Chicago White Sox 5 Chicago Cubs 0- Carlos Torres scattered five hits in seven innings as he picked up his first career major league victory. DeWayne Wise gunned down Jake Fox at the plate in the 7th inning to preserve a 1-0 White Sox lead; the White Sox went on to score four more to earn Win #66 of the season. Alexei Ramirez, Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, and Carlos Quentin each drove in a run for the White Sox, who outscored the Cubs 32 to 19 in head-to-head matchups this season. The Cubs fell to 67-65 on the year.

Milwaukee Brewers 4 St. Louis Cardinals 3- Manny Parra joined the MLB’s 10-win club after squandering two earned runs on five hits in 6.1 innings. Casey McGehee’s two-run blast in the 6th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted Milwaukee to Win #65 of the season; McGehee finished the game with 3 RBIs and ended the series with 9. Julio Lugo and Matt Holliday hit the long balls for the Cardinals, who fell to 79-56 on the year. Trevor Hoffman struck out the side in the 9th inning to join the MLB’s 30-save club.

New York Mets 8 Colorado Rockies 3- Pat Misch earned his first major league victory after pitching seven innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Daniel Murphy hit a two-run blast while David Wright added three RBIs for New York, who improved to 60-74 on the season, the antithesis of the Rockies’ record. Chris Iannetta, Ian Stewart, and Clint Barmes all went deep for Colorado, but it was not enough as Rockies starter Jason Marquis suffered his 10th loss of the year.

Detroit Tigers 4 Cleveland Indians 3- Down 3-0 after seven innings, Cleveland tied the game with three runs in the top of the 8th inning; Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the first run with an RBI single, and Shin-Soo Choo drove in the next two runs on a double to deep right field. The game went to a 10th inning, where Placido Polanco’s sacrifice fly scored Ryan Raburn and lifted the Tigers to their 72nd victory of the season. Curtis Granderson blasted his 26th home run of the year in the 1st inning for Detroit, who improved to 29-19 in day games. Cleveland fell to 58-75 on the season.

Philadelphia Phillies 2 San Francisco Giants 1- Pedro Martinez outdueled Tim Lincecum, giving up one earned run on five hits in seven innings; it was Martinez’s third victory of the season. Jayson Werth hit a solo shot in the 2nd inning, and Ryan Howard doubled in Chase Utley in the 6th to lift Philadelphia to Win #77 of the year. Eugenio Velez scored the lone San Francisco run of the game on a solo home run in the 1st inning; the Giants fell to 73-61 on the season. Brad Lidge shut down the Giants in the 9th inning to earn his 28th save of the season. Lincecum squandered two earned runs on four hits in seven innings, but fell to 13-5 as a starter.

Florida Marlins 8 Atlanta Braves 3- Behind a six-run 6th inning, the Florida Marlins reached the 70-win milestone and pulled even with the Braves in terms of overall records. Ricky Nolasco joined the MLB’s 10-win club after scattering three earned runs on seven hits in six innings. Cody Ross drove in two runs while Cameron Maybin, Brett Carroll, Hanley Ramirez, Nick Johnson, Jorge Cantu, and Chris Coghlan each drove in one run for Florida. Brian McCann hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning for Atlanta, who suffered Loss #64 of the season.

Boston Red Sox 6 Tampa Bay Rays 3- Clay Buchholz held the Rays to three earned runs on six hits in six innings, improving to 4-3 as a starter. Rocco Baldelli blasted his 7th long ball of the season for Boston, who earned Win #78 of the season. Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, and Gregg Zaun each drove in a run for Tampa Bay, but the Rays ended up suffering their 61st loss of the year. Boston earned its first series win at Tropicana Field since September 2007 and extended its AL Wild Card lead over Tampa Bay to six games. Jonathan Papelbon closed the door on the Rays in the 9th inning to earn his 34th save of the season.

New York Yankees 10 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada went deep to lift the New York Yankees to their 86th victory of the season; Posada and Rodriguez combined for 6 RBIs. Alfredo Aceves joined the MLB’s 10-win club after giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits in 2.1 innings of relief. Raul Chavez drove in two runs for Toronto, but the Blue Jays ended up suffering Loss #74 of the year. New York has won seven straight games and is now 35-11 since the All-Star break.

Los Angeles Dodgers 4 Arizona Diamondbacks 2- Three days after being traded from Arizona, Jon Garland faced his former team and improved to 9-11 as a starter, giving up two earned runs on five hits in seven innings. Manny Ramirez hit a solo home run while Ronnie Belliard added 3 RBIs for Los Angeles, who reached the 80-win milestone. Stephen Drew blasted his 12th home run of the season in the 3rd inning for the Diamondbacks, who fell to 61-74 on the year. Jonathan Broxton earned Save #31 of the season after working the 9th inning for the Dodgers.

Seattle Mariners 7 Oakland Athletics 4- Ian Snell picked up his 4th win of the season, squandering three runs (two earned) on seven hits in five innings. Franklin Gutierrez, Bill Hall, and Kenji Johjima each hit a two-run blast for Seattle, who improved to 71-64 on the year; Gutierrez led all batters with 3 RBIs. Kurt Suzuki drove in two runs while Daric Barton added a solo home run for Oakland, but it was not enough as the Athletics suffered their 75th loss of the season. David Aardsma earned his 34th save of the year after working the 9th inning for the Mariners.

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Pittsburgh Pirates 6 Philadelphia Phillies 4- Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off two-run home run to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to their 52nd win of the year. Philadelphia actually led 4-3 in the middle of the 9th, scoring two in the top half to force a bottom half. Nevertheless, the Phillies ended up losing their 51st game of the year. Ryan Doumit and Steve Pearce also went deep for Pittsburgh. Jimmy Rollins went deep twice for Philadelphia.

Florida Marlins 2 New York Mets 1- Sean West squandered one earned run on six hits in six innings as he picked up his 5th victory of the season. Dan Uggla and Ross Gload drove in the runs for the Marlins, who improved to 66-59 on the season. Fernando Tatis singled in the only run for New York, who not only lost Johan Santana for the season, but also its 69th game of the year. Leo Nunez pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 15th save of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 1 Houston Astros 0- Adam Wainwright scattered three hits in eight scoreless innings as he joined the MLB’s 15-win club. Albert Pujols doubled in the only run of the game in the 1st inning for St. Louis, who improved to 73-54 on the season. Ryan Franklin shut down the Astros in the 9th inning to earn his 33rd save of the year. Wandy Rodriguez gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings, but was issued his 8th loss of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 7 Toronto Blue Jays 3- Carlos Pena went deep not once, but twice to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to their 69th win of the season; Pena, who has 37 home runs on the year, registered his 4th multihomer game of the season. James Shields won his 8th game of the year after allowing three earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings. Aaron Hill and Travis Snider went deep for the Blue Jays, but it was not enough as Toronto suffered Loss #67 of the season.

