American League
Oakland 3 Minnesota 4 -
Justin Morneau tied the game with his 25th homer in the 8th and
Joe Mauer singled home
Luis Castillo with the winning run as the Twins sent the A's to their 7th straight loss. Minnesota kept pace with the Tigers and Indians in the AL Central race with their 4th straight win, though they remain 6 games back. Morneau's homer gave him 76 RBI on the year.
Detroit 11 Seattle 7 - This game had it all. Five wild pitches, six doubles, 4 homers, 5 steals - including a steal of home by
Gary Sheffield - and two hit batters, one being
Ichiro Suzuki, who was forced to leave the game with a bruised thigh. Detroit starter
Justin Verlander improved to 11-3, though this was not nearly one of his better performances, allowing 4 earned on 8 hits a walk and 6 Ks over 7 innings.
Marcus Thames drove in four runs with a single and a 3-run homer, and
Magglio Ordonez hit his 14th home run and drove in 3 to give him 75 for the season. The Tigers maintained their wafer-thin 1/2-game edge on the Indians in the AL Central.
NY Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 6 - There are still signs of hope in New York, as the Yankees won and Boston lost on Sunday, allowing the Yanks to within 9 games of the runaway Red Sox.
Derek Jeter (right) hit his 9th home run - a two-run shot - in the 5th and singled home what would prove to be the winning run in the 8th. The win boosted New York over the .500 mark at 45-44 as they return home for a 4-game set with Toronto. Following that series, the Yankees play their next 17 games against Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Kansas City and Chicago, four of the five worst teams in the league. If the Yankees are ever going to make their move, this stretch - though August 5th - would be an opportune time to do so.
Kansas City 3 Cleveland 5 -
Fausto Carmona improved to 11-4, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings and
Joe Borowski picked up his 26th save as the Indians kept pace in the Central, 1/2-game behind Detroit. Cleveland won for the 33rd time at home, the best in the majors.
Other AL Scores
Chi White Sox 3 Baltimore 5
Toronto 2 Boston 1 - Sox, Jays split 4-game series; Toronto 10 back
Texas 5 LA Angels 4, 11 innings - Angels, only 14th home loss
National League
St. Louis 10 Philadelphia 2 -
Albert Pujols (right) socked a pair of homers and drove in 3 runs as the Cardinals avoided the sweep by handing the Phillies their 10,000th loss. Officially, the Phillies have amassed more losses than any other major league franchise, though the Braves (9,681) and Cubs (9,425) aren't far behind. The milestone may be considered one of futility, though it should be viewed in its entirety as a mark of longevity. The Phillies have been a part of major league baseball since 1883, and while they've lost plenty, they can lay claim to 8,810 wins over those 124 years... and counting. So, if the Phillies can average 90 wins a season, they'll reach the .500 mark in just 66 short years.
LA Dodgers 5 San Francisco 3 - The Dodgers completed their sweep of the Giants, winning their 11th straight in San Francisco while holding
Barry Bonds hitless and homerless. Bonds went 0-5 for the second straight night, hasn't homered in 7 games and hasn't hit in his last 20 official at-bats. Players and reporters say Bonds looks tired at the plate, that his feet and toes are swollen (steroid use symptom?) and maybe he needs some time off. Good idea, that last one. Maybe a three month vacation might coax Barry into an early retirement.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers maintained their 1-game lead over San Diego in the NL West and are 4-0 since the All -Star break, all four wins coming at the Giants' expense.
Pittsburgh 1 Atlanta 5 - For years, the Braves lived and died with starting pitching, so it should be no surprise that a relatively unknown pitcher,
Buddy Carlyle - who, at the tender age of 29, is technically a rookie - turns in a game-winning performance. Carlyle worked 8 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 1 earned without walking a batter for his third straight win and a 4-2 record overall. The Braves trial the Mets by 1 1/2 in the NL East race.
Other NL Scores
Washington 3 Florida 5 - M. Cabrera, 2 HR (21)
Cincinnati 2 NY Mets 5
Colorado 3 Milwaukee 4 - F. Cordero, S (28)
Houston 6 Chi Cubs 7 - D. Lee, 3-3, HR (7), 3 RBI (47)
San Diego 4 Arizona 0 - J. Germano (W, 6-3), 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER
advancing the Mariners to within 3 games of the first-place Angels.
Suzuki's effort was his 51st multiple-hit game of the season, and boosted his batting average to .347, good for second in the AL, behind the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez at .351. The Angels and Mariners are in the midst of a crucial 3-game series, with games 2 and 3 on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mariners are 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the wild card chase and have won 4 straight.
Detroit 5 Oakland 2 - Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco each collected three hits as the Tigers upped their slim lead in the AL Central to 1 full game over idle Cleveland. The Tigers topped the sliding A's, who have lost 4 straight and are 5-13 since the All-Star break.
Other AL Scores
Kansas City 1 Minnesota 3
Toronto 4 Tampa Bay 5, 11 innings
National League
Philadelphia 4 Chi Cubs 1 - Cole Hamels (right) improved to 12-5, allowing just three hits over 8 innings. The Cubs got their only run on Ryan Theriot's 6th inning solo homer. Hamels struck out 8, giving him 143 on the season, one behind NL leader Jake Peavy. Aaron Rowand cracked a 3-run homer off loser Ted Lilly in the 3rd inning and Tadahito Iguchi hit his first homer as a Philly - a solo shot in the 5th.
