Cust's 7 RBI tames Tigers; the Philly Flash is back

American League NY Yankees 6 Cleveland 1 - The Yankees did more than just beat the Central division leaders on Friday. They also tied Seattle for the lead in the wild card race and drew to within 5 games of Boston in their own division. Alex Rodriguez pounded his 37th home run of the season to get the scoring started in the 2nd inning and rookie starter Phil Hughes gave up just one earned run from 4 hits over six innings to improve to 2-1.

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Hughes struck out 6 and walked one. Yankees' center fielder Melky Carbrera extended his hitting streak to 15 games. Oakland 16 Detroit 10 - In light of the Indians' loss, Detroit had the opportunity to close the gap in the division, but the slumping Tigers dropped their 3rd straight and 14th of their last 18. The main problem for Detroit seems to lie in their pitching staff, which, over those 14 losses, has allowed an average of 7.8 runs per game, 4 times allowing 10 or more. With no quick fix to pitching woes, the Tigers head into a rough part of their schedule once they conclude their 4-game series with the A's on Monday. Following that, they play 13 straight games against the Indians and Yankees, their principal division and wild card foes. In Friday's win by the A's, Jack Cust (right) delivered two devastating blows. First, a bases-loaded double in the 3rd, then, in the 6th inning, a grand slam homer, his 18th round-tripper. Cust finished 2-5 with 7 RBI. Minnesota 1 LA Angels 10 - Starter Kelvim Escobar improved to 12-6, allowing one earned run on 5 hits over six innings as his teammates scored 2 in the third and 4 in each of the 6th and 7th innings. The win increased the Angels' edge in the division to 3 1/2 games over Seattle. Other AL Scores Boston 5 Baltimore 6 - Boston blows 5-1 lead Toronto 2 Kansas City 1 Seattle 3 Chi White Sox 5 Tampa Bay 4 Texas 7 National League Atlanta 4 Philadelphia 5 - With the Mets losing to Florida, the two main contenders for the top spot in the NL East squared off in the opener of a crucial 3-game series, with the home boys taking the advantage. A couple of subs accounted for the game-winner, as Greg Dobbs singled home Jayson Werth in the bottom of the 7th, snapping a 4-4 tie. After J.C. Romero and Antonio Alfonseca held the lead in the 8th, Tom (Flash) Gordon (right) recently back from the DL, picked up his first save since May 1 with a scoreless 9th. The Phillies took a 1.2-game edge over the Braves and trail the Mets by 3 1/2. Cole Hamels (13-5) got the win. Chi Cubs 6 Colorado 2 - The Cubs won their 2nd straight at Colorado, remaining 1/2-game back of Milwaukee in the NL Central. Jason Marquis (9-7) didn't allow an earned run over 6 2/3, giving up 5 hits and no walks, while striking out 5. Washington 4 Arizona 11 - The D-backs maintained their 3-game edge in the West, winning their 3rd straight and 8th of their last 10. Conor Jackson smashed a pair of home runs (9) and drove in 4,on a 3-3 night. San Diego 12 Cincinnati 7, 11 innings - Adrian Gonzalez went 3-4, with a pair of doubles and a 3-run homer - his 19th - and scored three times as the Padres kept pace with Arizona, putting up a 5-spot in the top of the 11th for the win. Ken Griffey Jr. homered for the Reds, his 27th. Pittsburgh 8 San Francisco 7 - Barry Bonds homered for the 4th time in his last 6 games, giving him 24 on the season and 758 lifetime. His 3 RBI, however, could not prevent another San Francisco loss, as the last-place Giants fell to 49-65, 15 1/2 games out in the NL West. Other NL Scores Florida 4 NY Mets 3 Milwaukee 5 Houston 4, 11 innings LA Dodgers 2 St. Louis 1

