Gross a Gamer for Rays; Glaus Slams Dice-K, Boston

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 21, 2008 American League Reserve outfielder Gabe Gross doesn't get a lot of playing time, but he made the most of his pinch-hitting opportunity last night, knocking a two-run, game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Tampa Bay win over struggling Houston, which lost for the 9th time in their last 10 outings and fell to the bottom of the NL Central. The loss went to Astros' reliever Doug Brocail (2-3), who failed to record an out in the ninth. With the win, Tampa Bay now trails Boston by just 1/2 game in the AL East. Notes: Continuing to close in on the leaders in their respective divisions, the Yankees and Tigers may be the teams to watch after the All-Star break. The Tigers are 6 games behind the White Sox in the Central, while the Yankees are just 5 behind Boston in the East. National League Because they're chasing the Cubs in the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals, despite having the second-best record in the league, have to keep winning. On Saturday, they took their second straight at Boston, as Troy Glaus led the charge with a second-inning grand slam, whipping the Red Sox, 9-3. The Cardinals battered Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka for 7 runs in one-plus inning of work. It was the first loss of the season for Dice-K (8-1), who was making his first start since May 27. Notes: Jim Edmonds homered twice in the Cubs' 9-run 4th inning, en route to an 11-7 win over the White Sox. Edmonds' feat overshadowed another swell game by Aramis Ramirez, who singled in a run in the first inning and smacked a 3-run homer in the big 4th. It was Ramirez' 3rd home run in his last two games.