Yanks Ties Ks Record, 1-Hit Seattle for 17th Straight Loss; Greg Dobbs Powers Streaky Marlins

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 26, 2011

American League

Sabathia: 14 Ks

Sending the Seattle Mariners to their 17th straight loss, Yankees' pitching was at its finest Tuesday night in the Bronx. Starter C.C. Sabathia struck out 14 and took a perfect game into the 7th inning, spoiled by Seattle's only hit of the game, a one-out, seeing-eye single to left by Brendan Ryan.

Robertson: 20th Hold

In the 8th, Sabathia returned to the mound for the second time following a rain delay and this time could not locate the plate, walking the first three batters he faced. Enter David Robertson, who gave up a sac fly but struck out a pair of Mariners and got out of the jam, allowing just the one run for his 20th hold of the season.

In the 9th, Mariano Rivera put the M's down in order, also blazing two Seattle would-be hitters to tie the Yankee mark for Ks in a game at 18. The original total was set by Ron Guidry, back in 1978.

Rivera: 585 saves

The Mariners are four shy of matching Baltimore's AL-record 21-game losing streak which started the 1988 season. The 1961 Phillies dropped 23 straight for the modern major league mark.

Sabathia became the first major leaguer with 15 wins this season, improving to 15-5 with the 4-1 win. It was Rivera's 26th save of the year and the 585th of his career, just 16 saves away from the all-time saves record of 601 held by Trevor Hoffman. Rivera has recorded 25 or more saves in 15 consecutive seasons.

The Yankees won their third straight to remain two back of Boston in the AL East. The Red Sox outlasted Kansas City, 13-9.

National League

Greg Dobbs was just plain trouble for Nationals' hurlers in Florida's 11-2 win at Washington.

Greg Dobbs

The part-time first baseman started out slowly, but built his way to a 3-for-5 effort at the plate, getting runs home with each at-bat.

Dobbs got the Marlins on the board with a 1st inning ground out that plated Omar Infante. In the third, he hit into a double play, but another Marlin run scored. Dobbs smacked a solo homer in the 5th, singled home a run in the 7th and drove in two more with a single in the 9th, giving him five RBI for the game.

The Marlins, the streakiest team in the majors, won their third straight after dropping four in a row, but remain 15 1/2 games out of first place in the rugged NL East. The win got hem out of last place, 1/2 game ahead of the Nationals.

STREAKS: Seattle lost #17 in a row and will go for #18 in Wednesday's series wrap-up against the Yankees. Florida's Emilio Bonifacio extended his hitting streak to 24 games, going 2-for-4 in the Marlins' win over Washington.

Cards Tie for 1st on Berkman Pair; Sabathia Fans 13 as Yanks Roll; Interleague Remains Tied

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 30, 2011

American League

Sabathia fanned 13

There's a familiar tune being sung in New York. It's the one which has the Yankees singing the lead and Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays and O's relegated to the chorus.

After C.C. Sabathia tied a career high with 13 Ks against his former teammates - the Milwaukee Brewers - the Yanks stood alone atop the AL East, 2 1/2 ganes to the good over the Red Sox, 4 ahead of the Rays, with the others fast fading from contention.

Sabathia dominated his old buddies in the 5-0 Yankee win, their fifth straight. He fanner Ricky Weeks three times and Prince Fielder twice. Only Ryan Braun, who was 3-for-3 and is riding a 20-game hitting streak, was able to solve the Yankee ace.

Sabathia scattered those three Braun hits and three others over 7 2/3 innings, issuing a pair of walks along the way as he improved to 11-4.

In another piece of good news for the Yankees, Derek Jeter will resume his pursuit of 3000 hits when he comes off the DL on Monday, July 4 in the open of a three-game series in Cleveland. Only six hits shy of the mark, Jeter could conceivably break it in Cleveland, but has a better shot of getting to 3000 against the Rays, at home in New York, during a four-game series July 7-10.

National League

Berkman: 2 Homers

With all star slugger Albert Pujols gone for the next four to six weeks while the fracture in his left forearm heals, the Cardinals - with the assistance of the Yankees - have managed to climb back into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central.

