Betting Odds - Graffiti - Podcast

(Sunday, July 22nd)

Final Score: Toronto 8, Seattle 0

Toronto, ON - Roy Halladay pitched a three-hit shutout as the Toronto Blue Jays blanked the Seattle Mariners, 8-0, in the finale of a three-game set at the Rogers Centre. Halladay (11-4) was dominant throughout, needing just two hours, seven minutes to dismiss the Mariners. He struck out three and walked one. Troy Glaus hit a three-run homer while Gregg Zaun and Aaron Hill also went deep for Toronto, which has won three of its last four contests. Zaun scored three times, and Alex Rios finished with two RBI. Felix Hernandez (6-6) was tagged for six runs on seven hits over six frames for the Mariners, who have dropped two in a row. Kenji Johjima, Adrian Beltre and Jason Ellison were the only Mariners to muster a hit off Halladay.

Final Score: New York 21, Tampa Bay 4

Bronx, NY - Shelley Duncan capped a 10-run fourth inning with a three-run homer and added a solo shot in the sixth, as the New York Yankees again roughed up Tampa Bay pitching in a 21-4 victory over the Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte was the beneficiary of Sunday’s power surge, allowing three runs and eight hits over six innings to improve to 2-0 in three starts since the All-Star break. Pettitte (6-6), who walked three and struck out eight, also beat Tampa Bay last week and has won his last 12 decisions against the Devil Rays. James Shields (8-6) absorbed the beating for Tampa Bay, as he was shelled for a career-high 10 runs on 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings. He fell to 0-4 lifetime against New York. Carlos Pena homered and Josh Wilson singled home two runs for the Devil Rays, who won two of three from the Angels before the visit to the Bronx. Delmon Young had three hits in defeat.

Final Score: Kansas City 5, Detroit 2

Detroit, MI - Brian Bannister allowed just four hits and one run in seven innings, leading Kansas City past Detroit, 5-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Comerica Park. Bannister (6-6) fanned three and walked just one for his first win in his last three starts. Mark Grudzielanek went 4-for-5 with a double for the Royals, who have won four of five. Esteban German homered and had two hits, David DeJesus collected a pair of hits and drove in a run, while Reggie Sanders, Tony Pena and Emil Brown also knocked in a run each. Nate Robertson (6-7) was battered on 11 hits and five runs — four earned — with five strikeouts and one walk over six-plus innings. Craig Monroe belted his 11th home run for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who dropped two of three in the series. Magglio Ordonez accounted for the other run with an RBI double. Final Score: Boston 8, Chicago 5

Boston, MA - Manny Ramirez hit a three-run home run and drove in four, while Mike Lowell also hit a three-run bomb as Boston topped Chicago, 8-5, in the finale of a four-game set from Fenway Park. Kevin Youkilis drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who won the final three games of the series. Coco Crisp added three hits and Ramirez scored two runs. Tim Wakefield (11-9) earned the win despite being charged with six hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings. David Ortiz was not in the lineup for the second straight game after suffering a left shoulder strain on Friday. An MRI taken Saturday revealed no structural damage, and he is listed as day-to-day. Ramirez was the designated hitter and Youkilis played first base. Chicago starter Jon Garland (7-7) was charged with six runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings, fanning three but walking five in the loss, snapping a personal three-game win streak on the road for the crafty right-hander. Josh Fields went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored for the White Sox, who have lost three straight and four of six. Juan Uribe had three hits, while Rob Mackowiak, Alex Cintron and Jim Thome knocked in a run apiece.

Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 7, Minnesota 2

Minneapolis, MN - Joe Saunders hurled seven solid innings, and Garret Anderson homered as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed Minnesota, 7-2, in the finale of a three-game set at the Metrodome. Saunders (4-0), who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to take the spot in the rotation previously held by Ervin Santana, allowed just two runs on six hits while walking one and fanning five. Anderson was 2-for-4 for the Angels and his long ball snapped a 14-game homerless drought for the team. Meanwhile, Robb Quinlan and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs for LA, which avoided a sweep in the series and now stands two games ahead of Seattle in the AL West. Jeff Cirillo and Justin Morneau each had an RBI for the Twins, who have lost four of six. Matt Garza (1-2) allowed four runs — three earned — on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work en route to the loss.

