-Jon Morosi is reporting that the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed in principle to send catcher Chris Snyder to the Pirates. It is unsure of who the Pirates will send back in return.

-Snyder, 29, has spent his entire career with the Diamondbacks. He enters the trade with a .231 average, 10 home runs, and 32 runs batted in.

-Various reports have stated the Mets were involved with two separate offers last night, for Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano and for Astros now-ace Brett Myers.

-In the Zambrano deal, the Mets offered troubled starter Oliver Perez and contract-swallower second baseman Luis Castillo. This was turned down by the Cubs, however, due to the over $17 million that Big Z is left to make in his current deal.

-As for Myers, the Astros presented the idea of the Mets sending over Bobby Parnell and Josh Thole, but New York would not bite.

-Another thing to keep an eye on is a possible Octavio Dotel deal to the Mets as well. The Pirates reportedly asked for prospect Robert Carson, but were told to keep trying at it.

We’ll have more throughout the day, so stay tuned!

Chicago Cubs 6 Cincinnati Reds 4- Jeff Stevens pitched one inning of relief, scattering three earned runs on as many hits; despite giving up a three-run home run to Jonny Gomes, Stevens managed to pick up his first victory of the season. Geovany Soto homered in the 4th inning and added a sacrifice fly in the 2nd to lift Chicago to Win #72 of the year. Joey Votto drove in the other Cincinnati run of the game in the 3rd inning, but it was not enough as the Reds fell to 63-78 on the season. Carlos Marmol picked up his 12th save in 16 chances after shutting down the Reds in the 9th inning.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 New York Mets 2- Cole Hamels improved to 9-9 as a starter after squandering one earned run on seven hits in 6.2 innings. Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz, Carlos Ruiz, and Chase Utley each drove in a run for Philadelphia, who reached the 80-win milestone. Luis Castillo drove in a run for the Mets, but it was not enough as New York fell to 62-79 on the season. Ryan Madson earned his 7th save in 12 chances after working the 9th inning for the Phillies.

Washington Nationals 5 Florida Marlins 3- J.D. Martin picked up his 4th victory of the season after allowing two earned runs on as many hits in five innings. Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman went deep while Mike Morse added a two-run double to lift Washington to Win #49 of the year. Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla both homered for Florida, but it was not enough as the Marlins fell to 75-66 on the season. Mike MacDougal recorded the final five outs for Washington and picked up his 15th save in 16 chances.

Houston Astros 9 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Bud Norris improved to 5-3 as a starter after giving up one earned run on six hits in six innings. Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee each homered for the Astros, who won their 69th game of the season; Berkman and Lee combined to drive in five runs for Houston, who won eleven of its last fifteen home games. Andy LaRoche scored the lone Pittsburgh run of the game on a solo home run in the 5th inning; the Pirates fell to 54-85 on the year.

Atlanta Braves 1 St. Louis Cardinals 0- Jair Jurrjens picked up his 11th victory of the season after holding St. Louis to six hits in eight scoreless innings; Jurrjens struck out seven and walked two. Omar Infante drove in the only run of the game in the 2nd inning to lift Atlanta to Win #73 of the year. Rafael Soriano shut down the Cardinals in the 9th inning to earn his 23rd save in 27 chances. Joel Piniero gave up the one earned run on five hits in seven innings, but was issued his 10th loss of the season. St. Louis fell to 84-58 on the year.

Milwaukee Brewers 6 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Braden Looper picked up his 12th victory of the season after giving up three earned runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Ryan Braun hit a two-run blast and added an RBI double to lift Milwaukee to Win #67 of the year. Justin Upton blasted his 24th long ball of the season in the 6th inning for Arizona, but it was not enough as the Diamondbacks reached the 80-loss milestone. Trevor Hoffman picked up his 31st save in 34 chances after pitching a perfect 9th inning for Milwaukee.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 7 Chicago White Sox 1- Joe Saunders won his 4th straight start as he held Chicago to one earned run on three hits in seven innings; Saunders struck out three en route to Win #13 of the season. Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu, and Maicer Izturis each drove in two runs for the Angels, who improved to 85-55 on the year. Jayson Nix scored the lone Chicago run of the game on a solo home run in the 3rd inning; the White Sox suffered their 72nd loss of the season.

