Today was, by far, the best game that Randy Johnson has pitched this month. And, considering that 7 of his last 8 starts (prior to today) have been uber-duds, today’s effort is very nice to see.

Seeing today’s results, I can’t help but wonder if John Flaherty’s findings had anything to do with it?

It would have been cool to see a no-hitter today. I was having some Righetti flashbacks around the 5th inning. This, from the AP after the game was interesting:

Ivan Rodriguez broke up Johnson’s bid for his third no-hitter — and second against the Tigers — with a single to right.

“I couldn’t have cared less,” Johnson said. “If I had a perfect game, I would’ve come out after seven innings.”

Somehow, I find that very hard to believe.

In any event, now I’m looking forward to seeing Johnson’s next start.

Lastly, is Ron Villone the new Mike Stanton? I know that he’s been doing well. But, I still worry about him against a RH batter in a big spot.