Heading into extra innings, the Florida Marlins did something they have done many times this year — they pulled out the victory. In the top of the 11th, Jeremy Hermida hit a three-run bomb to put the Marlins up for good by a final count of 9-6.

With the win, the Marlins are now 10-1 on the season. That marks the best start in franchise history after 11 games.

The team that took the loss on Saturday isn’t new to the loss column. The Washington Nationals are now 1-9 after ten games.

The Nationals actually appeared to be heading to a victory with a 6-3 lead going into the ninth inning. But after the Marlins got within 6-4, Hermida hit a two-run blast to tie the game.

On the game, Hermida was 3-for-6 with three runs and five RBI. He entered the game with only one homer and three RBIs.

2009 Florida Marlins Season Preview Video:

You’ll have to excuse the Los Angeles Angels if they seem to be a bit more emotional than usual. Just a few days after Angels starting pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver, the Angels brawled with the Boston Red Sox before coming out victorious at the end.

The brawl started after Josh Beckett threw a ball over Bobby Abreu’s head after the slugger had called time. Abreu began jawing with Beckett and then both benches came onto the field. Angels’ outfielder Torii Hunter, pitcher Justin Speier and hitting coach Mickey Hatcher ended up being ejected from the ballgame.

Abreu was later in the spotlight after he hit a two-run single in the third inning to put the Angels up for good. Although the Red Sox kept battling back, Los Angeles was able to win by a final count of 5-4.

For the Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew homered in the second inning. Vladimir Guerrero homered in the eighth inning for the Angels.

With the win, the Angels are now 3-3 on the season, while the Red Sox dropped to 2-4.

Here’s a Nick Adenhart Tribute Video:

For their semifinal game against Japan, the United States will put the ball in Roy Oswalt’s hand. In his last outing, Oswalt delivered four shutout innings against the Netherlands in a must-win game.

Roy Oswalt, World Baseball Classic 2009 (Image: Newscom)

Facing another must-win game, the US is going back to the pitcher who is regarded by many as the best big game starter on the roster. The 31-year-old has spent his entire career with the Houston Astros.

Although Japan hasn’t officially named their starter, most followers expect Daisuke Matsuzaka to get the start. Last year with the Boston Red Sox, Matsuzaka had an 18-3 record with a 2.90 ERA.

The winner of the USA versus Japan will face the winner of Korea versus Venezuela. The championship game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic will take place on Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Japan won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and Matsuzaka was named the Most Valuable Player of the WBC.

During a recent exhibition game, Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers aggravated a leg injury that has been bothering him as of late. Ramirez, who signed a $45 million contract earlier in the month, said he’s worried about the injury.

Right now, the plan is to see if the pain will go away. If it doesn’t, the Dodgers will perform tests to make sure there isn’t anything major wrong. At this point, Ramirez hasn’t ruled out the possibility of missing regular season games.

Ramirez got hurt in the outfield when he was playing in the field for the first time this spring. Chasing a ball into the corner, Ramirez felt a pull near his hamstring. Although the injury seems to be similar to a pulled hamstring, the Dodgers think it’s probably a tendon and not his hamstring.

Expect the Dodgers to bring him back slowly. Having a healthy Ramirez in the beginning of the season isn’t nearly as important as having Ramirez healthy heading into the postseason.

Right down this name: Max Scherzer. Scherzer is a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks who hasn’t even made his first start, yet he has the baseball world buzzing. He has an electric fastball, a deadly changeup and two different colored eyes.

The 23-year-old was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft. Originally, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 43rd round of the 2003 draft, however he instead opted to go to the University of Missouri.

This season, Scherzer started at Triple-A with the Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League. While he didn’t have a decision, he was dominant in his four starts. Over 23 innings, the right-hander gave up 12 hits, three walks and three earned runs while striking out 38 batters.

Arizona called him up and Scherzer made his major league debut on April 29th. Making a relief appearance, Scherzer pitched 4.1 perfect innings while striking out seven batters. By retiring all the batters he faced, he set a major league record for most consecutive batters retired in a debut appearance. That’s all the Diamondbacks needed to see to put the young hurler into the starting rotation.

Scherzer will make his first start Monday, May 5th against the Philadelphia Phillies. Get a bucket of popcorn and watch a dynamic pitching prospect introduce himself to the baseball world.

Photo: Newscom

What to watch on a Friday?

