-Jon Morosi is claiming that the Pittsburgh Pirates are close to acquiring OF Ryan Ludwick from the San Diego Padres. Many other sources agree with this report.

-However, Jon Heyman believes that Cleveland is still in the hunt for Ludwick’s services. The two sides were said to be near a trade earlier, but Cleveland balked at some of San Diego’s demands.

-While the Wandy Rodriguez deal appears to be dead, the Yankees are trying to pull-off one more deal at the final minute. Jayson Stark confirms the Bronx Bombers have called the Rockies about a potential deal for Ian Stewart, who would be used in a utility infielder role.

Just a little time left! Keep it with us on Twitter!

-Jon Heyman is still working the wires, reporting that the Arizona Diamondbacks will likely make a trade for Athletics reliever Brad Ziegler. Ziegler, 31, is 3-2 this season with one save.

-It should also be noted that it is widely speculated that the Athletics may move several more members of their bullpen, with Grant Balfour’s name being thrown around often by many analysts.

-Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports claims that the Cleveland Indians are moving in on a deal to acquire San Diego’s Ryan Ludwick. The Pittsburgh Pirates also remain in the hunt for the veteran outfielder.

-On the Wandy Rodriguez front, it appears that there is a 50/50 chance a deal can get done today, according to Jon Morosi. The New York Yankees appear most willing to make a deal, but expect the Astros to pick up the extra cash that would be moved in the deal.

-It should be noted that through their trades made over the past several days, the Astros have already moved several million dollars, alongside acquiring 10 minor league prospects as it is.

We’ll have more throughout the day, so stick with us on Twitter.

-Ken Rosenthal has been all over the Yankees over the past several hours. His latest tweet claims that the Bronx Bombers are interested in Astros ace Wandy Rodriguez.

-There are a few major hangups with Rodriguez, however. It is believed that the Astros want “impact” prospects, which from the Yankees perspective could mean C Jesus Montero, or possibly the highly-regarded relievers Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances. One could also make the claim for P Ivan Nova, who just yesterday picked up a victory in a 17-3 routing of the Baltimore Orioles.

-It should be noted the Yankees were reluctant in parting with any of those four in a proposed Ubaldo Jimenez deal, so the likelihood of dealing them in a Wandy Rodriguez trade could seem redundant.

-Alongside, the team receiving Rodriguez would likely be required to pay a majority of the almost $39 million that he is owed through 2014. That, however, is contingent on him exercising his player option.

-As we stated earlier, the Yanks also hold “high interest” in Padres closer Heath Bell. It is said that the Padres have realized they need to move him now before his value decreases later on, and will be actively shopping him throughout the afternoon.

-Joel Sherman, however, believes that the deal could be a long-shot because both sides must find common ground. The Rangers and Phillies may also hold interest, though that of the former may have dwindled after the acquisition of Koji Uehara.

Keep up with SFC on Twitter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pittsburgh Pirates 6 Philadelphia Phillies 4- Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off two-run home run to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to their 52nd win of the year. Philadelphia actually led 4-3 in the middle of the 9th, scoring two in the top half to force a bottom half. Nevertheless, the Phillies ended up losing their 51st game of the year. Ryan Doumit and Steve Pearce also went deep for Pittsburgh. Jimmy Rollins went deep twice for Philadelphia.

Florida Marlins 2 New York Mets 1- Sean West squandered one earned run on six hits in six innings as he picked up his 5th victory of the season. Dan Uggla and Ross Gload drove in the runs for the Marlins, who improved to 66-59 on the season. Fernando Tatis singled in the only run for New York, who not only lost Johan Santana for the season, but also its 69th game of the year. Leo Nunez pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 15th save of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 1 Houston Astros 0- Adam Wainwright scattered three hits in eight scoreless innings as he joined the MLB’s 15-win club. Albert Pujols doubled in the only run of the game in the 1st inning for St. Louis, who improved to 73-54 on the season. Ryan Franklin shut down the Astros in the 9th inning to earn his 33rd save of the year. Wandy Rodriguez gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings, but was issued his 8th loss of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 7 Toronto Blue Jays 3- Carlos Pena went deep not once, but twice to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to their 69th win of the season; Pena, who has 37 home runs on the year, registered his 4th multihomer game of the season. James Shields won his 8th game of the year after allowing three earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings. Aaron Hill and Travis Snider went deep for the Blue Jays, but it was not enough as Toronto suffered Loss #67 of the season.

