Coming at you quicker than a Joel Zumaya fastball (before the injuries), this is my newest edition of my “Fantasy In Five” series!

In this issue, I will talk about five players that might or might not be on your waiver wire that you should consider picking up. It’s only the second week of the regular season, but by picking up one of these five players, it could help you win your league.

1. Nolan Reimold, Baltimore Orioles- By only playing one season with at least 100 games, Reimold is someone you might just pick up to ride him while he’s hot. With Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and a few of the Oriole’s top-tier prospects, the pressure on this 28-year-old has been increasing.

So far this season, Reimold is .370 with five home runs and 10 RBI’s. Knowing the history of this player, to see these numbers keep up are as high as the Charlotte Bobcats winning 12 games this season; very unlikely.

Another reason why Reimold should only be a rental is of his injury history. He’s only averaged 60 games a season his whole career, which obviously isn’t something to fully invest in. It’s just those spurts where he’s on for about a week straight that make him a waiver wire pickup.

2. Kyle Drabek, Toronto Blue Jays- After being acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies, the Blue Jays were expecting big things from Drabek from day one. The unfortunates were that he was what Toronto acquired after trading their ace pitcher Roy Halladay, and those are bigger shoes to fill than Shaq’s.

Drabek struggled his first 20 starts with the Blue Jays, going 4-8 with a bloated ERA of 5.41. Why I was never worried about his early struggles were because he’s only 24-years-old. Drabek has so much time to grow and develop into the ace the Blue Jays and fantasy owners expected.

That rough patch to start off his career might’ve helped his mechanics during spring training, as he’s 2-0 with an ERA of two and 15 strikeouts in 18 innings so far this season. Now this might be just an A.J. Burnett-type of start where he’ll have a hot April and that’s it. Or he’s finally found out the issues with his pitching after two years in the majors. Either way, pick him up and make him your sixth starter. Drabek is just another low-risk high-reward player that can easily be expendable if he does start to struggle.

3. Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals- Lynn is another case of the reliever that’s transitioned to the starting rotation quite nicely. Now I hope that’s not a jinx, as I’m currently knocking on wood, but he’s posted some pretty good numbers to start the season.

Once Chris Carpenter went down, Lynn stepped up to fill his role, and might be here to stay if his pitching stays consistent. He’s 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA on the year with 17 strikeouts in just 19 innings. If he keeps this up, fantasy owners who spend the roster spot (and even more importantly the St. Louis Cardinals) might have the biggest sleeper of the year that’s come out of nowhere.

Lynn’s youth and eligibility makes him even more of a reason why you should pick him up once you’re done reading this. He’s as old as Drabek (24-years-old) with a reliever position in fantasy currently. In a few starts, Lynn should be eligible for a starting spot. If one of your closers have gone down with a season-ending injury or you want to have six starters at once, he’s your guy to pick up. But hurry up, because he’s gaining some popularity quickly.

4. Cody Ross, Boston Red Sox- I’m a little disappointed that Ross isn’t that wanted in fantasy leagues. You can’t name many reasons at this point that could drive me away from him. I’ll start off with a few notes to consider.

Ross is 31-years-old playing in an outfield that currently is without Jacoby Ellsbury or Carl Crawford. Fenway Park is the definition of a major-league softball field, especially with the dimensions. Even with that, you know what you’re getting out of Ross every year (near 20 home runs and 70 RBI’s). These numbers could increase by playing 81 games at Fenway.

This season, Ross has hit .250 with two home runs and eight RBI’s. I know these numbers might not pop out at you like the other three previously mentioned, but at least you know what you’re getting from Ross. A consistent option playing in a hitter-friendly park sounds like a good combination to me.

5. Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals- Never known to be a first-half player, LaRoche has started off this season doing just that. In the two weeks of this young season, he’s hit .309 with two home runs and 13 RBI’s.

The reason why I think many owners don’t have him on their roster is because of Michael Morse. After having a breakout season last year, Morse was expected to get most of the starts this season until he got injured. He’s expected to sit six weeks before he even starts rehab with a strained lat muscle.

What does this mean for Washington? More starts for LaRoche. The 32-year-old has always been a consistent option for 25 homers and 80 RBI’s with a .262 average. Now that the odds are in the favor for LaRoche to be an everyday player for a good amount of time, pick him up. When Morse comes back, don’t drop him on the dime though. If LaRoche can keep up his pace, the Nationals might try to place Morse in the outfield so they can both get some playing time. And no, Bryce Harper’s debut won’t be because of these two Nats.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email or message me on Facebook.

In the final game of the 1997 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins, Florida shortstop Edgar Renteria (who was just in his second season) drove in Craig Counsell on a walk-off single to win the championship. 13 years later, Renteria can credit himself with delivering yet another championship.

With a three-run home run in the top of the 7th, Edgar Renteria propelled the San Francisco Giants to their first World Series win since 1954. It is their first since moving to California, having reached the World Series four times, including coming up just short in 2002 against interstate rival Anaheim.

The Giants won the game by a score of 3-1 after an impressive pitching performance by Tim Lincecum, his second start of the series. He dueled against free agency-bound Cliff Lee, who went seven innings and allowed the big shot to Renteria. The Rangers fell into a deficit they could not dig themselves out of, even with a solo-shot by Nelson Crúz (his sixth of the postseason). Giants closer Brian Wilson, who had been rather lights-out all postseason long, sealed the deal by getting the aforementioned Crúz to strikeout swinging.