Maybe interleague play isn't fair - the Cardinals were sweeping the Orioles while the rewers were being swept three straight by the Yankees - but the Cards aren't complaining after Lance Berkman delivered a pair of home runs in their 9-6 win at Camden Yards.

Berkman smacked a two-run job in the 3rd to put the Cardinals up 4-0 and a solo shot in the 7th to finish the scoring for St. Louis. Berkman's homers were his 19th and 20th, good for third place in the home run chase, behind Matt Kemp's 22 and Prince Fielder, who has 21.

INTERLEAGUE TALLY: Eight Thursday games did nothing to unknot the season series between the two leagues, as each won four games, keeping the series tied at 105 wins each.

Ethier Spanks Pair, Toppling Giants; Sabathia Tough on Texas

Players of the Day for Friday, April 16, 2010 American League Vladimir Guerrero lifted a 1st inning fly ball to center fielder Curtis Granderson. Michael Young tagged up from thrid and scooted home with the Rangers' first run of the game. Unfortunately for them, it was also their last, as Yankee starter C.C. Sabathia allowed just one more hit over the next 5 1/3 innings to lead the Yankees to a rain-shortened 6-1 win over Texas. Following Guerrero's sacrifice fly, Sabathia struck out the next six batters he faced, totaling 9 Ks for the night. He also set down 11 in a row, before giving up the Rangers' last hit of the game, a harmless single with one out in the 5th. Sabathia improved to 2-0 and did not issue any bases on balls.

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Rain had been steadily falling from the beginning of the game, though it was just a drizzle through the first 3 innings. When the Yankees batted in the bottom of the 4th, it intensified, eventually becoming a torrential downpour by the end of the 6th, when the umpires called the game. With Toronto losing and Tampa Bay in a suspended (9th inning) 1-1 tie with Boston, the Yankees - at least temporarily - have a 1/2 game lead in the division. Should the Rays pull out a win when they resume play - likely on Saturday - they would be tied with New York at 7-3. National League After losing to the Dodgers, 10-8, Friday night, the San Francisco Giants are still two games ahead in the NL West, but they may be feeling a little pressure. Not only do they have to play at LA the next two days, but the Diamondbacks and Rockies are, like LA, just 2 games back. The NL West may be shaping into the four-way battle many expected. In Friday's game, the Dodgers proved that their amazing start at the plate was no fluke, as they banged out 12 hits against Giants' starter Todd Wellemeyer and two relievers. At the heart of LA's offense was Andre Ethier, who cracked a pair of homers - a solo shot in the 1st and a grand slam in the 2nd - to set the tone for the Dodgers.

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Ethier's 5 RBI gave him 12 on the season, to go with 3 RBI, both of those numbers behind teammate Matt Kemp, who leads the Dodgers with 5 homers and 15 RBI. Kemp's 2-run homer in the first preceded the first Either bomb. Either is sporting a .371 batting average on a team with 8 players hitting at better than a .300 clip. As a team, the Dodgers are batting an incredible .320. So why are the Dodgers just 5-5? Their pitching staff is struggling along with a 5.56 ERA, 12th of 16 NL teams.

Sabathia Blanks Royals for 7 2/3; Pujols Slam, 3-Run Shot Grounds Astros

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 11, 2009 American League Following an opening day disaster (4.1 innings, 8 hits, 6 runs in a 10-5 loss to Baltimore), C.C. Sabathia quickly dispelled all doubts about his ability, delivering an impressive 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball and a 6-1 Yankee win at Kansas City. Sabathia threw 108 pitches (71 for strikes), allowed six hits while striking out six to even his record at 1-1. Aided by a pair of double plays, Sabathia got into a little bit of trouble in the fourth and fifth innings, but managed to get the third out with runners on base each time. He also plunked a pair of batters, helping to keep those in the batter's box off balance and leery of inside pitches. The Yankees improved to 3-2 and are 1 1/2 games behind Toronto, the AL East leaders. National League There are only a few players in major league baseball who can turn games around with one swing of the bat, but possibly the most polished and deadly is St. Louis' Albert Pujols, who actually did his damage with two swings in Saturday's 11-2 thrashing of Houston. With a grand slam in the 5th and a three-run shot in the 7th, Pujols vaulted into ties for both the NL home run and RBI leads and kept the Cardinals in first place in the NL Central, 1/2 game ahead of the Pirates and Cubs. Pujols (maybe we can just start calling him "Albert") has knocked out 3 homers and has 9 RBI, which tied him with Florida's Hanley Ramirez.