Bonds Breaks Record; Here Come the Yankees

American League Boston 4 LA Angels 10 - The Angels downed the Sox for the second straight night, with LA backing Joe Saunders for his 6th win without a loss in 2007. Most of the offensive damage was supplied by Gary Matthews Jr. (right), who singled, doubled, homered, drove in four runs and scored 3 times. The Angels maintained their 4-game bulge over Seattle in the West, but the Red Sox are now just 5 games to the good over the charging New York Yankees. NY Yankees 9 Toronto 2 - The Bombers won their fifth straight and 8th of their last nine. Since the All-Star break, New York has been on a 20-7 tear, and are closer to the Sox than they've been since April 25. Both benches emptied twice, in the third, when Josh Towers plunked Alex Rodriguez, and again in the seventh, after Roger Clemens nailed Alex Rios in the back. Both Clemens and manager Joe Torre were ejected and both face possible suspensions. Clemens took the win (4-5), allowing just 2 hits and one earned over 6 innings. The Rocket fanned six. Bobby Abreu singled and tripled, driving in four runs. The Yankees look for the 3-game sweep tonight in Toronto. Seattle 10 Baltimore 3 - Raul Ibanez socked a pair of homers, doubled, and drove in four runs as the Mariners stayed alive in both the AL West and wild card races, trailing the Angels by 4 and Detroit by 1 game. Cleveland 2 Chi White Sox 1 - Jake Westbrook returned for his second straight solid performance, allowing 2 hits and 1 earned run over 8 innings. Westbrook, recently off the DL, shut out Texas over 6 innings on Aug. 2 and looks to be fully recovered after spending most of May and June nursing injuries. His presence on the mound will be important down the stretch for the Indians, who currently hold a 1/2-game lead over Detroit in the Central division. Other AL Scores Minnesota 1 Kansas City 5 Oakland 6 Texas 8 Tampa Bay 6 Detroit 9 National League Atlanta 7 NY Mets 3 - The Braves crept to within 3 1/2 games of the Mets with a big win in the series opener in New York. Jeff Francoeur went 4-5 with a pair of doubles and a 3-run homer, driving in 3 and scoring twice. Florida 1 Philadelphia 11 - Ryan Howard (right) drilled a couple of balls into the stands Tuesday, giving him 32 homers on the season, one behind NL leader Prince Fielder. Howard's 3 RBI gave him 93, and the National League lead. The Phillies are 1/2-game behind Atlanta and 4 back of New York. Milwaukee 4 Colorado 11 - Todd Helton cracked a pair of home runs and drove in four as the Rockies caught the slumping Dodgers for 3rd place in the NL West, 4 behind Arizona. San Diego 4 St. Louis 0 - Jake Peavy (12-5) blanked the Cardinals on 3 hits over 7 innings, getting the Padres back to just a game behind Arizona. Pittsburgh 8 Arizona 3 - Tom Gorzelanny (10-5) gave up just 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 9 in 7 innings, handing the Diamondbacks only their 3rd home loss in 11 games since the All-Star break. Washington 8 San Francisco 6 - Barry Bonds took a 3-2 pitch from Mike Bacsik and deposited it in the right field stands. Home run #756 had finally arrived and for a night at least, everyone was gushing with praise for Barry Bonds. The laudatory sentiments expressed by Hank Aaron (who appeared in a special pre-taped scoreboard video), MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who was not in attendance, and sportswriters around the world, are, frankly, some of the most hypocritical mutterings ever seen and heard, even in this twisted media-driven world. After years of divisive commentary over Bonds' supposed use of performance-enhancing drugs, the media is suddenly gushing with praise for the new home run "king", trotting out such phrasing as, "the drugs don't hit the ball", and "breaking the record took years of effort and hard work," or, "he only hit more than 50 once." Balderdash. The media attempts at justification for Bonds' behavior and his record-breaking are hollow and cynical. Sure, he only hit more than 50 once, but that year - 2001 - he hit 73! And he followed that up with seasons of 46, 45 and 45, playing in 143, 130 and 147 games, respectively. Prior to 2000, when he knocked 49 in just 143 games, Bonds had only cracked the 45 mark once, in 1993, when he had 46. The argument that Bonds committed himself to the gym and a serious conditioning program after 1999 overlook the fact that Bonds admitted to using performance-enhancers, saying he was unaware that HGH or steroids were in the cream he was using. If Bonds had played the game within the rules, last night's home run might have been #625 or 650, which would have been a grand accomplishment, though apparently not big enough for the vastness of Bonds' overgrown ego. So, now it's done, and the world can get back to baseball. The final chapters to the Barry Bonds saga have yet to be written. He may still be indicted for lying to a grand jury or maybe Greg Anderson, Bonds' one-time trainer, who still is in prison for refusing to testify, may break his silence. Maybe Bud Selig, the real criminal in all of the steroid mess for not cracking down sooner, will strip Bonds of 100 home runs or instruct statisticians to put an asterisk next to the record. Time will tell. Other NL Scores LA Dodgers 0 Cincinnati 4 Chi Cubs 2 Houston 5

