Sunday, September 30, 2007

NL Decision Day: 4 teams, 2 playoff spots

National League This is the way it ought to be. With one game left for the contenders - Philadelphia, New York, San Diego and Colorado - only two will reach the playoffs. With the Mets winning (finally) and Philly losing on Saturday, the two teams are locked in a dead-even tie for first place in the NL East. Out in the West, Arizona clinched the division and home field throughout the playoffs by virtue of the Padres' 4-3 loss at Milwaukee. As for the possible scenarios involving the NL East and the wild card, the scenarios are so convoluted that I'll defer to MLB.com, which has a complete breakdown of all possibilities, HERE. One simple scenario: If the Padres win, they are the wild card, the Rockies are out no matter what they do, and San Diego would play the winner of the NL East in the first round of the playoffs. The Cubs would travel to Arizona for the start of their first round playoff series. If the Padres lose, all hell breaks loose in the scenarios. Florida 0 NY Mets 13 - The Mets ended their 5 game losing streak just in time to possibly salvage their season. A win guarantees them no worse than a playoff on Monday with the Phillies - if they win. On Saturday, John Maine (right) flirted with a no-hitter, finally giving up an infield single to Paul Hoover with 2 outs in the 7th. Maine (15-10) struck out a career high 14 batters as the Mets scored repeatedly against some sore-armed Marlin pitchers. Tom Glavine will take the mound against Florida's Dontrelle Willis in Sunday's season finale. Washington 4 Philadelphia 2 - Ryan Howard cracked his 46th home run, but his solo shot (and Aaron Rowand's in the sixth) wasn't enough to overcome the pitching of Washington's Matt Chico and a trio of relievers.
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Chico grounded the Phillies on four hits over 6 1/3 innings, allowing just Rowand's solo shot. On Sunday, Jamie Moyer will head to the hill to face Washington's Jason Bergmann. San Diego 3 Milwaukee 4, 11 innings - Irony, your name is Gwynne. Tony Gwynne Jr., son of the Padres' hall of famer, tripled home the tying run for the Brewers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings, where the Brewers eventually won it in 11. The Padres' loss kept them from clinching a playoff spot and leaves open a myriad of possibilities heading into the season's final day. Brett Tomko gets the start against Milwaukee's Jeff Suppan Arizona 1 Colorado 11 - Once the Rockies knew they were still alive in the wild card race, they went out and pounded the Diamondbacks, scoring 4 runs in the first inning, keyed by Matt Holliday's 50th double, which drove in a pair. The Rockies continued the onslaught in the 5th inning with six more runs, including Troy Tulowitzki's grand slam. Still a game behind the Padres in the wild card, the Rockies will send rookie Ubaldo Jimenez to the mound against Arizona's Yusmeiro Petit, who got the start when Doug Davis was scratched, manager Bob Melvin preferring to save him for game two of the playoffs next week. Other NL Scores Chi Cubs 4 Cincinnati 0 St. Louis 7 Pittsburgh 3 Atlanta 2 Houston 3 San Francisco 5 LA Dodgers 6, 10 innings American League Minnesota 4 Boston 6 - The Red Sox clinched home field throughout the playoffs with the best record in the AL, at 96-65. Cleveland's loss to Kansas City, combined with the Red Sox winning the season series between the two clubs, gave the right to Boston by virtue of the potential tie-breaker. Cleveland is 95-66 Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 3 Toronto 5 LA Angels 3 Oakland 2 Detroit 2 Chi White Sox 3 NY Yankees 11 Baltimore 10 Cleveland 3 Kansas City 4 Texas 1 Seattle 5

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Phillies in first; Cubs, Bosox clinch; Arizona is in

National League With the conclusion of Friday's games, the playoff picture in the National League suddenly became much clearer. The Phillies took a one-game lead over the Mets in the NL East - the first time they've been in first place all season. The Cubs clinched the Central division title and the Diamondbacks assured themselves of a playoff spot with a win over the Rockies, ending their 11-game win streak, the longest in the majors this season. The Brewers are out and San Diego leads Colorado and the Mets by 2 games in the wild card hunt. The Phillies, who were 7 games behind the Mets as of September 12, are 12-3 since, while the Mets have stumbled to a 4-11 record over the same span. Philadelphia needs just one more win or one Mets loss to clinch at least a tie in the NL East. Washington 0 Philadelphia 6 - Phillies' ace Cole Hamels (right) was at his best when it counted the most, slicing through the Nationals lineup for eight innings, fanning 13 and allowing just 6 hits and no earned runs. Without a win since August 16, Hamels' (15-5) 8 inning blanking was his best this season. Florida 7 NY Mets 4 - The Mets lost their 5th straight and 11th in their last 15 games, as their extended team slump sent them tumbling into second place and in danger of missing the playoffs completely. Still with slim hope, the Mets can reach the playoffs under a variety of situations. If they win both of their remaining games and the Phillies lose theirs, New York would take the NL East title. One loss and one Philly win gives the division to the Phillies. If the Mets win both and San Diego loses both of their games, they would tie the Padres for the wild card and force a playoff on Monday. Arizona 4 Colorado 2 - Brandon Webb (right) did what no other pitcher could do against Colorado over the past 12 games - he got a win. Webb (18-10) gave up two runs over 7 gritty innings while his teammates scored four times off Rockies' starter Jeff Francis, the big blow being Conor Jackson's two-run homer in the third which staked Webb to a 3-0 lead that he would not relinquish. The D-Backs are still being dogged by the Padres and they need just one more win or a San Diego loss to clinch at least a tie for the NL West title. They have already clinched at least the wild card spot. Colorado must win both of their remaining games and have San Diego lose theirs to earn are share of the wild card spot.
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Chi Cubs 6 Cincinnati 0 - Carlos Zambrano (18-13) shut out the Reds for 6 innings, propelling the Cubs to the NL Central crown. Alfonso Soriano hit his 32nd home run and Derek Lee smashed a 2-run shot for his 22nd of the season. Amazingly, the Cubs, with the worst record of any remaining playoff contender, become the first to clinch a division. San Diego 6 Milwaukee 3 - Shortstop Khalil Greene (right), who's been providing big hits all season, doubled home Adrian Gonzalez in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie and then sealed the win with a 2-run homer in the 8th - his 25th - to end Milwaukee's playoff hopes and keep the Padres one game behind Arizona in the NL West. No matter what they do the next two games, the Padres are assured of at least a tie for the wild card. They lead both the Rockies and Mets by 2 games. Other NL Scores St. Louis 6 Pittsburgh 1 Atlanta 7 Houston 2 San Francisco 3 LA Dodgers 8 American League Minnesota 2 Boston 5 - The Red Sox wrapped up their first AL East title in 12 years as Daisuke Matsuzaka (right) improved to 15-12, allowing 8 hits and 2 runs over 8 innings of work, fanning 8 Minnesota batters. David Ortiz was 3-4 and smashed his 35th home run of the season. The Red Sox will host the LA Angels in the first round of the playoffs. NY Yankees 9 Baltimore 10, 10 innings - Baltimore tied the game with 3 runs off closer Mariano Rivera and Melvin Mora squeezed home Tike Redman with the game winner in the 10th. The Yankees had the bases loaded in the top of the 10th but could not get a run home and end up as the wild card entrant in the playoffs, scheduled to start Tuesday at Cleveland. Alex Rodriguez hit his 54th homer, drove in four runs and scored twice, capping a brilliant season, sure to win the MVP award. Rodriguez pushed his RBI total to 155, tying him with Joe DiMaggio for 10th place on the Yankees' all-time list. The number is a career high for A-Rod and the most by a Yankee in 70 years. Rodriguez also set a career mark for runs scored with 142, one better than he had with Seattle in 1996. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 4 Toronto 5 Cleveland 5 Kansas City 3 Detroit 2 Chi White Sox 5 LA Angels 2 Oakland 0 Texas 4 Seattle 6