Sabathia Hurls Brewers Into Playoffs; AL Central Still Undecided

Players of the Day from Sunday, September 28, 2008 American League Joe Mauer wrapped up the AL batting title with a 2-for-5 afternoon, including a 2-run triple in Minnesota's 6-0 win over the Royals, forcing the White Sox - who beat Cleveland 5-1 - to play a make-up game with Detroit on Monday. Mauer's .330 batting average was tops in the AL, beating out Boston's Dustin Pedroia at .326. The Twins finished the regular season with a 1/2 game lead over the White Sox, who will host the Tigers on Monday, making up a game that was rained out in mid-September. Notes: If the White Sox beat the Tigers, the Twins travel to Chicago for a one-game playoff to determine the AL Central. If they lose, the Twins win the division by one game and will begin the playoffs at Tampa Bay on Thursday in the first game of a 5-game series. Boston travels to LA to face the Angels in the other series, which begins on Wednesday. Both series are best-of-five. National League C. C. Sabathia pitched his 7th complete game for the Brewers, allowing just 4 hits and no earned runs while striking out 7 as Milwaukee topped Chicago, 3-1, and clinched the wild card. Tied with the Mets going into the final day of the regular season, Sabathia came through once more for the Brewers as the Mets lost to Florida, 4-2, missing the playoffs by one game, just as they did last season. Notes: The Brewers will open the playoffs at Philadelphia on Wednesday after noon at 3:00 pm ET. Later in the day, Chicago will hosts the Dodgers in the other NL opener at 6:00 pm. Both series are best of five games.

Sabathia's 1-Hitter a No Hitter?; Morneau Keeps Twins Ticking

Players of the Day from Sunday, August 31, 2008 American League Justin Morneau Is the big bat in the Minnesota's lineup, and he proved his value with his 21st home run and 4 RBI as the Twins thumped the A's, 12-4. The win kept the Twins 1/2 game back of the white Sox, who finally beat the Red Sox taking the third game of their series with Boston, 4-2, to avoid the sweep. That game also upped the Rays' lead over Boston in the East to 5 1/2 games. Boston's lead in the wild card is down to 2 1/2 over Minnesota. Notes: It's almost officially over for the Yankees. After Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays beat them 6-2 on Sunday, New York is 6 1/2 behind Boston and running out of time with just 25 games left on the schedule. National League C. C. Sabathia has been sensational pitching for the Brewers since July, but on Sunday, he was incredible, but, in the end, a little angry. The only hit (if you can call a 52-foot dribbler to the right of the mound a hit) against him was a ball Sabathia flubbed, never even getting off a throw. The Brewers beat Pittsburgh, 7-0, but have issued an official protest, saying the scorer should have called Andy LaRouche 5th inning hit an error. Whatever the outcome, Sabathia improved to 9-0 with the Brewers, striking out 11 and walking 3 batters. The Brewers closed to within 5 games of the Cubs, who were losing to the Phillies, 5-3, while the Mets were beating Florida, 6-2. The Mets remained a game ahead of Philly. Notes: The Dodgers closed to 2 games behind the Diamondbacks with an 8-1 win over Arizona, roughing up Brandon Webb, who was in search of his 20th win.

Granderson's Triples Topple Texas; Sabathia a Complete Pitcher

Players of the Day from Monday, August 18, 2008 American League The Tigers are still just barely alive in the AL Central race after squeaking by Texas, 8-7. The spotlight fell on leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson, who tripled twice and drove in four runs, keying the victory.

