Matt Holliday, who was the biggest free agent available, is no longer looking for a team. He has decided to re-sign long term with the St. Louis Cardinals.

- Holliday and the Cards have agreed to a deal worth about $120 million for 7 years.  This will keep him in a Cardinal uniform through 2016, when he will be 36 years old.

- Holliday batted .353 with St. Louis in 63 games after batting just .286 in 93 games with Oakland. He drove in 55 runs with 13 home runs with the Cards, finishing the season with 109 and 24 respectively.

- Holliday was traded to the Cardinals before the deadline from the A’s, who had brought him in during the previous off-season in a trade with the Colorado Rockies.

- Holliday, who turns 29 in 10 days, is a career .318 batter who has hit 29 home runs and 112 RBI on a 162 game average over his career.

Even though the end of the holiday season is approaching, that does not mean that teams cannot continue searching for some gifts! Here is a look at some key free agents left on the market, and where they may end up.

Matt Holliday, OF

Teams interested-St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles

The situation with Matt Holliday is undoubtedly a confusing one.  His agent, Scott Boras, feels that the veteran outfielder is worth more than $18 million a year, which is what the St. Louis Cardinals have offered him.  Though no public announcement has been made, it would be unlikely he would accept this, as this is what was presented for him to remain in Colorado a couple of years ago.

However, Holliday may find himself in a position where he must simply accept the best offer available, which may be the only offer. The Red Sox have added Mike Cameron and John Lackey this off-season, which could mean they are ready to freeze the payroll at that. The same can be said for the Yankees, who even with an outfield spot possibly open, have said they do not want to spend big.  It is also unlikely the Mets delve in with more money than what they wish to spend on Jason Bay, and the same can be said for Baltimore.

Jon’s Pick: St. Louis Cardinals

It does not appear anyone else is really willing to go all-in for Holliday, something that would have seemed preposterous just last year when he was traded to the Athletics. Unless anyone decides to dive in at the last second, it would only make sense for Matt to return to St. Louis.

Jason Bay, OF

Teams interested: New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees

The second half of the big duo in the outfield this year, and much like Holliday, Bay finds himself in a rather tight situation. He wants at least five-years and over $65 million, but who will be willing to do it? Both the Red Sox and the Mets have offered him four-year deals worth a little over $60 million, but neither has displayed significant interest in going above. Reports the other day seemed to indicated even that the Red Sox chances of bringing the slugger back as being, “a long shot.”  In addition, we must include the Yankees in consideration, strictly because, well, they are the Yankees, and who knows if Brian Cashman will decide at the spur of the moment that Bay is the answer in left field.

Jon’s Pick: New York Mets

Omar Minaya has “dazzled” the Metropolitan nation with the “overwhelming” signings of guys like Kelvim Escobar and R.A. Dickey. If the Mets are to have any stream of success next year, it will come through obtaining hitters who can play well in any type of ballpark.  Though he may be an injury liability, it would unquestionably be worth it and give five-years to Bay for the Mets behalf.

Johnny Damon, OF/DH

Teams interested: New York Yankees, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners

One of the premiere “high risk/high reward” players in baseball, Johnny Damon had one of his best seasons in 2009. He batted .282 with 24 home runs, and was an essential part to the Yankees World Series run. Though it may seem that the Yanks have moved on after additions such as Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson, it is still possible that Damon could find himself back in the Yankees lineup.  Brian Cashman has stated he would like a cheaper option, and unless Damon will drop his price tag to about $7 million a year, his return is up in the air.

As for elsewhere, the Mets, Cardinals, and Braves may all find themselves strongly in the bidding for Damon if their respective outfield situations fall through.  Though his bat would help any of those, it should be noted that his fielding skills have diminished greatly, and not being able to hit in the DH spot could hurt his stock.

