Delmon Young Homers as Orioles Get Back to Winning Ways; Brewers Pound Padres 10-1 as Aramis Ramirez Stars

Players of the Day for Monday, August 25, 2014

American League

After losing three straight in Chicago to the Cubs, the Baltimore Orioles got back on track with a resounding, 9-1 win over Tampa Bay, belting five home runs.

Delmon Young

Delmon Young, who has been getting more playing time since all-star third baseman Manny Machado went down with a season-ending knee injury a few weeks ago, delivered the biggest blow, a three-run blast in a six-run fifth inning, followed by solo homers by J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis, the O's going back-to-back-to-back.

Young also singled and doubled, going 3-for-3 on the night, raising his batting average to a solid .311. Young's played in just 67 games this season, but he's provided a boost for the Orioles, hitting safely in six of his last seven games.

While the O's were knocking balls out of Camden Yards, Chris Tillman was shutting down the Rays, allowing just three hits over seven innings. The Rays' only run was unearned.

Baltimore's victory was timely, keeping the Yankees six games back in the AL East. The Yanks have won five straight and have been slicing into the Orioles' lead in the division.

The four-game series with the Rays continues Tuesday night in Baltimore. Game time is 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Aramis Ramirez

It's probably safe to say that if the Milwaukee Brewers keep getting 16 hits a game, they'll win the NL Central.

While that may be unlikely, the Brewers are a hitting machine, and they did bang out 16 hits in their 10-1 victory over the Padres, Monday in San Diego.

Milwaukee is tied for third in the NL with a team .256 average, and ranks second to Colorado in runs, RBI and home runs.

Providing a healthy portion of the Milwaukee offense all season, Aramis Ramirez was 3-for-5 in the game, with a single, double, solo homer (14), three RBI and two runs. Ramirez is batting .307 and has driven in 61 runs for the Brewers this season. He's been seeing lots of good pitches this season, as he generally bats fourth, behind Ryan Braun.

The Brewers' win kept them 1 12 ahead of St. Louis in the Central division. The Cardinals scored three runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Pirates 3-2.

Milwauke will play game two of their three-game series in San Diego Tuesday at 10:10 pm EDT.

Teixeira Sets Switch-Hit Homer Mark; Soriano, Ramirez Lead 6-Homer Assault on Pirates

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 2, 2011

American League

Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate for the second time this season and for the 12th time as a major leaguer, breaking a record held by himself, Eddie Murray and Chili Davis as the Yankees beat the White Sox for the second straight day, 6-0, in a rain-shortened game that lasted just long enough for "Big Tex" to get swings from both sides of the plate.

In the 4th inning, Teixeira unloaded a right-handed, two-run blast off starter John Danks for his 30th of the season and belted his 31st, batting left-handed in the top of the 7th, he victimized reliever Jason Frasor for number 31.

His three RBI gave Teixeira 82 on the season. He trails Boston's Adrian Gonzalez (90) for the AL RBI lead.

The Yankees scored another run in the 7th to make the score 6-0, just before relentless rain came to Chicago and the game was made official. Phil Hughes worked all six innings for the Yankees, allowing just three hits, fanning four without issuing any bases on balls.

The win kept the Yankees within one game of top-dog Boston in the AL East. The two teams meet in a weekend series beginning Friday at Fenway.

National League

Aramis Ramirez

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the darlings of baseball just a few weeks ago, rising to the top of the scrambled NL Central after decades of frustration.

Pittsburgh's Cinderella story looks like it may not have a fairy tale ending as the Priates have slumped of late, losing 10 of their last 13 games and five straight, including their second straight loss to the Cubs, 11-6, on Tuesday.

Alfonso Soriano

Their loss kept them 5 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee in the division, as the Brewers dropped a 10 inning decision to the Cardinals, 6-5.

While the Cubs have been out of the division race since June, they managed to bang six homers off the Pittsburgh pitching staff, including two solo shots - numbers 18 and 19 - by Alfonso Soriano and a two-run blast from Aramis Ramirez, his 20th.

Ramirez also drove in two runs with a single in the first inning to give him 67 RBI on the year.

