Betting Odds - Graffiti - Podcast

Indianapolis, IN - Tony Stewart won Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The No.20 Home Depot Chevrolet driver took the checkered flag 2.982-seconds ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya.

Graffiti Wall reports the victory was Stewart’s second in a row, second of the season and 31st of his Nextel Cup career.

Reed Sorenson led the field to the green flag to begin 160 high-speed laps at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was a clean start and Sorenson led the first lap as has every pole winner since they started coming here in 1994.

On the move early on was Indiana native Stewart, who started 14th, but cracked the top-five in the first 10 laps. By lap 15 he was third behind Sorenson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

When Jeff Green spun on lap 16 Stewart’s pit crew helped their driver gain the final two spots and put the 2005 winner into the lead.

On the restart, “Junior” was all over Stewart and as they reached the front straight he made the move to the inside for the lead. Just after the pass Ryan Newman slammed the wall to bring out a second caution flag.

Earnhardt Jr. opened his lead up to two seconds as the field passed the 30-lap mark. The lead hovered around two seconds as Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart exchanged fastest laps.

Then on lap 40 Kasey Kahne clipped the corner of Tony Raines and both drivers spun to bring out another caution flag.

On lap 47 defending champion Jimmie Johnson got into Jamie McMurray and their spin collected Scott Riggs, 2002 Brickyard winner Bill Elliott and Ricky Rudd.

When the race finally restarted Stewart got around Earnhardt Jr., but once again a crash interrupted the flow of the race. Then again on lap 62 Johnson slammed the wall and this time the No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet burst into flames to end his day.

“The hit wasn’t too bad, but the flames had me nervous,” said Johnson, who quickly pulled his car onto the infield. “I could feel the right-side of my face getting hot.”

On the third of the three incidents, the field strategies split. Six drivers including new leader Kyle Busch stayed out and inherited the top-six spots on the track. Montoya took fuel only and was the first of the pitting cars to return to the track in sixth and Stewart (two tires) came out seventh.

Another caution flag and those that hadn’t stopped did so giving the lead back to Stewart.

Still more caution flags and Greg Biffle, David Gilliland and Clint Bowyer used two-tire changes to grab the top-three spots.

However, when the race went back to green Kevin Harvick and Stewart quickly picked off Bowyer and Gilliland. Harvick caught Biffle on lap 100 and two laps later charged into the lead down the backstretch. Biffle was no match for Stewart either and dropped to third place. On lap 111 Stewart caught and passed Harvick and was 49 laps from his second Brickyard 400 win.

In the clean air, the No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet was the quickest car on the track and easily built the lead to more than two seconds. Stewart’s lead ballooned to 4.571 seconds with 40 laps to go.

Stewart pitted with 33 laps remaining, his final stop of the day. He took four new tires and fuel and was set to run to the finish. They cycled through without any caution flags and Stewart returned to the lead with 31 laps to go. His lead was 2.910 seconds.

The 2005 Nextel Cup champion again built his lead and with 25 to go was up by 3.804 seconds, but when “Junior’s” engine let go the caution flag flew and Stewart’s huge lead was erased.

“We just had bad luck, we’ve had good motors all year long,” said Earnhardt Jr.

Officials cleaned up the oil left on the track and the race restarted with 20 laps to go. Harvick made a move to the bottom of the track on the restart and he grabbed the lead from Stewart.

“I just went down into (turn) one and got really, really tight for some reason,” said Stewart.

Gordon was third and Montoya fourth. But Montoya was looking to make some history and he took third from Gordon on lap 142. He was three seconds behind the two leaders so he would need a caution flag for a shot at a win.

Meanwhile, Harvick and Stewart were well out in front and it seemed to be a two-car race. Stewart took a look on the inside with 15 to go, but he couldn’t complete the move. He made the same attempt at the end of the backstretch with 13 to go, but again Harvick turned him away. The third time was the charm and after getting Harvick a little loose he completed the pass with 10 laps to go.

“I got a good run on him off of (turn) one and got by,” said Stewart. “That’s a hard guy to race with, he’s a clean guy and one of my best friends. I can’t think of another guy I’d want to race for the lead.

Stewart built the lead to 0.964 seconds with eight to go and 1.347 seconds one lap later. He continued to build the lead and he cruised to the checkered flag unchallenged.

“We had a pretty good race car and this was probably the smartest race I’ve ever seen him drive,” said crew chief Greg Zipadelli.

“Tony was strong and he deserved the win,” said Gordon.

Gordon, Kyle Busch and Sorenson completed the top-five, while Harvick finished seventh.

The next race is set for Sunday, August 5th at the Pocono Raceway.

Glasgow, Scotland - Two-time defending Scottish Premier League champions Celtic will open defense of their title against Kilmarnock on Sunday most likely without three key soccer knocker players.

Graffiti Wall reports that Shunsuke Nakamura, Scott McDonald and keeper Artur Boruc are all likely to miss the contest for various reasons.

