Betting Odds - Graffiti - Podcast

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.

“I thought his stuff was real good,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “When he got into counts where it wasn’t a hitters count, there were a lot of fastballs today that were down (in the zone).”

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.

Boston struck for a pair of runs in the first inning as Coco Crisp led off the game with a double and then went to third on Kevin Youkilis’ fly ball to center. After an Ortiz walk, Seattle’s rookie center fielder Adam Jones dropped Ramirez’s fly ball, allowing Crisp to score from third.

Batista then intentionally walked Drew to load the bases before walking Jason Varitek with two outs to force in a run.

Ramirez’s 19th home run of the year in the fifth inning made it 3-0, but Seattle got on the board in the sixth inning on Jamie Burke’s two-out RBI single.

The Red Sox, however, answered with six straight runs to win going away.

Drew roped an RBI triple in the seventh before scoring on Mike Lowell’s subsequent single to make it 5-1.

Alex Cora led off the eighth with a double and Julio Lugo’s bunt single put runners on the corners. Crisp’s sac fly brought in a run and Youkilis’ double made it 7-1 Boston. Ortiz followed with an RBI single for a seven-run Red Sox advantage.

Dustin Pedroia’s pinch-hit, two-out RBI double in the ninth made it 9-1.

Jose Vidro’s run-scoring single in the home half of the ninth for Seattle completed the scoring.

“Sometimes you have those games and that’s just the way it goes,” said Burke. “It happens, even at the major league level. Obviously, when it goes bad, it goes bad.”

In the middle of the fifth inning, a quad driven by the Mariners’ mascot knocked over Crisp. The Red Sox centerfielder avoided injury.

“I didn’t see it live,” said Francona.”I heard it looked like Naked Gun. Just to be honest, about two minutes later, we got a very kind message from (Seattle general manager) Bill Bavasi. It wasn’t done on purpose. It obviously would have been a horrible accident. But, it was a very thoughtful message.”

Game Notes

Beckett joins the Angels’ Jon Lackey, Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia and the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano as the only 14-game winners in the majors…Batista was facing Boston for the first time in his career…Varitek was the only starter for the Red Sox not to record a hit.

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.

In a back-and-forth contest and the Angels trailing 3-2 in the seventh, LA went back in front. Calero replaced Haren and was greeted with a lined single to center off the bat of Chone Figgins. Cabrera followed with a double and Vladimir Guerrero was intentionally walked to load the bases. Anderson’s sacrifice fly plated Figgins, and after Gary Matthews Jr. grounded into a force out, Kotchman’s run-scoring single gave the Angels a 4-3 lead.

“That was unfortunate for Kiko,” Athletics manager Bob Geren said. “He pitched well. Offensively it was a game of missed opportunity. We had the bases loaded with no outs and we didn’t get the big blow.”

Rodriguez came in for the ninth and after retiring the first two batters, walked Nick Swisher and Cust before getting Mark Ellis to fly out to center to preserve the win.

The Angels got off to a quick start, scoring a run in the first inning. Guerrero drew a two-out walk, stole second and Anderson followed with a run- scoring triple to center to give LA the early advantage.

The A’s tied the game in the second when they loaded the bases with no outs, but could only manage one run when Marco Scutaro grounded into a double play, plating Cust.

“Guys go through stretches when their stuff isn’t as crisp,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “(Lackey) allowed a lot of runners but did a terrific job of minimizing the damage in that second inning.”

Los Angeles reclaimed the lead in the fifth when Cabrera reached first with a two-out bunt single and Guerrero followed with a walk. Anderson then lined a base hit to center, scoring Cabrera to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.

The A’s took a 3-2 lead in the sixth when Cust led off with a walk and after Ellis flied out to right, Johnson hammered a home run to left-center.

Game Notes

Attendance was 26,782…The Angels will host the Boston Red Sox in a three- game series beginning on Monday night, while Oakland will head to Texas to play the Rangers in a three-game set starting Monday…Anderson now has 109 career RBI versus the A’s…Lackey improved to 11-3 lifetime versus Oakland…Kotchman has hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games.

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.

“Our pitchers are throwing very well right now, especially our bullpen. Our hitting is coming around enough,” said Padres manager Bud Black.

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.

Fred Lewis’ RBI double to left in the second staked the Giants to a 1-0 lead, but the Padres tied it up in the home half on Marcus Giles’ run-scoring single to center.

