Brandon Phillips Homers To Power Red Sox Win; Rockies In First Place After Trevor Story Belts Three HRs

Players of the Day for Wednesday, September 5, 2018

American League

Phillips: Game winning HR

Boston's incredible season got a little more interesting and emotional on Wednesday.

The Red Sox came back from a 7-1 eighth-inning deficit to overwhelm the Braves, 9-8 - sweeping the three-game series in Atlanta - with six runs in the eighth and a dramatic, two-run, two-out homer in the ninth by Brandon Phillips.

Phillips' game-winning blast was his first hit of the season, sending the Red Sox dugout into a euphoric celebration.

Phillips signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox in June and came up to the parent team on Tuesday but did not play. Wednesday's game was his first major league appearance since he closed out the 2017 season with the Angels.

At 37, Phillips wasn't on a major league roster to start the season, but took up the Red Sox offer and spent most of his time at AAA Pawtucket, where he hit .302 in 38 games. He played most of his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds as the regular second baseman.

Prior to his decisive blow, Phillips had walked twice, scoring in the second and eighth innings. Andrew Benintendi was on first base when Phillips launched his drive to left on the first pitch from Atlanta reliever, A.J. Minter.

After Boston tied the game at 7-all in the eighth, Atlanta slugger, Freddie Freeman put the Braves back on top, 8-7, with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a hitless bottom of the ninth to seal the victory, Boston's 97th of the year. Kimbrel's save was his 38th, which is second the AL behind Seattle's Edwin Diaz, who has 53.

The Red Sox return home to Fenway Park on Friday, opening a three-game series with AL West leader, Houston.

National League

Story: 3 solo HRs 

By winning five straight, the Colorado Rockies have wrested control of the NL West from the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, leading the division by 1 1/2 games after a 5-3 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Trevor Story, who has been on fire of late, socked three solo home runs to lead the Rockies. Story broke a 1-1 tie in the first inning, tied the game at three in the fourth and put the Rockies up 4-3 in the sixth. The three dingers have Story at 31 on the year, tied for third in the NL with five other players. Max Muncy of the Dodgers is second, with 32, and the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter leads the league with 34.

Story is also tied for third in RBI with 95, along with Milwaukee's Jesus Aguilar. Chicago's Javier Baez and Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez each have 100.

Story's hot streak has coincided neatly with Colorado's ascent to the division lead. In his last six games, Story is 12-for-24 (.500) with five homers and 10 RBI.

Colorado's sweep of their three-game series with the Giants goes at an opportune time. The Rockies are in the midst of a 10-game home stand. After a day off Thursday, they host the Dodgers for three games, then welcome in the Diamondbacks for four.

The NL West has been a toss-up for most of the season, and these upcoming series can only add to the drama.

Mookie Betts 4-for-5 In Red Sox Victory Over Phillies; Braves Top Nationals, 13-2, Brandon Phillips 4-for-6

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 14, 2017

American League

Betts: 4-5, 2 HR, 4 runs

Literally, the Red Sox offense starts with Mookie Betts.

The Boston leadoff hitter socked a pair of late-inning home runs, but he did more damage in Boston's 7-3 win at the Phillies earlier in the game.

Betts, who went 4-for-5, started the contest off with a single and scored Boston's first run when Zander Bogaerts doubled him home. In the second, Betts doubled in a run and scored again as Boston built a 5-0 lead.

The pair of homers by Betts came in the fourth and ninth innings, capping a big day for Boston's right fielder.

With the win - Boston's third straight - the Red Sox moved to within two games of the Yankees for the AL East lead. New York was downed for the second straight game in LA, as the Angels rallied from a 4-0 deficit for a 7-5 win.

Boston plays at Philadelphia in the second of their brief two-game interleave series Thursday at 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Phillips: 4-for-6, 3 RBI

A wild series wrapped up Wednesday at Nationals Park as the Atlanta Braves took the series finale, 13-2, taking two of three from NL East leader, Washington.

