Still, he has 12 home runs in 174 at-bats and a fine .276/.335/.580 line as a rookie.

Cubs pitcher Rich Harden hurled seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out 10 batters.  Only once in seven outings with Chicago has Harden allowed more than one run.  In that span, which covers 52 innings pitched, Harden has fanned 59 batters and allowed just 26 hits.

Twins third baseman Brian Buscher had three hits, a homer, two runs and five RBIs.  The Twins are doing a good job of having Buscher face righties, and he has a .352 average in 128 at-bats against them.

White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome had a double, a homer, two runs scored and a walk.  Thome’s been a great player for a long time but seems to be one of the most unappreciated players of this era.  His top 10 comps on baseball-refrerence.com show three Hall of Famers, two more likely Hall members in Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas and one more in Mark McGwire who would already be in except for extenuating circumstances.  Even the non-Hall guys are Carlos Delgado and Fred McGriff.

Pirates starter Ian Snell hurled seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.  It was the third straight quality start for Snell, but his first win in his recent hot streak.  Overall, Snell has a .368 BABIP as he’s given up line drives in 24.5 percent of his at-bats.  Combine that with five walks per nine innings and his season starts making a lot of sense.

Diamondbacks reliever Tony Pena got the last two outs of the ninth inning to pick up his second save of the year.  A trendy pick before the year began to end up as Arizona’s closer, Pena may not even be second in line now that the club has acquired Jon Rauch.  Reason number 88,888 why it’s a bad idea to chase saves on draft day.

Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday had four hits, a double, homer and two runs scored.  Much has been made over Holliday’s Coors Field-inflated numbers over the years.  In 2008 he’s batting .305/.402/.492 away from home.  Of course, that pales in comparison to the .369/.450/.667 line at Coors, but we’re trying to be positive here.

Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco pitched a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to notch the first complete game for a Marlins pitcher in 301 games, a major league record for the longest stretch between complete games.  There was some analyst on some roundtable who touted Nolasco as a pitcher who didn’t make the All-Star game as one to watch in the second half.  I just wish I could remember his name.  And don’t rain on my parade by pointing out that he already has three losses in the second half.