The Giants had a chance to blow the game open in the fifth, when they loaded the bases with one out, but Randy Winn grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice, and Ray Durham popped out, and San Francisco plated only one run out of the threat.

Again the home team tied things in the bottom of the inning, with Mike Cameron scoring when, after he stole third, Giants third baseman Feliz couldn’t handle the throw from Guillermo Rodriguez.

The Padres took a 4-2 lead in the sixth when Marcus Giles plated one run with a sacrifice fly to center, and his brother Brian, in a pinch-hitting appearance, grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

Cameron’s RBI double in the eighth gave the Padres an insurance run that became necessary when Hoffman ran into trouble in the ninth.

The Padres closer walked Lewis to start things, and gave up a pinch-hit home run to left by Molina with one out, slicing the San Diego lead to one run. Mark Sweeney followed with a single to right, putting the tying run on base, but Hoffman bore down to retire Dave Roberts and Winn, while Bonds looked on from the bench, to end the game.

“We were down in the ninth, so it makes sense for these guys to fight back like they did. It’s still frustrating, we are always a hit away,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Game Notes

Prior to the game the Padres recalled right-handed pitcher Mike Thompson from Triple-A Portland and optioned righthanded pitcher Clay Hensley, who surrendered Bonds’ record-tying homer on Saturday, to Portland…Hoffman has converted each of his last 25 save opportunities since April 28…The Giants fell to 40-21 when scoring at least four runs…Lowry has not lost in August since 2004, a 10-decision win streak.

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.

Aaron Rowand finished 3-for-6 with three runs batted in, including a two-run game-tying single in the top of the ninth inning, that saw the Phillies score five in the frame.

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.

With the Brewers holding a 6-1 lead, Matt Wise was brought in for the ninth and after Helms reached first on an error by Wise, Werth hit a two-run homer to left to make it 6-3. Milwaukee then turned to closer Francisco Cordero and the big righty struggled mightly. After retiring Chris Coste and Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins walked, Iguchi singled and Pat Burrell drew a free pass to load the bases with two outs. Ryan Howard was then hit by a pitch to bring in a run and Rowand’s ground single under the glove of third baseman Braun plated two more to tie the game at 6-6. Helms, batting for the second time in the inning, flied out to left to end the frame.

“It’s frustrating,” Cordero said. “It was bad tonight. It was 6-1 going into the ninth inning and we couldn’t hold on to the lead. But today is over and we go on to Colorado now.”

Milwaukee got a runner on in the bottom of the ninth off Phils reliever J.C. Romero when Kevin Mench walked, but the lefty struck out Jenkins before giving way to Myers, who struck out Damian Miller to force the game into extra innings.

After both teams failed to score in the 10th, the Phillies got a pair in the top of the 11th. Howard got things going with a two-out walk and Rowand singled, putting runners on first and second. Helms then doubled down the right-field line, plating two and giving the Phils the 8-6 advantage.

Mesa came in for the bottom of the 11th and was helped by a great catch by Rowand. Braun led off and hit a line drive to deep center. Rowand went back and made a leaping catch before slamming into the wall. Prince Fielder then grounded out, but Mench walked and Jenkins doubled to right, putting runners on second and third. Pinch-hitter Johnny Estrada was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Craig Counsell, bidding for a base hit, lined out to second base to end the game.

“It was a big win for us,” Helms said. “We have to win right now to gain some ground. It’s a big win, especially down 6-1. Everyone contributed. Everyone got big hits.”

Milwaukee got off to a quick start, posting four runs in the first inning. Corey Hart led off the game with a base hit and after Eaton retired J.J. Hardy and Braun, Fielder drew a walk. Mench then hit a double down the right-field line, scoring Hart. Jenkins’ double off the center-field fence plated two more and a run-scoring ground-rule double by Miller gave the Brewers the early lead.

The Phillies attempted to get something going in the fifth. With Greg Dobbs on second and Coste on first, manager Charlie Manuel elected to let Eaton hit with two outs and the Philadelphia pitcher hit a soft grounder back to the mound to end the threat.

Philadelphia managed a run in the sixth when Iguchi and Burrell reached base with one-out singles. After Howard popped out, Rowand grounded a single to short, scoring Iguchi and making it 4-1.