TIGHT RACES: As the season quietly turned to August, pennant races have heated up in all but one division, the NL East, where the Phillies hold an imposing 8-game lead over Atlanta, the largest bulge, by far, in any divisional race.

In the NL Central, the Brewers hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals, with Pittsburgh still lurking, 5 1/2 out, and the Reds 6 1/2 down. The NL West is now a shoot-out between Arizona and San Francisco. Each team holds a share of first place with identical 61-49 records. Arizona knocked off the Giants for the second straight day, beating them 6-1, and will be looking to sweep the series on Wednesday.

In the American League, all three races are tight. Boston leads the Yankees by one game in the East, while the Tigers cling to a three-game lead over the Indians in the Central, with the White Sox 5 1/2 back and Minnesota running out of time, eight games down.

The Al West has turned into another showdown between the Angels and Rangers, with Texas holding a one-game edge in the division. The two teams meet up in LA for a four-game series, August 15-18.

Jose Bautista Belts MLB-Leading 26th; Aramis Ramirez Homers Three Times for Cubs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 20, 2010 American League Before the Kansas City Royals even had a chance, the Toronto Blue Jays had already put up a couple of runs, courtesy of Jose Bautista's two-run poke in the 1st, his major league-leading 26th of the year. Toronto added two more runs in each of the next two innings, making the score 6-0, as they cruised their way to a 13-1 triumph at Kansas City. Bautista singled in one of the runs in the 2nd, then plated two more and scored in the 8th with a double, finishing a 3-for-6. 5 RBI night, including the home run and two runs scored. Already well over his career best in the long ball department (previous best was 16 in 2006), Bautista's 5 RBI pushed him beyond his highest season total of 63 in 2007. The only thing not well above normal is his batting average, down at .241, just two points higher than his career mark of .239. The Jays picked up a game on the Yankees, who were losing to the Angels, 10-2, but are still well back, 11 1/2 games off the pace. National League On Tuesday, Cubs' manager Lou Piniella announced that this season would be his last, and maybe that inspired his squad to give a little extra effort. All of the position player had at least one hit in their 13-6 conquest at Houston, but Aramis Ramirez really put on quite a show, belting three home runs - a solo shot in the 4th and 3-run blasts in the 5th and 8th innings. The three drives accounted for 7 RBI. Ramirez struck out in his other two at-bats, but the Cubs mangled the Houston staff, one of the worst in the NL, with a 4.56 ERA, though Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Arizona are worse, at 4.83, 5.07 and 5.33, respectively. Having missed some time with injuries, Ramirez is still putting up respectable numbers, with 15 homers and 47 RBI in just 68 games. The Cubs are still keeping hope alive for their long-suffering fans and Sweet Lou, though they still trail the Cardinals by 10 1/2 games in the NL Central. They are tied with the Brewers, in third place, with the second place Reds just a 1/2 game behind St. Louis.

Verlander Stops Sox Charge; Ramirez Keeps Cubs Close

Players of the Day for Friday, July 24, 2009 American League The Tigers were feeling the heat from the White Sox, who had tied for the AL Central lead on the strength of Mark Buerhle's perfect game on Thursday, so in the first game of Friday's double-dip, the Tigers welcomed the Sox into town with their ace, Justin Verlander, on the mound. After a shaky start, the Detroit righty was throwing fire, finishing with a complete game 5-1 win, the sixth time in his career that he's gone the distance. Verlander (11-5) walked 4 and allowed six hits, but the lonely Chicago run was unearned. The effort dropped his ERA to a very respectable 3.12. After taking the opener, the Tigers wrested back control of the division with a 4-3 win in the second game, putting the Tigers in front by 2 games. while it may not be much of a lead, it was important to take two straight from a key rival. The Sox and Tigers continue their series with single games Saturday and Sunday. National League The St. Louis Cardinals welcomed Matt Holliday back to the National League and into the cleanup spot in their lineup and the former Rockie and A responded with a 4-for-5 night in St. Louis' 8-1 romp at Philadelphia. The Cardinals have bolstered their roster, no doubt because they realize the Cubs, Astros and Brewers aren't exactly going away. The Cubs, in particular, have been on a bit of a tear lately, especially since Aramis Ramirez has gotten back into the lineup after missing most of May and all of June. Since the All Star break, the Cubs are 6-2 and, along with the Astros, have drawn to within 1 1/2 games of the division-leading Cardinals,. In Friday's 8-5 win over the Reds, the Cubs' third baseman was at his best, going 4-for-5 with 3 RBI and a run scored. Ramirez got Chicago going with an RBI double in the first, then singled in another in the 3rd, adding a solo homer (6) in the 6th. His double in the 8th completed a super night at the dish, boosting his average to .325. With Ramirez back at full strength, the Cubs again look like a serious contender in the wide-open NL Central.

