more scatter shots

Nobody — but nobody — predicted this: Lance Lynn, the former Ole Miss standout, became the first pitcher in the big leagues to reach nine wins. The big right-hander for St. Louis beat Houston 14-2 on Thursday night, striking out 11 hitters in six innings. He is 9-2 in 12 starts with a 2.66 ERA. Where would the injury-riddled Cardinals be without him? … UM product Alex Presley is 5-for-14 since Pittsburgh recalled him from Triple-A. … Weir’s Roy Oswalt, tuning up for his as-yet-undetermined Texas Rangers debut, made his second Triple-A start on Thursday and was knocked around for five runs in four innings. … Big night for former Mississippi Braves with Atlanta on Thursday. Mike Minor delivered a much-needed quality start, Jason Heyward hit two monster home runs and Andrelton Simmons made a highlight-reel defensive play at shortstop as the Braves, now second in the National League East, completed a sweep at Miami. … Simmons was one of seven M-Braves voted to the Southern League South All-Star team. He won’t be participating, obviously. Though the M-Braves have the worst record in the SL South, they do have some talent. … Hard to believe, but former Jackson Mets star Gregg Jefferies had a son, Jake, picked in the MLB draft. Has it really been that long since Jefferies, the young phenom, played at Smith-Wills Stadium? In 1987, he put up one of the greatest seasons ever by a Jackson area Double-A player (JADAP): .367, 20 homers, 101 RBIs, 26 steals.