Braun’s leadoff home run in the fifth and RBI single by Jenkins upped the Brewers lead to 6-1.

Philadelphia had a golden opportunity to put some more runs on the board in the eighth inning. Rollins drew a leadoff walk and Iguchi followed with a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs. The Brewers then went to the bullpen and brought in Scott Linebrink to replace Carlos Villanueva and the right-hander, acquired just before the major league trade deadline, struck out Burrell, Howard and Rowand to get out of trouble.

Game Notes

Attendance was 43,716…The Phillies will welcome the Florida Marlins to Citizens Bank Park to begin a three-game set on Tuesday night, while the Brewers will travel to Colorado for a three-game series versus the Rockies on Monday night…The Phillies snapped a seven-game losing streak at Miller Park…Burrell extended his hit streak to 14 games, tying a career high…Philadelphia improved to 6-7 in extra inning games this season, while Milwaukee fell to 6-4.

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.

“I felt great today,” said Webb. “I had pretty good command on my sinker and was able to keep my pitch count down. It was a good day for the sinker.”

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.

Arizona put together a two-run rally in the second to take the lead. Conor Jackson slapped a leadoff single to right, moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Stephen Drew and a single by Reynolds put runners at the corners. Upton followed with a double, bringing home Jackson, and a sac fly by Chris Snyder plated Reynolds to make it 2-0.

The middle of the lineup answered the call again in the fourth, as Jackson ripped a double to center and scored on a one-out single by Reynolds.

The Dodgers got a scare in the fifth when Penny was hit on his pitching hand trying to sacrifice Ethier to second. Penny took a moment to shake off the pain, got back in the box and lined a single to left, but Webb escaped the jam by retiring Rafael Furcal on a fly ball and Juan Pierre on a pop out.

“(Webb) had good stuff and kept the ball down,” said the Dodgers first baseman James Loney. “We hit ‘em right at people.”

Game Notes

The Diamondbacks claimed left-handed pitcher Joe Kennedy from the Oakland Athletics late Saturday and optioned right-hander Dustin Nippert to Triple-A Tucson…Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent is still nursing a strained left hamstring and missed his sixth straight game…Penny notched his 100th strikeout of the season when he fanned Orlando Hudson with one out in the first inning…Webb is 8-3 in 13 career starts against LA…The Diamondbacks are 55-2 when leading after the eighth inning.

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.

“I’m not afraid to hit with two strikes,” Escobar said. “I hit a fastball. I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to get the team a victory.”

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.

“I got some balls up in the zone today. I just wasn’t sharp,” said Cook.

Spilborghs put the Rockies in front with a two-out solo blast to right in the second.

Atlanta tied it in the fourth on Escobar’s RBI single, but Spilborghs led off the top of the fifth with his second home run of the game to give the lead back to Colorado.

Jones then gave the Braves their first lead of the game in fifth with a two- run homer to left after Kelly Johnson reached first on Jamey Carroll’s fielding error.

Colorado got to James in the sixth, though, to temporarily reclaim the lead. Carroll drew a leadoff walk and Matt Holliday followed with a base hit to set the stage for Helton, who singled to center to tie the game. Tyler Yates replaced James on the mound and was greeted by a Garrett Atkins double that scored Holliday for a 4-3 lead.

The Braves struck right back in the home-half of the sixth. Following a Diaz single and a sacrifice bunt by Escobar, Corky Miller came through with a double to left to tie the contest and chase Cook from the game. Jeremy Affeldt came in and yielded a run-scoring double to Willie Harris that put the Braves in front, 5-4.

Carroll tripled with one out, and Helton tied it with an RBI single in the seventh.

Game Notes

This was Spilborghs’ second career multi-homer game…Andruw Jones sat out with a hyperextended left elbow…Atlanta’s Kelly Johnson extended his hit streak to seven games.

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.

The Indians had an opportunity to go on top early when Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner started the second inning with consecutive singles. Baker bore down, though, striking out Ryan Garko, getting Trot Nixon to foul out, and Jhonny Peralta to fly out to center to strand the runners.

“He gave us a great outing, eight innings, no runs … That’s about all you can ask for,” said Minnesota’s Joe Mauer of Baker. “He made some great pitches when he had to and got out of some jams.”