San Francisco entered the second-half of the season trailing division-rival San Diego, yet managed to power forward towards an NL West title after the latter played poorly down the stretch. They successfully knocked off the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, as Cody Ross (who had been claimed off of waivers earlier in the summer) slugged his way into playoff galore. After conquering the defending NL champion Phillies, San Francisco would go on to lose only once in Game 3 to Texas.

Even with poor ratings predicted (and eventually being sustained), the Giants managed to pull through. In a season filled with unlikelihood, the San Francisco Giants proved that just about anything can happen.

Florida Marlins 5 St. Louis Cardinals 2- Josh Johnson joined the MLB’s 15-win club after holding St. Louis to one earned run on nine hits in six innings. Cody Ross had two RBI singles while Dan Uggla, John Baker, and Jorge Cantu each drove in a run to lift the Marlins to their 78th victory of the season. Julio Lugo and Albert Pujols each had 1 RBI for the Cardinals, who suffered their 62nd loss of the year. Leo Nunez recorded the final two outs for Florida to earn his 22nd save in 28 chances.

Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Down 1-0 after five innings, Matt Kemp hit a two-run bomb to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. Ronnie Belliard, who scored on Kemp’s 24th home run of the season, also went deep in the 8th inning for Los Angeles, who improved to 88-59 on the year. Dodgers starter Hideki Kuroda picked up his 7th win of the season after squandering one earned run on six hits in six innings. The Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, who fell to 55-89 on the year. Jason Jaramillo singled in the lone run of the game for the Pirates in the 2nd inning.

San Diego Padres 6 Arizona Diamondbacks 5- Down 5-3 in the middle of the 9th inning, Adrian Gonzalez belted a two-run blast to level the score at five and force extra innings. In the 10th inning, Everth Cabrera’s walk-off RBI single scored Luis Durango and lifted San Diego to Win #66 of the year. The Padres avoided clinching a losing season (at least for now) as closer Heath Bell picked up his 6th win of the year. Augie Ojeda, Chris Young, Justin Upton, and Mark Reynolds each drove in a run for Arizona, but it was not enough as the Diamondbacks fell victim to their opponent for the 83rd time this season.

Minnesota Twins 7 Cleveland Indians 3- Nick Blackburn joined the MLB’s 10-win club after scattering two earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. Michael Cuddyer homered in the 5th inning to lift the Twins to their 74th victory of the season; Cuddyer finished the game with 3 RBIs. Joe Mauer added a two-run single in the 4th inning for Minnesota, who completed a three-game sweep over Cleveland. Matt LaPorta drove in all three runs for Cleveland: two on a 7th inning home run, and one on an 8th inning RBI single. It was not enough, however, as the Indians fell to 61-84 on the year. Joe Nathan picked up his 41st save in 46 chances after striking out the final two batters. Minnesota extended its winning streak to four games while Cleveland has lost just as many games in a row.

Philadelphia Phillies 6 Washington Nationals 1- Jayson Werth’s grand slam in the 7th inning powered the Phillies to their 84th victory of the season. Joe Blanton joined the MLB’s 10-win club after limiting the Nationals to five hits in six shutout innings. Chase Utley stole home in the 1st, and Pedro Feliz drove in the other Philadelphia run in the 6th inning. Willie Harris singled in the lone Nationals run of the game in the 9th inning; Washington fell to 50-95 on the year.

Cincinnati Reds 6 Houston Astros 5- A wild pitch by Jeff Fulchino enabled Joey Votto to break a 5-5 tie and score the go-ahead run. It proved to be the game-winning run as the Reds won their 67th game of the season. Jonny Gomes and Drew Stubbs each hit a long ball for Cincinnati. Houston scored all of its runs off solo home runs: two from Jeff Keppinger, and one each from Kazuo Matsui, Carlos Lee, and Geoff Blum. However, not even a five home run day could prevent the Astros from suffering their 76th loss of the year. Francisco Cordero slammed the door shut on the Astros in the 9th inning en route to his 37th save of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers 9 Chicago Cubs 5- Braden Looper improved to 13-6 as a starter after scattering five earned runs on nine hits in five innings. Alcides Escobar led all batters with 3 RBIs while Corey Hart drove in two to lift Milwaukee to the 70-win milestone. Alfonso Soriano blasted a two-run shot in the 5th inning for Chicago, but it was not enough as the Cubs fell to 75-69 on the season.

Baltimore Orioles 4 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Matt Wieters’ walk-off two-run blast in the bottom of the 9th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Baltimore Orioles to the 60-win milestone. The game, however, would never have reached a bottom of the 9th inning had Ben Zobrist not homered in the top half to level the score at two. Zobrist’s home run off Jim Johnson occurred shortly after a 100-minute rain delay. Despite blowing his 5th save of the season, Johnson ended up winning his 4th game of the year. Gregg Zaun also went deep for Tampa Bay, who fell to 73-73 on the season.

Detroit Tigers 4 Kansas City Royals 3- Zach Miner pitched just one scoreless inning of relief, but it was good enough to earn Win #7 of the season. Kansas City actually led 3-0 in the middle of the 4th inning before Detroit came back with a pair of two-run innings. Placido Polanco’s RBI single in the 6th inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Detroit to its 78th victory of the year. Mitch Maier, Miguel Olivo, and Alex Gordon drove in the runs for the Royals, who suffered their 87th loss of the season. Fernando Rodney worked the 9th inning and picked up his 33rd save in 34 chances.

New York Yankees 5 Toronto Blue Jays 4- Hideki Matsui’s two-run blast in the bottom of the 8th inning leveled the score at four. Francisco Cervelli’s RBI single in the bottom of the 9th inning broke the 4-4 tie and won the game for New York, who improved to 94-53 on the season. Cervelli’s walk-off hit gave Mariano Rivera his third victory of the year. Jose Bautista hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning while Adam Lind added two RBIs for Toronto, but it was not enough as the Blue Jays reached the 80-loss milestone.

