- Wolf reportedly has agreed to a 3-year, $30 million dollar deal that will keep him a Brewer through 2012. Because Los Angeles did not offer Wolf arbitration, Milwaukee does not need to give Los Angeles their top pick in the draft (Wolf was a Type A free agent).

- Wolf had an ERA of 3.23 in 2009, his first season since 2002 in which his ERA was less than 4.23. He was 11-7 in ’09, and was a productive starter for the division-winning Dodgers.

- The southpaw is 33 heading into his twelfth MLB season with his sixth different team.

-Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports continues to be a primary source here, as the Tampa Bay Rays are apparently heavily in on Roy Halladay.  Yes. Not the Yankees.  Not the Red Sox.  The Rays.  The teams is willing to offer highly regarded prospect Wade Davis and OF B.J. Upton.

-Some may recall that the team was in on Halladay at the deadline last year, but could not pull off a deal.

-In addition, Ken stands by his report that Edwin Jackson is near being dealt, possibly to the Mariners or Diamondbacks. If this is the case, the Mariners will have added two substantial players to their lineup in the past week, as they inked Chone Figgins a few days back.

-MLB Trade Rumors says that the Yanks and Mets are talking about Kelvim Escobar, whom the former are fairly familiar with.  Escobar played in the AL East as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays a several years ago.

-The Brewers are prepared to make an offer to Randy Wolf.  The lefty has spent the past few seasons with the Dodgers, and is considered one of the better pitchers on the market this off-season.  No details on the contract offer at this point.

Stay updated with SFC on Twitter!

Chicago Cubs 5 New York Mets 3- Rich Harden picked up his 9th victory of the season after squandering two runs (only one was earned) on seven hits in five innings. Derrek Lee homered twice while Aramis Ramirez went deep once, providing all the runs for Chicago en route to Win #68 of the year. Cory Sullivan blasted his second home run of the season in the 2nd inning for New York, but the Mets ended up suffering their 75th loss of the year. Carlos Marmol earned his 9th save of the season after recording the last four outs for the Cubs.

San Francisco Giants 3 Milwaukee Brewers 2- Matt Cain outdueled Yovani Gallardo for Win #13 of the season as the Giants starter scattered two earned runs on four hits in seven innings. Gallardo allowed three earned runs on six hits in six innings, but was issued his 11th loss of the season. Juan Uribe hit a solo home run in the 4th inning while Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn added RBI doubles to lift San Francisco to its 75th win of the year. Prince Fielder and Felipe Lopez each drove in a run for the Brewers, but it was not enough as Milwaukee reached the 70-loss milestone. Brian Wilson gave up one hit in 1.2 innings and earned his 34th save of the season.

New York Yankees 6 Toronto Blue Jays 4- Andy Pettitte won his 4th straight start and improved to 13-6 on the season after holding Toronto to four earned runs on as many hits in six innings. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira blasted long balls for the Yankees, who won their 87th game of the year. Randy Ruiz hit his 6th home run of the season in the 4th inning for the Blue Jays, who fell to 60-75 on the season. Phil Hughes pitched the last 1.1 innings for New York to earn his third save of the year.

Chicago White Sox 5 Boston Red Sox 1- Gavin Floyd scattered one earned run on three hits in eight innings, retiring the first 17 batters en route to Win #11 of the season; Floyd struck out eleven and didn’t walk a batter. Mark Kotsay and Paul Konerko each hit a solo home run for the White Sox, who improved to 68-69 on the year; Konerko finished the game with 2 RBIs. Jason Bay scored the lone Boston run of the game with his 31st home run of the year in the 8th inning; the Red Sox suffered their 57th loss of the season.