Kansas City Royals 2 Cleveland Indians 1- Miguel Olivo’s home run in the 12th inning lifted the Kansas City Royals to their 56th victory of the season; Olivo also drove in a run in the 4th inning on an RBI groundout. Travis Hafner singled in the lone Cleveland run of the game in the 7th inning, but the Indians ended up reaching the 80-loss milestone. Joakim Soria worked the 12th inning for Kansas City and picked up his 25th save in 28 chances.

Toronto Blue Jays 6 Detroit Tigers 4- Brian Tallet picked up his 7th victory of the season after scattering three earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. Rod Barajas and Randy Ruiz each hit a ball out of the park while Vernon Wells drove in two runs to lift the Blue Jays to their 64th win of the year. Ryan Raburn drove in two runs for the Tigers, but it was not enough as Detroit fell to 75-65 on the season. Jason Frasor worked the 9th inning and picked up his 9th save of the year.

Oakland Athletics 12 Minnesota Twins 5- Clayton Mortenson earned his first major league victory after holding Minnesota to one earned run on five hits in six innings. Jack Cust, Cliff Pennington, Mark Ellis, Daric Barton, and Kurt Suzuki all homered for Oakland, who improved to 63-77 on the season. Denard Span homered in the 1st inning for Minnesota, but it was not enough as the Twins suffered their 71st loss of the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers 10 San Francisco Giants 3- Hiroki Kuroda squandered two earned runs on three hits in eight innings as he picked up his sixth victory of the season. Casey Blake homered for the Dodgers, who won their 84th game of the year; Blake finished the game with 3 RBIs. Nate Schierholtz, Ryan Rohlinger, and Kevin Frandsen each drove in a run for San Francisco, but the Giants ended up suffering Loss #65 of the season.

Colorado Rockies 4 San Diego Padres 1- Down 1-0 after eight innings, Colorado stormed back with four runs in the top of the 9th inning to earn Win #82 of the year, clinching a winning season. Yorvit Torrealba broke the shutout with a three-run double off Padres closer Heath Bell; Paul Phillips added an RBI single for Colorado, who stayed two games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. Oscar Salazar drove in the lone San Diego run of the game by drawing a base-loaded walk in the 1st inning; the Padres fell to 63-79 on the season. Franklin Morales worked the 9th inning for Colorado and earned his 6th save in seven chances.

Baltimore Orioles 10 New York Yankees 4- September 11 may be a day that most Americans would like to forget, but it may also be a day that most Yankees (or at least Derek Jeter) fans would like to remember forever. Jeter’s third-inning single to right field broke the Yankees’ all-time hits record, which was previously held by Lou Gehrig; Jeter also singled in a run in the 4th inning. Unfortunately, for the Yankees, they suffered their 51st loss of the season after falling victim to the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore starter Chris Tillman was credited with his second victory of the season after giving up four earned runs on nine hits in five innings. Brian Roberts drove in three runs while Cesar Izturis and Nick Markakis had two RBIs each to lift Baltimore to Win #57 of the year. Alex Rodriguez blasted a three-run home run in the 1st inning for the Yankees.

The Rays/Red Sox and Mariners/Rangers games have been postponed due to rain. All four teams will play doubleheaders on Sunday.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Texas Rangers 11 Cleveland Indians 9 (Game 1)- Julio Borbon homered twice while Marlon Byrd and David Murphy each went deep once to lift Texas to its 77th win of the season. Byrd finished the game 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs and two runs scored. Neftali Feliz was credited with his first win of the year after pitching 1.2 innings of relief; Feliz gave up an earned run on three hits. Travis Hafner and Matt LaPorta each hit a long ball for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Indians fell to 60-77 on the season.

Texas Rangers 10 Cleveland Indians 5 (Game 2)- Brandon McCarthy squandered five earned runs on as many hits in 6.1 innings as he picked up his seventh victory of the season. Chris Davis hit a three-run blast in the 9th inning for Texas, who improved to 78-60, the antithesis of the Indians’ record. Darren O’Day earned Save #2 of the season after recording the final four outs for the Rangers. Kelly Shoppach and Asdrubal Cabrera each hit a long ball for Cleveland. Marlon Byrd registered a total of seven hits in the doubleheader.