Bonds 755; Rodriguez 500

A couple of noteworthy milestones to report - in a season full of them - from Saturday's games around the league. In the afternoon on the East coast, Alex Rodriguez (right) became the youngest player in major league history to reach the 500 home run mark. With Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu aboard, A-Rod crashed #500 (and #36 on the season) off Kansas City starter, Kyle Davies, in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Rodriguez, who had been mired in a 3-27 slump after hitting #499 at Kansas City on July 25, added a pair of singles later in the game. He leads the majors with 108 RBI and is approaching another monumental milestone - 1500 RBI. He currently has 1455. Later, out on the West coast, the most controversial issue in the sporting world finally reached some level of resolution as Barry Bonds (left) blasted his 755th home run - an opposite field shot into the left-center field stands of San Diego's Petco Park - tying Hank Aaron for the career mark. Bonds homered to lead off the 2nd second inning and walked three times following the feat. He is not expected to play in Sunday's game, preferring to attempt breaking the record at home in San Francisco. The Giants begin a seven game homestand against two of the worst teams in the National League - Washington and Pittsburgh - beginning Monday. The Nationals play four, followed by a 3-game set with the Pirates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fan reaction to Bonds has been, to say the least, mixed, amid allegations that Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs to in order to reach the pinnacle of sports record history. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who was in attendance at the game, said either he or a representative would attend the Giants' next few games "out of respect for the tradition of the game, the magnitude of the record and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty." That last bit speaks volumes about the controversy and cynicism surrounding Bonds and the record. American League Kansas City 8 NY Yankees 16 -With Alex Rodriguez leading the way, the Bronx Bombers lived up to their name with another pulverizing performance on Saturday. The Yanks hammered out 21 hits, included 9 for extra bases. The Yankees' recent run-scoring barrage has resulted in 5 wins over their last six games, scoring 66 runs overall. Combined with the spotty play of the other wild card contenders, New York has clawed to within 1 1/2 of the wild card leader, currently Detroit, and 1 game back of Seattle. Texas 5 Toronto 9 - Frank Thomas smacked two homers and drove in four runs to lead the Blue Jays over sinking Texas. Cleveland 2 Minnesota 3 - The Twins picked up a game on LA Central leader Cleveland and are 5 1/2 back. Other AL Scores LA Angels 1 Oakland 2 Chi White Sox 7 Detroit 5 - Tigers lose 4th straight, 10 of last 12 Baltimore 2 Tampa Bay 9 Boston 4 Seattle 3 National League NY Mets 2 Chi Cubs 6 - Ted Lilly (12-5) stymied the Mets over 7 2/3rds, allowing 2 earned on 7 hits while striking out 8. The Cubs scored all six of their runs in the third inning off John Maine, who lasted on 2 2/3, his shortest outing of the year. In the silver lining department, Moises Alou hit a pair of solo home runs and has hit safely in 5 straight games. Alou, who had been sidelined since May 12, came off the DL July 27. Colorado 4 Atlanta 6 - In a critical series for both clubs, the Braves continued their desperate chase of the Mets in the NL East, drawing to within 4 1/2 of the division leaders. Garrett Atkins provided all of Colorado's offense with a grand slam in the 8th off Braves' reliever Octavio Dotel. The Rockies are also 4 1/2 back - in the NL West - but are in 4th place, looking up at the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks. Philadelphia 5 Milwaukee 6 - both teams feasted on some so-so pitching, as the two teams played a little home run derby. Ryan Howard hit his 30th and teammates Greg Dobbs and Pat Burrell also went deep. Rookie Ryan Braun hit his 19th, but Prince Fielder (right) had the last laugh, blasting his 32nd - a two run shot in the bottom of the 8th - which provided the winning margin as the Brewers retained their 1-game lead in NL Central over the Cubs. Arizona 8 LA Dodgers 7 - Jose Valverde picked up his 33rd save with another perfect ninth inning after the D-Backs nearly gave up an 8-2 lead. Arizona continues to lead the division by 1 1/2 over the Padres, and has taken two straight from LA, dropping them 3 games off the pace. Other NL Scores Houston 5 Florida 6, 12 innings St. Louis 1 Washington 12 - Nationals 5-game win streak; Cards, 4-game losing streak Cincinnati 9 Pittsburgh 8, 10 innings - A. Dunn, GW 2-run HR (30) San Francisco 2 San Diego 3, 12 innings

Cubs Take First Place; Ichiro tops AL Hitters

American League Chi White Sox 1 NY Yankees 8 - The Yankees continued to spank Chicago pitching, putting five balls into the stands on Wednesday after launching 8 the night before. No, A-Rod didn't hit one, but Jorge Posada (right) knocked two out, boosting his batting average to .341, good for 4th among AL hitters. The Yankees climbed to within 2 games of Cleveland in the wild card race. Texas 9 Cleveland 6, 10 innings - The Tigers have lost two straight, and 8 of their last 10, but the Indians, losers of 4 in a row and 7 of their last 10, have not taken advantage, continuing to trail Detroit by one game in the division nobody seems to want. Thanks to the poor performances of the top two teams, the Twins have been able to remain in the race, 6 back. LA Angels 7 Seattle 8, 12 innings - Adrian Beltre scored the game-winner and Ichiro Suzuki went 4-6, boosting himself to the lead in AL batting, at .351. The Mariners took 2 of 3 from the Halos, and trail them by 3 games in the AL West standings. Other AL Scores Toronto 2 Tampa Bay 6 Detroit 2 Oakland 3 Baltimore 4 Boston 5 Kansas City 5 Minnesota 3, 10 innings National League Philadelphia 4 Chi Cubs 5 - Matt Merton trotted home from 3rd base on Brett Myers bases-loaded wild pitch and the Cubs finally made it first place in the NL Central. The Brewers, whom they've been relentlessly pursuing for most of the season, lost earlier to the Mets, 8-5, and the Cubs found themselves .001 on top. The teams are tied in the games behind category, but it's the first time since April anybody other than the Brewers occupied the top spot in the division. Philly dropped into third place in the NL East, trailing the Mets by 4 and Atlanta by 1/2 game. The Cubs have taken 2 of 3 form Philly. The series concludes this afternoon. NY Mets 8 Milwaukee 5 - Recently acquired from the Dodgers, Marlon Anderson started in center field for NY on Wednesday and provided a huge boost, driving in 4 runs with a 3-run homer and a single in 4 at-bats. Anderson boosted the Mets over the drifting Brewers, evening the series - which concludes today - at a game apiece. Arizona 9 San Diego 5, 11 innings - Chad Tracy's 3-run homer capped a 4-run 11th as the Diamondbacks took their second straight in San Diego. The win kept the D-Backs a game ahead of LA and pushed the Padres 2 1/2 back. San Francisco 4 LA Dodgers 6 - Barry Bonds was booed lustily by the partisan Dodger fans and went 0-3 at the plate, finishing the night where he started - stuck at 754 home runs. Bonds is just 1-12 since smacking #753 on July 27. There was, however, a Nomar Garciaparra sighting, as the gritty veteran delivered a two-run, 8th-inning home run to provide the winning margin. Houston 3 Atlanta 12 - Mark Teixeira launched a 3-run homer in his first game as a Brave, as Atlanta slipped past Philly into second place in the NL East. It was the second straight night that los Bravos have posted a dozen on the slumping Astros. Other NL Scores Cincinnati 2 Washington 7 Colorado 3 Florida 4 St. Louis 1 Pittsburgh 15 - Cardinals fall to 50-54, 6 games back