Baltimore Orioles 5 Texas Rangers 4- Brian Matusz picked up his 3rd straight victory and improved to 4-2 as a starter, holding the Rangers to four earned runs on six hits in seven innings; Matusz walked one and struck out four. Melvin Mora and Nolan Reimold went deep for Baltimore, who improved to 55-81 on the year and avoided clinching a losing season (for now at least); Mora finished the game 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Marlon Byrd and David Murphy each drove in two runs for Texas, but it was not enough as the Rangers suffered their 59th loss of the season. Jim Johnson earned his 8th save of the year after closing the door on the Rangers in the 9th inning.

Minnesota Twins 4 Cleveland Indians 1- Scott Baker won his seventh straight decision and improved to 4-0 against the Indians after holding them to one earned run on three hits in six innings; Baker picked up his 13th win of the season. Nick Punto drove in two runs with a double in the 4th inning while Brendan Harris and Orlando Cabrera each hit a sacrifice fly to lift Minnesota to Win #68 of the year. Andy Marte blasted his 5th home run of the season in the 3rd inning for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Indians fell to 59-76 on the season. Joe Nathan earned his 36th save of the season after shutting down the Indians in the 9th inning.

Cincinnati Reds 3 Atlanta Braves 1- Kip Wells gave up just one hit in six scoreless innings as he won his first game in more than 16 months. Joey Votto hit a two-run home run in the 6th inning for Cincinnati, who extended its winning streak to six games. Scott Rolen singled in another run in the 6th for the Reds, who improved to 62-73 on the season. Nate McLouth singled in the only run of the game in the 7th inning for Atlanta, who suffered Loss #66 of the year. Francisco Cordero earned his 32nd save of the season after working the 9th inning for Cincinnati.

Houston Astros 5 Philadelphia Phillies 4- Houston went from a 4-3 deficit to a 5-4 win after Kazuo Matsui hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded. Hunter Pence drove in the other runs for Houston with a two-run blast in the 2nd and an RBI single in the 3rd. The Astros improved to 65-70 on the season. Ben Francisco, Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, and Pedro Feliz each drove in a run for Philadelphia, but it was not enough as the Phillies suffered their 56th loss of the year.

St. Louis Cardinals 2 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Albert Pujols’ pinch-hit home run in the 10th inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the St. Louis Cardinals to their 81st victory of the year, clinching a non-losing season. Ryan Franklin worked the 10th inning for St. Louis and earned his 37th save of the year. Lastings Milledge doubled in the only Pittsburgh run of the game in the 4th inning; the Pirates fell victim to their opponent for the 81st time this year, clinching a non-winning season.

Detroit Tigers 8 Tampa Bay Rays 6- Marcus Thames’ pinch-hit RBI single broke a 6-6 tie in the 8th inning and lifted the Detroit Tigers to Win #74 of the season. Placido Polanco and Alex Avila both went deep for Detroit, who trailed 4-1 after the first inning. Evan Longoria hit a three-run home run in that first inning for Tampa Bay, but the Rays ended up losing their 63rd game of the year. Brandon Lyon earned his second save of the season after shutting down the Rays in the 9th inning.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2 Kansas City Royals 1- Erick Aybar’s RBi single in the 11th inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Angels to the 80-win milestone; Aybar finished the game with three hits. Torii Hunter, who scored the winning run in the 11th inning, singled in the other Los Angeles run of the game in the 8th inning. Billy Butler drove in the only Kansas City run of the game in the 1st inning, but the Royals suffered Loss #84 of the season. Brian Fuentes worked the 11th inning for the Angels and picked up his 39th save in 44 chances.

Florida Marlins 9 Washington Nationals 5- Josh Johnson improved to 14-4 as a starter after scattering one earned run on two hits in five innings. Hanley Ramirez and Brett Hayes hit the long balls for the Marlins, who improved to 72-64 on the season. Josh Bard doubled in two runs for the Nationals in the 7th inning, but Washington ended up reaching the 90-loss milestone.