Friday, September 28, 2007

Mets collapse complete, Phillies tie for first; Rockies win 11th straight

National League St. Louis 3 NY Mets 0 - The Mets could only muster 2 singles and a David Wright double off Cardinals' starter Joel Piniero (6-4), who shut New York out for 8 innings, striking out 6. Closer Jason Isringhausen worked a perfect ninth for his 31st save, but the loss - the 10th in their last 14 games - dropped the Mets into a tie for first place with the Philadelphia Phillies, after owning the division lead outright since May 16. It was the 4th straight loss by the Mets, who were swept by the Nationals before last night's power outage. It's not like the games have been close, either. New York has been outscored 35-19 in the past four games and will close out the season at home against the red hot, last place Florida Marlins, who are fresh off a sweep of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. Atlanta 4 Philadelphia 6 - Trying hard not to peek at the scoreboard, the Phillies accomplished what three weeks ago was nearly unthinkable: earning a share of first place in the NL East with the slumping Mets. Roughing up Braves' starter John Smoltz, Ryan Howard (right) blasted a two-run, first inning home run (44), staking the Phillies to an early 4-0 lead. Later in the game Howard also set a new mark for strikeouts in a season with his 196th and 197th whiffs, breaking the previous record (195) set in 2004 by Adam Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds. Nonetheless, the Phillies were celebrating on the field after the game Brett Myers quelled a ninth inning rally by the Braves. The loss eliminated Atlanta from post-season consideration for the second straight season. Chi Cubs 4 Florida 7 - Despite being swept by the Marlins, the Cubs maintained a two-game edge in the NL Central, thanks to Milwaukee losing their second straight. Chicago will try to clinch the division in a season-ending three-game series at Cincinnati beginning Friday. They need one win or one more Milwaukee loss to clinch at least a tie, 2 to win outright. San Diego 9 Milwaukee 5 - The Padres took an early 4-0 lead and never looked back, retaining their single-game edge in the wild card standings over Philly and Colorado, while remaining one game behind Arizona in the NL West. The Padres and Brewers finish the season together in Milwaukee this weekend. Arizona 8 Pittsburgh 0 - The Diamondbacks got everything they needed from starting pitcher Micah Owings (8-8) (right), who shut out the Pirates on 4 hits over 6 1/3 innings and also went 4-4 at the plate with 3 doubles, driving in 3 runs. Owings, who is batting .339 on the season presents a rare double threat for the Diamondbacks, who kept their slim one-game lead in the NL West, snapping a 3-game losing streak. Colorado 10 LA Dodgers 4 - The D-Backs won't be able to rest on their laurels as they head into Colorado for the season's final series beginning Friday. The Rockies won their 11th straight and are just 2 games back in the division and one game behind San Diego in the wild card standings. Garrett Atkins went 4-4 with his 25th home run, driving in a pair of runs and scoring three times, and Brad Hawpe was 3-5, with his 29th homer and 4 RBI. The Rockies swept the Dodgers for the 2nd time in a week, winning 7 straight from the faltering Los Angelinos. Other NL Scores Houston 4 Cincinnati 3 American League NY Yankees 3 Tampa Bay 1 - Manager Joe Torre rested most of his regulars, but the subs managed to get a win over punchless Tampa Bay and draw to within 2 games of Boston in the AL East.
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The Yanks close out the season with a 3-game set in Baltimore, while the Red Sox try to clinch the division title at Fenway against the Twins. Minnesota 5 Boston 4 - The magic number for the Red Sox remained at two, as ace Josh Beckett (20-7) lost for the first time since August 29. If the Sox are gripping a bit right now, it's understandable. The Yankees have been breathing down their backs for the better part of two months and with the division title in sight, there's more than the usual anxiety in Beantown. Despite having the best record in baseball (currently tied with Cleveland at 94-65), the Red Sox are just 4-7 since September 14. Other AL Scores Toronto 5 Baltimore 8 Kansas City 0 Chi White Sox 10 Cleveland 2 Seattle 4

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Yankees Clinch Wild Card; AL Set; NL Unsettled

American League NY Yankees 12 Tampa Bay 4 - The New York Yankees clinched the wild card spot in the 2007 playoffs and will likely face Cleveland in the opening round while Boston hosts the Angels. Oakland 6 Boston 11 - The only question remaining in the AL is who will win the AL East. The Red Sox took another step toward clinching that spot, knocking their magic number down to just 2. Mike Lowell (right) stroked 3 singles in 5 at-bats and drove in five runs to lead Boston to their second straight win over Oakland. The Sox finish the regular season with 4 games at Fenway, hosting the Twins. Other AL Scores Cleveland 12 Seattle 4 Cleveland 2 Seattle 3, 10 innings LA Angels 2 Texas 16 Minnesota 4 Detroit 9, 6 innings Toronto 8 Baltimore 5 Kansas City 0 Chi White Sox 3 National League While the playoffs participants are pretty well set in the American League, life is not so simple in the National. Not a single division or wild card spot has been clinched. In fact, no team, among the eight vying for the four available spots, is even assured of making the post-season. By the looks of things, nothing will be settled until at least Saturday. A few things are known. Each team has four games remaining and everybody will be playing every day Thursday through Sunday. Nobody has a day off. Here's a quick roundup of the situation: East: The Mets, who were leading by 7 games with 17 left to play, now lead by 1 over Philadelphia. After being swept by the Nationals (the Mets lost 5 of 6 in late Sept. to Washington), New York has one home game with St. Louis and close out the season with three against Florida at Shea Stadium. The Phillies have all of their remaining games at home: one with Atlanta on Thursday and three with the Nationals over the weekend. Atlanta, 4 back, is still mathematically eligible, but they would have to win their remaining games and the Mets lose all of theirs, plus Philly would have to lose 3 of 4. Central: The Cubs and Brewers both lost on Wednesday, so Chicago remains 2 games to the good in the division. Neither team can win the wild card, so one of these will be out of the playoffs. Chicago has lost their last two to Florida and has lost 9 straight to the Marlins, stretching over two seasons. They play one more at Florida before traveling to Cincinnati to close out the season. Milwaukee lost to St. Louis and will host San Diego in the final four games of the season. West: Arizona picked a poor time to go on a three-game losing streak, the last two at Pittsburgh. The Diamondbacks play one more in Pittsburgh before heading to Colorado for a final three-game series. They lead San Diego by one game and Colorado by two. The Padres beat the Giants on Wednesday, and play four games at Milwaukee to finish the regular season. Colorado won their 10th straight, topping Los Angeles, 2-0, and are just two games back of Arizona. The Rockies play at LA on Thursday and host Arizona for three games this weekend. One thing is certain. If the Rockies win out, they will finish at least one game ahead of Arizona. San Diego would also have to win all of their remaining four games to win the NL West. The hottest team in the majors, Colorado looks to have the best schedule to reach the post-season. Wild Card: San Diego leads the wild card by one game over both Philly and the Rockies. The wild card could become very jumbled if either San Diego, Colorado or Philadelphia takes over the lead in their division. Then Arizona and/or New York get drawn into the wild card mix. NL Scores Atlanta 2 Philadelphia 5 Chi Cubs 4 Florida 7 Arizona 1 Pittsburgh 5 Houston 7 Cincinnati 6 Washington 9 NY Mets 6 St. Louis 7 Milwaukee 3 Colorado 2 LA Dodgers 0 San Diego 11 San Francisco 3

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Manny's Back! Rockies win 9th Straight; Fielder's Fifty

American League Oakland 3 Boston 7 - After nearly a month on the bench, Manny Ramirez (right) returned to the Red Sox lineup, promptly reminding everyone of his value to the offense, singling and scoring in the first inning. After making an out and walking in two subsequent trips to the plate, Ramirez took a seat on the bench in the fifth, as Boston was cruising to a win that would give them a 3-game lead over the Yankees and reduce their magic number to clinch the division to 3. NY Yankees 6 Tampa Bay 7, 10 innings - The Yankees squandered Alex Rodriguez's grand slam and a five-run lead, as the bullpen allowed six runs in the Tampa Bay 6th. The Yanks eventually tied the game, but lost it on Dioner Navarro's solo homer in the bottom of the tenth. New York still needs either a win or a Detroit loss to capture the wild card spot, but they've lost two straight and their bullpen - along with their starting pitching - is a very sore spot right now. Minnesota 0 Detroit 8 - Magglio Ordonez homered and doubled in four at-bats, drove in three runs and raised his AL-best batting average to .359, closing in on his first batting title. The Detroit slugger leads Ichiro Suzuki by .009 with just four games remaining on the Tiger's schedule. Ordonez has hit 28 homers, 52 doubles and has 136 RBI, good for 2nd in the AL behind A-Rod's 151. Other AL Scores Toronto 11 Baltimore 4 LA Angels 1 Texas 3 Kansas City 9 Chi White Sox 5 Cleveland 4 Seattle 3, 12 innings National League Washington 10 NY Mets 9 - The Mets would like to seal off the NL East title, but their pitching staff - and the Washington Nationals - aren't helping matters much. Starter Tom Glavine gave up 6 runs over the first five innings and the bullpen allowed another 4, as the Mets posted their second straight loss to the Nats. Washington has beaten the Mets four times in their last 5 games, with the season series concluding Wednesday night. New York remained 2 games ahead of Philly, also losers on Tuesday. Atlanta 10 Philadelphia 6 - Despite the Mets practically handing the division to the Phillies, they haven't been able to take advantage, losing their second straight with just five games left. Mark Teixeira and Chipper Jones both homered to lead the 13-hit Atlanta attack. The Braves, who were nearly forgotten, are still alive, trailing the Mets by 4 games. They have two more against the Phillies before finishing the regular season with 3 games at Houston. St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 9 - Prince Fielder (right) became the youngest player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season, besting Willie Mays' 1955 record by nearly a year. Fielder, 23, cranked a pair of 2-run homers, giving him an even 50 for the year and boosting his RBI total to 119, good for 3rd in the National League. Milwaukee closed to within 2 games of Chicago in the division, but have two more games with the Cardinals and close out the season with 3 against the Padres. Colorado 9 LA Dodgers 7 - The Rockies won their 9th straight and now trail the Padres by just one game in the wild card race. Equally important, they are just three behind division-leader Arizona, with whom they finish the season in a 3-game series at Colorado. Should the Rockies win out, they'd at least tie the Diamondbacks, and any San Diego loss would put them in a tie for the division title. Matt Holliday returned to the lineup on Tuesday, going 2-4, after missing two games with a strained oblique. Holliday leads the National League with 131 RBI. San Diego 6 San Francisco 4 - Brian Giles belted a 3-run, ninth inning home run to give the Padres a hard-fought decision over the Giants and establish their 1-game edge on the Rockies and Phillies in the wild card race. Arizona's loss also pushed San Diego to within 2 games of the division leader. Other NL Scores Arizona 5 Pittsburgh 6 Chi Cubs 2 Florida 4 Houston 8 Cincinnati 5