Bonds on the Brink; Cleveland Closes In

American League Minnesota 4 Cleveland 10 - Jhonny Peralta hit a 3-run and a 2-run homer as Cleveland routed the Twins and drew to within 1/2-game of the AL Central leading Tigers. The Indians have been hanging tough while the Twins have now lost 5 straight and 8 of their last 10 and are 9 off the pace. Detroit 6 LA Angels 11 - Chone Figgins went 4-5 with a pair of doubles, scored twice and drove in a run as the Angles retained their lead in the AL West at 4 games, while endangering the Tigers' hold on the Central lead. The Angels scored 6 in the first and 2 more in the 2nd inning and coasted to a remarkably easy win. Other AL Scores NY Yankees 2 Baltimore 4 - Yankees trail Boston by 8 games Boston 7 Tampa Bay 1 - T. Wakefield, W (12-9), 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 7 K Texas 1 Kansas City 6 Toronto 3 Chi White Sox 4 Oakland 1 Seattle 7 - Mariners snap 7-game losing streak National League Florida 10 San Francisco 12 - Barr Bonds was walked four times after banging home run #754 off rookie starter Rick Vanden Hurk. Bonds is now one shy of tying Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record. Bonds' 1st inning blast was also his 20th of the season, marking the 19th time he has hit at least 20 homers in a season. The Marlins have lost 5 straight. Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia 8, 8 innings - The Phillies took over second place in the NL East by percentage points as Jamie Moyer allowed 6 hits and no earned runs over 7 innings in the rain-shortened event. With the Mets and Braves both losing, Philly is now 4 games out. Other NL Scores Atlanta 7 Arizona 8, 11 innings - D-Backs, 7 straight wins Washington 6 NY Mets 2 Chi Cubs 4 Cincinnati 5 San Diego 9 Houston 4 Milwaukee 12 St. Louis 2

Bonds Tags Two; Escobar Blanks D-Rays

American League Detroit 4 Minnesota 3, 10 innings - Detroit won their third straight one-run game over the Twins, relegating Minnesota to third place, 9 games back. Brandon Inge doubled home Timo Perez in the top of the 11th and Todd Jones worked a scoreless bottom frame for his 26th save. LA Angels 3 Tampa Bay 0 - Kelvim Escobar (11-3, right) blanked the Devil Rays on 9 hits over 7 2/3, for his 5th straight win over a span of 8 starts. The Angles increased their suddenly slim lead over idle Seattle to 2 games in the AL West. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 4 Boston 2 - Red Sox have lost 3 straight Toronto 3 NY Yankees 2 - Yankees remain 7 behind Boston Cleveland 7 Texas 5 - Indians trail Detroit by 2 games National League San Francisco 8 Chi Cubs 9 - Even though the Cubs won the game, there was little doubt that this was all about Barry Bonds and his quest for the all-time home run mark. Bonds (right) blasted a pair of homers sandwiched around a two-run single for a six RBI day. He hit #552 - a solo shot - in the 2nd inning, singled in the 3rd and popped a three-run shot, #553, in the seventh. The last homer got the Giants within a run, but they failed to score after that. The Giants have lost 7 of their last 8 and dropped 3 of 4 to the Cubs. Bonds had sat out the last three games - except for a pinch-hit line-out on Tuesday - before getting off an 0-21 schneid with his 3-3 effort Thursday and is now just two short of tying Hank Aaron with 755 homers. The Giants play their next 3 games at Milwaukee, before returning home to play Atlanta, two teams for which Aaron played. It's expected that if Bonds hits one homer in Milwaukee, he will be benched so he can tie and break the record at home. Like it or not, history is about to be made. Arizona 1 Milwaukee 10 - The Brewers turned to rookie Yovani Gallardo to retain their 3 1/2-game lead on the Cubs, and the Mexican native turned in an impressive performance, allowing 3 hits and no earned runs over 6 innings, extending his personal scoreless streak to 13 innings. The Brewers gave him plenty of support, especially Tony Graffanino, who doubled and homered in four at-bats, driving in 3 and scoring 3 times. Colorado 4 Washington 5, 10 innings - The surging Rockies could have moved into a tie for third place in the NL West, but squandered a 4-1 lead, dropping a key game at Washington. Colorado remains 5 1/2 back of San Diego and LA and a game behind Arizona. Philadelphia 0 San Diego 1 - Chris Young outdueled Phillies ace Cole Hamels over 7 innings to improve to 9-3. Both starters gave up just 2 hits apiece, though Hamels' both came in the 3rd inning when Geoff Blum singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on Brian Giles' double. Trevor Hoffman picked up his 7th save. The win put San Diego percentage points ahead of the Dodgers, who were blasted by the Mets. NY Mets 13 LA Dodgers 9 - The Mets made more of their opportunities as the Dodgers actually outhit them, 19-16, and retained their 2 1/3-game lead over Atlanta. Other NL Scores Cincinnati 7 Florida 5 - Reds, 4th straight win; R. Freel, 3-4, HR (3), 3 RBI, SB (15) St. Louis 1 Atlanta 10 - A. Jones, HR (19), 3 RBI (65)