Boston Red Sox 6 Chicago White Sox 3- Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 55th base of the season, setting a franchise record for stolen bases in a season. Jason Bay hit a solo home run in the 8th inning for the Red Sox, who improved to 72-53 on the year. Jonathan Papelbon worked the 9th inning and joined the MLB’s 30-save club. Jayson Nix homered for Chicago, but it was not enough as the White Sox suffered their 63rd loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 2 Atlanta Braves 1- David Eckstein’s RBI double in the 12th inning lifted the San Diego Padres to their 53rd win of the season. Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning for the Padres; it was his 34th long ball of the season. Atlanta forced extra innings when Adam LaRoche singled in the 9th inning to drive in Reid Gorecki. However, it was not enough as the Braves fell to 66-59 on the season. Edward Mujica pitched a 1-2-3 12th inning to earn his second save of the season.

Cincinnati Reds 8 Milwaukee Brewers 6- Joey Votto and Laynce Nix hit solo home runs in the top of the 13th inning to lift the Reds to Win #53 of the season; Nix also hit a two-run blast in the 7th inning for Cincinnati. Milwaukee actually trailed 6-1 in the middle of the 9th inning, but a five-run 9th forced extra innings. Felipe Lopez hit a solo blast for Milwaukee in the 3rd inning, but the Brewers ended up losing their 64th game of the year.

Washington Nationals 15 Chicago Cubs 6- Garrett Mock won his third game of the season after giving up four earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. Josh Willingham homered twice while Elijah Dukes went deep once for the Nationals, who won their 45th game of the season and avoided clinching a losing season (for now at least). Carlos Zambrano was issued his 5th loss of the season after squandering eight earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings; Zambrano actually scored the first run for Chicago on a solo home run in the 3rd inning. Milton Bradley and Jake Fox also went deep for Chicago, but the Cubs ended up suffering Loss #61 of the year.

Colorado Rockies 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 4- For the second night in a row, the Colorado Rockies won in extra innings in walk-off fashion. Troy Tulowitzki’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Rockies to their 72nd win of the season. Matt Herges picked up the win after pitching a perfect 10th inning for the Rockies, who are now two games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes hit the long balls for Colorado, and Troy Tulowitzki drove in the other two runs for the Rockies. Casey Blake hit a solo home run for Los Angeles, who forced extra innings by scoring two runs in the top of the 9th inning. However, it was not enough as the Dodgers suffered their 52nd loss of the year.

San Francisco Giants 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- With the score tied at two in the bottom of the 8th inning, Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run blast to lift San Francisco to Win #68 of the season. Juan Uribe hit a solo home run for San Francisco in the 2nd inning; it was Uribe’s 7th long ball of the season. Stephen Drew and Ryan Roberts each drove in two runs for Arizona, but it was not enough as the Diamondbacks fell to 55-71 on the year. Sergio Romo recorded the final out of the game and earned his 2nd save in as many chances.

Seattle Mariners 4 Oakland Athletics 2- Ryan Langerhans’s walk-off two-run home run in the 10th inning lifted the Seattle Mariners to their 65th win of the season. Russell Branyan also went deep for Seattle in the 2nd inning. Mark Lowe worked the 10th inning for Seattle and earned his second win of the season. Scott Hairston and Adam Kennedy drove in the runs for the Athletics, but Oakland ended up reaching the 70-loss milestone.

Texas Rangers 10 New York Yankees 9- Elvis Andrus turned an unassisted double play to preserve the Rangers’ 10-9 victory over the Yankees. Texas scored five runs in the 4th inning en route to reaching the 70-win milestone. The Yankees scored four in the 1st inning and 4 in the 9th, but it was not enough as New York fell to 78-47 on the year. Nelson Cruz and Michael Young went deep for Texas while Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano hit the long balls for New York.

Kansas City Royals 6 Cleveland Indians 2- Zack Greinke struck out a team-record fifteen in eight innings as he improved to 12-8 as a starter. Miguel Olivo and Mitch Maier hit the long balls for Kansas City, who improved to 48-77 on the season; it was Maier’s first major league long ball since 2006. Andy Marte went deep for the Indians, but it was not enough as Cleveland reached the 70-loss milestone.