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The Tigers, probably the biggest disappointment in the majors, are 10 1/2 behind the White Sox, who retook first place in the AL Central, as Carlos Quentin hit his major league-leading 35th home run in Chicago's 13-5 thumping of Seattle. Minnesota lost to Oakland, 3-2, and are one game behind the Sox. Notes: Tampa Bay held on for a 6-4 win over West leader LA to remain 4 1/2 in front of the Red Sox in the East. The Angels aren't worried, however. Despite their second straight loss, they still lead Texas by 15 1/2 games. National League OK, this is getting a little ridiculous. On Monday, C. C. Sabathia pitched his 8th complete game of the season, recording his 11th straight win as the Brewers dropped Houston, 9-3.

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With little left to prove about his toughness, Sabathia threw 130 pitches, his season high. Both his win streak and complete game numbers include the early part of the season which he spent with Cleveland, where he was 6-8. He has not lost in 9 starts as a Brewer. Sabathia struck out 9, bringing his full season total to 192. Notes: Milwaukee trails the Cubs by 5 games in the Central. The West remained deadlocked as both Arizona and LA were idle. The Mets lost to Pittsburgh, 5-2, and are 1 1/2 ahead of Philadelphia and 4 up on Florida in the East.

Hunter, the Yankee Killer; Sabathia Hurls Shutout at Nats

Players of the Day from Friday, August 8, 2008 American League With the Texas Rangers taking it on the chin, 9-1, at Baltimore, the LA Angels didn't waste the opportunity to add another game to their lead in the AL West. Torii Hunter singled twice, doubled, homered and drove in 4 runs as the Angels pounded the Yankees, 10-5, Friday night. That gives the Angels a 13-game edge in the division. They are also 3 games up on AL East-leading Tampa Bay for home field through the playoffs with the best record in the majors, at 72-43. Notes: The White Sox downed the Red Sox, 5-3, dropping Boston 3 1/2 behind the Rays, while Chicago maintained its 1/2 game lead over Minnesota in the Central. In Detroit, the vultures are circling, as the Tigers dropped another game further behind, losing at home to Oakland, 4-2. The A's win snapped their 10-game losing streak. National League The incredible saga of C. C. Sabathia continued last night as the burly hurler pitched his 4th complete game and second shutout of the season as the Brewers blanked Washington, 5-0.

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Sabathia allowed just 5 hits and a single walk while fanning 9 Nationals. It was his 9th straight win, a streak which stretches back to June 10, when he was with Cleveland. Sabathia is 6-0 since joining the Brewers in early July and is carrying ridiculous numbers in the NL: a 1.58 ERA, a WHIP of 0.91, with 12 walks and 52 Ks in 57 innings. Notes: Despite Sabathia's best efforts, the Brewers can't seem to make up any ground on the Cubs, who are still 5 games ahead after topping the Cardinals, 3-2, in 11 innings. Milwaukee is 2 games in front of St. Louis in the wild card race, however, with the next closest pursuer the NY Mets, 3 1/2 back. In the West, Arizona has lost three straight and the lead is down to just 1/2 game over the Dodgers.

Youkilis Bangs Pair; Fielder, Sabathia Keep Brewers Close

Players of the Day for Saturday, August 2, 2008 American League Seemingly, all will be well in Boston without Manny Ramirez, as long as Kevin Youkilis keeps being productive at the plate. On Saturday, Youkilis banged a pair of two-run homers as the Red Sox downed the A's, 12-2. Quietly having an outstanding season, Youkilis, one of the finest pure hitters in the majors, is batting .313 with 20 homers and 74 RBI. The win kept the Sox 3 behind Tampa Bay, who were busy putting more nails in the Detroit Tigers' post-season coffin, hammering home a 9-3 win. In New York, the Yankees avoided being swept by the Angels, winning 8-2. They have one more shot at LA on Sunday and are 5 1/2 back in the AL East. Notes: The White Sox, Twins and Tigers were all losers on Saturday, so the standing remain the same: Chicago leads Minnesota by 1/2 and Detroit by 6 1/2. National League Prince Fielder (left) and C. C. Sabathia (right) provided the power and the pitching to take their second straight at Atlanta, topping the Braves by a 4-2 score. Fielder smacked a solo homer in the 7th to tie the game at one, and then applied the finishing touch with a two-run blast (his 25th) in the 8th inning for a 4-1 lead. Sabathia, who has been nothing short of spectacular since joining the Brewers in July, improved to 5-0 in the NL, allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs over 8 1/3 innings, striking out 9 and walking just one batter. In sic starts for the Brewers, Sabathia has worked 48 innings, allowed 35 hits and 10 earned runs for a 5-0 record, a 1.88 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Notes: Milwaukee is currently in position to be the wild card in the NL, 4 games behind the Cubs in the Central division. In the wild card race, they have a 3 game bulge over the Marlins and 3 1/2 over the Mets. There's certainly the opportunity to run down Chicago in September, but they appear to be on a path to the playoffs. The Mets blew a 4-0 lead and lost in 10 innings to Houston, 5-4, falling 2 behind Philly - 2-1 winners over St. Louis - in the East. The Marlins beat Colorado to remain 1 1/2 back. In LA, Manny Ramirez hit his first homer in the National League as the Dodgers beat Arizona, 4-2, and drew to within 2 games of the Diamondbacks in the West.