Boston Red Sox 9 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8- Trailing 7-5 in the middle of the 8th inning, Boston scored two in the bottom half to level the score. Trailing 8-7 in the middle of the 9th inning, the Red Sox did it again, scoring two more in the bottom half to earn Win #86 of the season. Nick Green drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game, and Alex Gonzalez hit a bloop single to left field to win the game for the Red Sox, who have won seven consecutive games. Brian Fuentes had converted 71 of his last 79 saves, but ended up with his 5th loss of the year. Torii Hunter homered in the 6th inning for the Angels, who suffered their 59th loss of the season.

Oakland Athletics 4 Texas Rangers 0- Trevor Cahill gave up just one hits in seven shutout innings en route to his 9th victory of the season. Landon Powell homered to cap off a 3-run 6th inning for Oakland, who improved to 67-78 on the year after completing a three-game sweep over Texas. Marlon Byrd registered the lone Texas hit of the game while Ian Kinsler drew two walks for the Rangers, who fell to 80-65 on the season. Texas has scored just once in its last four games, all of which resulted in a Rangers loss.

Seattle Mariners 4 Chicago White Sox 1- Ryan Rowland-Smith improved to 4-3 as a starter after giving up one earned run on nine hits in eight innings. Mike Carp blasted his first major league long ball in the 4th inning to lift Seattle to Win #75 of the season. Gordon Beckham scored the lone Chicago run of the game on a solo home run in the 8th inning; the White Sox suffered their 74th loss of the year. David Aardsma picked up his 35th save after working the 9th inning for Seattle.

Atlanta Braves 6 New York Mets 5- At least Luis Castillo isn’t the only one in the dark. This time, it was Daniel Murphy’s turn to cough up another game for the Mets. Same exact situation: Runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. What happens this time? No, Murphy didn’t drop a pop fly. Instead, he misplayed a simple ground ball and allowed David Ross to score the winning run from second base. At least Murphy’s blunder was committed when the game was tied. Nevertheless, the win was Atlanta’s 77th of the season. Omir Santos hit a solo home run in the 8th inning to give the Mets a 5-4 lead, but it was not enough as New York fell to 63-83 on the year.

Colorado Rockies 4 San Francisco Giants 3- Jorge De La Rosa earned membership in the MLB’s 15-win club after holding San Francisco to three hits in eight shutout innings. Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo home run in the 4th while Ian Stewart added a two-run blast in the 6th to lift Colorado to its 83rd victory of the season. The Giants made it a game in the bottom of the 9th inning when Franklin Morales squandered three straight singles to start the bottom of the 9th. Morales was charged with three earned runs, but in the end, Rafael Betancourt prevailed with his first save of the season after recording the final three outs for Colorado. The Giants fell to 79-67 on the year and are now 3.5 games behind the Rockies in the NL Wild Card.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Philadelphia Phillies 5 New York Mets 4 (Game 1)- Kyle Kendrick gave up two earned runs on seven hits in 7.1 innings as he won in his first Phillies start of the season. Ben Francisco and Shane Victorino each hit a long ball for Philadelphia, who improved to 81-60 on the year, clinching a non-losing season. Anderson Hernandez blasted a two-run bomb for New York in the 8th inning, but it was not enough as the Mets reached the 80-loss milestone. Brad Lidge scattered two earned runs in the 9th, but prevailed with his 29th save in 39 chances.

Philadelphia Phillies 1 New York Mets 0 (Game 2)- Pedro Martinez threw 130 pitches in eight shutout innings, giving up six hits and striking out seven en route to his fifth victory of the season. Chase Utley singled in the lone run of the game in the 1st inning to lift the Phillies to their 82nd win of the year, clinching a winning season for the leaders of the NL East. Ryan Madson worked the 9th inning and picked up his 8th save of the year. Mets starter Tim Redding, despite giving up the one earned run, scattered just three hits in six innings; nevertheless, Redding was issued his 6th loss of the season. New York clinched a non-winning season with Loss #81 of the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates 2 Hosuton Astros 1- Paul Maholm allowed six hits in eight scoreless innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season. Ryan Doumit hit a solo shot in the 8th while Garrett Jones added an RBI single in the 1st to lift Pittsburgh to Win #55 of the year. Lance Berkman blasted his 21st long ball of the season in the 9th inning, but Houston ended up losing its 73rd game of the year. Despite giving up the home run to Berkman, Matt Capps picked up his 25th save of the season.

Atlanta Braves 9 St. Louis Cardinals 2- Javier Vazquez held St. Louis to two earned runs on seven hits, pitching all nine innings to improve to 13-9 on the season. Adam LaRoche hit a long ball in the 9th inning and doubled in two runs in the 3rd to lift Atlanta to its 75th victory of the year. Yunel Escobar and Matt Diaz each had 2 RBIs for the Braves, who completed a three-game sweep over the Cardinals. Matt Holliday singled in two runs for St. Louis in the bottom of the 9th inning, but the Cardinals ended up reaching the 60-loss milestone.

Chicago Cubs 5 Cincinnati Reds 2- Ted Lilly allowed six hits in as many innings en route to his 12th victory of the season. Derrek Lee homered in the 7th inning while Andres Blanco drove in two runs to lift the Cubs to their 73rd win of the year. Drew Stubbs singled in both Cincinnati runs in the 9th inning, but it was not enough as the Reds fell to 64-79 on the season.