Final Score: Baltimore 2, Oakland 0

Oakland, CA - Jeremy Guthrie tossed seven innings of two-hit shutout ball as Baltimore bested Oakland, 2-0, in the rubber match of a three- game series at McAfee Coliseum. Guthrie (6-3) struck out six and walked three, lowering his ERA to 2.88, third-lowest in the American League. He did not allow a runner past second base in his start. Kevin Millar and Jay Payton knocked in a run each for the Orioles, who have won three of five. Travis Buck and Shannon Stewart picked up the lone hits for the Athletics, who have dropped four of six. Dallas Braden (1-5) took the loss, allowing four hits and one run over seven innings.

Final Score: Cleveland 8, Texas 3

Arlington, TX - Josh Barfield went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the Cleveland Indians past the Texas Rangers, 8-3. Casey Blake also had three hits, including a pair of doubles, for the Indians, who have three wins in their last four games. Paul Byrd (8-4) started for Cleveland and pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Texas starter Robinson Tejeda allowed five runs — three earned — on five hits through five frames. Tejeda (5-9) also walked five and struck out four. Marlon Byrd ended 3-for-4 with a triple for the Rangers, who have lost four of five.

Final Score: Florida 9, Cincinnati 3

Miami, FL - Dan Uggla finished 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and a run-scoring double as Florida bested Cincinnati, 9-3, in the finale of a four-game set at Dolphin Stadium. Mike Jacobs also hit a two-run homer for the Marlins, who won the final three games of the series. Miguel Cabrera was 2-for-4 with a two-run single and extended his hitting streak to 12 games while Josh Willingham finished 4-for-5 and drove in a run. Rick Vanden Hurk started on the hill for Florida and allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings of work. Renyel Pinto (2-3) earned the win after hurling a scoreless seventh. Jeff Keppinger was 4-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Reds, who finished an 11-game road swing at 5-6. Adam Dunn was 2-for-5 with an RBI double. Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo (4-11) pitched well early but couldn’t sustain it. The right-hander surrendered four runs on eight hits in six-plus innings of work to pick up the loss. Arroyo issued four walks and fanned six in the game.

Final Score: Washington 3, Colorado 0

Washington, DC - Austin Kearns broke open a scoreless game with a three-run homer in the eighth and four Washington pitchers combined on a second consecutive shutout of the Colorado Rockies in the Nationals’ 3-0 win in the final contest of a four-game series at RFK Stadium. Jon Rauch (5-2) earned the win pitching a scoreless eighth. Washington starter Tim Redding tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits with two walks and one strikeout. Chad Cordero worked the ninth for his 19th save. Kearns’ homer was his first in 53 games for the Nationals, who have won four of five and also posted a 3-0 win on Saturday. Josh Fogg pitched six scoreless frames, surrendering just three hits with three walks and one strikeout, for Colorado, which has lost three of four. Todd Helton had two hits for the Rockies. Final Score: Houston 1, Pittsburgh 0

Pittsburgh, PA - Luke Scott singled home the only run of the game and Woody Williams pitched eight innings of five-hit ball, as the Houston Astros earned a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC Park. Brad Ausmus had two hits for the Astros, who won a road series for the first time since June 8-10 against the Chicago White Sox and concluded a nine-game road trip to start the second half of the season with a mark of 3-6. Williams (5-11) surrendered a double and four singles while striking out three and not issuing a walk. He has won two of his last three decisions and improved to just 2-8 in 13 road starts this season. Brad Lidge worked around a two-out single by Adam LaRoche in the ninth to earn his third save. After LaRoche’s base hit, pinch-runner Rajai Davis advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Lidge struck out Xavier Nady to end the game. Matt Kata had two of Pittsburgh’s six hits. The Pirates have lost eight of nine since the All-Star break. Shane Youman (2-2) was the hard-luck loser, yielding just four hits and one run with two walks and three strikeouts in eight strong innings.