Nakamura, a Japanese international, is not expected to report back to Glasgow until Friday after participating in the Asian Cup this past month. McDonald signed from Motherwell this summer and has looked good in preseason contests, but will be serving a two-game ban after an incident at the end of last season. Boruc, meanwhile, is struggling with a shoulder injury that he picked up during a friendly against Newcastle at St James’ Park last Thursday. The injury could potentially keep Boruc out of the team’s first Champions League contest on August 14.

All three players missed Sunday’s friendly against Serie A side Parma, which Celtic won 1-0 on a goal from Aiden McGeady.

The injury to Boruc could keep him out for two to three weeks, meaning backup keeper Mark Brown will be called upon to get the team off to a good start.

Gullane, Scotland - Kansas City native, Tom Watson won his third Senior British Open in five years on Sunday, the only survivor to par at tough Muirfield after four windy days on the Scottish coast.

Graffiti Wall reports that Watson closed with a two-over 73 in the final round, making a double-bogey at the 18th hole but still beating Mark O’Meara and Stewart Ginn by a shot.

He met an old foe in Muirfield, the site of his 1980 British Open victory on the PGA Tour. The weather cooperated for Watson down the stretch, with clouds yielding to blue skies as he closed out his fifth major on the Champions Tour.

Watson now owns eight British Open titles among his 13 career majors on the PGA and Champions Tours.

He ended this one at even-par 284.

“The last few days playing Muirfield were some of the most serene days of my life,” said Watson. “This is one of my favorite golf courses, and the golf was pretty darn good this week.”

Ginn, the overnight leader, was done in Sunday by five consecutive bogeys from the 10th hole and only tied O’Meara for second place after a birdie at the 17th.

O’Meara, the 1998 British Open champion, joined him at one-over 285 with a final-round 72. Both players missed birdie putts at the 18th hole that could have sent the round to a playoff.

Watson won his first two Senior British Opens in playoffs.

“I made it a little difficult on myself today,” chuckled Watson, who also made a double-bogey at the 10th hole on Sunday. “Fortunately, those two guys didn’t make their putts.”

Defending champion Loren Roberts tied for fourth place with Jay Haas, Lonnie Nielsen and Eduardo Romero at four-over 288.

Watson seized the lead Sunday with a pair of birdies on the front nine, the first coming on a 20-foot putt at the third. He still held a share of the lead even after making his first double-bogey of the tournament from the deep rough at the 10th hole.

There was a two-shot swing at the 11th, where Watson made birdie and Ginn made bogey to give the eventual champion a two-stroke lead.

Watson later stumbled to a bogey at the 14th, but it didn’t matter. Ginn was in the midst of his bogey streak, and O’Meara was still three shots back.

All Watson needed was a six on the par-four closing hole, which he got after hitting a deep bunker with his last drive. It wasn’t the way he wanted to walk down 18, a champion again, but it was enough.

“I ended up making enough good shots today,” Watson said.

His victory at Muirfield in 1980, as a 30-year-old established star, was the third of his five British Open wins as a member of the PGA Tour. It came by four shots over Lee Trevino.

Now a 57-year-old Hall of Famer, Watson has been prone to mini collapses in the recent past. He gave up final-round leads in each of the last two U.S. Senior Opens, including this year at Whistling Straights, where tossed away six shots in a five-hole stretch.

It included two double-bogeys — the same number he had on the back nine Sunday at Muirfield. This time, Watson wasn’t sweating it.

“I felt more relaxed than I did at the U.S. Senior Open. I wasn’t comfortable at Whistling Straights,” Watson said. “But I gotta quit making these doubles.”

John Ross finished in fifth place at five-over 289, and Donnie Hammond was another shot further back at 290.

Nick Faldo tied for 14th in his debut on the Champions Tour after sharing the first round lead. He closed with a 75 in the final round — his third straight score of 74 or worse after an opening with a 68 at Muirfield.

Richmond, VA - Embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick received more bad news Monday when one of his co-defendants pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to federal dogfighting charges.

According to CNN, Tony Taylor reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture,

He will be sentenced December 14 and was not promised any sentence in return for his cooperation.

The charges stem from an operation allegedly conducted at a house owned by Vick in Smithfield, Virginia. Vick, Taylor and two others were indicted.

If convicted of the travel part of the conspiracy charge, it carries with it a statutory maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and full restitution. If convicted on the dog fighting charge, the defendants could face either one year in prison, a $100,000 fine or both.

According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in an ongoing animal fighting business based out of Vick’s property from early 2001 through sometime in April of this year.

Since Vick purchased the property in June 2001, the defendants formed a dog fighting enterprise known as “Bad Newz Kennels” and used the property for housing and training pit bulls used in dog fights. From at least 2002, the defendants and others sponsored dog fights on the property and brought dogs from several states to participate in the events.

During the fights, the participants would place bets ranging from the hundreds to thousands of dollars. The fights would last until either the death or surrender of the losing dog, which would then sometimes be put to death by drowning, hanging, gunshot, electrocution or other methods.

Also, the indictment said the defendants participated in dog fights in North and South Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and elsewhere in Virginia.

Vick is set to stand trial on November 26.