Boston Red Sox 3 Tampa Bay Rays 1 (Game 1)- Dustin Pedroia’s two-run bomb in the 8th inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Boston Red Sox to Win #83 of the season. Pedroia’s 13th home run of the year enabled Hideki Okajima to pick up his 6th victory of the season; Okajima pitched a perfect inning of relief. Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the 9th inning to pick up his 36th save in 39 chances. Jason Bartlett singled in the lone Tampa Bay run of the game, but the Rays ended up losing their 10th straight game; Tampa Bay has now reached the 70-loss milestone.

Boston Red Sox 4 Tampa Bay Rays 0 (Game 2)- Jon Lester improved to 13-7 as a starter after scattering two hits in eight scoreless innings. Jason Bay blasted his 32nd home run of the season in the 8th inning for the Red Sox, who won their 84th game of the season. Jason Varitek singled in two runs in the 6th while Mike Lowell added an RBI groundout in the 2nd. Tampa Bay extended its losing streak to eleven games, which ties for the third longest in franchise history. The Rays now stand at 72-71 on the year.

Kansas City Royals 7 Cleveland Indians 0- Kyle Davies didn’t give up a hit until the 6th inning as he won his 4th straight start; Davies finished the game giving up one hit in six innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season. John Buck hit his 7th home run of the season in the 3rd inning for Kansas City, who improved to 57-86 on the year. Shin-Soo Choo and Matt LaPorta each got a hit against the Royals, but the Indians ended up losing their 81st game of the year, clinching a non-winning season.

Detroit Tigers 7 Toronto Blue Jays 2- Rick Porcello scattered two earned runs on four hits in six innings as he improved to 13-8 as a starter. Gerald Laird drove in two runs for Detroit, who earned Win #76 of the season. Edwin Encarnacion and Aaron Hill each drove in a run for the Blue Jays, but it was not enough as Toronto fell to 65-78 on the year. The win snaps Detroit’s five-game losing streak.

New York Yankees 13 Baltimore Orioles 3- C.C. Sabathia picked up his AL-leading 17th victory of the season after squandering three earned runs on five hits in seven innings. Hideki Matsui homered during an eight-run 8th inning to lift the Yankees to their 92nd win of the year. Melky Cabrera drove in four runs for the Yankees, who registered more hits in this game (20) than they did in the first two games of the series combined (19). Justin Turner, Chad Moeller, and Jeff Fiorentino each drove in a run for the Orioles, but Baltimore ended up suffering its 84th loss of the season.

Minnesota Twins 8 Oakland Athletics 0- Brian Duensing allowed eight hits in seven scoreless innings as he picked up his third victory of the season; Duensing walked three and struck out six. Joe Mauer blasted his 27th long ball of the year for Minnesota, who improved to 71-72 on the season. The Twins remain 5.5 games behind Detroit for first place in the AL Central. Oakland fell to 64-78 on the year.

Washington Nationals 7 Florida Marlins 2- John Lannan won for the first time in seven starts, improving to 9-11 on the season after scattering one earned run on six hits in five innings. The game actually ended with no outs in the bottom of the 9th inning due to rain. Pete Orr blasted his first long ball of the season in the 3rd inning for Washington, who reached the 50-win milestone. Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross singled in the runs for the Marlins, but it was not enough as Florida fell to 76-67 on the year.

San Diego Padres 7 Colorado Rockies 3- Tony Gwynn’s sacrifice fly in the 6th inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted the San Diego Padres to Win #65 of the season. San Diego has now won 2 of 3 games in three consecutive series, all against NL West playoff contenders (Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies). Adam Russell picked up his second victory of the season after pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Will Venable blasted his 11th home run of the year in the 2nd inning for the Padres. Garrett Atkins tripled in two runs in the 4th inning for the Rockies, but Colorado ended up suffering its 62nd loss of the season. Colorado’s lead in the NL Wild Card is now down to 4.5 games over San Francisco.

San Francisco Giants 7 Los Angeles Dodgers 2- Brad Penny won his third game as a San Francisco Giant after squandering two earned runs on five hits in seven innings. Juan Uribe hit a two-run home run in the 2nd inning for San Francisco, who improved to 77-66 on the season. Russell Martin drove in both Los Angeles runs on a long ball in the 7th inning; it was not enough, however, as the Dodgers fell to 85-59 on the year. Los Angeles’ lead in the NL West is still at three games over Colorado.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3 Chicago White Sox 2- Torii Hunter’s home run in the 7th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Angels to Win #86 of the season; it was Hunter’s 21st long ball of the year. Bobby Abreu and Maicer Izturis drove in the other runs for Los Angeles, who took two of three games from the White Sox. Carlos Quentin singled in both Chicago runs in the 1st inning, but it was not enough as the White Sox suffered their 73rd loss of the season. Brian Fuentes recorded the last two outs to pick up his major league-leading 41st save in 47 chances.

Milwaukee Brewers 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Prince Fielder’s home run in the 4th inning tied Milwaukee’s single-season RBI record and lifted the Brewers to Win #69 of the year. Milwaukee scored four more in the 7th inning en route to completing a three-game sweep of Arizona. Chris Young blasted a 4th inning home run of his own for the Diamondbacks, who fell to 62-82 on the year, clinching a losing season. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect 9th inning and earned his 32nd save in 35 chances.

Texas Rangers 7 Seattle Mariners 2 (Game 1)- Tommy Hunter pitched his first complete game, squandering two runs (only one was earned) on six hits en route to Win #8 of the season. Chris Davis, David Murphy, and Nelson Cruz homered for the Rangers, who reached the 80-win milestone. Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the 3rd inning to give him 199 hits on the season; one more and Ichiro will have set a major league record with nine consecutive 200-hit seasons. Adrian Beltre singled in the other run for the Mariners, who reached the 70-loss milestone.