This was the first of a pivotal four-game set between the Cubs and Phillies, each team in second place in their respective division. The Cubs trail Milwaukee by only 1 game, while the Phillies are 3 behind the East-leading Mets.
Detroit 4 LA Angels 13 - Chone Figgins (right) stroked three singles in five at-bats, scored three runs, drove in another and stole his 27th base as the Angels stomped the Tigers, sweeping the 3-game series in Anahiem by a combined score of 34-13. The Angels scored in double digits in each game, leaving the Tigers' staff in tatters.
Figgins has been on a tear of late, hitting safely in 13 of his last 14 games and raising his batting average from .300 to .337 during the span. The Angels remain four goods to the good on Seattle in the West, while Detroit continues to cling to a 1/2-game lead in the AL Central. As Detroit has lost 5 of their last 6, the Indians have accommodated by losing 5 of their last 7.
Oakland 10 Seattle 14 - Adrian Beltre singled in one run and drove in three more with his 16th homer, keeping the Mariners 4 games behind LA in the AL West.
Other AL Scores
Minnesota 4 Cleveland 1
Toronto 4 Chi White Sox 1
Texas 0 Kansas City 10 - Royals win 4th straight
Boston 2 Tampa Bay 5 - D-Rays end 8-game losing streak
NY Yankees 10 Baltimore 6 - J. Damon, 3-5, 2 RBI, 4 runs
National League
LA Dodgers 6 Colorado 9 - Matt Holliday homered for the 4th time in his last 6 games and drove in 3 runs, giving him 84 for the year, putting him in the middle of the RBI fray with Ryan Howard and Carlos Lee, both of whom have 86. The Rockies took 2 of 3 from LA and are now just 3 1/2 games back in the wild NL West. LA and Arizona are on top with San Diego 1/2 back.
San Diego 18 Houston 11 - Mike Cameron hit a two-run homer, doubled twice, drove in 3 runs and scored 3 times as the Padres pounded out 18 hits. Every position player had at least two hits, except #8 batter Geoff Blum, who had just one.
Milwaukee 5 St. Louis 9 - Over in the NL Central, the heat is on the Milwaukee Brewers after losing three of four to the Cardinals over the weekend. Once again, the main protagonist for the Cards - now just 6 games back - was Albert Pujols who busted the game open with a 3-run double in the 8th.
Chi Cubs 6 Cincinnati 0 - Carlos Zambrano improved to 14-7 with a 2-hit blanking of the Reds over 7 1/3 innings, drawing the Cubs to within 1/2 game of Milwaukee.
Atlanta 14 Arizona 0 - Tim Hudson allowed just 3 hits over 7 innings and Chipper Jones drove in five hits with a bases loaded double and a pair of sac flies. Jones was efficient to the extreme, finishing the night officially with one hit in one at-bat.
Other NL Scores
Washington 0 NY Mets 5, 5 innings
Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia 5 - Phillies remain 3 12 back of NY
Florida 8 San Francisco 5
Toronto 0 Chi White Sox 2 - Mark Buehrle (right) outdueled Toronto's Roy Halladay, hurling 8 innings of shutout ball, fanning 6. Bobby Jenks worked a perfect 9th for save #30.
Boston 12 Tampa Bay 6, 12 innings - Manny Ramirez has come to life, with 13 RBI over his last 7 games, including a 2-run double in the 6-run 12th as the Red Sox stretched their lead over the struggling Yankees to 9 games. The Red Sox have won three straight while New York has lost 3 in a row. Tampa Bay has lost 8 straight.
Other AL Scores
Oakland 3 Seattle 4
Minnesota 3 Cleveland 2
NY Yankees 5 Baltimore 7 - Yankees fall 9 behind Boston
Texas 5 Kansas City 6
National League
Chi Cubs 8 Cincinnati 1 - Alfonso Soriano (right) singled and homered twice in five at-bats, driving in 5 runs and scoring 3, as the Cubs relentless 2nd half drive continued in earnest. Coupled with the Brewers dropping a pair at St. Louis, the Cubbies are now just 1 1/2 behind the crumbling Milwaukee squad.
Die-hard Cardinals' fans will note that St. Louis is just 7 games behind, albeit with a losing record (48-53). Since July 1, the Brewers haven't exactly been playing like a first-place team, going 9-15. Over the same stretch, the Cubs are 15-8, and are tied in the loss column with the Brewers at 48.
Milwaukee 6 St. Louis 7
Milwaukee 2 St. Louis 5 - The Cardinals scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to take the opener and began game two with another 3 run inning in the first, helping Anthony Reyes (1-10) to his first win of the season. Albert Pujols went 2-4 in each game, raising his batting average to .317 and his RBI total to 68. The Cards have taken 2 of 3 from the Brewers in this series and will look to draw even closer in the finale on Sunday.
Pittsburgh 5 Philadelphia 10 - While the Mets were splitting a double-header with last place Washington, the Phillies were busy keeping Pittsburgh in the NL Central basement. Jimmy Rollins, who has moved from leadoff into the 3-hole because of the injury to Chase Utley, went 3-5, drove in three, stole a base and scored a run. Rollins has 64 RBI, not bad for a guy batting mostly leadoff. The Phillies are 3 1/2 behind New York. Philly has a tough stretch coming up, with four games at Chicago followed by 3 at Milwaukee beginning Monday. Near the end of August, Philly hosts LA and San Diego for three games each, followed by a 4-game home series with the Mets.
Atlanta 3 Arizona 4, 10 innings - The Diamondbacks won their 8th straight and are just .001 behind the Dodgers in the NL West.