Minnesota Twins 7 Baltimore Orioles 6- Delmon Young went 4-for-5 with two runs scored; his final hit of the game was a walk-off single that drove in Michael Cuddyer and lifted the Twins to their 63rd victory of the year. Justin Morneau hit a long ball in the 3rd inning for the Twins, who extended their winning streak to five as they climbed back up to .500. Michael Aubrey drove in three runs for the Orioles, but it was not enough as Baltimore fell to 51-75 on the season.

Detroit Tigers 5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Jarrod Washburn improved to 9-7 as a starter after scattering three earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera each hit a solo home run for the Tigers, who improved to 67-58 on the season; Cabrera ended the game with 2 RBIs. The Angels scored all three of their runs on a Howie Kendrick home run in the 2nd inning, but it was not enough as Los Angeles reached the 50-loss milestone. Fernando Rodney shut down the Angels in the 9th inning and earned his 28th save of the season.

Photo Source: Photobucket

Cincinnati Reds 2 San Francisco Giants 1- Drew Stubbs found the perfect time to hit his first career long ball. His walk-off blast in the 10th inning lifted the Cincinnati Reds to their 51st victory of the season. Laynce Nix also went deep for the Reds, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Juan Uribe scored San Francisco’s lone run of the game on an Aaron Harang wild pitch. Matt Cain gave up one earned run on eight hits in eight innings, but did not receive a decision; Cain is still 1-1 in three career starts at the Great American Ball Park.

Detroit Tigers 7 Seattle Mariners 6- Down 6-5 in the middle of the 9th, the Tigers scored two runs in the bottom half of that inning to improve to 64-56 on the season. Brandon Inge’s sacrifice fly tied the game at six, and Clete Thomas’ RBI single won the game for Detroit. Inge and Ryan Raburn homered for the Tigers. Jose Lopez, Kenji Johjima, Mike Sweeney, and Russell Branyan went deep for the Mariners, who suffered their 59th loss of the year.

Colorado Rockies 4 Washington Nationals 1- Jason Hammel gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season. Carlos Gonzalez, Yorvit Torrealba, Troy Tulowitzki, and Brad Hawpe each drove in a run for the Rockies, who improved to 68-53. Colorado completed a three-game sweep of the Nationals, who suffered their 78th loss of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies 12 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Joe Blanton scattered three earned runs on ten hits in eight innings as he improved to 8-6 as a starter. Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz, and Ryan Howard went deep for Philadelphia, who completed a three-game sweep of Arizona. The Phillies improved to 69-49 on the season, winning their 4th straight game and eight of their last nine.

Atlanta Braves 3 New York Mets 2- Kenshin Kawakami outdueled Johan Santana as the Braves earned Win #64 of the season. Kawakami gave up one earned run on seven hits in seven innings as he improved to 6-9 on the season. Brian McCann hit his 15th long ball of the year in the 4th inning for the Braves, who have won nine of their last twelve games. Santana scattered three earned runs on nine hits in seven innings, but was issued his ninth loss of the year.

Houston Astros 4 Florida Marlins 1- Wandy Rodriguez earned his 12th win of the season after giving up one unearned run on four hits in eight innings; Rodriguez also doubled in a run for Houston in the 5th inning. Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence went deep for the Astros, who improved to 59-62 on the year. Dan Uggla drove in the lone Florida run of the game with a fielder’s choice in the first inning. The Marlins mustered just four hits during the game, ending their streak of 10-hit games at fifteen.

Cleveland Indians 11 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Justin Masterson scattered one unearned run on three hits in 6.1 innings on his way to Win #4 of the season. Matt LaPorta went 1-for-3 with 1 run scored and a career-high 3 RBIs as he helped the Indians earn their 52nd win of the season. Kendry Morales hit a long ball in the 8th inning for Los Angeles, but it was not enough as the Angels fell to 73-46 on the season.

Boston Red Sox 8 Toronto Blue Jays 1- Jon Lester squandered one earned run on three hits in eight innings as he joined the MLB’s 10-win club. J.D. Drew homered twice while Victor Martinez went deep once for the Red Sox, who won their 69th game of the season. Boston completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, who fell to 55-64. Rod Barajas drove in the lone Toronto run of the game when he grounded into a double play in the 1st inning.

Baltimore Orioles 8 Tampa Bay Rays 7- Brian Matusz scattered four earned runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings as he picked up his second win of the year. Brian Roberts hit his 4th career grand slam and Nolan Reimold added a three-run blast to lift the Orioles to their 49th victory of the season. Ben Zobrist hit the long ball for the Rays, but it was not enough as Tampa Bay fell to 65-55 on the year.

