Happy Father’s Day, all you dads, grand-dads, uncles & big brothers.

@Padres 4, D-backs 1: The Pads wanted the sweep, the 6-win streak and the good side of .500, but the last game of this series would be the hardest. The Snakes scratched in the 3rd on Ian Kennedy‘s hit, but Will Venable parked one in the home half, and there things stayed into the 8th. Clayton Richard had his game of the year, holding Goldschmidt and Parra hitless with a DP each, the latter ending the 8th and Richard’s day. Everth Cabrera singled with one out in the home half, his 3rd hit of the afternoon lifting his BA to .305. A steal seemed imminent, but David Hernandez is hard to run on; just 6 have tried in the last 3 years. And Miguel Montero had caught Cabrera in the 1st.

So the second out went down with Cabrera still on 1st. But a walk pushed him up; now any hit would score him. The count reached 1-and-2 on Kyle Blanks, and Hernandez tried to put a slider away. But he missed, and Blanks didn’t; and San Diego closed out to sweep the West leaders, after doing the same to Atlanta. Two games separate the 4 NL West contenders.

• Everth Cabrera came in with a 126 OPS+ and 2.9 WAR, not keeping to the tradition of Enzo Hernandez and Garry Templeton. Here are all the 4-WAR seasons by a Padres shortstop: Ozzie Smith, 1980 (5.0 WAR). And here are all the qualified seasons with OPS+ at least 115 by SD shortstops: __. Since 1969, there have been 199 four-WAR years by shortstops (75 different players), and 105 with OPS+ 115 or better (43 players). By the way, Cabrera now has a .382 OBP; the record for a Padres SS is .349. He’s on a pace to shatter their SS record for both hits and walks.
• I’d like to think that Papas Blanks and Venable were in the stands today.

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@Indians 2, Nationals 0: Strasburg returned from the DL, but he took a back seat to Corey Kluber, who logged his first scoreless win and his 2nd straight W with 8 IP. His big moment: 0-0 in the 4th, 3rd-and-1st with no outs after a fielder’s error. Kluber fanned Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond. He got escape-artist DPs in the 6th with 2 on and the 7th with bags full, preserving a 1-0 lead.

Strasburg allowed just 1 hit, but he walked 4, and one of them was Jason Kipnis, who then stole and scored. Kipnis was on 3 times and drove in the safety run with a sac fly in the 8th.

• Maybe I’ve looked at too many box scores … Kluber’s pitching line — 8 IP, 7 hits, no runs, no walks, 8 strikeouts — struck me as very unusual. Yep, that’s a first in searchable history (since 1916). As to why: (a) For most of MLB history, a pitcher never came out of the game with a shutout and a lead. About 80% of all games of 8 IP, no runs and a win happened in the last 30 years. (b) 7 hits in 8 innings would usually add up to a run, even with no walks. (c) 8 strikeouts and no walks is itself rather uncommon.

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@Reds 5, Brewers 1: Carlos Gomez homered in the top of the 1st, followed by a Lucroy double, but thus endeth Milwaukee’s highlights, as they didn’t get another man to 2nd until the 7th. Cincy tied in the 2nd on Cueto‘s squeeze, the 3rd of his career, and went ahead the next inning on two more advancing outs. Cueto was good, but coming back from a 2nd DL stint, he wasn’t pushed hard by his skipper; he left for a PH in the home 6th, and Donald Lutz delivered a 2-run single on a 2-and-0 count. Alfredo Simon handled the rest, fanning 6 in a 3-inning save.