LA Dodgers 2 Colorado 6 - Matt Holliday cracked his 19th homer and drove in two, giving him 81 RBI overall, and Jeff Francis allowed just 2 earned runs over 7 2/3rds as the Rockies clawed to within 4 1/2 of first place in the West.
Other NL Scores
Washington 1 NY Mets 3
Washington 6 NY Mets 5
San Diego 1 Houston 3
Florida 3 San Francisco 4
Florida 10 San Francisco 12 - Barr Bonds was walked four times after banging home run #754 off rookie starter Rick Vanden Hurk. Bonds is now one shy of tying Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record. Bonds' 1st inning blast was also his 20th of the season, marking the 19th time he has hit at least 20 homers in a season. The Marlins have lost 5 straight.
Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia 8, 8 innings - The Phillies took over second place in the NL East by percentage points as Jamie Moyer allowed 6 hits and no earned runs over 7 innings in the rain-shortened event. With the Mets and Braves both losing, Philly is now 4 games out.
Other NL Scores
Atlanta 7 Arizona 8, 11 innings - D-Backs, 7 straight wins
Washington 6 NY Mets 2
Chi Cubs 4 Cincinnati 5
San Diego 9 Houston 4
Milwaukee 12 St. Louis 2
Boston 14 Cleveland 9 - Manny Ramirez (right) socked a pair of homers, drove in four runs and scored four times as the Red Sox took three of four at Cleveland. The homers gave 35-year-old Ramirez 487 for his career, making him yet another player who could attain a milestone this season.
The Red Sox have won six of their last seven and lead the 2nd-place Yankees by 7 1/2 games.
NY Yankees 0 Kansas City 7 - The Royals snapped New York's 6-game win streak and recorded their second shutout win of the season, as Jorge De La Rosa (8-10) allowed six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings with 5 strikeouts. It was the 6th time the Yankees have been struck out this season.
Other AL Scores
Tampa Bay 7 Baltimore 10 - O's sweep; D-Rays worst record in MLB, 38-63, 16-35 on road
Detroit 3 Chi White Sox 4 - Tigers 1 1/2 ahead of Cleveland in Central
Oakland 6 Seattle 2 - Mariners lose 7th straight
National League
Milwaukee 5 Cincinnati 6, 10 innings - Ken Griffey Jr. added another homer to his total, giving him 25 on the season and 588 for his career, and Javier Valentin singled home Adam Dunn with the game-winner in the 10th, sending Milwaukee to their 2nd straight loss and 5th in their last 7.
The Reds stayed 1/2 game out of last place, but took 3 of 4 from the struggling NL Central leaders. Milwaukee retained its 2-game lead on the Cubs, who lost at St. Louis.
making him the first player in major league history to hit at least 35 homers in 10 consecutive seasons. It was also his 499th, meaning his next will make him the youngest player ever to reach the 500 mark. A-Rod turns 32 on Friday.
The Yankee slugger joined another exclusive club with #35, bonding with Babe Ruth as the only players in major league history to hit 35 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in a season 11 times. Rodriguez has 102 RBI this season.
Boston 0 Cleveland 1 - On Tuesday, it was Daisuke Matsuzaka outdueling C.C. Sabathia for a 1-0 Boston win. On Wednesday, Cleveland got even as 
Fausto Carmona (13-4, right) led the Indians to a 1-0 win over Red Sox ace Josh Beckett (13-4). Carmona, a rookie, gave up just 4 hits over 8 innings and was helped by Franklin Gutierrez, another rookie, who provided the only run of the game with his 3rd inning home run. Cleveland trails Detroit by 1 1/2 in the AL Central.
Detroit 13 Chi White Sox 9 - The Tigers kept Cleveland at bay as rookie Ryan Raburn singled twice, doubled and homered in 5 at-bats, scoring 3 times and driving in 7. The Tigers tied their series with Chicago at 2-2, after dropping both ends of a double-header on Tuesday. The rubber game is tonight.
Other AL Scores
Minnesota 1 Toronto 13 - G. Zaun, 3-4, HR, 4 RBI
Oakland 6 LA Angels 7 - LA leads Seattle by 3 1/2 in AL West.
Tampa Bay 1 Baltimore 6
Seattle 6 Texas 7 - Mariners, 6 straight losses
National League
Pittsburgh 3 NY Mets 6 - The Mets staked starter Tom Glavine (right) to a 6-0 lead and the veteran lefty made it stand up, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings for his 299th career win. Glavine (9-6), who joined the Mets in 2003, has 57 wins with New York and 242 with the Atlanta Braves. Glavine also passed the 2500 mark for strikeouts earlier this season has won 20 games five different times and carries a lifetime ERA of 3.49.
San Diego 2 Colorado 10 - The Rockies got the last laugh, taking their series with the Padres two games to one, as Matt Holliday went 4-4 with 2 doubles and his 18th home run, driving in 2 and scoring 4 times. Holliday is batting .333, good for 4th in the NL, and the Rockies gained to within 4 1/2 of the NL West leading Dodgers. Between them are the Padres, 1 back, and Arizona, 1 1/2 behind LA.
Milwaukee 3 Cincinnati 7 - The Brewers dropped their 12 game in July against just 9 wins and can feel the Cubs breathing down the back of their necks. The Cubs...