Jon’s Pick: New York Yankees

Just like with Alex Rodriguez prior to 2008, Scott Boras will ultimately drop his demands down once he finds out the value is much less than his asking price.  With the trade of Javier Vazquez, the Yankees would love to bring some assurance back into the lineup and use Brett Gardner in the same role as last year, and reacquiring Damon would be the way to accomplish this.  If he does not drop his price though, he may be stuck taking a one-year deal much like Bobby Abreu last year, maybe with the Braves or Mets.

Aroldis Chapman, P

Teams interested: Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

As one can see, there are many people hooked on the Cuban lefty. And why not?  It has been proven he can hit up to 102 mph on the radar gun, and has a devastating payoff pitch success rate.  Some predict he may earn upwards of a $30 million contract, while others in baseball think it may be more towards the Stephen Strasburg $15 million.

This month, he held a workout for 15 teams in Houston, which reportedly went “very well”.  However, he is relatively unproven at a Major League level, and would be a gigantic risk for a team to commit $30 million to.

Jon’s Pick: Boston Red Sox

Ultimately, not many teams will be able to afford Chapman.  And of course, he’ll go where the money flows. Boston is one of those places, and signing him would reunite him with friend and shortstop José Iglesias.  Though anyone may step in at any given moment, it seems right now Boston would be the best option.  Just remember this though, the last foreign-imported pitcher to get $25 million or more: Kei Igawa.

Bengie Molina, C

Teams interested: New York Mets, San Francisco Giants

The Mets have are prepared to extend a two-year offer to Molina, but his deal may be dependent on that of Jason Bay. The Giants have stated all along they are interested in bringing back Molina, but have not made any significant strides.

Jon’s Pick: New York Mets

With a dire need at catcher, the New York Mets look like the favorite to ink the 35 year-old catcher.  After a productive season for San Francisco, who still remain a long shot to sign him, it would appear that Molina is New York-bound.

Notables

Mark DeRosa

Pick-San Francisco Giants

Adrian Beltre

Pick-Oakland Athletics

Miguel Tejada

Pick-Minnesota

Of course though, as the old saying goes, “only time will tell.”

-Cameron hit .250 last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, alongside belting 24 home runs and 70 runs batted in.

-He is known as a relatively solid outfielder, but has been very injury prone. He has a history of concussions, and should be watched carefully.

-The Brewers had principally agreed to send Cameron to the Yankees last off-season for Melky Cabrera, but that deal fell through due to health issues and various other problems.

-If this occurs, it will come on the same day the Sox inked John Lackey to a long-term deal. He will likely find playing time in left and center field, and would alleviate the need to re-sign Jason Bay or go big for Matt Holliday.

After a long hiatus from SFC, Matt Black is back with his insight on the MLB off-season.

The two premium bats on the free agent market this off-season are Jason Bay, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, and Matt Holliday, who played the second half of 2009 with the St. Louis Cardinals. The debate rages over who is the better outfielder.

While Bay reigns supreme in power and RBI, knocking in 119 while blasting 36 homers, Holliday is younger and better defensively than his fellow left fielder. Now, to give Holliday credit, he is quite the offensive player himself, having had a very respectable 24 home runs with 109 RBI in the 2009 campaign in which he split time between Oakland and St. Louis.

Boston has said that they would like to keep Bay, whom they acquired at the 2008 trade deadline for Manny Ramirez and prospects in a three-way deal. Bay has been by far the Red Sox’s biggest offensive threat, but after declining a 4-year, $60 million offer, the Red Sox may move on the greener pastures.

That’s where Mr. Holliday comes in. Holliday has yet to receive an offer from the Cardinals and according to many sources, they will not be retaining his services. The Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, and Mariners have all expressed interest in the All-Star left fielder. ESPN reporter Jayson Stark believes it will be the Red Sox who sign Holliday, because the Yankees are trying to reduce payroll, and the Mariners, who seem more interested in Bay, can not afford him. The Mets will have trouble ponying up the money to the contract Holliday and super agent Scott Boras will demand.

So it is the opinion of this writer that Jason Bay will be blasting bombs into the water at Angel Stadium while Holliday knocks a few onto the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Comment with your opinions.

