(Sunday, August 5th)
Final Score: New York 8, Kansas City 5
Bronx, NY - Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera each homered and drove in two runs, leading the New York Yankees to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals and a sweep of the three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez, a day after finally reaching the 500-homer club, went 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly as the designated hitter. Bobby Abreu chipped in three hits with a pair of runs batted in for New York, which hadn’t swept a series since taking three straight against Arizona from June 12-14. Mike Mussina (7-7) pitched into the seventh to win his third straight start. He gave up two runs on nine hits with no walks and three strikeouts over six- plus innings. Mariano Rivera got the last four outs for his 17th save. Gil Meche (7-9) lost his third straight start. The Kansas City righty was roughed up for six runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts in just four-plus innings. Joey Gathright went 4-for-4 with an RBI single, while Ross Gload added two hits with a two-run homer in defeat. The Royals have lost five of their last six.
Final Score: Toronto 4, Texas 1
Toronto, ON - Dustin McGowan pitched into the ninth inning and Matt Stairs hit two RBI doubles as the Toronto Blue Jays topped the Texas Rangers, 4-1, to sweep a three-game series at Rogers Centre. McGowan (8-5) scattered eight hits over eight-plus innings, allowing only one run while striking out six and walking one. Stairs went 3-for-3 against his former team, and Jeremy Accardo put out the fire in the ninth for his 20th save of the season for the Blue Jays, who had dropped four of six entering the series. Brandon McCarthy (5-8) took the hard-luck loss, giving Texas six strong innings, allowing six hits and two runs while fanning four. Frank Catalanotto led off the game with a homer to account for the only run for the Rangers, who have dropped four straight.
Final Score: Chicago 3, Detroit 1
Detroit, MI - Gavin Floyd hurled six-plus shutout innings as Chicago finished its first three-game sweep of the season by besting Detroit, 3-1. Floyd (1-1) scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter, while striking out six to record his first victory as a member of the White Sox. Four relievers combined to finish things. Bobby Jenks pitched a perfect ninth to record his 32nd save. Josh Fields, Jerry Owens and Darin Erstad each drove in a run for the White Sox, who have won four straight games. Magglio Ordonez homered to account for the struggling Tigers only offense. Detroit has now lost five straight and 11 of their last 13 but remained just one-half game behind Cleveland after the Indians were whitewashed by the Minnesota Twins, 1-0. Jordan Tata (1-1) followed up his successful major league debut with a less impressive affair. Tata allowed only two runs over seven innings against Oakland in his first big league start but managed to last only five innings against the ChiSox, surrendering three runs on five hits while walking four and fanning just two.
Final Score: Baltimore 11, Tampa Bay 3
St. Petersburg, FL - Miguel Tejada, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora all homered as Baltimore routed Tampa Bay, 11-3, in the finale of a three-game set at Tropicana Field. Corey Patterson finished 3-for-5 with three runs batted in for the Orioles, who took two of three in the set. Jay Gibbons was 4-of-5 with a run scored. Baltimore’s ace, Erik Bedard (12-4), allowed three runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings of work and won his eighth straight decision. The crafty left-hander did not walk a batter and fanned 11. Chad Bradford and Danys Baez finished things with a combined 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Carl Crawford was 4-for-5 with a homer for the Devil Rays, who have lost three of their last five games. B.J. Upton also homered for Tampa Bay. Andrew Sonnanstine (1-7) was rocked for seven runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work en route to the loss.
Final Score: Minnesota 1, Cleveland 0
Minneapolis, MN - Scott Baker dominated for eight innings and combined with Joe Nathan on a five-hit shutout, as Minnesota edged Cleveland, 1-0, in the third of a four-game set at the Metrodome. Baker (6-4) allowed only four hits to outduel Fausto Carmona. Baker fanned four and walked a pair for the Twins, who won their second in a row and their sixth in eight games. Alexi Casilla’s RBI double accounted for the lone run of the game. Carmona (13-6) yielded only five hits and a run, with five walks and five strikeouts for the reeling Indians, who have dropped two in a row and nine of their last 13 games. Thanks to the poor play of the Indians and Tigers of late, the Twins have closed to within 4 1/2 games of the first-place Indians, who own a half-game lead over the Tigers in the American League Central.
Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 4, Oakland 3
Oakland, CA - Casey Kotchman went 3-for-4 with a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim defeated the Oakland Athletics, 4-3, in the finale of a four-game series at McAfee Coliseum. Garret Anderson finished with two hits — including a triple — and three RBI, and Orlando Cabrera had a pair of hits and two runs scored for the Angels, who earned a split in the series, snapping a brief two-game losing skid. John Lackey (14-6) worked 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits while striking out five and walking a pair. Francisco Rodriguez walked a pair in the ninth, but earned his 27th save of the season. Dan Johnson hit a two-run homer, his 11th of the season, and Jack Cust had two hits and scored twice for Oakland, which had a two-game winning streak halted. Kiko Calero (1-5) took the loss, giving up two runs on three hits, while walking one in 2/3 of an inning. Starter Dan Haren allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings pitched. He struck out six and walked three. Final Score: Boston 9, Seattle 2
Seattle, WA - Manny Ramirez homered and knocked in a pair of runs and Josh Beckett pitched into the seventh inning for his 14th win of the season, as the Boston Red Sox crushed the Seattle Mariners, 9-2, in the finale of a three-game set at Safeco Field. Beckett (14-5), who had lost back-to- back starts for the first time this season coming in, gave up just one run on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and two walks for the Red Sox, who have won four of five. J.D. Drew added an RBI triple for Boston, while David Ortiz walked three times, scored twice and stole his second base of the season. Jose Guillen collected three hits for the Mariners, who have dropped two straight after winning six of seven. Miguel Batista (11-8) was saddled with the loss after yielding three runs — two earned — on five hits through six innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked five. Final Score: Atlanta 6, Colorado 5 (10 innings)
Atlanta, GA - Yunel Escobar hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning, as the Atlanta Braves edged the Colorado Rockies, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game series at Turner Field. The scoring went silent from the seventh inning on, until Atlanta mounted an attack in the bottom of the 10th. Jeff Francoeur started the rally with a one- out double off Taylor Buchholz (5-4), and Matt Diaz was intentionally walked to set up the double play. Escobar stepped in next and slapped a base hit to left on an 0-2 count to plate Francoeur and end the game. Escobar finished with two RBI while Chipper Jones fell a triple shy of the cycle for the Braves, who won the last two games to claim the series. Chuck James got the start and allowed four runs over five innings of work. The bullpen allowed just one run the rest of the way, with Oscar Villarreal (2-1) working the 10th for the win. Aaron Cook opposed James and allowed five runs — three earned — on 10 hits over 5 1/3 frames for Colorado, which has dropped three of five. Ryan Spilborghs homered twice and Todd Helton knocked in a pair in defeat.
Final Score: Florida 6, Houston 5
Miami, FL - Cody Ross went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs batted in as the Florida Marlins held on to defeat the Houston Astros, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game series at Dolphin Stadium. Ross came in to replace Miguel Cabrera, who left the game in the third inning after getting hit with a pitch on the left elbow. Alfredo Amezaga finished with two runs batted in and Hanley Ramirez hit his 19th homer of the season and scored two runs for the Marlins, who took two of three in the series. Florida has won two straight and three of its last five. Scott Olsen (9-9) had a solid outing in earning the win, giving up three runs on six hits, while fanning eight over 7 1/3 innings pitched. He also walked a batter. Carlos Lee had an RBI double and a three-run homer for the Astros, who have lost two in a row and five of their last seven. Houston starter Matt Albers (2-5) struggled through 4 1/3 innings of work, allowing five runs on five hits. The right-hander struck out a career-high six and walked three.
Final Score: Washington 6, St. Louis 3
Washington, DC - Dmitri Young hit a two-run double in the eighth, as the Washington Nationals put up three in the inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, in the finale of a three-game series at RFK Stadium. Young ended with three RBI and Nook Logan scored and drove in a run for the Nationals, who went a perfect 6-0 on their homestand by sweeping both the Cardinals and the Reds. Matt Chico yielded three runs on six hits over five innings of work. The bullpen shut down the St. Louis offense from there, with Ray King (1-0) recording the win and Chad Cordero tossing a perfect ninth for his 23rd save of the year. Adam Wainwright pitched seven decent innings — allowing three runs on eight hits — and also hit his second career home run for St. Louis, which has dropped five in a row. Final Score: Philadelphia 8, Milwaukee 6 (11 innings)
Milwaukee, WI - Wes Helms hit a two-run double in the 11th inning as the Philadelphia Phillies came back to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6, to salvage the finale of a three-game set at Miller Park. The Phillies, trailing by five runs in the ninth, took advantage of two Milwaukee errors to send the game into extra innings. Jayson Werth had a two-run home run and Tadahito Iguchi added three hits and two runs scored for the Phillies, who snapped a brief two-game losing skid. Brett Myers (2-3) earned the win in relief, pitching 1 1/3 innings, giving up only one hit while striking out a batter. Jose Mesa recorded his first save of the season. Starter Adam Eaton struggled through 4 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander gave up six runs on nine hits. He walked three and struck out three. Geoff Jenkins went 4- for-6 with three RBI and rookie Ryan Braun hit his 20th homer of the season for Milwaukee, which had a two-game winning streak halted. Manny Parra (0-1) was tagged with his first major league loss. The left-hander gave up two runs on two hits, while walking a pair in one inning pitched. Jeff Suppan started and pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on five hits, while striking out three.