...Chi Cubs 7 St. Louis 1 - improved to 14-6 in July and got to within 2 games of the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs and Brewers are the only teams in the division with better-than-.500 records. The third-place Cardinals are 9 back at 45-52. Starter Ted Lilly improved to 11-4, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits over 7 innings.
Washington 5 Philadelphia 7, 14 innings - It took a while, but Ryan Howard finally got a pitch he could drive and he sent it into the right field stands to end the game. Howard has 28 home runs, 2nd in the NL behind Milwaukee's Prince Fielder.
Other NL Scores
LA Dodgers 1 Houston 2
Florida 0 Arizona 7 - B. Webb, W (9-8), 7 IP, 6 H, 8 K
Atlanta 1 San Francisco 2
Boston 1 Cleveland 0 - The Boston Red Sox continued their dominance over other contenders (and pretenders) in the American League, as Daisuke Matsuzaka (12-7, right) outdueled C.C. Sabathia (13-5), the only run of the game coming in the 4th inning, when Mike Lowell singled home Kevin Youkilis. Matsuzaka allowed just 4 hits over 7 innings, walking 3 and striking out 5. Sabathia allowed five hits, struck out seven and didn't walk a batter. Johnathan Papelbon picked up his 23rd save with a perfect 9th.
Minnesota 0 Toronto 7 - The Twins continued their slow slide in the Central division, now 8 1/2 games behind Detroit (they actually picked up 1/2 game as Detroit dropped a pair to the White Sox), as Dustin McGowan (7-5) blanked them over 7 1/3 innings, getting the Blue Jays to an even 50 wins and 50 losses for the season.
Detroit 3 Chi White Sox 5 - Paul Konerko's 6th inning 2-run homer provided the winning margin for the White Sox in the first half of their double-dip with Detroit. It was Konerko's 22nd home run of the season.
Detroit 7 Chi White Sox 8 - The Tigers' bullpen blew a 6-1 lead as Jim Thome's 17th home run - a 3-run, 7th inning blast - highlighted a rally as the Sox scored 2 in the 6th, 3 in the 7th and 2 more in the 8th. Despite the twin losses, Detroit remains the AL Central leader, 1 1/2 clear of Cleveland.
Other AL Scores
Seattle 1 Texas 2
Seattle 3 Texas 4 - Mariners lose 5th straight
Tampa Bay 0 Baltimore 3
NY Yankees 9 Kansas City 4 - Yankees have won 5 straight
Oakland 4 LA Angels 3
National League
Pittsburgh 4 NY Mets 8 - John Maine (right) allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits over 7 innings and cracked a 2-run homer in the 4th inning to aid his own cause as the Mets won for the 4th time in their last 5 games. Maine improved to 11-5, and the Mets retained their 3-game lead over Atlanta. New York will look to expand their edge this week as they have 2 more games with the Pirates before hosting a four-game set with the last place Nationals over the weekend.
Chi Cubs 4 St. Louis 3 - Carlos Zambrano (13-7) became the NL's first 13-game winner and the Cubs remain 3 behind Milwaukee in NL Central. Aramis Ramirez continued his red-hot play, going 4-5, for his 5th multi-hit game in his last 9, boosting his batting average to .321. Over that span, he's driven in 13 runs.
Other NL Scores
Washington 3 Philadelphia 4
Milwaukee 5 Cincinnati 3 - F. Cordero, S (32), leads majors
LA Dodgers 4 Houston 7
San Diego 5 Colorado 3 - Padres trail Dodgers by 1 in NL West
Florida 3 Arizona 9
Atlanta 7 San Francisco 5, 13 innings - B. Bonds, 1-5, no home runs
Lester's rookie season was cut short by the disease last season, but last night he returned triumphant in life and in the game he loves.
Lester was solid, allowing just 5 hits and 2 earned runs over 6 innings - both of the runs coming via Grady Sizemore's 3rd inning home run. His teammates stake him to a 5 run lead with 4 in the 1st and another run in the 2nd. Lester walked 3 and struck out 6, a performance that will surely keep him in the Boston rotation.
NY Yankees 9 Kansas City 2 - While the Sox were celebrating Lester's return, the Yankees were busy winning for the 9th time in 11 games since the All-Star break. Every hitter in the lineup had at least one hit, and Alex Rodriguez reached 100 RBI with a run-scoring single in the 9th inning. And it's only July. Roger Clemens earned career win #351, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits over 7 innings of work. The Yankees remain 7 1/2 behind the first-place Red Sox.
Detroit 9 Chi White Sox 6 - Four different Tigers - Curtis Granderson, Ivan Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco - each had 3 hits, but Granderson drove in four runs and scored twice with a single, double, and his 17th home run of the season - a solo shot which led off the game. The Tigers increased their AL Central lead over Cleveland to 2 games.
Minnesota 4 Toronto 6 - All of the runs in this contest came via the long ball. Frank Thomas hit a pair of 2-run jobs off starter Johan Santana and Justin Morneau drove in three with his 27th and 28th. Reed Johnson and Alex Rios knocked solo shots for the Blue Jays while Torii Hunter added his 21st - another solo job - in the 9th inning.
Other AL Scores
Seattle 7 Texas 8 - S. Sosa, 2-4, HR (15), 5 RBI (69)
Oakland 12 LA Angels 6 - M. Ellis, 3-5, 2 HR (11), 3 RBI (45)
National League
Seattle 0 Toronto 8 - Roy Halladay (right) cooled off the Mariners with a three-hit complete game win, improving his record to 11-4. It was the second straight shutout of Seattle, giving the Blue Jays a 2-1 edge in their now-concluded series. Seattle trails the Angels by 2 games in the AL West.