Texas Rangers 11 Minnesota Twins 1- Derek Holland gave up one earned run on seven hits in 5.1 innings as he improved to 7-7 as a starter. Marlon Byrd homered twice while Julio Borbon and Nelson Cruz each went deep once for Texas, who improved to 68-52 on the season; for Borbon, it was his first career major-league home run. With this win, the Rangers stayed within one game of Boston for the AL Wild Card lead. Delmon Young scored the lone Minnesota run on a solo shot in the 5th inning.

St. Louis Cardinals 5 San Diego Padres 1- Joel Pineiro squandered one earned run on four hits in 7.2 innings as he won his 12th game of the season. Brendan Ryan’s grand slam in the second inning propelled the Cardinals to the 70-win milestone, increasing their NL Central lead to a season-high seven games over the Chicago Cubs. Yadier Molina drove in the other run for St. Louis, who has won 16 of its last 21 games. Kyle Blanks hit a solo shot for San Diego in the 2nd inning, but the Padres ended up losing their 72nd game of the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 Chicago Cubs 2- Russell Martin’s grand slam in the 6th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Dodgers to Win #72 of the season; it was Martin’s second career home run with the bases loaded. Andre Ethier, Rafael Furcal, and Casey Blake drove in the other runs for Los Angeles, who had scored at most three runs in five of their last seven games. Kosuke Fukudome homered for Chicago, who fell to 61-58 on the year.

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Washington Nationals 9 Arizona Diamondbacks 2- J.D. Martin won his first game of the season after giving up one earned run on five hits in five innings. Adam Dunn hit a two-run blast in the 1st inning for Washington, who reached the 40-win milestone after winning eight straight games. Arizona scored both of their runs off solo blasts from Trent Oeltjen and Mark Reynolds, but the Diamondbacks ended up losing their 62nd game of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 3- Down 3-0 after three innings, the St. Louis Cardinals stormed back with seven unanswered runs to take their 62nd win of the season. Skip Schumaker’s first career pinch-hit long ball drove in two of the five St. Louis runs in the 8th inning. Matt Capps was ejected in the 8th inning after hitting Albert Pujols with a pitch; Capps ended up losing his seventh game of the year.

Houston Astros 2 Milwaukee Brewers 0- Wandy Rodriguez improve to 11-6 as a starter after giving up five hits in seven shutout innings. Houston scored both of their runs off the bat of Geoff Blum, who hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning. Jose Valverde recorded the final four outs for Houston and earned his 15th save of the season. Both teams now stand at 55-56 on the year.

Detroit Tigers 8 Minnesota Twins 7- Marcus Thames and Miguel Cabrera went deep for the Tigers, who improved to 59-51 on the year. Michael Cuddyer hit two home runs while Delmon Young hit one long ball for the Twins, who suffered their 57th loss of the season. Fernando Rodney worked the 9th inning and gave up a solo shot to Cuddyer, but ended up earning Save #23 of the year.

Toronto Blue Jays 7 Baltimore Orioles 3- Roy Halladay gave up three runs (two earned) on nine hits in eight innings as he picked up his 12th victory of the season. Kevin Millar, Marco Scutaro, and Vernon Wells all went deep for the Blue Jays, who improved to 53-57 on the year. Luke Scott, Cesar Izturis, and Melvin Mora each drove in one run for the Orioles, who suffered their 65th loss of the season.

Florida Marlins 12 Philadelphia Phillies 3- Josh Johnson gave up one earned run on four hits in six innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Wes Helms hit a long ball in the 9th inning for Florida, who improved to 58-53 on the year. Pedro Feliz hit a two-run blast in the 7th inning for Philadelphia, who suffered its 48th loss of the season. With this win, Florida moved to within four games of the Phillies for 1st in the NL East.

Cleveland Indians 8 Chicago White Sox 4- David Huff gave up four earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings as he improved to 6-6 as a starter. Jamey Carroll hit a long ball for Cleveland in the 7th inning as he helped the Indians earn Win #48 of the year; Carroll ended the game with 3 RBIs. A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez went deep for Chicago, who fell to 57-55 on the season.

Oakland Athletics 6 Kansas City Royals 3- Brett Anderson picked up his seventh victory of the season, giving up three earned runs on six hits in six innings. The Athletics scored all of their runs off home runs: two from Bobby Crosby, one from Ryan Sweeney, and one from Kurt Suzuki; Oakland improved to 49-62 with the win. Andrew Bailey pitched a scoreless 9th inning and earned his 16th save of the season.