Philadelphia Phillies 5 Washington Nationals 3- Five solo home runs propelled the Philadelphia Phillies to their 78th victory of the season. Raul Ibanez hit two long balls while Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz, and Chase Utley each went deep once for the Phillies, who became the 12th team in MLB history to have four of its players reach the 30-homer milestone. Willie Harris blasted his 7th home run of the season in the 7th inning for Washington, who fell to 47-91 on the year. Pedro Martinez picked up his 4th win of the season after squandering three earned runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings. Ryan Madson recorded his 5th save of the year after recording the final two outs for Philadelphia.

Chicago Cubs 9 Pittsburgh Pirates 4- Behind a 7-run 1st inning, the Chicago Cubs reached the 70-win milestone with another win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ryan Dempster improved to 9-8 as a starter, allowing four earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings; Dempster also singled in a run for the Cubs in the 7th inning. Micah Hoffpauir hit his 9th home run of the season in the 4th inning for Chicago, who tied an MLB record with eight consecutive hits to start the game. Garrett Jones went deep in the 3rd inning for Pittsburgh, who fell to 54-83 on the year. The Pirates have now lost eleven of their last twelve games.

Florida Marlins 4 New York Mets 2- Brian Sanches pitched two scoreless innings of relief and picked up his 4th victory of the season. Marlins starter Rick VandenHurk left the game after the 4th inning with back stiffness; VandenHurk gave up one earned run on four hits in four innings. Hanley Ramirez and Cameron Maybin each hit a two-run home run for Florida, who improved to 73-65 on the year. Josh Thole and Luis Castillo each drove in a run for New York, but it was not enough as the Mets suffered their 76th loss of the season. Leo Nunez shut down the Mets in the 9th inning to earn his 19th save of the year.

St. Louis Cardinals 4 Milwaukee Brewers 3- Down 3-2 in the top of the 9th inning, Matt Holliday blasted a two-run shot off Trevor Hoffman to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to their 83rd victory of the season. Holliday’s 12th home run of the season enabled Blake Hawksworth to earn his 3rd win of the season and Kyle McClellan to pick up his 3rd save of the year. Albert Pujols also went deep for St. Louis in the 7th inning; it was Pujols’ 45th long ball of the season. Prince Fielder homered in the 1st inning for Milwaukee, but it was not enough as the Brewers fell to 66-72 on the year.

Atlanta Braves 2 Houston Astros 1- Javier Vazquez improved to 12-9 as a starter after scattering three hits in seven scoreless innings; Vazquez walked four and struck out nine. Adam LaRoche and Nate McLouth each went deep for the Braves, who improved to 71-67, the antithesis of the Astros’ record. Hunter Pence singled in the only run of the game for Houston in the bottom of the 9th inning. Despite giving up that run in the 9th inning, Rafael Soriano managed to earn his 22nd save of the year.

Colorado Rockies 3 Cincinnati Reds 1- Jason Marquis joined the MLB’s 15-win club after allowing one earned run on four hits in 7.1 innings; Marquis walked three and struck out seven. Eric Young Jr. blasted his first major league home run in the 6th inning for Colorado, who improved to 79-60 on the season. Todd Helton and Carlos Gonzalez each hit a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, who extended their winning streak to five games. Joey Votto drove in the lone Cincinnati run of the game in the 8th inning on an RBI groundout; the Reds ended up suffering their 75th loss of the year. Franklin Morales picked up his 5th save of the season after shutting down the Reds in the 9th inning.

New York Yankees 3 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Nick Swisher blasted two long balls, including a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to lift the Yankees to the 90-win milestone. Swisher’s second home run of the game enabled Mariano Rivera to win his second game of the season. Alex Rodriguez singled in the other run for New York in the 6th inning. Evan Longoria and Jason Bartlett each hit a solo home run for Tampa Bay, but the Rays ended up losing their 67th game of the year.

Toronto Blue Jays 6 Minnesota Twins 3- Behind a six-run sixth inning, during which John McDonald blasted his first career three-run home run, the Blue Jays earned their 62nd victory of the season. McDonald’s home run enabled Ricky Romero to win his 12th game of the season; Romero gave up three earned runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings. Jason Kubel doubled in two runs in the 3rd inning for Minnesota, but it was not enough as the Twins fell victim to their opponent for the 69th time this season. Jason Frasor picked up Save #7 of the year after shutting down Minnesota in the 9th inning. The Twins are still 6.5 games behind Detroit in the AL Central.