The three games saw a total of 51 runs scored, though the closest game was the opener, an 11-10 thriller, won by the Braves. The Nationals took the middle game, 10-5, but the Braves had their way in the end, roughing up Washington starter Tanner Roark, who allowed seven earned runs on nine hits over five innings.

The first three batters in Atlanta's lineup were a combined 10-for-16, with second baseman and number two hitter Brandon Phillips going 4-for-6 with two singles, two doubles, three runs and three RBI.

A 16-year veteran, Phillips - who spent most of his career with the Reds - was picked up by Atlanta after the 2016 season and their decision seems to be paying benefits. A lifetime .276 hitter, Phillips is batting .306 in 54 games.

Despite losing, the Nationals are still leading the division by 8 1/2 over the Mets. Miami is 9 1/2 out and the Braves trail by 10. Atlanta has Thursday off and heads home to open a ten-game home stand, starting on Friday with three against the Marlins. Washington begins a four-game showdown series with the Mets on Thursday in New York. Game time at Citi Field is 7:05 pm ET.

Ivan Nova, Robinson Cano Boost Yankees over O's, 2-0; Reds Continue Wild Card Chase as Brandon Phillips Leads 8-3 Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 31, 2013

American League

Robinson Cano

Ivan Nova

Baseball can be a fickle mistress, but playing at home - as the Yankees are proving - can be sweet.

Returning from a 2-4 road trip, the Yankees, looking listless and fading, have taken two straight from the Baltimore Orioles, passing them in the standings while closing in on a potential wild card playoff spot.

Their latest victory over the O's came Saturday afternoon, when Ivan Nova hurled a three-hit, complete game shutout for a 2-0 win.

Robinson Cano provided all the offense for the home team, driving in Brett Gardner with a single in the first inning and socking a solo homer - his 25th - in the eighth.

Nova used a mix of sliders, curveballs and and fastballs to keep the Orioles in check, giving up three harmless singles and a walk while striking out five. He threw 104 pitches, 67 of which went for strikes.

The win pushed the Yankees past Baltimore into third place in the AL East, eight games behind the Red Sox, but, perhaps more importantly, just 3 1/2 behind Tampa Bay for the final wild card position. The Rays have lost three straight and the Indians, who were in good position less than a week ago, have dropped five in a row and have been passed by the Yankees.

Game three of the series between New York and Baltimore is Sunday at 1:05 pm EDT with the Yankees looking for the sweep.

National League

Brandon Phillips

Cincinnati continues to trail both the Cardinals and Pirates in the Central division, but they are maintaining a healthy lead over the rest of the league in the race for the final wild card spot.

Brandon Phillips powered the Reds to an 8-3 win at Colorado, evening their series with the Rockies at a game apiece, keeping them six games up on their closest pursuer, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

All Phillips needed to hit for the cycle was a simple single, as he doubled, tripled and homered in five trips to the plate, driving in a pair of runs and scoring three times. Phillips has 99 RBI on the year, second in the league behind Paul Goldschmidt's 104.

The Reds and Rockies wrap up their series at 4:10 pm EDT on Sunday.

Today's Trivia: Who won more batting titles, Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: False. Johnny Bench led the NL in home runs twice, in 1970 (45) and 1972 (40).

Adam Dunn Homers Twice in Foggy Chicago Win; Brandon Phillips Drives in All Six Reds' Runs in Win over Cubs

Players of the Day for Monday, June 10, 2013

American League

Adam Dunn is never going to compete for a batting title, and the White Sox, like three other AL Central teams, are already in a desperate chase to catch the Tigers, but on a foggy Monday night in Chicago, Dunn went 4-for-4 and the Sox picked up a game on Detroit with a 10-6 win over Toronto.

Adam Dunn

Dunn homered twice and added two singles, drove in five runs and scored three times as Chicago won its third straight. Meanwhile, the Tigers were losing, 3-2, to a resurgent Kansas City squad that's won six straight.

