Philadelphia Phillies 9 New York Mets 7- What’s better than ending a game by turning a triple play? How about ending a game by turning an UNASSISTED triple play? That’s what happened to Phillies second baseman Eric Bruntlett, who turned an unassisted triple play to preserve a two-run victory for Philadelphia, who improved to 71-50 on the season. It was the 15th unassisted triple play in major league history and the third that ended a game; the two other game-ending unassisted triple plays were turned by Pittsburgh shortstop Glenn Wright in 1925 and Detroit first baseman Johnny Nuen in 1927. Possibly the rarest play in Major League Baseball (although it has happened five times in this decade alone) preserved a win for Pedro Martinez in his return to New York as well as a save for Brad Lidge. Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz homered in the 1st inning for Philadelphia. Angel Pagan hit two home runs for the Mets: one inside-the-park and the other outside-the-park. However, it was not enough as New York fell to 57-67 on the season.
Atlanta Braves 7 Florida Marlins 5- Brian McCann’s two-run single in the 8th inning broke a 5-5 tie and lifted the Atlanta Braves to their 66th victory of the season; McCann finished the game going 3-for-4 with 5 RBIs, three of which came off a home run in the 1st inning. Ronny Paulino drove in four runs for the Marlins, but it was not enough as Florida fell to 65-59 on the year. Rafael Soriano worked the 9th inning and joined the MLB’s 20-save club.
Washington Nationals 8 Milwaukee Brewers 3- Behind long balls from Ryan Zimmerman, Cristian Guzman, and Adam Dunn, the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing streak as they improved to 44-80 on the season. Washington rookie Craig Stammen squandered three earned runs on five hits in 6.1 innings as he picked up his fourth victory of the year. Alcides Escobar hit his first career major league home run for the Brew Crew, but it was not enough as Milwaukee suffered Loss #63 of the season.
Cleveland Indians 6 Seattle Mariners 1- Fausto Carmona scattered one earned run on five hits in seven innings as he improved to 3-8 as a starter. Jhonny Peralta homered for Cleveland, who earned Win #54 of the year. Ken Griffey Jr. provided all the scoring for Seattle with a solo home run in the 4th inning; it was not enough, however, as the Mariners suffered their 61st loss of the season.
Toronto Blue Jays 8 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Ricky Romero won his 11th game of the season, first in four starts, after allowing two earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Travis Snider hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning for Toronto, who improved to 57-65 on the year. Kendry Morales, Erick Aybar, and Juan Rivera each singled in a run for the Angels, who suffered their 48th loss of the season. Los Angeles has now lost three of its last four games.
Texas Rangers 4 Tampa Bay Rays 0- Scott Feldman improved to 13-4 on the season after giving up four hits in seven scoreless innings; Feldman won his fifth consecutive road start. Michael Young and Ivan Rodriguez each drove in two runs for the Rangers, who improved to 69-54 on the season. Texas avoided a three-game sweep of the Rays, who fell to 67-56 on the year. Michael Young hit a two-run single in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to eleven games.
Cincinnati Reds 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Homer Bailey gave up one earned run on four hits in seven innings as he won his third game of the season; it was Bailey’s second win in his last eight starts. Brandon Phillips drove in two runs for the Reds, who improved to 52-71 on the season. Cincinnati has won for just the second time in nine games. Delwyn Young singled in the only run of the game for the Pirates, who fell to 51-71 on the season.
Arizona Diamondbacks 7 Houston Astros 5- Jon Garland squandered four earned runs on ten hits in six innings as he improved to 7-11 as a starter; Garland also singled in a run in the 1st inning for the Diamondbacks, who won their 55th game of the season. Humberto Quintero and Jason Michaels hit the long balls for the Astros, but it was not enough as Houston suffered its 63rd loss of the year. Chad Qualls worked the 9th inning for Arizona and earned his 23rd save of the season.
Colorado Rockies 4 San Francisco Giants 2- Ubaldo Jimenez scattered two earned runs on six hits in eight innings as he picked up his 12th victory of the season; the two runs Jimenez allowed came off the bat of Edgar Renteria, who hit a two-run home run in the 2nd inning. Seth Smith hit a two-run blast of his own in the 7th inning for Colorado, who reached the 70-win milestone. For the San Francisco Giants, it was their 57th loss of the season. Tim Lincecum actually no-hit the Rockies through 5.1 innings, but the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner ended up losing his 4th game of the season.
Baltimore Orioles 5 Chicago White Sox 4- Jason Berken picked up his 3rd win of the year after allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in 5.2 innings; it was Berken’s second win since May 26. Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie hit the long balls for the Orioles, who won their 51st game of the season as well as their first series win since the All-Star break. Gordon Beckham drove in two runs while Scott Podsednik and A.J. Pierzynski each drove in one for Chicago, but it was not enough as the White Sox fell to 63-61 on the year.
Minnesota Twins 10 Kansas City Royals 3- Carl Pavano won his 11th game of the season, giving up two earned runs on eight hits in seven innings. Michael Cuddyer went deep twice in the 7th inning for the Twins, who improved to 61-63 on the season. Denard Span added a three-run triple for Minnesota, who registered 14 hits against the Royals. Mike Jacobs drove in two runs for Kansas City, who fell to 47-76 on the year.
St. Louis Cardinals 5 San Diego Padres 2- John Smoltz made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals, squandering three hits in five scoreless innings as he picked up the win; Smoltz also reached base on a bunt single and scored the first run of the game. Albert Pujols hit a long ball in the 5th inning for the Cardinals, who improved to 72-54 on the season. Nick Hundley hit a solo home run in the 7th inning for San Diego, but it was not enough as the Padres suffered their 74th loss of the season.
Chicago Cubs 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 1- Jake Fox’s first career 4-hit game helped the Chicago Cubs win their 62nd game of the season, avoiding a sweep. Fox hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning and drove in another run with a single in the 6th inning. Kosuke Fukudome doubled in the other run for the Cubs. Chicago starter Ryan Dempster scattered one unearned run on three hits in seven innings as he picked up Win #7 of the season; the lone run given up by Dempster came in the 2nd inning when Tony Abreu’s RBI single drove in Matt Kemp. Los Angeles fell to 74-51 on the season.
Oakland Athletics 9 Detroit Tigers 4- Jack Cust hit not one, but two home runs to propel his Athletics to their 55th win of the year; Cust ended the game with 4 RBIs. Landon Powell and Cliff Pennington also went deep for Oakland. Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera hit the long balls for Detroit, but it was not enough as the Tigers suffered their 58th loss of the season. Oakland starter Brett Tomko earned his third win of the year after squandering one earned run on three hits in six innings; Tomko struck out eight.
New York Yankees 8 Boston Red Sox 4- C.C. Sabathia squandered four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 6.2 innings, outdueling Josh Beckett for Win #15 of the year; Sabathia, who won his fifth straight start, recorded eight strikeouts and no walks. Hideki Matsui homered twice while Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez each went deep once for New York, who improved to 78-46 on the season. Rocco Baldelli drove in two runs for Boston, but it was not enough as the Red Sox suffered their 53rd loss of the season.
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