Colorado Rockies 4 Arizona Diamondbacks 1- Jose Contreras, who was acquired on Monday from the Chicago White Sox, gave up one earned run on eight hits in 6.2 innings, picking up the win. Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith each hit a solo home run while Todd Helton added two RBIs to lift the Rockies to their 76th victory of the season; Colorado remains one game ahead of San Francisco in the NL Wild Card. Seth Smith finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Brandon Allen scored the lone Diamondbacks run of the game with his third home run of the year, but it was not enough as Arizona fell to 61-76 on the season.

Oakland Athletics 9 Seattle Mariners 5- Brett Anderson picked up his 8th victory of the season after giving up three earned runs on seven hits in five innings. Cliff Pennington hit a two-run bomb in the 3rd inning to lift Oakland to the 60-win milestone. Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-5 with one run scored and now has 1,999 career hits. Mike Sweeney and Jose Lopez hit the long balls for the Mariners, but it was not enough as Seattle fell to 72-65 on the year. Andrew Bailey gave up the two-run home run to Jose Lopez, but managed to earn his 22nd save of the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 San Diego Padres 4- What’s better than joining the MLB’s 10-win club? How about joining the MLB’s 10-win club AND earning your 100th career major league victory on the same day? That’s what happened to Dodgers starter Randy Wolf, who scattered two earned runs on four hits in seven innings. Andre Ethier hit a solo home run and doubled in another run to lift Los Angeles to Win #81 of the year, clinching a non-losing season. Kevin Kouzmanoff, Adrian Gonzalez, and Edgar Gonzalez each drove in a run for the Padres, but San Diego ended up suffering its 77th loss of the year. Jonathan Broxton worked the 9th inning for the Dodgers and picked up his 32nd save of the season.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Cleveland Indians 4 Kansas City Royals 2- David Huff squandered two earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he picked up his 8th victory of the season. Grady Sizemore scored three runs, and Matt LaPorta hit a solo home run for the Indians, who improved to 56-70 on the season; it was LaPorta’s second long ball of the season. Mark Teahen and Miguel Olivo drove in the runs for Kansas City, who suffered Loss #78 of the year. Kerry Wood shut down the Royals in the 9th inning to earn his 16th save in 21 chances.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4 Detroit Tigers 2- Joe Saunders allowed two earned runs on four hits in five innings as he joined the MLB’s 10-win club; Saunders gave up a two-run blast to Adam Everett, but managed to strike out six. Torii Hunter hit a two-run home run of his own in the 1st inning to lift the Angels to their 75th win of the season. Kendry Morales and Chone Figgins each drove in a run for Los Angeles, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Detroit fell to 67-59 on the year as Brian Fuentes earned his 36th save of the season.

Boston Red Sox 3 Chicago White Sox 2- David Ortiz’s second home run of the game lifted the Boston Red Sox to their 73rd victory of the season; it was Ortiz’s 10th career walk-off long ball and a franchise-record 9th with Boston. Alex Gonzalez also went deep for the Red Sox. Tim Wakefield, fresh off the disabled list, gave up one earned run on six hits in seven innings, but did not factor into the decision because Ramon Ramirez gave up a solo home run to Chicago’s Scott Podsednik in the 8th inning. Instead, it was Daniel Bard who earned his first victory of the season after pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Paul Konerko tripled in the other run for Chicago, who fell to 63-64 on the year.

San Diego Padres 12 Atlanta Braves 5- Behind a six-run 6th inning, the San Diego Padres won their 54th game of the season. Tim Stauffer squandered three earned runs on six hits in five innings as he improved to 2-6 as a starter. Kevin Kouzmanoff added a two-run bomb in the 7th inning for San Diego, who will attempt its first series sweep since May 22-24 when the Padres downed the Chicago Cubs. Brian McCann hit a three-run blast for Atlanta, but it was not enough as the Braves reached the 60-loss milestone; McCann ended the game with 4 RBIs.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1- Ryan Howard’s three-run home run in the 10th inning lifted the defending World Series champions to their 73rd victory of the season. Chase Utley also went deep for Philadelphia, who won thirteen of its last sixteen games. Pittsburgh forced extra innings when Brandon Moss hit a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Despite blowing the save, Ryan Madson got credit for his 5th victory of the season. Pittsburgh fell to 52-72 on the year.