Boston Red Sox 10 Baltimore Orioles 0- Behind six home runs, the Boston Red Sox reached the 80-win milestone after 138 baseball games. Dustin Pedroia had his first two-homer game while Kevin Youkilis, Alex Gonzalez, J.D. Drew, and David Ortiz each went deep once for Boston; Ortiz’s 269th career long ball tied the MLB record for most home runs by a designated hitter. Clay Buchholz earned his 5th victory of the year after giving up three hits in seven scoreless innings; Buchholz walked one and struck out five.

Kansas City Royals 7 Detroit Tigers 5- Down 5-2 in the middle of the 5th inning, Kansas City stormed back with five unanswered runs to earn Win #53 of the season. Billy Butler drove in two runs for Kansas City, who won two consecutive games for the first time since July 27-28. Ryan Raburn blasted his 11th long ball of the season in the 3rd inning for Detroit, who fell to 75-62 on the year. The Tigers snapped their six-game winning streak with this loss.

Oakland Athletics 11 Chicago White Sox 3- Five runs in the 1st inning and two runs in the 2nd propelled the Athletics to their 62nd victory of the season. Jack Cust and Mark Ellis hit back-to-back home runs in the 1st inning while Scott Hairston, Ryan Sweeney, and Kurt Suzuki each drove in two runs for Oakland. Chicago scored all of its runs off long balls from Mark Kotsay and Paul Konerko; the White Sox ended up losing their 71st game of the year. Brett Tomko picked up his 4th win of the season after holding Chicago to three earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- Down 4-1 after seven innings, Los Angeles stormed back with four unanswered runs in the 8th inning to earn Win #83 of the season. Ronnie Belliard’s RBI infield single broke a 4-4 tie to lift the Dodgers to their third consecutive win. Diamondbacks starter Billy Buckner drove in more runs than he allowed on the mound; Buckner gave up one earned run on five hits in seven innings while driving in two runs for the Diamondbacks. However, it was not enough as Arizona fell to 61-79 on the year.

San Diego Padres 4 San Francisco Giants 3- Chase Headley’s RBI single in the 8th inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted the San Diego Padres to their 62nd victory of the season. Headley, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Will Venable each hit a solo home run for San Diego. Aaron Rowand blasted his 14th long ball of the season in the 2nd inning for San Francisco, but it was not enough as the Giants fell to 76-63 on the year. Heath Bell earned his 36th save of the year after shutting down San Francisco in the 9th inning.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3 Seattle Mariners 2- Erick Aybar’s RBI single in the 10th inning clinched a winning season for the Angels, who improved to 82-55 on the year. The game would not have reached extra innings had Mike Sweeney blasted a home run off Brian Fuentes in the top of the 9th inning; Sweeney’s home run took a win away from Angels starter Scott Kazmir, who held Seattle to one earned run on three hits in seven innings. Franklin Gutierrez also went deep for Seattle in the 1st inning, but the Mariners ended up losing their 67th game of the season.

Photo Source: Photobucket

It would have had to have taken something incredible to bump the New York return of Pedro Martinez off of the front covers of the city’s newspapers.  In correspondence with the Mets season though, miracles do occur.  Unfortunate miracles that is.

The Mets were defeated on Sunday in front of a near sell-out crowd against the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies, all by a score of 9-7.  The remarkable part: the game ended on an unassisted triple play for only the second time in baseball history.

On May 31, 1927, Johnny Neun of the Detroit Tigers successfully turned one against the Cleveland Indians to seal a 1-0 victory.  Now, on August 23, 2009, second baseman Eric Bruntlett joins him in the history books.

“I was almost laughing, it doesn’t happen,” exclaimed Bruntlett as he stumbled over his words to describe the feat.

The play occurred during the Mets frame in the bottom of the ninth, with Luis Castillo on second and Daniel Murphy on first.  On the 2-2 count from Brad Lidge to Jeff Francoeur, New York skipper Jerry Manuel decided to attempt a hit-and-run. Instead, the Mets outfielder hit a line drive to Bruntlett, who promptly stepped on second, concluded by placing a tag on the dodging Murphy.  Francoeur slumped his head in astonishment, as the fans attempted to recognize what they had just witnessed.  Bruntlett himself proceeded to pump his fist, improving the Phillies record to 71-50.

