What do Mike Cameron and Jordan Schafer have in common? Well, yes, both are outfielders. But both also have been suspended for violating baseball's drug policy.

Cameron is an established big leaguer with 200+ home runs and three Gold Gloves to his credit. He was nailed at the end of last season while with the San Diego Padres for testing positive for a “banned stimulant,” which resulted in a 25-game suspension to start 2008.

Cameron returned to the playing field Tuesday in fine fashion, going 3-for-5 for his new team, the Milwaukee Brewers. He also had a few words to say about — well, we're not quite sure:

That's personal and it was all wrong in the first place. You
guys got some bad information — or bad information was distributed — and I'm
going to leave it at that. I'm so tired of talking about it. Every time I see my
name there, it's always “that guy.” … It's over and done with.

I can't really parse most of this, but here are some key phrases to consider:

• it was all wrong in the first place
• you guys got some bad information
• I'm so tired of talking about it
• it's over and done with

Now we turn to Schafer, a top prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization. Schafer will miss this season's first 50 games because of a suspension for the use of human growth hormone. Here's some of what he has to say about his situation:

It's not what it seems. It's different, but I really
can't comment. I have to just let people think (what they will) and
move on, and people will see by the way I play when I come back it was
nothing like that. I'm the same player I've always been. It has nothing
to do with any of that.

And the bullet points:

• it's not what it seems
• I have to move on
• it has nothing to do with any of that

First off, that's pretty nice work from the rookie. He says mostly the same things that Cameron does, only without the sense of entitlement that a multi-million dollar contract brings.

Second, what if there's some truth in what these guys are saying? What if “it was all wrong in the first place” or “it's not what it seems” are reasonable representations of reality? I'm not claiming to have inside information here, I'm just engaging in a little thought experiment.

If guys are getting suspended in situations where maybe they shouldn't be, then what? Is this the price we're willing to pay to keep folks comfortable in the belief that somehow the children are being saved from steroids? In other words, is it more acceptable to drag a few players under the proverbial bus in the name of The Cause than to let folks slide like they have for the past however many years?

These aren't easy questions. I don't have the answers. Do you?

The Toronto Blue Jays wasted yet another excellent outing
from starting pitcher Roy Halladay. The right-hander pitched a complete game
and didn’t allow a run until the ninth inning. Unfortunately, his team scored
no runs in support of him and they lost 1-0. Halladay pitched a complete game:
8 and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and one walk, and struck out six.
The only run he allowed came in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kevin
Youkilis singled to center to score David Ortiz from second base.

That was the fourth straight complete game from Halladay,
yet the Blue Jays have won in just one of them. Granted, his April 17
and 23 starts weren’t exactly stellar, but his team wasn’t helping him out by
scoring only 1 and 3 runs in those games, respectively. Despite the oddity of
pitching four straight complete games and only winning one of them, this seemed
familiar, so I decided to root through Halladay’s game logs on Baseball
Reference and see what the deal was. I looked not just at complete games but other 9+ inning performances as well (games that went extra innings, referred to in shorthand herein as 9+EI).

Overall, the Jays are 30-10 when Halladay pitches a complete game or 9+EI. Halladay has a 27-8 record with 5 no-decisions.

His average pitching line in such games looks like:

9 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 107 pitches

His team only averages 3.8 runs in support of him. In fact, the Jays have scored 4 runs or less in 25 of the 40 games (62.5%) in question.

When Halladay throws 109 pitches or less, the Jays are 20-2. When he throws 110 or more, the Jays are 10-8.

Halladay has pitched CG's or 9+EI the most against the Devil Rays and Tigers, with six apiece. The Rangers and Red Sox are next at four apiece.

Halladay has, in fact, pitched a 10-inning complete game not once, but twice: September 6, 2003 against the Tigers and April 13, 2007 against the Tigers as well. The only other pitchers to go 10 innings in a start this decade were Aaron Harang and Mark Mulder. There were 37 such occurrences in the 1990's.

