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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tampa Bay Rays 11 Detroit Tigers 7- Carlos Pena’s AL-leading 38th long ball of the season lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to Win #71 of the season; Pena finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs scored and 4 RBIs. Jason Bartlett also went deep for Tampa Bay. Carlos Guillen hit not one, but two home runs for Detroit, but it was not enough as the Tigers fell to 69-61 on the year. James Shields won his 9th game of the season after giving up five runs (four earned) on ten hits in seven innings; Shields is still undefeated against Detroit.

Cincinnati Reds 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 (Game 1)- Jesse Chavez’s wild pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning allowed Darnell McDonald to score the winning run for the Reds, who improved to 57-73 on the season. Drew Stubbs hit a leadoff home run in front of a crowd of no more than 2,000 in Cincinnati. Daniel McCutchen made his major league debut for Pittsburgh, allowing three earned runs on five hits in six innings; he registered an RBI single in his first major-league at bat in the 2nd inning, but did not factor in the decision. Pittsburgh fell to 53-76 on the year.

Cincinnati Reds 6 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 (Game 2)- Not many Reds fans got to see their team pull off its first doubleheader sweep in a whole decade; after two games with noise levels as high as those of a tennis match, Cincinnati earned Win #58 of the season. Brandon Phillips and Drew Stubbs hit long balls for the Reds. Johnny Cueto squandered one earned run on three hits in five innings to earn his 9th victory of the year. Pittsburgh scored all three of its runs in the 6th inning, during which Andrew McCutchen blasted his 11th home run of the season; it was not enough, however, as the Pirates suffered their 77th loss of the season.

Atlanta Braves 5 Florida Marlins 2- Kenshin Kawakami allowed one earned run on six hits in six innings as he improved to 7-10 as a starter. Atlanta trailed 1-0 after six innings, but scored five unanswered to earn its 69th win of the season. Florida starter Josh Johnson actually no-hit the Braves until the 6th inning when Matt Diaz singled to center field. However, in the end, Johnson was issued his 4th loss of the season, giving up three earned runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. Dan Uggla drove in both runs for the Marlins, who fell to 68-63 on the year.

Houston Astros 5 Chicago Cubs 3- Roy Oswalt scattered two earned runs on six hits in seven innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season. Carlos Lee hit a two-run blast in the 5th inning for Houston, who improved to 63-68 on the year; Lee ended the game with 4 RBIs. Derrek Lee hit a solo home run for the Cubs in the 8th inning, but Chicago ended up losing its 64th game of the season. Jose Valverde joined the MLB’s 20-save club after shutting down the Cubs in the 9th inning.

San Diego Padres 3 Washington Nationals 1- Livan Hernandez suffered his second loss to San Diego in less than a month with his second team; despite pitching a complete game, Hernandez was issued the loss after squandering three earned runs on seven hits. Hernandez did, however, score the only Washington run of the game on a Pete Orr RBI single in the 3rd inning, but the Nationals ended up losing their 86th game of the season. Chase Headley homered in the 8th inning for San Diego, who improved to 57-76 on the year. Heath Bell earned his 32nd save of the season after working the 9th inning for the Padres.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10 Seattle Mariners 0- Vladimir Guerrero homered twice while Juan Rivera went deep once for Los Angeles, lifting the Angels to their 78th victory of the season; Guerrero and Rivera combined to drive in seven of the runs for Los Angeles. Joe Saunders won his 11th game of the season after allowing three hits in seven scoreless innings; Saunders walked three and struck out four. Seattle fell to 68-64 on the year.

