Litsch Shutout Competes Sweep of Twins; Parr a Braves Star

Players of the Day from Thursday, September 4, 2008 American League The Minnesota Twins will be more than happy not to be seeing the Toronto Blue Jays again this season. On Thursday, Jesse Litsch tossed a 4-hit, complete game shutout, finishing the season sweep (6-0) of the Twins with a 9-0 win. Litsch (10-8) fanned three and walked a pair of batters. He had plenty of support as the Blue Jays banged out 17 hits. Every player with a plate appearance had at least one hit. The loss left the Twins 1 1/2 back of the White Sox in the Central and 5 1/2 behind Boston in the wild card chase. Notes: The Rays avoided being swept at home with a 7-5 win over the Yankees. They lead the Red Sox by 3 1/2. In the West, the Angels beat Detroit, 7-1, dropping their magic number to six. National League A name to watch in 2009 is James Parr, who made his first appearance in his initial start for the Atlanta Braves a winning one, shutting out Washington on two hits over six innings as Atlanta topped the Nationals, 2-0. Parr threw 59 strikes out of his 101 pitches, walking 3 and striking out 3 while earning the win. Notes: In the only NL game involving any of the contenders, San Diego stopped Milwaukee, 5-2, handing the Brewers their 4th straight loss.