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Yankees lose, Brewers win; Phillies gain on night off

American League Minnesota 2 Detroit 0 - Carlos Silva threw 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, reducing the Tigers' tragic number to 1. One more loss by Detroit or win by the Yankees would eliminate them from the playoffs. Toronto 4 NY Yankees 1 - New York trails Boston by 2 games in the division, but needs just one win to wrap up the wild card. The Yankees will have ample opportunity, closing out the regular season on the road with a pair of 3-game series, at Tampa Bay and Baltimore Other AL Scores Kansas City 2 Baltimore 3 LA Angels 7 Texas 8 National League St. Louis 5 Milwaukee 13 - The Brewers gain a 1/2 game on idle Chicago, but trail the Cubs by 3 games with just 6 left to play. Prince Fielder (right) went 3-5, including a 3-run homer - his league-leading 48th - and drove in three runs, tying him with Houston's Carlos Lee for third in the NL with 115. Washington 13 NY Mets 4 - The Mets continue to do their best to make the NL East interesting, losing for the 7th time in their last 11 games. San Diego 4 San Francisco 9 - the Padres made it a wonderful night off for the Phillies, who picked up 1/2 game on the Mets and tied San Diego for the wild card lead. Omar Vizquel had a productive night, tripling in a run and scoring in the 2nd inning, driving in two more with a single in the 3rd, and squeezing home Rich Aurilia in the 7th.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Indians, Angels clinch; Cubs open daylight in NL Central

American League Oakland 2 Cleveland 6 - The Indians became the first AL team to clinch their division, their first since 2001, as Grady Sizemore (right) went 4-4 and drove in a pair of runs. Jake Westbrook earned the win, striking out a career-high 9 in 7 2/3 innings. Westbrook, who missed much of the season with injuries, completes what may be the most potent starting four pitchers in the AL, including Paul Byrd (15-7), Cy Young candidate C. C. Sabathia (18-7) and rookie Fausto Carmona (18-8). Seattle 4 LA Angels 7 - Shortly after Cleveland clinched, the Angels did the same in the AL West, topping Seattle in their final home game. The Angels have the best home record in the majors, at 54-27, and play their final 6 games at Texas and Oakland. Though the Angels have already wrapped up the division, those games, and those final games for Cleveland, still have meaning, as the race for the best record in the league, and home field advantage in the playoffs, is still up for grabs. Who wants it most is a vexing question, as the top AL team will play the wild card entry, which is looking more and more like the New York Yankees, one of the hottest teams in the majors since late May. All three division leaders have 92 wins. The Angels and Red Sox have just 6 games left. Cleveland has 7 remaining. John Lackey (18-9) got the win in the clincher for LA, allowing 2 earned runs on 7 hits over 7 innings, fanning 7. Toronto 5 NY Yankees 7 - New York kept pace with the Red Sox, still 1 1/2 back, as Mike Mussina won his third straight, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits over 7 innings. The Yankees still need any combination of two wins or two Tiger losses to wrap up the wild card. Other AL Scores Kansas City 2 Detroit 7 Boston 4 Tampa Bay 5 Chi White Sox 1 Minnesota 7 Baltimore 0 Texas 3 National League Pittsburgh 0 Chi Cubs 8 - Carlos Zambrano (17-13) (right) hurled six innings of shutout ball and Derek Lee drove in 3 runs with a double and his 20th home run (a 2-run shot), leading the Cubs to their 4th straight win and a 3 1/2-game lead in the NL Central race. With Milwaukee losing their second straight at Atlanta, Chicago's path t o the playoffs will go through Florida and Cincinnati, where they play a pair of 3-game series to close out the season. Their magic number reduced to 4, the Cubs hope to clinch the division before the weekend in order to rest their starting pitchers. NY Mets 7 Florida 6, 11 innings - The Mets' bullpen failed again,
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allowing Florida to tie the game with 2 runs in the 8th and one in the ninth before the Mets finally ended it on David Wright's single in the 11th, which sent Jose Reyes home with the winning run. New York improved their lead to 2 1/2 games over the Phillies and reduced their magic number to 5. Colorado 7 San Diego 3 - The Rockies gained on everybody, as Philly and Arizona both lost with Colorado drawing to 1 1/2-games of wild card leader San Diego. The Rockies are also just 4 back of Arizona, and while there are only 6 games left, the final 3 games for Arizona are at Colorado. Other NL Scores Philadelphia 3 Washington 5 Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 7 Cincinnati 4 San Francisco 5 LA Dodgers 7 Arizona 1 Houston 3 St. Louis 4

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Soriano's 2 HR lead Cubs; Yanks win in 10

American League Toronto 11 NY Yankees 12, 10 innings - It wasn't pretty, but it was a win, and the Yankees took another step towards the post-season as Detroit - their closest pursuer in the wild card chase - lost to Kansas City. That makes the magic number for the Yankees to clinch a playoff spot three. They remained 2 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East, but unless the Red Sox collapse against Oakland and Minnesota this coming week, they will win the division. In Saturday's win, Alex Rodriguez (right) went 4-4 and added 3 RBI to his MLB-best total to give him 146 on the season. Melky Cabrera, batting in the leadoff spot, came through with an outstanding performance, driving in five runs, including the game-winner on a 3-7 night. Toronto and New York combined for 35 hits in the slugfest. Boston 8 Tampa Bay 6 - The Red Sox clinched at least the wild card, but have their sights set on the AL East title with their magic number now at 6. They have one game remaining with the Devil Rays and close out the season at home with two games against Oakland and four with Minnesota. Seattle 3 LA Angels 2 - The Angels lost for the second straight day to Seattle, and remain 1 win away from clinching the AL West. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 8 Minnesota 3 Kansas City 7 Detroit 4 Oakland 9 Cleveland 3 - Indians' magic number is 1 Baltimore 11 Texas 9 National League Pittsburgh 5 Chi Cubs 9 - Alfonso Soriano (right) doubled and hit a pair of home runs, driving in five runs in a big win for Chicago. With their third straight win and Milwaukee losing at Atlanta, the Cubs have a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL Central. Their magic number is 6. Soriano is riding an 8-game hitting streak in which he's hit six home runs and driven in 11, while batting .441 (15-34). Colorado 6 San Diego 2 - A day after hitting a game-winning home run, Brad Hawpe powered the Rockies to the seventh straight win and second in a row over the Padres with 2 RBI in a 4-4 effort. The Rockies may make the playoffs if they win out, though their efforts may be stymied in the wild card race by Philadelphia, now just 1/2-game back of San Diego in that race. The Rockies conclude their series with San Diego on Sunday, then finish the season with 3 games at LA and 3 in Colorado against Arizona. LA Dodgers 2 Arizona 6 - Brandon Webb (17-10) officially ended the Dodgers' season on Saturday, holding LA to 2 runs over 6 1/3 innings. The Dodgers are now 9 games behind the Diamondbacks in the division and 6 1/2 back of San Diego in the wild card. One more win by either San Diego or Philly will mathematically eliminate Los Angeles, who have lost 7 straight. Philadelphia 4 Washington 1, 10 innings - The Phillies got three runs in the top of the 10th to remain 1 1/2 back of New York in the NL East, and gained to within 1/2-game of the Padres in the wild card race. Chase Utley led the attack with a 3-5 effort, including his 21st home run and 2 RBI for an even 100. Other NL Scores NY Mets 7 Florida 2 Milwaukee 3 Atlanta 4, 11 innings Houston 4 St. Louis 7 Cincinnati 0 San Francisco 2

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Rockies keep closing; Beckett gets 20th win

American League Boston 8 Tampa Bay 1 - Josh Beckett (right) became the first 20-game winner in the majors, helping Boston regain some breathing room over the hard-charging Yankees. Beckett (20-6) won his 4th straight decision, and 7th in his last 8, allowing one earned run on 4 hits over six innings. His effort put Boston 2 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees, who lost to Toronto. Boston had lost 4 straight before Beckett's win. Toronto 5 NY Yankees 4, 14 innings - The Yankees couldn't get to Roy Halladay until the 9th inning, but tied the game with a 4-run (3 unearned) rally before finally losing in the 14th on Greg Zaun's home run. The loss dealt a blow to the Yankees' hopes of winning the AL East, as they now trail Boston by 2 1/2 games with just 9 games left. New York is looking very good for the post-season, however, as they need just 5 more wins or Detroit losses to clinch the wild card spot. Manager Joe Torre may have to make a decision on whether to rest his starters the early part of next. If the Yankees have the wild card sewn up, but don't see much chance of catching Boston, Torre could opt to keep Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens on the bench as these are older pitchers who may not get much rest in the playoffs. Oakland 3 Cleveland 4 - The Indians got one step closer to capturing the Central division crown, reducing their magic number to 2 with their 4th straight win. Cleveland also has the best record in baseball, at 91-62, 1/2-game better than both Boston and Los Angeles. If the Indians end the season with the league's best record, they will play the wild card team in the first playoff round. Right now, that team looks to be the Yankees. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Detroit 5 Baltimore 2 Texas 3 Chi White Sox 6 Minnesota 4 Seattle 6 LA Angels 0 National League NY Mets 9 Florida 6 - Pedro Martinez improved to 3-0 as the Mets scored 8 runs in the 3rd through 5th innings to retain their perilous 1 1/2-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. Philadelphia 6 Washington 3 - Ryan Howard led the Phillies to another come-from-behind win with his 42nd homer and a run-scoring double. The Phils are 1 1/2 behind the Mets in the division and trail San Diego in the wild card race by the same margin. Pittsburgh 8 Chi Cubs 13 - Aramis Ramirez (right) belted a pair of 3-run homers to lead the Cubs over Pittsburgh and keep their 1 1/2 game lead over Milwaukee in the tense NL Central. Both the Cubs and Brewers face a win-or-go-home situation as neither are close in the wild card standings. LA Dodgers 3 Arizona 12 - Arizona broke out the bats as Mark Reynolds, Tony Clark and Chris Young all connected for 2-run homers off Dodger pitching, sending LA to their 6th straight loss and virtually eliminating them from post-season contention. The Diamondbacks padded their lead in the division to 1 1/2 games over San Diego. Colorado 2 San Diego 1, 14 innings - Brad Hawpe homered in the top of the 14th inning, sending the Rockies to their 6th straight win and keeping Colorado's slender post-season hopes alive. The Rockies are 3 1/2 behind the Padres in the wild card race and 5 back of Arizona in the division. The Rockies have two more games at San Diego, then travel to Los Angeles for a 3-game series before ending the season at home against division-leader Arizona. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 1 Houston 6 St. Louis 3 Cincinnati 9 San Francisco 8, 11 innings

