Top 2: Raul Ibanez struck out swinging against Yovani Gallardo

Top 4: struck out swinging against Gallardo

Top 6: struck out swinging against Gallardo

Top 9: struck out swinging against John Axford

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Ibanez added to his impressive -1.1 fWAR on Sunday when he collected his first golden sombrero of the season against the Brew Crew.  In defense of the 39-year-old (wow), Gallardo was absolutely nasty on Sunday as he fanned 12 over seven innings.  For those of you who didn’t realize he was that old, then get this: the Seattle Mariners drafted Ibanez in the 36th round of the 1992 draft

Total 2011 Sombreros: 113

Top 2: Chris Davis called out on strikes against A.J. Burnett

Top 3: struck out swinging against Burnett

Top 5: struck out swinging against Burnett

Top 8: called out on strikes against David Robertson

Top 10: struck out swinging against Hector Noesi

Top 11: grounded out to second against Noesi

Final Line: 0-for-6, 5 K, 7 LOB

Notes: Normally I’d take some time to enjoy Reynolds’ golden sombrero, especially after it took 139 games to happen.  However, the incredibly rare platinum sombrero always trumps a golden, and on Wednesday Chris Davis entered elite terroitory.  Hitting sixth in the Orioles’ lineup, just two spots behind Reynolds, Davis had a day to remember (or forget if you’re him) at the dish.  In six at-bats in the 11-inning contest, the recent import fanned five times to secure the first platinum sombrero of the 2011 season.  He even had a chance for a sixth strikeout in the 11^th inning, but somehow managed to weakly ground out to the right side and spare himself the agony.

But seriously, it’s hard to have a worse day at the plate than Davis did on Wednesday.  He saw a total of 20 pitches (Burnett 11; Robertson 3; Noesi 6) over six at-bats. I guess 20 pitches might be acceptable for a player with a high contact percentage or average on balls put in play, but definitely not Davis.  It also just adds to insult that he was down in the count—either 1-2 or 0-2—in every at-bat.

Top 1: Mark Reynolds struck out swinging against A.J. Burnett

Top 3: called out on strikes against Burnett

Top 5: reached on error by Eduardo Nunez against Burnett

Top 7: struck out swinging against Luis Ayala

Top 9: called out on strikes against Rafael Soriano

Top 11: singled home the go-ahead run against Hector Noesi

Final Line: 1-for-6, RBI, 4 K

Notes: It’s about damn time. On Wednesday afternoon, Reynolds collected his first golden sombrero of the 2011 season in Baltimore’s 11-inning victory over the New York Yankees.  With the feat already in the books and the game on the line, Reynolds came through in the clutch with an RBI-single in the 11^th inning that gave the Orioles a 5-4 lead.  I’m actually pretty irritated that it took 139 games; his 31.4% strikeout rate, 27.41% Z-Swing% (percentage of pitches swung at outside the strike zone), and 48.4% O-Contact% (percentage of times a batter makes contact with the ball when swinging at pitches thrown outside the strike zone) suggest it should have happened a long, long time ago.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 110

Bottom 1: Kelly Johnson struck out swinging against Tim Wakefield

Bottom 3: struck out swinging against Wakefield

Bottom 6: struck out swinging against Franklin Morales

Bottom 7: grounded out to first against Daniel Bard

Bottom 8: struck out swinging against Matt Albers

Final Line: 0-for-5, 4 K

Notes: With players like Adam Dunn, Ryan Howard and Mark Reynolds playing nearly everyday—well, I guess not so much Dunn these days—it’s hard to believe that Kelly Johnson is now tied for the league lead in golden sombreros.  Tied with Adam Dunn and Grady Sizemore with three, Johnson’s latest achievement came against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.  The second baseman’s strikeout rate sits at a career-high 27.6% and his OPS is down over 150-points.  And after this season, it’ll be interesting to see if Johnson will be factored into their long-term plan. (The same can be said regarding the Diamondbacks and Aaron Hill.)

Total 2011 Sombreros: 109

–  Nyjer Morgan is exciting.  His defensive prowess in the outfield is absolutely fun to watch.  He brings a competitive nature to the game that should be lost on no man.  However, with that said, I wish Albert Pujols would have continued past the mound and cold-clocked Morgan right in his jaw last night.  C’mon Nyjer, there was no reason to get all butt-hurt over that AB last night.

–  It would appear that that Ian Kinsler just can’t help but lay lumber right now. (7 HR’s in his last 7 games.) I am proud to call him a fellow Central Arizona College Alum…ride Vaqueros, ride!

–  Is there anyone out there that can overtake Ben Revere’s over-the-shoulder masterpiece for play of the year?  Of course not.  So I ask you, which catch is better?  That one- or this one?

–  What is up with fans reaching over into the field of play on homeruns? I get it on foul balls, but really people? Don’t screw up a ball in fair territory folks.  It just makes you look bad.

–  Speaking of balls leaving the yard…heads up, pal!

–  A.J. Burnett sure is working hard to make his case for sticking in the Yanks starting rotation with amazing efforts like this.

–  If the criteria for voting on the MVP are so vague, why not just give the award to the player who accumulates the highest WAR at season’s end?  Are wins not the most valued outcome in all of baseball?

–  Did you know that Jeff “Frenchy” Francoeur is tied (with Ben “The Zorilla” Zobrist) for the most doubles in the AL?  Me neither.  To put the cherry on top of an excellently resurgent season, Frenchy turned back the clock to the first year of playing baseball on 90’ bases with this play.