ESPN BASEBALL

• Craig Brown writes about Mike Mussina's renaissance, and notes (among other things) that Mussina's walk rate this season is the best of his career … and of course it's always been pretty good. What I love about Mussina's season is that most of us -- yes, me included -- basically wrote him off after last season. This game will always surprise you.

• It's often said that closers, or at least some closers, just don't pitch as well in non-save situations. I've never seen a comprehensive study of the issue (actually, I probably have, but if so I've forgotten the results). One thing we do know: As David Pinto points out, Mariano Rivera has pitched a lot better in save situations.

• Brandon Webb practically locked up his second Cy Young Award yesterday, right? He's now 17-4 with a 2.88 ERA. Aaron Cook's No. 2 in the National League with 14 wins, and his ERA is a run higher. For Webb to lose the Cy Young, he'd have to slump and somebody -- oddly enough, Ryan Dempster seems like the best candidate -- would have to finish in a rush. Meanwhile, after eight shutout innings yesterday, Cliff Lee's record is even better: 16-2, 2.45. But Lee's not quite in the clear yet, as Joe Saunders (14-5, 3.07) is still sort of within striking distance.

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