Florida Marlins 5 New York Mets 3- Josh Johnson scattered three earned runs on nine hits in six innings as he picked up his 13th win of the season; Johnson is now 19-2 in his career against the NL East. Ronny Paulino’s two-run blast in the 5th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted Florida to Win #67 of the year. Fernando Tatis, Anderson Hernandez, and Cory Sullivan drove in the runs for New York, who reached the 70-loss milestone. Leo Nunez shut down the Mets in the 9th inning to earn his 16th save of the season.

Chicago Cubs 9 Washington Nationals 4- Behind six runs in the 8th inning, the Chicago Cubs won their 63rd game of the season. Milton Bradley hit a home run and drove in three runs for Chicago. Angel Guzman was credited with his third victory of the season after pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Josh Willingham, Cristian Guzman, Wil Nieves, and Willie Harris drove in the runs for Washington, who fell to 45-82 and clinched a losing season.

St. Louis Cardinals 3 Houston Astros 2- Joel Pineiro allowed two earned runs on seven hits in eight innings as he improved to 13-9 as a starter. St. Louis scored all of its runs in the 1st inning on a Matt Holiday RBI single and a Mark DeRosa two-run double; the Cardinals improved to 74-54 on the season. Houston scored all of its runs in the 4th inning on Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee RBI singles. However, it was not enough as the Astros suffered their 65th loss of the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers 6 Colorado Rockies 1- Randy Wolf scattered one earned run on five hits in 7.1 innings as he picked up his 9th victory of the season; Wolf gave up a solo home run to Ryan Spilborghs. Los Angeles scored all of its runs off long balls as well: Andre Ethier drove in three runs with a pair of home runs while James Loney hit a three-run blast. The Dodgers improved to 75-52 on the season while the Rockies fell to 72-55. Los Angeles now has a three-game lead over Colorado in the NL West.

New York Yankees 9 Texas Rangers 2- Andy Pettitte tied Lefty Gomez for third place on the Yankees’ career win list, squandering two earned runs on five hits in seven innings; it was Pettitte’s 11th win of the year. Jorge Posada and Jerry Hairston Jr. hit the long balls for the Yankees, who won their 79th game of the season. The win, however, came at the expense of Jorge Posada, who left the game in the 8th inning after taking a foul ball off his hand. Daniel Murphy drove in both runs of the game for Texas, including one on a home run in the 7th inning. However, it was not enough as the Rangers fell to 70-55 on the season.

Toronto Blue Jays 3 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Trailing 2-1 in the middle of the 9th inning, Toronto scored two runs in the bottom half to earn Win #58 of the season. Rod Barajas tied the game on a pinch-hit home run off J.P. Howell, and Marco Scutaro won the game by touching home plate on a Howell wild pitch. It was Howell’s 7th blown save and 4th loss of the year. Two umpires got injured during this game: Jerry Crawford took a foul ball off his face mask while replacement Tom Hallion took a strikeout pitch on his chest. The Jays improved to 58-67 on the season while the Rays fell to 69-57.

Baltimore Orioles 5 Minnesota Twins 1- Jeremy Guthrie earned his 9th victory of the season after scattering one earned run on six hits in seven innings. Felix Pie hit a solo home run for the Orioles, who improved to 52-75 on the season. Justin Morneau doubled in the only Minnesota run of the game in the 4th inning; the Twins ended up losing their 64th game of the season.