Friday, September 21, 2007

Mets' bullpen implodes again; Phillies 1 1/2 back; Angels on the brink

American League Seattle 5 LA Angels 9 - The Los Angeles Angels recorded another win over their closest rival and are within one win of clinching the AL West division. As they have all season, sluggers Garret Anderson (left) and Vladimir Guerrero(right) provided most of the punch in Thursday's win. Anderson was 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI, while Guerrero socked a two-run homer as part of a 3-4 effort. The duo has a combined 202 RBI on the season. Guerrero has knocked in 122, approaching his career high of 131. Anderson has driven in 80 in just 103 games. LA continues their 4-game series with the Seahawks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 0 Kansas City 3 Baltimore 6 Texas 3, 10 innings National League NY Mets 7 Florida 8, 10 innings - The Mets lost for the 6th time in their last 7 games as their bullpen continues to implode. With closer Billy Wagner out with back spasms, the other relievers are being stressed by ineffective starts from a tense rotation. In Thursday's game, the Mets blew a pair of 3 run leads only to lose it all in the bottom of the 10th when Dan Uggla doubled home Hanley Ramirez off Jorge Sosa, who allowed 5 hits and 3 runs in his one inning of work. Life won't get any easier for the Mets. With 10 games left, they have three more in Florida, before returning home on Monday, Sept. 24, where they will host Washington for three, a single game with St. Louis, and close out the season with 3 more with the Marlins. While these games are with teams out of contention, New York is the only division leader with a losing record in their own division (31-32). Including Thursday's loss, the Mets are 7-4 against the Marlins and 9-6 when opposing the Nationals. Philadelphia 7 Washington 6 - Ryan Howard got things started with a 2-run home in the 1st inning (his 41st) and Jimmy Rollins (right) finished it, doubling in the game winner in the 8th inning. The Phillies won for the 10th time in their last 13 outings and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the struggling Mets. The Phillies have three more at Washington, then head home for the final two 3-game series, with the Braves and Nationals. Houston 18 St. Louis 1 - Rookie catcher J. R. Towles went 4-4, improved his batting average from .231 to .412 and drove in 8 runs (a Houston record) in the Astros trouncing of the Cardinals. Towles was recently called up to the parent club and was playing in just his 6th game. Towles had a two-run, ninth inning home run, off Aaron Miles, an infielder who was on the mound for St. Louis' overtaxed bullpen, to go with his two doubles and a single. LA Dodgers 4 Colorado 9 - The Rockies single-handedly ended the Dodgers season, sweeping four straight and sending LA into a 4th-place hole.
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Matt Holliday continued his torrid hitting, knocking his 36th home run and driving in 3 more runs to bring his league-leading total to 131. Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 6 - The Padres won their 7th straight and trail Arizona by 1/2-game in the NL West. San Diego closes out their home schedule with 3-games against Colorado this weekend, then finishes on the road with 3 games at San Francisco and four at Milwaukee. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 1 Atlanta 3 Cincinnati 4 San Francisco 2

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Yanks within 1 1/2 of Boston; Rockies' Holliday on a tear

American League Baltimore 1 NY Yankees 2 - The gap is closing fast in the AL East as the Yankees won their 4th straight as the Red Sox lost their 4th in a row. Andy Pettitte (14-8) held Baltimore to 1 run on 7 hits over 7 1/3 innings for his 200th career win, and Mariano Rivera survived a shaky 9th, ending the game with the bases loaded for his 30th save. The win drew the Yankees to within 1 1/2 games of Boston, with only a handful of games remaining. Boston has 9 games left on the schedule; the Yankees, 10. The Yankees also have a 5 1/2 game lead in the wild card standings as Detroit lost their 3rd in a row. Boston 1 Toronto 6 - Boston's bullpen blew another one. Already down 2-1 in the 8th, Mike Timlin loaded the bases with Blue Jays with a pair of walks and a hit batsman, and Jonathan Papelbon served up the gopher ball to Russ Adams who deposited it into the right field stands for his second home run of the season and first career grand slam. Adams has singled in a run in the 3rd and finished with 5 RBI. Detroit 2 Cleveland 4 - The Indians completed their three-game sweep of 2nd place Detroit, tied California for the best record in the majors (90-62), and reduced their magic number to 3. C. C. Sabathia (right) gave up 2 runs over 7 innings and improved to 18-7. Tiger slugger Magglio Ordonez went 0-4, allowing Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki to assume first place in the batting average race at .354. Other AL Scores Seattle 9 Oakland 5 Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 2 - Angels magic number is 3 Texas 2 Minnesota 4 Chi White Sox 7 Kansas City 0 National League NY Mets 8 Washington 4 - The Mets may have been hearing footsteps, because they finally woke up and snapped a five-game losing streak, opening up a 2 1/2-game lead on Philadelphia in the NL East. David Wright went 2-4 with 3 RBI to spearhead the offense and keep the Mets on track to capture the division flag. Philadelphia 1 St. Louis 2, 10 innings - The Phillies mustered only 4 hits and 1 earned run against Cardinal starter Adam Wainwright, who worked 8 innings without a decision, and Yadier Molina knocked in Miguel Cairo with the game winner in the 10th, snapping Philly's 6-game win streak. Cincinnati 2 Chi Cubs 3 - The Cubs regained first place in the NL Central, as Ted Lilly worked 7 innings, allowing the Reds just 2 runs and Bob Howry (6-7) pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th for the win. LA Dodgers 5 Colorado 6 - The Rockies moved into sole possession of third place in the division, 5 1/2 behind Arizona and 4 1/2 back of San Diego in the wild card race. Matt Holliday (right) continued his late season assault, blasting a pair of solo home runs (35), adding to his league-leading RBI total (128). Holliday also leads the league in hitting at .340. Over the last 11 games, Holliday is batting .463 (19-41) with 10 homers and 18 RBI. Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 5 - Scott Hairston is making the most of his playing time, blasting a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for San Diego won their sixth straight. Hairston came over from Arizona in a July trade and is hitting .364 with 5 home runs for the Padres. San Diego remained 1 game back of Arizona in the West and opened up a 2 1/2-game lead on Philadelphia in the wild card race. Other NL Scores Florida 1 Atlanta 5 Milwaukee 4 Houston 5, 10 innings - P. Fielder HR (47), leads NL San Francisco 4 Arizona 6 - J. Valverde, S (46), leads majors

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Yanks cruise; Mets sputter; Braun leads Brewers to first place