The game was delayed an hour and ten minutes in the third inning due to fog, but that didn't seem to bother Dunn, who apparently was seeing the ball just fine. He launched a 452-foot tape-measure bomb in the third, a solo shot, followed by a three-run job in the fourth that "only" went 432 feet.

In the eighth, Dunn collected his fourth hit of the night, singling home Alexei Ramirex with the game's final run.

Dunn's four hits raised his batting average from an embarrassing .165 to a still-pathetic .181. The Sox are tied with Minnesota at the bottom of the division, seven games out. Kansas City and Cleveland trail Detroit by 5 1/2 each.

Game two of Chicago's three-game set with Toronto starts at 8:10 pm EDT Tuesday.

National League

Phillips: GS, 6 RBI

After losing two of three to Colorado and St. Louis last week, the Cincinnati Reds were probably relieved that their schedule sent them off to the Windy City for four games with the Cubs to start this week.

They're also happy that Brandon Phillips is having an all-star season.

Phillips, who spent most of the past seven seasons batting either in the leadoff or two-spot, has flourished batting fourth, behind Joey Votto, this season. In Monday's 6-2 win, Phillips drove in all of the Reds' runs, while Homer Bailey stifled Chicago on four hits, fanning eight over eight innings.

Phillips got the Reds rolling with an RBI single in the opening frame, then stroked a grand slam in the third, putting Cincy up by a 5-0 margin. The Cubs didn't score until the sixth, and Phillips tacked on another run and RBI, grounding out in the eighth with runners on first and third.

Phillips has 10 homers and 52 RBI, second in the league behind Paul Goldschmidt's 59.

The Reds took sole possession of second place in the Central division, 3 1/2 back of the Cardinals. They resume their rivalry with the Cubs at 8:10 pm CDT on Tuesday.

Today's Trivia: Who was the last American League rookie of the year to later win the MVP award? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: In 1974, St. Louis' Lou Brock set the single-season standard for steals, swiping 118 bases.

ALDS: Justin Verlander Leads Tigers Past A's; NLDS: Reds Take Game One over Giants as Brandon Phillips Shines

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 6, 2012

American League

Detroit took game one of their best-of-five series with Oakland, winning, 3-1, behind the pitching of ace starter, Justin Verlander.

Justin Verlander

Tagged by Coco Crisp with a leadoff home run, Verlander quickly settled down, allowing just two more hits over seven full innings, fanning 11 and walking four. Meanwhile, the Tigers scored single runs in the first, third and fifth innings, the final run coming on an Alex Avila solo homer.

Dating back to 2006, it was Verlander's ninth post-season start, improving his playoff record to 4-3.

Game two is set for Sunday at 12:07 pm EDT at Detroit. The Orioles and Yankees begin their best-of-five divisional series Sunday at 6:07 pm, in Baltimore.


National League

The Cincinnati Reds won their first post-season game since 1995, taking down the Giants, 5-2, in San Francisco.

Brandon Phillips

Reds' starter, Johnny Cueto, threw just eight pitches before leaving the game with back spasms. Cueto got Angel Pagan on strikes, but could not continue, so a parade of Reds relievers continued, holding the Giants to just two earned runs on seven hits over the final 8 2/3 innings.

Brandon Phillips supplied more than enough offense, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the third inning and an insurance RBI single in the ninth.

Jay Bruce's solo shot in the fourth put the Reds up 3-0. Xavier Paul scored on a passed ball in the ninth to complete the scoring for Cincinnati.

San Francisco's two runs came on a sixth-inning solo home run by Buster Posey and Joaquin Arias score on a wild pitch in the ninth.

The series resumes Sunday with game two in San Francisco at 9:37 pm EDT.

The Nationals and Cardinals open their best-of-five divisional series Sunday in St. Louis. Game time is 3:07 pm EDT.

Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds Lead O's to Sweep of Pirates; Brandon Phillips Has 4 RBI in Reds' Win

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 14, 2012

American League

Baltimore completed their three-game home sweep of Pittsburgh with a 12-6 win over the Pirates.

