-The return of Big Time Timmy Jim? Maybe not. But Tim Lincecum offered the Giants a look at what they’ve been missing all year on Saturday. Lincecum pitched 8 shutout innings, striking out 11 Houston Astros. Bear in mind, the Astros had a perfect game thrown against them earlier this year by the Giants’ Matt Cain. Regardless, Lincecum had been the worst pitcher in baseball for the first 3 ½ months this season. A performance like that, against any team, is big. He’ll face the Phillies on Friday.

-The last time Ben Sheets started a Major League Game, Richard Nixon was in the White House. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. However, it had been 2 years since the former star had toed the rubber in a Major League game. Sheets, now an Atlanta Brave, went out yesterday and pitched 6 shutout innings. Gone was the electric fastball and 12-6 curve that made him a star in Milwaukee, but Sheets still managed to pitch well in 100+ degree heat.

-The Cincinnati Reds had perhaps the best start to the second half of any ML club, as they swept their hated division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. Last night’s game was the most exciting of the series, with Scott Rolen delivering a two-run double in the bottom of the 8^th and Aroldis Chapman touching 100 MPH in the 9^th to pick up the save. The Reds now hold a 1 game lead on Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

-Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Kemp returned to the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively, on Friday and did so with a bang. Ellsbury went 6-14 in his three games, while Kemp went 5-9 in his 2 games (the Dodgers gave him yesterday’s game off).

-This could go in the daily Nats update, but deserves mention here: Yesterday, Marlins manager and noted Buddhist Ozzie Guillen complained about the amount of pine tar on Bryce Harper’s bat in the 19 year old’s second at-bat. Harper offered his bat to Ozzie, which led to the Zen Master spewing off a number of pixilated words in Harper’s direction. After the game, Guillen called Harper disrespectful, probably because he didn’t swear back at Guillen. Harper called Ozzie great.

The Nats took 2 of the 3 games this weekend against the Marlins and will wrap up their 4 game set tonight.

Yesterday saw Stephen Strasburg pitch 6 shutout innings, followed by a near implosion by Tyler Clippard in the 9^th. Regardless, Clippard escaped unscathed, despite loading the bases with 0 outs.

Edwin Jackson and Carlos Zambrano will face each other in the finale tonight. Get your pine tar ready. Game time is 7:10 on MASN.

The US Mens National team (basketball) will take on Brazil in an exhibition game at Verizon Center tonight. Game time is 8 p.m. on ESPN 2.

Your baseball matchup of the day sees the Diamondback and Reds facing off in Cincinnati at 7:10. Wade Miley and Bronson Arroyo will take the mound. The Reds will look to continue their hot start to the second half.