a call to arms

Pitching has commanded our attention. Former Ole Miss star Lance Lynn became the National League’s first five-game winner on Wednesday, when the St. Louis right-hander shackled Cincinnati on one run over seven innings in a 4-2 victory. Lynn, who started 6-0 last year, is 5-0 with a 2.75 ERA. “It’s early – but it’s fun so far,” he told The Associated Press. … On the subject of hot starts, MLB Network made note of Shaw native and former Delta State coach Boo Ferriss’ work in 1945. As a rookie with the Boston Red Sox that year, Ferriss started 5-0 and allowed only three runs in the process. In fact, he didn’t allow a run in his first 22 innings of work, a record that stood for decades. Ferriss finished 21-10 that season. … Mississippi State product Paul Maholm held Washington to two runs over 7 2/3 innings Wednesday but took the loss in Atlanta’s 2-0 defeat. Maholm, who started 3-0, is now 3-3, though he has had only one bad outing. … Cliff Lee, the ex-Meridian Community College standout, had a rare bad outing, allowing nine hits, two walks and four earned runs in six innings of Philadelphia’s 6-0 loss to Cleveland. Lee (2-2) was making his first appearance against the Indians, the team he broke in with. … Belhaven’s Chris Good threw his 10th complete game and earned his school record-tying 14th win as the Blazers topped Auburn-Montgomery 2-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament. Good’s efforts enabled BU (1-1 in pool play so far) to stay alive in the championship chase. … Also in the SSAC on Wednesday, William Carey’s Jake Fabre allowed just one earned run in six innings and Cade LeBlanc notched a three-inning save as the Crusaders began pool play with a 7-5 win over Mobile. … The red-hot Mississippi Braves are back in town, and red-hot left-hander Alex Wood is slated to start Friday night at Trustmark Park in Pearl. Wood, a second-round draft pick out of Georgia last June, is 1-1 with a 0.67 ERA and a still-active club-record streak of 18 2/3 scoreless innings.