Carmona tames Tigers; Hudson wins 14th for Braves

American League Detroit 2 Cleveland 5 - The Indians took back 1st place in the AL Central, getting even with Detroit in their brief 2-game series as rookie sensation Fausto Carmona (right) kept the Tigers caged, allowing 1 earned run off 4 hits over 8 innings while striking out 10. Carmona improved to 14-7 with a 3.16 ERA Each of the AL contenders - the Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners and Angels - lost on Wednesday, keeping the standings in the same order as when the day started. Daisuke Matsuzaka took his 9th loss (14 wins) for Boston and Mariano Rivera took his 4th loss, just two nights after blowing a save and getting his 3rd win in New York's 7-6 win on Monday. Torii Hunter's 9th inning grand slam took care of Seattle. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 6 Boston 5 Baltimore 6 NY Yankees 3, 10 innings Minnesota 6 Seattle 1 LA Angels 1 Toronto 2 Kansas City 3 Texas 4 Chi White Sox 2 Oakland 3 National League San Francisco 3 Atlanta 6 - Tim Hudson (right) gave up a home run to Barry Bonds (#759), but lasted eight innings, allowing just 3 earned runs, to improve to 14-5 and vault the Braves over Philly into 2nd place in the NL East. Bonds' 6th-inning blast tied the game at 2-2, but Atlanta responded with a 4-spot in the bottom of the inning and Hudson continued. Hudson won his 8th straight and kept his ERA in a quality area at 3.02. Manager Bobby Cox, who set a major league record for being ejected the night before, was tossed for the 133rd time in the 3rd inning for arguing a balk called on Hudson. The Braves and Giants play the rubber game of the series tonight. NY Mets 10 Pittsburgh 8 - The Mets won their 3rd straight, and with their lineup intact, they look like heavy favorites to win the NL East title for the second straight year. The win maintained their 3 1/2-game lead over Atlanta, and 4 better than Philadephia. The two teams chasing them have flip-flopped 2nd and 3rd places over the past weeks and months, though neither has been able to catch the Mets. Moises Alou proved his worth again on Wednesday, driving in 3 runs with a 2-run homer in the first inning and an insurance-run single in the 9th to complete the Mets' scoring. Colorado 3 San Diego 0 - The Rockies continue to hang around, evening their series at San Diego. They are 2 games behind the Padres and 5 back of division-leading Arizona. St. Louis 8 Milwaukee 3 - The Cardinals continue to surge in the Central division. Besting the Brewers for the second straight night, St. Louis is now just 3 1/2 off the pace. Scott Rolen (right) doubled, homered and singled twice in 5 at-bats, driving in 2 and scoring 3 times to spearhead the attack. Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds also homered for the Cardinals, who look to sweep the 3-game set tonight in Milwaukee before heading to Chicago for four games with the 2nd-place Cubs. Other NL Scores Arizona 9 Florida 6 Philadelphia 2 Washington 4 Cincinnati 11 Chi Cubs 9 - 4th straight loss for Chicago Houston 3 LA Dodgers 6