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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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.
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
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. 
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
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
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, 
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
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
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. 
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
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
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
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. 
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
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
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
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
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
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.