Final Score: Milwaukee 7, San Francisco 5

Milwaukee, WI - Ryan Braun homered and drove in three runs, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the San Francisco Giants, 7-5, in the conclusion of a three-game series at Miller Park. Barry Bonds, sitting two home runs shy of Hank Aaron’s all-time record at 753, got the day off. He now has a good chance to break the record at home, as the Giants play the next seven games at AT&T Park, starting with a four-game set with Aaron’s Braves. Corey Hart hit a two-run homer and J.J. Hardy knocked in two for Milwaukee, which avoided the sweep. Claudio Vargas (8-2) allowed three runs on five hits over six innings in a winning effort. Opposing starter Barry Zito (7-10) yielded seven runs in 5 1/3 innings of work for the Giants, who have lost eight of 11. Omar Vizquel finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, and Pedro Feliz homered.

Final Score: Arizona 3, Chicago 0

Chicago, IL - Yusmeiro Petit pitched six scoreless innings and Chris Snyder homered as the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in the finale of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Petit (2-2) yielded just three hits without surrendering a walk and struck out five. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 33 chances. Conor Jackson had two hits and an RBI and Chris Snyder had two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Diamondbacks, who have won two in a row since losing five of six. Chicago starter Sean Marshall (4-4) went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot and Jason Kendall accounted for the four hits for the Cubs, who lost their first series at home since June 15-17 against San Diego.

Final Score: Philadelphia 9, San Diego 0

San Diego, CA - J.D. Durbin tossed nine scoreless innings to notch his first-career shutout, as the Philadelphia Phillies blanked the San Diego Padres, 9-0, at Petco Park. Durbin (2-2) gave up five hits while striking out three and walking three to win his second straight start for the Phillies. On Tuesday, Durbin tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 15-3 rout of the Dodgers to pick up his first- career victory. Jimmy Rollins went 3-for-4 and fell a double short of the cycle with a single, home run and triple for the Phillies, who took three of four from San Diego. Shane Victorino went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and three RBI in the win. San Diego starter Jake Peavy (9-5) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on nine hits to go along with six strikeouts and two walks. Peavy’s last victory came on June 19. The Padres, who have lost three straight, finished with just five hits.

Final Score: New York 5, Los Angeles 4 (10 innings)

Los Angeles, CA - Chip Ambres hit a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning to give New York the lead, as the Mets rallied late to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4, in the finale of a four-game set. Jose Reyes finished 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored and Pedro Feliciano (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning of relief to pick up the win for the Mets, who took three of four against LA. New York starter Orlando Hernandez was tagged for four runs on seven hits through six innings. Rafael Furcal homered and Luis Gonzalez scored twice for the Dodgers, who have lost four of six after a five-game winning streak. LA starter Eric Stults pitched 5 1/3 innings in just his third career start, yielding two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Final Score: St. Louis 7, Atlanta 2 (10 innings)

Atlanta, GA - Albert Pujols’ two-out home run in the eighth tied the game and Skip Schumaker and Scott Rolen both went deep in the 10th inning, as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Atlanta Braves, 7-2, in the finale of a four-game set at Turner Field. Jason Isringhausen (4-0) didn’t give up a hit over the last two innings for St. Louis, striking out four to pick up the win. Pujols finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Cardinals, who earned a split with Atlanta and finished a 10-game road trip at 5-5. Kelly Johnson hit a solo home run for the Braves, who ended a 10-game homestand with a 5-5 record. Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes, looking for his first major league win in his third career start, gave up just one run on three hits through 5 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts and four walks. St. Louis starter Brad Thompson, meanwhile lasted six innings, yielding a pair of runs on six hits.

Atlanta, GA - Albert Pujols’ two-out home run in the eighth tied the game and Skip Schumaker and Scott Rolen both went deep in the 10th inning, as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Atlanta Braves, 7-2, in the finale of a four-game set at Turner Field.

Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, Pujols sent a 1-1 offering from Rafael Soriano off the glove of left fielder Willie Harris and over the wall for a game-tying home run.

Atlanta had the bases loaded with two outs in the home half of the inning, but Ryan Franklin got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to line out to end the threat.

Aaron Miles then led off the 10th with a single off Tyler Yates (2-2) and one out later, Schumaker sent an 0-1 pitch just over the wall in right field to give St. Louis the lead.

“I’m never a guy who tries to hit home runs,” said Schumaker. “I’m not a home run hitter, I just try and hit the ball hard and contribute some way off the bench. I got pretty lucky tonight.”

Pujols followed with a walk and Juan Encarnacion’s single put runners on the corners. Oscar Villarreal entered the game in place of Yates and struck out Chris Duncan, but Rolen smacked a three-run blast into the left field bleachers to blow the game open.