New York Yankees 5 Baltimore Orioles 1- Andy Pettite had retired the first 20 batters, but lost his perfect game AND no-hitter bids in the 7th inning: Jerry Hairston Jr. committed a fielding error on an Adam Jones ground ball, and Nick Markakis singled to left field. Despite the mishaps, Pettitte earned his 12th win of the season, scattering one earned run on two hits in eight innings. Melvin Mora got the other hit for Baltimore, hitting a solo home run in the 8th inning to break Pettitte’s bid for a shutout. Nevertheless, the Orioles fell to 54-78 on the year. Nick Swisher hit a long ball in the 3rd inning for New York, who earned Win #83 of the season; Swisher ended the game with 2 RBIs. Mariano Rivera recorded the last two outs for the Yankees to earn his 37th save of the year.

Toronto Blue Jays 18 Texas Rangers 10- The Blue Jays jumped out to an 11-0 lead before allowing the Rangers to score ten unanswered runs to cut the Toronto lead to one. However, a seven-run 9th inning put the game away and lifted the Blue Jays to Win #59 of the season. Adam Lind hit his first career grand slam and also hit a solo shot for the Blue Jays; Rod Barajas also went deep twice, blasting a three-run bomb in the 1st inning and a solo home run in the 5th. Lind and Barajas combined for 13 RBIs. Nelson Cruz homered during a seven-run 5th inning for Texas, but it was not enough as the Rangers fell to 72-58 on the year.

Minnesota Twins 4 Chicago White Sox 1- 3rd inning home runs from Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel lifted the Twins to their 66th victory of the season. Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn improved to 9-9 as a starter, squandering one earned run on six hits in seven innings; Blackburn struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. Chicago scored its only run of the game in the 6th inning on an A.J. Pierzynski sacrifice fly, but the White Sox ended up suffering their 68th loss of the year. Joe Nathan earned his 35th save of the season for Minnesota after shutting down the White Sox in the 9th inning.

Arizona Diamondbacks 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 3- Rusty Ryal’s led off the 10th inning with a home run to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to the 60-win milestone; Justin Upton also went deep for the Diamondbacks in the 8th inning to help Arizona extend its winning streak to five games. Ronnie Belliard, Manny Ramirez, and Matt Kemp all homered for the Dodgers, but it was not enough as Los Angeles suffered its 54th loss of the year. Juan Gutierrez earned his 2nd save of the season after working the 10th inning for Arizona.

Oakland Athletics 8 Kansas City Royals 5- With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th inning, Adam Kennedy hit a ground ball to Royals reliever John Bale. Instead of starting an inning-ending double play, Bale wildly threw the ball to center field, allowing Ryan Sweeney and Daric Barton to break a 5-5 tie and score the go-ahead runs for Oakland, who went on to win its 58th game of the season. Despite the throwing error, Bale was not issued the loss; instead, Kansas City starter Luke Hochevar was dealt his 8th loss of the year, squandering seven runs (six earned) on six hits in 5.1 innings. David DeJesus blasted his 12th home run of the season in the 2nd inning for the Royals, but Kansas City ended up suffering Loss #81 of the year.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Chicago Cubs 5 New York Mets 2- Alfonso Soriano’s three-run blast in the 8th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Chicago Cubs to Win #64 of the season. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez singled in the other runs for Chicago. Carlos Marmol shut down the Mets in the 9th inning to earn his 6th save of the year. Omir Santos and Fernando Tatis drove in the runs for the Mets, but it was not enough as New York fell to 58-71 on the season.

Cincinnati Reds 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 2- Homer Bailey scattered seven hits in eight scoreless innings as he picked up his 4th victory of the season. Jonny Gomes blasted his 16th long ball of the year in the 6th inning for Cincinnati, who improved to 56-71 on the season; Gomes finished the game with 2 RBIs. Los Angeles scored both of its runs in the 9th inning: one on a James Loney solo home run, and the other on an Andre Ethier RBI strikeout. However, the Dodgers ended up losing their 53rd game of the year.