Only a day after Mets owner Fred Wilpon guaranteed the return of general manager Omar Minaya as well as the aforementioned Manuel, the team suffers yet another dramatic loss.  Even despite an Angel Pagan inside-the-park home run, the team fell to 57-67.

Martinez on the other hand picked up his first win against the New York squad since leaving them this past off-season, embracing the applause from the crowd.  Pedro pitched six innings, allowing four earned runs with five strikeouts. Jayson Werth added in a three-run home run in support of Martinez.

Oliver Perez, who started the game for the Mets, continued his inconsistency, pitching only 2/3 of an inning.

On a bright note for the Mets, the team did announce that third baseman David Wright is expected to return from the disabled list on September 1 after recovering from post-concussion symptoms, and outfielder Carlos Beltran is aiming to come back by season’s end.  Even with the help, the men from Flushing are on their way to a pitiful end of 2009.

Photo Source: Getty Images

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.

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com

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.

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com

Add another name to the long list of injured players on the New York Mets. On Tuesday, during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, second baseman Luis Castillo slipped and fell down the dugout stairs, spraining his left ankle, after grounding out in the seventh inning. The Cardinals ended up winning the game in extra innings by a score of 12 to 7.

Castillo seemed to fall after he reached the lower steps and was immediately tended to by Mets’ trainer Ray Ramirez. He was then carried from the dugout to the clubhouse. The club did not announce how serious the sprain was, but the X-rays did come back negative.

Castillo was not in the lineup on Wednesday afternoon; Angel Berroa started at shortstop with Alex Cora moving to second base.

Castillo won the NL Gold Glove Award as a second baseman in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He was also an NL All-Star in 2002, 2003, and 2005. Castillo is a two-time MLB leader in stolen bases (2000 and 2002).

Photo Source: Getty Images

Toronto Blue Jays 5 Tampa Bay Rays 1- Brett Cecil improved to 4-1 as a starter after he gave up one earned run on four hits in seven innings; the lone Tampa run was scored on a Carl Crawford solo shot in the 6th inning. Scott Rolen’s three-run home run in the 4th inning lifted the Jays to their 48th victory of the season. Rays starter Jeff Niemann suffered his first loss in his last six decisions.

New York Yankees 7 Oakland Athletics 5- A four-run 1st and a three-run 6th propelled the Yankees to their 60th victory of the season. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the 6th inning, Derek Jeter singled in two runs to give the Yankees a 5-6 lead; Mark Teixeira drove in an insurance run for New York. Mark Ellis went deep in the top of the 6th inning for Oakland, who fell to 41-56 on the year.

Baltimore Orioles 6 Boston Red Sox 2- David Hernandez allowed one earned run on five hits in seven innings as he improved to 3-2 as a starter. Nick Markakis hit a home run in the 5th inning for Baltimore, who improved to 42-55 on the year; Markakis finished the game with 3 RBIs. Jed Lowrie and Dustin Pedroia drove in the only Boston runs of the game.

Washington Nationals 3 San Diego Padres 2- Down 2-1 heading into the 9th inning, San Diego forced extra innings when Kyle Blanks hit a solo shot to tie the game at two. However, Washington was not to be denied as Austin Kearns’ RBI single lifted the Nationals to their 30th victory of the season. Josh Willingham hit a solo shot for Washington in the 7th inning.

Philadelphia Phillies 9 St. Louis Cardinals 2- Behind two-run blasts from Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Raul Ibanez, the Philadelphia Phillies won their 56th game of the season. Joe Blanton squandered two earned runs on seven hits in eight innings as he picked up Win #7 of the year. Mark DeRosa homered for the Cardinals, who fell to 53-48 on the season.

Atlanta Braves 10 Milwaukee Brewers 2- Behind a three-run blast from Casey Kotchman and a couple of great catches by Nate McLouth, the Atlanta Braves improved to 51-48 on the year with a 10-2 victory over the Brew Crew. Derek Lowe joined the 10-win club after giving up two earned runs on nine hits in six innings; Lowe gave up a two-run home run to Corey Hart in the 6th inning. Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson also went deep for the Braves.