Boston Red Sox 6 Chicago White Sox 3- Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 55th base of the season, setting a franchise record for stolen bases in a season. Jason Bay hit a solo home run in the 8th inning for the Red Sox, who improved to 72-53 on the year. Jonathan Papelbon worked the 9th inning and joined the MLB’s 30-save club. Jayson Nix homered for Chicago, but it was not enough as the White Sox suffered their 63rd loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 2 Atlanta Braves 1- David Eckstein’s RBI double in the 12th inning lifted the San Diego Padres to their 53rd win of the season. Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning for the Padres; it was his 34th long ball of the season. Atlanta forced extra innings when Adam LaRoche singled in the 9th inning to drive in Reid Gorecki. However, it was not enough as the Braves fell to 66-59 on the season. Edward Mujica pitched a 1-2-3 12th inning to earn his second save of the season.

Cincinnati Reds 8 Milwaukee Brewers 6- Joey Votto and Laynce Nix hit solo home runs in the top of the 13th inning to lift the Reds to Win #53 of the season; Nix also hit a two-run blast in the 7th inning for Cincinnati. Milwaukee actually trailed 6-1 in the middle of the 9th inning, but a five-run 9th forced extra innings. Felipe Lopez hit a solo blast for Milwaukee in the 3rd inning, but the Brewers ended up losing their 64th game of the year.

Washington Nationals 15 Chicago Cubs 6- Garrett Mock won his third game of the season after giving up four earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. Josh Willingham homered twice while Elijah Dukes went deep once for the Nationals, who won their 45th game of the season and avoided clinching a losing season (for now at least). Carlos Zambrano was issued his 5th loss of the season after squandering eight earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings; Zambrano actually scored the first run for Chicago on a solo home run in the 3rd inning. Milton Bradley and Jake Fox also went deep for Chicago, but the Cubs ended up suffering Loss #61 of the year.

Colorado Rockies 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 4- For the second night in a row, the Colorado Rockies won in extra innings in walk-off fashion. Troy Tulowitzki’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Rockies to their 72nd win of the season. Matt Herges picked up the win after pitching a perfect 10th inning for the Rockies, who are now two games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes hit the long balls for Colorado, and Troy Tulowitzki drove in the other two runs for the Rockies. Casey Blake hit a solo home run for Los Angeles, who forced extra innings by scoring two runs in the top of the 9th inning. However, it was not enough as the Dodgers suffered their 52nd loss of the year.

San Francisco Giants 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- With the score tied at two in the bottom of the 8th inning, Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run blast to lift San Francisco to Win #68 of the season. Juan Uribe hit a solo home run for San Francisco in the 2nd inning; it was Uribe’s 7th long ball of the season. Stephen Drew and Ryan Roberts each drove in two runs for Arizona, but it was not enough as the Diamondbacks fell to 55-71 on the year. Sergio Romo recorded the final out of the game and earned his 2nd save in as many chances.

Seattle Mariners 4 Oakland Athletics 2- Ryan Langerhans’s walk-off two-run home run in the 10th inning lifted the Seattle Mariners to their 65th win of the season. Russell Branyan also went deep for Seattle in the 2nd inning. Mark Lowe worked the 10th inning for Seattle and earned his second win of the season. Scott Hairston and Adam Kennedy drove in the runs for the Athletics, but Oakland ended up reaching the 70-loss milestone.

Texas Rangers 10 New York Yankees 9- Elvis Andrus turned an unassisted double play to preserve the Rangers’ 10-9 victory over the Yankees. Texas scored five runs in the 4th inning en route to reaching the 70-win milestone. The Yankees scored four in the 1st inning and 4 in the 9th, but it was not enough as New York fell to 78-47 on the year. Nelson Cruz and Michael Young went deep for Texas while Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano hit the long balls for New York.

Kansas City Royals 6 Cleveland Indians 2- Zack Greinke struck out a team-record fifteen in eight innings as he improved to 12-8 as a starter. Miguel Olivo and Mitch Maier hit the long balls for Kansas City, who improved to 48-77 on the season; it was Maier’s first major league long ball since 2006. Andy Marte went deep for the Indians, but it was not enough as Cleveland reached the 70-loss milestone.

Minnesota Twins 7 Baltimore Orioles 6- Delmon Young went 4-for-5 with two runs scored; his final hit of the game was a walk-off single that drove in Michael Cuddyer and lifted the Twins to their 63rd victory of the year. Justin Morneau hit a long ball in the 3rd inning for the Twins, who extended their winning streak to five as they climbed back up to .500. Michael Aubrey drove in three runs for the Orioles, but it was not enough as Baltimore fell to 51-75 on the season.

Detroit Tigers 5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Jarrod Washburn improved to 9-7 as a starter after scattering three earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera each hit a solo home run for the Tigers, who improved to 67-58 on the season; Cabrera ended the game with 2 RBIs. The Angels scored all three of their runs on a Howie Kendrick home run in the 2nd inning, but it was not enough as Los Angeles reached the 50-loss milestone. Fernando Rodney shut down the Angels in the 9th inning and earned his 28th save of the season.

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Chicago White Sox 4 Kansas City Royals 2- Jose Contreras gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings as he improved to 5-11 as a starter. Gordon Beckham, Carlos Quentin, and Alex Rios all hit solo shots for the White Sox, who won their 62nd game of the season. It was the first time Royals starter Zack Greinke gave up three long balls since allowing four at U.S. Cellular Field on June 3, 2008. David DeJesus and Mark Teahen hit the long balls for Kansas City, who fell to 47-73 on the season. Bobby Jenks struck out the last two batters of the game and earned his 26th save of the season.

Colorado Rockies 5 Washington Nationals 4- Jason Marquis won his 14th game of the season after squandering three earned runs on nine hits in six innings. Clint Barmes and Carlos Gonzalez hit the long balls for the Rockies, who improved to 67-53 on the season. Huston Street gave up a solo shot to Josh Bard, but eventually shut the door on the Nationals to earn Save #31 of the year. Ryan Zimmerman drove in two runs for Washington, who suffered its 77th loss of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies 8 Arizona Diamondbacks 1- Cliff Lee pitched a complete game two-hitter, allowing just one unearned run. Jayson Werth homered twice while Ryan Howard and Chase Utley each went deep once for the Phillies, who improved to 68-49 on the season. Stephen Drew drove in the lone Arizona run on a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates 3 Milwaukee Brewers 1- Paul Maholm gave up one earned run on eight hits in 7.2 innings as he improved to 7-7 as a starter. Ronny Cedeno hit a long ball for the Pirates, who won their 49th game of the season. Matt Capps pitched a 1-2-3 9th and earned his 22nd save of the season. Ryan Braun drove in the lone run for Milwaukee with a single in the 6th inning, but the Brewers ended up getting swept by Pittsburgh.