Cincinnati Reds 4 Milwaukee Brewers 3- Darnell McDonald’s RBi double in the 10th inning lifted the Cincinnati Reds to their 54th victory of the season. McDonald also gunned down Ryan Braun at the plate in the bottom of the 9th inning. Laynce Nix hit a long ball for the Reds, who won their second straight game in extra innings. Milwaukee scored all three of its runs off home runs from Jody Gerut and Prince Fielder. It was not enough, however, as the Brewers fell to 61-65 on the season. Francisco Cordero recorded Save #27 of the year for Cincinnati.

San Francisco Giants 4 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Bengie Molina’s three-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning lifted the San Francisco Giants to their 69th win of the season. Juan Uribe also went deep for the Giants, who extended their winning streak to two games. Ryan Roberts hit a solo home run in the 1st inning for Arizona, but the Diamondbacks ended up suffering their 72nd loss of the year. Brandon Medders earned his first save of the season after shutting down the Diamondbacks in the 9th inning.

Seattle Mariners 5 Oakland Athletics 3- Luke French squandered three earned runs on six hits in 5.2 innings as he improved to 4-3 as a starter. Jose Lopez hit a two-run blast in the 1st inning for Seattle, who won its 66th game of the season. Oakland scored all three of its runs off long balls from Jack Cust and Kurt Suzuki, but it was not enough as the Athletics suffered Loss #71 of the year.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Milwaukee Brewers 7 Washington Nationals 3- Braden Looper squandered two earned runs on four hits in six innings as he improved to 11-6 as a starter; Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee homered for the Brewers, who won their 59th game of the season. Felipe Lopez drove in two more runs for Milwaukee, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman went deep for Washington, who fell to 43-79 on the season; Zimmerman finished the night with 2 RBIs.

Pittsburgh Pirates 5 Cincinnati Reds 2- Charlie Morton picked his up third victory of the season after scattering two earned runs on six hits in 6.1 innings. Garrett Jones and Lastings Milledge hit the long balls for Pittsburgh, who reached the 50-win milestone in 120 games. Matt Capps shut down the Reds in the 9th inning to earn his 23rd save of the year. Joey Votto and Chris Dickerson drove in the Cincinnati runs on groundouts.

Seattle Mariners 9 Cleveland Indians 4- Luke French improved to 3-3 as a starter, giving up three earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Josh Wilson, Jose Lopez, and Russell Branyan went deep for the Mariners, who improved to 63-59 on the season. Bill Hall, who was acquired from the Brewers on Wednesday, started in left field and went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Shin-Soo Choo and Andy Marte each drove in two runs for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Indians suffered their 69th loss of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays 5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4- Marc Rzepczynski won his second game of the season after scattering one earned run on three hits in 6.1 innings; Rzepczynski won for the first time in six starts. Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells each hit a solo home run for the Blue Jays, who improved to 56-64 on the season. The Angels made it a game when Mike Napoli hit a three-run blast in the top of the 9th inning to cut the Toronto lead to one. However, Casey Janssen prevailed with his first save of the season. Los Angeles fell to 73-47 on the year.

Houston Astros 1 Arizona Diamondbacks 0- Roy Oswalt squandered just three hits in seven innings as he picked up Win #7 of the season. Jeff Keppinger’s RBI double in the 5th inning drove in Hunter Pence and lifted the Astros to the 60-win milestone. Arizona starter Yusmeiro Petit gave up the one earned run on four hits in six innings; Petit was issued his 8th loss of the season. The Diamondbacks fell to 54-69 on the year, extending their losing streak to six games. Jose Valverde worked the 9th inning and earned his 19th save of the season.

