leading man

Lance Lynn is zeroing in on the 2012 Cool Papa Bell Award, given here for the top performance by a Mississippian (native or college alum) in the majors. The big right-hander out of Ole Miss won his 13th game on Friday. He didn’t pitch great (eight hits, two walks, six runs in five innings), but his St. Louis teammates backed him with five home runs in a 9-6 win over the Chicago Cubs. Lynn is 13-4 with a 3.42 ERA and has been a big reason the Cardinals are still hanging around in the National League Central race. … Others still in contention for the Cool Papa include UM product Seth Smith, who is batting .251 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs (five on Friday) for Oakland; ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland, who is batting .272 with 10 homers for Texas (and is due off the DL soon); former MSU standout Jonathan Papelbon, who has 22 saves for Philadelphia; and Bulldogs alum Paul Maholm, who is 9-6 with a 3.88 ERA for the lowly Cubs. P.S. One of the best stories in baseball is being written by Ben Sheets, who is now 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA in three starts for Atlanta. Sheets, out almost two years following Tommy John surgery, launched his comeback with the Mississippi Braves earlier this month.