Short Hops: Winning ways

Light-hitting infielders Augie Ojeda and Cristian Guzman started action on May 3 averaging a combined 1 RBI every 3.5 games over 16 seasons. Then they drove in six runs apiece for the D’backs and Nationals, respectively. On the same day in Houston, pitcher Brandon Backe and outfielder Michael Bourn — two guys who had hit five home runs in 270 career games — mustered back-to-back jacks. Both came off Milwaukee’s Manny Parra, who’d allowed only two in his 50 major league innings before that.

WHAT IF SHE LOOKED LIKE JAY MARIOTTI?

On the day he fired Avery Johnson as coach, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban attended a game at Wrigley Field to watch the team he would like to buy. Swarmed by media members, he shooed them all away. Except for one: ESPN’s Erin Andrews. Those are the perks for being named Playboy’s Sexiest Broadcaster.

HIT AND RUN

Short Hops’ recurring installment of slapdash observation and imprudent opinion:

Thanks largely to their no-name pitching staff, the Cardinals’ 20-12 start made them the NL’s most surprising team. But a cautionary tale: 21 of those 32 games were at home, where they went 14-7 with a 2.91 ERA. On the road, they were 6-5 with a 4.76 ERA.

Emil Brown and David Ortiz are the Nos. 2-3 RBI men in the American League. The former is hitting .200 with the bases empty, but .484 with runners in scoring position. The latter charts.136 with bases empty, but .381 with runners in scoring position.

Only four Angels pitchers have ever started a season 6-0 or better, and three of them are on this year’s staff. Jared Weaver opened 9-0 in 2006; Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana are both 6-0 in 2008. (The other was Aaron Sele, 7-0 in 2004.)

As a sports town, soon-to-be-Sonics-less Seattle is fading into oblivion. Of the 10 smallest crowds ever at Safeco Field, seven have come this year.

Tigers reliever Freddi Dolsi dealt his first major league pitch on Tuesday, and Manny Ramirez hammered it 427 feet over the center field fence at Comerica Park. Welcome to The Show.

QUOTABLES

“Some fans think he has pictures of me doing something wrong.” — In about the only sentence he spoke all week not containing a profanity, Ozzie Guillen on his insistence on playing Jose Uribe despite his sub-Mendoza Line start.