Mathis Drives in 6 as Angels Up Lead to 10; Sabathia 3-Hits Cards

Players of the Day from Wednesday, July 23, 2008 American League News Flash: The AL West race is over. On Wednesday, Jeff Mathis singled twice, doubled and hit a grand slam in 5 at-bats, driving in 6 runs as the Angels outlasted the Indians, 14-11. The win, coupled with losses by the A's and Rangers, gave the Angels 10 and 10 1/2 game leads over their closest competition. Seriously. It's over. LA could play less than .500 for the rest of the season and still finish with more than 90 wins. See you in the playoffs. Notes: The Yankees won their 10th straight at home and 6th overall, remaining 3 1/2 off the pace in the AL East as the Rays and second place Boston (1/2 game back) both won. In the Central, Carlos Quentin crushed a pair of homers and drove in 4 runs in the White Sox's 10-8 win over Texas. Chicago is 2 1/2 to the good over Minnesota. Detroit, 7-1 winners at KC, have won 4 straight and are 5 1/2 out. National League If the Brewers win the Central division and maybe more, they can point to one mid-season move that brought the magic to Milwaukee - the trade that brought C. C. Sabathia over from the Cleveland Indians. Since joining the Brewers, Sabathia has been nothing but special. He is 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and last night tossed his third straight complete game, a 3-hit, 3-0 shutout of St. Louis, their third straight over the Cardinals and 7th straight win overall. Sabathia struck out 7 and walked two, at one point - from the 1st through 6th innings - setting down 17 consecutive victims at the plate. Notes: The Cubs remain in first place in the Central after winning 10-6 at Arizona, but the Brewers are hot on their heels, 1 game back, with the Cardinals now reeling, 3 off the pace. The Mets re-tied the race in the East with a 6-3 win over the Phillies on Jose Reyes' 3-run homer in the 7th. Arizona stayed a game better than LA in the West, but the Rockies continue to close the gap - now 6 games - by beating the Dodgers, 5-3.

Sabathia Homers in Complete Game Win; Rodriguez Earns 38th Save

Players of the Day from Sunday, July 13, 2008 American League Leaving the bases loaded with Oakland A's in the bottom of the ninth, Francisco Rodriguez earned his major league best 38th save on Sunday as the Angels topped the A's, 4-3. The win gave the Angels the best record in the American League (57-38) and a 6-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. After the Angels scored twice in the top of the 9th to take the lead, Rodriguez gave up a single and a walk to start the bottom frame, and loaded the bases after a sacrifice and an intentional walk. That was all the A's would get, however, as K-Rod fanned the last two batters for his 7th straight save against the A's in seven tries.