New York Yankees 20 Boston Red Sox 11- Andy Pettitte squandered seven runs (only five were earned) on seven hits in five innings as he joined the MLB’s 10-win club. Hideki Matsui went deep twice for the Yankees, who improved to 77-45 on the season. Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell both homered in the 9th inning for Boston, but it was not enough as the Red Sox suffered their 52nd loss of the season. The Yankees have won fifteen of their last eighteen games, increasing their lead in the AL East to 7.5 games over the Red Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Texas Rangers 3- Scott Kazmir scattered three earned runs on five hits in 7.1 innings, picking up Win #8 of the season. Ben Zobrist and Carlos Pena hit back-to-back home runs in the 5th inning for the Rays, who won their 66th game of the season. The Rangers scored all three of their runs in the 8th inning, including one from a Taylor Teagarden solo home run. However, Texas fell to 68-53 on the year, staying one game behind Boston for the AL Wild Card lead.

Minnesota Twins 5 Kansas City Royals 4- Kansas City’s Brayan Pena hit a solo shot in the 9th inning to level the score at four and send the game into extra innings. In the 10th inning, however, Orlando Cabrera hit an RBI triple that scored Alexei Casilla and lifted the Twins to their 58th win of the year. Joe Nathan blew the save in the 9th inning, but ended up winning his second game of the season. Billy Butler and David DeJesus hit solo shots for Kansas City, who took a 3-0 lead after three innings; however, it was not enough as the Royals suffered their 73rd loss of the year.

Baltimore Orioles 5 Chicago White Sox 1- Having already homered in the 3rd inning, Brian Roberts hit another ball out of the park to break a 1-1 tie and lift the Orioles to the 50-win milestone. Jeremy Guthrie, who had lost his last four games, went seven innings, allowing one earned run on six hits en route to his eighth victory of the season. Jim Thome scored the only White Sox run of the game when he hit his 23rd long ball of the season in the 4th inning; it was not enough, however, as Chicago reached the 60-loss milestone.

San Francisco Giants 6 Colorado Rockies 3- A pair of three-run innings lifted the San Francisco Giants to their 67th victory of the season. Jonathan Sanchez gave up one unearned run on two hits in five innings as he won his sixth game of the season. Aaron Rowand hit a three-run home run in the 4th inning for the Giants, who now lie one game behind the Rockies for the NL Wild Card lead. Seth Smith went deep for Colorado, who suffered Loss #54 of the year.

San Diego Padres 4 St. Louis Cardinals 0- Clayton Richard scattered five hits in six scoreless innings as he won his third straight decision. Nick Hundley’s three-run blast in the 2nd inning propelled the Padres to their 52nd victory of the season. Kevin Kouzmanoff singled in the other run for San Diego in the 8th inning. Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse left the game with a groin injury sustained after hitting a single in the 5th inning. St. Louis had won its last nine games against San Diego before falling to 70-54 on the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2 Chicago Cubs 1- Randy Wolf registered as many hits as he allowed in seven innings; Wolf went 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs while squandering one earned run on one hit. Wolf doubled in Russell Martin and Orlando Hudson in the 2nd inning to account for all of Los Angeles’ runs of the game. Wolf gave up an RBI single to Ryan Theriot, who drove in Sam Fuld in the 3rd inning. The Dodgers improved to 73-50 on the year while the Cubs fell to 61-59. Chicago starter Randy Wells gave up the two unearned runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings; he was issued his 6th loss of the season.

New York Mets 4 Philadelphia Phillies 2- Mike Pelfrey gave up two earned runs on six hits in six innings as he picked up his 9th victory of the season. Jeff Francoeur homered in the 3rd inning for the Mets, who improved to 57-65 on the season. Pelfrey outdueled Cole Hamels, who scattered four earned runs on ten hits on his way to his 8th loss of the season. Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz singled in the runs for Philadelphia, who reached the 50-loss milestone.

Florida Marlins 5 Atlanta Braves 3- Hanley Ramirez extended his career-high hitting streak to sixteen games, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, two of which came off a home run in the 7th inning. Jeremy Hermida also hit a long ball in the 7th inning for Florida, who improved to 65-57 on the season. Anibal Sanchez picked up his second victory of the year after giving up one earned run on two hits in six innings. Adam LaRoche provided all the scoring for the Braves, hitting a three-run blast in the 7th inning; it was not enough, however, as Atlanta fell to 64-58 on the year.