American League Baltimore 0 NY Yankees 12 - The Yankees continue to close ground on the Boston Red Sox, and with Detroit's loss, have virtually guaranteed themselves a spot in the post-season, with a 4 1/2-game lead on Detroit. With 11 games remaining, that puts the Yanks' magic number for clinching the wild card spot at 6, though they're clearly aiming for the AL East crown, now just 2 1/2 games behind Boston. That's the closest the Yankees have been since April. Last night's Baltimore blitz was a personal triumph for Mike Mussina who has rebounded from four straight horrific starts with a pair of September wins. Mussina blanked his former team on 3 hits over 7 innings, walking one while striking out six. Boston 3 Toronto 4 - With the Yankees breathing down their backs, Boston's bullpen can't seem to close out games. Eric Gagne gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in the 8th inning as the Red Sox dropped their 3rd straight. Detroit 4 Cleveland 7 - Travis Hafner (right) unknotted a 4-4 tie in the 6th inning with a massive 3-run blast to center field, giving the Indians their second straight win in the showdown series with the Tigers. Cleveland's now opened up a 6 1/2 game lead on Detroit and has a clear view of the AL Central title. Last night's win reduced their magic number to 5. Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 2 - John Lackey appears to be ready for the post-season. On Tuesday, he struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run on five hits over eight innings, improving to 17-9. The Angels should have the AL West clinched by the weekend. Their magic number is down to 4. Other AL Scores Texas 2 Minnesota 4 Chi White Sox 2 Kansas City 3 Seattle 8 Oakland 7 National League Philadelphia 7 St. Louis 4, 14 innings - The Phillies won their 6th straight, while the Mets dropped their 5th in a row, and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the NL East leaders. Both St. Louis and Philly empties their benches in this one, with the Cardinals using 11 pitchers. Jayson Werth put the game away with a 2-run triple after Chase Utley had already scored the go-ahead run. NY Mets 8 Washington 9 - The Mets can't seem to hold onto a lead as the season winds towards a conclusion. On Tuesday, they blew leads of 4-0 and 7-3, losing their 5th straight and second in a row to the lowly Nationals. After having led the division by as many as 7 1/2 games, are the Mets going to choke? Sure looks like it. Milwaukee 9 Houston 1 - Jhonny Estrada smacked a grand slam and rookie sensation Ryan Braun (right) cranked out his 31st home run, driving in two, as the Brewers used four home runs to bury the Astros and regain a tie for first place with the Cubs. LA Dodgers 1 Colorado 3 LA Dodgers 8 Colorado 9 - The road to the NL West title and probably the wild card slot is going straight through Colorado. The Rockies kept their playoff hopes alive with a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers, dropping them into a 3rd place tie, 5 1/2 games behind Arizona. The Rockies have two more games with LA, then travel to San Diego and Los Angeles for a pair of 3-game series before ending the season with a 3-game set at home with Arizona. San Francisco 0 Arizona 5 - Micah Owings hurled a 2-hit complete game shutout to improve to 7-8 and keep the Diamondbacks a game ahead of San Diego in the division. Owings struck out 4 and walked 1 in his best performance of the season. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Atlanta 4 Cincinnati 5 Chi Cubs 2 - Padres has won 5 straight Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 5

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Indians down Detroit in 11; Howard Power Raises Hope in Philly

American League Detroit 5 Cleveland 6, 11 innings - Casey Blake's solo homer in the bottom of the 11th finished off a come-from-behind victory for the Indians over 2nd place Detroit, reducing Cleveland's magic number to 7 and reestablishing a 5 1/2 game lead over the Tigers. The win came on the opener of a 3-game series with the Tigers, the final meeting between the two top teams in the AL Central. Baltimore 5 NY Yankees 8 - Hideki Matsui hit his 24th home run, a solo shot in the 3rd inning that gave the Yankees the lead for good as New York closed to within 3 1/2 games of first place Boston in the East. The Yankees also opened up a 3 1/2 game lead on Detroit in the wild card race as the Tigers fell at Cleveland. Tampa Bay 7 LA Angels 10 - Chone Figgins (right) spearheaded an 18-hit onslaught by the Angels with a triple and two singles in five at-bats as the Angles reduced their magic number to 5. Figgins, who usually bats leadoff in the lineup, drove in a pair of runs and boosted his batting average to .347 over 105 games, a career high. Other AL Scores Boston 1 Toronto 6 Chi White Sox 11 Kansas City 3 Texas 4 Minnesota 5 Seattle 4 Oakland 0 National League Philadelphia 13 St. Louis 11 - Ryan Howard (right) blasted his 39th and 40th home runs of the season, the latter a grand slam, and drove in five runs as the Phillies nearly blew an 11-run lead but held on for the win. With the Mets losing at Washington, Philly is now just 2 1/2 games behind the NL East leaders, with less than a dozen games left in the regular season. While the Mets were losing their 4th straight, the Phillies are on a 5-game win streak and remain 1 1/2 back of San Diego in the wild card race. Pittsburgh 0 San Diego 3 - The Padres amped up the pressure on Arizona in the West, as rookie Jack Cassel got his first major league win, scattering 8 hits over 6 innings in just his second career start. The Padres are just one game behind the Diamondbacks. Both teams have 67 losses, but Arizona has played two more games than the Padres. The D-Backs have 11 games left to play, San Diego has 13 remaining. Milwaukee 6 Houston 0 - Rookie Yovani Gallardo (9-4) blanked the Astros on 7 hits over 8 innings, keeping pace with the Cubs, who lead the Brewers by one game in the Central division. The Cubs have a bit of an upper hand in the division, as they have already played two more games than the Brewers and have a lighter schedule down the stretch. As in the West, both teams have identical numbers in the loss column, 72. Other NL Scores Florida 6 Atlanta 11 NY Mets 4 Washington 12 Cincinnati 6 Chi Cubs 7 San Francisco 8 Arizona 5

Monday, September 17, 2007

Peavy wins 18th; Thome Knocks 500th; Yankees beat Boston

American League NY Yankees 4 Boston 3 - The Yankees took two of three in Boston yet remain 4 1/2 games behind the Red Sox with just two weeks left in the regular season. Derek Jeter's 3-run blast in the 8th inning snapped a 1-1 tie and provided the winning runs as Java Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera gave up a run each in the 8th and 9th innings. The win may not have gotten the Yankees much closer to the AL East prize, but it did keep them 2 1/2 games to the good over Detroit in the wild card race. LA Angels 7 Chi White Sox 9 - Jim Thome (right) cracked his 500th career home run - a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth - to give the White Sox a win over Los Angeles. It was Thome's only hit of the game and his 28th home run this season. Thome, who spent 12 years in Cleveland and three more with the Phillies, is in his second season with the White Sox. His career high came in 2002, when he hit 52 home runs for the Indians. Detroit 6 Minnesota 4 - The Tigers won their 5th straight as they head to Cleveland to begin a pivotal three-game series on Monday. Detroit trails the Indians by 4 1/2 games in the AL Central and are 2 1/2 behind the Yankees in the wild card race. With their pitching staff mostly intact, the Tigers will try to make a statement this week and pick up valuable ground. Texas 11 Oakland 9 - Michael Young singled, doubled and hit a grand slam in 4 at-bats, driving in a career-high seven runs for the Rangers. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Cleveland 3 Baltimore 8 Toronto 6, 12 innings Tampa Bay 9 Seattle 2 National League Philadelphia 10 NY Mets 6 - The Phillies swept the Mets in New York with their 8th straight win over the division leaders to pull to within 3 1/2 games of first place. Greg Dobbs hit a pinch hit grand slam in a fitting conclusion to the season series, won 12-6 by Philadelphia. Philly remains 1 1/2 games behind San Diego in the wild card. Arizona 6 LA Dodgers 1 - Arizona avoided being swept in LA and kept their 2-game lead in the NL West intact. Middle reliever and spot starter Edgar Gonzalez (8-2) worked 5 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits to lead the effort. The Diamondbacks have 12 games remaining with 3-game series at home against the Giants and Dodgers this week. They close the season with a pair of 3-game sets at Pittsburgh and Colorado. San Francisco 1 San Diego 5 - Jake Peavy (right) improved to 18-6, allowing 4 hits and one earned run in 7 1/3 innings while fanning 10. The Padres won their 3rd straight to remain 2 games behind Arizona and 1 1/2 ahead of Philly in the wild card race. Peavy leads the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts, and is the obvious choice for the NL Cy Young award. Barry Bonds did not play, and has hit just one home run and driven in a mere two runs in his last 13 games. Maybe, for the good of the game, we're seeing (or not seeing) the end of Bonds' career, as he quietly winds down by the San Francisco Bay. Florida 0 Colorado 13 - The Rockies probably won't make it to the post-season, but Matt Holliday is having a season to remember. Holliday (right) went 4-5 with his 32nd home run - a two-run shot - 2 RBI and 3 runs scored.
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He leads the league with 122 RBI and is within a percentage point of the batting lead at .334. Holliday also leads the league in doubles (47) and is 4th in runs scored with 107. Chi Cubs 4 St. Louis 2 - The Cubs remained a game ahead of Milwaukee with just 12 games left in the season, but they'll have to deal with the Reds 6 times, including the final three at Cincy. The Reds hold a 7-5 lead in the season series between the two clubs. The Brewers may have a tough time catching the Cubs as they have 14 games left and no days off the rest of the way. After 3 games at Houston, they travel to Atlanta for a 4-game series, then return home for 3 with the Cardinals and finish with four against the Padres. Other NL Scores Atlanta 3 Washington 0 Cincinnati 2 Milwaukee 5 Pittsburgh 3 Houston 15

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Beckett, Bosox Bash Bombers; Phillies Flying