Texas Rangers 7 Kansas City Royals 2- Ian Kinsler’s pop fly to second base in the 7th inning should have ended the inning. Instead, Alberto Callaspo dropped the ball, allowing Nelson Cruz to score the first run of the game. Two runs later, the Rangers led 3-0 heading into the stretch. Andruw Jones homered for Texas during a 4-run 8th inning as the Rangers improved to 54-42 on the year.

Minnesota Twins 10 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1- Anthony Swarzak gave up one earned run on four hits in 6.2 innings as he improved to 3-3 as a starter; he gave up a solo shot to Kendry Morales in the 4th inning. Justin Morneau homered twice while Denard Span went deep once for Minnesota, who won its 49th game of the season.

Cleveland Indians 12 Seattle Mariners 3- Cliff Lee gave up two earned runs on six hits in seven innings on his way to his seventh victory of the season; the two runs Lee allowed were scored on a two-run Franklin Gutierrez single in the 1st inning. Jhonny Peralta hit a grand slam for the Indians, who improved to 41-58 on the year; Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Ben Francisco also homered for Cleveland.

New York Mets 8 Houston Astros 3- Livan Hernandez gave up three earned runs on eight hits in seven innings as he improved to 7-5 as a starter; he gave up all three runs in the 1st inning, but struck out a season-high seven. Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur, and David Wright each drove in two runs for the Mets, who improved to 46-41 on the year. For the Astros, they fell to 50-48 on the season.

Chicago Cubs 5 Cincinnati Reds 2- Rich Harden gave up one earned run on one hit in six innings as he improved to 7-6 as a starter; his only mistake of the game was allowing a solo shot to Joey Votto in the 1st inning. With this win, the Cubs improved to 51-45 on the year and moved a half-game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Colorado Rockies 4 San Francisco Giants 2- Aaron Cook squandered two earned runs on nine hits in seven innings as he won his 10th game of the season. Brad Hawpe, Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, and Yorvit Torrealba drove in the runs for Colorado, who improved to 54-44 on the year. Huston Street worked the 9th inning and earned his 25th save of the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks 9 Pittsburgh Pirates 0- Max Scherzer gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings as he improved to 6-6 as a starter. Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra each hit a two-run blast for Arizona, who won its 43rd game of the season. The Pirates were shut out for the second consecutive game and for the eleventh time this season, leading the majors.

Florida Marlins 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 6- The Marlins scored the first eight runs of the game and held on to win by a score of 8 to 6. Chris Volstad gave up four earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season. Dan Uggla homered for the Marlins, who improved to 51-48 on the year. Russell Martin went deep for Los Angeles, but it wasn’t enough as the Dodgers suffered their 36th loss of the season.

Chicago White Sox 5 Detroit Tigers 1- Clayton Richard gave up one earned run on five hits in eight innings as he improved to 4-3 as a starter; Ryan Raburn drove in the only run off Richard. Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham both went deep for the White Sox, who improved to 51-48 on the year. As for the Tigers, they fell to 52-45 on the season.

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com

Chicago Cubs 5 St. Louis Cardinals 2- Ted Lilly allowed one earned run on four hits in eight innings as he went on to win his 100th career game. With this win, the Cubs improved to 42-42 on the year, ending a three game losing streak. St. Louis still sits atop the NL Central with a record of 48-41.

Milwaukee Brewers 6 Los Angeles Dodgers 3- Mike Burns allowed three earned runs on six hits in five innings as he improved to 2-2 as a starter; the three runs he allowed came off back-to-back home runs from Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier. Frank Catalanotto hit his first long ball of the season in the 4th inning for Milwaukee, who improved to 45-42 on the season.

Washington Nationals 13 Houston Astros 2- Back-to-back-to-back long balls from Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham, and Adam Dunn propelled the Nationals to their 26th victory of the season as they scored thirteen runs against the Astros, who fell to 43-44 on the year. Washington starter Craig Stammen pitched the whole game, allowing just two earned runs on nine hits en route to his second victory of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies 8 Pittsburgh Pirates 7- A three-run 6th and a five-run 9th helped Philadelphia take down their intrastate opponent. With an 8-7 victory over the Pirates, the Phillies improved to 47-38 on the season. Garrett Jones, Delwyn Young, and Andrew McCutchen all went deep for Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t enough as the Pirates fell to 38-49 on the season. Matt Stairs and Ryan Howard both homered for Philadelphia in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game at seven, and Paul Bako’s RBI single won the game for the defending World Series champions.