Lastly, here is the team won-lost breakdown by year (Halladay W-L-ND) with the Jays' offensive rank:

1998: 1 win, 0 losses (1-0-0); 8/14
1999: 1 win, 0 losses (1-0-0); 5/14
2001: 1 win, 0 losses (1-0-0); 9/14
2002: 2 wins, 0 losses (2-0-0); 7/14
2003: 8 wins, 2 losses (8-1-1); 2/14
2004: 1 win, 0 losses (1-0-0); 11/14
2005: 6 wins, 0 losses (5-0-1); 5/14
2006: 4 wins, 1 loss (3-1-1); 7/14
2007: 5 wins, 4 losses (4-3-2); 10/14
2008: 1 win, 3 losses (1-3-0); 12/14
Total: 30 wins, 10 losses (27-8-5)

If you want to download the Word document where I go even more in-depth with these “splits,” click here to download it. If you want to download the Excel spreadsheet where I've come up with these calculations, click here to download it.

What can we conclude from this? Well, Halladay is a hell of a pitcher; however, the Jays should keep him under 110 pitches. The reason why the team hasn't truly benefited in recent years from his CG and 9+EI performances is because they're not scoring any runs for him — their offense has gotten progressively worse since 2005.

In the era of the bullpen, Halladay's rash of complete games are truly unique and he should stick out like a sore thumb when we look back on the 2000's in the future.

Given regular playing time, Jason Botts could find success with another team,
after the Rangers designated him for assignment (brentandmarilynn/flickr)

Atlanta    

Yunel Escobar - Missed 1 game (finger injury).
Chipper Jones - Missed 2 games (back spasms).
Tom Glavine - Missed 13 games (hamstring).
John Smoltz - Shoulder injury, day-to-day.
    
Baltimore    

Garrett A. Olson - Recalled from Norfolk (AAA).
Robert McCrory - Recalled from Norfolk (AAA).
Brandon Fahey - Optioned to Norfolk (AAA).
Greg Aquino - Designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles.
    
Boston    

David Ortiz - Missed 2 games (bruised right knee).
Jacoby Ellsbury - Groin, day-to-day.
Mike Lowell - Missed 18 games (sprained left thumb).
Bryan Corey - Designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox.
    
Chicago White Sox    

Jermaine Dye - Missed 4 games (groin).
    
Cleveland    

Grady Sizemore - Missed 2 games (sprained right ankle).
    
Colorado    

Franklin Morales - Optioned to Colorado Springs (AAA).
    
Florida    

Mike Jacobs - Missed 1 game (finger injury).
    
Kansas City    

Mark Grudzielanek - Missed 5 games (lower back strain).
    
Los Angeles Dodgers    

Jonathan Broxton - Right shoulder inflammation, day-to-day.
    
Milwaukee    

Mike Cameron - Missed 25 games (suspension).
    
Minnesota    

Carlos Gomez - Missed 2 games (calf injury).
    
NY Yankees    

Edwar Ramirez - Recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA).
    
Philadelphia    

T.J. Bohn - Optioned to Lehigh Valley (AAA).
Shane Victorino - Missed 14 games (strained right calf).
Oscar Robles - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
    
San Diego    

Mauro Zarate - Outrighted to Portand (AAA).
    
Texas    

Chris Shelton - Contract purchased from Oklahoma (AAA).
Jason Botts - Designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers.
Brandon Boggs - Recalled from Oklahoma (AAA).
Hank Blalock - Hamstring, 15-day DL (retroactive to April 26th).
    
Washington    

Ray King - Refused outright assignment and became a free agent.