American League NY Yankees 1 Boston 10 - Derek Jeter's first-inning home run was all the Yankees could muster off Boston's Josh Beckett (right), who dominated from the mound, allowing just 3 hits over seven innings to improve his record to 19-6. The win dropped the Yankees back to 5 1/2 behind the Sox in the AL East standings and all but ended hopes for a division title in New York. The Yankees, however, have a grip on the post-season, leading the wild card chase by 2 1/2 over Detroit. The series ends tonight at Fenway with Roger Clemens taking the mound against Boston's Curt Schilling. Detroit 4 Minnesota 3 - The Tigers picked up a game in the wild card, scoring all of their runs in the first inning, highlighted by Ivan Rodriguez's three-run triple. Detroit continues to trail Cleveland in the Central by 5 1/2 games. The Indians' magic number is 9. Other AL Scores Baltimore 3 Toronto 8 Texas 3 Oakland 7 Kansas City 0 Cleveland 6 LA Angels 2 Chi White Sox 1 - Angels magic number is 7 Tampa Bay 6 Seattle 2 National League Philadelphia 5 NY Mets 3 - The Phillies took their second straight from the Mets and have won three in a row to pull to within 4 1/2 games of the NL East lead. Jimmy Rollins drove in the go-ahead runs with an 8th inning double as Philly rallied from an early 3-1 deficit. The Philadelphia bullpen came up with one of its better performances, blanking New York on 1 hit over the final four innings. San Diego still leads Philly by 1 1/2 in the wild card standings. Chi Cubs 3 St. Louis 2 Chi Cubs 3 St. Louis 4 - The Cardinals finally snapped their nine-game losing streak, but the Cubs maintained a 1-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central. In the opener, Alfonso Soriano smacked an 8th-inning two-run homer for the win. In the 2nd game, St. Louis scored all of their runs in the 4th inning to negate a 3-0 Chicago lead. Cincinnati 3 Milwaukee 5 - Prince Fielder (right) socked his 46th home run to lead the Brewers over Cincy. Fielder leads the NL in home runs; his closest pursuer is Cincy's Adam Dunn with 39. Arizona 2 LA Dodgers 6 - Los Angeles took their second straight from the Diamondbacks in their crucial 3-game series which concludes today. Luis Gonzalez stroked a 3-run homer in the first inning and Derek Lowe (12-12) made it stand up, allowing 1 run on 4 hits over 7 innings. The Dodgers trail Arizona by 3 1/2 and are 1 1/2 behind San Diego both in the division standings and wild card race. San Francisco 0 San Diego 6 - Brett Tomko (3-10) blanked the Giants on four hits over the first 6 innings and four Padres pitchers finished the whitewash as San Diego snuck to within 2 games of the D-Backs in the West. Other NL Scores Atlanta 4 Washington 7 Pittsburgh 7 Houston 9 Florida 10 Colorado 2

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Yankees Slip by Sox; Zambrano Boosts Cubs

American League NY Yankees 8 Boston 7 - New York scored 6 times in the 8th inning, Luis Vizcaino worked a perfect 8th and Mariano Rivera held the Sox scoreless in the 9th for his 27th save as the Yankees took the first of a crucial 3-game series in Boston, drawing to within 4 1/2 games of the Red Sox for the AL East lead. Johnny Damon victimized his old teammates, going 4-4, though only scoring once. Alex Rodriguez capped the comeback, driving in Bobby Abreu with the lead run with a single, his only hit of the game. A-Rod has 141 RBI, which leads the majors. Texas 9 Oakland 11 - Sammy Sosa (right) slugged his 20th home run of the season and drove in 5 runs in a losing effort for the Rangers. Sosa, after sitting out all of 2006, has rebounded with a solid season, driving in 88 runs in 108 games. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Cleveland 5 - Indians magic number is 10 Baltimore 6 Toronto 2 Detroit 4 Minnesota 2 LA Angels 3 Chi White Sox 5 - J. Thome, 0-4, needs 1 HR for 500 Tampa Bay 1 Seattle 2 National League Chi Cubs 5 St. Louis 3 - The Chicago Cubs handed the Cardinals their 8th straight loss and took a 1 1/2-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central as Carlos Zambrano (right) hurled 8 solid innings, allowing just 4 hits. The only run off Zambrano was Albert Pujols' 31st homer of the season, which tied the game, but the Cubs came back with a run in the 7th and 3 in the 9th. Zambrano improved to 16-12. Cincinnati 6 Milwaukee 5 - Prince Fielder hit his league-leading 45th home run, and Cincy's Adam Dunn socked his 39th as the Reds climbed to within 2 games of third place in the NL Central division, spoiling the hopes of the Brewers, who failed to keep pace with Chicago. Philadelphia 3 NY Mets 2, 10 innings - The Phillies probably won't catch the Mets in the division, but they kept their playoff hopes alive with an extra-inning triumph at Shea.
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Greg Dobbs' sac fly drove home Jayson Werth with the game-winner, and the Phillies remained 1 1/2 games back of the Padres, who lead the wild card standings. Arizona 4 LA Dodgers 7 - Likewise in the West, the Dodgers are 4 1/2 behind Arizona, but stayed 1 1/2 behind San Diego in the wild card race. LA scored 4 times in the 4th inning to erase a 4-2 Arizona lead and help Brad Penny, who allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings, improve to 16-4. The Dodger bullpen did its job, blanking Arizona the rest of the way, with Takashi Saito picking up his 39th save with a scoreless 9th. San Francisco 4 San Diego 5, 10 innings - Khalil Green's solo homer in the 10th gave San Diego a much-needed win, keeping them in the wild card lead and closing to within 3 games of Arizona in the West. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 4 Houston 3 Florida 7 Colorado 6 - M. Holliday HR (31), 120 RBI leads NL Atlanta 8 Washington 5, 13 innings

Friday, September 14, 2007

Fantasy Fun with ePlay

With the baseball season winding down, there's still plenty of time to get into some late-season fantasy action at ePlay, the internet leader in online fantasy sports challenges that include pickem's and thought provoking questions with Cash Prizes to the winners. The games are easy to play and membership is a snap. There are games for every sport, including pro football, college football, NASCAR, baseball, golf, hockey and basketball. The site is full of games and info, from news and stats feed to help you delve into your sport and succeed in any of the challenges, all of which offer cash prizes to the winners. The current baseball challenges for this weekend - Super Saturday and Showdown Sunday - each offer $250 in prize money. See how well you do on ePlay's Baseball Challenge le by going to the site, registering and playing. It's great fun and, as the name implies, challenging. Baseball on Deck readers can use the code MG0502 for 2 online submissions. Mail in submissions are free. See you on the diamond. Good luck.

Cubs Back in 1st; Yanks End Streak

American League Tampa Bay 7 Seattle 8 - The Seahawks won for just the 3rd time in their last 9 games, scoring 5 times in the eighth inning to squeeze by visiting Tampa Bay. Other AL Scores LA Angels 0 Baltimore 3 NY Yankees 1 Toronto 2 - Yankees end 6-game win streak Texas 5 Oakland 6 National League Chi Cubs 6 Houston 2 - Alfonso Soriano (left) and Aramis Ramirez (right) staked Steve Trachsel to a first-inning 4-run lead and the Cubs took over first place in the NL Central by 1/2 game over the idle Milwaukee Brewers. Soriano led off the game with his 25th home run and three batters later, Ramirez launched a three-run shot - his 23rd - into the left field stands. Chicago added solo homers by Daryle Ward and Cliff Floyd. Houston's only runs also came via the long ball, as Carlos Lee and Mark Loretta each connected for solo shots off Trachsel in the 4th inning. Trachsel, recently re-signed by Chicago after being released by the Baltimore Orioles, won wearing a Cubs uniform for the first time since 1999. He worked 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits. San Diego 3 LA Dodgers 6 - The Dodgers made the wild card chase a little more interesting with a win over San Diego and bolstered Arizona's lead in the AL West to 3 1/2 games. James Loney went 3-4 and drove in 4 runs as LA closed to within 2 1/2 games of the Padres, with Philly just 2 back and Colorado 3 behind. The Dodgers took 2 of 3 from San Diego during this series. The Dodgers face a brutal schedule down the stretch with 6 games against Arizona and 7 with Colorado before hosting the Giants in a 3-game season finale. Other NL Scores St. Louis 4 Cincinnati 5 - Cardinals lose 7th straight Colorado 4 Philadelphia 12

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Yanks win 7th straight; Holliday homers past Phillies

American League Cleveland 4 Chi White Sox 7 - Jim Thome went 3-4 with 3 RBI and stroked his career 499th home run to help the White Sox avoid being swept by the Indians. The solo shot was Thome's 27th of the season. Teammates Juan Uribe and Paul Konerko also homered. The loss snapped a 4-game Cleveland win streak, but still left them 5 1/2 ahead of Detroit in the division LA Angels 18 Baltimore 6 - The Angels reduced their magic number to 9 as they took advantage of 13 walks issued by Oriole pitchers. Garret Anderson (right) singled, doubled and homered, driving in 5 runs, while Vladimir Guerrero drove in four with a pair of singles in six at-bats. Kelvim Escobar allowed 6 runs over 5 1/3 innings, but still picked up his 17th win against 7 losses. NY Yankees 4 Toronto 1 - Mike Mussina blanked the Blue Jays on 5 hits over 5 2/3 innings and the Yankees won their seventh straight. Following four starts in which Mussina gave up a combined 32 hits and 21 runs in 13 1/3 innings, the outing was a relief for a battle-tested Yankee staff. With a showdown in Boston beginning Friday, the Yankees remain 5 games behind the Sox in the AL East, but have a cozy 4 game edge over Detroit in the wild card race. Tampa Bay 4 Boston 5 - David Ortiz smashed a pair of homers and drove in all the runs for the Red Sox as they took 2 of 3 from Tampa Bay. Texas 1 Detroit 5 - Magglio Ordonez socked a three-run homer (27) to give him 132 RBI on the season. Justin Verlander (17-5) allowed 1 earned on 7 hits over 7 innings with 7 Ks. Other AL Scores Minnesota 3 Kansas City 6 Oakland 5 Seattle 6 National League Atlanta 3 NY Mets 4 - The Mets extended their lead over the Phillies to 7 games, reducing their magic number to 11 as the Mets used six pitchers to take the rubber game in their 3-game series with Atlanta. Billy Wagner got his 34th save with a perfect ninth inning. Colorado 12 Philadelphia 0 - Mark this one down. It may signal the end of the season for the Phillies, who are 7 back of the Mets in their division and trail San Diego by 2 1/2 games in the wild card race with only 17 games remaining. The Rockies piled up 15 hits against 6 Philadelphia pitchers. Matt Holliday (right), who lined into a triple play in the first inning, got instant redemption with a three-run homer in the third, boosting his league-leading RBI total to 119. Chi Cubs 3 Houston 2 - The Cubs re-tied the Brewers for first place in the Central. Rich Hill (9-8) worked 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and an earned run, fanning 7 and walking 3. St. Louis 1 Cincinnati 5 - That's all for the Cards. The reigning world champions lost their 6th straight, all occurring right after allegations of HGH use by pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel surfaced last week. The offense has sputtered, scoring just 6 runs over the last three games. Ankiel, who had been red hot, is mired in a 2-for-22 slump. St. Louis trails Chicago and Milwaukee by 4 games. Arizona 9 San Francisco 4 - The Diamondbacks increased their lead over the Padres to 3 1/2 games with another win for Brandon Webb (16-10), who allowed 7 hits and 4 runs over 7 innings. While the D-Backs don't face the Padres again this season, they do have 6 games remaining against Los Angeles and close out the season with 3 at Colorado. Both the Dodgers and Rockies are 6 games back in the NL West standings. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 4 Pittsburgh 7 Washington 4 Florida 5, 12 innings San Diego 1 LA Dodgers 6

