Daniel Descalso Leads Cards in Comeback Game Five Victory; C.C. Sabathia Hurls Yankees Past Orioles

Players of the Day for Friday, October 12, 2012

American League

ALDS: NY Yankees 3 Baltimore 1 - When it came down to deciding which team would advance to the league championship, the New York Yankees showed up with their ace, C.C. Sabathia, and the Orioles couldn't match up.

C.C. Sabathia

Sabathia, who went 8 2/3 innings to win game one, finally pitched his first post-season complete game, shutting down the Orioles on four hits to help the Yankees advance to the championship series against the Detroit Tigers.

The O's didn't get to Sabathia until the eighth inning, loading the bases, but only coming away with a single run. Manager Joe Girardi never made a move from his dugout position, allowing his ace to work out of his own jam.

Walking two while fanning nine, Sabathia improved his post-season record to 9-4.

The series with the Tigers opens Saturday at Yankee Stadium with first pitch set for 8:07 pm EDT. Doug Fister goes for the Tigers against Andy Pettitte of the Yankees.


National League

NLDS: St. Louis 9 Washington 7 - St. Louis spotted the Washington Nationals six runs, then came back to beat them, advancing to the league championship against San Francisco.

Daniel Descalso

St. Louis starter, Adam Wainwright, was rocked by the Nationals, allowing six runs on seven hits over just 2 1/3 innings.

Never giving up, the Cardinals chipped away at the lead, getting it down to one run, 6-5, in the top of the eighth. Washington scored another run in the bottom of the frame, but, in their last at-bat, the Cardinals put up four runs to clinch game five and move on to the next round of playoffs.

Daniel Descalso had the game of his life, socking a solo homer in the eighth to pull the Cardinals to within a run and driving in the first two runs in the ninth with a bases-loaded single to tie the game at seven.

He also scored the Cardinals' final run after stealing second, following David Freese home on Pete Kozma's single to right field.

Earlier, in the fifth, Descalso doubled and scored on a wild pitch. He finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI.

Closer Jason Motte, who gave up three hits and a run in the 8th, polished off the Nationals with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, earning the win, his second of the series.

The league championship series begins Sunday in San Francisco at 8:07 pm EDT.

Bronson Arroyo Sharp for Reds; C.C. Sabathia Dominates O's; Don Kelly Sends Detroit to 2-0 Lead over A's; Tyler Moore Downs Cardinals

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 7, 2012

American League

Don Kelly

ALDS: Detroit 5 Oakland 4 - Detroit took a 2-0 lead over Oakland in the best-of-five series when Don Kelly drove a ninth-inning, one-out ball to center field, his sac fly plating Omar Infante with the game-winning run.

Kelly's bases-loaded shot broke a 4-4 tie and sends the series to Oakland on Tuesday for game three, the A's facing elimination. Kelly scored the tying run on a wild pitch after being put in to run for Delmon Young in the eighth.

ALDS: NY Yankees 7 Baltimore 2 - C.C. Sabathia got all but the final out, working 8 2/3 innings in the opener of the ALDS in Baltimore.

C.C. Sabathia

Sabathia gave up two runs in the third, but otherwise was in control throughout, scattering eight hits and a walk while striking out seven. It was Sabathia's eighth post-season win against four losses dating back to 2001.

After the Orioles took a 2-1 lead, the Yankees tied the game on Mark Teixeira's single in the fourth, scoring Alex Rodriguez. Russell Martin opened the top of the ninth with a solo homer and the Yankees pild on four more runs in the innings, breaking a tight game wide open.

The series resumes Monday at Camden Yards at 8:07 pm EDT.


National League

Tyler Moore

NLDS: Washington 3 St. Louis 2 - Pinch hitting rookie Tyler Moore drove in a pair of runs in the top of the eighth, turning around a 2-1 deficit and providing the winning margin in game one of the best-of-five divisional series.

