It’s been a week of high drama in MLB. The top teams in each division have been slugging it out, while individuals have been raising their games under the pressure of the intense competition. The excitement just continues to build as we head into the final month of the regular season with so much still to play for.

No-hitter in Boston – Clay Buchholz launched his way to the top of WHGB this week with his spellbinding performance last night against the Orioles. In just his second Major League start, the Red Sox rookie pitched an absolute gem, giving up three walks and one hit-by-pitch during nine dominant innings. As with any no-hitter, Buchholz’s team mates played their part both by making some excellent defensive plays (most notably Dustin Pedroia robbing Miguel Tejada of a base hit) and providing the run support. The night was Buchholz’s though. Many great pitchers have failed to record a no-hitter during their careers (Curt Schilling went agonisingly close earlier this season, for example), so to do it at this stage in his career must scarcely be believable for Buchholz.

Baker nearly perfect – While Buchholz was able to nail down his no-hitter, Scott Baker had to settle for a one-hitter on Friday after being perfect heading into the ninth inning. One of several promising young starters in the Twins organisation, Baker has seen several of his contemporaries climb above him in the pecking order since his debut in 2005, not least Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano. There’s reason to believe that the twenty-five year old is now starting to figure out life in the Big Leagues. His performances have steadily improved each month this season, as evidenced by his 2.87 ERA since the All-Star break compared to a pre-ASB mark of 5.71, and the Twins will be hoping that his recent flirtation with perfection will increase his confidence even further.

K.C. and Baltimore on the receiving end (again) – It doesn’t diminish the achievements of Buchholz and Baker, but the identities of the teams they strangled at the plate shouldn’t come as much surprise. Baker’s victims, the Royals, have scored the second-fewest runs (609) of any team in the AL so far this season, with the White Sox (567) occupying the bottom spot. Buchholz’s victims were the Baltimore Orioles, who have endured a pretty miserable time since Dave Trembley took over the hot seat on a permanent basis last week. You will recall that his reign started in the worst possible way courtesy of a record 30-3 loss at the hands of the Rangers. Well, that loss was followed by another eight in a row, including a defeat by the Devil Rays in which they conceded eleven runs in one inning (the Orioles hit six home runs in the game and still managed to lose). They finally snapped this unwanted streak by defeating the Red Sox on Friday night, before Buchholz sent them back to their losing ways in emphatic style.

It’s tight at the top – The Royals and the Orioles may not be in the battle for a play-off spot; however plenty of other teams are and it has been a fascinating week of baseball. The scheduling gods planned it to perfection, throwing together the first and second-placed teams in five of the six divisions, with the Indians facing the third-placed Twins in the other. The leaders in the AL West (the Angels over the Mariners) and the AL Central stole a march on their rivals by sweeping their respective series, while the chasers in the AL East, NL East and the NL West closed the gap with the Yanks sweeping the Red Sox, the Phillies sweeping the Mets , and the Padres taking three of four from the D-Backs. In the NL Central, the Brewers’ slide hit a new low on Tuesday when they lost the first game of their three-game series with the Cubs and fell to third place. They managed to bounce back and win the next game, but lost the finale leaving the Cubs in pole position with a month to go.

Another Rodriguez – The Giants may be watching the play-off race from the outside, but even that cannot diminish the joy that this season has brought to one of their players (and I don’t mean Mr Bonds). Back in Week 10, WHGB highlighted the story of Guillermo Rodriguez who had spent twelve years in the Minor Leagues before finally getting called up to the Majors this season. He hit his first home run last Sunday and has performed admirably while backing-up Bengie Molina for the Giants. In thirty games so far this season, Rodriguez has hit a respectable .282/.350/.408 and, of course, has been part of the Giants team while Barry Bonds made home run history. Whatever the future holds for him, 2007 will always be a special year for Rodriguez and his family.

Farewell Number Five – It was an emotional night at Minute Maid Park on Monday as the Astros retired number five in honour of Jeff Bagwell. The presentation was handled perfectly with a well-chosen cast on hand to wax lyrical about the future Hall of Famer. It showed precisely why Bagwell is held in such high esteem within the game and by baseball fans in general: his first-rate statistics were always accompanied by a first-rate character. The only blot on the night was Bagwell’s choice of shirt. Maybe I just don’t understand that Texas dress sense?

And then farewell Purpura and Garner! – The Bagwell ceremony was yet another welcome distraction for Astros fans who have endured a miserable campaign. A 58-73 record by the end of play on Monday resulted in both general manager Tim Purpura and manager Phil Garner being relieved of their duties (otherwise known as “sacked”). The timing of the move surprised many, but the decision had seemingly been coming for a while. Purpura was roundly booed by Astros fans during Bagwell’s ceremony and the disastrous Jason Jennings trade has undoubtedly come back to haunt him. Whether it was the general manager’s idea to bring Craig Biggio back this season is another matter though. Many have suggested that Astros owner Drayton McLane was responsible for this decision, one that was understandable from a sentimental point of view but completely at odds with the basic tenet of putting the best possible team out on the field. However, owners don’t tend to sack themselves so Purpura and Garner will be looking for new jobs instead.

Triple the fun – Finally, it was triples all round on Monday. The Indians turned a 5-4-3 triple play at a crucial moment against the Twins. Up 7-3 in the seventh inning of the first of a three-game series, Cleveland cut short a Twins rally in the best way possible. Meanwhile the White Sox were hitting back-to-back-to-back jacks against the Devil Rays, chasing Edwin Jackson from the game partway through the seventh inning. Dan Wheeler entered from the bullpen, struck out the first two batters he faced and then gave up the fourth homer of the frame. That five-run inning was the only offense the White Sox could muster, but it was enough to get the 5-4 victory. Sadly for Chicago, their triple play at the plate will count for a lot less than the Indians’ in the play-off hunt. The 2005 World Series must seem a life time ago to White Sox and Astros fans right now.