Seattle Mariners 5 Texas Rangers 0 (Game 2)- Ichiro Suzuki’s infield single in the 2nd inning enabled him to break the MLB record for most consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits; Ichiro’s single also scored Josh Wilson to make it 2-0 Seattle. Adrian Beltre hit a two-run bomb in the 5th inning for the Mariners, who won their 74th game of the year. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez earned membership in the MLB’s 15-win club after holding Texas to four hits in seven shutout innings; Hernandez walked one and struck out five. The Rangers fell to 80-62 on the season.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Chicago Cubs 8 Pittsburgh Pirates 5- Carlos Zambrano picked up his 1st win since July 22 after holding the Pirates to two earned runs on five hits in six innings; Zambrano struck out 8 as he earned Win #8 of the season. Micah Hoffpauir hit a solo home run and drove in another to lift Chicago to its 71st victory of the year. Ronny Cedeno hit a three-run blast in the 8th inning while Andrew McCutchen added a two-run double in the 4th for Pittsburgh, but it was not enough as the Pirates fell to 54-84 on the season. Pittsburgh has now lost 12 of its last 13 games. Carlos Marmol picked up his 11th save in 15 chances after shutting down the Pirates in the 9th inning.

Texas Rangers 10 Cleveland Indians 0- Five runs in the first inning and five more in the last propelled Texas to Win #79 of the season. Scott Feldman improved to 16-4 as a starter after scattering five hits in seven scoreless innings; Feldman walked two and struck out five. The Rangers scored their five runs in the first inning off long balls from Marlon Byrd and Ivan Rodriguez; Byrd and Rodriguez drove in a combined seven runs for Texas. Texas completed a three-game sweep over Cleveland in a 24-hour period; the Indians fell to 60-79 on the year.

St. Louis Cardinals 5 Milwaukee Brewers 1- Adam Wainwright picked up his league-leading 18th victory of the season after giving up five hits in seven scoreless innings; Wainwright walked one and struck out six. Albert Pujols homered not once, but twice to propel the Cardinals to their 84th victory of the year; Pujols finished the day with 3 RBIs. Felipe Lopez scored the lone Milwaukee run of the game in the 8th inning on a solo home run; the Brewers ended up suffering their 73rd loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 4 San Francisco Giants 2- Wade LeBlanc improved to 2-1 as a starter, squandering two earned runs on four hits in seven innings. Adrian Gonzalez and Oscar Salazar each hit a long ball to lift the Padres to their 63rd victory of the season; Gonzalez finished the game with 3 RBIs. Andres Torres drove in both San Francisco runs of the game on a home run in the 3rd inning. However, the Giants fell to 76-64 on the year. Heath Bell picked up his 37th save in 40 chances after working the 9th inning for San Diego.

Philadelphia Phillies 6 Washington Nationals 5- Cliff Lee improved to 6-2 as a starter after scattering five runs (four earned) on ten hits in seven innings. Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz each homered in the 8th inning to lift Philadelphia to its 79th win of the season. Adam Dunn and Cristian Guzman each drove in two runs for the Nationals, but it was not enough as Washington fell to 47-92 on the year. Ryan Madson earned his 6th save in as many chances after working the 9th inning for Philadelphia.

Florida Marlins 6 New York Mets 3- Ricky Nolasco picked up his 11th victory of the season after scattering three earned runs on four hits in 6.1 innings. Cody Ross and Dan Uggla went deep for Florida, who improved to 74-65 on the season; Ross and Uggla combined for 5 RBIs. Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur, and Fernando Tatis each drove in a run for the Mets, who suffered their 77th loss of the year. Leo Nunez joined the MLB’s 20-save club after shutting down New York in the 9th inning.

New York Yankees 4 Tampa Bay Rays- Good news for Yankees fans: Derek Jeter is now tied with Lou Gehrig on the Yankees’ all-time hit list. Even better news for Yankees fans: The Yankees won their 91st game of the season. Jeter went 3-for-4 to match Gehrig with 2,721 hits as a Yankee, and Jorge Posada’s three-run blast in the bottom of the 8th capped a four-run inning for New York. Jason Bartlett hit a long ball in the 1st inning for Tampa Bay, but the Rays ended up losing their 68th game of the year. Posada’s 21st home run of the season enabled Jonathan Albaladejo to earn his 5th victory of the season and Phil Coke to pick up Save #2 of the year.

Minnesota Twins 4 Toronto Blue Jays 1- Justin Morneau’s solo home run in the 8th inning broke a 1-1 tie and lfited the Minnesota Twins to the 70-win milestone. Orlando Cabrera also hit a long ball, and Michael Cuddyer added a two-run double for Minnesota. Twins starter Carl Pavano picked up his 12th victory of the season after giving up one earned run on six hits in 7.1 innings. Travis Snider drove in the only Toronto run of the game in the 5th inning; the Blue Jays suffered Loss #77 of the year. Joe Nathan picked up his 38th save in 43 chances after shutting down the Blue Jays in the 9th inning.

Houston Astros 2 Atlanta Braves 1- Down 1-0 in the middle of the 9th inning, Houston rallied to score two in the bottom half to improve to 68-71, the antithesis of Atlanta’s record. Miguel Tejada’s two-run single in the 9th enabled Jose Valverde to pick up his 4th victory of the season. Matt Diaz singled in the lone Atlanta run of the game in the 2nd inning, but it was not enough as the Braves have lost six of their last seven games. Tommy Hanson pitched eight solid innings for Atlanta, giving up five hits and striking out seven; however, Rafael Soriano was unable to close it out for Atlanta as the Braves closer fell to 1-5 on the year.