Texas Rangers 7 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0- Derek Holland pitched a complete game three-hitter on his way to Win #5 of the season; Holland struck out eight before earning his first career shutout. Taylor Teagarden and Marlon Byrd went deep for Texas, who improved to 62-48 on the year. With this win, the Rangers lie 3.5 games behind the Angels for 1st place in the AL West.

Colorado Rockies 11 Chicago Cubs 5- Jason Hammel squandered three earned runs on eleven hits in five innings as he was credited with his seventh victory of the season. Todd Helton went 3-for-4 for with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored to extend his hitting streak to fourteen games. Dexter Fowler scored three times for Colorado, who improved to 61-50 on the season.

New York Mets 5 San Diego Padres 1- Johan Santana gave up one earned run on five hits in eight innings as he picked up his 13th victory of the year; Santana also went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. The Mets, who improved to 52-59 on the season, won just three times in their last eleven games. San Diego got its only run in the 6th inning on a Chase Headley RBI single; the Padres fell to 47-66 on the year.

Cincinnati Reds 5 San Francisco Giants 2- Aaron Harang gave up two earned runs on seven hits in seven innings as he won his sixth game of the season; both San Francisco runs were scored when Pablo Sandoval grounded into double plays. Brandon Phillips and Adam Rosales went deep for the Reds, who improved to 48-62 on the year. Francisco Cordero worked the 9th inning and earned his 24th save of the season.

Atlanta Braves 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 2- Javier Vazquez won his fifth straight game and tenth this season after giving up one earned run on five hits in eight innings. Matt Diaz went deep in the 2nd inning for Atlanta, who improved to 58-54 on the year. Casey Blake and Matt Kemp drove in the runs for the Dodgers, who lost their 45th game of the season; neither player reached base when registering an RBI.

Seattle Mariners 11 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up two earned runs on six hits in 6.2 innings as he won his second game of the season; the only runs Rowland-Smith gave up came off the bat of Dioner Navarro, who hit a two-run blast in the second inning. Russell Branyan hit his first grand slam in six years to lift the Mariners to their 58th win of the year. Franklin Gutierrez also went deep for Seattle.

New York Yankees 5 Boston Red Sox 2- Back-to-back home runs from Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeria lifted the New York Yankees to Win #69 of the year. With this win, the Yankees completed a four-game sweep over their rivals, which had not occurred in 24 years. Alex Rodriguez also homered for New York. The Red Sox scored their only runs in the 8th inning when Victor Martinez hit a two-run blast to give Boston a 2-1 lead. Nevertheless, the Red Sox suffered their 48th loss of the season.

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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.

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St. Louis Cardinals 11 Detroit Tigers 2- Albert Pujols homered for the fifth time in as many games, helping the Cardinals improve their record to 35-30. Adam Wainwright allowed one earned run on six hits in seven innings for St. Louis. Tigers starter Justin Verlander allowed five earned runs on eight hits in just four innings of work; Verlander was issued his third loss of the season. Chris Duncan also homered for the Cardinals. For Detroit, their only runs were scored off solo shots from Brandon Inge and Miguel Cabrera.

Minnesota Twins 8 Pittsburgh Pirates 2- Right off the disabled list, Glen Perkins won his first start, going six innings while allowing just two earned runs on seven hits; Perkins struck out four in the process. Joe Mauer’s second four-hit game of the season brought the Twins back up to the .500 mark. Nyjer Morgan’s two-run blast to right field accounted for the only Pirate runs of the game.

Kansas City Royals 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 0- Gil Meche allowed just four hits en route to his third career shutout; he struck out six in the process. Meche, who threw a career-high 132 pitches, improved to 14-4 in interleague play; he has not allowed a run in his last two starts. Royals third baseman Mark Teahen went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI; he also scored one run for Kansas City.

Toronto Blue Jays 8 Philadelphia Phillies 3- Heading into the top of the 9th inning, the Phillies led 3-2 thanks to a two-run blast from Jayson Werth in the 6th inning. However, Ryan Madson walked Lyle Overbay with the bases loaded, allowing the Blue Jays to tie the game at three. In the 10th inning, Toronto exploded for five runs as the Blue Jays went on to win their 35th game of the season.

