Eveland Complete for A's; Phils' Howard Bombs Nats

Players of the Day from Wednesday, May 21, 2008 American League Dana Eveland tossed the first complete game of his career in the A's 9-1 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays last night in Oakland. Eveland was on top of his game, allowing just three hits and a walk, though one of the hits was an 8th inning homer by Tampa's Jonny Gomes. Somewhat of a hard luck pitcher considering his excellent 2.90 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, Eveland is only 4-3 after ten starts. Twice this season, he's received no decision when holding the opposition scoreless in games the A's eventually won. Notes: He's back. Alex Rodriguez homered for the second straight game in the Yankees' 8-0 romp over Baltimore in the Bronx. The Yanks are still in last place in the division, 7 1/2 behind Boston, which as won 6 straight. In the Central, the White Sox won their 7th in a row, 7-2, over Cleveland, and the Angels have opened up a 3-game lead on the A's in the West. National League If the Phillies hope to repeat as NL East champs, they'll need more production from the likes of Ryan Howard, who blasted away in three of his five trips to the plate in Philadelphia's 12-2 shattering of the Washington Nationals. Howard doubled in a run in the first inning to start the scoring for the Phillies, added a solo homer in the 5th and a two-run shot in Philly's 8-run 6th to complete a 3-for-5, 4 RBI night. Notes: The Phillies kept pace with Atlanta and Florida in the East. Philadelphia and Atlanta are tied, 1 1/2 games behind the Marlins. Meanwhile, in the West, LA continues to close ground on Arizona, narrowing the D-Backs' lead to just 3 games as the Dodgers won their third straight and Arizona lost for the second straight day.