San Diego Padres 9 Florida Marlins 5- Behind a six-run 2nd inning, the San Diego Padres won their 55th game of the season. Kevin Correia improved to 9-10 as a starter after squandering four earned runs on eleven hits in 6.2 innings. Kyle Blanks went deep in the 2nd inning for the Padres; it was Blanks’ 10th home run of the year. Wes Helms drove in two runs for the Marlins, but Florida ended up suffering Loss #61 of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers 8 Pittsburgh Pirates 6- Manny Parra won his 9th game of the season, allowing six earned runs on ten hits in six innings; Parra also drove in a run with an infield single in the 1st inning. Prince Fielder, Jason Bourgeois, and Ryan Braun all homered for the Brew Crew, who earned Win #62 of the season. Andrew McCutchen hit his 10th home run of the year in the 6th inning, but it was not enough as the Pirates fell to 53-73 on the season; McCutchen ended the game with 4 RBIs.

St. Louis Cardinals 3 Washington Nationals 2- Albert Pujols’ 41st home run of the season was a walk-off solo shot that lifted the Cardinals to their 75th victory of the season. Khalil Greene tied the game in the bottom of the 8th inning when his solo home run leveled the score at two. Jason Motte, who pitched a scoreless 9th inning for St. Louis, earned his 4th victory of the season. Pete Orr and Josh Bard drove in the runs for the Nationals, but Washington ended up losing its 83rd game of the year.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 Atlanta Braves 2- Ryan Howard blasted two home runs to lead the Phillies to their 74th victory of the season. The game was delayed for 63 minutes due to rain in the bottom of the 2nd inning; after seven minutes of baseball, the game was delayed for an additional 45 minutes. Matt Diaz and Chipper Jones drove in the runs for Atlanta, but it was not enough as the Braves fell to 67-61 on the year. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9th and earned his 26th save of the season.

Baltimore Orioles 13 Cleveland Indians 4- Jason Berken won his second straight start, giving up two earned runs on five hits in five innings; Berken was credited with his 4th victory of the season. Felix Pie and Nick Markakis blasted long balls for the Orioles, who improved to 53-76 on the year; Pie ended the game with 3 RBIs. Matt Wieters led all batters with 4 RBIs for Baltimore. Matt LaPorta went deep for Cleveland in the 6th inning, but the Indians ended up losing their 71st game of the season.

Detroit Tigers 6 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Behind a five-run 4th inning, the Detroit Tigers earned Win #68 of the season. Brandon Inge hit a long ball in the 2nd inning and scored another run in the 4th for Detroit, who held Tampa Bay to six hits. Rick Porcello was credited with his 11th win of the year after scattering one earned run on four hits in 5.2 innings. Gabe Kapler hit a solo home run in the 9th inning for Tampa Bay, but the Rays ended up on the short side of an MLB baseball game for the 58th time this year.

New York Yankees 5 Chicago White Sox 2- Robinson Cano’s three-run blast in the 10th inning lifted the Yankees to the 80-win milestone. Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon also homered for New York, who stranded nine men on base. Chicago scored both of its runs in the 7th inning on an Alex Rios RBI double and a Gordon Beckham RBI single; it was not enough, however, as the White Sox suffered their 65th loss of the season. Brian Burney, who worked the 10th inning for New York, earned his 4th victory of the year.

Minnesota Twins 3 Texas Rangers 2- Three runs in the 1st inning were all Brian Duensing needed to earn Win #2 of the season. Duensing gave up one earned run on three hits in seven strong innings for Minnesota, striking out eight batters in the process. Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, and Michael Cuddyer each drove in a run for Minnesota, who improved to 64-64 on the year. Joe Nathan gave up a run in the 9th inning, but managed to earn his 33rd save of the season. Josh Hamilton and David Murphy drove in the runs for Texas, who fell to 71-56 on the year.

Arizona Diamondbacks 14 Houston Astros 7- John Hester hit a big-time long ball in his first major league at-bat, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks to their 57th win of the season. Miguel Montero and Alex Romero also went deep for Arizona, who won three of its last twelve games. Jeff Keppinger and Hunter Pence homered for Houston, but it was not enough as the Astros fell to 62-66 on the year. Max Scherzer scattered six runs (five earned) on five hits in six innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season.