Jason Isringhausen (4-0) didn’t give up a hit over the last two innings for St. Louis, striking out four to pick up the win.

Pujols finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Cardinals, who earned a split with Atlanta and finished a 10-game road trip at 5-5.

Kelly Johnson hit a solo home run for the Braves, who ended a 10-game homestand with a 5-5 record.

Atlanta got on the board in the third inning with two outs and nobody on base. Edgar Renteria beat out an infield single before Chipper Jones sent him home with a double to left.

Johnson followed with his 10th home run of the season to lead off the fourth inning and make it 2-0.

Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes, meanwhile, pitched five shutout innings before running into trouble in the sixth. So Taguchi led off with a single and Pujols’ double put runners on second and third with no outs. Encarnacion’s subsequent groundout was enough to score Taguchi from third.

Reyes followed with a walk to Ryan Ludwick and his night was over. Peter Moylan took the mound for the Braves and got Rolen to ground into an inning- ending double play.

Reyes, looking for his first major league win in his third career start, gave up just one run on three hits through 5 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts and four walks.

“It was fun out there,” said Reyes. “I feel more and more comfortable out there on the mound.”

St. Louis starter Brad Thompson lasted six innings, yielding a pair of runs on six hits.

Game Notes

Rolen is now four RBI shy of 1,000 for his career…Franklin finished with two shutout innings of relief for the Cardinals…Attendance was 39,181.

Arlington, TX - Josh Barfield went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the Cleveland Indians past the Texas Rangers, 8-3.

Casey Blake also had three hits, including a pair of doubles, for the Indians, who have three wins in their last four games.

Paul Byrd (8-4) started for Cleveland and pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits.

Texas starter Robinson Tejeda allowed five runs — three earned — on five hits through five frames. Tejeda (5-9) also walked five and struck out four.

Marlon Byrd ended 3-for-4 with a triple for the Rangers, who have lost four of five.

After three scoreless innings, Cleveland scored a pair of runs in the fourth to take the lead. Trot Nixon walked with one out and Jason Michaels reached base on an error. Kelly Shoppach then struck out before Barfield singled home Nixon and Michaels to make it 2-0.

The Indians added three runs in the fifth to up their lead to 5-0. Blake opened the inning with a double and advanced to third after a wild pitch. Victor Martinez then poked a single up the middle to plate Blake. Jhonny Peralta followed with a walk and after Nixon grounded out, Michaels plated two runs with a base hit.

The Tribe made it 6-0 in the sixth when Barfield crossed the plate after Willie Eyre uncorked a wild pitch.

Texas got on the board in the home half of the sixth after Frank Catalanotto doubled home Byrd, who singled before Catalanotto’s at-bat. Rafael Perez then relieved Byrd and Adam Melhuse greeted him with a run-scoring double to make it 6-2. Melhuse advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Brad Wilkerson’s infield base hit to make it a three-run game.

Cleveland, however, extended its lead to 8-3 in the eighth after Blake’s RBI single and Martinez’s sac-fly.

Game Notes

Blake now has 50 RBI on the season…Barfield stole his 11th base…Michael Young played in his 1,000 career game as Ranger, becoming just the eighth player in Texas team history to reach that mark…Rangers catcher Gerald Laird left the game with a bruised left hand in the second inning after being hit by a pitch. He was replaced by Melhuse…After being hit on the helmet by a pitch on Saturday, Texas slugger Sammy Sosa was held out of the lineup as a precaution.

Los Angeles, CA - Chip Ambres hit a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning to give New York the lead, as the Mets rallied late to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4, in the finale of a four-game set.

Nomar Garciaparra’s two-run homer in the sixth inning gave Los Angeles a 4-2 lead, but the Mets scored a run each in the eighth and ninth to send the game into extra innings.

Jose Reyes led off the eighth with a double, went to third on a groundout and scored on Carlos Beltran’s sacrifice fly to bring New York within 4-3.

Jonathan Broxton then struggled in the ninth and the Mets took advantage of a Matt Kemp error to tie the game. Carlos Delgado greeted Broxton with a single and a Broxton wild pitch allowed pinch-runner Anderson Hernandez to reach second.