San Francisco Giants 1 Cincinnati Reds 0- Barry Zito, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, and Brian Wilson combined for San Francisco’s MLB-leading 16th shutout of the season. The Reds mustered just two hits, both coming off Zito, as they fell to 50-69 on the year. Nate Schierholtz doubled in the only run of the game in the 8th inning to lift San Francisco to Win #66 of the season. Sergio Romo was credited with his fourth victory of the season, and Brian Wilson joined the MLB’s 30-save club.

Atlanta Braves 15 New York Mets 2- Behind an eight-run 2nd inning, during which Brian McCann hit a three-run blast, the Braves defeated their NL East rival and earned their 63rd victory of the season. Adam LaRoche and Matt Diaz also went deep for the Braves, who registered their highest-scoring game of the year. Jair Jurrjens gave up two earned runs on eight hits in six innings as he joined the MLB’s 10-win club. Luis Castillo and Angel Pagan drove in the runs for the Mets, who fell to 56-64 on the season.

Houston Astros 6 Florida Marlins 3- Sammy Gervacio was credited with his first victory of the season after striking out one batter in the 5th inning. Humberto Quintero hit his second home run of the season in the 4th inning for Houston, who improved to 58-62 on the year. The Marlins registered at least ten hits for the fifteenth consecutive game, matching the longest streak since the 1937 St. Louis Browns. However, three errors and sixteen men left on base contributed to Florida’s 56th loss of the season. Jose Valverde pitched a scoreless 9th and earned his 17th save of the season.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3 Cleveland Indians 0- Jered Weaver pitched a complete game seven-hitter on his way to Win #13 of the season. His Angels offense mustered just four hits off Cleveland’s Jeremy Sowers, but Los Angeles scored three in the 5th to improve to 73-45 on the year. For Weaver, it was his second career shutout. Howie Kendrick was involved in all three runs of the game; Kendrick singled in two runs and scored on Bobby Abreu’s groundout.

Seattle Mariners 3 Detroit Tigers 1- Ian Snell outdueled Justin Verlander as the Seattle starter gave up one earned run on four hits in 5.1 innings; Snell improved to 1-1 on the year while Verlander fell to 13-7. Ichiro Suzuki’s two-run blast lifted the Mariners to Win #62 of the season. Carlos Guillen provided the only run for Detroit with a solo blast in the 6th inning. Josh Wilson singled in the other run for Seattle, who scored all three of its runs in the 5th inning.

Boston Red Sox 6 Toronto Blue Jays 1- David Ortiz, Jason Bay, and Victor Martinez all went deep for the Red Sox, who improved to 68-51 on the season. Clay Buchholz earned his second victory of the season after giving up one earned run on six hits in six innings. Vernon Wells drove in the only Toronto run of the game with a single in the 4th inning. Toronto starter Roy Halladay was issued his 6th loss of the season; Halladay gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits in five innings.

Tampa Bay Rays 3 Baltimore Orioles 1- Home runs from Pat Burrell, Ben Zobrist, and B.J. Upton lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to their 65th victory of the season. Jeff Niemann earned his 11th win of the year, giving up one earned run on seven hits in 7.1 innings. Niemann gave up a solo shot to Brian Roberts in the 8th inning. The Orioles fell to 48-72 on the year.

Minnesota Twins 5 Texas Rangers 4- Down four after four, the Minnesota Twins stormed back with one in the 5th and four in the 6th to earn their 58th victory of the season. Scott Baker picked up his 11th win of the year after giving up four earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. Denard Span tied the game in the 6th inning with an RBI double, and he scored the game-winning run on an Orlando Cabrera RBI single. Joe Nathan pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 31st save of the year.

New York Yankees 3 Oakland Athletics 2- Alfredo Aceves earned his 8th win as a reliever, giving up two earned runs on four hits in 2.1 innings. Mark Teixeria drove in all three runs for the Yankees; one on an RBI groundout in the 1st inning, and two on a home run in the 4th inning. With this win, New York improved to 76-45 on the season. Jack Cust hit a long ball in the 6th inning for Oakland, who fell to 53-67 on the year. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th and earned Save #36 of the year.

Chicago Cubs 7 San Diego Padres 1- Rich Harden gave up just one hit in seven innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season. Milton Bradley and Aramis Ramirez hit solo shots in the 6th inning for Chicago, who improved to 61-57 on the year. Chase Headley singled in the lone San Diego run in the 9th inning, but the Padres ended up losing their 71st game of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 2- Matt Holliday’s sacrifice fly in the 9th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Cardinals to their 69th victory of the season. Yadier Molina and Brendan Ryan drove in the runs for St. Louis. Andre Ethier and Casey Blake both went deep for Los Angeles, but it was not enough as the Dodgers reached the 50-loss milestone. Los Angeles’ lead in the NL West is now down to 3.5 games.

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Colorado Rockies 4 Washington Nationals 3- Ubaldo Jimenez gave up two earned runs on seven hits in eight innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Brad Hawpe, Carlos Gonzalez, and Clint Barmes all hit solo shots for the Rockies, who improved to 66-53 on the season; Hawpe ended the game with 2 RBIs. Craig Stammen, Nyjer Morgan, and Cristian Guzman drove in the runs for Washington, who suffered Loss #76 of the year.

Philadelphia Phillies 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 1- Jamie Moyer gave up two hits in six scoreless innings in relief as he picked up Win #11 of the year; Pedro Martinez started the game and went only three innings, allowing one earned run on two hits. Martinez gave up a long ball to Stephen Drew. Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz hit the long balls for Philadelphia, who improved to 67-49 on the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates 5 Milwaukee Brewers 2- Ross Ohlendorf squandered one earned run on five hits in seven innings as he improved to 11-8 as a starter. Delwyn Young and Lastings Milledge homered for the Pirates, who won their 48th game of the season. Prince Fielder went deep for the Brewers, who suffered their 61st loss of the year. Casey McGehee drove in the other run for Milwaukee.

San Francisco Giants 8 Cincinnati Reds 5- Tim Lincecum didn’t have a very impressive day at the mound, squandering five earned runs on six hits in six innings. Luckily for him, his Giants offense mustered enough runs to earn their 65th victory of the year. Juan Uribe homered for the Giants, and Ryan Garko drove in four runs to hand Cincinnati its 4th consecutive loss. Joey Votto went deep for the Reds, who fell to 50-68 on the season.

New York Mets 9 Atlanta Braves 4- Behind an eight-run 4th inning, the New York Mets earned their 56th victory of the season against their NL East opponent. Oliver Perez gave up four earned runs on five hits in five innings as he picked up his third victory of the season. Atlanta scored all of its runs off long balls from Matt Diaz and Adam LaRoche, but the Braves ended up losing their 57th game of the year.