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Peavy wins 17th; Angels Magic Number is 10

American League LA Angels 10 Baltimore 5 - The Angels have the largest lead in the major leagues, at 9 1/2 games over Seattle, and last night reduced their magic number to 10 with a thumping of the hapless O's. Vladimir Guerrero (right) led a 14-hit Angels attack with a pair of 2-run homers, giving him 24 on the season and increasing his RBI total to 114, third best in the AL. How bad are the Orioles? They've won just 3 times in their last 20 games. That's how bad. Tampa Bay 10 Boston 16 - The Red Sox fell behind Tampa 8-1 in the 4th inning, but rallied past the Devil Rays to even their series at 1-1 and stay 5 games ahead of the Yankees in the division. Mike Lowell went 4-5 and scored 4 times and Kevin Youkilis banged a 3-run double off the left field wall to highlight a 6-run 6th inning. NY Yankees 9 Toronto 2 - With a showdown looming in Boston, the Yankees are the hottest team in the majors, winning their 6th straight and 10th of their last 13. Jason Giambi socked a grand slam to lead the offense as the Yankees improved their wild card lead to 4 games over Detroit. Other AL Scores Cleveland 8 Chi White Sox 3 - Indians have 6 1/2-gm. lead in Central Texas 13 Detroit 6 Texas 1 Detroit 4 Minnesota 6 Kansas City 3 Oakland 7 Seattle 4 National League San Diego 9 LA Dodgers 4 - The Padres moved on everybody Tuesday night, beating their closest pursuer as the D-Backs and Phillies also lost. The win put them 2 1/2 behind Arizona in the division and 2 1/2 ahead of Philly in the wild card race. Jake Peavy (left) became the NL's first 17-game winner, allowing 2 earned runs on five hits over 7 innings. Peavy is looking more and more like the easy choice for the NL Cy Young award, leading the league in wins (17-6), ERA (2.44) and strikeouts (215). Tuesday's win was his 8th in his last nine decisions. St. Louis 2 Cincinnati 7 - Adam Dunn cracked a pair of homers, driving in 5 runs as the Reds dumped the Cardinals. Dunn hit a solo shot in the first inning and banged a grand slam in the 3rd, both of Cardinals' starter Mark Mulder, who lasted only 4 innings in his second start after coming off the disabled list. Mulder's line for the two games is pretty disappointing: 8 IP, 15 hits, 11 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, and an ERA of 12.38. Given every opportunity to get past the .500 mark and take over the NL Central lead, the Cards have lost five straight and are 4 games behind Milwaukee in the division. Milwaukee 6 Pittsburgh 1 - The Brewers took back first place in the Central, grabbing a 1-game lead over the Cubs. Colorado 8 Philadelphia 2 - Matt Holliday (right) took over the RBI leadership in the NL, banging a couple of home runs and driving in 3. Ryan Howard, who had the lead going into the game, went 0-4. Holliday has 116 RBI; Howard, 115. Other NL Scores Washington 8 Florida 13 Atlanta 13 NY Mets 5 Chi Cubs 4 Houston 5, 11 innings Arizona 1 San Francisco 2

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Carmona keeps Indians hot; Ramirez powers Cubs

American League Tampa Bay 1 Boston 0 - Scott Kasmir (12-8) outdueled Curt Schilling, blanking the Red Sox on 5 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings, getting 10 outs on strikes. Toiling for one of the worst teams in the AL, Kasmir has had an excellent season, with an ERA of 3.65 and 209 strikeouts in 189 2/3 innings. For Boston, the loss enabled the idle Yankees to close to within 5 games in the AL East race. The Sox host New York for a 3-game series beginning Friday. It will be the final regular season meeting between the two top contenders in the division. Cleveland 6 Chi White Sox 2 - Fausto Carmona (right) allowed just 3 hits and 1 earned run over 7 innings improving his record to 16-8 as the Indians streak towards the post-season with their 16th win in their last 20 games. The Tribe maintained their 6-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central race, reducing their magic number to 13. Toronto 4 Detroit 5 - Magglio Ordonez would easily be the AL MVP if it wasn't for some fellow in New York named Rodriguez having a career year. Maggs went 4-5 and drove in the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the 9th, increasing his league-leading batting average to .359 while notching his 127th and 128th RBI. Other AL Scores Minnesota 4 Kansas City 2 Oakland 9 Seattle 3 National League St. Louis 3 Chi Cubs 12 - Aramis Ramirez (right) went 4-5 with a pair of solo home runs (22) to lead the Cubs back into a tie for first place in the NL Central with Milwaukee. Chicago pounded out 17 hits against five St. Louis pitchers. The Cardinals remain 3 games off the pace in the division. Milwaukee 0 Pittsburgh 9 - Tony Armas blanked the Brewers on 3 hits over 6 innings as the Pirates made Milwaukee's stint in first place a short one-day stay. Atlanta 2 NY Mets 3 Arizona 5 San Francisco 3 - It's getting late for teams trying to catch the division leaders in the East and West. The Mets won their 4th straight and maintained their 6-game lead over the Phillies, while the Diamondbacks won their 6th straight and improved to a 3 1/2-game lead over San Diego. Colorado 5 Philadelphia 6, 10 innings - This was a huge win for Philly, putting them just 1 1/2 games behind idle San Diego in the wild care race. Ryan Howard knocked in Chase Utley in the 10th for the game-winner and also hit his 38th home run earlier in the game. Howard's 2 RBI night gave him 115 and the league lead. In the same game, the Rockies' Matt Holliday knocked a 2-run homer and trails Howard in the RBI chase with 113. Other NL Scores Washington 5 Florida 4

Monday, September 10, 2007

Beckett, Wang get 18th wins; Pedro shines for Mets

American League Boston 3 Baltimore 2 - Josh Beckett (right) won for the fifth time in his last six decisions, improving to 18-6 while dropping his ERA down to 3.27 with a 7-hit, 2-run performance over 7 innings. Beckett, the leading candidate in the AL for the Cy Young Award, struck out 8 without walking a batter. His BB/K ratio is 4.81, having allowed only 36 free passes while punching out 173 batters in 181 2/3 innings. NY Yankees 6 Kansas City 3 - For the 5th straight game, Alex Rodriguez homered and the Yankees won. Chien-Ming Wang won his 18th against 6 losses to keep New York within 5 1/2 of the 1st-place Red Sox. Rodriguez continues in quite a groove, even for him, stroking his 52nd home run in the first inning with Bobby Abreu aboard, his 7th home run and 10th RBI in the past 5 outings. Wang's win was his fifth straight and 8th in his last 9 decisions. The Yankees also cemented their lead in the wild card standings, now 4 up on Detroit. Seattle 14 Detroit 7 - You want hits? The Seattle Mariners banged out 19 of them, sending Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman to the showers after only 1 1/3 innings, knocking him around for 7 hits and 6 earned runs. Ichiro Suzuki went 3-4 and scored 4 times, but still trails Magglio Ordonez in the AL batting race.
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Suzuki is at .351, while Ordonez went 2-4 and drove in three runs, keeping his lead with a .355 average. The win for Seattle ended a four-game losing streak and got them to within 5 games of the Yankees in the wild card. Detroit remains a game better, 4 behind the Yankees and 6 back of Cleveland in the AL Central. Cleveland 6 LA Angels 2 - The Indians erupted for 5 4th-inning runs off Angels' starter Jered Weaver, highlighted by Ryan Garko's 3-run blast, which gave the Indians an insurmountable lead and a 2-2 split in the series matching likely playoff teams. Despite the loss, the Angels have the biggest lead in the majors, 8 games to the good over Seattle in the West, and the best home record, 49-25. Other AL Scores Toronto 2 Tampa Bay 3 Minnesota 5 Chi White Sox 2 Oakland 9 Texas 12 National League Houston 1 NY Mets 4 - The Mets took another step toward the NL East title, as Pedro Martinez (right) blanked the Astros on 6 hits over 5 innings for his second win without a loss. Martinez is returning from a long stint on the DL, but has solidified the Mets' starting rotation with two quality outings. New York won for the 8th time in their last 10 outings and retained their 6-game bulge over Philly. Florida 5 Philadelphia 8 - Pat Burrell slugged his 27th home run and drove in two as the Phillies continue to dog the Padres in the wild card race. San Diego's lead is now down to just 2 games with 20 left to play. St. Louis 5 Arizona 6 - The Diamondbacks won their 5th straight, sweeping the Cardinals in their 3-game series. Arizona improved their lead in the West over San Diego to 3 games as the Padres took one on the chin in Colorado. Milwaukee 10 Cincinnati 5 - After giving up an early 9 1/2-game lead in the NL Central, the Brewers have battled back and regained first place in the division. The Brewers took little time to establish a lead over the Reds, as the first three hitters - Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun all homered off starter Phil Dumatrait, who pitched to five batters without getting an out before being lifted. Hardy added a pair of doubles. Weeks and Braun each hit another homer in the rout. Braun, the leading candidate for NL Rookie of the Year, has 30 homers and 79 RBI. The Brewers took a one-game lead over the Cubs in the division. St. Louis is 3 back. Other NL Scores Washington 7 Atlanta 4 Chi Cubs 5 Pittsburgh 10 San Diego 2 Colorado 4 LA Dodgers 2 San Francisco 4