Philadelphia Pride; Bonds 0-20; A's Lose 7th Straight

American League Oakland 3 Minnesota 4 - Justin Morneau tied the game with his 25th homer in the 8th and Joe Mauer singled home Luis Castillo with the winning run as the Twins sent the A's to their 7th straight loss. Minnesota kept pace with the Tigers and Indians in the AL Central race with their 4th straight win, though they remain 6 games back. Morneau's homer gave him 76 RBI on the year. Detroit 11 Seattle 7 - This game had it all. Five wild pitches, six doubles, 4 homers, 5 steals - including a steal of home by Gary Sheffield - and two hit batters, one being Ichiro Suzuki, who was forced to leave the game with a bruised thigh. Detroit starter Justin Verlander improved to 11-3, though this was not nearly one of his better performances, allowing 4 earned on 8 hits a walk and 6 Ks over 7 innings. Marcus Thames drove in four runs with a single and a 3-run homer, and Magglio Ordonez hit his 14th home run and drove in 3 to give him 75 for the season. The Tigers maintained their wafer-thin 1/2-game edge on the Indians in the AL Central. NY Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 6 - There are still signs of hope in New York, as the Yankees won and Boston lost on Sunday, allowing the Yanks to within 9 games of the runaway Red Sox. Derek Jeter (right) hit his 9th home run - a two-run shot - in the 5th and singled home what would prove to be the winning run in the 8th. The win boosted New York over the .500 mark at 45-44 as they return home for a 4-game set with Toronto. Following that series, the Yankees play their next 17 games against Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Kansas City and Chicago, four of the five worst teams in the league. If the Yankees are ever going to make their move, this stretch - though August 5th - would be an opportune time to do so. Kansas City 3 Cleveland 5 - Fausto Carmona improved to 11-4, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings and Joe Borowski picked up his 26th save as the Indians kept pace in the Central, 1/2-game behind Detroit. Cleveland won for the 33rd time at home, the best in the majors. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 3 Baltimore 5 Toronto 2 Boston 1 - Sox, Jays split 4-game series; Toronto 10 back Texas 5 LA Angels 4, 11 innings - Angels, only 14th home loss National League St. Louis 10 Philadelphia 2 - Albert Pujols (right) socked a pair of homers and drove in 3 runs as the Cardinals avoided the sweep by handing the Phillies their 10,000th loss. Officially, the Phillies have amassed more losses than any other major league franchise, though the Braves (9,681) and Cubs (9,425) aren't far behind. The milestone may be considered one of futility, though it should be viewed in its entirety as a mark of longevity. The Phillies have been a part of major league baseball since 1883, and while they've lost plenty, they can lay claim to 8,810 wins over those 124 years... and counting. So, if the Phillies can average 90 wins a season, they'll reach the .500 mark in just 66 short years. LA Dodgers 5 San Francisco 3 - The Dodgers completed their sweep of the Giants, winning their 11th straight in San Francisco while holding Barry Bonds hitless and homerless. Bonds went 0-5 for the second straight night, hasn't homered in 7 games and hasn't hit in his last 20 official at-bats. Players and reporters say Bonds looks tired at the plate, that his feet and toes are swollen (steroid use symptom?) and maybe he needs some time off. Good idea, that last one. Maybe a three month vacation might coax Barry into an early retirement. Meanwhile, the Dodgers maintained their 1-game lead over San Diego in the NL West and are 4-0 since the All -Star break, all four wins coming at the Giants' expense. Pittsburgh 1 Atlanta 5 - For years, the Braves lived and died with starting pitching, so it should be no surprise that a relatively unknown pitcher, Buddy Carlyle - who, at the tender age of 29, is technically a rookie - turns in a game-winning performance. Carlyle worked 8 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 1 earned without walking a batter for his third straight win and a 4-2 record overall. The Braves trial the Mets by 1 1/2 in the NL East race. Other NL Scores Washington 3 Florida 5 - M. Cabrera, 2 HR (21) Cincinnati 2 NY Mets 5 Colorado 3 Milwaukee 4 - F. Cordero, S (28) Houston 6 Chi Cubs 7 - D. Lee, 3-3, HR (7), 3 RBI (47) San Diego 4 Arizona 0 - J. Germano (W, 6-3), 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER

Bonds Gets Closer; Dice-K Stops D-Rays

American League Minnesota 0 NY Yankees 8 - The Yankees got back into 2nd place as Toronto lost at Oakland. Still, the Bombers continue to trail the Red Sox by 11 games in the AL East and are 7 1/2 behind Detroit for the Wild Card spot. Chien-Ming Wang gave up 4 hits over seven innings for his 8th win against 4 losses. Tampa Bay 1 Boston 4 - Daisuke Matsuzaka (right) tossed 8 innings of shutout ball, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 9 Devil Rays. Jonathan Papelbon finished up in the 9th, giving up a home run to Carlos Pena, the only Tampa Bay score of the game. Matusaka improved to 10-5. Cleveland 5 Detroit 4, 11 innings - Corey Blake smacked his 12 homer in the top of the 11th to give Cleveland their first lead of the game and Joe Borowski made it stand up, mowing down the Tigers in order in the bottom half of the inning for his 25th save. The Tribe has won 6 in a row and lead the Tigers by 3 games in the AL Central. Seattle 3 Kansas City 17 - Rookie Billy Butler singled, doubled and homered in 5 at-bats, driving in 6 runs and scoring 4 times as the Royals tied their season-high run output and scored in double digits for the 6th time this season. They took their second straight from the Mariners and are 7-3 over their last 10 games. Other AL Scores Baltimore 1 Chi White Sox 5 LA Angels 3 Texas 8 Toronto 1 Oakland 3 National League San Francisco 3 Cincinnati 7 - Barry Bonds cracked career home run #751, and needs just 5 more to break Hank Aaron's record. As usual, Bonds' blast was not enough to get the Giants a win. At 35-46, San Fran has a better record than only the Reds and Nationals, and the Reds have already fired their manager. Chi Cubs 3 Washington 1 - Chicago picked up another game on Milwaukee as the Brewers were losing in Pittsburgh. Carlos Zambrano was on his game again, allowing just one earned in 6 2/3 innings on 3 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8 to improve to 10-6. Other NL Scores NY Mets 3 Colorado 11 - R. Spilborghs, GS HR (4) Philadelphia 4 Houston 5, 13 innings - H. Pence, 3-6, GW HR (10) Arizona 7 St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 2 Pittsburgh 6 Florida 6 San Diego 4 Atlanta 6 LA Dodgers 7 - Dodgers and Padres tied for NL West lead

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

Angels, Matthews Crush Twins; Soriano Leads Cubs over Brewers

American League LA Angels 16 Minnesota 3 - Gary Matthews (right) drove in 5 runs with a grand slam and 3 sinlges in 5 at-bats as the Angels swamped the visitng Twins. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera also rapped out 4 hits, drove in a pair and scored 4 runs in the rout. The Angels knocked out 23 hits against 4 Minnesota pitchers to remain 5 1/2 clear of 2nd place Seattle in the West. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 4 Kansas City 2 - C. Pena, 3-3, 2B, HR (12), 2 RBI Chicago White Sox 6 NY Yankees 4 - NY, 12-18 road record Oakland 5 Boston 4, 11 innings - E. Chavez, GW HR (8) Seattle 7 Baltimore 4 - I. Suzuki, 3-5, HR (5) National League Chicago Cubs 7 Milwaukee 2 - The Cubs had a rough go last week, losing 6 of 7, but with a chance to pick up some ground on the first place Brewers, they're not looking back. Alfonso Soriano (right) opened up the Cubs' 3-game set in Milwaukee with a bang - a 3-run homer in the 7th inning - to cap a 5 for 5 night and get the Cubs a within 6 1/2 of the Central division lead. Soriano's been on somewhat of a tear lately, with multiple hits in 7 of his last 11 games, though batting in the leadoff spot may not be the best use of his ability. Soriano, a dependable hitter, drove in 199 runs over the last two seasons. So far this year he has just 17. San Francisco 8 Philadelphia 1 - It's officially the dry season for Barry Bonds. Though the Giants won again on Monday to conclude their 4-game series in Philly with a split, Bonds failed to homer for the 7th straight game. In fact, Bonds has just 1 homer and 3 RBI in his last 22 games, well below his lifetime average of one every 3.9 games. Barry's lack of longball hasn't helped the Giants, who are 6 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers. Other NL Scores Florida 6 Atlanta 4 - (R) Y. Escobar (ATL), 4-4, HR (1) LA Dodgers 6 Pittsburgh 5 - Dodgers lead NL West by 1/2