Detroit Tigers 3 Oakland Athletics 2- Edwin Jackson joined the MLB’s 10-win club, scattering two earned runs on six hits in six innings. Ryan Raburn hit two long balls for the Tigers, who improved to 65-56 on the season. Clete Thomas also drove in a run for Detroit. Jack Cust and Rajai Davis drove in the runs for the Athletics, who suffered their 68th loss of the season. Fernando Rodney worked the 9th inning and earned his 26th save of the year.

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo Source: www.photobucket.com

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8 Kansas City Royals 5 (Game 1)- Ervin Santana allowed five earned runs on eight hits in six innings, but was able to pick up his third win of the season. Mike Napoli’s long ball in the 6th inning tied the game at 5, and the Angels would score three more to improve to 53-38 on the year. Billy Butler went deep in the 5th inning for the Royals, who lost their 55th game of the season.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10 Kansas City Royals 2 (Game 2)- Sean O’Sullivan squandered two earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings as he won his third game of the season. Kansas City scored the first two runs of the game, but a Robb Quinlan long ball in the 3rd inning started the 10-run rally for the Angels, who improved to 54-38 on the season. Erick Aybar registered seven hits in the doubleheader.

Atlanta Braves 8 San Francisco Giants 1- Derek Lowe allowed one earned run on seven hits in six innings as he improved to 9-7 as a starter. Brian McCann hit a three-run blast in the fourth inning for Atlanta, who won its 48th game of the season. The lone Giants run came off the bat of Juan Uribe, whose RBI single in the 5th inning scored Matt Downs.

Washington Nationals 4 New York Mets 0- John Lannan pitched a complete game seven-hitter to earn his seventh victory of the season; it was his first career shutout. Alberto Gonzalez, Wil Nieves, Adam Dunn, and Josh Willingham each drove in a run for the Nationals, who improved to 27-66 on the year. With this win, Washington snapped a six-game losing skid.

Milwaukee Brewers 2 Pittsburgh Pirates 0- Braden Looper squandered four hits in seven innings as he won his ninth game of the season. The Brewers scored both of their runs the same way: Prince Fielder singled in Craig Counsell and advanced Ryan Braun to third base. Pittsburgh starter Virgil Vasquez allowed the two earned runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings as he lost his fourth consecutive start.

Cleveland Indians 2 Toronto Blue Jays 1- Cliff Lee pitched the whole game, allowing one earned run on seven hits; the one run came off the bat of Scott Rolen, whose 7th inning blast gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. However, in the top of the 9th inning, Victor Martinez’s two-run double scored Grady Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera, allowing Lee to earn his sixth victory of the season.

Detroit Tigers 9 Seattle Mariners 7- Rick Porcello allowed five earned runs on nine hits in five innings, but it was good enough for him to pick up win #9 on the year. Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, and Miguel Cabrera all homered for the Tigers, who improved to 49-42 on the year. Jack Hannahan went deep twice while Ryan Langerhans and Wladimir Balentien each hit one long ball for Seattle, but it wasn’t enough as the Mariners fell to 49-44 on the season.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 Chicago Cubs 1- Jayson Werth’s three-run blast in the 13th inning lifted the Phillies to their tenth consecutive victory, their longest winning streak in eighteen years. Jimmy Rollins also went deep for Philadelphia, who improved to 53-38 on the season. Kosuke Fukudome doubled in the lone Chicago run in the 4th inning.

Houston Astros 11 St. Louis Cardinals 6- Wandy Rodriguez allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings as he picked up his tenth victory of the season. Carlos Lee hit a grand slam while Hunter Pence and Geoff Blum also went deep for the Astros, who improved to 48-46 on the year. Mark DeRosa went deep twice while Ryan Ludwick hit a three-run blast for St. Louis, who fell to 51-45 on the season.