Montreal, QC - The Montreal Canadiens avoided arbitration and re-signed forward Michael Ryder to a one-year deal Sunday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ryder led the Canadiens with 30 goals during the 2006-07 season and added 28 assists in 82 games.

The Newfoundland native has recorded 176 points (85 goals, 91 assists) in 244 NHL regular season games since he made his debut in 2003-04.

With Ryder’s signing, the Canadiens have all of their players under contract for the 2007-08 campaign.

Monday, July 30th (All times eastern)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (52-52) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (39-65), 7:10 P.M. Probable Starting Pitchers: Toronto - Dustin McGowan (7-5, 4.45) Tampa Bay - Andy Sonnanstine (1-6, 5.57)

Dustin McGowan tries to win his third straight start this evening when the Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.

McGowan was brilliant against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, as he scattered four hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings to run his record to 7-5 on the year, while lowering his earned run average to 4.45.

The 25-year-old righty has yet to record a decision in two outings (one start) against the Rays, but has pitched to a 4.70 ERA in those contests.

Toronto enters this series on a winning note after Shaun Marcum pitched eight solid innings on Sunday to help the Blue Jays salvage the finale of their three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, winning 4-1 at U.S. Cellular Field.

Marcum and his counterpart, Javier Vazquez, allowed a combined three hits through seven innings, but the Blue Jays plated four in the eighth to go on top, and Jermaine Dye’s solo homer in the home half of the inning was not enough for the White Sox.

Marcum (7-4) allowed only two hits and one run in eight innings, fanning eight with no walks. John McDonald went 2-for-3 and scored for the Blue Jays, who have won six of eight. Jeremy Accardo pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, snapped an eight-game losing streak on Sunday, as Dioner Navarro hit a solo home run to break a scoreless game during a five-run seventh inning in the Devil Rays’ 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.

B.J. Upton hit a three-run home run and Carlos Pena added two hits with a solo shot for the Devil Rays, who won for only the second time in their last 11 tries.

Scott Kazmir, who started for the Devil Rays, was brilliant in his six innings of work. The southpaw allowed only six hits, while striking out eight and walking one. Gary Glover (4-3) got the win, though, despite surrendering two runs and two hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Getting the call for the Devil Rays this evening will be 24-year-old right- hander Andy Sonnanstine, who is a dismal 1-6 with a 5.57 ERA. Sonnanstine was tagged with the loss in his last start on Wednesday against Baltimore, as he gave up five runs and seven hits in six frames.

Sonnanstine, who did not receive a decision in his only other start against the Jays, has not won since June 10 and Tampa has dropped each of his last eight starts.

On the injury front Tampa could again be without All-Star left fielder Carl Crawford, who has missed the last two games with a sprained right wrist. He is set to undergo an MRI on Monday.

Toronto has won five of its nine matchups with the Devil Rays this season and is 28-18 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Jays have also won in 14 of their last 21 visits to St. Petersburg.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (47-57) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (53-51), 8:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Kansas City - Gil Meche (7-7, 3.76) Minnesota - Scott Baker (4-4, 5.30)

The Kansas City Royals take aim at their fifth straight win this evening when they open a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.

Kansas City completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers on Sunday, as Leo Nunez tossed six scoreless innings and David DeJesus drove in three runs to help the Royals to 10-0 win at Kauffman Stadium. Tony Pena ended 2-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored for the Royals, whose winning streak comes on the heels of a three-game slide.

Nunez (1-0) struck out one and walked one while lowering his earned run average to 0.90 for his two starts this season. Joel Peralta worked the final three innings to pick up his first save of the year and keep the shutout intact.

Hoping to keep the Royals on the winning track tonight will be right-hander Gil Meche, who is 7-7 with a 3.76 ERA. Meche lost for the first time in five decisions on Wednesday against the New York Yankees, as he allowed five runs and nine hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Meche is 5-1 lifetime against the Twins with a 4.44 ERA in nine starts.

Minnesota, meanwhile, won the final two games of its three-game series with the Cleveland Indians, culminating with a 4-1 win in Sunday’s rubber match at Jacobs Field.

Justin Morneau’s run-scoring double highlighted a three-run eighth inning in the win, while Lew Ford added a home run for the Twins, who had dropped five in a row before winning their last two.

Matt Garza allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work en route to a no-decision. Garza also had a career-high 11 strikeouts. Dennys Reyes (2-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Heading to the hill tonight for the Twins will be right-hander Scott Baker, who is 4-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Baker was saddled with the loss on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, as he surrendered four runs and six hits in seven innings.

Baker has faced the Royals three times and is 0-2 against them with a 4.26 ERA.

Kansas City has won three of five from the Twins this season, but is just 9-20 in its last 29 visits to Minnesota.

DETROIT TIGERS (60-44) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (49-56), 10:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Jordan Tata (0-0, 0.00) Oakland - Joe Blanton (8-7, 3.69)

The Detroit Tigers will be without one of their top arms when the struggling American League Central leaders begin a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics tonight at McAfee Coliseum.