Ramirez Drives in 4 for Cubs; Cabrera Bangs 2 Homers in Tiger Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 8 American League It's a good thing the Detroit Tigers picked up Miguel Cabrera last season, because he was one of the few bright spots on this aging roster. Last season, Cabrera batted .292 with 37 homers and 127 RBI, the homers and ribbies were tops for the team. Cabrera is picking right up where he left off, blasting a pair of homers in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Toronto, accounting for all but one of the Tigers' runs. With a three run shot in the first inning and a solo blast in the 5th, Cabrera single-handedly grounded the Blue Jays, and got the Tigers their first win in three tries this season. He also added a single, going 3-for-4, upping his batting average to .700, with 7 hits in 10 at-bats. National League Scoring 4 runs in each of the first two innings, the Chicago Cubs were well on their way to an 11-6 win over Houston and a 2-1 record in the NL Central, tied for first with the Pirates (you won't see that very often this year). Aramis Ramirez, who contributed to the outburst with RBI singles in the first and second, added a couple more in the 5th, when he doubled home Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome, making the score 10-4. Ramirez added another single, going 4-for-5 with 4 RBI on the night.

Ramirez Delivers for Cubs; Burrell Bombs Dodgers; Wells Whacks BoSox

Players of the Day from Saturday, August 23, 2008 American League Toronto, 12 1/2 back in the AL East, may not catch the Red Sox or the Yankees, but they're certain to add some drama to the pennant proceedings. On Saturday, Vernon Wells led a 16-hit, 11-0 rout of Boston with 4 hits in 5 at-bats, including a solo and 2-run homer, scoring four times and driving in three. Wells has played in only 76 games this season, having spent most of May and July on the DL, but with him playing regularly, the Jays are a threat every time they take the field. They are 8-3 since August 11, taking 3 each from Detroit and Boston and two of three from the Yankees over that span. Notes: With Boston struggling with the Blue Jays, Tampa Bay knocked off the White Sox, 5-3 and improved their lead in the East to 5 1/2 games. The Yankees won, but are still 10 1/2 off the pace. Minnesota lost to the Angels, 7-5, but retained their 1/2 game lead in the Central. LA leads the West by 16 games and has shrunk their magic number to just 18. Boston leads the White Sox by 1/2 game in the wild card. National League The Chicago Cobs have plenty of big bats in their lineup, including the one carried by Aramis Ramirez, who blasted a pair of 3-run homers as the Cubs beat up the Nationals, 9-2. A mainstay in the Chicago lineup since being traded by the Pirates midway through the 2003 season, Ramirez has 22 homers and 90 RBI. He's driven in more than 100 runs five times. With 30+ games remaining, it's a good bet that 2008 will mark the sixth time. The win by Chicago kept them 4 1/2 clear of 2nd place Milwaukee, 6-3 winners over Pittsburgh. St. Louis, desperately chasing in third place, dropped an 8-4 decision to Atlanta and is 8 games back. In the East, Pat Burrell was keeping the Phillies in the hunt, driving in five runs with a single, double and 3-run homer in Philadelphia's 9-2 downing of the Dodgers. With the Mets losing to Houston, 8-4, Philly closed to within 1 1/2 games of the East division leader. Florida continues in third place, 6 games out. Notes: Arizona knocked off Florida, 7-1, and with Philly's help, improved to a 3 game edge over LA in the West. The Diamondbacks and Marlins have split the first two games of their three-game set, with the rubber game tonight at Arizona.

