Hamilton Reaches 100 RBI Mark; Thieving Taveras Swipes Three

Players of the Day from Friday, July 25, 2008 American League Josh Hamilton smacked his 23rd home run and drove in two runs to make him the first player in the majors to reach the 100 RBI plateau as the Rangers drubbed the A's, 14-6, at Oakland. The win gave the Rangers a 1/2 game edge over the A's for second place in the AL West, though the main beneficiaries are the LA Angels, who hold a 10 1/2 game lead over the Rangers. The Angels won their 3rd straight - and 8th of their last 9 - a 6-5 win at Baltimore. Notes: In Boston, Joba Chamberlain outdueled Josh Beckett to give the Yankees a 1-0 win over the Red Sox in the opener of their 3-game series. Tampa Bay took a 1-game lead in the AL East standings, topping Kansas City, 5-3. In Detroit, Jermaine Dye's 2-run homer in the 9th gave the White Sox a 6-5 win over the Tigers in the first of their 3-game series. With the Twins losing at Cleveland, 5-4, The Sox improved their lead to 3 1/2 games over the Twins and dropped the Tigers 6 1/2 back. Streaks: The Twins have lost 5 straight; the Yankees won their 7th in a row. National League The Colorado Rockies continue to look like they're ready for another run at the NL West title after knocking off Cincinnati, 7-2, on Friday. Leadoff hitter Willy Taveras went 3-for-4, scored a run, drove in another and stole three bases to boost his major league leading total to 45. His closest pursuers in the theft category are LA's Juan Pierre in the NL and Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury in the AL. Both have 35. The Rockies have won three straight and seven of eight since the All Star break. They remain 6 games back of the Diamondbacks and 5 behind the Dodgers. Notes: The Mets took a 2-game lead in the NL East with a 7-1 win over the Cardinals, who have lost 5 straight. The Phillies lost, 8-2, to Atlanta. In the Central, the Cubs kept their slim 1-game lead intact despite losing to Florida, 3-2, as the Brewers had their 8-game win streak halted by Houston, 3-1.