San Francisco Giants 2 Colorado Rockies 0- Tim Lincecum ended a four-start winless streak, striking out eight in as many innings to improve to 13-4 on the season; Lincecum gave up four hits and three walks. Pablo Sandoval hit a solo home run in the 5th inning for the Giants, who reached the 70-win milestone. Eugenio Velez drove in the other run for San Francisco, who pulled to within two games of Colorado in the NL Wild Card.

Seattle Mariners 6 Kansas City Royals 3- Felix Hernandez squandered three earned runs on five hits in seven innings as he picked up his 13th victory of the year. Josh Wilson registered his first 3-RBI game in over two years to lift the Mariners to their 67th win of the season. Mitch Maier hit a two-run home run in the 5th inning for Kansas City, but the Royals ended up losing their 79th game of the season. David Aardsma earned Save #31 of the year after shutting down the Royals in the 9th inning.

Boston Red Sox 6 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Jason Varitek’s play at the plate prevented Toronto from scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the 8th inning. In the bottom half, Casey Kotchman broke the 5-5 tie with a fielder’s choice that scored David Ortiz; Boston went on to win its 74th game of the season. Jason Bay blasted his 29th home run of the season in the 5th inning to level the score at five. Josh Beckett allowed five earned runs on as many hits in as many innings, but did not factor in the decision; Beckett allowed a three-run home run to Aaron Hill in the 2nd and two-run bomb to Rod Barajas in the 5th. Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the 9th inning to earn his 31st save of the year.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 11 Oakland Athletics 7- Behind seven runs in the seventh inning, the Angels improved to 76-51 on the season. Kendry Morales went 5-for-5 with 6 RBIs, hitting two long balls for Los Angeles. Scott Hairston went deep for the Athletics in the 3rd inning, but Oakland ended up suffering its 72nd loss of the year. Brian Fuentes earned Save #37 of the season after recording the final two outs of the 9th inning.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Atlanta Braves 9 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- Tommy Hanson gave up two earned runs on six hits in six innings as he improved to 8-2 as a starter; it was Hanson’s third consecutive win. Garret Anderson and Adam LaRoche went deep for the Braves, who improved to 62-56 on the season. Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds hit the long balls for the Diamondbacks, who suffered their 65th loss of the season. Atlanta scored six runs in the third inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates 9 Milwaukee Brewers 5- Kevin Hart earned his first win as a Pirate after giving up four earned runs on nine hits in six innings; Hart improved to 4-2 as a starter. Andy LaRoche, Garrett Jones, and Ronny Cedeno all homered for the Pirates, who earned their 47th win of the season and 2nd win in their last 14 games. Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron hit the long balls for Milwaukee, who reached the 60-loss milestone.

San Francisco Giants 10 New York Mets 1- Joe Martinez picked up his third victory of the season after squandering one earned run on five hits in five innings. Aaron Rowand hit a solo shot in the 4th inning for San Francisco, who improved to 64-54 on the season; Rowand ended the game going 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Gary Sheffield singled in New York’s only run of the game in the 3rd inning.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8 Baltimore Orioles 5- Ervin Santana gave up three earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he improved to 6-6 as a starter. The Angels scored all of their runs off long balls: two from Vladimir Guerrero, and one each from Kendry Morales and Maicer Izturis. Los Angeles improved to 71-45 on the year while Baltimore reached the 70-loss milestone. Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora hit home runs for the Orioles.

Texas Rangers 8 Minnesota Twins 5- Tommy Hunter gave up four earned runs on as many hits in 5.2 innings, picking up Win #6 of the season. Marlon Byrd went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and one run scored, helping the Rangers win their 67th game of the season. With this win, Texas improved its Wild Card lead to one game over Boston. Joe Mauer hit a solo shot in the 1st inning for Minnesota, who fell to 56-62 on the year.