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Rodriguez had a career-high 47 saves in 2006. He already has 38 this season. The major league record for saves in a season is 57 by White Sox closer Bobby Thigpen in 1990. Rodriguez is on pace for 63. Notes: Boston retook first place in the AL East with a 2-1 win over the Orioles on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Rays lost their seventh straight. They were swept four straight by the Indians over the weekend. Cleveland had lost 10 in a row before the Rays came to town. National League C. C. Sabathia is one tough stud. Not only did he earn his first National League complete game win as the Brewers slipped past the Reds, 3-2, he also became the first pitcher since 1970 to homer in both leagues in the same season. Sabathia gave up single runs in the second and third, but got the Brewers on the board with a solo homer in the bottom of the 3rd, his second home run of the season. He then shut out the Reds the rest of the way, finishing with a flourish by striking out the final four batters he faced and was rewarded with the win when Craig Counsel got Bill Hall home from third with a sac fly in the bottom of the 9th. Sabathia is 2-0 since moving from Cleveland and the American League to the Brewers and the NL. He struck out 9, walked one, hit two batters and allowed 8 hits and two earned runs in a gritty outing. Notes: According the Yahoo Sports and the Elias Sports Bureau, Earl Wilson was the last pitcher to homer in both leagues in the same season. He did it in 1970 with Detroit and San Diego. The Brewers are still in 3rd place, 1/2 game behind St. Louis, but both teams gained on the Cubs in the NL Central, as Chicago lost to the Giants, 4-2. In the East, the Mets won their 9th straight as Mike Pelfrey shut out the Rockies for 8 innings in a 7-0 win. Philly topped Arizona 6-3, keeping the Mets 1/2 game out of first. Arizona's loss was the Dodgers' gain, as LA beat Florida 9-1 and moved to within 1 game of the Diamondbacks in the NL West race.

Delgado Starts Subway Series with 9-RBI Bang; Sabathia Blanks Reds

Players of the Day from Friday, June 27 2008 American League After a rough start to the season, C. C. Sabathia has turned things around in a hurry. Over his last four starts (3 wins), he's allowed just 20 hits and 4 earned runs over 32 innings. On Friday, he was in complete control, blanking the Cincinnati Reds on 4 hits over 8 innings in a 6-0 Cleveland win. Sabathia (6-8) struck out 11, including Ken Griffey Jr. three times, while walking two. Generally pitching better than his record indicates, Sabathia carries an ERA of 3.78 and a 1.24 WHIP. Cleveland trails the White Sox by 7 1/2 games and the red-hot Twins, who have won 10 straight, by 7. Notes: The American League onslaught continued against their undermanned NL opponents, winning 11 of 15 interleague games on Friday night. That boosts the AL's record since June 13 to 123-70 over the NL. National League Carlos Delgado didn't get off to a very promising start, flying out with a man aboard to end the first and striking out in the 3rd inning as the Yankees forged a 4-3 lead. All of that changed in the 5th inning, as Delgado doubled home a pair of runs, then hit a grand slam in the 6th, followed up with a 3-run homer in the 8th, as the Mets buried the Yankees, 15-6, in the Shea Stadium game of a home and home subway series. Delgado drove in 9 runs, a Mets single-game record. Notes: In the Yankee Stadium nightcap, the Yankees turned the tables, blanking the Mets, 9-0, getting 6 innings out of starter Sidney Ponson. Streaking Bobby Abreu went 4-for-4, with a double and three singles, driving in 4 runs. Over his last 5 games, Abreu is 10-for-20, with two homers and 9 RBI.

Ludwick Rakes Reds; Sabathia Shuts Out Twins, 1-0

Players of the Day from Monday, June 10, 2008 American League C. C. Sabathia (4-8), who has had his share of struggles and hard luck, put together a stellar mound performance on Monday night, hurling his third complete game and second shutout of the season, shutting down the Twins, 1-0, in the opener of a three-game series in Cleveland. Sabathia used 106 pitches - 77 going for strikes - over the nine innings, allowing just five hits and no walks. He stuck out five Minnesota batsmen. The win allowed Cleveland to gain a game on both the Twins and White Sox, though they are still 7 1/2 behind Chicago and one back of Minnesota, which has now lost 6 straight. The Sox lost for the first time in 8 games, as the Tigers cut them down, 6-4. Notes: The Rangers' Michael Young extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a sixth inning single in Texas' 6-5 win over Kansas City. The Royals blew a 5-1 lead, allowing the Rangers to score 4 times in the 8th and once in the ninth when Ian Kinsler scampered home from third on a passed ball by Royals' catcher John Buck. All five runs scored by the Rangers were unearned. Young is batting .308. His hit streak is the longest in the majors this season. National League Ryan Ludwick struck out in his first at-bat on Monday night, but after that all he did was hit, knocking a single, a pair of doubles and a solo homer as the Cardinals engulfed the faltering Reds, 7-2. His 4-RBI evening gave him an even 50 on the season, good for 4th in the league behind Adrian Gonzalez (57), Lance Berkman (56) and Chase Utley (56).