Cincinnati Reds 3 Houston Astros 1- Bronson Arroyo gave up one earned run on six hits in seven innings as he picked up his 13th victory of the season. Jay Bruce singled in two runs in the 7th while Brandon Phillips added a solo shot in the 8th to lift Cincinnati to Win #65 of the year. Carlos Lee doubled in the lone Houston run of the game in the 6th inning; the Astros fell to 70-74 on the season. Francisco Cordero worked the 9th inning for Cincinnati and picked up his 35th save of the year.

Chicago Cubs 2 Milwaukee Brewers 0- Ryan Dempster joined the MLB’s 10-win club after scattering four hits in eight shutout innings; Dempster walked one and struck out four. Derrek Lee blasted his 33rd long ball of the season in the 4th inning for Chicago, who improved to 74-68 on the year; Lee has now homered seven times in his last ten games. Kosuke Fukudome drove in the other run of the game in the 8th inning with a sacrifice fly. Carlos Marmol shut down the Brewers in the 9th inning to earn his 13th save in 17 chances. Milwaukee fell to 69-74 on the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 8 Baltimore Orioles 4- David Price improved to 8-7 as a starter after squandering four runs (three earned) on seven hits in seven innings. Rookie Reid Brignac went 4-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs to lift Tampa Bay to Win #73 of the season; it was Brignac’s first major league long ball. B.J. Upton, who scored on Brignac’s two-run blast in the 2nd inning, also went deep for the Rays, who registered 15 hits to snap an eleven-game losing streak. Melvin Mora, Matt Wieters, and Luke Scott each drove in a run in the 1st inning for Baltimore, but it was not enough as the Orioles suffered their 85th loss of the year.

Detroit Tigers 6 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Marco Scutaro’s second error of the game enabled Brandon Inge to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning and lift Detroit to its 77th victory of the season. The game would never have reached extra innings had Aubrey Huff not blasted a game-tying three-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Ryan Raburn drove in the other runs for the Tigers: one on a solo shot in the 1st inning, and the other on an RBI single in the 5th. Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion homered in the 6th inning for Toronto, but the Blue Jays ended up losing their 79th game of the year.

New York Yankees 5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- A throwing error by Angels catcher Mike Napoli enabled Brett Gardner to break a 3-3 tie and lift the Yankees to Win #93 of the season. Nick Swisher hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning while Mark Teixeira added a two-run triple in the 5th for New York, who improved to 42-15 since the All-Star break. Vladimir Guerrero belted a home run in the 2nd inning for the Angels, but it was not enough as Los Angeles fell to 86-57 on the year. Mariano Rivera joined the MLB’s 40-save club after shutting down the Angels in the 9th inning; it was Rivera’s first 40-save season since 2005.

Oakland Athletics 9 Texas Rangers 0- Brett Tomko pitched a complete-game five-hitter en route to Win #5 of the season. Ryan Sweeney drove in four runs while Adam Kennedy added 3 RBIs to lift Oakland to its 65th victory of the year. The Rangers were shut out for the second consecutive game, going scoreless in 19 innings. Texas fell to 80-63 on the season and is now 4.5 games behind Boston in the AL Wild Card.

Minnesota Twins 6 Cleveland Indians 3- Behind a six-run 8th inning, Minnesota climbed back up to .500 with Win #72 of the season. Michael Cuddyer hit a tying three-run home run to level the score at three. Delmon Young scored the go-ahead run on a Chris Perez wild pitch, and Jason Kubel blasted a two-run bomb to give the Twins a 6-3 lead. Cleveland scored all of its runs of home runs from Trevor Crowe and Shin-Soo Choo; it was not enough, however, as Cleveland fell to 61-82 on the year, clinching a losing season. Joe Nathan picked up his 39th save of the year after working the 9th inning for Minnesota.