Baltimore 2 Oakland 0 - Jeremy Guthrie (6-3) blanked Oakland on 2 hits over 7 and the bullpen turned in 2 perfect innings of relief.
Tampa Bay 4 NY Yankees 21 - The Yankees banged out 25 hits and took their third straight over the hapless Devil Rays. After losing 14-4 on Friday night, the Yanks got their revenge, outscoring Tampa 45-12 for a 3-1 series win. Alex Rodriguez hit his 34th home run and career #498, and drove in 3 runs, giving him 99 on the season. Hideki Matsui went 5-6 with his 17th homer, drove in 2 and scored 3 times. The Yankees totaled six homers in the win but still trail Boston by 7 1/2 in the AL East.
Chi White Sox 5 Boston 8 - Manny Ramirez - drove in 3 runs with his 17th home run of the season in the first inning and knocked in another with a single in the 6th as the Red Sox took 3 straight from Chicago after dropping a 4-2 decision Thursday night.
Other AL Scores
Kansas City 5 Detroit 2
LA Angels 7 Minnesota 2
Cleveland 8 Texas 3 - Indians trail Detroit by 1 game in AL Central
National League
Philadelphia 9 San Diego 0 - J.D. Durbin tossed a 5 hit shutout and the Philly offense did their thing, banging out 15 hits. Jimmy Rollins(right) spearheaded the attack from his leadoff spot, going 3-4 with a triple and his 17th home rum of the season, scoring three times while driving in a run. Philly trails Atlanta by 1 1/2 and the Mets by 5 in the NL East.
Colorado 0 Washington 3 - The Rockies were blanked 3-0 for the second straight day, this time at the hand of Tim Redding's 6 2/3 innings of work, two middle relievers and a shaky 9th inning, in which Chad Cordero allowed a hit and a walk, but picked up his 19th save.
Houston 1 Pittsburgh 0 - Woody Williams (5-11) gave up just 5 hits over 8 innings and Brad Lidge picked up his 3rd save since returning to the closing role for Houston. Lidge struck out 3 and allowed a hit in the 9th. He's struck out 11 in his last 5 innings of work.
The Pirates are actually as bad as people think, having now lost 8 of their last 9, scoring 3 runs or less in six of those outings. It doesn't get any better for Pittsburgh either. After a day off Monday, they travel to New York and Philly for a pair of 3-game series.
Arizona 3 Chi Cubs 0 - rookie Yusmeiro Petit evened his record at 2-2, allowing 3 hits over 6 innings and Jose Valverde notched his 30th save as the D-Backs took 2 of 3 in Chicago. Valverde is 2nd in the NL in saves behind Milwaukee's Francisco Cordero, who has 31.
Other NL Scores
Cincinnati 3 Florida 9 - M. Cabrera, 2-4, 2 RBI (71)
San Francisco 5 Milwaukee 7 - B. Bonds, DNP; F. Cordero, S (31)
NY Mets 5 LA Dodgers 4, 10 innings - Mets take 3 of 4 in LA
St. Louis 7 Atlanta 2, 10 innings
snapping a 2-2 tie and sending the Twins to their second straight win over AL West-leading Los Angeles. With men on first and third, Mauer hit a blast into the left-center alley, just out of the reach of center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. The teams conclude their series on Sunday, with Minnesota looking for the sweep at the Metrodome.
Tampa Bay 3 NY Yankees 7 - Tampa Bay 5 NY Yankees 17 - In the opener, Alex Rodriguez went 0-1 with a pair of walks, but stole a base and scored twice. In the nightcap, A-Rod went 3-4 with a pair of doubles, his 33rd home run and 4 RBI, giving him 96 on the season.
Philadelphia 12 San Diego 4 - Ryan Howard (right) went 3-3,with a pair of home runs, scored 3 times and drove in five runs as the Phillies picked up a game on the Mets and kept pace with Atlanta in the AL East race. Philly trails New York by 5 and Atlanta by 2 1/2.
Other NL Scores
Arizona 3 Chi Cubs 2
Colorado 0 Washington 3
NY Mets 6 LA Dodgers 8 - LA takes 1-game lead in NL West
San Francisco 8 Milwaukee 0 - B. Bonds, 0-2
Cincinnati 1 Florida 11
Houston 3 Pittsburgh 7
LA Angels 5 Minnesota 7 - Justin Morneau (right) singled and drove in three runs with his 26th home run as the Twins ended their 3-game losing skein. The loss by the Angels allowed the Mariners to close to within 1 game of first place in the AL West.
Seattle 4 Toronto 2 - Adrian Beltre socked a 2-run homer to lift the Mariners over Toronto and get to within one game of AL West leader Los Angeles. Beltre has 5 homers and 13 RBI in his last 11 games. J.J. Putz picked up his 29th save, tops in the AL.
Other AL Scores
Baltimore at Oakland - E. Bedard, W (9-4), 11 K
National League
Arizona 2 Chi Cubs 6 - Aramis Ramirez (right) stroked a 3-run homer and singled in another run to lead the Cubs over stumbling Arizona. The Cubs have won 12 of 16 in July and continue to gain on Milwaukee. The D-Backs are going completely in the other direction, having lost 12 of 16 in July.
San Francisco 8 Milwaukee 4 - Later in the night, Milwaukee lost for the 9th time in 16 tries in July. Their loss, coupled with the Cubs' win, trimmed the Brewers' lead to a mere 2 1/2 games.