• Cincy’s rotation has the most innings and the fewest walks in the NL. (Not unrelated.)
• Simon has 2 of the 5 relief games this year with 6+ Ks in 3 innings or less. He’s not a high-K reliever, averaging 7.8 SO/9 since 2012.
• Reds pinch-hitters are hitting .290 with an MLB-high 21 RBI.
• Aramis Ramirez was out of the lineup; he must be ailing, because he has hammered Cueto in the past. Ramirez hasn’t homered in 22 games since slugging 2 on May 17, though he hasn’t been totally unproductive in that stretch, with a .352 OBP and 12 runs. He has a history of heating up with the weather (.784 OPS in April-May, .874 thereafter), but with Braun hitting the DL, the time is now for one of his scorching months.
• Wily Peralta was unable to extend the Crew’s run of 6 straight quality starts, touched for 5 runs in 5.1 IP. Wily’s allowed at least 2 runs in all 15 starts this year, the longest such streak by a Brewer since Braden Looper‘s 2009 swan-song, and his 6.08 ERA would be the highest for a qualified Brewer. Now in his 2nd season, Peralta’s 5.1 SO/9 is well short of the 9.3 he averaged in 33 starts at AAA.

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@Mets 4, Cubs 3: Apparently, I should set myself on fire more often. The Mets did nothing right for 8 innings, to put it kindly, and most of the crowd was already on the subway or in traffic by the time Jim Riggleman Dale Sveum presented their Father’s Day gift, in the form of Carlos Marmol trying to close out a 3-0 lead. He did get one out, officially — a sacrifice — but by the time Kirk Nieuwenhuis came up as the winning run, everyone knew that Carlos couldn’t get the slider over, and that his fastball was meaty.

• It was the first walk-off HR when trailing by 2+ runs in MLB since Chipper slammed Papelbon last September, and the first by a Met since Bobby Bo schooled Rob Dibble in 1992. The full Mets list of such HRs: Niewenhuis, Bonilla, George Foster, Steve Henderson, Tim Harkness (the only slam), Duke Snider, and, yes, The Marvelous One.
• The last such HR against the Cubs came in 2011, and if you can’t guess who gave up that slam, you haven’t been reading these pages for long.

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@Marlins 7, Cardinals 2: Or, “How the Ricky Nolasco Sweepstakes Really Got Rolling.” The free-agent-to-be held the top lineup to 3 singles and a walk over 7 innings, trimming his ERA to 3.61 for the year and 2.61 in his last 6 starts, averaging 7 IP in that span. The Fish took 2 of 3, their first non-Mets series win, but the sculpture was unmoved.

• 2 RBI apiece for Placido Polanco and Juan Pierre, who came in with 13 RBIs combined in 461 PAs.

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@Pirates 6, Dodgers 3: As in his debut, Gerrit Cole didn’t beat himself — no walks in 12 IP combined — and there was little chance his foes would do the honors. Cole let slip an early 2-0 lead, but Pedro Alvarez had his back in the 5th, timing a Greinke bender and imparting some hang time of his own. That capped a 2-out lightning rally, and when you see Zack’s mad face as he waits out the landing, you know he’s cursing the preceding pass to Neil Walker. LA got in range the next inning; but just as the ball will find the shaky glove you tried to hide, the bags-full chance found Luis Cruz. And while watching might well have been his wisest course, the umpire rung him up to end the threat and set the boulder rolling south.

• Not to keep bringing up the Bucs’ last winning season, but … Cole is the first Pirate since Tim Wakefield (1992) to win his first 2 career starts.
• First HR worth 3 points or more by Alvarez this year; last year 8 of his 30 did the trick. Pittsburgh was tied for last in the majors with 3 big-money bombs.
• Infield hit, steal, two groundouts: a Puig run. In his next 2 trips, the fleet rookie beat out another GB-6, facilitating their 2nd run, then lined a hit through the middle. Finally, he fouled off 5 two-strike pitches before succumbing to Mark Melancon to end the 8th. Puig has 6 infield hits in 13 games.
• PNC Park was nearly full all weekend as the Bucs copped 2 of 3, their biggest crowds since Opening Day. And about damn time.