Gio Gonzalez was erratic for the Nationals, but, despite walking seven batters, he allowed only one over five full innings. The Cardinals scored their two runs in the third inning, on a wild pitch and a sac fly.

Game two is set for Monday at 4:37 pm EDT. Washington sends Jordan Zimmermann to the mound to face the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia.

Bronson Arroyo

NLDS: Cincinnati 9 San Francisco 0 - Bronson Arroyo pitched seven innings of one-hit ball and the Cincinnati hitters battered the Giants for 13 hits, taking a 2-0 lead in the divisional series.

Arroyo worked a perfect game into the fifth inning, giving up a two-out single to Brian Belt. His only other flaw was a two-out walk to Buster Posey in the seventh inning, before finishing up the frame by getting Hunter Pence on a harmless fly ball.

Ryan Hannigan drove in three runs with a pair of singles to pace the Reds' offense. San Francisco got only two hits off Arroyo and a pair of relievers.

Cincinnati will host game three on Tuesday, at 5:37 pm EDT and will also be the site of games four and five, if necessary.

Sabathia Tosses Four-Hit Shutout; Raul Ibanez Drives in Six as Phillies Hammer Braves

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 10, 2011

American League

C.C. Sabathia

Despite his sparkling 13-4 record and 2.72 ERA, C.C. Sabathia won't be going to the All-Star Game. He was not voted in by the fans and not picked as a substitute, though he was offered a position - ironically, to replace the man he beat on Sunday, 1-0, James Shields.

Sabathia will instead be taking his family to the Bahamas for a few days, which was his plan all along.

The two hurlers - Sabathia and Shields - locked into a scoreless duel from the start until throwing errors - one by outfielder B.J. Upton and the other by Shields himself - allowed Robinson Cano to score the game's only run in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Sabathia took advantage of the lonely run and shut the Rays down in order in the 8th and 9th innings, completing the four-hit shutout, the 16th of his career. Walking only one batter, Sabathia struck out nine and was in complete control throughout.

The win kept the Yankees within a game of the red hot Red Sox, who have won six straight, and dropped Tampa Bay six games off the pace in the AL East.

Have a nice time in the Bahamas, C.C. See you after the break.

National League

Raul Ibanez

After splitting the first two games of their NL East showdown series, the rubber game between the Braves and Philadelphia was all Phillies, all the time, as Raul Ibanez led a 20-hit attack in Philly's 14-1 slaughter of second place Atlanta.

Ibanez went 2-for-5, smashing his 8th home run to cap a six-RBI game. The three-run blast came after he was credited with an RBI in the 3rd inning on Dan Uggla's throwing error and had sinlged home two runs and scored in the Phillies' 6-run 7th.

For Ibanez, his big day was just part of a rebirth of sorts, having been moved to 5th in the batting order - behind Ryan Howard - after the Phillies let go of Jayson Werth in the off-season. With 47 RBI thus far, Ibanez is on track for one of his best seasons in years and the Phillies are happy to have his bat in the lineup on a regular basis.

As all major league teams break for the All Star Game, Philadelphia holds a 3 1/2 game lead over Atlanta in the division.

Sabathia the Master of Stymie; Yanks Claw Back; Posey, Uribe Lead Giants to 3-1 Series Lead

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 20, 2010

American League

C.C. Sabathia didn't throw a no-hitter, a two-hitter or even a four-hitter. Sabathia allowed 11 hits over six innings but limited the Texas Rangers to two runs, a feat so mind-bogglingly obtuse as to stun the senses. In no single inning did Sabathia not allow a hit, yet he held the Ranges scoreless through the first four innings, allowed a home run in the 5th and one more run in the 6th, giving up three base hits, yet retiring the final two batters and leaving runners stranded on second and third before departing the game.

Sabathia reminded the assembled baseball community that one doesn't have to be perfect nor even merely close in order to be effective. The man simply bore down to get the big outs when they counted. His teammates, in addition to building a working lead with three runs in the 2nd and two more in the 3rd, turned two double plays behind him. Sabathia struck out 7 and didn't issue any walks.

