scatter shots

Did anyone really think Matt Harrison would be this good? The former Mississippi Braves standout flirted with a no-hitter (into the seventh) on Friday night while notching his 15th win for Texas. With a 3.04 ERA, the left-hander has emerged as the Rangers’ ace. … Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland went 2-for-4 in the Rangers’ 8-0 win over Minnesota on Friday and is up to .294 for the year. He’s a Cool Papa Bell Award contender, for sure. … Former M-Braves pitcher Scott Diamond, now with Minnesota, was slapped with a 6-game suspension plus a fine for throwing at Texas’ Josh Hamilton on Thursday. Diamond is appealing. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, the ex-Jackson Mets infielder, also was ejected from Thursday’s game. The fireworks began when Weir’s Roy Oswalt plunked the Twins’ Joe Mauer with a 3-0 pitch earlier in that game. … Saw this note in ESPN the Magazine: Oswalt has a .761 winning percentage and a 2.70 ERA in September/October regular season games. He has made two decent spot starts since his demotion to the Texas bullpen; maybe he’ll be a factor down the stretch. … Lance Lynn’s woes continued Friday when the former Ole Miss ace was KO’d by Cincinnati in the third inning. St. Louis did win the game, but Lynn has now had five straight sub-par outings. He is 13-5 but winless since July 27. … Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty, interviewed on MLB Network during Friday’s Reds-Cards game, didn’t sound very committed to calling up stolen base king Billy Hamilton of Taylorsville in September. Hamilton, now in Double-A, isn’t yet on the 40-man roster. … Brandon’s Tyler Moore hit his first career pinch homer on Friday in Washington’s loss to Philadelphia. The rookie from Mississippi State has seven bombs for the year. … Former MSU star Jonathan Papelbon notched the save — No. 28 — for the Phillies in that 4-2 win against the Nationals. … Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz pitched well for Colorado on Friday (two hits, two runs in five innings vs. Chicago) but still doesn’t have a W in his last eight appearances. … Former JaxMets skipper Clint Hurdle’s Pittsburgh Pirates are walking the plank — again. They’ve lost five of six and 11 of 15. They’re not scoring (3.6 runs per game the last 15) or pitching (5.01 ERA the last 15) very well. … Wonder if Bill Hall might get a September call-up from Baltimore? The Nettleton native has 14 homers at Triple-A Norfolk; he could be weapon off the bench for MSU alum Buck Showalter’s Orioles, who are hanging around in the postseason race. … Lance Berkman is rehabbing his latest injury at Triple-A Memphis and hopes to be back with St. Louis by Sept. 1. The former Jackson Generals star, whose season has been wrecked by injuries, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is pondering retirement after this season. He is 36.