St. Louis Cardinals 11 Florida Marlins 6- A pair of four-run innings lifted the St. Louis Cardinals to Win #85 of the season. Matt Holliday and Ryan Ludwick each hit a two-run single in the 1st inning. Holliday added an RBI double in the 8th inning to give him 102 on the season; it was Holliday’s third 100 RBI season in the MLB. Colby Rasmus blasted a three-run bomb in the bottom of the 8th inning for St. Louis, whose magic number for clinching the NL Central is ten. Nick Johnson hit a two-run home run in the 4th inning for Florida to break a 4-4 tie, but it was not enough as the Marlins fell to 76-68 on the year.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 San Diego Padres 2- Brandon Allen’s RBI single in the 10th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to Win #63 of the season. Diamondbacks starter Billy Buckner gave up two runs (only one was earned) on nine hits in six innings, but did not factor in the decision; he would have ended up with the loss, however, had he not singled in two runs in the 2nd inning for Arizona. Chase Headley drove in both runs for San Diego, who reached the 80-loss milestone. Juan Gutierrez worked the 10th inning for Arizona and picked up his 4th save in five chances.

Los Angeles Dodgers 6 Pittsburgh Pirates 2- Andre Ethier’s two-run blast in the 5th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Dodgers to their 86th victory of the season. Los Angeles starter Jon Garland joined the MLB’s 10-win club after scattering two earned runs on six hits in six innings. Orlando Hudson drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who won five of their last seven. Ramon Vazquez and Ryan Doumit each drove in a run for the Pirates, but Pittsburgh ended up losing its 87th game of the year.

San Francisco Giants 9 Colorado Rockies 1- Tim Lincecum improved to 14-5 as a starter after holding Colorado to one earned run on six hits in seven innings; Lincecum walked four and struck out eleven. Bengie Molina blasted his 18th home run of the season in the 3rd inning while Eugenio Velez added 4 RBIs to lift San Francisco to its 78th victory of the season. Carlos Gonzalez scored the lone Colorado run of the game in the 7th inning on a Tim Lincecum wild pitch, but the Rockies ended up suffering Loss #63 of the year. Colorado’s lead in the NL Wild Card is now down to 3.5 games over San Francisco.

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

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.

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Chicago Cubs 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 2- The Pirates suffered their 82nd loss of the season, clinching their 17th consecutive losing season in the MLB; no other professional sports team in North America has accomplished that feat. Cubs starter Ted Lilly scattered two earned runs on as many hits in six innings, picking up his 11th victory of the season. Derrek Lee homered not once, but twice to lift the Cubs to their 69th win of the year; Lee’s long balls drove in three of Chicago’s four runs. Milton Bradley drove in the other run for the Cubs on an RBI infield single in the 5th inning. Andy LaRoche blasted his 8th home run of the season in the 3rd inning, but he was not able to help Pittsburgh suffer its milestone loss.

St. Louis Cardinals 3 Milwaukee Brewers 0- Chris Carpenter pitched a complete-game one-hitter as he improved to 16-3 on the season; Carpenter walked two and struck out ten. Albert Pujols doubled in two runs in the 5th inning while Matt Holliday singled in another run in the 8th to lift St. Louis to its 82nd win of the year, clinching a winning season for the NL Central leaders. Jody Gerut registered the only hit of the game for Milwaukee in the 5th inning; the Brewers ended up suffering their 71st loss of the year.

Houston Astros 4 Philadelphia Phillies 3- Michael Bourn drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning to break a 3-3 tie and lift Houston to Win #67 of the season, completing a three-game sweep over Philadelphia. Hunter Pence drove in the other three runs for Houston: two on a 2nd inning long ball, and one on a 7th inning RBI double. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez hit back-to-back solo home runs in the 4th inning, but it was not enough as the Phillies suffered their 58th loss of the year; Howard finished the game with 2 RBIs. Jose Valverde earned his 22nd save in 26 chances after pitching a perfect 9th inning for Houston.