Florida Marlins 6 Houston Astros 2- Ricky Nolasco pitched a complete game three-hitter en route to his 9th victory of the season; he gave up two earned runs in the 1st inning on a Carlos Lee long ball. Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and Jeremy Hermida all homered for the Marlins, who improved to 64-55 on the season. The Marlins have now registered at least ten hits in each of their last fourteen games.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5 Cleveland Indians 4- Trevor Bell gave up three earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings as he earned his first major league win. Brian Fuentes worked the 9th inning for Los Angeles and earned his 35th save in 40 chances. Jhonny Peralta singled in two runs for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Indians fell to 51-67 on the year.

Detroit Tigers 5 Seattle Mariners 3- A four-run 8th inning lifted the Detroit Tigers to their 63rd victory of the season, denying Felix Hernandez a chance to earn his 13th win of the season. Alex Avila hit a solo shot to start off the scoring in the 8th inning for Detroit. Miguel Cabrera’s two-run single then gave Detroit a 4-3 lead. Ryan Raburn then stole home to score Detroit’s 5th run of the game. Josh Wilson hit a long ball for the Mariners, but it was not enough as Seattle fell to 61-58 on the season. Russell Branyan and Ken Griffey Jr. drove in the other Seattle runs with sacrifice flies in the 8th inning. Fernando Rodney worked the 9th inning and earned his 25th save of the year.

Boston Red Sox 10 Toronto Blue Jays 9- David Ortiz went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored; he also hit a solo home run in the 4th inning. Jason Bay also went deep for Boston, who improved to 67-51 on the season. Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless inning of relief and earned his 4th victory of the year. Randy Ruiz, Travis Snider, and Rod Barajas went deep for the Blue Jays, who fell to 55-62 on the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Baltimore Orioles 4- David Price gave up two earned runs on seven hits in five innings as he picked up Win #6 of the year. Gabe Gross, Pat Burrell, and B.J. Upton went deep for the Rays, who improved to 64-54 on the year. Matt Wieters hit a long ball for Baltimore, but it was not enough as the Orioles fell to 48-71 on the season. J.P. Howell struck out the side in the 9th inning to earn his 13th save of the year.

Minnesota Twins 9 Texas Rangers 6- Joe Mauer went deep twice while Delmon Young hit a two-run blast for Minnesota to lift the Twins to their 57th victory of the season, spoiling Ivan Rodriguez’s return to Texas; Young ended the game with 4 RBIs. Ian Kinsler hit a three-run bomb in the 3rd inning for the Rangers, who suffered their 51st loss of the season. Joe Nathan joined the MLB’s 30-save club after shutting down the Rangers in the 9th inning.

Kansas City Royals 5 Chicago White Sox 4- Gil Meche gave up four earned runs on eight hits in five innings as he improved to 6-9 as a starter. John Buck hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning for Kansas City, who earned Win #47 of the year. Billy Butler had a pair of RBI doubles and scored the winning run on an Alberto Callaspo single in the 5th inning. Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin went deep for the White Sox, who fell to 61-59 on the season. Joakim Soria pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and joined the MLB’s 20-save club.

New York Yankees 7 Oakland Athletics 2- C.C. Sabathia gave up two earned runs on five hits in eight innings as he picked up his 14th victory of the season. For Sabathia, it was his first win in six years in Oakland. Derek Jeter registered his third consecutive three-hit game and drove in the go-ahead run to lift the Yankees to their 75th victory of the season. Kurt Suzuki and Tommy Everidge hit solo shots for Oakland, who fell to 53-66 on the year.

San Diego Padres 6 Chicago Cubs 3- Cesar Carrillo gave up three earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he earned his first major league victory. Kyle Blanks hit an inside-the-park home run while Adrian Gonzalez hit an outside-the-park home run to lift the Padres to their 51st victory of the season. Derrek Lee went deep for Chicago, who fell to 60-57 on the year. The Cubs have lost nine of their last twelve games.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 St. Louis Cardinals 3- Chad Billingsley squandered two earned runs on three hits in six innings as he improved to 12-6 as a starter; Billingsley also drove in the first run of the game with a single in the 4th inning. Rafael Furcal, Manny Ramirez, James Loney, Orlando Hudson, Russell Martin, and Andre Ethier each drove in a run for the Dodgers, who won their 71st game of the season. Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, and Khalil Greene drove in the runs for St. Louis, who suffered Loss #53 of the season.

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Washington Nationals 5 Cincinnati Reds 4- Not even a four-run 5th inning could help the Reds take down the Nationals. Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run single in the top of the 8th inning that gave the Nationals a 5-4 lead. Josh Willingham hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning for Washington, who improved to 43-75 on the season; Willingham ended the game with 3 RBIs. Jonny Gomes hit a long ball for Cincinnati, who suffered Loss #67 of the year.

New York Mets 3 San Francisco Giants 2- With the game tied at 2, Daniel Murphy hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 9th inning to score Jeff Francoeur. With this win, the Mets improved to 55-62 on the year while the Giants fell to 63-54. Luis Castillo hit a two-run blast in the 5th inning for the Mets. Eugenio Velez and Randy Winn each drove in one run for the Giants.

Florida Marlins 10 Colorado Rockies 3 (Game 1)- Chris Volstad improved to 9-9 as a starter after he gave up one earned run on four hits in five innings. Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan each went 3-for-5, hitting a home run for the Marlins, who won their 63rd game of the season. Carlos Gonzalez hit a long ball in the 1st inning for Colorado, who lost its 53rd game of the year; Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

Colorado Rockies 7 Florida Marlins 3 (Game 2)- Jorge De La Rosa gave up one unearned run on seven hits in 5.2 innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Clint Barmes, Carlos Gonzalez, and Brad Hawpe went deep for Colorado, who improved to 65-53 on the season. Emilio Bonifacio, Jorge Cantu, and Cody Ross each hit an RBI single for Florida, who fell to 63-55 on the year.

Houston Astros 8 Milwaukee Brewers 5- A pair of three-run innings lifted the Astros to their 57th win of the year. Geoff Blum and Hunter Pence homered for Houston, who ended Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak; Blum ended the game with 4 RBIs. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder went deep for the Brew Crew, who fell to 58-59 on the year; Fielder’s long ball enabled him to become the first Brewer to record three consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. Jose Valverde worked the 9th inning and earned his 16th save of the season.