After Paul Lo Duca’s groundout sent Hernandez to third, Kemp dropped Shawn Green’s fly ball to shallow right field, allowing to Hernandez to cross home plate and Green to reach second.

Broxton then uncorked his second wild pitch of the inning to send Green to third before recovering to striking out Ruben Gotay and pinch-hitter Ramon Castro to avoid further damage.

However, New York went right back to work in the 10th as Lastings Milledge and Beltran hit back-to-back one-out singles off D. J. Houlton (0-1). Then, after David Wright grounded into a force out to put runners, Ambres came through with a run-scoring single to left — his first base-hit since October 2, 2005 with the Kansas City Royals.

“That’s one I’ll always remember,” said Ambres, who was recalled from Triple- A New Orleans on Wednesday. “I just tried to get a ball I could hit. It’s the best feeling in the world when your teammates are congratulating you.”

Los Angeles threatened in the bottom of the 10th as Juan Pierre led off with a walk before swiping second. Billy Wagner struck out Russell Martin and intentionally walked Jeff Kent before he caught Kemp looking at a called third strike.

A wild pitch moved the runners over a base, but Wagner struck out Garciaparra to nail down his 22nd save of the season.

Reyes finished 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored and Pedro Feliciano (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning of relief to pick up the win for the Mets, who took three of four against LA.

“Everybody contributed,” said Mets manager Willie Randolph. “It was a fun game to manage and we wanted it really bad. We did the right thing at the right time.”

Rafael Furcal homered and Luis Gonzalez scored twice for the Dodgers, who have lost four of six after a five-game winning streak.

Furcal led off the game with his third homer of the season and James Loney’s two-out RBI double in the fourth made it 2-0.

LA starter Eric Stults, meanwhile, retired 10 straight batters until Lo Duca led off the fifth with a single. Stults quickly erased Lo Duca with a double play groundout, but the left-hander ran into trouble in the sixth as New York tied the game.

After Mets starter Orlando Hernandez struck out, Reyes legged out his 10th triple of the year before scoring on Milledge’s double.

Rudy Seanez took over for Stults and Wright’s two-out RBI single made it 2-2. The Dodgers answered in the home half of the sixth as Gonzalez walked with one out and Garciaparra crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall.

Stults pitched 5 1/3 innings in just his third career start, yielding two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Hernandez, on the other hand, was tagged for four runs on seven hits through six innings.

Game Notes

Stults made his first career start against the Mets last September and picked up the win after pitching six innings of one-run ball…Pierre went hitless in four at-bats and saw his 14-game hitting streak come to an end.

San Diego, CA - J.D. Durbin tossed nine scoreless innings to notch his first-career shutout, as the Philadelphia Phillies blanked the San Diego Padres, 9-0, at Petco Park.

Durbin (2-2) gave up five hits while striking out three and walking three to win his second straight start for the Phillies. On Tuesday, Durbin tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 15-3 rout of the Dodgers to pick up his first- career victory.

“Our gloves were working and so were our bats,” Durbin said. “I haven’t thrown the ball really well to my liking over my last four or five starts. I probably threw as good five days ago.”

Jimmy Rollins went 3-for-4 and fell a double short of the cycle with a single, home run and triple for the Phillies, who took three of four from San Diego. Shane Victorino went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and three RBI in the win.

San Diego starter Jake Peavy (9-5) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on nine hits to go along with six strikeouts and two walks. Peavy’s last victory came on June 19.

The Padres, who have lost three straight, finished with just five hits.

“J.D. showed early he was throwing strikes,” said San Diego manager Bud Black, who was ejected in the fifth inning. “We hit the ball hard early in the game but didn’t come up with any runs. His confidence grew, he started getting his breaking ball over the plate.”

The Phillies scored a pair of runs in the second to take an early lead. Rollins led off the inning with a home run to right, his 19th of the season. Chase Utley worked a walk with one out and scored on Ryan Howard’s controversial double to right. On a bounce, the ball appeared to hit off the hand of a fan in the front row, but the umpires ruled the ball never made contact with the fan.

Philadelphia added two runs in the fifth to increase its lead to four runs. Rollins led the frame off with a triple and he scored on Victorino’s bloop double to shallow left. Utley then moved Victorino over to third on a ground out to second, and Victorino scored on Howard’s sacrifice fly to left to make it 4-0.