The Twins finally broke through against Carmona in the fourth with a two-out rally. After Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter both grounded out, Jason Kubel got things started with a single to left. After Brian Buscher walked, Casilla ripped a ground-rule double to left, plating Kubel to give the Twins the lead.

Baker helped his own cause with a spectacular diving catch in the eighth. After Nixon singled to left to start things off, Peralta tried to bunt him into scoring position. The Indians shortstop bunted the ball into the air to the first-base side of the mound, and Baker made the diving grab, turned from his knees and threw to first to double off Nixon. Josh Barfield then fouled out to end the inning.

Nathan closed things out in the ninth, allowing only a two-out single to Casey Blake before retiring Martinez to end the game.

“We had some opportunities, I think there are some guys who wish they could get some pitches back,” said Blake. “It’s a tough game, obviously we don’t have a whole lot going our way right now. Our starting pitching’s been fantastic, but certainly our offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders.”

Game Notes

Minnesota’s Michael Cuddyer, who had gone 3-for-7 with two doubles and two RBI in two games since returning from the disabled list on Friday, went 0-for-4 Sunday…The Twins won despite leaving 10 runners on base…Attendance was 38,334.

Oceanport, NJ - Preakness Stakes winner Curlin and Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun will go at it again on Sunday in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

The only two thoroughbreds to compete this year in all three Triple Crown events, Curlin and Hard Spun will face each other for a fourth time and take on an additional six rivals.

While Street Sense won the Kentucky Derby and Hard Spun finished second, Curlin, the morning-line favorite, was third. Curlin then took the Preakness with Street Sense second and Hard Spun third.

Curlin followed with a second behind Rags to Riches in the Belmont Stakes, as the even-money favorite, with Hard Spun fading to fourth.

For the Haskell, Curlin is again the even-money favorite with Hard Spun 5-2 in the morning-line. The Preakness champ will start from post six and Hard Spun will break from post seven.

The rest of the field in post position order is Any Given Saturday 3-1, Cable Boy 8-1, Stormello 15-1, Imawildandcrazyguy 30-1, Reata’s Shadow 50-1 and Xchanger 20-1. Post-time for the 1 1/8 mile race is 6:12 p.m. (et).

Curlin will be ridden by Robby Albarado for owners Stonestreet Stables, Padua Stables, George Bolton and Midnight Cry Stables. Trained by Steve Asmussen the colt has earned more than $1.8 million with four wins in six starts.

Along with his Preakness victory he has won the Arkansas Derby and Rebel Stakes.

“The Haskell is a very competitive field, but we have the same confidence level in Curlin as we’ve had in the past,” Asmussen said. “Coming back in this race gives us the opportunity to get back to the races without having to face older horses right away, and will give us some answers to the tendencies of the Monmouth surface when we return in the fall.”

Hard Spun, who was scheduled to go in the Arkansas Derby at the start of the year, is the winner of five of nine career starts for better than $1 million. He won the Lane’s End Stakes in March and the Lecomte Stakes in January.

Owned by Rick Porter and trained by Larry Jones, Hard Spun will again be ridden by Mario Pino. Pino rode the colt in his first eight starts, but was replaced by Garrett Gomez in the Belmont Stakes

“We didn’t see improvement when we changed,” Jones said about the return of Pino. “We would like to keep the team together.”

Last year the Haskell was won by Bluegrass Cat. The stakes record of 1:47 is shared by Majestic Light and Bet Twice. The track record of 1:46.80 is owned by Spend a Buck.

Hidalgo, TX - Israel Vazquez regained the WBC super bantamweight belt with a six round technical knockout of Rafael Marquez at the Dodge Arena Saturday.

The bout was a rematch from March 3 this year, which ended when Vazquez could not come out for the eighth round after suffering a nose injury.

After knocking down Marquez (37-4, 33 KOs) early in the sixth round, Vazquez (42-4, 31 KOs) continued to attack and landed a flurry of punches before referee Guadalupe Garcia stopped the fight at the 1:16 mark. The fight was a back-and-forth slugfest from the first round on and the stoppage may have been premature since Marquez, although seemingly vulnerable, was still defending himself.

Marquez, 32, lost for the first time since November 2000 against unheralded Genaro Garcia, a span of 17 fights.

Marquez-Vazquez could likely turn into a trilogy because of the exhilarating, toe-to-toe, give-and-take action the two have provided in each of their fights.