Guerrero, Angels Down Bombers; Reynolds Hot D-Back; Bonds Under Pressure

Friday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Vladimir Guerrero (right) singled and doubled twice in 5 at-bats, scored twice and drove in 2 runs as the LA Angels opened an important 3-game series in NY by whipping the Yankees, 10-6, maintaining their 4-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. The Angels' Orlando Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 15 games, chasing Yankee Derek Jeter, whose 19-game streak is currently the longest in the majors. Jeter singled and scored in 4 at-bats while teammate Alex Rodriguez cracked his major league best 19th home run - a 2nd-inning solo shot off starter Jered Weaver. It's all about Boston - Despite what Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner may think, or hope, the Boston Red Sox continue to pull away in the AL East. On Friday, Daisuke Matsuzaka became the third AL pitcher to reach 7 wins, joining teammate Josh Beckett and the Angels' John Lackey. Dice-K wasn't great, allowing 5 earned runs off 7 hits and 3 walks, but the Sox put a 10-spot on the board, beating the host Rangers, 10-6. Boston, now 32-15, is 10 1/2 games to the good on New York. Other AL Scores Oakland 3 Baltimore 2 - D. Haren (W, 5-2) 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER Cleveland 7 Detroit 4 - Indians take 1/2-game lead on Tigers in AL Cent. Minnesota 4 Toronto 3 Seattle 10 Kansas City 2 - I. Suzuki, 18-gm. hit streak Chicago White Sox 5 Tampa Bay 4 National League Mark Reynolds (right) smacked a pair of homers, tripled, singled twice, drove in 4 runs and scored 4 times in a 5-5 performance as the Arizona Diamondbacks slammed the reeling Houston Astros, 13-3, Friday night. Reynolds, called up recently from AAA Tuscon to replace injured Chad Tracy, is batting .459 in his first 10 games in the majors. The second of a 4-game set at Arizona went pretty much the same way as the first, won by the D-Backs, 9-1 on Thursday. Friday's loss was the Astros' sixth straight. Arizona remains 2 back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Rookie 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff extended his hitting streak to 8 games with his first major league grand slam in the Padres' 8-4 win over visiting Milwaukee - the first of a 3-game weekend series in San Diego. Kouzmanoff added a double giving him 13 hits in his last 25 at-bats (.520). The Padres remain a game behind the Dodgers in the contentious NL West, while the Brewers - despite losing their last 3 and 10 of their last 14 - maintain a 6-game bulge on the Cubs in the NL Central. What's wrong with Barry? In the first inning of Friday night's 5-3 Colorado win at San Francisco, Rockies' starter Jason Hirsh got himself into a real jam. Randy Winn, the Giants' leadoff hitter, singled and Hirsh then issued walks to Rich Aurilia and Ryan Klesko, loading the bases. Up to the plate strode Barry Bonds, ten homers shy of the all-time record. Hirsh couldn't walk him, nor could he reasonably pitch on the edges. He had to give Barry something hittable. He did, and Bonds grounded into a routine 4-6-3 double play. Winn scored, but the at-bat pointed up the latest baseball banter about the suddenly struggling "King of Swing", who hasn't homered since May 8 - a span of 13 games in which Bonds has played (he sat out games on May 15 and 23, incidentally, both one-sided Giants' wins) - his longest dinger drought of the season. So, what's wrong with Bonds? Could it be a sore hamstring? Or maybe, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests, Bonds is being too passive at the plate and umpires aren't giving him the benefit of the doubt on close pitches. That's a reasonable argument, along with the theory that there isn't a pitcher in the majors who wants to give up another Barry bomb, and they aren't giving him good pitches to hit. But even the best pitchers make mistakes, often when trying to nibble at the corners, and Barry hasn't bashed any of those muffs lately. Over his last 13 games, Barry is just 5-36 (.139) with no RBI and 7 whiffs, mostly on called third strikes. It could be injury or simply a bad slump, but maybe, as Bonds approaches 43 years of age, Father Time is finally slowing him down. All those years Barry wasn't using any performance-enhancing drugs may finally be taking their toll. Of course, there is the pressure of the situation.

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Roughly the same percentage of people who believe Barry used juice also don't want him to reach Aaron's record 755 home run mark - about 70% - but Barry wants it badly and, after all, he is human and is likely to be pressing. But the pressure will not wane. As he gets closer, it's going to get harder - if he gets closer. It's a shame - just 10 home runs from immortality, yet a world away in reality. Fickle fate and his own super-inflated ego may prove to be Barry Bonds' worst enemies. Other NL Scores NY Mets 6 Florida 2 Pittsburgh 10 Cincinnati 4, 10 innings - Pirates score 8 in top 10th Washington 5, St. Louis 4 - LP: A. Reyes (0-8); Cards 5-8 last 13 gms. Philadelphia 8, Atlanta 3 - Phils' Ryan Howard back from DL (1-4, 2 RBI) LA Dodgers 9, Chicago Cubs 8 - J. Kent HR (8), 4 RBI

Quentin Cracks a Pair; Rangers Hammer with Laird Slam; Bonds Watch

Monday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Catcher Gerald Laird (right) whacked a grand slam homer in the Rangers' 8-run 5th inning and earlier doubled in a run as Texas hammered the visiting Minnesota Twins, 14-4. The Rangers banged out 15 hits, 8 for extra bases. Every starter had a hit, with 6 regulars getting 2, as the Rangers scored single runs in each of the first 4 innings, 8 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th inning. It was the 2nd night in a row in which Texas scored 14 runs. Nick Swisher drove in all of Oakland's runs in the A's 8-5 road loss to the Chicago White Sox. Coming to the plate twice with the bases loaded, Swisher delivered a 3-run double in the 5th and a 2-run single in the 8th.