Colorado 3, Washington 1 - Aaron Cook hurled 7 innings of shutout ball on 4 hits and the Rockies hung tough in the NL West race, tying Arizona for 3rd place, 4 1/2 behind LA and San Diego.
Other NL Scores
Cincinnati 2 Florida 10 - M. Cabrera, 2-4, HR (23), 3 RBI (69)
Houston 2 Pittsburgh 1 - R. Oswalt (W, 9-6) 6 IP, 7 H, 1ER
St. Louis 4 Atlanta 2
NY Mets 4 LA Dodgers 1 - O. Perez, W (9-6) 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 8 K
Philadelphia 7 San Diego 4 - C. Utley, HR (17), 2 RBI (81) leads NL
LA Angels 3 Tampa Bay 0 - Kelvim Escobar (11-3, right) blanked the Devil Rays on 9 hits over 7 2/3, for his 5th straight win over a span of 8 starts. The Angles increased their suddenly slim lead over idle Seattle to 2 games in the AL West.
Other AL Scores
Chi White Sox 4 Boston 2 - Red Sox have lost 3 straight
Toronto 3 NY Yankees 2 - Yankees remain 7 behind Boston
Cleveland 7 Texas 5 - Indians trail Detroit by 2 games
National League
Detroit 3 Minnesota 2 - Magglio Ordonez singled, doubled and hit his 14th homer, driving in all of Detroit's runs against Johan Santana and the Twins. The win was Detroit's 3rd straight and second in a row over the Twins. The teams wrap up their 3-game set tonight at Minnesota. Detroit has a 2-game bulge over Cleveland in the division and lead Minnesota by 8.
Toronto 1 NY Yankees 6 - Roger Clemens scattered 9 hits over 6 innings, allowing just 1 run and Alex Rodriguez drove in a pair of runs with a double in the 7th to give him 92 RBI on the year. New York closed to within 7 games of the AL East-leading Red Sox, who dropped their second straight to the Royals. The Yankees have won 5 straight and will be looking for the 4-game sweep over Toronto tonight.
Baltimore 5 Seattle 6 - Adrian Beltre's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 8th forced home Jose Vidro with the winning run as the Mariners crept to within 1 1/2 games of the struggling Angels. 
Cincinnati 5 Atlanta 4, 15 innings - Ken Griffey Jr. (right) reached another milestone in his certain Hall of Fame career with his 2,500th hit and scored the go-ahead run in the 15th on Brandon Phillips' 2-run single. Jeff Francoeur knocked home Andruw Jones in the bottom frame, but the Braves fell a run short and were swept at home by the last-place Reds.
San Francisco 1 Chi Cubs 12 - Barry Bonds sat out his third straight game and watched as Koyie Hill - a .179 back-up catcher - drove in five runs with a pair of doubles. The Cubs improved to 10-4 in July and trail Milwaukee by 3 1/2 games as the Brewers lost to Arizona. Meanwhile, the rest of the NL West clubs all won, sinking the Giants further into the cellar, 13 1/2 games out.
Colorado 5 Pittsburgh 3 - Jeff Francis (W, 10-5) worked 7 innings, allowing just 2 earned on 6 runs while fanning 6, helping the Rockies to their 3rd straight win. Colorado remains in 4th place in the NL West, but they are only 5 1/2 behind division-leader Los Angeles.
NY Mets 4 San Diego 5 - David Wright erased a 4-1 Padres' lead with a 3-run shot in the 8th, but San Diego responded with a run in the bottom of the inning and Trevor Hoffman set the New Yorkers down in order in the 9th for his 26th save. Neither team made any move in the standings as all the contenders in the East lost, while all the Western division teams were winners.
Other NL Scores
Houston 6 Washington 7
Philadelphia 4 LA Dodgers 5
St. Louis 6 Florida 0 - K. Wells, W (4-12), 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Arizona 5 Milwaukee 2
LA Angels 3 Tampa Bay 8 - After going 4-4 against the Yankees on Sunday, Ty Wigginton (right) matched that with another 4-4 effort, tying the Tampa Bay record for most hits in consecutive plate appearances set by Aubrey Huff in 2004. The major league record for consecutive plate appearances with a hit is 12. Mike Higgins did it for Boston in 1938 and Walt Dropo matched it with Detroit in 1952.
Other AL Scores
Kansas City 9 Boston 3 - KC, 7-14 vs. AL East
Texas 11 Oakland 4 - A's, 9 straight losses
Baltimore 8 Seattle 3 - J. Gibbons, 2-5, HR (6), 5 RBI
National League
Kansas City 0 Boston 4 - Rookie starter Kason Gabbard (right) shut out the Royals on 3 hits Monday, earning his first complete game shutout, improving his record to 3-0. Gabbard walked one, struck out 8 and allowed just two runners past first base as the Red Sox turned 3 double plays behind him. Boston got all their runs via the long ball as Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez hit solo shots in the 4th and David Ortiz put the game away with a 2-run blast in the 6th.
Toronto 4 NY Yankees 6 - The Yankees kept pace with Boston, remaining 9 games back while throttling their nearest competition, Toronto, with solid late-inning bullpen work and home runs from Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez, who cracked his 32nd with a 2-run shot in the 3rd inning.
