How we voted for National League MVP:

Mike: 1) Kemp  2) Braun  3) Upton  4) Votto  5) Halladay

Griff:  1) Kemp  2) Braun  3) Upton  4) Votto  5) Tulowitzki

Dee:   1) Kemp  2) Braun  3) Votto  4) Upton  5) Halladay

Jim:    1) Kershaw  2) Kemp  3) Braun  4) Votto  5) Upton

Towel:  1) Braun  2) Kemp  3) Upton  4) Votto  5) Pujols

National League Stan Musial Award Final Vote:

1)    Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

2)    Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

3)    Justin Upton, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

4)    Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds

5)    Roy Halladay, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

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-  Who does Shelley Duncan think he is?  He must think he is the man he makes sure all bad things happen in 3’s.  Bad joke…maybe.  But bad defensive outfielder…not last night.

-  Why in the world was Clayton Kershaw ejected for that pitch the other night?  And I better not hear the argument that he was attempting to seek revenge on Parra, either.  That means that you are telling me one of the best pitchers in baseball, a Cy Young frontrunner if you will, wanted to hit a guy and couldn’t do it?  That’s crap.  And so was his ejection.

-  You know Joe Maddon is cooler than a New Mexico winter when he doesn’t mind playing tricks like this…in the middle of a chase for a playoff spot.  And to think, that was poor little Matt Moore making his MLB debut.  Was it the trick that gave up this shot though?

-  The Astros lose again. Weird.  At least Bud Norris made this play; otherwise it was just another day at the corral for Doc Halladay.  You know the kind, one where he goes the distance, throws a shutout, only issues one walk mixed in with a healthy helping of strikeouts, and makes it look easy.  Man that guy is good.   On a short aside, I am hoping the Astros lose every single game from here on out.  Might as well make history, right?

-  Is there any pitcher more frustrating than Ricky Nolasco right now?  His yo-yo season is down right confusing.  How can a guy with that good of stuff- and it is legit stuff- not be worth the dingleberries on his own ass for half his starts?

-  Here is an outstanding article from SBNation’s baseball blog Baseball Nation.  Make sure to waste some work time and read it.

Top 2: Paul Goldschmidt struck out swinging against Clayton Kershaw

Top 4: called out on strikes against Kershaw

Top 7: struck out swinging against Josh Lindblom

Top 9: struck out swinging against Kenley Jansen

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Playing in his 38^th game since being called up by the Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt tallied his second golden sombrero of the season against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.  One would have thought that Kershaw’s ejection might have prevented his sombrero, especially considering that Goldschmidt fanned in both of his at-bats against the southpaw.  But the big man stayed true to his power-hitting form, fanning in his final two at-bats to finish the job.  Be sure to check back for an awesome Paul Goldschmidt-inspired graphic when he makes his inevitable postseason debut in October. That’s the most I can divulge without totally giving it away – Dee and our friend Eat-A-Ton might know where I’m going with this.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 114

-       What a night for southpaws last night.  As predicted here yesterday, Wandy Rodriguez was masterful.  He struck out a career high 13 through seven-innings.  I’m glad the Astros kept him around, as he could be a solid No. 2 for years to come.

-       Did Cole Hamels forget that this was his first start back off the DL?  His breaker was Razor Ramon sharp last night.  It must be the most stress-free environment he has ever pitched in before, what with him being a No. 3 behind Doc and Cliff.

-       Another lefty, Clayton Kershaw looked brilliant (again) last night.  It’s hard to believe that this guy is only 23.  To put it in perspective, he is 6 months younger than my little sister (Big ups to my sister Blaire btw, who just recently became engaged and has the most beautiful 1 year old baby in the world) and is basically a veteran ace in his 4^th big league season.  NL Cy Young anybody?

-       Sticking with lefties, albeit from the NFL, how about Mike Vick?!  Only NFL player in history to sign two $100,000,000 contracts.  I know this is a baseball blog, but I just had to show some proppers to the fellow southpaw.

-       Mark Teixeira made it 8 straight seasons of 30 HR and 100 RBI last night.  Is he the greatest switch hitter of all-time?  Not yet, but definitely the best of my generation.  If he can keep this up I see no reason why he won’t be the greatest.

-       While watching highlights of Carlos Santana hitting another bomb last, I had to listen to the sports anchors discuss whether or not Santana should stay behind the dish or not.  First, I hate listening to almost every sports anchor talk about things of this nature.  Not all, just most.  Secondly, it made me think about what baseball is turning into.  I understand the logic behind moving a strong hitter to a position that promotes longevity.  Heck, I’m not even sure if I’m against such a move.  It is something to think about though.

-       It’s always nice to have guys from other clubs make pitches to get you on their team; especially when that team is the Texas Rangers and you are from Texas.  But, c’mon C.J. Wilson, how do you think those comments made David Murphy feel?

-       Rough one for Timmy Jim.  Those Cubbies made him look like a jail cell bottom last night.  It’s OK though, Lincecum…it happens to everybody.