Guerrero Drives Angels to 7-1 Win; Ramirez Homers Twice to Down ChiSox

Players of the Day from Friday, June 20, 2008 American League Don't tell anybody, but the LA Angels are putting together another division-winning kind of season, leading the pesky A's by 3 1/2 games in the AL West, thanks to players like Vladimir Guerrero, who hit a two-run homer - his 11th - in the first inning, singled twice, drove in three runs and scored twice in the Angels' 7-1 win at Philadelphia.

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At 44-30, the Angels have the second-best record in the American League, behind Boston's 46-30. And while they don't dominate in any hitting or pitching categories, they do lead the league in saves at 30, testament to their winning close games. Notes: After dropping five straight and falling to last place in the AL East, the Blue Jays fired manager John Gibbons and replaced him with former manager Cito Gaston. That move still didn't help one of the weakest offenses in the league, as Toronto lost to the Pirates, 1-0, in 10 innings. The Jays scratched out only 8 hits in the game, all singles except for Alex Rios' pair of doubles. While Toronto sports the third-best team ERA in the AL at 3.54, they are third-worst in runs scored (297) and RBI (277), ahead of just Seattle and Kansas City. National League Winning teams usually are that way because they win the close ones, and that's exactly what the Chicago Cubs did Friday night in their 4-3 win over their cross town AL rival White Sox. Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, the Cubs tied the game on back-to-back solo home runs by Derreck Lee and Aramis Ramirez, who ended it two innings later with a walk-off shot to center. Lee's home run was his 15th, Ramirez' two blasts give him 12 on the season. The Cubs improved their record in one-run games to 12-11. Notes: Shades of Ernie Banks? Leading the majors in home runs is Dan Uggla, the Florida Marlins second baseman, who belted two on Friday to give him 23 on the season. Uggla, in just his third season, hit 27 in 2006, 31 last year and is on pace for his best effort yet.

Rockies keep closing; Beckett gets 20th win

American League Boston 8 Tampa Bay 1 - Josh Beckett (right) became the first 20-game winner in the majors, helping Boston regain some breathing room over the hard-charging Yankees. Beckett (20-6) won his 4th straight decision, and 7th in his last 8, allowing one earned run on 4 hits over six innings. His effort put Boston 2 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees, who lost to Toronto. Boston had lost 4 straight before Beckett's win. Toronto 5 NY Yankees 4, 14 innings - The Yankees couldn't get to Roy Halladay until the 9th inning, but tied the game with a 4-run (3 unearned) rally before finally losing in the 14th on Greg Zaun's home run. The loss dealt a blow to the Yankees' hopes of winning the AL East, as they now trail Boston by 2 1/2 games with just 9 games left. New York is looking very good for the post-season, however, as they need just 5 more wins or Detroit losses to clinch the wild card spot. Manager Joe Torre may have to make a decision on whether to rest his starters the early part of next. If the Yankees have the wild card sewn up, but don't see much chance of catching Boston, Torre could opt to keep Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens on the bench as these are older pitchers who may not get much rest in the playoffs. Oakland 3 Cleveland 4 - The Indians got one step closer to capturing the Central division crown, reducing their magic number to 2 with their 4th straight win. Cleveland also has the best record in baseball, at 91-62, 1/2-game better than both Boston and Los Angeles. If the Indians end the season with the league's best record, they will play the wild card team in the first playoff round. Right now, that team looks to be the Yankees. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Detroit 5 Baltimore 2 Texas 3 Chi White Sox 6 Minnesota 4 Seattle 6 LA Angels 0 National League NY Mets 9 Florida 6 - Pedro Martinez improved to 3-0 as the Mets scored 8 runs in the 3rd through 5th innings to retain their perilous 1 1/2-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. Philadelphia 6 Washington 3 - Ryan Howard led the Phillies to another come-from-behind win with his 42nd homer and a run-scoring double. The Phils are 1 1/2 behind the Mets in the division and trail San Diego in the wild card race by the same margin. Pittsburgh 8 Chi Cubs 13 - Aramis Ramirez (right) belted a pair of 3-run homers to lead the Cubs over Pittsburgh and keep their 1 1/2 game lead over Milwaukee in the tense NL Central. Both the Cubs and Brewers face a win-or-go-home situation as neither are close in the wild card standings. LA Dodgers 3 Arizona 12 - Arizona broke out the bats as Mark Reynolds, Tony Clark and Chris Young all connected for 2-run homers off Dodger pitching, sending LA to their 6th straight loss and virtually eliminating them from post-season contention. The Diamondbacks padded their lead in the division to 1 1/2 games over San Diego. Colorado 2 San Diego 1, 14 innings - Brad Hawpe homered in the top of the 14th inning, sending the Rockies to their 6th straight win and keeping Colorado's slender post-season hopes alive. The Rockies are 3 1/2 behind the Padres in the wild card race and 5 back of Arizona in the division. The Rockies have two more games at San Diego, then travel to Los Angeles for a 3-game series before ending the season at home against division-leader Arizona. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 1 Houston 6 St. Louis 3 Cincinnati 9 San Francisco 8, 11 innings