New York Mets 4 Cincinnati Reds 0- Jeff Francoeur was traded to the Mets on the day before the game. In his first at-bat with New York, he singled in two runs to help the Mets improve to 41-45 on the year. Mets starter Johan Santana allowed five hits in seven scoreless innings as he went on to take his tenth victory of the season. Omir Santos and Luis Castillo drove in the other two runs for New York.

Atlanta Braves 4 Colorado Rockies 3- Jair Jurrjens allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings; he also had 1 RBI and 1 run scored en route to his seventh victory of the season. Troy Tulowitzki went deep for the Rockies in the seventh inning.

Arizona Diamondbacks 5 Florida Marlins 1- Justin Upton went 4-for-4 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored to lift his Diamondbacks to their 38th victory of the season. Arizona starter Jon Garland allowed one earned run on seven hits in eight innings as he improved to 5-8 as a starter; the one run he allowed came in the third inning when a Jorge Cantu single scored Sean West.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 14 New York Yankees 8- Alex Rodriguez and Eric Hinske each hit two home runs while Hideki Matsui went deep once for the Yankees, who fell to 51-36 on the season after allowing fourteen runs against the Angels. Los Angeles starter Jered Weaver allowed four runs (only three were earned) on four hits in six innings as he improved to 10-3 as a starter. Brandon Wood and Mike Napoli both homered for the Angels.

Oakland Athletics 7 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Oakland’s Dallas Braden allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings as he improved to 7-7 as a starter. Despite giving up the first two runs of the game, the Athletics scored seven unanswered runs, four of which came off two-run blasts from Rajai Davis and Adam Kennedy. With this victory, the Athletics improved to 36-49 on the year while the Rays fell to 48-40 on the season.

Baltimore Orioles 4 Toronto Blue Jays 3- Melvin Mora’s long ball in the 12th inning propelled the Baltimore Orioles to their 39th victory of the season; Mora had not homered in his previous 50 games prior to his walk-off blast. Luke Scott also went deep for Baltimore.

Cleveland Indians 5 Detroit Tigers 4- Carl Pavano allowed two earned runs on seven hits in eight innings as he improved to 8-7 as a starter. Cleveland closer Kerry Wood allowed just as many earned runs in the 9th inning, but still picked up his 12th save of the season; Wood allowed a two-run blast to Miguel Cabrera.

Boston Red Sox 15 Kansas City Royals 9- John Smoltz allowed one earned run on four hits in five innings as he was credited with his first win of the season. Kevin Youkilis went deep twice while Jason Varitek and David Ortiz each hit one long ball for the Red Sox, who improved to 53-34 on the season. Mike Jacobs and Jose Guillen homered for the Royals.

Chicago White Sox 8 Minnesota Twins 7- Behind four RBIs from Jim Thome, the Chicago White Sox earned their 45th victory of the season with an 8-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota’s Joe Crede hit both home runs of the game, but it wasn’t enough as the Twins fell back to .500 on the season.

Seattle Mariners 4 Texas Rangers 1- Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn improved to 6-6 as a starter after giving up one earned run on four hits in seven innings; the lone Ranger run came in the 3rd inning when Ian Kinsler’s RBI double scored Elvis Andrus. Russell Branyan and Rob Johnson hit long balls for Seattle, who improved to 45-42 on the year.

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com

Minnesota Twins 2 Chicago Cubs 0- Anthony Swarzak allowed four hits in seven innings, leading the Twins to a two-run victory over the Chicago Cubs. Swarzak was then sent back to AAA Rochester after the game. Jason Kubel hit a home run in the second inning, and Joe Mauer provided the other run of the game with an RBI single that drove in Nick Punto.

Chicago White Sox 7 Milwaukee Brewers 1- Jose Contreras pitched eight innings, allowing just two hits en route to Chicago’s 29th victory of the season. Milwaukee scored their only run of the game off Scott Linebrink in the 9th inning when Casey McGehee’s two-out single drove in J.J. Hardy. Ramon Castro hit his first long ball of the year in the 5th inning.

