ESPN

First it was Brandon Webb's turn to bounce back. Tuesday, it was Dan Haren's turn.

Like Webb, Haren came into his most recent start in a deep malaise which coincided with the Diamondbacks' falling from first place in their division to the fringes of the playoff chase.

Like Webb, Haren rebounded by putting up zeros on the scoreboard.

Webb had given up six runs or more in three straight starts, but held the Reds scoreless in eight innings in his latest outing. Haren posted a 5.63 ERA in August, and had lasted just four innings in each of his two September starts, sparking rumors he had been dealing with some sort of injury.

All Haren did Tuesday was pitch his first career shutout, striking out a career-high 12 batters.

After the game, Haren said he had been lacking some confidence in his stuff recently, and it was partially that lack of confidence that led him to nibble a bit too much, trying to be too fine instead of going out there and just pitching.

It may be too little, too late for the D-backs, but not for Webb's and Haren's fantasy owners, and hopefully they can both carry their momentum through their final outings; three more starts for Webb, and two for Haren.

Past editions: 9/16: Sluggin' Shoppach | 9/15: Z's no-no | 9/14: Lincecum for Cy

He can be beaten! The Cubs hung the first loss on CC Sabathia as a Brewer, touching him for four runs in seven innings of work. It was enough to drop him to 9-1 in the National League, and barely end a string of 13 straight quality starts. It had to happen sometime. Sabathia didn't pitch badly, but Ryan Dempster was just a little bit better in this one. Dempster has gotten even stronger as the season has progressed, allowing two runs in six innings and striking out nine in this contest. He has a 2.59 ERA in the second half with better than a strikeout per inning, after posting a 3.25 ERA in the first half. ... After going 24 straight games without a homer recently, Prince Fielder has found his power stroke again, hitting two homers Tuesday to give him four in his past five contests. ... Russell Martin quietly picked up stolen base No. 17, and he's going to come close to repeating his 21 thefts from last year. ... Derek Lowe has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball during the past month. After allowing the Pirates just a run in seven innings, he's allowed as many as two runs just once in his past seven starts, posting a 1.13 ERA. ... Fernando Tatis left Tuesday's game after diving for a ball and separating his shoulder. He's done for the season, and Daniel Murphy will see some additional playing time. ... Shaun Marcum had to leave his start in the third inning with right forearm soreness. Considering his earlier elbow problems this season, it is entirely possible Marcum will be shut down. ... Paul Konerko returned to the White Sox lineup after missing five days with a knee injury. He went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. ... Brett Gardner stole two bases, and has started the past four games for the Yankees. If you need some emergency steals down the stretch, he could be your guy. ... Robinson Cano went 0-for-4 in his return to the Yanks' lineup after being benched for not hustling. & Chris Waters threw a four-hit shutout to beat the Blue Jays, but don't be fooled. It merely dropped his ERA to 5.14 this season, with a 1.53 WHIP. He's teased with a couple of good outings, but he's not a big league starter. ... Of all the pitchers who could have knocked the Mets out of first place, it was Odalis Perez, who combined with Mike Hinckley and Joel Hanrahan to fire a four-hit shutout. Hanrahan is 9-for-13 in save chances since moving into the closer's role when Jon Rauch was traded, and though the Nats could look for a bargain option in free agency for next season, Hanrahan has a chance to hold on to the job, as Chad Cordero will not be tendered a contract. ... Jayson Werth had three hits and a homer, and is now hitting .281 with 23 homers and 17 steals this season. Talk about bang for your buck. ... Ryan Howard had four hits including his 45th homer, and is turning it on late, hitting .354 this month with eight homers in his past 12 games. ... Francisco Liriano had his worst start since returning to the majors, allowing eight runs -- four earned -- in 2 2/3 innings. There was bound to be a bump in the road sometime. Liriano didn't have his breaking ball working in this one, getting victimized on some hanging sliders and having to rely too much on his fastball and changeup. It happens. ... Andy Sonnanstine worked his second straight outing without giving up an earned run to the Red Sox (he allowed two unearned runs in 13 innings) as he angles for a spot in the postseason rotation. ... Roy Oswalt's streak of scoreless innings was snapped at 32 1/3 as the Marlins slapped four first-inning runs on him, but he still managed to strike out 10 and post a quality start thanks to some unearned runs. He was beaten by Chris Volstad, who allowed a lone run in eight frames to lower his ERA to 3.07 on the season. He needs to be firmly on your radar screens for mixed leagues next season, despite the fact his walk rate is higher than you would like. ... Bronson Arroyo allowed two runs in seven innings to beat the Cardinals, his sixth straight quality start. Since the All-Star break, Arroyo has a 2.82 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 12 starts, and he's posted a career-high 15 wins this season. ... Here we go again: Fernando Rodney blew his second straight save chance for the Tigers, as the team continues to have problems in the ninth inning. ... Ryan Shealy went yard for the fourth time in four games as he tries to show he's worthy of at least a platoon job at first base for the Royals next season. ... Brandon Morrow scuffled, allowing six runs in four innings of work, pitching behind in the count for a good portion of the evening. ... Chris Iannetta has quietly hit 17 homers this season after going deep Tuesday, and is slugging over .500 on the season. ... Asdrubal Cabrera homered, and is batting .429 with two homers and 15 RBIs this month as he tries to work back into the everyday picture for the Indians next year. ... Troy Glaus returned to the Cardinals' lineup and also hit one out, so it appears his shoulder problems are behind him for the moment. ... Jorge Cantu is finishing the season as strongly as he started, homering for the fourth time in five games.