New York Yankees 6 Baltimore Orioles 4- Sergio Mitre allowed four runs (only three were earned) on eight hits in 5.2 innings as he won his first game in two years. Robinson Cano hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning for New York, who took a one-game lead over Boston in the AL East. Mariano Rivera worked the 9th inning and earned his 27th save of the season.

Texas Rangers 4 Boston Red Sox 2- Tommy Hunter squandered just one earned run on four hits in six innings as he improved to 2-1 as a starter; Hunter outdueled Josh Beckett, who pitched all eight half-innings during which the Rangers were batting. With this loss, the Red Sox have lost four in a row and dropped out of first place in the AL East. C.J. Wilson allowed one run in the 9th inning, but was able to earn his 9th save of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 3 Chicago White Sox 2- A two-run 9th inning propelled the Rays to their 52nd victory of the season. Tampa Bay didn’t even score their runs off hits; instead, two sacrifice flies and a bases-loaded walk were good enough for the Rays to achieve yet another come-from-behind victory. Jeff Niemann allowed two earned runs on eight hits in eight innings, but prevailed with his ninth victory of the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks 6 Colorado Rockies 5- Justin Upton drove in the first three runs for Arizona, who trailed 4-3 heading into the 7th inning. Miguel Montero scored the tying run on a Stephen Drew RBI single and hit the game-winning two-run blast in the 8th inning to lift the Diamondbacks to their 40th victory of the season. Chad Qualls shut down the Rockies in the 9th inning to earn his 18th save of the season. Troy Tulowitzki went deep in the 2nd inning for the Rockies, who fell to 51-43 on the season.

Minnesota Twins 3 Oakland Athletics 2- Michael Cuddyer finally got his revenge after being called out on a disputed play at the plate. His RBI-triple in the 10th inning scored Joe Mauer, lifting the Twins to their 48th victory of the season. Joe Nathan closed the door on the Athletics in the bottom of the 10th inning to earn his 26th save of the season.

Florida Marlins 3 San Diego Padres 2- For the second consecutive day, the Marlins defeated the Padres by a score of 3 to 2. Chris Volstad allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings en route to his seventh victory of the season. Leo Nunez worked the 9th inning for Florida and allowed a home run to Kyle Blanks; fortunately for Nunez, he prevailed with his sixth save of the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 12 Cincinnati Reds 3- Rafael Furcal went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored, leading his Dodgers to their 60th victory of the season; he hit a two-run blast in the 5th inning to give the Dodgers a 12-1 lead. However, the win came at a cost as Manny Ramirez was hit on his left hand by a Homer Bailey pitch in the third inning; he went to the hospital for X-rays, which were negative, and is listed as day-to-day. Randy Wolf improved to 5-4 as a starter after giving up two earned runs on four hits in 7.1 innings. Matt Kemp also went deep for the Dodgers in the 2nd inning. Jonny Gomes and Joey Votto went deep for the Reds, who fell to 44-49 on the year.

www.photobucket.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks turned an inning-ending double-play in the top of the 2nd inning, but it actually helped their opponents, the Los Angeles Dodgers, win the game.

With one out in the top of the 2nd inning, Andre Ethier stood on 3rd base while Juan Pierre was on 2nd. Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf stepped up to the plate and nailed a line drive that was caught by Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren. Haren then proceeded to toss the ball to second baseman Felipe Lopez, who tagged out Pierre for the third out. Inning over, right?

Not yet. Watch the controversy that ensues after the double play:

Because Ethier touched home plate before Lopez applied the tag, the run counted, and the game was tied at one. The Diamondbacks could have appealed the run by throwing to third base, but failed to do so before heading towards the dugout.

In the top of the 3rd inning, James Loney singled to drive in Rafael Furcal for the go-ahead run. The Dodgers added an insurance run when Matt Kemp doubled to deep left field, scoring Russell Martin from first base.