Atlanta Braves 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 3- Derek Lowe gave up three earned runs on five hits in six innings as he picked up his eleventh victory of the season against his former team. Chipper Jones drove in two runs for the Braves, who improved to 53-51 on the year. Andre Ethier went deep in the 6th inning for Los Angeles, who suffered its 40th loss of the season.
Chicago White Sox 14 New York Yankees 4- Scott Podsednik and Gordon Beckham each drove in four runs as they lifted the White Sox to Win #54 of the year. Chicago’s John Danks squandered four earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he improved to 9-7 as a starter. The White Sox, who scored six in the 2nd inning and six in the 8th, have now won three straight against New York.
Tampa Bay Rays 7 Kansas City Royals 1- James Niemann gave up one earned run on four hits in eight innings as he joined the 10-win club; the only run given up by Niemann came off the bat of David DeJesus, who hit a solo shot in the 6th inning. Carl Crawford hit a two-run home run in the 8th inning for the Rays, who improved to 57-47 on the year.
St. Louis Cardinals 3 Houston Astros 1- Chris Carpenter pitched the whole game, allowing one earned run on eight hits; the only run he gave up occurred in the 4th inning when Carlos Lee hit a solo home run. Matt Holliday hit two solo blasts to lift the Cardinals to their 58th victory of the season. Julio Lugo drove in the other St. Louis run with a sacrifice fly in the 7th inning.
Pittsburgh Pirates 11 Washington Nationals 6- Andrew McCutchen went deep not once, not twice, but THREE times to lead his Pirates to Win #45 of the year; McCutchen ended the game going 4-for-5 with 6 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Pittsburgh starter Virgil Vasquez gave up three earned runs on nine hits in five innings as he improved to 2-5 as a starter.
Colorado Rockies 6 Cincinnati Reds 2- Ubaldo Jimenez gave up two earned runs on five hits in eight innings as he improved to 8-9 as a starter; Jimenez gave up the first two runs of the game on a Joey Votto RBI groundout in the 1st inning and a Jonny Gomes solo shot in the 2nd inning. Seth Smith went deep in the 5th inning for Colorado, who improved to 57-47 on the year.
New York Mets 9 Arizona Diamondbacks 6- With the game tied at 5 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Mets outfielder Angel Pagan hit a grand slam to lift the Mets to their 50th victory of the season. Francisco Rodriguez recorded the last out of the game and was credited with his 24th save of the season. Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds both went deep for Arizona, but it wasn’t enough as the Diamondbacks fell to 45-59 on the year.
Boston Red Sox 4 Baltimore Orioles 0- Josh Beckett gave up six hits in seven scoreless innings as he won his major league-leading 13th game of the season. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis both homered for the Red Sox, who improved to 61-42 on the year; Youkilis finished the game 4-for-4. Victor Martinez and Rocco Baldelli drove in the other runs for Boston.
Detroit Tigers 4 Cleveland Indians 3- Jhonny Peralta’s 9th inning sacrifice fly leveled the score at two and forced extra innings. However, a Ryan Raburn RBI single and Jose Veras balk in the 12th inning enabled the Tigers to win their 54th game of the season. Zach Miner gave up a run in the bottom of the 12th inning, but was able to pick up his first career save.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 11 Minnesota Twins 6- Maicer Izturis, Juan Rivera, and Kendry Morales all homered in the 6th inning for Los Angeles as the Angels went on to win their 62nd game of the season. Joe Saunders, who won his first game in over a month, gave up four earned runs on nine hits in six innings as he improved to 9-6 as a starter. Justin Morneau hit a long ball for Minnesota, who fell to 52-52 on the year.
Seattle Mariners 7 Texas Rangers 2- Felix Hernandez gave up two earned runs on six hits in seven innings as he improved to 12-4 as a starter. Nelson Cruz drove in both runs for the Rangers: one on a solo home run in the 4th, and one on an RBI single in the 6th. Ken Griffey Jr. and Jose Lopez homered for the Mariners, who improved to 54-50 on the year; Griffey homered off Texas’ Tommy Hunter, making Hunter the 400th different pitcher who has given up a long ball to Ken Griffey Jr.
San Francisco Giants 2 Philadelphia Phillies 0- Tim Lincecum gave up seven hits in eight scoreless innings as he picked up his 12th win of the season. Lincecum, who struck out eight on the night, now leads the majors with 191 strikeouts. Brian Wilson worked the 9th inning and earned his 27th save of the season. Juan Uribe drove in both runs for San Francisco off sacrifice flies.
Chicago Cubs 9 Florida Marlins 8- Despite losing Carlos Zambrano and Aramis Ramirez to injuries, the Cubs prevailed with an extra-innings victory over the Marlins. Derrek Lee’s long ball in the 10th inning lifted the Cubs to their 55th victory of the season. Ryan Theriot’s two-run triple gave the Cubs an 8-5 lead in the 9th inning. However, Florida scored three in the bottom of that inning, during which Ronny Paulino hit his first career pinch-hit home run.
Toronto Blue Jays 6 Oakland Athletics 5- Brett Cecil gave up four earned runs on six hits in seven innings as he improved to 5-1 as a starter; Cecil gave up all four runs in the 2nd inning. Nevertheless, the Blue Jays reached the 50-win milestone behind home runs from Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill. Jason Frasor recorded the last two outs for Toronto and earned his fourth save of the season.
San Diego Padres 4 Milwaukee Brewers 2- In his first start in a Padres uniform, Clayton Richard gave up one earned run on two hits in 5.2 innings, but did not receive a decision. Will Venable went deep in the 2nd inning for the Padres, who improved to 43-62 on the year. Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee hit back-to-back home runs in the 6th inning for the Brewers, who suffered their 53rd loss of the season.
Photo Source: www.photobucket.com