• Yankees at Red Sox, 4:05 p.m. PT — You’ll be watching this one whether you want to or not. It’s what pays the bills, eh? Chien-Ming Wang goes against Clay Buccholz.
• Angels at Mariners, 7:10 p.m. PT — Jered Weaver and Felix Hernandez… Vlad and Ichiro!… Monkeys and mooses (meese?)… This one’s got it all. Here’s your game of the day.
• Padres at Dodgers, 7:40 p.m. PT — Jake Peavy and Brad Penny hook up for the second time in a week. The big story — at least among people who don’t know much about baseball — is a mysterious substance that appeared on Peavy’s hand in their previous meeting. You’re better than that, though; you recognize that two of the game’s best pitchers will be battling tonight, and that’s what really matters.

Happy, happy…

More games? Okay, if you insist:

• Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m. PT — Hiroki Kuroda looked outstanding in his North American debut. I expected the funky delivery that is characteristic of pitchers who come over from Japan, but the velocity caught me by surprise. He was pumping 93-mph fastballs against the Padres. Micah Owings gets the call for Arizona. He dominated the Rockies in his first start of ‘08 (although he only went 1-for-4 at the plate, LOL). Wasn’t there talk that the Snakes might stick Owings in the field at some point? I think that’s crazy, but it would be pretty cool — you know, in the same way that handlebar moustaches are cool.
• Reds at Brewers, 5:05 p.m. PT — Like offense? Josh Fogg and David Bush hook up at Miller Park. The lineups will include guys like Ryan Braun, Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, and Ken Griffey Jr. I’m going to set the over/under on home runs at seven.
• Yankees at Royals, 5:10 p.m. PT — Two promising young pitchers square off in this one. Zack Greinke seems to have gotten his career back on track, while Ian Kennedy is still trying to figure out how the Rays beat the snot out of him last week. The Royals are 5-2. Heck, the Orioles are 6-1. And people say the world isn’t going to hell in a handbasket.

Rock on, my peeps…

Small Sample Hero? Control Freak? Flamethower? Sounds like a comic book convention gone horribly wrong…

• Phillies at Reds, 9:35 a.m. PT — Fire up a pot of coffee and sidle on up to the Internet (really, I’d like to see that). Cole Hamels and Bronson Arroyo square off in Monday’s first game. Plus you get a chance to watch Jeff “Offensive Beast” Keppinger in action. Honestly, I always thought that guy could be useful if given the chance, but .435/.480/.826 through the first week? Man, I love small samples. They’ll show you just about anything you want to see.
• Mariners at Orioles, 12:05 p.m. PT — I don’t know that this will be a good game to watch, but it could be interesting. First off, you’ve got Carlos Silva hooking up against Daniel Cabrera on the mound. Are there two more different pitchers in the game today? Bob Tewksbury and Steve Dalkowski have retired, right? The other story line, of course, is Adam Jones facing his former team. I still can’t believe Baltimore had the smarts to make that deal.
• Braves at Rockies, 5:35 p.m. PT — Colorado has stumbled to a 1-5 start in ‘08. Maybe facing 42-year-old Tom Glavine in their home park will help. You know what else would help? Not hitting .209/.281/.333 as a team. You think?

Happy Monday, folks, and happy watching!

Not a lot of great pitching matchups today. Eh, that happens…

• White Sox at Tigers, 12:55 p.m. PT — At 0-4, Detroit is the only team without a win so far this season. Baseball is a strange game. Dontrelle Willis makes his Tigers debut. For a guy who should be in his physical prime, Willis sure has fallen fast. Where’s Steve Avery when you need him?
• Dodgers at Padres, 12:55 p.m. PT — This is by far the best matchup of the day: Brad Penny goes up against Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy. Penny is 0-2 with a 6.67 ERA over his last five starts against San Diego.
• Diamondbacks at Rockies, 5:05 p.m. PT — Last year’s NL West playoff participants square off this evening. Two good young pitchers — Brandon Webb and Jeff Francis — hook up in this one. It’s also a good excuse to watch Justin Upton play, which is always a treat.

Play ball!

So, what are we watching today? I’ll be out at the Padres/Astros game this afternoon, but here are Thursday’s top matchups:

• Royals at Tigers, 10:05 a.m. PT — First off, Kansas City has taken the first two games of this series, which I’m sure nobody expect. Second, two talented yet enigmatic pitchers square off in this one. Zack Greinke appeared to get his career back on track in 2007 and looks to continue progressing this year, while Jeremy Bonderman tries to solve his first-inning woes and become the front-line pitcher folks have been anticipating.
• Blue Jays at Yankees, 4:05 p.m. PT — Two more young arms — Dustin McGowan and Philip Hughes — hook up in New York this evening.
• Pirates at Braves, 4:10 p.m. PT — Mike Hampton’s last big-league appearance came on August 19, 2005. He gets the start in this one. Working on 958 days of rest, he may be a tad rusty.

Play ball!