The Phillies tacked on five more runs in the eighth to make it 9-0. Michael Bourn led off the inning with a three-base hit and scored with one out on Chris Coste’s ground out to the mound. Durbin then helped himself at the plate with a double to right and Rollins followed with a walk. Victorino plated two more runs on a double that just made it inside the left-field line. Royce Ring then entered the contest in relief of Doug Brocail and walked Utley and Howard back-to-back before Aaron Rowand plated two with a single.

Game Notes

The Phillies are 16-6 in their last 22 matchups with San Diego…Howard ended 2-for-2 with two walks and two RBI…San Diego catcher Michael Barrett was ejected by home plate umpire Chris Guccione in the fifth inning after arguing a called third strik

Oakland, CA - Jeremy Guthrie tossed seven innings of two-hit shutout ball as Baltimore bested Oakland, 2-0, in the rubber match of a three- game series at McAfee Coliseum.

Guthrie (6-3) struck out six and walked three, lowering his ERA to 2.88, third-lowest in the American League. He did not allow a runner past second base in his start. Kevin Millar and Jay Payton knocked in a run each for the Orioles, who have won three of five.

Travis Buck and Shannon Stewart picked up the lone hits for the Athletics, who have dropped four of six. Dallas Braden (1-5) took the loss, allowing four hits and one run over seven innings.

The Orioles broke a scoreless tie in the sixth. Brian Roberts worked a lead- off walk and Corey Patterson sacrificed him to second. Nick Markakis moved him to third with a ground out, and Millar scored him on a base hit to left.

Baltimore added an insurance run in the ninth when Markakis singled and stole second, then two batters later scored on Payton’s base hit.

Chad Bradford worked a perfect eighth and Jamie Walker retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his first save of the season, and first since 2004.

Game Notes

Patterson extended his hit streak to 10 games…Braden suffered his fifth straight loss, the first A’s pitcher to do so since Joe Kennedy in 2005…Dan Haren (2.41) and Johan Santana (2.65) rank ahead of Guthrie in earned-run average…A’s second-baseman Mark Ellis extended his errorless streak to 57 games.

Boston, MA - Manny Ramirez hit a three-run home run and drove in four, while Mike Lowell also hit a three-run bomb as Boston topped Chicago, 8-5, in the finale of a four-game set from Fenway Park.

Kevin Youkilis drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who won the final three games of the series. Coco Crisp added three hits and Ramirez scored two runs. Tim Wakefield (11-9) earned the win despite being charged with six hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings.

David Ortiz was not in the lineup for the second straight game after suffering a left shoulder strain on Friday. An MRI taken Saturday revealed no structural damage, and he is listed as day-to-day. Ramirez was the designated hitter and Youkilis played first base.

Chicago starter Jon Garland (7-7) was charged with six runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings, fanning three but walking five in the loss, snapping a personal three-game win streak on the road for the crafty right-hander.

Josh Fields went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored for the White Sox, who have lost three straight and four of six. Juan Uribe had three hits, while Rob Mackowiak, Alex Cintron and Jim Thome knocked in a run apiece.

Chicago put together a rally in the seventh, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring four times. Pierzynski singled and Dye doubled to start the frame. Mackowiak followed with a sacrifice fly and Fields singled which made it 8-3.

Wakefield exited for Manny Delcarmen, but Uribe singled to load the bases and Cintron’s base hit brought in another run and moved the runners up one base. Thome walked to force in a run for an 8-5 game. Paul Konerko popped out to first and Hideki Okajima was called on to face Pierzynski, who fanned on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Okajima retired the White Sox in order in the eighth, but Chicago loaded the bases with none out in the ninth on singles by Uribe and Jerry Owens and a walk to Cintron. Thome struck out swinging, and Konerko bounced into a 5-4-3 game-ending double-play which earned Jonathan Papelbon his 22nd save.

Ramirez gave the home team a jolt in the first with a three-run opposite-field blast into the bullpen. Julio Lugo and Youkilis drew walks to set up the homer.

In the fourth, Crisp singled and Eric Hinske followed with a ground-rule double but the Red Sox didn’t score. Chicago responded with a run in the fifth on Jermaine Dye’s double followed by Fields’ RBI single.