The two teams combined for 26 hits, 16 of them belonging to the winning Orioles, who closed to within 1/2 game of idle AL East leader, New York.

Matt Wieters

The heart of Baltimore's lineup had the best of Pittsburgh's pitching staff, as Mark Reynolds and Matt Wieters each went 4-for-5.

Mark Reynolds

Reynolds had a single, a pair of doubles and a solo home run, scoring three runs and driving in two. Wieters singled twice and doubled twice, driving in five runs, including the first of four Baltimore's first inning runs.

After that, the game was mostly Baltimore's. The Orioles had a 10-0 lead before the Pirates finally got on the board with three runs in the fifth.

The Orioles embark upon a weekend road trip to Atlanta while the Pirates, now tied with St. Louis, three games behind the NL Central-leading Reds, head to Cleveland.


National League

With Pittsburgh dropping three straight, the Cincinnati Reds took full advantage, completing their sweep of the Indians with a 12-5 victory over Cleveland, Thursday.

Brandon Phillips

Brandon Phillips was key to the Reds' win, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a pair of singles and four RBI.

After Cleveland scored two runs in the top of the first, Joey Votto erased their lead with a three-run blast in the bottom half, his 15th of the season.

Phillips broke the game wide open after that, socking a solo homer in the third - his 8th - singling in two runs in the fourth and singling in another as the Reds put up a 5-spot in the fifth.

The win put the Reds three games ahead of Pittsburgh and St. Louis in the Central division.

INTERLEAGUE SCOREBOARD: The National League finally cut a bit into the AL's interleague lead, winning six of ten games on Thursday, leaving the tally for the season at 68-58 in favore of the American League.

Rajai Davis and Yunel Escobar Lead Jays over O's; Brandon Phillips Ready for Reds

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 27, 2011

American League

Yunel Escobar

Rajai Davis

Rajai Davis went 5-for-5 and Yunel Escobar smacked a two-run homer, doubled in two more runs and added another ribbie on a ground out.

Toronto wasn't expected to have a lot of big bats in their lineup, but they managed to string together 20 hits for a 9-5 win over Baltimore.

Davis had more than his share, with two singles, two doubles and a triple. And when he wasn't hitting, he was running, scoring three times and managing to squeeze a stolen base into his schedule.

As Spring training winds to a close, the Blue Jays are a respectable 15-12 in the Grapefruit League and feeling pretty confident heading into what surely will be an AL East campaign full of the usual twists and turns.

National League

Brandon Phillips

A key element in the emergence of the Reds as a powerhouse in the NL Central last season, Brandon Phillips is eventually going to find a sweet spot in the lineup. Phillips batted third in Sunday's 9-6 win over Arizona, but he's equally suited to bat second or leadoff, the spot he held down most of last year.

Phillips singled and homered in three at-bats, driving in three runs and scoring twice. It was just his first home run of the exhibition season, but that's not an issue, as he's batting .341 over 17 games this Spring.

In 2010, Phillips had his usual solid season, batting .275 in 155 games, with 18 home runs, 59 RBI and an even 100 runs.

Bautista Making MVP Case; Phillips, Reds Ready to Roll into Playoffs

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 30, 2010

American League

As a team, the Toronto Blue Jays have hit 253 home runs, the fourth-highest total by a team in major league history, and still have a shot to tie or break the record set by the 1997 Seatle Mariners of 264.

The trouble is, their remaining games are being played at spacious Target Field in Minnesota, which has quickly become known as the place where long fly balls go to die. That didn't seem to have an effect on the thundering Blue Jays Thursday night, when they sent six balls out of the park, including two by AL and major league home run leader, Jose Bautista.

Bautista may have cemented himself a 2010 MVP award with a 7th inning grand slam and a 9th inning solo shot to right field, the first opposite field home run of his career. That gave Bautista 54 on the year, quite an accomplishment in the post-steroid era, and 124 RBI, second only to Miguel Cabrera's 126 in the AL.