Kansas City Royals 3 Detroit Tigers 2- Ryan Raburn committed three errors, allowing the Royals to win their 46th game of the season; Raburn’s throwing error in the 10th inning allowed Josh Anderson to score the go-ahead run for Kansas City. Magglio Ordonez hit a long ball for the Tigers, who fell to 62-55 on the year. The Tigers went 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 17 Baltimore Orioles 8- Fresh off the disabled list, Torii Hunter singled in the first of nine runs in the 13th inning for the Angels, who improved to 70-45 on the season. Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera both hit long balls for Los Angeles. Brian Roberts, Luke Scott, and Nick Markakis all went deep for the Orioles, who suffered their 69th loss of the season. Chone Figgins went 4-for-7 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored; his RBI single in the 6th inning was his 1,000th career hit.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Toronto Blue Jays 2- With the game tied at 1 in the middle of the 8th inning, Gregg Zaun hit a grand slam to lift the Rays to Win #63 of the season; it was Zaun’s fifth career home run with the bases loaded and first since September 6 when he was a member of the opposing team. Marco Scutaro hit a long ball in the 9th inning for Toronto, who fell to 55-61 on the year. Carl Crawford doubled in Tampa Bay’s other run of the game.

Texas Rangers 4 Boston Red Sox 3- One day after getting beamed by a pitch, Ian Kinsler hit his second home run in two days, lifting the Rangers to their 66th victory of the season; Kinsler ended the game with 2 RBIs. With this win, the Rangers moved a half-game ahead of Boston for the lead in the AL Wild Card. Taylor Teagarden also homered for Texas. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia went deep for the Red Sox, who lost their 51st game of the season. Dustin Nippert earned his 4th win of the season after squandering two earned runs on six hits in six innings.

Cleveland Indians 7 Minnesota Twins 4- A six-run third inning propelled the Indians to their 51st victory of the season. Kelly Shoppach, Luis Valbuena, and Grady Sizemore all homered for Cleveland in that third inning. Delmon Young hit a 2-run blast in the 2nd inning for Minnesota, who fell to 56-61 on the year. Indians starter Aaron Laffey improved to 7-3 on the season after giving up three earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings; Laffey walked four and struck out two.

St. Louis Cardinals 7 San Diego Padres 5- Two rain delays nearly gave San Diego a victory over the Cardinals. However, a three-run 9th inning propelled St. Louis to Win #67 of the season. Colby Rasmus hit a walk-off 2-run blast off Heath Bell to cap a three-game sweep over the Padres. Adrian Gonzalez hit his 32nd home run of the season in the bottom of the 4th inning, but it was not enough as the Padres suffered their 70th loss of the season. Heath Bell was issued his second loss of the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 9 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Randy Wolf improved to 7-6 as a starter after squandering three earned runs on five hits in 7.2 innings; Wolf also went 3-for-4, one triple away from the cycle. Andre Ethier and Orlando Hudson also homered for the Dodgers, who reached the 70-win milestone. Rusty Ryal hit his first long ball of the season for Arizona, who fell to 54-64 on the year.

Oakland Athletics 3 Chicago White Sox 2- Down 2-0 at the stretch, Oakland scored one run in each of the last three innings to improve to 52-65 on the season. Mark Ellis, who drove in the first Oakland run with a sacrifice fly in the 7th inning, drove in the last Oakland run with a walk-off home run in the 9th inning. Scott Hairston drove in the other run for the Athletics, who avoided a three-game sweep. Scott Podsednik and Jim Thome drove in the runs for Chicago, who fell to 60-58 on the year.

Seattle Mariners 10 New York Yankees 3- Doug Fister made his second career start, squandering three earned runs on eight hits in seven innings on his way to his first career major league win. Kenji Johjima hit a long ball for the Mariners, who improved to 61-57 on the year. Nick Swisher went deep in the 4th inning for the Yankees, who suffered their 44th loss of the season. Seattle’s Jose Lopez went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs and one run scored.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 Atlanta Braves 1- J.A. Happ gave up one earned run on three hits in 7.2 innings as he improved to 9-2 as a starter. Ryan Howard drove in all of the Phillies’ runs with a solo shot in the 2nd and a three-run blast in the 6th. Matt Diaz’s solo blast in the 4th inning provided the only run of the game for Atlanta. With this win, the Phillies improved to 66-49 on the year while the Braves fell to 61-56.

The game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs has been postponed due to rain. No make-up date has been announced.

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Milwaukee Brewers 12 San Diego Padres 9- Prince Fielder and Mike Rivera each hit two long balls while Ryan Braun went deep once, lifting the Brewers to Win #56 of the year. Brewers starter Manny Parra gave up six earned runs on thirteen hits in 5.2 innings, but it was good enough for him to improve to 8-8 on the year. Oscar Salazar and Adrian Gonzalez both homered for the Padres, but it wasn’t enough as San Diego fell to 49-67 on the year.

Philadelphia Phillies 6 Chicago Cubs 1- Cliff Lee gave up one earned run on six hits in eight innings as he won his third straight start with Philadelphia, who swept the Cubs at Wrigley Field for the first time in 25 years. Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz hit long balls for the Phillies, who improved to 64-48 on the season. Ryan Theriot singled in the only run for Chicago, who suffered its 55th loss of the year.

Colorado Rockies 10 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Jason Marquis gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings as he picked up his 13th victory of the season. Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes both homered for the Rockies, who increased their Win count to 64. Dexter Fowler registered more hits than the Pirates (4 vs. 3), scoring three times. Andrew McCutchen drove in the only Pittsburgh run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the 5th inning.

Cincinnati Reds 7 Washington Nationals 0- Bronson Arroyo threw a complete-game two-hitter en route to his 11th victory of the season; Arroyo walked one and struck out three. Jonny Gomes homered in his first three at-bats of the game while Ryan Hanigan added a solo shot to lift the Reds to the 50-win milestone; Gomes finished the night with 5 RBIs. Brandon Phillips doubled in the other Cincinnati run in the 7th inning.

Florida Marlins 9 Houston Astros 2- Sean West squandered one earned run on five hits in six innings as he improved to 4-4 as a starter. Jorge Cantu and Ronny Paulino homered for the Marlins, who earned their 61st victory of the season. Mike Hampton and Darin Erstad singled in the only Houston runs of the game; Hampton gave up three earned runs on six hits in five innings as he was issued his 10th loss of the year.

Texas Rangers 4 Cleveland Indians 1- Scott Feldman gave up on earned run on seven hits in six innings as he improved to 12-4 as a starter. Elvis Andrus hit a solo home run in the 4th inning for the Rangers, who won their 64th game of the season. Josh Hamilton was 4-for-4 with 2 RBIs and one run scored. The lone Cleveland run came off the bat of Shin Soo-Choo, whose sacrifice fly in the 1st inning gave the Indians a 1-0 lead.

Kansas City Royals 5 Minnesota Twins 4- Gil Meche gave up four earned runs on seven hits in five innings as he picked up his fifth victory of the season. Alex Gordon’s third home run of the season proved to be the winning run of the game as it gave Kansas City a 5-1 lead in the 4th inning. Joe Mauer drove in all the runs for Minnesota: one on an RBI double in the 1st, and three on a long ball in the 5th. It was not enough, however, as the Twins fell to 55-59 on the year.