Kenny Rogers was initially slated to start this evening’s opener for Detroit, but the veteran left-hander had to be placed on the disabled list because of inflammation in his elbow. Rogers’ spot will be filled by Jordan Tata, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and makes his first major league start tonight.

Tata pitched in eight games as a reliever with the Tigers last season and allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 14 2/3 total innings of work. The 25-year-old has gone 3-3 with a 3.29 earned run average in 11 starts with Toledo so far in 2007.

Detroit hopes the young right-hander will fare better than its pitchers did this past weekend. The Tigers surrendered 34 total runs in three games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who completed the series sweep with a 13-4 rout Sunday at Angel Stadium.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (10-3) had his worst performance of the season, as he was pounded for 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits before exiting after 2 1/3 innings.

Detroit has lost four in a row overall and six of its last seven contests on its current 11-game road trip. The Tigers, who lead the Cleveland Indians by a mere half-game in the AL Central standings, have gone 2-6 thus far on the trek.

The Tigers hope to get back on track against an Oakland club that it swept in four games during last October’s AL Championship Series. The two teams have yet to face one another yet this season.

Detroit won five of the nine regular-season meetings with the Athletics in 2006 and split six games at McAfee Coliseum.

Oakland will be trying to snap a losing streak of its own. After winning the opener of a four-game set at Seattle, the A’s proceeded to drop the next three tests.

The Mariners came through in a slugfest during Sunday’s finale, scoring four times in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out a 14-10 win.

Nick Swisher and Mike Piazza each drove in three runs for Oakland, while Shannon Stewart homered and finished with two RBI. Piazza ended the day with three hits in five at-bats.

A’s closer Huston Street (2-2) received the loss after yielding four runs — two earned — on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning of work. Starter Lenny DiNardo didn’t fare any better, as he was tagged for seven runs and seven hits over the first three innings.

Oakland will send out the struggling Joe Blanton in tonight’s opener. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA over his last four starts and surrendered 10 or more hits in each of those outings.

Blanton received a no decision Wednesday in Anaheim, but was touched for five runs and 11 hits over six innings. He hasn’t won since tossing a complete-game four-hitter to best Toronto on July 3.

The 26-year-old is 2-1 in three career starts against Detroit but has given up 15 earned runs and 28 hits in 16 1/3 innings over those games. Blanton also threw two scoreless frames of relief versus the Tigers in last year’s ALCS. LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (61-42) AT SEATTLE MARINERS (57-46), 10:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Kelvim Escobar (11-4, 2.91) Seattle - Miguel Batista (10-7, 4.48)

The top two teams in the American League West begin a three-game showdown tonight at Seattle’s Safeco Field, where the Mariners will attempt to gain ground on the division-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Both teams appeared to have turned themselves around from recent slides. The Angels have won four consecutive games after going through a stretch of seven losses in nine contests. Seattle had endured a season-long seven-game losing streak before taking three in a row from division-rival Oakland over the weekend.

The Angels are fresh off an impressive three-game home sweep of AL Central leader Detroit in which they outscored the Tigers by a lopsided 34-13 margin. In Sunday’s finale, Chone Figgins went 3-for-5 with three runs scored to lead a 13-hit attack as Anaheim rolled to a 13-4 victory.

Gary Matthews drove in three runs while Casey Kotchman and Garret Anderson each finished with two RBI for the Angels, who enter this key series with a four-game advantage on the second-place Mariners.

Dustin Moseley, starting in place of the injured Bartolo Colon, worked the first 4 2/3 innings for Los Angeles and allowed four runs on five hits. Chris Bootcheck (3-2) then held Detroit scoreless over the next 2 1/3 frames to pick up the win.

Seattle also put up a wealth of runs in Sunday’s 14-10 triumph over the Athletics. The Mariners scored four times in the bottom of the eighth inning, highlighted by a two-run single by Jose Guillen, to break a 10-10 tie.

Adrian Beltre homered and compiled four RBI for Seattle, while Ben Broussard went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI after replacing Richie Sexson, who was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing with first base umpire Mark Carlson.

Ichiro Suzuki singled in the second inning for his 1,500th career hit, becoming the third-fastest player in major-league history to accomplish the feat. The Mariners star ended 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.

Sean Green (4-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Jarrod Washburn started for Seattle and pitched five innings, allowing five runs — three earned — on five hits while striking out two and walking three.

A pair of double-digit winners will take the mound in tonight’s opener, with the Angels set to send out Kelvim Escobar and the Mariners handing the ball to Miguel Batista.

Escobar owns an outstanding 11-4 record and ranks third in the AL with a 2.91 earned run average so far this season. The hard-throwing righty had won five consecutive decisions before suffering a tough-luck loss last Tuesday to Oakland. Escobar held the A’s to three runs and nine hits in seven innings.

The native Venezuelan is 5-1 with a 4.22 ERA on the road in 2007, but that one setback came at Safeco Field on May 15. Escobar was rocked for eight runs (six earned) on eight hits and lasted a season-low 2 1/3 innings in that matchup.

For his career Escobar is 5-8 with a 5.05 ERA and three saves in 28 lifetime games (15 starts) against Seattle.