Chicago White Sox 8 Kansas City Royals 7- Scott Podsednik’s RBI single in the 8th inning broke a 7-7 tie and lifted the White Sox to their 61st victory of the season. Jayson Nix and A.J. Pierzynski went deep for Chicago. Bobby Jenks pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 25th save of the season. Yuniesky Betancourt and Mike Jacobs hit the long balls for Kansas City, but it was not enough as the Royals fell to 46-72 on the year.

St. Louis Cardinals 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 2- Chris Carpenter gave up two earned runs on five hits in eight innings as he joined the MLB’s 13-win club. The Cardinals scored all of their runs off long balls: Albert Pujols hit a solo shot in the 4th inning, and Rick Ankiel’s two-run blast in the 7th inning lifted St. Louis to Win #68 of the year. Casey Blake and James Loney drove in the runs for Los Angeles, who fell to 70-49 on the season. Ryan Franklin recorded the last two outs and earned his 30th save of the season.

Oakland Athletics 3 New York Yankees 0- Brett Tomko gave up five hits in as many innings against his former team, winning his second game of the season. Oakland scored all three of its runs in the 4th inning and improved to 53-65 on the year. Kurt Suzuki and Mark Ellis drove in the runs for Oakland; Suzuki also scored on a balk by A.J. Burnett, who pitched all eight innings for New York. Burnett gave up three earned runs on six hits, but was issued his sixth loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 4 Chicago Cubs 1- The game stayed scoreless until the top of the 8th inning when Aramis Ramirez singled in Derrek Lee to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. The Cubs still led by one run until the bottom of the 9th inning when Chase Headley tied the game with an RBI double that scored David Eckstein. Kyle Blanks then won the game for San Diego with a walk-off three-run blast. The Padres reached the 50-win milestone while the Cubs fell to 60-56 on the year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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Pittsburgh Pirates 8 Milwaukee Brewers 7- The Pirates traded away Adam LaRoche, who led the team in home runs, but they poured five in on the Brewers on their way to an 8-7 victory over Milwaukee. Ryan Doumit homered twice while Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, and Brandon Moss each went deep once for Pittsburgh, who improved to 42-52 on the year. Ryan Braun hit a home run and finished the game with 4 RBIs; Casey McGehee also went deep for the Brew Crew, but it wasn’t enough as Milwaukee fell to 48-47 on the season.

Chicago Cubs 10 Philadelphia Phillies 5- Carlos Zambrano allowed five runs (only four were earned) on ten hits in 6.2 innings as he improved to 7-4 as a starter. Chicago scored ten runs to terminate the Phillies’ winning streak at ten. Kevin Gregg struck out Ryan Howard with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th inning when Chicago led 8 to 5; he pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 19th save of the season.

Colorado Rockies 4 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Todd Helton’s 11th long ball of the season gave the Rockies a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning, allowing Huston Street to work the 9th and earn his 24th save of the season. Miguel Montero provided all the offense for Arizona as he hit a three-run blast in the 3rd inning; it wasn’t enough, however, as the Diamondbacks lost their 55th game of the season.

Florida Marlins 5 San Diego Padres 0- Ricky Nolasco allowed two hits in 6.1 scoreless innings, striking out ten en route to his seventh victory of the season. Jeremy Hermida and Chris Coghlan both went deep for the Marlins, who improved to 49-47 on the season. San Diego, who got swept by Florida, finished this seven-game homestand with just one win.

New York Yankees 6 Baltimore Orioles 4- A.J. Burnett squandered two earned runs on six hits in seven innings as he was credited with his ninth victory of the season. A four-run 1st and two Jorge Posada RBIs, one of which came off a solo shot in the third inning, lifted the Yankees to their 57th victory of the season. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis both homered in the 9th inning for Baltimore, who fell to 41-53 on the year.

Oakland Athletics 16 Minnesota Twins 1- Trevor Cahill gave up one earned run on six hits in seven innings as he won his sixth game of the season. Minnesota’s Justin Morneau scored the first run of the game with a 1st-inning solo shot, but 16 unanswered runs from Oakland propelled the Athletics to their 40th victory of the season. Scott Hairston hit his second home run of the season in the 2nd inning.