Celestino Caballero retained his WBA super bantamweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jorge Lacierva.

Caballero (27-2, 18 KOs), a 31-year-old left-hander from Panama, was unimpressive in his fourth title defense. The Mexican challenger Lacierva initiated the action in at least the first three rounds while landing many big punches. Caballero, who had a six-inch height advantage, did rally late but received shockingly favorable scores of 115-112, 116-111 and 116-110.

The fight was a sloppy one. Referee Laurence Cole deducted a point from Lacierva (32-7-6, 22 KOs) in the sixth round after he warned the 29-year-old for a low blow and hitting behind the head earlier in the fight. Caballero, an unorthodox southpaw, was warned in the 10th for both holding and pushing.

Budapest, Hungary - Rookie Lewis Hamilton led every lap while capturing the Grand Prix of Hungary at the Hungaroring in Budapest. The No.2 McLaren driver crossed the finish line 0.715 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

The victory was Hamilton’s third of the season.

After Fernando Alonso was removed from the pole (dropped to sixth), Hamilton led the field off the grid for 70 laps of racing. Also dropped on the starting grid was Giancarlo Fisichella. He went from eighth to 13th for blocking Sakon Yamamoto.

On the start Hamilton immediately got away and Raikkonen slid past Nick Heidfeld for second place. Meanwhile, Alonso lost one place to Mark Webber in a rare poor start for the two-time World Champion.

Hamilton’s lead after two laps was already 2.4 seconds. He continued to pull away from Raikkonen as the early laps clicked off.

Alonso regained his composure and began the long fight back up the charts. He made a nice move around Robert Kubica on lap three and got right on the back of Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota.

Raikkonen finally began to cut into Hamilton’s lead beginning with a fastest lap of the day on lap six and again on lap eight, but he was still more than three seconds behind. Both drivers were well ahead of third-place Heidfeld as they approached the first round of pit stops.

Behind the two leaders, most of the top drivers pitted indicating that not only could they not keep pace, but they had less fuel on board and therefore were lighter. Alonso took about three seconds more of fuel than most, planning on a long second stint.

On lap 19 both Hamilton and Raikkonen made their stops and remained one-two after getting their fuel and new tires.

Raikkonen was closing in on Hamilton cutting the gap to just 1.5 seconds on lap 25 and 1.2 seconds one lap later. At the mid-point of the 70-lap event the margin was just 1.0 seconds.

Massa, who qualified a distant 14th and was using a one-stop strategy, came out after his stop just in front of Hamilton, but almost a full lap down.

Would he hold up Hamilton in an attempt to help his teammate Raikkonen?

The answer would come on lap 39 when he correctly pulled to the inside and allowed both race leaders to get by.

Hamilton and Raikkonen were still about one second apart and more than 35 seconds ahead of third-place Heidfeld.

On lap 47 Raikkonen pitted for the final time and put on the softer compound tire. Hamilton remained out and put in a a couple pretty good laps so he would have a bigger lead after his final stop.

Hamilton came in on lap 51 and after a clean stop he returned to the track with a 4.4 second lead.

Meanwhile, the longer stint by Alonso worked in helping him get past Ralf Schumacher, who he had been following for most of the race. Alonso only needed a quick fill on the final stop and re-entered the track ahead of Schumacher.

Hamilton and Raikkonen were working their way through lapped traffic and Raikkonen was doing it better, cutting the lead to 0.5 seconds with 13 laps to go. Heidfeld was still in third place and Alonso was up to fourth.

By lap 60 Hamilton and Raikkonen broke away from the slower traffic and it was one-on-one for the Grand Prix of Hungary. Slowly, Hamilton edged away from Raikkonen. With seven laps to go the gap was up to 1.1 seconds. It was still around one second with five circuits remaining.

Hamilton was mistake-free over the final laps and Raikkonen could never find a way to catch him despite setting the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.

Hamilton led all 70 laps en route to his third career win.

“With all the drama it would have been easy to lose focus,” said Hamilton. “But the team remained positive and the energy in the team remained which just proves there is nothing that can stop us.”

Heidfeld, Alonso, Kubica, Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen completed the points-scoring positions.

With the win, Hamilton expands his lead to seven points over Alonso (80-73).

The next race in the championship is scheduled for Sunday, August 26th for the Grand Prix of Turkey.