Other AL Scores
Baltimore 2 Seattle 4 - Mariners, 2 1/2 behind Angels, win 6th of last 8
Texas 4 Oakland 1 - A's lose 8th straight
National League
Detroit 4 Seattle 6 - Catcher Kenji Johjima (right) belted a grand slam in the 6th inning off Tigers' starter Kenny Rogers, lifting the Mariners over Detroit for the 2nd time in 3 games. The loss for Detroit enabled Cleveland to remain just 1/2-game back in the AL Central, despite their 6-5 loss to KC.
Oakland 3 Minnesota 4 - The Twins gained ground on both Detroit and Cleveland and are just 6 back. Minnesota has won 3 straight and 5 of their last 7, while the A's are losers of 6 straight. The Twins have an interesting week ahead, with a pair of 3-game series at home against division leaders; first the Tigers on Tues.-Thurs., followed by the Angels on the weekend.
Other AL Scores
Kansas City 6 Cleveland 5
Chi White Sox 6 Baltimore 7, 10 innings
Toronto 4 Boston 9 - D. Matsuzaka (W, 11-6), D. Ortiz, 2-4, 2-run HR (15)
NY Yankees 6 Tampa Bay 4
National League
St. Louis 4 Philadelphia 10 - Add Pat Burrell (right) to the arsenal of Phillies' hitters and you've got an incredible 1-6 lineup. Yesterday, we looked at the top 5 Phillies' hitters, but if Burrell has a few more games like Saturday's, we'll have to call them the Sizzlin' Six instead of the Fab Five. Burrell went 3-3, drove in 4 and scored a run, as the Phils kept pace in the resurgent AL East. The top six for Philly accounted for all 14 hits (in 25 at-bats) and all but one of the runs and RBI as they hammered the hopeless Cardinals for the 2nd straight day. The Phillies will be seeking the sweep tonight at 6:05.
Burrell, who is batting only .227, may be coming out of a first-half funk. With a five game hit streak (9-15), 2 homers and 9 RBI (at least one in each of the five games), Burrell adds serious sock to an already awesome attack. The rest of the league better beware. The Phillies are poised for a post-season run. Cole Hamels picked up the win Saturday. He's 11-4.
Houston 3 Chi Cubs 9 - Of teams making the most noise, the Cubs are among the loudest. Since June 22nd, the Cubs have punched out a 14-4 record and trail Milwaukee by 3 1/2. Aramis Ramirez went 3-4, driving in 4 runs and Alfonso Soriano crashed a 3-run homer in the 6th in Saturday's rout. The Cubs will be seeking the 3-game sweep on Sunday afternoon.
This coming week should be telling for the NL Central leaders as the Cubs and Brewers swap home games against San Francisco and Arizona.
LA Dodgers 8 San Francisco 7, 12 innings - The Dodgers squandered leads of 6-0 and 7-2, but finally sent the Giants to their 3rd straight loss and 2nd since the All-Star break. The Dodgers also kept Barry Bonds quiet, as the slugger went 0-5 and marked his 6th straight game without a home run. Bonds still needs 4 to catch Henry Aaron for the career mark of 755.
The added frames proved fortuitous for the Dodgers, as Rafael Furcal's sac fly in the top of the 12th provided the winning edge. Coupled with San Diego's loss, the Dodgers wrested control of first place in the tight NL West, by 1 game over the Padres, 2 1/2 over Arizona, with Colorado 5 1/2 back.
Bedard (8-4), ran his scoreless streak to 16 innings, following his 2-hit, complete game effort of July 7 - a 3-0 whitewash of Texas. He also leads the majors with 156 strikeouts and has an ERA of 3.22. All of that while playing for one of the weakest teams in the league. Baltimore, at 39-50, is better than only Texas, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
NY Yankees 4 Tampa Bay 6 - With Toronto and Boston battling each other, the Bombers had the perfect opportunity to make up some ground last night, but Roger Clemens lasted only 5 1/3 innings, and was victimized for 3 early runs in the 2nd, from which the Yankees could never recover. Clemens allowed 5 hits and 4 walks, resulting in 5 earned runs, dropping his record to 2-4. New York and Toronto are tied for 2nd, 10 games back of the Red Sox in the AL East.
Detroit 6 Seattle 3 - Gary Sheffield's 3rd inning grand slam was enough support for Jeremy Bonderman, who improved to 10-1, allowing 3 earned on 6 hits over 7 innings. The win kept the Tigers 1/2-game ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central and snapped a 4-game Seattle win streak. The Mariners fell 3 1/2 behind LA in the West.
Texas 1 LA Angels 2 - With Seattle suddenly breathing down their necks, the Angels needed a boost, and they got it from starter Kelvim Escobar, who held the Rangers to one run over 8 innings on 6 hits, but did not get the decision. That went to Francisco Rodriguez, who pitched a scoreless ninth, just before Casey Kotchman singled home Gary Matthews Jr. with the winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Escobar's been rock-solid for the Angles of late, having registered wins in 6 of his last 7 decisions, while the Angels have won 8 of the last 10 games he's started.
Other AL Scores
Kansas City 4 Cleveland 5
Toronto 6 Boston 5
Oakland 3 Minnesota 5 - A's have lost 5 straight
National League
Houston 0 Chi Cubs 6 - Carlos Zambrano (11-7, right) blanked the Astros for 6 2/3 innings on 3 hits, putting away 7 on strikes, as the Cubs continued their relentless pursuit of the Brewers in the NL Central. Coupled with Milwaukee's loss to Colorado, Chicago is now only 3 1/2 games back. Contributing to his own cause, Zambrano singled twice in 3 at-bats, driving in a run in the 4th and scoring one in the 6th.