Texas Rangers 6 Houston Astros 1- Ivan Rodriguez tied Carlton Fisk’s record of most career MLB games behind the plate; Fisk and Rodriguez both stand at 2,226 games. However, Ian Kinsler’s pair of long balls helped the Rangers improve to 36-27 on the season. In his previous eight games, Kinsler had gone 4-for-33 with zero RBIs. Rangers starter Kevin Millwood allowed just one earned run on four hits in seven innings; the lone Astros run came off the bat of Ivan Rodriguez, who hit his 6th home run of the year. Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez allowed six earned runs on six hits in just four innings; he was issued his 6th loss of the year.

Boston Red Sox 8 Florida Marlins 2- 42-year old Tim Wakefield earned his 9th win of the season as his Red Sox improved to 39-25 on the season. Wakefield allowed just two earned runs on six hits in six innings of work on the mound; he struck out four in the process. David Ortiz hit his 5th home run of the year in the 4th inning. Chris Coghlan drove in both runs for the Marlins.

New York Yankees 5 Washington Nationals 3- Robinson Cano’s double in the 7th inning broke the 3-3 tie and propelled the Yankees to their 37th victory of the season. Yankees’ starter C.C. Sabathia allowed three earned runs on six hits in 7.2 innings; the three runs he allowed came off the bat of Anderson Hernandez, whose first long ball of the year gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead in the 5th inning. Derek Jeter left the game in the 8th inning with left ankle soreness.

Milwaukee Brewers 7 Cleveland Indians 5- The Brewers continued their winnings ways with another two-run victory over the Cleveland Indians. Yovani Gallardo allowed six walks, but his eight strikeouts in five innings helped him earn his 7th victory of the season. Mark DeRosa hit a solo home run in the 1st inning and drove in another run in the 6th inning. Travis Hafner’s two-run blast in the 9th inning cut the Milwaukee lead to two, but it wasn’t enough as the Brew Crew improved their record to 36-29.

New York Mets 6 Baltimore Orioles 4- Similar to how Luis Castillo’s dropped popup cost the Mets a game, Aubrey Huff’s dropped popup may have cost the Orioles this game. Huff’s 7th inning blunder allowed the Mets to score two unearned runs, which turned out to be the difference between the two baseball clubs after nine innings. Nick Markakis hit his 8th home run of the year in the 6th inning.

Tampa Bay Rays 12 Colorado Rockies 4- The Colorado Rockies couldn’t continue their winning ways as they fell victim to the Tampa Bay Rays. With an eight-run victory over the Rockies, the Rays ended Colorado’s 11-game winning streak. Gabe Kapler, Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, and Evan Longoria all homered for Tampa as they improved to 35-31 on the season.

Cincinnati Reds 7 Atlanta Braves 2- In the only non-interleague game of the day, the Cincinnati Reds, thanks to a four-run eighth inning, improved to 32-31 with a five-run victory over the Atlanta Braves. The Braves managed twelve hits against the Reds, but they left five runners in scoring position. Brandon Phillips and Laynce Nix each had three hits for the Reds.

Seattle Mariners 5 San Diego Padres 0- Felix Hernandez pitched a two-hit complete game shutout to lead his Mariners to their 31st win of the season; it was Hernandez’s third career shutout and sixth career complete game. Franklin Gutierrez and Adrian Beltre both hit solo blasts for the Mariners, who were only able to muster three hits off San Diego; the other hit came in the 9th inning when Ken Griffey Jr.’s RBI single scored Felix Hernandez and Russell Branyan. The two San Diego hits came from Kevin Kouzmanoff and Tony Gwynn.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8 San Francisco Giants 1- For the second game in a row, the San Francisco Giants gave up at least eight runs to the Angels. Angels starter Sean O’Sullivan made his MLB debut, allowing just one run on five hits in seven innings; the one run allowed by O’Sullivan came from a Nate Schierholtz sacrifice fly in the 7th inning. Mike Napoli and Maicer Izturis went deep for the Angels, who improved to 34-29 on the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Oakland Athletics 4- Not even a four-run inning could help the Athletics get their 28th win of the season. Despite giving up long balls to Jason Giambi and Bobby Crosby in the top of the 8th inning, the Dodgers came back to tie the game at four in the bottom half of that inning. Matt Kemp then won the game for Los Angeles on an RBI single in the 10th inning.

The game between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs was rained out. No make-up date has been announced yet.

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