• Curtis Granderson went 2-for-3 with a double, home run, 3 runs scored and 2 walks, and Placido Polanco added 4 hits and 2 runs as the Tigers beat the Yankees, 6-4. Gary Sheffield hit a 2 run homer for Detroit, and Shelley Duncan reached base 4 times, doubled, and scored twice for New York.
• Adrian Beltre went 2-for-2 with 3 walks and a tie-breaking 3-run home run in the 9th inning to lead the Mariners to a 7-2 win over the Indians. Brad Wilkerson had 3 hits and a walk, Jose Vidro doubled twice and drove in 2 runs, and Carlos Silva allowed just 2 runs over 7 innings for Seattle.
• Jon Lester pitched one-hit ball for 8 scoreless innings, and Kevin Youkilis finally got to Roy Halladay with an RBI walk-off single in the 9th inning as the Red Sox edged the Blue Jays, 1-0. Halladay allowed just the one run on 5 hits in the 8 2/3 inning complete game for Toronto.
• Andre Ethier reached base 4 times and scored 3 runs, and Jeff Kent had 2 hits and 3 RBI including a game winning base knock with 2 outs in the 9th inning to help the Dodgers beat the Marlins, 7-6. Jorge Cantu had 3 hits, and Jeremy Hermida collected 2 hits and 2 RBI for Florida.
• Mark Grudzielanek went 4-for-6 with 3 doubles, Mark Teahen singled, tripled, walked and drove in 3, and Jose Guillen reached base 3 times, homered and drove in 5 runs as the Royals defeated the Rangers, 9-5.
• Boof Bonser gave up just one run while striking out 8 in 7 innings, and Jason Kubel hit a 2-run home run as the Twins held off the White Sox, 3-1.
• Miguel Tejada had 2 hits and scored twice, and Geoff Blum doubled and drove in 3 as the Astros upset the Diamondbacks, 6-4. Conor Jackson homered and drove in 3, and Max Scherzer made his major league debut by striking out 7 in 4 1/3 perfect innings of relief for Arizona.
• Chris Iannetta walked, doubled, homered, and scored twice, and Aaron Cook did not allow an earned run over 7 innings of work as the Rockies edged Tim Lincecum and the Giants, 3-2. Troy Tulowitzki had to leave the game with a strained left quad.
• Cole Hamels struck out 6 over 7 1/3 strong innings, and Carlos Ruiz singled, doubled, knocked in 2 runs, and scored 2 runs as the Phillies beat the Padres, 7-4. Scott Hairston doubled, homered twice, had 3 RBI, and scored 3 runs for San Diego. Greg Maddux was denied his 350th win for at least one more night.
• Aubrey Huff reached base 4 times, hit a 2-run home run, and scored 2 times, and Garrett Olson gave Baltimore 6 2/3 solid innings as the Orioles snapped the Rays winning streak, 7-4.
• Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and 3 RBI, and Tim Redding yielded just 2 runs on 4 hits over 6 innings to lead the Nationals to a 6-3 win over the Braves. Atlanta's Tom Glavine pitched 6 strong innings but did not figure in the decision.
• Jose Reyes went 3-for-3 with 3 walks and a triple, and David Wright delivered a bases loaded single in the last of the 11th inning to give the Mets a 5-4 walk-off win over the Pirates. Johan Santana gave up just 2 solo home runs while striking out 7 in 5 2/3 innings for New York.
• Mike Cameron, Bill Hall, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart each had 3 hits, and Hall, Cameron, and Prince Fielder drove in 2 runs apiece as the Brewers slugged out a 10-7 win over the Cubs. Mark DeRosa was on base 3 times and scored 2 runs for Chicago.
• Joel Pineiro pitched one-hit ball over 7 scoreless innings, Skip Schumaker went 4-for-5, and Rick Ankiel went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI as the Cardinals roughed up Johnny Cueto and the Reds, 7-2. Troy Glaus also had 2 hits and 3 RBI for St. Louis.
• Joe Saunders tossed 8 shutout innings, and the young Brandon Wood singled, walked and scored as the Angels blanked the A's, 2-0. Oakland's Greg Smith pitched an 8 inning, complete game 3-hitter despite taking the loss.

Tuesday's Scoreboard