Sunday, September 9, 2007

A-Rod Blasts 50th, 51st; Glavine, Maddux get wins

American League NY Yankees 11 Kansas City 5 - The Yankees won again on Saturday, getting to within 5 1/2 games of 1st place Boston in the division while maintaining their 3-game edge over Detroit in the wild card race. Alex Rodriguez blasted his 50th and 51st home runs of the season and boosted his RBI total to 138. A-Rod (right) is having a remarkable season, approaching career highs in home runs (57, 2002), RBI (142, 2002) and batting average (currently .317, career high .321, 2005). Meanwhile, the final showdown between the Red Sox and Yankees looms, with a 3-game series set for this coming weekend at Boston. The Yankees hold an 8-7 edge in the season series, including wins in the last four straight. They are 2-4 at Fenway, however. Seattle 6 Detroit 12 - The Tigers have found some late-season life, and hope to run down the Yankees in the wild card race. Ivan Rodriguez went 4-5 with a solo home run and 2 RBI, and Placido Polanco had 3 hits in 4 at-bats, driving in 4 runs. Detroit has taken two straight from Seattle and will attempt the sweep on Sunday afternoon. Cleveland 6 LA Angels 1 - C. C. Sabathia (17-7) pitched a complete-game 5-hitter, allowing only one earned run as the Indians got a win over the AL West-leading Angels, who had taken the first two in this series. Cleveland will be looking for the split tonight as the 4-game set concludes. Other AL Scores Minnesota 7 Chi White Sox 8 Boston 5 Baltimore 11 Toronto 4 Tampa Bay 5 Oakland 3 Texas 7 National League Houston 1 NY Mets 3 - Tom Glavine (right) (13-6) gave up 3 hits and one earned run over 7 innings as the Mets won their 80th game and maintained a 6-game lead in the NL East. The win was New York's 6th in their last 7 games. Following this afternoon's finale against Houston, the Mets host Atlanta for three games, take a day off, then greet the Phillies for three in what should determine the NL East champion. New York's magic number for clinching the division is 16. Chi Cubs 5 Pittsburgh 1 - Carlos Zambrano finally came through with a worthwhile performance, holding the Pirates to one run on 2 hits over 6 innings for his 15th win against 12 losses and keeping the Cubs even with Milwaukee in the NL Central. Zambrano, who struck out 8, walked 5, and was finally relieved in the 7th, when he started off the inning by allowing a single and a pair of walks to load the bases. Carlos Marmol got out of the jam, allowing just a sac fly for the one run, which was charged to Zambrano. Milwaukee 4 Cincinnati 3 - Prince Fielder socked his 43rd home run, as the Brewers rallied past Cincinnati, scoring single runs in the 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th innings after falling behind 3-0. St. Louis 8 Arizona 9 - The Diamondbacks used 8 pitchers and allowed just one Cardinal hit after the 5th inning, staying 2 clear of San Diego in the NL West standings. Jose Valverde earned his 44th save with a perfect 9th inning of work. Other NL Scores LA Dodgers 6 San Francisco 2 Washington 2 Atlanta 9 San Diego 3 Colorado 1 - G. Maddux, W (13-6), 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER

Saturday, September 8, 2007

New York, New York: Mets, Yankees cruising toward post-season

American League NY Yankees 3 Kansas City 2 - The Yankees took another step towards the post-season, winning their third straight while maintaining their wild card lead at three games, though 2nd place was assumed by the Tigers, who knocked off Seattle - Seattle 1 Detroit 6 - in the first of their 3-game series. The Yankees got two of their runs in the 2nd inning, when Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada went deep with solo shots. Bobby Abreu knocked home Derek Jeter with the winning run in the 7th. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 24th save. Boston 4 Baltimore 0 - The Red Sox kept the Yankees at bay as Jon Lester (right) picked up his 4th win without a loss, blanking the O's on 4 hits over 7 innings. Dating back to their record-setting 30-3 loss to Texas on August 22, the Orioles have lost 15 of their last 17 games. Cleveland 2 LA Angels 3, 10 innings - Garret Andersonhad an RBI for the 12th consecutive game, two short of Tris Speaker's AL record, set in May, 1928 with the Philadelphia Athletics. The Angels increased their lead in the division to 9 games over Seattle. Their magic number to clinch the division is 14. Other AL Scores Toronto 7 Tampa Bay 2 Oakland 3 Texas 5 Minnesota 10 Chi White Sox 11, 13 innings National League Chi Cubs 1 Pittsburgh 6 Milwaukee 4 Cincinnati 11 St. Louis 2 Arizona 4 - Call it the division nobody wants. All three leaders in the NL central went down in defeat on Friday. The Cubs and Brewers hold a one-game edge over the Cardinals. It's win or go home in the Central, as Chicago and Milwaukee both trail San Diego by 5 games in the wild card standings. While the top two were losing to non-contenders, at least the Cardinals can claim their loss was to a probable post-season squad, as Brandon Webb (15-11) shut the Cards down on 2 earned runs over 6 innings. In Cincinnati, Ken Griffey Jr. smacked his 30th home run (career #593). Prince Fielder hit his league-leading 42nd homer for the Brewers. Houston 3 NY Mets 11 - Carlos Beltran (right) hit his 28th home run as the Mets are cruising toward their 2nd straight NL East title with a 6 game lead over Philly. With just 22 games left to play, the Phillies look like they are going to have to settle for 2nd place, which may not be good enough for the wild card slot. Currently, the Phillies trail the Padres by 3 games. San Diego 4 Colorado 10 - The Rockies emptied their bullpen, using 10 pitchers in their win over San Diego, setting a National League record for a nine inning game. The Rockies are still thinking division or wild card. They are 5 back of Arizona in the NL West and 3 behind the Padres in the wild card race. Other NL Scores Florida 6 Philadelphia 3 Washington 1 Atlanta 7 LA Dodgers 4 San Francisco 5

Friday, September 7, 2007

Ankiel a Card Cheat?; Angels Ambush Tribe

National League Pittsburgh 4 St. Louis 16 - Rick Ankiel smashed two more home runs on Thursday, giving him 9 since joining the Cardinals less than a month ago. The rehabbed pitcher-turned-outfielder added a 2-run double in 4 at-bats to drive in 7 runs. The win got the Cardinals to within one game of the Cubs - who were losing to the Dodgers for the third time in four outings - in the NL Central race. But, according to a report by the NY Daily News published late Thursday night, Ankiel's (right) exploits may have been induced by unnatural means, specifically, the use of HGH (Human Growth Hormone). The story alleges that Ankiel received a 12-month supply of HGH from an Orlando pharmacy in 2004. The information came as part of Albany District Attorney David Soares' two-year investigation into illegal Internet prescription drug sales, which has brought 22 indictments and nine convictions. Ankiel is the most recent player involved, and the first baseball player. Last week, New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Wilson were also implicated. Harrison was suspended for four games by the NFL. Wilson received a five-game suspension. LA Dodgers 7 Chi Cubs 4 - The Cubs should be happy now that the Dodgers have left town. Los Angeles took three of four games from the Cubs.
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Their departure left the Cubs in a dead heat for first place in the NL Central, with the Cardinals one game back. The Dodgers erased a 4-3 Cubs lead in the ninth inning when Andre Ethier launched a three-run homer over the left field wall. Rafael Furcal scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to complete the scoring. The win got LA to within 3 1/2 games of NL West co-leaders Arizona and San Diego. There were no other National League games Thursday night. American League Cleveland 3 LA Angels 10 - Garrett Anderson (right), who is having a fantastic time at the plate lately, singled twice and knocked his 15th homer - a two-run shot - driving in 3 runs, to lead the Angels over the NL Central-leading Indians in the first of a four-game series. Anderson, who had 10 RBI in an August 21 game against the NY Yankees, has driven in at least one run in each of his last 11 games. Since August 26, Anderson has hit 7 home runs and driven in 21 runs, raising his batting average from .279 to .298. The Angels lead Seattle in the West by 8 games while Cleveland's lead over Detroit in the Central was trimmed to 6. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 2 Detroit 3 Boston 7 Baltimore 6