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The Cardinals' win kept them 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and five clear of 3rd place Milwaukee. Notes: The East is not looking so sweet for two perennial contenders, the Braves and the Mets. Both are playing less than .500 ball, and are respectively 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 off the pace set by the Phillies, with Florida just three behind Philly in second place.

Sabathia Blanks A's 2-0; Pierre Leads Dodger Comeback

Players of the Day from Wednesday, May 14, 2008 American League Cleveland took back first place in the AL Central on the strength of starter C. C. Sabathia's arm. The burly lefty shut out Oakland on 5 hits, leading Cleveland to a 2-0 win. Sabathia won his second straight (both at home) to improve to 3-5 on the season, fanning 11, which gave him the AL strikeout lead at 57, to more than injured Blue Jay Roy Halladay. It was Sabathia's first shutout and first complete game of 2008. Notes: Rays Remain: The Tampa Bay Rays stayed in first place in the AL East, despite dropping a 2-1, 10 inning decision to the Yankees last night as the Red Sox fell, 6-4, to Baltimore. It was Boston's 4th straight loss. Boston was cruising along with a 3-0 lead in the 6th, but Baltimore scored twice in the bottom of the inning and Jay Payton's grand slam in the 7th put the BoSox away. Payton, who has played for 6 different teams in his 11 years as a pro, totaled 5 RBI on the night. National League The LA Dodgers are just trying to keep pace with the runaway leader in the NL West, Arizona, and every win is important. On Wednesday, Juan Pierre led the way for LA, going 3-for-5, with key hits - an RBI single in the seventh and a two-run double in the ninth, as the Dodgers came back from a 4-1 deficit to defeat Milwaukee, 6-4. In addition to driving in important runs, Pierre also swiped his 14th base of the season and scored the final run of the game. The Dodgers remained 4 1/2 behind Arizona, and increased their lead over the third-place Giants to 4 games. Notes: Berkman first to forty. Houston's Lance Berkman is on pace for a triple crown season. Last night he tied Philly's Chase Utley for the league lead in homers with 14 and drove in 2 runs, making him the first player to reach 40 on the season. Normally, his .388 batting average would lead the league, but Chipper Jones is hitting an astronomical .418. Berkman is second.

Hamels, Sabathia Notch 6th Wins; Brewers Lose 4th Straight

Wednesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League The Cleveland Indians pulled to within 1/2-game of idle Detroit with a 7-1 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins. C. C. Sabathia (right) kept the Twins' bats in check, working 8 innings for his 6th win against 1 loss. Sabathia gave up just 5 hits, a walk and 1 earned run while fanning 5. The Yankees and White Sox split a pair in Chicago, the Sox winning the day game, 5-3 and the Yankees coming back in the nightcap for an 8-1 win. Hideki Matsui accounted for 4 RBI in the second game, doubling in a pair with a double in the 3rd inning and singling home 2 more in the 9th. He added another single to finish the night 3-5. The Yanks got a welcome strong pitching performance in that game from Chien-Ming Wang, who scattered 6 hits and a walk over 7 innings, allowing just one earned run. Other AL Scores Toronto 2 Baltimore 1 - A.J. Burnett (W, 4-3) 9 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB,10 K Detroit @ Boston, rained out Tampa Bay 11 Texas 8 - V. Padilla (L, 1-6), 4 IP, 12 H, 8 ER Kansas City 4 Oakland 3 LA Angels 5 Seattle 0 - J. Lackey (W, 6-3) 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER National League The Phillies have taken three straight from the previously-hot Milwaukee Brewers and will look to sweep their 4-game series this afternoon in Philly. On Wednesday night, Cole Hamels (right) took a perfect game into the 7th inning, but a walk and J. J. Hardy's 13th home run changed that tune. Still, the Phils had staked their ace to a comfortable lead, and Hamels ended up allowing just 2 hits and 2 runs over 8 innings for the 6-2 win. Striking out 11 Brewers gave Hamels 70 on the year, one shy of Jake Peavy's MLB-leading total. The win got the Phillies to .500 (20-20) and Hamels to 6-1, tying him with Houston's Roy Oswalt for the NL wins lead. The Brewers have dropped 4 straight and 5 of their last 6, all on the road. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have won 4 straight and clawed to within 4 1/2 games of the NL Central leaders. The NY Mets took back a slim 1/2-game lead in the NL East over Atlanta with an 8-1 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs. Jorge Sosa stifled the Cubs on 1 hit and 3 walks but walked Cesar Izturis to open the 8th inning and was lifted for reliever Joe Smith, who got two outs before surrendering a single to Cliff Floyd which plated Izturis with the Cubs' only run. Sosa, who has notched wins in each of his 3 starts, walked 3 and struck out 5, lowering his ERA to 2.25 and his WHIP to a ridiculous 0.85. Arizona's Brandon Webb pitched pretty well to most of the Colorado lineup, but couldn't keep Brad Hawpe in the yard, as the Rockies' right fielder touched him up for a pair of homers - a solo shot in the 4th and a 3-run blast in the 6th which sent Webb (3-3) to the showers and propelled the Rockies to a 5-3 home win. Other NL Scores Washington 6 Atlanta 4 LA Dodgers 5 St. Louis 4 - K. Wells (L, 1-8) 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 6 BB; R. Furcal, 1-4 San Diego 3 Cincinnati 2 Florida 4 Pittsburgh 3 Houston 2 San Francisco 1