A few runs to work with and a craftsman on the mound; all of a sudden the Yankees are only down 3 games to 2 after a well-played, 7-2 win.

Game six is Friday night, 8:07 pm ET in Arlington.

National League

Jose Uribe drove a Roy Owalt offering to deep left field. Ben Francisco had no trouble fielding the ball, but it was deep enough to afford him no throw to the plate, where Aubrey Huff, tagging at third, would soon cross with the winning run and a 6-5 Giants' win.

Huff, who singled to lead off the inning, had gone from first to third on Buster Posey's fourth hit of the night, a sharp single to right field that Jayson Werth had to slide to stop from going all the way to the wall. Werth's play probably prevented Huff from scoring all the way from first, but Phillies fielders stood helpless a batter later when Oswalt, pitching on two days rest, couldn't retire Uribe.

Game four was a see-saw affair. San Francisco took an early two-run lead, but the Phillies struck for four runs in the 5th. The Giants came back with a run in the bottom of the 5th and two more in the 6th for a 5-4 lead. Werth tied the game when he delivered Ryan Howard to the plate in the 8th. Both doubled to lead off the inning, but the Phillies could get no more.

Manager Charlie Manuel had both closer Brad Lidge and Oswalt warming up in the 9th and made the choice of Oswalt, a move that will be questioned throughut the baseball universe. Normally a starter, Oswalt had twirled a masterpiece in game two, allowing 3 hits in 8 innings on Sunday night, throwing 111 pitches. Maneul apparently thought he would have good stuff. The results will forever refute his theory.

Giants' catcher Buster Posey continued to blister Philadelphia pitching. His 4-for-5 effort included two doubles and two RBI.

With a 3-1 lead in the series, the Giants have the opportunity to end it at home Thursday night. Game time is 7:57 pm ET. Starting pitchers are Roy Hallady for the Phillies and Tim lincecum for the Giants.

Sabathia Wins 20th; Tulowitzki on a Tear

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 18, 2010 American League C.C. Sabathia became the first pitcher to notch 20 wins this season, and his doing so kept the NY Yankees in first place. At 9-5, just a little better than ordinary on the road in 2010, Sabathia got plenty of support from his teammates, as the Yanks drubbed the Orioles, 11-3, at Camden Yards. Giving up single runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th innings, Sabathia went seven innings, allowing seven hits while striking out four. It was a good enough effort for win #20, the first time Sabathia, who has been one of the most dominant pitchers in either league the past six years, has won 20 games in a season. The big righty is a stunning 11-1 at Yankee Stadium, where he has been nearly untouchable over the past year and a half. Tampa Bay topped the Angels in 10 innings for a 4-3 win, remaining 1/2 game behind New York in the AL East. The two teams will meet for the final time during the regular season when they open a four-game series on Monday. Sabathia is expected to start the final game of the set, Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. National League Troy Tulowitzki is playing an entirely different brand of baseball than everyone else this September and the Rockies are challenging for the top spot in the NL West because of it. The Rockies won again on Saturday, pounding the Dodgers, 12-2, as Tulowitzki collected three more hits over five at-bats, banging out a double and two more home runs, his 4th and 5th of the last three games and numbers 13 and 14 for the month of September. He scored three times and drove in four more runs. Melvin Mora added to the onslaught with a grand slam. Consider Tulowitzki's numbers for the month of September. He's batting .371 (26-for-70) with 14 homers, 37 RBI (13 in just his last three games). More than half of his hits have been home runs. In fact, only seven of his hits have been singles, as he's hit four doubles and triple over that span. Due to his torrid pace at the plate, the Rockies have clambered back into the divisional and wild card races. They trail the Padres by 1 game, with San Francisco sandwiched in between, 1/2 game out. The Rockies are also 2 1/2 behind the Braves in the wild card. PENNANT NOTES: The Al Central and West divisions are pretty much finished. Minnesota won again, while the White Sox lost their fifth straight, putting the Twins 10 up with 14 games to play. Their magic number is five. Texas also won, while the A's lost, dropping their magic number to 5, with a 10-game lead. In the NL East, both the Phillies and Braves were winners, keeping the East at a 3-game bulge for Philly. The Reds upped their lead to seven games over the Cardinals. While they hammered Houston 11-1, St. Louis was losing to the Padres, 8-4.