Batista looks to rebound after a rough performance in Texas last Wednesday. The veteran righty gave up five runs and eight hits over six innings against the Rangers, although he wound up with a no decision in a 7-6 Seattle loss.

Prior to that outing, Batista went 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA over his last four starts.

The 36-year-old is 3-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 career games, including five starts, against the Angels. Batista has faced Anaheim twice already this season and recorded a win and a loss while allowing 10 runs over 11 1/3 total innings.

The Angels have won seven of nine matchups against Seattle so far this season and are 15-4 in the last 19 games played in this series. Los Angeles took two of three games at Safeco Field back in May. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (55-49) AT CHICAGO CUBS (55-48), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Philadelphia - Cole Hamels (11-5, 3.63) Chicago - Ted Lilly (11-4, 3.46)

The Chicago Cubs will try to jump into the National League Central lead tonight, when they open a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies in a battle of streaking teams at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs, labeled as underachievers earlier in the year, were fifth in the NL Central back on June 2 and 7 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee. However, the club has since gone 33-17 — the top record in the majors since June 3 — and now trails the Brewers by only a half-game in the standings.

Milwaukee is idle tonight, so a win by the 55-48 Cubs will move them percentage points ahead of the 57-49 Brewers.

Chicago’s recent run includes 23 wins in its last 32 games, including a 6-0 victory on Sunday in a rubber match with the Reds in Cincinnati.

Carlos Zambrano (14-7) did most of the work in the three-hit shutout, hurling 7 1/3 scoreless frames. He allowed only two hits en route to becoming the NL’s first 14-game winner.

Will Ohman finished the eighth for Chicago and Bob Howry nailed things down with a perfect ninth. Derrek Lee hit a two-run home run for Chicago, while Angel Pagan chipped in a two-run single.

Losses have been rare for both the Cubs and tonight’s starter Ted Lilly as of late. Lilly is currently riding a career-high seven-decision winning streak and has won each of his last six starts.

Lilly, who hasn’t lost since June 5 at Milwaukee, yielded only a run and six hits over seven innings at St. Louis on Wednesday to improve to 11-4 with a 3.46 earned run average on the season. He has allowed one run or fewer in five of his last eight starts.

The left-hander battled the Phillies on May 13 for the first time in his career and earned the win by limiting Philadelphia to one run and three hits over eight frames.

Like the Cubs, the Phillies are trying to close a divisional gap of their own in the NL East. The club has won eight of its last nine games to jump over the Braves and into second place, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading New York Mets.

Philadelphia, which is 28-21 since June 3, has done it with both its bats and arms as of late. The Phils are averaging 7.3 runs per game over their past 12 contests and their starting pitchers have a solid 2.99 ERA over their last 10 games.

Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep of lowly Pittsburgh yesterday, as starter Kyle Kendrick (5-1) limited the Pirates to just a run on six hits over seven innings of a 5-1 victory.

Ryan Madson, Antonio Alfonseca and Jose Mesa combined for two innings of scoreless relief to finish things off. Jimmy Rollins went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Philadelphia, while Chris Coste knocked in a pair of runs in a pinch-hit appearance.

It was Rollins’ third three-hit game during his current nine-game hitting streak and second straight overall. The shortstop has his season average up to .295 with the tear.

Cole Hamels toes the rubber for the Phillies tonight and will try to perform better than the last time he graced the fields of Wrigley Field. On August 24 of 2006, the left-hander made his first career start at Wrigley and was hammered for five runs and nine hits over just two innings.

He made his second lifetime start against the Cubs on May 11 of this season, and earned the win behind seven innings of two-run ball at Citizens Bank Park.

Hamels will hope the Phillies’ recent offensive explosion carries over again tonight. He was on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss July 19 at San Diego, allowing just the one run on two hits over seven frames, then held the Nationals to two runs over seven innings on Wednesday but didn’t factor in the decision of his team’s 7-5 extra-inning victory.

The former first-round pick is 11-5 with a 3.63 ERA on the season and his 135 strikeouts are good for third in the National League.

The Phillies took two of three over the Cubs when the two squads clashed from May 11-13.

(Sunday, July 29th)

Final Score: Minnesota 4, Cleveland 1

Cleveland, OH - Justin Morneau’s run-scoring double highlighted a three-run eighth inning as Minnesota overcame a great pitching performance by C.C. Sabathia to down Cleveland, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Jacobs Field. Lew Ford homered for the Twins, who won the final two games of the series. Mike Redmond added a big run- scoring double. Matt Garza allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work en route to a no-decision. Garza also had a career-high 11 strikeouts. Dennys Reyes (2-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Trot Nixon finished 1-for-2 with an RBI double for the Indians, who have dropped three of four. Jhonny Peralta was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sabathia (13-6) was the hard-luck loser for the Indians. The big lefty, who was vying for a major league best 14th win, was brilliant for seven plus innings before his defense let him down. Sabathia surrendered three runs — one earned — on six hits while equaling a career-high with 11 strikeouts and not walking a batter.

