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(Friday, August 17th)

Final Score: Atlanta 13, Buffalo 10

Orchard Park, NY - Rookie tight end George Cooper caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Chris Redman late in the fourth quarter to give the Atlanta Falcons a 13-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills in preseason action at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Joey Harrington started at quarterback for Atlanta in place of Michael Vick and completed 4-of-7 passes for 31 yards with an interception in limited action.

As the Falcons look to distance themselves further from the Vick situation, the drama surrounding the case continued Friday. Vick’s two remaining co- defendants pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy dogfighting charges Friday, leaving the signal caller as the lone co-defendant still maintaining his innocence. Whether Vick continues that stance, with the possibility of all three co-defendants testifying against him in court, or accepts a plea deal and likely jail time, remains to be seen.

Redman ended 11-of-21 for 90 yards with an interception while third-string quarterback D.J. Shockley left the game in the fourth quarter with a left leg injury.

J.P. Losman played into the second quarter for Buffalo and went 7-of-13 for 78 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Rookie Trent Edwards replaced Losman and was effective, throwing for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Rookie Marshawn Lynch, who is expected to get the bulk of the carries this season for Buffalo, rushed for 16 yards on five attempts.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Bills struck first as Rian Lindell booted a 48-yard field goal for the game’s first points with 11:30 left in the second stanza.

Billy Cundiff’s 32-yard field goal with 5:31 to play until halftime tied the game at 3-3, and the Falcons moved in front about three minutes later as Cundiff drilled a 46-yarder.

The Bills grabbed a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter as Edwards completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Roscoe Parrish.

With just 2:44 remaining in the contest, Redman found Cooper in the end zone to put the Falcons in front.

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President CEO

Tommy Mac

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.

Glavine also reached the coveted mark five nights after the bullpen flushed his bid for a hard-earned victory against Milwaukee at Miller Park. The Brewers rallied against the New York bullpen on Tuesday after Glavine had left the contest with his team holding the lead.

Glavine’s wife Christine and the couple’s four children were in attendance at Wrigley, sitting just a few rows off the field near the Mets’ dugout. Along for the trip were his parents, brothers, sisters, and other family and friends, who piled onto the field and embraced Glavine when the game ended.

“Now that its over there’s that sense of relief,” said Glavine. “There’s a sense of accomplishment, and I think for the most part the emotion I have is relief. I think at some point in time, I don’t know when, the historic side of it will sink in.”

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.

It was Glavine who helped his own cause in the second, lining a base hit up the middle that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. The two-out rally started with a walk to Lastings Milledge, who stole second before Glavine slapped a 1-0 pitch back up the middle, where it was fielded and dropped by Cubs centerfielder Angel Pagan.

Chicago tried to answer with a two-out rally in the third, as Soriano poked a base hit to left. Ryan Theriot followed with a ground ball to center, and attempting to reach third, Soriano pulled up lame halfway to the bag. He was tagged out by Mets third baseman David Wright and had to be assisted off the field by the team trainer.

New York added two more in the fifth to give Glavine some breathing room. Castillo ripped a leadoff single, then raced to second on Wright’s fly ball to the warning track in center. Delgado’s double into the right-field corner plated Castillo, and following a wild pitch by Marquis, Shawn Green lofted a fly ball over Mark DeRosa’s head in right to give New York a 3-0 lead.

The hit parade continued in the sixth, as Milledge opened the frame by lacing a double down the line in left. Glavine grounded out, moving Milledge to third before he scored on a single by Jose Reyes.

Scott Eyre came in to replace Marquis and allowed a hit to Castillo before intentionally walking Wright. A ground out by Delgado then scored Reyes to make it 5-0.

The Cubs cut it to 5-1 in the sixth on an RBI double by Aramis Ramirez, then chased Glavine for good in the seventh after Pagan belted a one-out double to left. Guillermo Mota came on and allowed a single to Jason Kendall before Pedro Feliciano yielded two more runs on an RBI ground out by pinch-hitter Jacque Jones and a run-scoring double by Mike Fontenot.

New York put the game away in the eighth against Will Ohman, as Delgado doubled home a run for the second time and Paul Lo Duca chipped in with an RBI single.

Reyes tripled and scored on a sac fly by Delgado in the ninth, and Billy Wagner recorded the final three outs to start the celebration for Glavine.

With Glavine’s quest for No. 300 now in the books, a milestone weekend for Major League Baseball also came to a close. On Saturday afternoon New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez belted his 500th career home run. San Francisco’s Barry Bonds then tied one of the most coveted records in sports Saturday night, belting his 755th career homer, equaling the all-time mark set by Hank Aaron.

“You try not to get ahead of yourself, not to talk too much about today before you get here,” Glavine added. “That was a delicate balancing act tonight. You try not to get too far ahead of yourself regardless of what the score is. With two outs and Billy on the mound, I guess I felt pretty good about this thing finally being over.”

“I’ve been in this spot so many times. Ultimately, you just trust the work you put in and the preparation you put in.”

Game Notes

Glavine, who won his first game with the Atlanta Braves on August 22, 1987, is just the fifth left-hander in the majors to win 300 games…Wood is expected to be used primarily out of the bullpen for Chicago…The Mets have won five of seven this season from the Cubs and are 12-7 in the series since the since the start of the 2005 campaign…The game was delayed in the bottom of the eighth when home plate umpire Marty Foster was hit with a foul ball and briefly lost vision in his left eye…Attendance was 41,599.

(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.

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.