Tampa Bay Rays 8 Washington Nationals 3- In the 4th inning, Carlos Pena went deep for the 20th time this season. Two innings later, a seven-run inning, during which Ben Zobrist and Gabe Gross hit home runs, allowed the Rays to pull away for their 33rd victory of the season. Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine surrendered three runs in six hits in 7.1 innings pitched. Ryan Zimmerman hit his 12th home run of the year in the first inning.

New York Mets 6 New York Yankees 2- No crazy finish in the Big Apple folks. Luis Castillo, who dropped the pop fly that cost the Mets a victory, went 2-for-5 and committed no errors. Omir Santos drove in three runs for the Mets, two of which came from a dinger to left field in the second inning. Gary Sheffield also went deep for the Mets in the 7th inning.

St. Louis Cardinals 3 Cleveland Indians 1- Albert Pujols homered not once, but twice to help lead the Cardinals to a two-run victory over the Indians. Pujols’ first dinger was his 1,600th career hit in 1,301 career games as well as the first run of the game. His second blast restored the Cardinals’ one-run lead. Skip Schumaker scored the other St. Louis run on a wild pitch.

Baltimore Orioles 8 Atlanta Braves 4- Behind six runs in the seventh inning, the Baltimore Orioles improved to 26-36 on the season with an 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Brian Roberts went 4-for-5 with 1 run and 2 RBIs. Adam Jones hit his 12th home run of the year in the 1st inning.

Florida Marlins 6 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Cody Ross hit his 10th home run of the season and doubled twice in his first visit to Toronto. Jeremy Hermida also went yard for Florida.

Pittsburgh Pirates 9 Detroit Tigers 3- The day after their hockey team defeated their opponent’s hockey team, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers behind a grand slam from Freddy Sanchez as well as a solo shot by Adam LaRoche. Pirates starter Zach Duke surrendered solo home runs to Marcus Thames and Ryan Raburn, but it was enough for him to earn his 4th win in his last five games.

Colorado Rockies 5 Seattle Mariners 3- The Mariners scored two in the top half of the 8th inning to tie the game…only to surrender two in the bottom half to lose the game. Jose Lopez went yard in the 8th inning to level the score at three. However, two Colorado sacrifice flies helped the Rockies improve their record to 30-32.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9 San Diego Padres 1- Torii Hunter went deep not once, not twice, but THREE times en route to the eight-run victory over the Padres; it was Hunter’s first career three-homer game. Kendry Morales and Jeff Mathis also homered for the Angels, who improved their record to 31-29.

Kansas City Royals 7 Cincinnati Reds 4- Behind a three-hit, three-RBI day from Willie Bloomquist, the Kansas City Royals improved their winning streak to two, a feat that they have not accomplished since May 17-19. Billy Butler went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs for Kansas City.

Houston Astros 6 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- Miguel Tejada singled to drive in Michael Bourn; it was Tejada’s 2000th career hit. Lance Berkman then blasted a 1-0 pitch from Jon Garland to right field; it was Berkman’s 300th career home run. This all happened in the 6th inning, during which the Astros scored three runs. Another three runs in the 8th inning lifted the Astros to their 28th victory of the season. Roy Oswalt allowed one run on five hits in seven innings; Chris Young hit his 6th home run of the year in the 4th inning off Oswalt.

Boston Red Sox 11 Philadelphia Phillies 6- Daisuke Matsuzaka had a pretty rough outing, allowing four earned runs on seven hits in four innings. Nevertheless, his Red Sox bailed him out with a five-run victory over the defending World Series champions. Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury went deep for the Red Sox as they improved their record to 38-24.

Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Texas Rangers 1- A power outage delayed the game for 101 minutes and helped the Dodgers end the Rangers’ shutout streak. Behind Matt Kemp’s two-run blast in the 7th inning, the Dodgers managed to avoid their first three-game losing streak with a two-run victory over Texas. Andruw Jones provided the only Ranger run with a home run in the 6th inning.

San Francisco Giants 5 Oakland Athletics 2- The Giants scored just in time to give Randy Johnson his 301st career win. A Bengie Molina blast in the first inning and a three-run 7th inning was enough for the Giants to win their 33rd game of the season. Randy Johnson surrendered two earned runs on four hits in seven innings; one of the runs was scored on a Kurt Suzuki solo shot in the 4th inning.

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com