Sabathia Stops A's on One Hit; Utley Slams, Drives in Six for Phillies

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 2, 2010 American League When the Yankees have C.C. Sabathia on the hill at home, there are no worries. The big man has owned every team he's faced from his high position since the middle of last season. Oakland came forth in an attempt to knock the king from his throne, but came up empty, as Sabathia won his 16th straight decision from the Yankee Stadium bump. The only hitter to have any success was second baseman Mark Ellis, whose single in the 2nd inning proved to be the only hit any Oakland batter would have on the day. Sabathia, boosted to a lead courtesy of two Curtis Granderson homers, steamrolled through the A's for eight innings, walking three and striking out five for his 19th win of the season against five losses. Jonathan Albaladejo came on in the 9th and mopped up, without allowing a hit. In 21 starts, Sabathia has not lost at Yankee Stadium since the 2009 all star break and currently leads the majors in wins. The 5-0 win increased New York's AL East lead over idle Tampa Bay to a contentious 1 1/2 games. National League With an assist from the NY Mets - who beat the Braves, 4-2 - the Phillies picked up a game on the NL East leaders with a scary 12-11 victory at Colorado. The Phillies were down, 6-3, entering the 7th inning, but they erupted for seven runs, five of which were accounted for by Chase Utley, who singled home Placido Polanco with the first score of the inning and later smacked a grand slam off Rockies' reliever Matt Raynolds, the fifth of seven pitchers used by Colorado. Utley knocked in a run with a sac fly in the 5th, bringing home Joe Blanton from third, and finished the night 2-for-5 with six RBI. The home run, his 12th of the year, was Utley's first since returning from the disabled list on August 17. The Phillies, who have won three straight, cut a game off Atlanta's lead in the division and trail by just two games. NOTES: Two races worth watching are the AL Central, where Minnesota clings to a 3 1/2 game lead over the White Sox, and the NL West, which looked to be sewn up by the Padres until recently, as they have dropped seven straight. The Giants have become the main beneficiary of the Pardes' sudden collapse, now behind by just three games, and leading the wild card chase as well. San Francisco is in an enviable position.

Cano, Sabathia Lead Yanks; Garcia's 3-Hit Shutout Great for Cardinals

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 22, 2010 American League The Yankees put slugger Alex Rodriguez on the DL, but they probably won't miss him much since Robinson Cano (left) appears intent on winning the AL MVP award this year. Cano went 2-for-5 in Sunday's 10-0 win over Seattle, but both of his hits came when he appeared at the plate with the bases loaded. In the 5th inning, Seattle walked Mark Teixeira to load 'em up for Cano, who crushed a grand slam home run. It was the third time this season that Teixeira was walked to load the bases and the next batter hit a grand slam. The other two times, that batter was Alex Rodriguez. In the very next inning, Cano came up again with the bases juiced, this time delivering a single which plated two more runs. Cano finished with six RBI, a career high, raising his total to 86 and making him part of the conversation for post-season trophies. He is tied for 8th in the AL in RBI, is 4th in batting with a .325 average, and his 25 home runs are good for 7th in the league. While the Triple Crown seems out of reach, 30 homers, 100 RBI and a batting average North of .320 all seem good bets. While Cano was racking up ribbies, C.C. Sabathia (right) threw six innings of shutout ball, winning his 15th straight decision at Yankee Stadium. He allowed just 3 hits while punching out 8 on strikes without allowing a walk. His 17-5 record ties him with National Leaguers Adam Wainwright and Ubaldo Jimenez for the most wins in the majors. Sabathia's 3.02 ERA and 1.22 WHIP are among the best in the league and his 151 strikeouts are 8th-best in the AL. The Yanks stayed a game ahead of Tampa Bay in the tight AL East race. National League The Cardinals snapped their 5-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Giants on Saturday, and finished up by taking two of three in the series with a 9-0 victory on Sunday. With a pair of aces in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, anything the Cards get from Jamie Garcia is a huge plus, but the rookie left-hander has been delivering all season. On Sunday, Garcia put on his best performance of the season, blanking the Giants on three hits for his first career complete game and shutout. Garcia was on top of hitters all night, throwing 65 of just 89 pitches for strikes, fanning six and getting most of his outs on ground balls. The Cards turned a pair of double plays allowing Garcia to face just one batter more than the minimum. He improved to 11-6, with an ERA of 2.42 in 24 starts. The Cardinals remain 3 1/2 games behind Cincinnati in the NL Central, and two games behind the Phillies in the wild card.