Detroit Tigers 2 Boston Red Sox 0- Justin Verlander gave up four hits in eight scoreless innings as he won his 13th game of the season. Ryan Raburn drove in all the runs of the game: one on an infield single in the 4th, and one on a solo home run in the 7th. Fernando Rodney pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 24th save of the season. With this win, Detroit reached the 60-win milestone while Boston is one loss away from the 50-loss mark.

New York Yankees 11 Seattle Mariners 1- C.C. Sabathia gave up one earned run on three hits in eight innings as he picked up Win #13 of the season; the lone Seattle run was scored on a Jack Wilson solo shot in the 5th inning. Hideki Matsui homered twice while Derek Jeter hit one long ball for the Yankees, who improved to 72-43 on the year; Matsui ended the night going 4-for-5 with 5 RBIs and 4 runs scored.

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San Francisco Giants 4 Cincinnati Reds 2- Barry Zito gave up two earned runs on three hits in six innings as he improved to 8-10 as a starter. Bengie Molina went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, hitting a home run in the 8th inning to lift the Giants to their 61st victory of the season. Eugenio Velez also homered for San Francisco. Wladimir Balentien and Jonny Gomes drove in the runs for Cincinnati, who suffered its 62nd loss of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays 3 Baltimore Orioles 2- Adam Lind’s RBI double in the 10th inning lifted the Blue Jays to Win #52 of the year. Alex Rios drove in the other two Toronto runs on a two-run blast in the 2nd inning. Aubrey Huff and Nolan Reimold drove in the runs for the Orioles, who not only lost their 64th game of the season, but they also lost Brian Roberts when he injured his shin in the first inning.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3 Texas Rangers 2- Jered Weaver struck out eleven in 7.1 innings on his way to Win #12 of the season; the only runs he gave up came off the bat of Hank Blalock, who hit a two-run blast in the 5th inning. Vladimir Guerrero and Erick Aybar homered for the Angels, who won their 65th game of the season. Kendry Morales drove in the other Los Angeles run with a RBI double in the 4th inning.

New York Yankees 5 Boston Red Sox 0- The Red Sox had no answer for CC Sabathia as the New York starter earned his 12th victory of the season. Derek Jeter homered for the Yankees, who improved to 68-42 on the year. New York has extended its winning streak to six games. Boston, who has not scored a run in the last 24 innings, fell to 62-47 on the season.

Washington Nationals 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 2- Garrett Mock won his first game of the season, giving up two earned runs on five hits in six innings; the two runs he gave up came off the bat of Mark Reynolds, who hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning. Josh Willingham and Josh Bard went deep for Washington, who extended its winning streak to seven as well as its win total to 39.

Florida Marlins 6 Philadelphia Phillies 4- Cody Ross’ two-run blast in the 6th inning gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead; Florida held on to earn Win #57 of the year. Chris Coghlan also went deep for Florida, who moved within five games of Philadelphia for 1st in the NL East. Brian Sanches, who pitched a scoreless inning in relief, was credited with his second victory of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 5 Pittsburgh Pirates 3- Behind a four-run 6th inning, during which Albert Pujols connected on a three-run double to reach the 100 RBI mark for the 9th straight year, the Cardinals improved to 61-51 with a two-run victory over the Pirates. Adam Wainwright gave up one earned run on seven hits in 6.2 innings en route to his 13th victory of the year. Ronny Cedeno hit a two-run blast for Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t enough as the Pirates fell to 45-65 on the season.

Chicago White Sox 8 Cleveland Indians 5- Down 5-1 in the middle of the 5th inning, Chicago stormed back with seven unanswered runs en route to Win #57 of the year; Jim Thome’s 562nd career long ball scored two of four White Sox runs in the 5th inning. D.J. Carrasco was credited with his fourth victory of the season after pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. With this win, Chicago now lies two games behind Detroit for 1st in the AL Central.

Minnesota Twins 11 Detroit Tigers 0- Carl Pavano joined the MLB’s 10-win club after allowing five hits in seven scoreless innings; Pavano defeated the Tigers for the second time this week. Joe Mauer hit a long ball for Minnesota, who improved to 54-56 on the year. Denard Span went 5-for-5 with 1 RBI and 3 runs scored; it was Span’s second career five-hit game.

Kansas City Royals 12 Oakland Athletics 6- Zach Greinke earned his 11th win of the season, squandering three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings. Mike Jacobs and Miguel Olivo both homered for the Royals, who improved to 43-67 on the year. Tommy Everidge and Mark Ellis hit the long balls for Oakland, who suffered its 62nd loss of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers 12 Houston Astros 5- Manny Parra gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 5.1 innings as he improved to 7-8 as a starter. Prince Fielder hit his 27th home run of the season in the 7th inning for Milwaukee, who won its 55th game of the season. Carlos Lee went deep for Houston, but it wasn’t enough as the Astros fell to 54-56 on the year. Mike Hampton, who was issued his ninth loss of the season, left the game after two innings with a sprained right knee.

Chicago Cubs 6 Colorado Rockies 5- Ryan Dempster squandered five runs (only two were earned) on nine hits in six innings as he picked up his sixth victory of the season. Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome went deep for Chicago, who improved to 58-50 on the year. Clint Barmes hit a solo shot in the 7th inning for Colorado, but it wasn’t enough as the Rockies suffered their 50th loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 3 New York Mets 1- San Diego rookie Mat Latos won his fourth game of the season after giving up one earned run on four hits in six innings; the only run New York scored came in the 1st inning on an Alex Cora solo shot. Will Venable, Everth Cabrera, and David Eckstein each drove in one run for the Padres, who improved to 47-65 on the year.

Tampa Bay Rays 10 Seattle Mariners 4- Behind a three-run 5th inning, during which Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena hit long balls, the Tampa Bay Rays improved to 61-49 on the year with a six-run victory over the Mariners. Rays starter James Shields gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 5.1 innings en route to his seventh victory of the season. Franklin Gutierrez went deep for Seattle, who fell to 57-53 on the year.

Atlanta Braves 2 Los Angeles Dodgers 1- Kelly Johnson broke a scoreless tie in the top of the 10th inning with a two-run blast for Atlanta. In the bottom half of that inning, Andre Ethier doubled in Juan Pierre to cut the Braves’ lead in half. However, Rafael Soriano ended up earning his 17th save of the season. Guillermo Mota, who worked the 10th inning for Los Angeles, was issued his third loss of the season.

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Chicago Cubs 3 Washington Nationals 1- Carlos Zambrano allowed one unearned run on four hits in five innings as he improved to 6-4 as a starter; Zambrano also hit a 2-run double in the 2nd inning to lift the Cubs to their 45th victory of the season. Aramis Ramirez went deep for Chicago in the 3rd inning.