Colorado Rockies 4 Cincinnati Reds 3- Seth Smith’s two-out, two-run single in the 9th inning lifted the Colorado Rockies to the 80-win milestone; Smith ended the game with 3 RBIs. Garrett Atkins also drove in a run for the Rockies, who extended their winning streak to six games as well as their NL Wild Card lead to four games over San Francisco. Scott Rolen hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the 9th inning for Cincinnati, but the Reds ended up suffering their 76th loss of the season.

Boston Red Sox 7 Baltimore Orioles 5- Billy Wagner earned his first win in a Red Sox uniform after pitching a perfect 7th inning; it was Wagner’s first win in over two years and his first decision in the American League. Victor Martinez hit a three-run double in that 7th inning to break a 4-4 tie and lift Boston to Win #81 of the year, clinching a non-losing season. Cesar Izturis, Nolan Reimold, Brian Roberts, Felix Pie, and Luke Scott each drove in a run for Baltimore, who fell to 56-83 on the year. Jonathan Papelbon recorded the last four outs for the Red Sox and earned his 35th save of the season.

Kansas City Royals 5 Detroit Tigers 1- Robinson Tejada improved to 2-1 on the season after scattering three hits in six scoreless innings. Billy Butler drove in two runs for Kansas City, who earned Win #54 of the year. Alex Avila’s sacrifice fly in the 9th inning drove in the only Detroit run of the game; the Tigers fell to 75-63 on the season. Joakim Soria recorded the final two outs for Kansas City to earn his 24th save in 27 chances.

Chicago White Sox 4 Oakland Athletics 3- A.J. Pierzynski’s walk-off double in the 13th inning lifted the Chicago White Sox to the 70-win milestone. Alexei Ramirez, who scored on Pierzynski’s RBI double, drove in two runs for the White Sox, who have won six of their last eight games. Octavio Dotel pitched three scoreless innings to pick up Win #3 of the season. Scott Hairston, Ryan Sweeney, and Kurt Suzuki each drove in a run for Oakland, but it was not enough as the Athletics fell to 62-77 on the year.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6 Seattle Mariners 3- Jered Weaver joined the MLB’s 15-win club after scattering two earned runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings. Kendry Morales hit a three-run double in the 1st inning while Juan Rivera blasted a two-run shot in the 8th to lift Los Angeles to Win #83 of the season. Kenji Johjima and Jose Lopez each hit a solo home run for Seattle, but it was not enough as the Mariners fell to 72-68 on the year. Brian Fuentes earned membership in the MLB’s 40-save club after shutting down Seattle in the 9th inning. The Angels’ lead in the AL West remains at 4.5 games over Texas.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 3- Mark Reynolds is known for his home-run hitting, but he may also be known for his drawing bases-loaded walks (at least for this game). Reynolds’ walk-off walk lifted Arizona to its 62nd victory of the season. Juan Gutierrez, who pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, earned his 4th win of the year. Miguel Montero and Chris Young hit back-to-back home runs in the 2nd inning for the Diamondbacks. Manny Ramirez and James Loney hit back-to-back long balls of their own in the 3rd inning, but it was not enough as the Dodgers fell to 83-58 on the season. Los Angeles’ lead in the NL West is now down to 2.5 games over Colorado.

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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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Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Cincinnati Reds 2- Matt Kemp’s sacrifice fly in the 12th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Dodgers to their 78th victory of the season. Kemp also blasted his 21st long ball of the year in the 5th inning. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw gave up two earned runs on four hits in seven innings, but did not factor in the decision; he would have earned the loss, however, had he not driven in Casey Blake in the 5th inning with an RBI single. Jonathan Broxton worked the 12th inning for Los Angeles and earned his 29th save of the season. Darnell McDonald drove in both runs for the Reds with his first career major league home run in the 2nd inning; it was not enough, however, as Cincinnati fell to 56-73 on the year.

Florida Marlins 6 San Diego Padres 4- Sean West scattered three runs (only one was earned) on seven hits in six innings as he picked up his 6th victory of the season; it was West’s 4th win in his last five starts at home. John Baker and Cody Ross each drove in two runs for the Marlins, who won their 68th game of the year. Kevin Kouzmanoff and Tony Gwynn each drove in a run for San Diego, who fell to 56-76 on the season. Leo Nunez shut down the Padres in the 9th inning to earn his 17th save of the year.

Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- In addition to driving in two runs for the Brew Crew, Craig Counsell helped turn a season-high four double plays to lift Milwaukee to Win #64 of the season. Jeff Suppan gave up one earned run on eight hits in six innings to earn his 6th victory of the year; he also drew a bases-loaded walk, which broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning. Casey McGehee hit a long ball for Milwaukee in the 2nd inning while Garrett Jones went deep for Pittsburgh in the 3rd. The Pirates ended up losing their 75th game of the season after Trevor Hoffman recorded his 29th save of the year.

St. Louis Cardinals 2 Washington Nationals 1- What’s better than earning your league-leading 16th win of the season? How about earning your league-leading 16th win of the season on your 28th birthday? That’s what happened to Adam Wainwright, who allowed one earned run on three hits in six innings; Wainwright walked three and struck out seven. Rick Ankiel and Albert Pujols drove in the runs for St. Louis, who improved to 77-55 on the year. Elijah Dukes singled in Adam Dunn in the 6th inning, but it was not enough as the Nationals suffered their 85th loss of the season. Ryan Franklin earned Save #35 of the year for the Cardinals.