Final Score: New York 10, Baltimore 6

Baltimore, MD - Johnny Damon went 3-for-5, drove in two runs and scored four times as the New York Yankees outslugged the Baltimore Orioles, 10-6, in the finale of a three-game set. Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-2 and was walked three times, and is still one homer shy of career number 500. Melky Cabrera also had a three-hit day, scoring twice and driving in a run for the Yankees, who stopped a three-game skid. Chien-Ming Wang (12-5) let up nine hits and three runs with four walks and one strikeout in six innings. Miguel Tejada and Nick Markakis each had three hits, and Brian Roberts homered and drove in three for the Orioles, who saw their six-game win streak come to an end. Daniel Cabrera (7-11) gave up six hits and four runs while fanning five and walking five in six innings.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 5, Boston 2

St. Petersburg, FL - Dioner Navarro hit a solo home run to break a scoreless game during a five-run seventh inning as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox, 5-2, to salvage the final game of a three- game set at Tropicana Field. B.J. Upton hit a three-run home run and Carlos Pena added two hits with a solo shot as the Devil Rays snapped an eight-game losing streak. Scott Kazmir, who started for the Devil Rays, was brilliant in his six innings of work. The southpaw allowed only six hits, while striking out eight and walking one. Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis accounted for the Red Sox’s only runs with a pair of solo homers. Boston had a brief three-game winning streak halted. Daisuke Matsuzaka (12-8) was the hard-luck loser. The righty had a solid outing for the Red Sox, giving up two runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out six and walked a batter. After both teams squandered scoring chances throughout the first six and a half innings, the Red Sox attempted to break the scoreless tie in the seventh. Coco Crisp drew a one out walk, advanced to second on a Wily Mo Pena ground out and then stole third. Following a Doug Mirabelli walk, the Rays pulled Scott Dohmann in favor of Gary Glover (4-3), who got Julio Lugo to ground out to third base to end the threat. Final Score: Kansas City 10, Texas 0

Kansas City, MO - Leo Nunez tossed six scoreless innings and David DeJesus drove in three runs, as the Kansas City Royals completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 10-0 win at Kauffman Stadium. Tony Pena ended 2-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored for the Royals, who have won four in a row. Nunez (1-0) struck out one and walked one while lowering his earned run average to 0.90 for his two starts this season. Joel Peralta worked the final three innings to pick up his first save of the year and keep the shutout intact. Kameron Loe (5-9) surrendered six runs over 5 1/3 frames for Texas, which came into the series off a four-game sweep of the Mariners. Gerald Laird had two of his team’s five hits. Kansas City put up a four-spot in the second to assume command. Mark Teahen started the surge with a double to left-center that brought in Ross Gload. Reggie Sanders followed with a walk before Pena stepped in and cracked a two-run double to center. DeJesus added an RBI double of his own two batters later to make it 4-0.

Final Score: Toronto 4, Chicago 1

Chicago, IL - Shaun Marcum sparkled through eight innings, and the Toronto Blue Jays topped the Chicago White Sox, 4-1, to salvage one game out of a three-game set. Marcum and his counterpart, Javier Vazquez, allowed a combined three hits through seven innings, but the Blue Jays plated four in the eighth to go on top, and Jermaine Dye’s solo homer in the home half of the inning was not enough for the White Sox. Marcum (7-4) allowed only two hits and one run in eight innings, fanning eight with no walks. John McDonald went 2-for-3 and scored for the Blue Jays, who have won six of eight. Jeremy Accardo pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save. Vazquez (8-6) let up five hits and four runs — two earned — with five strikeouts and three walks in 7 2/3 innings for the White Sox, who saw their three-game win streak come to an end.

Final Score: Seattle 14, Oakland 10

Seattle, WA - Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer, drove in four and scored three as the Seattle Mariners came back to defeat the Oakland Athletics, 14-10, in the finale of a four-game series at Safeco Field. Ben Broussard replaced first baseman Richie Sexson, who was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing with first base umpire Mark Carlson, and had a pair of hits, including a two-run homer and three RBI. Jose Guillen also knocked in two runs for Seattle, which took three of four from the Athletics. Prior to three straight wins, the M’s lost the previous seven contests. Ichiro Suzuki singled in the second inning for his 1,500 career hit. He becomes the third fastest player in major league history to accomplish the fete. Suzuki finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Sean Green (4-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Jarrod Washburn started for Seattle and pitched five innings, allowing five runs — three earned — on five hits, while striking out two and walking three. Nick Swisher and Mike Piazza each drove in three runs apiece and Shannon Stewart added a solo home run and two RBI for the Athletics, who have lost three in a row and four of their last five. Huston Street (2-2) took the loss by allowing three hits and four runs — two earned — in two-thirds of an inning. Lenny DiNardo got the start for Oakland and struggled through three innings of work. The left-hander gave up seven runs on seven hits, walked a pair and didn’t record a strikeout.

Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 13, Detroit 4

Anaheim, CA - Chone Figgins went 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored as the LA Angels of Anaheim completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 13-4 win at Angel Stadium. Gary Matthews, Jr. drove in three runs while Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs for the Angels, who have won four straight. Dustin Moseley, who started in place of the injured Bartolo Colon, came out of the bullpen and gave up four runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. It was his first start since April 12th. Chris Bootcheck (3-2) got the win for pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings. The Angels, who completed their first sweep of the Tigers since 2004, outscored the Tigers, 34-13, in the three games. Craig Monroe drove in two runs while Ivan Rodriguez and Brandon Inge each had an RBI for the Tigers, who have dropped four straight and six of their last seven games. Jeremy Bonderman (10-3) was pounded for 11 runs — 10 earned — on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts in just 2 1/3 innings of work.

Final Score: New York 5, Washington 0 (4 1/2 innings)

Flushing, NY - John Maine tossed five innings of one-hit ball in a game shortened by rain, as the New York Mets blanked the Washington Nationals, 5-0, in the finale of a four-game set at Shea Stadium. Maine retired 14 batters in a row before play was stopped with one out in the bottom of the fifth. After a delay of about 90 minutes, officials called the game. Maine (12-5) struck out five without issuing a walk and Ramon Castro hit a two-run home run for the Mets, who had lost three of four but earned a split with the Nationals. Ronnie Belliard’s one-out single in the first inning accounted for Washington’s lone hit. Nationals starter Billy Traber (2-2) was tagged for five runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Washington had won three of its last four,

Final Score: Chicago 6, Cincinnati 0

Cincinnati, OH - Carlos Zambrano combined with two relievers on a three-hit shutout as Chicago blanked Cincinnati, 6-0, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Great American Ball Park. Zambrano (14-7), who became the major league’s first 14-game winner this season, allowed just two hits in 7 1/3 innings for the Cubs, who won the final two games of the series. Zambrano walked only three while fanning six and also helped himself at the plate with a career-high three hits. Will Ohman finished the eighth for Chicago and Bob Howry nailed things down with a perfect ninth. Derrek Lee hit a two-run home run for Chicago while Angel Pagan chipped in with a two-run single. Aramis Ramirez and Mark DeRosa each drove in a run. Brandon Phillips, Ryan Freel and Javier Valentin had a hit apiece for the Reds, who have dropped two straight after winning the previous three. Matt Belisle (5-8) allowed four runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings en route to the loss. Final Score: Philadelphia 5, Pittsburgh 1

Philadelphia, PA - Kyle Kendrick tossed seven quality innings, as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three- game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-1 win at Citizens Bank Park. Kendrick (5-1) — a rookie right-hander — allowed one run on six hits while striking out four and walking one for the Phillies, who have won eight of their last nine to assume second place in the NL East behind the New York Mets. The Mets won a rain-shortened game against the Nationals on Sunday to remain 3 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies for the division lead. Jimmy Rollins went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Chris Coste knocked in a pair of runs in a pinch-hit appearance. Ian Snell (7-9) yielded three runs over six innings to take the loss for Pittsburgh, which has dropped six of seven. Nate McLouth homered in a losing effort.

Final Score: St. Louis 9, Milwaukee 5

St. Louis, MO - Albert Pujols was 2-for-4 and knocked in three runs as the St. Louis Cardinals scored five times in the eighth to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-5, taking three of four in the series at Busch Stadium. Ryan Ludwick drove in a pair of runs and David Eckstein had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI as the Cards have won three straight and four of their last five. Ryan Franklin (4-0) picked up the win, allowing one hit in 1 2/3 frames of relief. Stater Kip Wells went five innings, giving up five runs on 11 hits. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two. Johnny Estrada went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Ryan Braun had a pair of hits with an RBI for Milwaukee, which has dropped three in a row and six of its last eight games Derrick Turnbow (2-4) was saddled with the loss and the blown save, charged with four hits and four runs in just one-third of an inning. Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo allowed four runs on four hits, while striking out seven and walking a pair over five innings. He also drove in a pair of runs with a base hit.

Final Score: San Diego 18, Houston 11

Houston, TX - Mike Cameron, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff each hit two-run home runs and had three RBI as San Diego scored 11 runs in the first inning and outlasted Houston, 18-11, in the finale of a four-game set at Minute Maid Park. Brian Giles, Milton Bradley, Josh Bard and starting pitcher Tim Stauffer each knocked in a pair of runs as the Padres battered Houston starter Jason Jennings (2-7) for 11 runs on eight hits and three walks in just two-thirds of inning. Stauffer, starting in place of injured All-Star Chris Young, lasted just 3 2/3 innings in his first start of the season. The right-hander gave up seven runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Doug Brocail (3-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win for San Diego, which won for just the third time in its last 10 games. Eric Munson, Lance Berkman, Luke Scott and Chris Burke each homered for the Astros, who had won four of five.

Final Score: Colorado 9, Los Angeles 6

Denver, CO - Matt Holliday hit a two-run home run and finished with three RBI as the Colorado Rockies defeated Los Angeles, 9-6, and handed Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley his first loss of the season. Yorvit Torrealba went 3-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored, while Jamey Carroll knocked in a pair of runs for the Rockies, who took two of three from LA in a rain-shortened series. Billingsley (7-1) was tagged for four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0), meanwhile, pitched six strong innings to pick up his first career win. The right-hander gave up two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Jeff Kent went 4-for-5 with three RBI and Russell Martin homered and scored three runs for the Dodgers, who have lost four of five.