Cubs Back in 1st; Yanks End Streak

American League Tampa Bay 7 Seattle 8 - The Seahawks won for just the 3rd time in their last 9 games, scoring 5 times in the eighth inning to squeeze by visiting Tampa Bay. Other AL Scores LA Angels 0 Baltimore 3 NY Yankees 1 Toronto 2 - Yankees end 6-game win streak Texas 5 Oakland 6 National League Chi Cubs 6 Houston 2 - Alfonso Soriano (left) and Aramis Ramirez (right) staked Steve Trachsel to a first-inning 4-run lead and the Cubs took over first place in the NL Central by 1/2 game over the idle Milwaukee Brewers. Soriano led off the game with his 25th home run and three batters later, Ramirez launched a three-run shot - his 23rd - into the left field stands. Chicago added solo homers by Daryle Ward and Cliff Floyd. Houston's only runs also came via the long ball, as Carlos Lee and Mark Loretta each connected for solo shots off Trachsel in the 4th inning. Trachsel, recently re-signed by Chicago after being released by the Baltimore Orioles, won wearing a Cubs uniform for the first time since 1999. He worked 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits. San Diego 3 LA Dodgers 6 - The Dodgers made the wild card chase a little more interesting with a win over San Diego and bolstered Arizona's lead in the AL West to 3 1/2 games. James Loney went 3-4 and drove in 4 runs as LA closed to within 2 1/2 games of the Padres, with Philly just 2 back and Colorado 3 behind. The Dodgers took 2 of 3 from San Diego during this series. The Dodgers face a brutal schedule down the stretch with 6 games against Arizona and 7 with Colorado before hosting the Giants in a 3-game season finale. Other NL Scores St. Louis 4 Cincinnati 5 - Cardinals lose 7th straight Colorado 4 Philadelphia 12