New York Mets 4 Chicago Cubs 1- Nelson Figueroa struck out a career-high ten in seven innings to earn his second victory of the season; Figueroa also drove in a run with an RBI single in the 4th inning. Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur, and Anderson Hernandez each drove in a run for New York, who improved to 59-72 on the year. Aramis Ramirez singled in the only Chicago run of the game in the 1st inning; the Cubs ended up suffering their 63rd loss of the season. Francisco Rodriguez worked the 9th inning and earned his 28th save of the year.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 Houston Astros 3- Dan Haren picked up his 13th victory of the season after giving up three earned runs on six hits in seven innings. Justin Upton hit a solo home run in the 6th inning for Arizona, who improved to 59-72 on the season; Upton finished the game with 2 RBIs. Houston scored all three of its runs off RBI groundouts: two from Lance Berkman, and one from Jeff Keppinger. It was not enough, however, as the Astros suffered their 68th loss of the year. Chad Qualls recorded the final four outs for Arizona and earned his 24th save of the season.

Detroit Tigers 4 Tampa Bay Rays 3- A three-run blast from Placido Polanco in the 8th inning lifted the Detroit Tigers to their 69th victory of the season and enabled Justin Verlander to join the MLB’s 15-win club; Verlander gave up three earned runs on six hits in eight innings. Curtis Granderson singled in the other Detroit run of the game in the 3rd inning. Tampa Bay scored all three of its runs in the 4th inning off long balls from Evan Longoria and Akinori Iwamura; however, the Rays ended up losing their 59th game of the year. Fernando Rodney shut down the Rays in the 9th inning to earn his 29th save of the season.

New York Yankees 8 Chicago White Sox 3- Alfredo Aceves pitched three scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and striking out one to earn his 9th win of the season. The Yankees scored five in the 7th inning, three coming off the bat of Mark Teixeira, who blasted his 32nd long ball of the season. Johnny Damon also went deep for New York, who clinched a winning season with Win #82 of the year. Teixeira ended the game with 4 RBIs. Jermaine Dye hit a solo home run in the 9th inning for Chicago, but the White Sox ended up losing their 67th game of the season.

Baltimore Orioles 5 Cleveland Indians 2- Brian Matusz improved to 3-2 as a starter after squandering one earned run on four hits in seven innings. Felix Pie hit a two-run blast in the 3rd inning while Brian Roberts drove in two runs for Baltimore, who improved to 54-77 on the season. Jamey Carroll and Shin-Soo Choo singled in the runs for Cleveland, who suffered Loss #72 of the year. Jim Johnson earned his seventh save of the season after pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Boston Red Sox 7 Toronto Blue Jays 0- Paul Byrd made his first major league start since last September, holding the Toronto Blue Jays to three hits in six innings to earn the win. Rocco Baldelli hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning while Kevin Youkilis drove in three runs to lift the Red Sox to their 76th win of the year. Toronto reached the 70-loss milestone after the game. Boston now has a 3.5-game lead over Texas in the AL Wild Card.

Minnesota Twins 5 Texas Rangers 3- A three-run 8th inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to their 65th victory of the season. C.J. Wilson gave up three earned runs on as many hits in the 8th inning and was issued his 6th loss of the year. Jason Kubel hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning for Minnesota, who climbed back up to .500. Nelson Cruz hit a two-run bomb of his own in the 7th inning to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. However, Texas ended up losing its 57th game of the season. Joe Nathan earned Save #34 of the year after shutting down the Rangers in the 9th inning.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9 Oakland Athletics 1- John Lackey squandered one unearned run on five hits in eight innings as he picked up his 100th career victory; Lackey improved to 9-7 on the season. Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales each hit a three-run blast for Los Angeles, who improved to 77-52 on the year. Daric Barton scored the lone Oakland run of the game in the 3rd inning on a missed catch error by Angels shortstop Erick Aybar; Oakland suffered its 73rd loss of the season.

Kansas City Royals 3 Seattle Mariners 0- Zack Greinke pitched a complete-game one-hitter to lift the Royals to the 50-win milestone; Kenji Johjima was the only Mariner to register a hit against Greinke, who improved to 13-8 on the season. Kansas City scored all three of its runs in the 5th inning; Miguel Olivo and David DeJesus each singled in a run for the Royals, and Mitch Maier scored on a Ryan Rowland-Smith wild pitch. Seattle fell to 68-63 on the year.

San Francisco Giants 9 Colorado Rockies 5- Down 5-2 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam to lift the San Francisco Giants to their 72nd win of the season, pulling even with Colorado in the NL Wild Card after sweeping the Rockies. Both teams are now six games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki homered for the Rockies, but Colorado ended up suffering Loss #59 of the year.

Philadelphia Phillies 3 Atlanta Braves 2- Joe Blanton outdueled Jair Jurrjens as the Phillies starter earned Win #9 of the season, allowing one earned run on three hits in seven innings. Chase Utley hit a solo home run in the 4th inning, and Carlos Ruiz hit a two-run double in the 7th to lift Philadelphia to Win #75 of the year. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9th inning and earned his 27th save of the season. Martin Prado hit his 9th long ball of the season in the 1st inning, but it was not enough as the Braves fell to 68-62 on the year.

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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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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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Washington Nationals 7 Arizona Diamondbacks 6- Down 5-0 in the middle of the 2nd inning, Washington stormed back with seven unanswered runs on their way to Win #38 of the season. Josh Willingham hit a game-tying two-run single in the 7th inning to extend the Nationals’ winning streak to a season-best six games. Ryan Zimmerman hit a long ball for Washington while Mark Reynolds and Josh Whitesell went deep for Arizona.