Atlanta Braves 4 San Francisco Giants 2- Jair Jurrjens allowed just one earned run on three hits in 7.2 innings as he picked up his ninth victory of the season. Yunel Escobar’s three-run blast in the third inning lifted the Braves to their 49th victory of the season. Tim Lincecum gave up four earned runs on seven hits in five innings; he was issued his third loss of the season.

Washington Nationals 3 New York Mets 1- Josh Willingham’s two-run blast in the 6th inning propelled the Nationals to their 28th victory of the season. Craig Stammen improved to 3-5 as a starter after allowing one earned run on four hits in 7.1 innings. Ronnie Belliard drove in the other Washington run with a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning.

Toronto Blue Jays 10 Cleveland Indians 6- Marco Scutaro went deep twice while Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill, and Alex Rios each hit one long ball for the Blue Jays, who improved to 47-48 on the year. The long balls enabled Ricky Romero to improve to 8-4 as a starter; Romero pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits. Luis Valbuena hit a three-run blast for the Indians, who fell to 37-58 on the season.

Seattle Mariners 2 Detroit Tigers 1- Russell Branyan’s two-run home run in the 8th inning was all Felix Hernandez needed to earn his 11th victory of the season. Hernandez squandered an earned run on six hits in seven innings; the lone Detroit run was scored in the 3rd inning off a Clete Thomas RBI single.

Houston Astros 4 St. Louis Cardinals 3- Down 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, Houston scored two runs to achieve win #49 on the season. Chris Coste doubled in Ivan Rodriguez to level the score at three, and Miguel Tejada’s walk-off RBI single scored Jeff Keppinger. Ryan Franklin, who allowed the two Houston runs in the 9th, blew his second save of the season and lost his first game of the year. Mark DeRosa went deep in the 5th inning for the Cardinals, who fell to 51-46 on the season.

Texas Rangers 3 Boston Red Sox 1- Dustin Nippert allowed one earned run on five hits in 5.2 innings as he improved to 2-0 as a starter; he replaced Vincente Padilla, who missed his start because of the flu. Nick Green provided the only run for Boston with a 3rd inning solo blast. However, Ian Kinsler answered back with a solo shot of his own, and two 4th inning Ranger runs allowed Texas to improve to 52-41 on the season.

Chicago White Sox 4 Tampa Bay Rays 3- Pat Burrell and Gabe Gross went deep to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead after the top of the 6th inning. However, in the bottom half of that inning, Scott Podsednik got things going for Chicago as his solo shot cut the Rays’ lead to two. In the 7th inning, Aramis Ramirez tripled in two runs to tie the game and scored the go-ahead run on a Jermaine Dye RBI single.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9 Kansas City Royals 6- Behind a five-run 8th inning, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim cruised to their 55th victory of the season. Maicer Izturis, Howie Kendrick, and Mike Napoli all homered for the Angels, who completed a three-game sweep over Kansas City. Izturis finished the night with four RBIs.

Los Angeles Dodgers 6 Cincinnati Reds 2- Chad Billingsley allowed two earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he picked up Win #10 of the season. A grand slam from Manny Ramirez broke a 2-2 tie in the 6th inning, lifting the Dodgers to their 61st victory of the year. Andre Ethier also homered for Los Angeles in the 1st inning.

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Atlanta Braves 11 San Francisco Giants 3- Tommy Hanson allowed three earned runs on five hits in seven innings as he improved to 5-0 as a starter. Garret Anderson, Chipper Jones, and Ryan Church all homered for the Braves, who improved to 47-46 on the year. Jonathan Sanchez made his first start since his no-hitter; he allowed three earned runs on four hits in six innings, but was not given a decision.