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@Orioles 6, Red Sox 3: The Sox were thinking split with Jon Lester on the hill, 14-1, 2.63 career against the O’s. But Miguel Gonzalez had his own little success against Boston, two wins down the stretch last year in his only chances. And where Gonzalez brushed aside a 2-out threat in the top of the 3rd (with a big right-side assist), Lester couldn’t follow suit. Adam Jones doubled for one, and Chris Davis shook off his prior 0-for-14 off Lester with an exclamation point for his 100th career HR, and 23rd this year. Gonzalez kept the Sox in the drawer until the 7th, and when Will Middlebrooks made a little noise, the O’s put a quick brick back in the wall to make smooth sailing in the 9th.

• Not that they had any worries about Jim Johnson: Since becoming closer in 2011, he’s 16 for 17 in save tries against Boston, allowing 5 hits and no walks in 19 IP. He’s now cashed 10 straight since his 2-week bad spell.
• No special day for Big Papi, who went 0-4 and made no impact on the series.
• Lester started hot — 6-0, 2.72 through 9 games — but that hid a bit of luck and a K rate not up to his best years. In his last 6 starts, the breaks have gone the other way: 29 runs in 35 innings, 0-4 record.
• Lester’s line today — 5 IP, 9 hits, 5 runs, no walks, 8 Ks — has happened just once before.

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Royals 5, @Rays 3: I’m scratching my head over this one: Tied in the top of the 6th, Royals have a man on 2nd and 2 outs for Jeff Francoeur — and Tampa gives him four wide ones? So 9th hitter Alcides Escobar singles for a run, and Alex Gordon singles for another. Francoeur had homered earlier, his 3rd of the year, and 2nd in 13 times up against Roberto Hernandez. But here’s my thinking that ends in hating that walk:

1. Your top concern there is a base hit, and on that count, I can’t see any reason to prefer facing Escobar (.262 BA career, .240 this year, .257 career vs. RHP) over Francoeur (.264 career, .212 this year, .255 career vs. RHP).
2. If you go after Francoeur and don’t get him, maybe a run scores, but then you still get to face a bad hitter in Escobar. But if you walk Francoeur and then don’t get Escobar, the lineup turns over and now you’re pitching to Gordon with men on. And Gordon is the one guy I don’t want Hernandez to face in that inning: before the hit, he was 15 for 32 lifetime, with walks and power.
3. The only way I’m having Roberto Hernandez pass anyone, tied in the 6th inning, would be to set up a DP. Or if he’s coming out right after.

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Blue Jays 7, @Rangers 2: RHB J.P. Arencibia hit his first HR off a southpaw this year (14th in all), Adam Lind banged a 3-run shot while raising his average to .350, and Chien-Ming Wang tossed 7 scoreless innings for the first time since April 27, 2008. Toronto swept the 4-game set, holding the Rangers to 4 runs total, and reached their highest point since April 24, 4 games under .500. Texas lost their 6th straight at home and fell 3 games back in the West.

• I don’t know how many 4-game series Toronto’s ever played in Texas, but this was their first such sweep. They did sweep a trio there in April 2008, another in April ’85.
• When Wang last went 7 shutout innings, he was then 5-0 on the year, and 51-18 in his career. Six weeks later, he injured his foot running the bases. He had 7 wins in the next 4 seasons; this was his first as a starter in over a year.
• Since May 17, the Rangers are 11-17, losing 10 games in the standings. They’ve scored 2 or less in 6 straight home games for the 2nd time in Texas history, and one shy of the franchise record set in 1976.
• It might have been the first time the Rangers/Senators II were held to 1 run or less in 4 straight home games by one team. But 3 walks in the 9th (with a 7-0 lead!) produced 2 runs.

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@Rockies 5, Phillies 2: Jhoulys Chacin was on the verge of a 4-hit shutout before a flyball landed behind a leaping Michael Cuddyer on the RF track. He has the worst defensive WAR of any outfielder since 2006, when he moved there full-time. But the Rox will love him if he keeps that OPS around 1.000.