The Jays pounded the Twins, 13-2, in the first of four games which will conclude the season. The fact that the Twins have already secured the AL Central crown could work to Toronto's advantage as Minnesota will probably empty their bullpen in the remaining three games, meaning that Toronto batters should be swinging for the fences this weekend.

National League

The Cincinnati Reds have a few more days in which to loosen up and get their players ready for the post season.

From all appearances, they're loose and ready, after knocking off the Astros, 9-1, on Thursday night.

Brandon Phillips is surely showing signs that he's geared up for the post-season, as the spunky second baseman slugged a two-run homer, singled in another run and stole a base in the Reds' win.

The home run was Phillips' 18th of the year, to go with 16 steals. He finished the night, 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and scored a run.

PENNANT NOTES: San Francisco took another step closer to winning the NL West with a 4-1 win over Arizona, while the Padres took a heart-breaking 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Cubs, falling three games behind the Giants and ensuring the best they could do is tie for the division lead.

To do so, they'll have to win all of their remaining games, which just happen to be the three they're playing in San Francisco this weekend. The Giants can clinch the division by winning any one of the game, beginning Friday night.

The Padres risk missing the playoffs altogether, as they are two games behind the Braves in the wild card race. Atlanta hosts Philadephia in a three-game, regular season-ending series starting Friday.

Phillips, Votto Smash Brewers; Trevor Cahill Shuts Down Rangers

Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 28, 2010 American League With a 7 1/2 game lead in the AL West, deep in the heart of Texas many are thinking that the divisional race is all but over. Don't tell that to the Oakland A's. The A's evened their three-game series with the Rangers by taking the second game, 3-1, exactly the score they were beaten by in the opener. Trevor Cahill came up big against the Rangers, blanking them on two hits over eight innings, walking three and fanning four. Coupled with the Angels' 7-3 loss to Boston, it's now the A's, not the Angels, in second place. Since the all star break, Oakland has kept pace with the Rangers, going 8-3 while the Rangers were 9-4. The Angels have fallen on hard times, with a 5-8 record over the same span, losing their last four straight and have fallen into third place 8 1/2 games out. Cahill (10-4) has started three times against Texas this season and has recorded two wins and one no decision, though the A's won that game. On Wednesday, he allowed just one hit until the 4th inning, when Josh Hamilton singled, sending Vlaimir Guerrero, who had earlier walked, to third base, but Cahill stuck out Nelson Cruz to get out of the inning. He didn't allow a hit after that, turning the ball over to the bullpen after eight innings. The Rangers scored their only run of the game off reliever Michael Wuertz in the 9th, but Craig Breslow came in and fanned Hamilton and Cruz to end the game. National League St. Louis and Cincinnati are dead even again in the NL Central... almost. The Reds have played two more games than the Cardinals, and have one more win and one extra loss, so technically, the Cards lead the division by .001. While St. Louis was busy blowing leads to the Mets, finally winning in 13 innings on (who else?) Albert Pujols' RBI single, Brandon Phillips (left) and Joey Votto (right) were taking care of business in Milwaukee with a 10-2 win. The Brewers were leading until the top of the 6th, when Phillips singled, stole second and scored on Votto's single to right. The Reds would score four more in the frame, and their bullpen wouldn't allow another Milwaukee run. In the 8th, the Reds scored five more runs, four of them on Phillips' grand slam, his 14th homer of the year. Votto put his stamp on the game with his league-leading 26th homer, a solo shot to center. The Cardinals and reds have been locked into this duel pretty much all season, leaving the rest of the division in their dust. The two next meet for a three-game series in Cincinnati on August 9, 10 and 11. Still Streaking: Absolutely the hottest rookie in either league, Buster Posey extended his hitting streak to 21 straight with a single in the third inning of San Francisco's 10-9, 10-inning win over the Marlins. Posey has now matched Josh Hamilton and Jose Guillen for the longest streak in the majors this season and is within one of tying Willie McCovey's franchise record of 22 straight. The San Francisco catcher will have his chance on Thursday night when the Giants seek to sweep their three-game set with the Marlins.

