Some thoughts from Sunday's baseball action

* Jeremy Sowers usually tries to pitch like Greg Maddux -- albeit a lesser version -- but today, he seemed to be channeling Nolan Ryan or Bob Feller. He struck out eight guys and walked seven in just four innings. I'm not sure what to make of that. As far as I noticed, Sowers didn't get above 92 on the radar gun. Sometimes in baseball, things happen that you just can't explain.

* The Indians' four-game sweep of the Rays, completed with today's 5-2 win, knocked Tampa Bay out of first place in the AL East, where they are now half a game behind the Red Sox. I'm always glad to see the Tribe playing well, but I'm sorry to see the Rays fall into second place.

* Andy Marte hit his first home run of the season, among his two hits. That lifted his average to .177 on the year. Mark Shapiro regrets giving up on Brandon Phillips too soon, and doesn't want to make the same mistake with Marte. That's fine; this is a lost season anyway. Give him his shot, and if he ends the season with similarly anemic numbers, get him out of here.

* Gretchen Wilson won ESPN's silly little competition for the best version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." She did a credible job, but like almost everyone who competed, she sang "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks." The product is called Cracker Jack, not Cracker Jacks, and the original lyrics reflected this fact. Also, like most of the participants, she sang "'Cause it's one, two, three strikes ..." when the original lyrics are "For it's one, two, three strikes ..." I realize these are small differences, but I'm an editor by trade, and such things bother me. It's a dumb song, but it's a baseball tradition, and I think it should be sung correctly.

* Speaking of ESPN, they had the great Rod Carew as a guest on "Baseball Tonight" at 12:30 and 7. Carew was asked whether he had ever been part of a team that got no-hit, and he correctly remembered that Vida Blue had once no-hit his Twins. But Carew said it was a perfect game; it was not. Blue walked Harmon Killebrew in that game. All right, I'll stop nitpicking now. Carew had some very interesting things to say about his bunting and base-stealing methods, and I enjoyed hearing it.

* CC Sabathia hit his second home run of the season today, and it was key to his team's 3-2 victory. He also pitched a complete game. I wish him well, even though I have a bias against Bud Selig's Brewers.

* Matt LaPorta, the main guy we got for CC, went one-for-three with a walk in the Futures Game, playing for the U.S. against the rest of the world. The one hit was a seeing-eye single, but whatever. One game means very little. In any case, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick takes an interesting look at how the trade has elevated LaPorta's profile.