The wager - Justin Upton, Gio Gonzalez and 2014

Behind the scenes, there is already trash talk and side bets being placed for NEXT SEASON! I'll let you in on one of those side bets today. It's between Matt Patchell and Eric Brown and it has to do with pitcher Gio Gonzalez and outfielder Justin Upton.

In the run up to the trade deadline, Matt has been hawking Gonzalez and offered him to Eric for Upton. Eric declined. Now there is a side bet. Matt has bet a six-pack of good beer thatGonzalez will be ranked higher than Upton at the end of 2013. I'm the informal arbiter. Actually, BaseballMonster.com will be the informal arbiter.

So, while the battle for the final playoff berth rages this season, Matt and Eric have already placed a wager for next season. You have to love fantasy baseball.

Monday's Hitting Stats

It can be tough to stomach all the strikeouts, but placing Adam Dunn on the bench during a heated pennant race is probably a risky managerial move, as Carla found out last night. Dunn was the league's highest rated player, going 3 for 5 with a pair of solo homers and - get this - no strikeouts. Sonavabench!....Danny Espinosa was integral in the rout at AT&T Park last night, going 4 for 6 with a home run, three RBI, and three runs as the Mirrors took a commanding 7-1 lead over High Cheese...Shane Victorino is beginning to come alive for the Menehunes. Since his trade to LA, Victorino has struggled, but last night he went 2 for 4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored as the Menehunes built an early 9-0 lead over the Bulls...Speaking of the Bulls, they left Carlos Gomez on the bench last night and he went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI...Ryan Doumit is on a hot streak. He went 3 for 4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored last night as High Cheese tries to maintain the torrid offensive pace set by the Mirrors to begin the week.

Monday's Pitching Stats

Jeff Samardzija took advantage of a punchless Astros offense last night to become the highest ranked pitcher on the evening. Samardzija gave up one run over seven innings while striking out 11 batters and lifting the Lower Haighters to the second highest strikeout total for the evening...The Jersey Boys and the Menehunes were the only teams to earn two quality starts last night and Menehunes' pitcher Carlos Villanueva allowed just five hits over seven innings, giving up one run while striking out eight batters...While Espinosa was bashing at the plate for the Mirrors, Cole Hamels was tossing a nine inning shutout, striking out five, to give the West Division leaders an excellent start in the pitching ratios...It's not often a relief pitcher is one of the league's highest rated pitchers but Derek Lowe had an exceptional evening on Monday. Lowe, who was picked up by the Yankees and converted to relief, pitched FOUR innings of shutout ball to earn a save for the Fishes...Veteran hurler Jake Peavy has been the staff ace for the Machine and he showed why Monday. Peavy gave up two runs over eight innings while striking out six.

Updated Overall Stats

There were several ugly performances - both on the mound and at the plate - on Monday. Michael Fiers, who has been so good, was really bad for the Cys last night. He gave up nine hits and eight runs over two innings...It's safe to say Alejandro De Aza had a rough night at the plate for Twinkle Toes Monday. He went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts...Shin-Soo Choo struggled at the plate for the Machine, going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts...Another poor performance on the mound for a pitcher that has been fantastic this year belonged to Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong walked two, gave up nine hits and eight runs while lasting just 2.2 innings...The best think Erick Aybar did in four plate appearances for Give it a Yankee last night was draw a walk. He struck out in his other three trips.

Tuesday's Projected Starters

Historically, the Twins have hit Doug Fister hard. They are 29 for 86 with six doubles, a triple, and three home runs off Fister. Justin Morneau is 5 for 11 with a double and a home run while Ben Revere is 3 for 7...The Braves are 17 for 56 with six doubles off Clayton Richard. Jason Heyward is just 1 for 6 with a strikeout while Brian McCann is 5 for 7 with three doubles and four RBI...Jordan Zimmermann has dominated the Giants, giving up just 15 hits in 75 at bats with one double, one triple, one homer and 21 strikeouts. Angel Pagan is just 3 for 17 with five strikeouts while Hunter Pence is 3 for 11 with a home run...The Mets are just 12 for 58 with three doubles, a home run, and 17 strikeouts against Mat Latos. David Wright is 2 for 8 with a double and a home run while Ike Davis is 0 for 4 with a strikeout...Chad Billingsley has been successful against the Pirates, holding them to 15 hits in 65 at bats with six doubles and a home run. Neil Walker is just 1 for 9 with a double while Andrew McCutchen is 5 for 15 with two doubles...Josh Johnson has struck out (37) nearly as many Phillies as they have hits (38) in 163 at bats. Ryan Howard has seen Johnson well, going 10 for 33 with two doubles and three home runs while Chase Utley is 7 for 29 with seven strikeouts...The Indians are 32 for 118 with eight doubles, three triples, and a home run off Zack Greinke. Asdrubal Cabrera is 15 for 31 with three doubles and a triple while Shin-Soo Choo is 9 for 33 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 11 strikeouts...The White Sox are 12 for 51 with two doubles and two home runs off Henderson Alvarez. Alexei Ramirez is 0 for 6 with a strikeout while Dayan Viciedo is 1 for 6 with two strikeouts...The Yankees are 30 for 122 with four doubles, two triples, and two home runs off Matt Harrison. Robinson Cano is 3 for 12 with a triple while Curtis Granderson is 4 for 12 with two home runs...The Red Sox will be getting their second look at rookie Wei-Yin Chen. They went 6 for 23 with a double and a triple in the first meeting. Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 6 with a double...The Mariners are 10 for 35 with three doubles and a home run off rookie Matt Moore. Michael Saunders is 2 for 5 with a home run while Jesus Montero is 5 for 6 with a double...The Rangers are 12 for 48 with four doubles and a home run off Hiroki Kuroda. Elvis Andrus is 0 for 2 with a walk while Geovany Soto is 3 for 9 with three doubles...The Nationals are just 9 for 49 with two doubles and two homers off Madison Bumgarner. Michael Morse is 2 for 8 with a home run while Adam LaRoche is 1 for 9 with five strikeouts...The Cardinals are 15 for 64 with five doubles, two triples, and two home runs off Ian Kennedy. Carlos Beltran is 6 for 17 with a double, a triple, two home runs, and six RBI, while David Freese is 1 for 8 with a strikeout...The Angels are 17 for 66 with three doubles, a home run, and 13 strikeouts against Ubaldo Jimenez. Erick Aybar is 3 for 6 with an RBI while Albert Pujols is 5 for 17 with a double and five RBI...The Padres have had some success against Tim Hudson, going 23 for 78 with three doubles and five home runs. Cameron Maybin is 6 for 14 with a home run while Carlos Quentin is 3 for 6 with two home runs...The Orioles are 50 for 190 with eight doubles and seven home runs off Josh Beckett. Nick Markakis is 14 for 50 with four doubles, a home run and 14 strikeouts while Adam Jones is 11 for 38 with two doubles, a home run, and 13 strikeouts...Rookie Jarrod Parker will be facing the Royals for the first time in his career.