• Cole Hamels hasn’t pitched up to his usual standard, but he’s done best when runs were scarce. In 8 starts backed by 0 to 2 runs, he’s averaged about 7 IP with a 2.87 ERA. That’s gotten him an 0-6 record.

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Yankees 6, @Angels 5: The bottom of the 9th began with Sabathia cruising towards a shutout, his first since 2011. But two reached quickly, CC left, and soon Mo was coming in for a quote-save-unquote, the bases full but the tying run still in the circle. The inning’s second out came easily. Then came a dink, a dunk, a doink, and then Mike Trout (who started it all with a double) stood in with the leveler on 2nd. He walked; I could have sworn I saw a change-up for ball 2. And so strode Albert to the dish, for just the third meeting of these future Hall of Famers. A hit might bring a win, just his second walk-off as an Angel.

But it was not to be. Mo aimed inside, hit the glove and got the call; strike one. Next pitch, same spot, and Albert fouled it off. The balance tilted; in all his years, Rivera’s allowed just one winning hit on an 0-2 count, and Pujols has never walked off on that count. The third came further in, and up, and Albert couldn’t stop in time: strike three, game over, and New York’s 5-game skid with it. They come home to host Donnie Baseball on Tuesday.

• The first Rivera/Pujols matchup was 10 Father’s Days ago, 54,000 in the old Bronx ballyard, and Mariano made an impression with his first pitch — plunking Albert to start the 9th, before getting 3 outs with his next 2 pitches. It’s the only 3-pitch, 1-inning game of Mo’s career. The other was in 2005, no tension with a 5-run Yankee lead; Albert fouled out on a full count.
• Two walks in the big 9th inning, by Sabathia and Robertson, long before the tying run came up.

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@Athletics 10, Mariners 2: Hisashi Iwakuma issued 3 walks in 5 IP, all to John Jaso. The third one hurt him, leading off the 5th; Oakland scored twice to take the lead for good. Then they toasted the relief with longballs, and Iwakuma’s work seemed moot. Bartolo Colon is 9-2, 2.89, and the Oakland A’s are 3 games up in the West, tied for the AL’s best record.

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Non-game notes (stats thru Saturday):

The Mariners have two starting pitchers with ace results thus far, Felix Hernandez (2.32 ERA, 158 ERA+ in 105 IP) and Hisashi Iwakuma (1.79 ERA, 205 ERA+ in 95 IP). Only the Cardinals can match 2 qualified pitchers with ERA+ at least 150. St. Louis is 44-24; Seattle is 31-38.

From 1969 through last year, out of 14 teams with 2 or more qualified pitchers with ERA+ at least 150, just one had a losing record:

• 2002 Red Sox, 93-69 (3 such pitchers)
• 2011 Phillies, 102-60
• 2009 Cardinals, 91-71
• 2005 Astros, 89-73 (pennant)
• 2003 Diamondbacks, 84-78
• 2001 Diamondbacks, 92-70 (championship)
• 1998 Braves, 106-56
• 1997 Yankees, 96-66
• 1996 Blue Jays, 74-88 (but only 188 IP for Juan Guzman)
• 1988 Twins, 91-71
• 1981 Astros, 61-49 (projects to 90-72)
• 1974 Braves, 88-74
• 1969 Mets, 100-62 (championship)
• 1969 Cardinals, 87-75

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Six straight quality starts by the Brewers, including their only 3 scoreless starts this year. Yovani Gallardo has 2 straight scoreless outings, but is still looking for his strikeout pitch: He’s whiffed 19% of batters this year, far below his past career rate of 24%. He’s yet to reach 8 Ks in a game; he had 9 such games in each of the last 4 years.

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Here’s a 21-game stretch for a batter: .404 OBP, 4 HRs, 15 Runs, 14 RBI. Projected to 162 games, that would be 31 HRs, 116 Runs, 108 RBI. That’s the “slump” Miguel Cabrera has been in since my projection column. So, yeah, it was a little giddy to talk about 200 RBI, but he’s still having a spectacular year with the bat.