Colorado Rockies 4 Cincinnati Reds 3- Ian Stewart’s solo home run in the 8th inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Colorado to its 78th victory of the season, extending its winning streak to four games; Stewart has gone deep four times in his last five games. However, the win for the Rockies came at the expense of Troy Tulowitzki, who left in the game in the 7th inning; Tulowitzki suffered a strained lower back after tying the game with an RBI single. Todd Helton drove in the other two runs for Colorado. Jonny Gomes hit a two run home run in the 4th inning for Cincinnati, who scored all three of its runs in that inning. Scott Rolen, who scored on Gomes’ 18th home run of the season, singled in the other run for the Reds, who fell to 63-74 on the year. Franklin Morales worked the 9th inning to earn his 4th save in five chances.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 Arizona Diamondbacks 2- Vincente Padilla won his second game in a Dodgers uniform after squandering two earned runs on six hits in six innings. Manny Ramirez, James Loney, and Ronnie Belliard all homered for Los Angeles, who improved to 82-57 on the season. Ramirez was actually tossed out of the game in the 3rd inning; Ramirez threw hit bat and helmet after striking out. Chris Young drove in both runs of the game for Arizona on a long ball in the 5th inning; it was not enough, however, as the Diamondbacks suffered their 78th loss of the year. Jonathan Broxton earned his 33rd save in 38 chances after recording the final four outs for Los Angeles.

San Francisco Giants 9 San Diego Padres 4- Brad Penny made his debut in San Francisco, holding San Diego to two earned runs on three hits in seven innings; Penny struck out six en route to his second win of the season in a Giants uniform. Juan Uribe homered twice while Edgar Renteria went deep once to lift San Francisco to its 76th victory of the year. Nick Hundley and Adrian Gonzalez each hit one ball out of the park for San Diego, but the Padres ended up losing their 78th game of the season; Hundley finished the day with 3 RBIs.

Kansas City Royals 6 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Kyle Davies picked up his 7th win of the season after allowing one earned run on five hits in five innings. Billy Butler homered twice and drove in four runs to lift Kansas City to its 52nd victory of the year. Mike Jacobs and Alberto Callaspo each singled in a run in the 1st inning for the Royals, who snapped their nine-game losing streak. Bobby Abreu blasted his 13th home run of the season in the 5th inning while Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales each added a 7th inning RBI single for the Angels, who were unable to clinch a winning season. Los Angeles fell to 81-55 on the year.

Chicago White Sox 5 Boston Red Sox 1- Mark Buerhle won his first game since the perfect game, scattering one earned run on eight hits in seven innings to earn his 12th victory of the season. Carlos Quentin hit a two-run blast in the 8th inning for Chicago, who improved to 69-70 on the year. Kevin Youkilis singled in the only run of the game for Boston in the 1st inning; the Red Sox fell victim to their opponent for the 58th time this season.

Minnesota Twins 6 Toronto Blue Jays 3- Behind a five-run 1st inning, the Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays to earn Win #69 of the season. Jesse Crain earned the win for Minnesota after pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Jose Bautista blasted his 4th long ball of the year in the 5th inning for Toronto, who fell to 61-76 on the season. Twins catcher Joe Mauer led all batters with 2 RBIs, both of which were earned in the 1st inning. Joe Nathan picked up his 37th save of the season after shutting down the Blue Jays in the 9th inning.

New York Yankees 4 Tampa Bay Rays 1 (Game 1)- Robinson Cano’s sacrifice fly in the 8th inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Yankees to their 88th victory of the season. Jorge Posada, Eric Hinske, and Alex Rodriguez each drove in a run for New York, whose fans will have to wait another day to see Derek Jeter become the Yankees’ all-time hits leader. Jeter went 0-for-4 and remains three hits behind Lou Gehrig. Evan Longoria scored the only run of the game for Tampa Bay on a solo home run in the 2nd inning; the Rays ended up losing their 65th game of the year. In addition to the game, the Rays lost Carlos Pena, who broke two fingers on his left hand after getting hit by a pitch in the first inning; Pena actually swung his bat on that play, so he was not even awarded first base.