Boston went up 6-1 in the fifth, as Lowell barely cleared the Green Monster with a line-drive three-run shot with two down. In the sixth, a Youkilis sac fly and a Ramirez single pushed the advantage to 8-1.

Game Notes

Boston completed its 11-game homestand at 6-5…The Red Sox and White Sox meet in Chicago from August 23-26…Boston will recall pitcher Jon Lester from his rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, and he will make his first start of the season in Cleveland, his first since leaving the club last September due to lymphoma. Pitcher Joel Pineiro will be designated for assignment to make room on the roster…The Red Sox are a major-league best 22-8 in day games and 15-2 at Fenway.

Chicago, IL - Yusmeiro Petit pitched six scoreless innings and Chris Snyder homered as the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in the finale of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.

Petit (2-2) yielded just three hits without surrendering a walk and struck out five. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 33 chances.

Conor Jackson had two hits and an RBI and Chris Snyder had two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Diamondbacks, who have won two in a row since losing five of six.

Chicago starter Sean Marshall (4-4) went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot and Jason Kendall accounted for the four hits for the Cubs, who lost their first series at home since June 15-17 against San Diego.

Arizona got on the board in the first. Eric Byrnes singled to center with two outs and stole second. After a walk to Jackson, Mark Reynolds plated Byrnes with a single to left, giving the Diamondbacks a 1-0 edge.

The Diamondbacks got two more runs off Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol in the seventh. Snyder hit his eighth homer of the year, a shot to left-center. Then with two outs, Jackson singled to right, scoring Chris Young, who had walked and stole second.

Game Notes

Chicago had won their four previous series at Wrigley Field…Arizona relievers have pitched eight scoreless innings in the past two games…The Cubs finished their homestand with a 7-3 record…Derrek Lee served the final game of a five-game suspension for the Cubs…Kendall got his first hit as a member of the Cubs in the fifth inning. Kendall was traded to the Cubs on Monday from Oakland. He had been 0-for-9 since the trade…Attendance was 41,705.

Minneapolis, MN - Joe Saunders hurled seven solid innings, and Garret Anderson homered as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed Minnesota, 7-2, in the finale of a three-game set at the Metrodome.

Saunders (4-0), who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to take the spot in the rotation previously held by Ervin Santana, allowed just two runs on six hits while walking one and fanning five.

Anderson was 2-for-4 for the Angels and his long ball snapped a 14-game homerless drought for the team. Meanwhile, Robb Quinlan and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs for LA, which avoided a sweep in the series and now stands two games ahead of Seattle in the AL West.

Jeff Cirillo and Justin Morneau each had an RBI for the Twins, who have lost four of six.

Matt Garza (1-2) allowed four runs — three earned — on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work en route to the loss.

The Angels jumped on top quickly with a run in the first. With runners at first and second and two down Garza lost the strike zone. The starter issued consecutive walks to Kotchman and Maicer Izturis to force in a run.

Los Angeles added another run in the second thanks to some shoddy fielding. Nathan Haynes reached second when Jason Bartlett threw away his ground ball and Chone Figgins followed by slapping an RBI single up the middle.

Anderson made it 3-0 in the third when he blasted a one-out solo homer to right, his fourth of the year.

The Twins got on the board in the home half of the third. Consecutive singles by Luis Rodriguez, Nick Punto and Bartlett loaded the bases before Cirillo lofted a sacrifice fly to left that made it a 3-1 game. Saunders averted any further damage by inducing Joe Mauer to hit into a 4-6-3 twin-killing.

The Angels got that run back in the sixth. Consecutive one-out singles by Kotchman and Izturis and a walk to Mike Napoli loaded the bases and chased Garza from the game. Juan Rincon entered and promptly issued a walk to Quinlan that made it a 4-1 game. The reliever did get Haynes to line into a double play after that to end the threat.

Minnesota made it a 4-2 game in the sixth. Cirillo laced a one-out double to left and came around to score on Morneau’s two-out RBI single up the middle.

Los Angeles answered again in the seventh. Figgins singled and moved to third on an Orlando Cabrera base hit. Rincon managed to fan Vladimir Guerrero but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire went to Dennys Reyes from there. After Cabrera swiped second and Reyes intentionally walked Anderson to load the bases, Kotchman hit a sac fly to center to make it 5-2.