Cincinnati Reds 4 Milwaukee Brewers 0- Bronson Arroyo won his 10th game of the season after allowing six hits in seven scoreless innings. Edwin Encarnacion went 4-for-4 with 2 RBI, hitting his fourth long ball of the year in the 8th inning for Cincinnati, who improved to 43-46 on the year.

Atlanta Braves 11 New York Mets 0- Brian McCann went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored to help Atlanta get back to .500 on the season; McCann’s long ball in the 3rd inning was his 9th of the season. Braves starter Jair Jurrjens allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season; the Atlanta bullpen allowed no hits the rest of the way. Martin Prado also went deep for the Braves, who won their 45th game of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 6 Arizona Diamondbacks 1- Albert Pujols went deep not once, but twice to help the Cardinals win their 50th game of the season; Pujols leads the league with 34 home runs and 89 RBIs. Nick Stavinoha also went deep for St. Louis. The only Arizona run came off the bat of Miguel Montero, who hit a solo shot in the 9th inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates 2 San Francisco Giants 1- Garrett Jones went deep in the 1st inning, and he went deep in the 14th inning to lift the Pirates to their 39th victory of the season. San Francisco scored their only run of the game when Paul Maholm’s wild pitch allowed Randy Winn to score in the 7th inning.

Philadelphia Phillies 6 Florida Marlins 5- A 78-minute rain delay in the 6th inning forced Cole Hamels to leave the mound; Hamels allowed just one earned run on four hits in five innings before the delay. Florida forced extra innings by scoring three runs off RBI singles from Ross Gload, Ronny Paulino, and Wes Helms. However, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth hit RBI singles of their own to lift the Phillies to their 50th victory of the season.

Seattle Mariners 6 Cleveland Indians 2- Felix Hernandez allowed two earned runs on five hits in eight innings as he won his tenth game of the season; Hernandez is now 9-2 in starts following a Mariners loss. Franklin Gutierrez’s 11th home run of the season gave Seattle a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning.

New York Yankees 5 Detroit Tigers 3- Mark Teixeira’s three-run blast off Joel Zumaya in the 7th inning lifted the Yankees to their 52nd victory of the season. Curtis Granderson went deep for Detroit in the 5th inning, but it was not enough as the Tigers fell to 48-40 on the season.

Boston Red Sox 4 Toronto Blue Jays 1- Clay Buchholtz was called up from AAA Pawtucket and made his season debut against Toronto, allowing one earned run on four hits in 5.2 innings en route to the victory. After the game, Buchholtz was sent back to Pawtucket. Kevin Youkilis’ two-run blast in the 1st inning and David Ortiz’s two-run double in the 5th inning was all the offense Boston needed to improve to 55-34 on the year.

Minnesota Twins 5 Texas Rangers 3- Jason Kubel’s three-run blast in the 3rd inning broke a 2-2 tie and propelled the Twins to their 46th victory of the season. Carlos Gomez drove in the other two runs for Minnesota. Josh Hamilton hit a long ball in the first inning for the Rangers, who fell to 48-40 on the season; Hamilton also drove in the other Texas run with an RBI single in the 5th inning.

Tampa Bay Rays 8 Kansas City Royals 7- Down 7-4 heading into the 7th inning, Pat Burrell and Evan Longoria each hit a two-run blast for Tampa Bay to win their 49th game of the season. Mike Jacobs hits a three-run home run for the Royals, but it wasn’t enough as Kansas City fell to 37-52 on the season.

Chicago White Sox 12 Baltimore Orioles 8- Jim Thome hit a grand slam and a three-run home run, good for a career-high seven RBIs as he helped the White Sox improve to 46-43 on the year. Chicago starter John Danks allowed three earned runs on seven hits in five innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season. Paul Konerko also went deep for the White Sox. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones both went deep for the Orioles, who lost their 49th game of the season.

Colorado Rockies 5 San Diego Padres 3- Clint Barmes went deep in the 1st inning to help the Rockies win their 49th game of the season. Ian Stewart and Chris Iannetta each drove in two runs for Colorado, who improved to 29-9 since June 4. As for San Diego, they fell to 36-54 on the year and are 11-29 since June 1. Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez allowed three earned runs on three hits in seven innings as he picked up his seventh victory of the season.

Houston Astros 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 1- Roy Oswalt pitched the whole game, allowing one earned run on four hits en route to his sixth victory of the season. Miguel Tejada and Ivan Rodriguez both went deep for Houston, who improved to 46-44 on the year. The Dodgers scored their only run of the game in the 3rd inning when Orlando Hudson scored on a Russell Martin groundout.

Oakland Athletics 7 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Bobby Crosby hits a three-run blast in the 4th inning to help the Athletics improve to 38-50 on the year, the antithesis of the Angels’ record. The Angels tied the game at 3 with two runs in the 5th inning, but Oakland scored one in the 6th, one in the 7th, and two in the 8th to earn the W.

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Toronto Blue Jays 7 New York Yankees 6- Ricky Romero allowed three earned runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings as he improved to 7-3 as a starter. Alex Rios and John McDonald both homered for the Blue Jays, who won their 43rd game of the season. Eric Hinske went deep for the Yankees in the 5th inning.

Philadelphia Phillies 22 Cincinnati Reds 1- A ten-run first inning powered the Phillies to their 43rd victory of the season, defeating the Reds by a score of 22 to 1; Shane Victorino, Greg Dobbs, and Chase Utley all homered during the first inning for Philadelphia. Jayson Werth also went deep for the Phillies in the 8th inning. Cole Hamels allowed just one earned run on three hits in seven innings as he improved to 5-5 as a starter; the one run he allowed came off a Jonny Gomes solo shot in the 2nd inning.

Oakland Athletics 6 Boston Red Sox 0- Athletics rookie Brett Anderson pitched a complete game two-hitter as he improved to 5-7 as a starter. Nomar Garciaparra returned to Fenway Park and received a standing ovation before his first at-bat of the game; he drove in Oakland’s first run of the game in the 4th inning. Orlando Cabrera went deep for the Athletics in the 9th inning.

Chicago Cubs 4 Atlanta Braves 2- Randy Wells allowed two earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he was credited with his fourth victory of the season. Chicago scored all four of their runs in the first two innings. Derrek Lee started the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning. Atlanta’s Nate McLouth hit his 14th long ball of the year in the 5th inning.

Kansas City Royals 4 Detroit Tigers 3- Mike Jacobs’ go-ahead home run in the 9th inning proved to be the game-winner as he lifted the Royals to their 36th victory of the season. Willie Bloomquist drove in the other three Kansas City runs: one on a solo home run in the 6th, and two on a double in the 8th. Marcus Thames and Ryan Raburn both had solo shots for Detroit, who fell to 44-38 on the year.