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He also added a single in a separate at-bat to finish the nigh 3-5. Other AL Scores NY Yankees 6 Boston 2 - A. Rodriguez, HR (18) leads majors Cleveland 5, Seattle 2 - J. Borowski, S (14), Indians, 17-4 at home National League Carlos Quentin (right) socked a pair of homers - a 3-run shot in the 4th and a solo job in the 7th - and added the game-winning RBI with an 8th inning sac fly to provide surging Arizona with a 6-5 win over visiting Colorado. Quentin was 2-3 with 5 RBI and a pair of runs scored, boosting the Diamondbacks into a tie for 2nd in the NL West with San Diego, 1/2-game back of the LA Dodgers. Arizona has won 3 straight and 5 of their last 7. Scott Hatteberg had two doubles and a 2-run homer in Cincinnati's 8-7 win over visiting Washington, accounting for 2 runs scored, 4 RBI and keying an 8th inning winning rally. Hatteberg doubled home Alex Gonzalez and then scored the tying run on Jose Valentin's game winning 2-run blast to right. Ken Griffey Jr. also hit his 9th homer of the season - a solo shot - giving him 572 on the career list, 1 behind Harmon Killebrew at #8 all-time. Noah Lowry shut out the Astros over 7 innings, allowing 6 hits and walking 3 in San Francosco's 4-0 win over sojourning Houston. Brad Hennessey and Armando Benitez finished the job, each working an inning in relief. The Giants had only 6 hits themselves, but turned them into 4 runs and Lowry (5-4) made them stand up. In other Bay area stories, some are wondering what's happened to Barry Bonds (right) in his pursuit of Hank Aaron's mythical 755 career home run record. Barry hit 11 homers in his first 29 games and has none since. Calculating the date that Barry breaks Aaron's record may be getting easier as Bonds continues his homerless streak, now at 11 games. During that span, Bonds' batting average has fallen from .338 to .287, as he's gone 5-31 (.161), driven in exactly 0 runs, and has been walked 15 times, at least once in every game. Barry has another streak going - he's now walked at least once in each of his last 16 games. So, the current calculation, if Barry homers in his next game and then hits one every 12 games at the ripe age of 42 (he turns 43 on July 24) goes as follows: Since Barry misses one game in every 11 (he's played in 40, the Giants have played 44), that gives him 108 more chances this season, meaning he'll max out at 9 and won't get the 10 he needs to tie Aaron until, yep, next season. We can only hope. No more shots, Barry. You're being watched. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 9 LA Dodgers 5 - P. Fielder, 2 solo HR (14), R. Weeks, 4-5, 3 RBI Notes: We've had a number of requests asking about MLB rules regarding rookie status and are happy to provide the answer from MLB.com. Determining rookie status: A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

Bond's Bombs Booed; Carlos Lee Drives Three

Friday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Baltimore already had a 4-1 lead when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning and Nick Markakis pounded a grand slam to right field for his second home run of the season. The O's won the game 8-1 as Erik Bedard cruised through 6 innings, allowing just one earned run on 5 hits and 4 walks. Bedard struck out 9 Royals to give him 17 in 17 1/3 innings as he improved to 2-1 on the season. The Blue Jays have been scoring plenty of runs, but Roy Halladay probably wishes

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they'd saved a few for his starts. After getting no decision in his opening day start (Toronto won 5-3 at Detroit), Halladay got his first win on Sunday at Tampa Bay, but had to throw 10 innings last night for the 2-1 win over the visiting Tigers. Displaying his usual combination of control and finesse, Halladay allowed just 6 hits, no walks and just 1 earned run - a second inning solo homer by Magglio Ordonez - as he improved to 2-0 and kept the Jays a half-game ahead of Boston in the AL East. The Yankees may have overpaid in their knee-jerk reaction to Boston's acquisition of Dice-K when they paid through the nose for Japan's Kei Igawa. In two starts this season, Igawa has yet to earn a decision or last more than 5 1/3 innings - which he did last night, giving up a 2-run homer to the A's Eric Chavez which sent him to the showers. So far, Igawa numbers are far from terrific: 10 1/3 innings, 11 hits, 5 Ks, 5 walks, 9 earned runs (3 homers), 7.84 ERA. Oh, Kei? Not OK. National League Barry Bonds (right) returned to Pittsburgh, where he began his major league career, and belted a pair of bombs to right field along with a run-scoring single. In bone-chilling 45-degree weather, Pirates fans gave Bonds a chilly reception, lustily booing both his 2-run shot in the 2nd and solo shot in the 4th. Bonds finished with 4 RBI in the 8-5 Giants win, and moved closer to Hank Arron's career record of 755 home runs, with his own 736 and 737. The Chicago Cubs had a 5-run lead at home, but starter Carlos Zambrano gave it all back in the top of the 5th inning issuing 5 hits, a walk and a hit batsman without getting an out. Will Ohman only made matters worse by walking in a couple more runs before Mike Wuertz came in and struck out the next three batters. In all, 6 Reds crossed the plate, and Cincy got the win, 6-5. After the game, Cubs' manager Lou Piniella lost his temper at the press conference, yelling at reporters and generally showing his disgust with his 3-6 team. Houston picked up Carlos Lee (right) in the off-season from Texas in hopes that he might add some pop to the middle of their lineup. Last night, the powerful left fielder showed what he could do, launching a trio of home runs in Houston's 9-6 win at Philly. Lee sandwiched a 3rd inning grand slam with a pair of solo shots, knocked in 6 runs, moving him into 2nd place in the RBI race with 12, just one behind Florida's Miguel Cabrera. The Los Angeles Dodgers took over sole possession of first place in the NL West with a 9-1 win at home over rival San Diego. Derek Lowe scattered 7 hits and a pair of walks over 8 innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out 6. Lowe improved to 2-1 on the season.