New York Yankees 11 Tampa Bay Rays 1 (Game 2)- Again, Derek Jeter failed to register a hit against Tampa Bay, but again, the Yankees won, completing a day-night doubleheader sweep against the Rays. A.J. Burnett allowed one earned run on four hits in six innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Mark Teixeira homered twice to lift the Yankees to Win #89 of the year. Evan Longoria doubled in the only Tampa Bay run of the game in the 1st inning; the Rays ended up suffering their 66th loss of the season.

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St. Louis Cardinals 14 Pittsburgh Pirates 7- Adam Wainwright becomes the first member of the MLB’s 17-win club after holding the Pirates to six earned runs on nine hits in five innings; if not for Albert Pujols’ three-run blast in the top of the 6th inning, Wainwright would not have earned the win. Ryan Ludwick homered twice while Matt Holliday went deep once for St. Louis, who reached the 80-win milestone. Pittsburgh scored six runs in the bottom of the 5th inning, but it was not enough as the Pirates reached the 80-loss milestone.

New York Mets 6 Chicago Cubs 2- Fernando Tatis’ RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the New York Mets to their 61st victory of the season. Cory Sullivan hit his first long ball of the season and made a diving catch in left field for New York. Bobby Parnell shut down the Cubs, holding them to five hits in seven innings; despite the strong start, Parnell did not factor in the decision. Francisco Rodriguez recorded the last two outs for New York and earned his 29th save of the year.

Cincinnati Reds 3 Atlanta Braves 1- Bronson Arroyo improved to 12-12 as a starter after limiting the Braves to one earned run on six hits in seven innings. Jonny Gomes blasted his 17th long ball of the season while Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen each drove in a run for Cincinnati, who improved to 61-73 on the season; the Reds extended their winning streak to five games with this win. Nate McLouth scored the lone Braves run of the game on a solo home run in the 6th inning. However, it was not enough as Atlanta suffered Loss #65 of the year; the Braves have now lost three consecutive games. Francisco Cordero earned Save #31 of the season after shutting down Atlanta in the 9th inning.

Texas Rangers 5 Baltimore Orioles 1- Scott Feldman joined the MLB’s 15-win club, squandering one earned run on four hits in 6.2 innings; Feldman tied a franchise record with 11 road wins this year. Nelson Cruz homered in the 6th inning for Texas, who improved to 76-58 on the season. Brian Roberts drove in the only Baltimore run of the game in the 6th inning, but the Orioles ended up clinching a non-winning season by suffering their 81st loss of the year.

Florida Marlins 9 Washington Nationals 6- Jorge Cantu and John Baker each hit a two-run bomb to lift the Florida Marlins to Win #71 of the season; Baker finished the game with 4 RBIs. Burke Badenhop earned his 6th win of the year after pitching three scoreless innings of relief. Josh Willingham blasted his 22nd home run of the season in the 3rd inning for Washington, but it was not enough as the Nationals fell to 46-89 on the year. Leo Nunez worked the 9th inning for Florida and earned his 18th save of the season.

San Francisco Giants 3 Milwaukee Brewers 2- Bengie Molina’s solo home run in the 8th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted San Francisco to Win #74 of the season. The Giants scored two unearned runs in the 6th inning to level the score at two. Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron each drove in a run for Milwaukee, but it was not enough as the Brewers fell to 65-69 on the year. Brian Wilson earned his 33rd save of the season after shutting down Milwaukee in the 9th inning.

Houston Astros 7 Philadelphia Phillies 0- Wandy Rodriguez picked up his 13th victory of the season, giving up seven hits and striking out as many in as many scoreless innings; Rodriguez also doubled in the first two runs of the game in the 2nd inning. Kazuo Matsui also hit a two-run double in the 2nd inning for the Astros, who improved to 64-70 on the year. Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee drove in the other three runs for Houston off long balls. Philadelphia fell to 77-55 on the season.