Carmona keeps Indians hot; Ramirez powers Cubs

American League Tampa Bay 1 Boston 0 - Scott Kasmir (12-8) outdueled Curt Schilling, blanking the Red Sox on 5 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings, getting 10 outs on strikes. Toiling for one of the worst teams in the AL, Kasmir has had an excellent season, with an ERA of 3.65 and 209 strikeouts in 189 2/3 innings. For Boston, the loss enabled the idle Yankees to close to within 5 games in the AL East race. The Sox host New York for a 3-game series beginning Friday. It will be the final regular season meeting between the two top contenders in the division. Cleveland 6 Chi White Sox 2 - Fausto Carmona (right) allowed just 3 hits and 1 earned run over 7 innings improving his record to 16-8 as the Indians streak towards the post-season with their 16th win in their last 20 games. The Tribe maintained their 6-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central race, reducing their magic number to 13. Toronto 4 Detroit 5 - Magglio Ordonez would easily be the AL MVP if it wasn't for some fellow in New York named Rodriguez having a career year. Maggs went 4-5 and drove in the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the 9th, increasing his league-leading batting average to .359 while notching his 127th and 128th RBI. Other AL Scores Minnesota 4 Kansas City 2 Oakland 9 Seattle 3 National League St. Louis 3 Chi Cubs 12 - Aramis Ramirez (right) went 4-5 with a pair of solo home runs (22) to lead the Cubs back into a tie for first place in the NL Central with Milwaukee. Chicago pounded out 17 hits against five St. Louis pitchers. The Cardinals remain 3 games off the pace in the division. Milwaukee 0 Pittsburgh 9 - Tony Armas blanked the Brewers on 3 hits over 6 innings as the Pirates made Milwaukee's stint in first place a short one-day stay. Atlanta 2 NY Mets 3 Arizona 5 San Francisco 3 - It's getting late for teams trying to catch the division leaders in the East and West. The Mets won their 4th straight and maintained their 6-game lead over the Phillies, while the Diamondbacks won their 6th straight and improved to a 3 1/2-game lead over San Diego. Colorado 5 Philadelphia 6, 10 innings - This was a huge win for Philly, putting them just 1 1/2 games behind idle San Diego in the wild care race. Ryan Howard knocked in Chase Utley in the 10th for the game-winner and also hit his 38th home run earlier in the game. Howard's 2 RBI night gave him 115 and the league lead. In the same game, the Rockies' Matt Holliday knocked a 2-run homer and trails Howard in the RBI chase with 113. Other NL Scores Washington 5 Florida 4

Bye-Bye Yankees; Cubs Keep Closing on Brewers

American League Tampa Bay 14 NY Yankees 4 | Chi White Sox 3 Boston 10 Sometimes, there's just such peculiar symmetry to this game that one marvels at it's serendipity. It was just at the stroke of 9 pm on the East coast, when, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Coco Crisp rapped a 3-run triple, turning what was a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead for the Red Sox. At nearly the same moment, Dioner Navarro launched a grand slam into Yankee Stadium's right field stands, giving the Devil Rays a 9-0 lead. The season for the Yankees was thus officially ended. Boston won, the Yankees lost, and the Al East was - for all intents and purposes - decided, in just a few minutes of play, more than two full months before the season is officially set to end. Julio Lugo added a grand slam for the Red Sox in the 8th to seal the deal. Let's face it. The Yankees just don't have the pitching to remain competitive with Boston. If the Sox play just .500 ball the rest of the way, they'll finish at 90-72, meaning the Yankees would have to finish up 42-26 (.620). It could happen, but it's not likely. The Yanks are also in grave danger of missing the post-season altogether. New York is six games behind Seattle, and the Mariners are 1 1/2 back of Cleveland in the wild card race. The Yankees could pass one of them by, but getting past both is unrealistic. It's over Yankees fans. Better luck next year (if you can resign A-Rod, that is). Kansas City 10 Detroit 2 - Rookie Billy Butler went 4-5 and drove in 4 runs as the Royals won their 3rd straight. Cleveland 3 Texas 2 - Rookie starter Fausto Carmona (12-4) threw 8 innings of shutout ball, allowing just 3 hits while fanning 7 as the Indians closed the gap between them and 1st place Detroit to one game in the AL Central. Closer Joe Borowski made it interesting, allowing a run on two hits, a walk and two errors in the ninth, finally getting the last out with the bases full of Rangers. LA Angels 5 Minnesota 7 - Justin Morneau (right) singled and drove in three runs with his 26th home run as the Twins ended their 3-game losing skein. The loss by the Angels allowed the Mariners to close to within 1 game of first place in the AL West. Seattle 4 Toronto 2 - Adrian Beltre socked a 2-run homer to lift the Mariners over Toronto and get to within one game of AL West leader Los Angeles. Beltre has 5 homers and 13 RBI in his last 11 games. J.J. Putz picked up his 29th save, tops in the AL. Other AL Scores Baltimore at Oakland - E. Bedard, W (9-4), 11 K National League Arizona 2 Chi Cubs 6 - Aramis Ramirez (right) stroked a 3-run homer and singled in another run to lead the Cubs over stumbling Arizona. The Cubs have won 12 of 16 in July and continue to gain on Milwaukee. The D-Backs are going completely in the other direction, having lost 12 of 16 in July. San Francisco 8 Milwaukee 4 - Later in the night, Milwaukee lost for the 9th time in 16 tries in July. Their loss, coupled with the Cubs' win, trimmed the Brewers' lead to a mere 2 1/2 games. Colorado 3, Washington 1 - Aaron Cook hurled 7 innings of shutout ball on 4 hits and the Rockies hung tough in the NL West race, tying Arizona for 3rd place, 4 1/2 behind LA and San Diego. Other NL Scores Cincinnati 2 Florida 10 - M. Cabrera, 2-4, HR (23), 3 RBI (69) Houston 2 Pittsburgh 1 - R. Oswalt (W, 9-6) 6 IP, 7 H, 1ER St. Louis 4 Atlanta 2 NY Mets 4 LA Dodgers 1 - O. Perez, W (9-6) 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 8 K Philadelphia 7 San Diego 4 - C. Utley, HR (17), 2 RBI (81) leads NL