Colorado Rockies 1 Washington Nationals 0- One first-inning run was all Jason Marquis needed to snatch his 11th victory of the season; Marquis allowed seven hits in eight innings, striking out three in the process. Colorado scored their only run of the game when Todd Helton’s RBI double scored Clint Barmes. Washington’s Craig Stammen allowed the one earned run on five hits in seven innings, but was issued his fourth loss of the season.

Houston Astros 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Mike Hampton won his 10th straight start against Pittsburgh as he allowed just one earned run on three hits in seven innings; Hampton improved to 5-5 as a starter. Miguel Tejada and Geoff Blum each drove in two runs for Houston, who improved to 40-41 on the season.

Seattle Mariners 5 Baltimore Orioles 0- Jarrod Washburn pitched a complete game one-hitter en route to his fifth victory of the season; Nick Markakis was the only Oriole to get a hit off Washburn. Russell Branyan hit his 21st long ball of the season in the first inning for Seattle, who improved to 43-39 on the season.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9 Texas Rangers 4- Jered Weaver allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in seven innings as he won his ninth game of the season. Jeff Mathis hit a three-run blast in the second inning for the Angels, who improved to 46-35 on the season. With this win, Los Angeles now sits in first place in the AL West, one game in front of Texas. Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler hit his 20th home run of the season in the 7th inning.

Arizona Diamondbacks 6 San Diego Padres 5- Mark Reynolds saved his best for last as his first and only hit of the game was a walk-off winner for Arizona, who improved to 34-49 on the year. Chad Tracy and Justin Upton both homered for the Diamondbacks.

San Francisco Giants 5 Florida Marlins 4- Thanks to a Pablo Sandoval grand slam in the 5th inning, Giants starter Matt Cain earned his 10th victory of the season. Cain allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in 6.2 innings, striking out five. Florida scored two runs in the 6th inning and two more in the 9th, but wasn’t able to force a bottom of the 9th inning.

Washington Nationals 5 Atlanta Braves 3- Braves starter Tommy Hanson allowed one earned run on three hits in seven innings as his scoreless innings streak ended at 26; Adam Dunn’s long ball in the 7th inning ended Hanson’s bid for a shutout. Down 3-1 heading into the 8th inning, Washington scored four runs in the bottom half to win their 23rd game of the season. Atlanta fell to 39-41 on the year.

San Francisco Giants 9 Houston Astros 0- Tim Lincecum pitches seven scoreless innings to extend his scoreless innings streak to 23. Lincecum allowed three hits and struck out nine as he went on to win his third straight start; he also scored the first (and game-winning) run for the Giants.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 New York Mets 1- Jamie Moyer allowed one earned run on five hits in 6.1 innings as he improved to 7-6 as a starter, winning his third straight start. It was Moyer’s 253rd career win, tying Carl Hubbell for 42nd on the all-time list for wins by a pitcher. Mets starter Fernando Nieve allowed four runs (only three were earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings as he was issued his second loss of the season; Nieve drove in the only run for the Mets in the 5th inning.

Minnesota Twins 4 Detroit Tigers 3- Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer went deep for Minnesota, who improved to 42-40 on the year. Detroit scored all three of their runs off the bat of Magglio Ordonez, whose three-run blast gave Detroit a 3-2 lead in the top of the 7th inning.

Cincinnati Reds 5 St. Louis Cardinals 2- Micah Owings allowed two earned runs on six hits in 6.2 innings as he improved to 6-8 as a starter; Owings also hit a home run for Cincinnati. Joey Votto also went deep for the Reds, who improved to 40-39 on the season. Colby Rasmus hit his 9th long ball of the year in the 1st inning.

Kansas City Royals 6 Chicago White Sox 4- Luke Hochevar allowed four earned runs on nine hits in six innings, but it was good enough for him to earn his fourth victory of the season. Kansas City’s Brayan Pena hit his second home run of the season in the 8th inning.

New York Yankees 6 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Jorge Posada’s walk-off RBI single in the 12th inning lifted the Yankees to their 47th victory of the season. Posada, Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon hit long balls for the Yankees, who have now won nine of their last ten games. Because the Boston Red Sox lost, the Yankees now sit just one game behind Boston for first in the AL East.

Milwaukee Brewers 11 Chicago Cubs 2- Braden Looper allowed two earned runs on six hits in six innings as he picked up his seventh victory of the season. However, the day belonged to Casey McGehee, who went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. J.J. Hardy and Mike Cameron homered for the Brew Crew, who improved to 43-38 on the year.

Seattle Mariners 3 Boston Red Sox 2- Chris Woodward’s bases-loaded pop up landed just out of the reach of Dustin Pedroia, giving the Mariners a 3-2 lead in the top of the 9th inning. Mariners closer David Aardsma did the rest, pitching a perfect 9th inning to earn his 17th save of the season. Boston scored both of their runs on a Jason Varitek long ball in the 2nd inning.

San Diego Padres 7 Los Angeles Dodgers 4- Manny Ramirez hit his first long ball since returning from his 50-game suspension. Unfortunately, that was not enough as the Padres used a three-run 7th and a three-run 8th inning to win their 35th game of the season. Ramirez’s solo shot in the 1st inning was his seventh of the season and 534th of his career; he and Jimmie Foxx are now tied for 16th on the all-time list.

Cleveland Indians 5 Oakland Athletics 2- Carl Pavano allowed two earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings as he improved to 7-7, winning his first game in five starts. Ben Francisco and Grady Sizemore hit long balls off Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro, who suffered his fourth loss of the season. Kerry Wood worked the 9th inning and earned his 10th save of the season.

Florida Marlins 5 Pittsburgh Pirates 3- Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run blast in the 1st inning to lift the Marlins to their 42nd victory of the season. Florida starter Andrew Miller allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings as he went on to win his third game of the season. Andy LaRoche and Garrett Jones both homered for the Pirates, but it wasn’t enough as Pittsburgh fell to 37-44 on the year.

Texas Rangers 12 Tampa Bay Rays 4- Derek Holland allowed four earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he improved to 2-5 as a starter. Home runs from Andruw Jones and Nelson Cruz propelled the Rangers to their 44th victory of the season. The Rays scored all of their runs off home runs from Jason Bartlett and Dioner Navarro.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 11 Baltimore Orioles 4- Behind a six-run 8th inning, the Angels defeated the Orioles by a score of 11 to 4. With this win, Los Angeles improved to 44-35 while Baltimore fell to 36-45. Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run home run in the 8th inning for the Angels.

Arizona Diamondbacks 11 Colorado Rockies 7- Down 4-3 heading into the 8th inning, the Arizona Diamondbacks scored six in the top of the 8th and two in the top of the 9th to win their 32nd game of the season. Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds both went deep for the Diamondbacks, who saw their three-game losing streak come to an end. Colorado’s Clint Barmes hit his 10th home run of the season in the 1st inning.

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