Cleveland Indians 5 Minnesota Twins 2- Jeremy Sowers improved to 6-9 as a starter, scattering two earned runs on six hits in six innings. Jhonny Peralta drove in two runs while rookie Michael Brantley registered his first career RBI to lift the Indians to Win #59 of the season. Brendan Harris and Justin Morneau each drove in a run for the Twins, but it was not enough as Minnesota fell to 67-67 on the year. Kerry Wood shut down the Twins in the 9th inning to earn his 18th save of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays 6 New York Yankees 0- Roy Halladay pitched a complete-game one-hitter against the AL East-leading Yankees, lifting Toronto to the 60-win milestone; Ramiro Pena was the only Yankee to get a hit off Halladay, who improved to 14-8 on the season. Aaron Hill led all batters with 2 RBIs for Toronto, who handed the Yankees their 49th loss of the year.

Detroit Tigers 4 Tampa Bay Rays 3- Justin Verlander joined the MLB’s 16-win club after holding Tampa Bay to one earned run on four hits in eight innings; Verlander struck out seven and walked one. Miguel Cabrera blasted his 28th home run of the season in the 6th inning for the Tigers, who improved to 73-61 on the year. Detroit scored 3 in the top of the 9th inning to take a 4-1 lead, but Tampa Bay stormed back, scoring two runs off Tigers closer Fernando Rodney before Rodney was able to earn his 32nd save of the season. Evan Longoria drove in two runs for Tampa Bay, who fell to 72-62 on the year.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2 Kansas City Royals 1- Jered Weaver earned his 14th victory of the season after allowing one earned run on nine hits in seven innings; Weaver would not have earned the win had Vladimir Guerrero not hit a two-run single in the top of the 8th inning for Los Angeles, who improved to 79-54 on the year. Alberto Callaspo tripled in the only Royals run of the game in the 4th inning; Kansas City fell victim to its opponent for the 83rd time this season. Brian Fuentes closed the door on the Royals in the 9th inning and earned his 38th save of the year.

Chicago White Sox 12 Boston Red Sox 2- Chicago got the upper hand in the battle of colored Sox. Mark Kotsay hit a two-run blast and drove in another run to lift Chicago to Win #67 of the season. White Sox starter Freddy Garcia won his first game of the season after giving up one earned run on seven hits in six innings. Kevin Youkilis and George Kottaras drove in the runs for Boston, who fell to 78-56 on the year.

Seattle Mariners 6 Oakland Athletics 3- Ryan Rowland-Smith squandered three earned runs on four hits in eight innings as he improved to 3-2 as a starter. Jose Lopez blasted his 21st long ball of the season in the 9th inning for Seattle, who improved to 72-64 on the year. Ichiro Suzuki registered two hits and is now 4 shy of 2,000 career hits. Nomar Garciaparra blasted a two-run bomb in the 7th inning for Oakland, but it was not enough as the Athletics suffered their 76th loss of the season. Mark Lowe worked the 9th inning for Oakland and earned his second save in eight chances.

Colorado Rockies 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- Jason Giambi’s pinch-hit RBI single in the 8th inning broke a 4-4 tie and lifted the Colorado Rockies to their 75th victory of the season. Ian Stewart hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning and Seth Smith drove in two runs in the 7th inning for Colorado, who remained one game ahead of San Francisco in the NL Wild Card. Miguel Montero drove in two runs for Arizona, who fell to 61-75 on the season. Franklin Morales shut down the Diamondbacks in the 9th inning to earn his second save in three chances.

San Diego Padres 2 Los Angeles Dodgers 0- A run in each of the first two innings for San Diego was all Wade LeBlanc needed to earn his first victory of the season. LeBlanc held the Dodgers to just two hits in six innings. Kevin Kouzmanoff had the only RBI of the game for San Diego, who reached the 60-win milestone. Heath Bell recorded the last four outs for the Padres and recorded his 34th save of the year. Clayton Kershaw gave up two runs (only one was earned) on four hits in six innings; Kershaw was issued his eighth loss of the season.

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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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