Huff Hits for Cycle; Mets Sweep Phillies; Ramirez Crushes Brewers

American League LA Angels 9 Baltimore 7 - Aubrey Huff (right) hit for the cycle, scored 3 times and drove in 3 runs, but it wasn't enough to keep the Angels from beating up on Baltimore's inefficient bullpen. Trailing 7-5, the Angels scored one in the 7th, one in the 8th and two in the 9th inning on Howie Kendrick's 2-run blast. Toronto 3 Seattle 5 - Jarrod Washburn improved to 7-6 and J.J. Putz picked up his 23rd save as the Mariners won their 6th straight and trail LA by 5 games in the NL West. With their current run, the Mariners also closed to within contention for the wild card, trailing Detroit by just 2 games. Chi White Sox 1 Kansas City 8 - Brian Bannister shut down the Sox on 4 hits over 6 1/3, allowing just one earned as the Royals won their 5th straight, ensuring them of their first winning record in any month since 2003. Chicago is only one game ahead of the last place Royals. Tampa Bay 1 Cleveland 2 - Ben Francisco walloped his first major league home run - in just his 6th at-bat - in the bottom of the 9th, moving the Indians back into first place in the AL Central. Other AL Scores Minnesota 11 Detroit 1 - J. Santana, (W, 9-6) 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Oakland 1 NY Yankees 2 Texas 1 Boston 2 - Boston, 10 1/2 ahead of Toronto in AL East National League NY Mets 6 Philadelphia 5 NY Mets 5 Philadelphia 2 - The Mets sent their message loud and clear in Philly, taking both ends of a double-header to send the Phillies back to 3rd place in the NL East, 5 games back. The Mets lead Atlanta by 4. Milwaukee 5 Chi Cubs 6 - The streaking Cubs - winners of 7 straight - got a walk-off 2-run homer from Aramis Ramirez (right) to pull to within 6 1/2 of the 1st place Brewers. The two teams play two more this weekend in Chicago. Arizona 4 San Francisco 3, 10 innings - Barry Bonds tied the game in the 8th inning with his 750th career home run to pull to within 5 of Hank Aaron's all-time mark, but rookie catcher Miguel Montero stole the show with his 10th inning solo homer which won the game and kept Arizona in 2nd place, 1/2 back of San Diego. San Diego 7 LA Dodgers 6 - The Padres took over 1st place with their 3rd straight win. San Diego leads Arizona by 1/2 and the Dodgers by a game in the wild, wild NL West. Colorado 8 Houston 9 - Closer Brian Fuentes blew his 4th straight save opportunity and the Rockies lost their 8th straight when Mark Loretta ended a wild affair with a 2-run homer with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th. Other NL Scores Atlanta 12 Florida 3 - J. Francoeur, 4-5, 3 runs; C. Jones, 2-3, 4 RBI Washington 2 Pittsburgh 3 St. Louis 4 Cincinnati 2 - Reds, 30-50, worst record in majors