Pena Pounds O's in Extra Frame; Phillips Hits Lift Reds

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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American League Baltimore rookie Brian Matusz was just cruising along, shutting out the Rays over 7 full innings, his teammates helping forge a 3-0 lead. Pitching into the 8th, Matusz got Willy Aybar swinging for his 8th strikeout for the first out of the inning. It would prove to be his last as he allowed four straight singles to Tampa batters and was pulled. Two more singles and a double later, the Rays finished up the top of the 8th leading 5-3. After Baltimore scored 2 to even the score at 5 in the bottom of the 8th, the two teams played a scoreless 9th before Carlos Pena uncorked his second home run of the year, a 3-run shot to right that put the Rays up for good. Baltimore managed only a single run in the bottom frame, coming out on the losing end of an 8-6 tally. In addition to his game-winning blast, Pena had singled twice earlier, once in the crucial 8th, driving in a run. Pena finished up 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and a run. He has 7 RBI to go with his .308 average.

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National League The Cincinnati Reds needed a Joey Votto RBI single and a bases-loaded walk to Scott Rolen to knock down the Marlins, 10-8, in 10 innings, but it was Brandon Phillips who had the big night at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a pair of singles, 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Phillips doubled and scored in the 8th to put the Reds up 8-5 before the Marlins tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Cody Ross' 3-run blast. Phillips had also scored in the first on Jonny Gomes home run and his single in the 11th kept the inning alive. Possibly the best pure hitter on the team, Phillips entered the game batting a woeful .185. After his four hits, his average shot up to .273.

Rays Sweep BoSox on Shields Shutout; Phillips Bombs Giants

Players of the Day from Sunday, April 27 2008 American League Over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays accomplished what many considered to be unthinkable - they swept a 3-game series from the World Champion Boston Red Sox. After winning 5-4 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday, third-year starter James Shields took the mound for the Rays and essentially took the bats out of the Red Sox's hands, firing a complete-game, 2-hit shutout for a 3-0 win over Boston. Shields (3-1 this season and 21-17 career) walked one and struck out 7, overshadowing Josh Beckett's 13 K effort for the Sox. Tampa scored single runs in the 3rd, 7th and 8th innings, all but one of them earned. The sweep put the Rays - winners of 6 straight - in a three-way tie for first place in the AL East with Baltimore and Boston. Notes: The Red Sox have dropped five straight and are 3-8 against AL East foes, while the Rays are 11-6 and the Yankees 9-6. In the West, the Angels and A's are locked into a first place tie at 16-10. Both teams are determined road warriors, with the A's 8-3 and the Angels 10-5 away from home. Yankees' starter Chien-Ming Wang became the first 5-game winner in the AL, with a 7-inning whitewash of Chicago on Sunday. Wang allowed 4 hits and walked 2 while striking out 9 in the 1-0 win. National League Last season, Brandon Phillips socked 30 home runs for the Reds, and the way he's going, he'll likely surpass that number in 2008. On Saturday, Phillips smoked a pair of homers, singled, scored three times and drove in three as the Reds pummeled San Francisco, 10-1, putting up a 10-spot for the second straight day. The Reds' booming bats were a bit of overkill, as Edinson Volquez, set the Giants down on on 5 hits and one earned run while fanning 10 over 7 innings, winning his 4th game without a loss. Volquez has been a fantasy delight this season with his ERA and WHIP both at 1.23.

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Notes: San Fran's loss was their second straight and 6th straight by starter Barry Zito (0-6). Elsewhere in the West, Arizona kept a 6-game lead over LA, as Brandon Webb outdueled San Diego's Jake Peavy for a 2-1 victory. Webb leads the majors at 6-0.