St. Louis 3 Philadelphia 13 - The first five batters in the Phillies' lineup may be the best in baseball. Last night they combined to go 15-25, with 8 RBI and 8 runs scored, three doubles and a pair of homers. Chase Utley was 4-5 with a solo homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs to lead the way. Over the course of the season so far, Utley, leadoff batter Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand have put up impressive combined stats: 500 hits in 1678 at-bats for a .298 average; 76 home runs, 277 RBI, 293 runs. Five good reasons why the Phillies are battling for the AL East title, 4 games behind New York and 2 1/2 back of Atlanta.
Cincinnati 8 NY Mets 4 - Brandon Phillips pounded Mets' starter John Maine, blasting a grand slam in the first inning and delivering run-scoring singles in both the 5th and 6th innings to send the Mets to their 7th loss in their last 10 tries. 
Toronto 4 Boston 7 - The All-Star break behind them, Boston wasted no time at all getting back to business, as their power hitters, David Ortiz (right) and Manny Ramirez combined for 5 RBI. Ortiz was 3-5 with 2 runs driven in, while Manny went 2-4 and knocked home 3.
NY Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 3 - The Yankees know that now is the time to begin making up ground on Boston and at least get themselves into position to challenge for the AL East title. To that end, Alex Rodriguez smacked his 31st home run of the season, sandwiched between solo shots by Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, all in the 4th inning. The homers broke a 1-1 tie and propelled the Yanks to the .500 mark at 43-43. New York's next 26 games are all against teams with losing records - Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore, Chicago and Kansas City. During the same span, Boston, while playing some of the same teams, will also be tangling with Cleveland, Seattle and Los Angeles.
Oakland 2 Minnesota 6 - Michael Cuddyer went 4-4 with a double, triple and a pair of singles. The win keeps the Twins in the hunt, 7 games back of Detroit in the Al Central, while sending the A's below .500 (43-44) with their 4th straight loss, 9 1/2 behind the Angels in the West.
Detroit 2 Seattle 3 - The Mariners got all of their runs in a decisive 5th inning, and J.J. Putz notched his 25th save, temporarily moving Seattle to within 2 games of the idle LA Angels.
Other AL Scores
Chi White Sox 9 Baltimore 7
National League
Cincinnati 2 NY Mets 3 - Jose Reyes (right) and Ruben Gotay led off the game with back-to-back homers off Bronson Arroyo, and Orlando Hernandez held the Reds to 2 runs on just 3 hits over 6 innings for the win.
NY Mets 3 Houston 8 - The Astros earned a split in their 4-game series with the Mets, who limp into the break just 2 games clear of Atlanta and 4 1/2 ahead of Philly. After sweeping the aforementioned Phillies, the Mets went 2-6 and clearly need some pitching to go with their awesome lineup. Jose Reyes swiped another pair of bases, to up his MLB-leading theft total to 46. Houston Rookie Hunter Pence (right) went 2-5 to take over the NL batting average lead at .342.
Arizona 3 Cincinnati 4, 11 innings - Scott Hatteberg singled home Edwin Encarnacion with the game-winner as the Reds completed their sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Reds have won four straight while the D-Backs have dropped their last 5.
Chi Cubs 2 Pittsburgh 6 - Jason Bay busted his 13th home run off Cubs' starter Carlos Zambrano, helping the Pirates take 2 of 3 from the 2nd-place Cubbies. Chicago didn't lose any ground on the Brewers, and remain 4 1/2 back.
Just a hunch, but it looks like things are going to get a whole lot more interesting in the funky NL Central. With just the Cubs and Brewers over .500, the other four teams are still within hailing distance. Even the last place Reds, who have won 4 straight, are just 13 behind.
Florida 3 LA Dodgers 9 - Catcher Russell Martin, voted into his first All-Star game earlier in the week, singled and homered in two at-bats, driving in 3 and scoring 3 times, to draw the Dodgers back to 1-game behind the Padres in the NL West.
Atlanta 5 San Diego 4 - The Braves survived a 3-run, 9th inning rally by the Padres to hold onto an important win heading into the break. The Braves took two of three in San Diego and trail the Mets by a mere 2 games in the NL East. Catcher Brian McCann socked a two-run homer in the first and drove in 2 more with a single in the 6th, helping the Braves to their 4th win in their last 5.
Other NL Scores
San Francisco 0 St. Louis 7 - T. Wellemeyer (W, 3-1), 5 IP, 2 H, O ER
Philadelphia 8 Colorado 4
Milwaukee 2 Washington 7
Florida 7 LA Dodgers 2 - Miguel Cabrera (right) quietly continued his sensational season, slugging his 18th home run, going 2-3 to improve his batting average to .324 and driving in a pair of runs to give him 61. Cabrera is 7th in the NL in batting, tied for 5th in homers and is 6th in the league in RBI.
Arizona 4 Cincinnati 5 - The D-Backs continued their mid-season slide, losing their 4th straight and 10th of their last 13, dropping a close one to suddenly-surging Cincinnati. The Reds, who fired manager Jerry Narron after an 11-7 loss to St. Louis on July 1, have won 4 of 5 under interim manager Pete Mackanin. Arizona is in 3rd place in the NL West, 3 1/2 back of San Diego.
Philadelphia 3 Colorado 6 - Ryan Spilborghs found his name at the top of the Rockies' lineup card on Saturday and came through with a 3-4 effort, including his 5th home run and 3 RBI to lead Colorado to their 5th straight win.