Pujols knocks out a pair; Sabathia honors Robinson

Sunday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Oakland's Marco Scutaro, with one swat of the bat, raised his batting average from .050 to .095, and turned what looked like a sure loss into a happy home win for the A's over the Yankees. Scutaro stepped to the plate with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, two men aboard and hard-throwing Mariano Rivera on the mound and delivered a 3-run homer to left, changing a 4-2 deficit to a 5-4 win and a 2-1 advantage over the Yankees in their 3-game weekend series. In the game, Alex Rodriguez boosted his major league-leading RBI total to 18 with a sac fly in the 8th. He was 2-3 at the plate, with a single, double and run scored. The Cleveland Indians may have the best mix of pitching and hitting in the American League. Yesterday it was mostly about the pitching as their 2-1 win over the White Sox gave them a 2-1 advantage in their home-opening series. C. C. Sabathia (right) pitched 8 solid innings, allowing just one earned run on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10. Fittingly, Sabathia was wearing Jackie Robinson's #42 and did him proud, earning his 3rd win without a loss. The Texas Rangers are probably happy to be leaving Seattle after dropping the final two games of their 3-game series with the Mariners. Yesterday's 14-7 pounding was Seattle's high run total for the season as the first three hitters in the lineup, Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre and Jose Vidro each homered and piled up big numbers, shooing the Rangers out of town. Ichiro went 4-5 with a solo homer, a stolen base, scored 3 times and drove in 2. Beltre was 2-4 with a 3-run homer, 4 RBI and 3 runs. Vidro went 3-5, hit 2 home runs, drove in 4 runs and scored 3 times. National League Albert Pujols (right) jolted two out of the yard in St. Louis, pacing the Cardinals to a 10-2 rout of Milwaukee. Pujols, who finished with 5 RBI, knocked a 3-run shot in the 1st inning, drove in another with a bases-loaded ground out in the 6th and blasted a solo shot out to left in the 8th. Kyle Loshe, who spent part of last season in the minors, went 8 innings for the Cincinnati Reds yesterday, overpowering the Cubs at Wrigley Field on 4 hits and a walk, while ringing up 12 Ks in a 1-0 win. It was Loshe's first win of the season after going 2-5 with Minnesota and 2-3 with the Reds in 2006. On the day commemorating Jackie Robinson, the LA Dodgers - all wearing #42 in Jackie's honor - steamrolled the visiting San Diego Padres, 9-3, rapping 13 hits and stealing 5 bases. Right fielder Andre Ethier provided the power blasts with a 2-run double in the 3rd inning and a 2-run homer in the 8th. Ethier went 3-5, drove in 4 and scored 2.