Beantown Brawl

Kevin Youkilis' scuffle with Detroit's Rick Porcello tonight will not go down as one of the all-time great mound-charges, but it does spark some fond memories of ill-advised visits to the hill (forgive me if the details of these recollections are a bit fuzzy):

• Indians manager Pat Corrales gets (single-punch) decked by A's pitcher Dave Stewart
• Young White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura takes a skull-beating from middle-aged Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan
• Three steps into his mound-sprint, Cincinnati's Paul Wilson gets steamrolled and pulverized by Cubs pitcher Kyle Farnsworth
• White Sox slugger George Bell swings at (and misses) Red Sox pitcher Aaron Sele a fraction of a second before getting tatooed by Boston's Mo Vaughn

Tip of the Cup. Boston's Mike Lowell, who was slated for a night off, replaced Youkilis and smacked two homers to help the Red Sox win. Abbreviated doffs to Florida's Dan Uggla (game-winning hit in 11th) and the Dodgers' Matt Kemp, whose clutch hitting the past two nights have helped silence the normally boisterous Giants' faithful.

50-50 BS. That's right. Half the save situations (five of 10) Tuesday were blown, including the seventh BS of the season by Philadelphia's Brad Lidge, who last year was 41-for-41. Here are the other four: Jesse Carlson, Blue Jays (3); David Aardsma, Mariners (3); Jeff Fulchino, Astros (2); Leo Nunez, Marlins (4).