Final Score: Arizona 3, Los Angeles 0
Los Angeles, CA - Brandon Webb hurled his first shutout of the season, extending his scoreless streak to 24 innings, as the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks finished off a three-game sweep of Los Angeles with a 3-0 victory at Dodger Stadium. The win also moved the Diamondbacks (63-50) 13 games over .500 for first time since the final day of the 2002 regular season. Webb (11-8) scattered just seven hits in a complete-game effort, struck out four and did not walk a batter en route to his fifth career shutout. He has won three consecutive starts and improved to 7-4 in 14 road starts this season. He also beat Los Angeles for the third time in 2007. Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton each had two hits and knocked in a run for Arizona, which has won five of its last six games and 13 of 15 overall. The NL West-leading Diamondbacks also moved four games ahead of the Dodgers in the division. Failing to get back in the win column was Los Angeles ace Brad Penny (13-3), who has dropped back-to-back decisions for the first time this season. The bulky right-hander allowed three runs on six hits, fanned five and did not walk a batter over seven innings. Russell Martin and Andre Ethier had two hits apiece for the Dodgers, who have lost four straight and nine of their last 11 games. They’ve also dropped six of their last seven at home. Final Score: San Diego 5, San Francisco 4
San Diego, CA - Barry Bonds, as promised, took Sunday off, and while he remained tied with Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record, his Giants lost again, 5-4, to the San Diego Padres, who completed a three- game sweep of their division rivals. Both teams lost their starting pitchers to injuries, pushing other starters into interesting positions, but it was the Padres that held on after a last-gasp rally by the Giants. Marcus Giles went 1-for-3 with two RBI for the Padres, who won their fourth straight. Justin Germano held the Giants to two hits and two runs over 5 2/3 innings before leaving after a Pedro Feliz grounder hit his right thumb. Doug Brocail (4-1) picked up the win despite allowing two hits in one-third of an inning, but no runs. Trevor Hoffman surrendered a ninth-inning homer to make things interesting, but held on for his 29th save. Bengie Molina belted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth for the Giants, who have dropped four of five. Noah Lowry left after three innings with tightness in his left forearm. He let up only two hits and a run. Vinnie Chulk (4-3) gave up two hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning. The injuries, to teams coming off two straight extra-inning affairs, forced Greg Maddux and Barry Zito on to the field, Zito as a reliever for the first time in his career, and Maddux as a pinch-runner.
Final Score: New York 8, Chicago 3
Chicago, IL - Tom Glavine made good in his second run at history on Sunday, notching his 300th career victory in the Mets’ 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field. Glavine (10-6) was charged with two runs on six hits with one walk and one strikeout over 6 1/3 innings, becoming just the 23rd pitcher in major league history to reach the illustrious plateau. He was given a standing ovation by the capacity crowd as he walked off the field to end the sixth, and again when he departed for the final time in the seventh. Carlos Delgado doubled twice and knocked in four runs and Luis Castillo had four hits and scored two runs for the NL East- leading Mets, who have won four of their last five games. Castillo, however, left the game in the eighth inning suffering from heat exhaustion. Jason Marquis (8-7) was saddled with the loss after giving up five runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings for Chicago, which has dropped three of four and sits a game behind Milwaukee in the Central. The contest also marked the return of Cubs right-hander Kerry Wood, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Friday and made his first appearance of the season in tossing a scoreless seventh. Wood’s return may have been good news for the Cubs, but the bigger concern for the club was the loss of All-Star outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who suffered a right quad strain running the bases in the third inning.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, postponed
Pittsburgh, PA - Sunday’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed because of rain. It has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader for August 28 when the Reds next visit PNC Park. The first game of the twinbill is slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. (et). The Pirates have Monday off before heading to the road for six games — three in Arizona and three in San Francisco. Cincinnati also has Monday off before Tuesday’s start of a three-game series against Los Angeles. The Reds won the first two games of this series, 13-4 on Friday and 9-8 in 10 innings on Saturday.