Final Score: Florida 8, San Francisco 5

San Francisco, CA - Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored as the Florida Marlins downed the San Francisco Giants, 8-5, in the finale of a three-game set at AT&T Park. Barry Bonds finished the game 0-for-4 and remained at 754 career homers, one shy of Hank Aaron for the all-time record. Bonds grounded out to second in the second, flied out to right in the fourth, grounded out again to second in the sixth and reached first base on an error by Miguel Olivo in the eighth inning. Jeremy Hermida went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Hanley Ramirez scored a pair of runs for the Marlins, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Sergio Mitre (5-5) got the win as he gave up five runs on six hits with a pair of walks in 6 2/3 innings of work. Ryan Klesko and Guillermo Rodriguez each drove in a pair of runs for the Giants, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Matt Morris (7-7) was handed the loss as he gave up six runs on 13 hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of play. He has dropped his last four decisions and has not had a win since June 11.

Final Score: Atlanta 14, Arizona 0

Phoenix, AZ - Chipper Jones drove in five runs and Tim Hudson scattered three hits over seven shutout innings as Atlanta trounced Arizona, 14-0, in the finale of a three-game set. Hudson (11-5) fanned five and walked one, improving to 4-0 lifetime against Arizona. Jeff Francoeur went 3-for-5 and scored twice for the Braves, who picked up runs in each of the first seven innings to stop a four-game slide and avoid a sweep in Phoenix. Willie Harris was 2-for-3 with four runs scored, while Kelly Johnson and Andruw Jones both drove in a pair of runs. Edgar Renteria, Yunel Escobar and Julio Franco each contributed two hits and a run scored. D-Backs starter Livan Hernandez (6-7) was tagged for eight runs and eight hits with three walks and no strikeouts over four innings. Eric Byrnes tripled for the D-Backs, who saw their eight-game winning streak ended.

Anaheim, CA - Chone Figgins went 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored as the LA Angels of Anaheim completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 13-4 win at Angel Stadium.

Gary Matthews, Jr. drove in three runs while Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs for the Angels, who have won four straight.

Dustin Moseley, who started in place of the injured Bartolo Colon, came out of the bullpen and gave up four runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. It was his first start since April 12th. Chris Bootcheck (3-2) got the win for pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Angels, who completed their first sweep of the Tigers since 2004, outscored the Tigers, 34-13, in the three games.

“We played well this weekend,” said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. “What’s good about today’s win is it’s tough to pick one thing that stood out. We have a lot of guys swinging the bats well.”

Craig Monroe drove in two runs while Ivan Rodriguez and Brandon Inge each had an RBI for the Tigers, who have dropped four straight and six of their last seven games.

Jeremy Bonderman (10-3) was pounded for 11 runs — 10 earned — on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts in just 2 1/3 innings of work.

“Today was one of those days that I wish I had an illness and didn’t have to show up,” said Bonderman. “It wasn’t pretty. They made me pay for every mistake I made. I can’t wait to go back out there and redeem myself.”

The Angels got four on the scoreboard in the first inning to take a quick lead. With the bases loaded, Kotchman lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Figgins. Matthews followed with a triple to right to plate Vladimir Guerrero and Anderson. Maicer Izturis followed with a double and Matthews crossed the plate for a 4-0 lead.

A pair of wild pitches from Bonderman in the second inning allowed Figgins and Orlando Cabrera to score to give the Angels a 6-0 lead.

Inge’s sacrifice fly that scored Sean Casey in the third got Detroit on the board, but the Angels responded with six runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 12-1 lead.

With runners on first and second, Reggie Willits laid down a bunt that Bonderman fielded cleanly, but he threw the ball well past first base and Izturis scored. Figgins then singled to right to score Jeff Mathis and Cabrera walked to load the bases and chase Bonderman from the game.

Chad Durbin then took the mound and hit the first batter he faced, Guerrero, to force home a run. Anderson then punched a two-run single to right and Kotchman then grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Guerrero.

Rodriguez’s RBI single scored Gary Sheffield in the fourth to make it a 12-2 contest.

The Tigers got another two runs in the fifth as Monroe roped a double to right that scored Ryan Raburn and Inge to cut their deficit to 12-4.

Matthews’ sac fly in the eighth scored Kotchman to account for the final score.

Game Notes

The Angels start a three-game set in Seattle on Monday…Detroit continues its 11-game road trip in Oakland on Monday…Sheffield, who finished the game 1- for-3 with a run scored, now has 2,499 career hits…Marcus Gwyn, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Angels, made his Major League debut…The Angels are 48-16 against Detroit in Anaheim since 1996…It’s the first time Anaheim has scored 10 or more runs against one opponent in three straight games…Bonderman is 3-3 lifetime against the Angels in nine starts.