Ellis, A's, Hammer Webb, 15-1; Braun Blasts Two for Brewers

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 17, 2008 American League Interleague play is good for some teams, not so for others. The Arizona Diamondbacks lost their third straight to an AL team on Tuesday while the Oakland A's were thumping them, 15-1, for their 4th straight over the NL. Mark Ellis, who doubled and scored to open the game, followed up with a pair of home runs - a 2nd inning solo shot and a 3-run blast in the 9th. The leadoff 2nd baseman scored four times and drove in four runs, extending his hitting streak to 8 games. Ellis has caught fire of late, going 18-for-35 (.514) over those eight games, with multiple hits in 6 of them. Notes: While the A's were pounding on the D-Backs, the surprising thing is that they did much of it against one of the National League's best pitchers, Brandon Webb. In a very forgettable outing for Webb (11-3), he allowed 7 runs on 9 hits and 5 walks, lasting only 3 1/3 innings. Despite 3 straight losses, the Diamondbacks are still 4 1/2 in front of the Dodgers with the Giants and Padres 6 1/2 back in the NL West. National League Ryan Braun doubled, hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season, scored three times and drove in three runs in support of Manny Parra (6-2), who gave up just 4 hits over 7 innings as the Brewers blanked the Blue Jays, 7-0.

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Braun's homers moved him into a tie with Florida's Dan Uggla for second place in the long ball chase. Both are two back of Philadelphia's Chase Utley, whose 22 dingers lead the majors. Notes: Who's hot? The Yankees and Tigers have each won 8 of their last 10 and are closing in on the leaders in their respective divisions. New York won their 5th straight on Tuesday, blanking San Diego, 8-0, while the Tigers won for the 7th time in their last 8, with a 5-1 win at San Francisco. Both teams are relishing interleague play. The Tigers are 6-2, and the Yankees, 4-2, against National League foes.