St. Louis Cardinals 6 Pittsburgh Pirates 4- Down 4-2 after three innings, the Cardinals stormed back with four unanswered runs to reach the 60-win milestone. Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa both homered for St. Louis, who scored one run in each of the last three innings of the game. Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit hit the long balls for Pittsburgh, who lost its sixth consecutive game.

Florida Marlins 3 Philadelphia Phillies 2- Ricky Nolasco gave up two earned runs on four hits in seven innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season; both runs came off the bat of Ben Francisco, who hit a two-run blast in the 7th inning. Nick Johnson and Cody Ross both hit solo shots for Florida, who improved to 56-53 on the year. Hanley Ramirez scored the other Marlins run on a Dan Uggla RBI double in the 1st inning.

Detroit Tigers 10 Minnesota Twins 8- Armando Galarraga gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits in five innings en route to his sixth victory of the season. Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila both went deep in the 1st inning for Detroit, who improved to 58-50 on the year; the Tigers scored six runs in the first inning. Joe Mauer went deep for Minnesota, but it wasn’t enough as the Twins fell to 53-56 on the season.

Baltimore Orioles 7 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Jason Berken gave up three earned runs on five hits in six innings as he won his second game of the season (first since May 26). The Orioles scored four in the 6th and three in the 8th on their way to their 46th victory of the season. Vernon Wells and Alex Rios both went deep for Toronto, who lost its 57th game of the season.

Houston Astros 6 Milwaukee Brewers 3- Bud Norris made his Minute Maid Park debut, allowing two earned runs on three hits in six innings as he picked up his second victory of the season. Jason Michaels homered twice while Miguel Tejada went deep once for Houston, who improved to 54-55, the same record as the Brewers. Jason Kendall hit a long ball for Milwaukee in the 5th inning.

Colorado Rockies 6 Chicago Cubs 2- Ubaldo Jimenez squandered two runs (one earned) on four hits in 6.2 innings as he improved to 9-9 as a starter. Chris Iannetta homered in the 4th inning for the Rockies, who reached the 60-win milestone. Carlos Zambrano was scratched from his start, so Cubs reliever Sean Marshall ended up getting the start on short notice; Marshall gave up three earned runs on five hits in two innings as he suffered his seventh loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 6 New York Mets 2- Everth Cabrera’s walk-off grand slam lifted the San Diego Padres to their 46th victory of the season; the grand slam also gave Francisco Rodriguez his third loss of the season. The Mets led 2-0 after the 1st inning, but San Diego came back with RBI doubles from Chase Headley and Will Venable in the 7th and 9th innings, respectively. Heath Bell, who worked the 9th inning for San Diego, was credited with his 4th victory of the year.

Atlanta Braves 9 Los Angeles Dodgers 5- A four-run 11th inning propelled the Braves to their 56th victory of the season. Down 5-2 after the 5th inning, Atlanta came back with two in the 7th and one in the 9th. Kelly Johnson and Ryan Church both went deep for Atlanta. Casey Blake hit a three-run blast in the 5th inning for Los Angeles, but it wasn’t enough as the Dodgers fell to 67-43 on the year.

Cincinnati Reds 10 San Francisco Giants 5- Down 5-3 after the 7th inning, Cincinnati stormed back with two in the 8th and five in the 9th to earn Win #47 of the year. Tim Lincecum squandered three runs (two earned) on six hits in seven innings, but the bullpen was unable to get him the win. Bengie Molina and Eugenio Velez went deep for San Francisco, who fell to 60-49 on the year.

New York Yankees 2 Boston Red Sox 0- In a game that lasted 5 hours and 33 minutes, Alex Rodriguez’s walk-off home run in the 15th inning lifted the Yankees to Win #67 of the year; it was Rodriguez’s first home run in three weeks, and he had to wait until 12:42 AM to get it. It was the longest Yankees/Red Sox game that went scoreless. The Red Sox, who mustered just four hits on the night, fell to 62-46 on the season.

Oakland Athletics 9 Kansas City Royals 4- Vin Mazzaro gave up three earned runs on eight hits in five innings en route to his third victory of the year. Ryan Sweeney went deep in the 8th inning for Oakland, who improved to 48-61 on the year. David DeJesus went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs for Kansas City, who suffered its 67th loss of the season.

Cleveland Indians 6 Chicago White Sox 2- Jeremy Sowers gave up two earned runs on six hits in seven innings as he improved to 4-7 as a starter. Kelly Shoppach homered twice for Cleveland, who improved to 47-62 on the year; Shoppach ended up driving in four runs for the Indians. Gordon Beckham and Jim Thome drove in the runs for Chicago, who fell to 56-54 on the season.

Texas Rangers 11 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6- Josh Hamilton, Hank Blalock, Taylor Teagarden, Omar Vizquel, and Michael Young all went deep for the Rangers as they improved to 61-47 on the year. Scott Feldman earned his 11th victory of the season after giving up four earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Maicer Izturis hit a long ball for Los Angeles, who lost its 43rd game of the season; Izturis drove in four runs for the Angels.

Seattle Mariners 7 Tampa Bay Rays 6- Trailing 5-1 heading into the 7th inning stretch, the Mariners stormed back with four runs in the bottom half of that inning to force extra innings. As if that comeback wasn’t enough, Seattle trailed 6-5 in the middle of the 11th inning. However, Ryan Langerhans hit a two-run blast off J.P. Howell to lift the Mariners to their 57th victory of the season. Russell Branyan and Ken Griffey Jr. also homered for Seattle. Pat Burrell and Jason Bartlett both went deep for the Rays, who suffered their 49th loss of the year.

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