Philadelphia Phillies 10 Chicago Cubs 1- Rodrigo Lopez allowed one earned run on five hits in six innings as he picked up his second victory of the season. Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz, and Ryan Howard all went deep for Philadelphia, who won nine straight and thirteen of their last fourteen. Ryan Theriot singled in the only Chicago run in the 5th inning.

New York Mets 6 Washington Nationals 2- Livan Hernandez improved to 6-5 as a starter after giving up two earned runs on five hits in seven innings. Jeff Francoeur hit a long ball in the 9th inning for New York, who improved to 44-48 on the season. Josh Bard doubled in both Washington runs in the 4th inning.

New York Yankees 2 Baltimore Orioles 1- Nick Markakis went deep for Baltimore to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. However, Eric Hinske hit a solo shot of his own in the 2nd inning to level the score at 1. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the 9th inning when Hideki Matsui went deep for the 15th time this season. Jim Johnson, who gave up the home run to Matsui, was issued his fourth loss of the season.

Houston Astros 3 St. Louis Cardinals 2- Brian Moehler allowed two earned runs on six hits in 6.1 innings as he picked up his seventh win of the season; the two runs Moehler allowed came off the bat of Yadier Molina, whose 2-run single in the 4th inning gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead. However, in the bottom half of that inning, Carlos Lee hit a three-run bomb to lift the Astros to their 47th victory of the season.

Texas Rangers 6 Boston Red Sox 3- David Murphy, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Michael Young all homered for the Rangers in the 6th inning, during which Texas scored five runs. With this victory, the Rangers improved to 50-41 on the season while Boston fell to 55-37. Rangers starter Kevin Millwood allowed two earned runs on six hits in six innings as he was credited with his ninth victory of the season.

Chicago White Sox 4 Tampa Bay Rays 3- Gavin Floyd allowed three earned runs on three hits in seven innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season. All three Tampa runs were scored off home runs: two outside-the-park home runs from Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria, and one inside-the-park home run from Carl Crawford. Paul Konerko’s three-run blast in the third inning propelled the White Sox to their 48th victory of the season. Jermaine Dye singled in the other run for Chicago in the 1st inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates 8 Milwaukee Brewers 5- Ross Ohlendorf allowed two earned runs on seven hits in five innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season. Delwyn Young and Garrett Jones went deep for Pittsburgh, who won its 41st game of the season. Ryan Braun hit a two-run blast in the 9th inning for the Brewers, who fell to 47-46 on the year.

Colorado Rockies 10 Arizona Diamondbacks 6- Jorge De La Rosa allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings as he improved to 7-7 as a starter; the one run allowed by De La Rosa came from a Mark Reynolds solo shot in the 4th inning. Stephen Drew also went deep in the 9th inning for Arizona, who lost its 54th game of the season. Dexter Fowler and Chris Iannetta both hit long balls for the Rockies, who improved to 51-42 on the season.

Florida Marlins 3 San Diego Padres 2- Rick VandenHurk allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings as he won his first game in over a year; the two earned runs came off 6th inning solo shots from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Hanley Ramirez went deep in the 1st inning for Florida, who improved to 47-47 on the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 Cincinnati Reds 5- Jason Schmidt squandered three earned runs on five hits in five innings as he picked up his first victory in over two years. Manny Ramirez and Andre Ethier both homered for the Dodgers, who improved to 59-34 on the season; Manny’s 537th career home run allowed him to pass Mickey Mantle for 15th on the all-time list.

Oakland Athletics 14 Minnesota Twins 13- With 2 outs in the top of the 9th inning, Michael Wuertz threw a wild pitch that passed Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki, who had trouble finding the ball. As a result, Michael Cuddyer tried to score from 2nd base. When Suzuki found the ball, he toss it to Wuertz who barely tagged out Cuddyer to preserve the one-run victory for Oakland. The Athletics, who trailed by as many as ten runs, scored seven in the seventh inning; during that inning, Matt Holliday hit a game-tying grand slam, and Jack Cust hit the game-winning home run.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Kansas City Royals game was postponed due to rain. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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