Consecutive doubles by Napoli and Quinlan in the eighth extended LA’s advantage to four, 6-2.

Kotchman’s run-scoring double in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

Saunders filled the hole on the roster created when catcher Jose Molina was traded to the New York Yankees for a minor league pitcher Jeff Kennard on Saturday…Saunders last threw at the major league level against Pittsburgh back on June 22, a game in which he allowed four runs on seven hits and fanned three in six innings of work.

Bronx, NY - Shelley Duncan capped a 10-run fourth inning with a three-run homer and added a solo shot in the sixth, as the New York Yankees again roughed up Tampa Bay pitching in a 21-4 victory over the Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium.

After Tampa Bay pounded the Yankees in a 14-4 victory on Friday, New York won the last three games of the series by outscoring the Devil Rays 45-12. The Yankees swept Saturday’s day/night doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 17-5.

Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu added solo homers while Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano chipped in two-run shots for the Yankees, who have won five straight series and are 14-5 in their last 19 games during that span. They’ve captured three of four in each of their first three series since the All-Star break, beating Tampa twice and Toronto, and will next head to the road for a four-game set at Kansas City.

Andy Pettitte was the beneficiary of Sunday’s power surge, allowing three runs and eight hits over six innings to improve to 2-0 in three starts since the All-Star break. Pettitte (6-6), who walked three and struck out eight, also beat Tampa Bay last week and has won his last 12 decisions against the Devil Rays.

James Shields (8-6) absorbed the beating for Tampa Bay, as he was shelled for a career-high 10 runs on 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings. He fell to 0-4 lifetime against New York.

Carlos Pena homered and Josh Wilson singled home two runs for the Devil Rays, who won two of three from the Angels before the visit to the Bronx. Delmon Young had three hits in defeat.

The Devil Rays tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the third on a two-run single by Wilson, but the Yankees sent 14 men to the plate in the bottom of the inning and answered with 10 runs to blow it open.

Cano tripled to ignite the outburst and scored on a base hit by Andy Phillips, who took second on a walk to Duncan and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice by Melky Cabrera. Derek Jeter then singled home Phillips to make it 5-3 and the floodgates opened.

Abreu singled in Phillips and the runners tried to pull off a double steal from first and second. Catcher Dioner Navarro tried to gun down Abreu at second, but his throw skipped into center field, allowing Jeter to score. After Rodriguez drew a walk, Matsui singled to knock in a run and chase Shields.

Jorge Posada, though, greeted Casey Fossum with an RBI single to make it 9-3 and Cano added his second hit of the inning — another run-scoring single — before Phillips fanned. Duncan then connected for his second homer since joining the team on Friday to extend New York’s cushion to 13-3.

After a walk to Cabrera, Jeter grounded out to mercifully end the inning.

Abreu belted his eighth homer of the season in the fifth and Duncan added his second of the game leading off the sixth. After Johnny Damon doubled in a run later in the inning, Rodriguez chipped in his 34th homer of the year and the 498th of his career to extend the Yankee lead to 18-3.

New York tacked on three more in the eighth on a two-run blast by Cano and a run-scoring single by Cabrera, before the Devil Rays got an unearned run in the ninth on an RBI base hit by Jonny Gomes.

Every Yankee position player had at least one hit and scored at least one run. The 25 hits set a Yankee season high and marked the most ever recorded by a Tampa Bay opponent. The previous Devil Rays record for hits allowed was 23, set by the Yankees on June 21, 2005.

Gary Glover was the only Tampa Bay pitcher to not allow a hit or run. He worked 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and a hit batter.

Pena connected for his 23rd homer of the season to lead off the top of the second to put Tampa Bay on the board first, but Matsui answered with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning — his 17th of the campaign — to tie it. New York went on top in the third on RBI singles by Abreu and Rodriguez.

Game Notes

Pettitte improved to 13-1 lifetime against Tampa Bay…Tampa Bay All-Star Carl Crawford missed his second straight game with a mild left ankle sprain, an injury he suffered in the opener of Saturday’s twinbill…The Yankees designated catcher Wil Nieves for assignment before the game to make room on the roster for newly-acquired catcher Jose Molina…New York improved to 7-5 against Tampa Bay this season…The Devil Rays fell to 4-16 in their last 20 road games.