Bedard Shuts Out Sox; Phillies' Top 5 Terrific

American League Chi White Sox 0 Baltimore 2 - Who's the best pitcher in the American League. Some votes will go to Baltimore's Erik Bedard (right), who dispatched the slumping White Sox with relative ease last night, allowing just 3 hits over 7 complete innings while fanning 7. Bedard (8-4), ran his scoreless streak to 16 innings, following his 2-hit, complete game effort of July 7 - a 3-0 whitewash of Texas. He also leads the majors with 156 strikeouts and has an ERA of 3.22. All of that while playing for one of the weakest teams in the league. Baltimore, at 39-50, is better than only Texas, Kansas City and Tampa Bay. NY Yankees 4 Tampa Bay 6 - With Toronto and Boston battling each other, the Bombers had the perfect opportunity to make up some ground last night, but Roger Clemens lasted only 5 1/3 innings, and was victimized for 3 early runs in the 2nd, from which the Yankees could never recover. Clemens allowed 5 hits and 4 walks, resulting in 5 earned runs, dropping his record to 2-4. New York and Toronto are tied for 2nd, 10 games back of the Red Sox in the AL East. Detroit 6 Seattle 3 - Gary Sheffield's 3rd inning grand slam was enough support for Jeremy Bonderman, who improved to 10-1, allowing 3 earned on 6 hits over 7 innings. The win kept the Tigers 1/2-game ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central and snapped a 4-game Seattle win streak. The Mariners fell 3 1/2 behind LA in the West. Texas 1 LA Angels 2 - With Seattle suddenly breathing down their necks, the Angels needed a boost, and they got it from starter Kelvim Escobar, who held the Rangers to one run over 8 innings on 6 hits, but did not get the decision. That went to Francisco Rodriguez, who pitched a scoreless ninth, just before Casey Kotchman singled home Gary Matthews Jr. with the winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Escobar's been rock-solid for the Angles of late, having registered wins in 6 of his last 7 decisions, while the Angels have won 8 of the last 10 games he's started. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Cleveland 5 Toronto 6 Boston 5 Oakland 3 Minnesota 5 - A's have lost 5 straight National League Houston 0 Chi Cubs 6 - Carlos Zambrano (11-7, right) blanked the Astros for 6 2/3 innings on 3 hits, putting away 7 on strikes, as the Cubs continued their relentless pursuit of the Brewers in the NL Central. Coupled with Milwaukee's loss to Colorado, Chicago is now only 3 1/2 games back. Contributing to his own cause, Zambrano singled twice in 3 at-bats, driving in a run in the 4th and scoring one in the 6th. St. Louis 3 Philadelphia 13 - The first five batters in the Phillies' lineup may be the best in baseball. Last night they combined to go 15-25, with 8 RBI and 8 runs scored, three doubles and a pair of homers. Chase Utley was 4-5 with a solo homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs to lead the way. Over the course of the season so far, Utley, leadoff batter Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand have put up impressive combined stats: 500 hits in 1678 at-bats for a .298 average; 76 home runs, 277 RBI, 293 runs. Five good reasons why the Phillies are battling for the AL East title, 4 games behind New York and 2 1/2 back of Atlanta. Cincinnati 8 NY Mets 4 - Brandon Phillips pounded Mets' starter John Maine, blasting a grand slam in the first inning and delivering run-scoring singles in both the 5th and 6th innings to send the Mets to their 7th loss in their last 10 tries.

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The Reds, meanwhile, remain one of the hottest teams in the league - although they are hopelessly far back to contend - winning 6 of their last 8. They are 12 1/2 back and they are in the NL Central, so anything can happen. Pittsburgh 1 Atlanta 9 - catcher Brian McCann went 3-4 with a pair of homers and 4 RBI to get the Braves to within 1 1/2 of the sliding Mets. Tim Hudson threw 7 innings of shutout ball, allowing just 5 hits. Atlanta has won 5 of their last 6. LA Dodgers 9 San Francisco 1 - Chad Billingsley notched his 6th win without a loss as the Dodgers kept pace with the Padres in the West. Those two lead Arizona by 2 1/2 and Colorado by 4 1/2. Billingsley blanked the Giants on 4 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings. Other NL Scores Washington 14 Florida 10 Colorado 10 Milwaukee 6 - Rockies just 4 1/2 back in NL West San Diego 3 Arizona 8