Sabathia, A-Rod Lead Yanks to 4th Straight; Colorado Score Nine in 9th to Cut Cards, Gonzalez Stars

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 6, 2010 American League Tuesday night in Oakland, the Yankees showed once again why they are the world champs. They have players who, like horses with back class, can rise up on occasion with big games. Two such players on the Yankee roster are C.C. Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez. After giving up a run in the first inning, C.C. Sabathia (left) allowed no more as the Yankees rode his 7 2/3 strong innings and two homers by Alex Rodriguez (right) to a 6-1 win over the Oakland A's, keeping their tight grip on first place in the AL East. Sabathia scattered 7 hits, striking out 10 and issuing 3 walks. It wasn't his best outing of the season, but he worked out of trouble almost every inning, earning his 11th win against 3 losses. It was his 7th straight win. As for A-Rod, he belted his third grand slam of the season after the bases were inadvertently loaded in the 3rd inning when Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch and awarded first base. Rodriguez also knocked a solo shot to center in the 6th inning to give him 15 homers on the year. A-Rod's slam tied him for 2nd all-time with Manny Ramirez at 21, two behind another special Yankee player, Lou Gehrig. Rodriguez has 597 homers total, and may be at 600 before the All Star break, where he will again appear, this time as a reserve. Winning their fourth straight, the Yankees lead Tampa Bay (also on a 4-game win streak) by two games in the division. Slumping Boston is 3 1/2 back. National League It was quite the comeback in Colorado, as the Rockies rallied for nine runs in their final at-bat to stun the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-9. Chris Ianetta, who came on to pinch hit in the 7th inning, driving in a run on a fielder's choice, got the 9th off to a big start with a 3-run homer, clearing the bases. The game ended when Seth Smith cleared the fences with two aboard off reliever Ryan Franklin, who gave up both homers, only recording one out in the worst appearance of his career. In the middle of it all was left fielder Carlos Gonzalez, kind of the Alex Rios of the Rockies, having a quietly sensational season, with a .303 batting average, 15 homers and 55 RBI. Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the 3rd inning to get the Rockies on the board, and added a double and two singles in six at-bats. His final hit of the night was a single to right, plating Dexter Fowler with Rockies' run number eight. Gonzalez came around to score the tying run on Jason Giambi's single and watched from the dug out as Smith homered to complete the most unlikely comeback of the season. Interestingly, neither Gonzalez nor Rios (.299, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 22 SB) were named to the NL All Star team as reserves by manager Charlie Manuel.

Sabathia Flirts with No-Hitter; Rookie Heyward Blasts for Braves

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 10, 2010 American League

Keep up to date with the latest MLB standings at
Yahoo! Sports.

The Yankees and Rays have each won the AL East over the past two years - the Rays in '08, the Yanks in '09 - so the rivalry produces some interesting games, but Saturday's 10-0 whitewash by the Yankees was no contest as C.C. Sabathia flirted with a no-hitter into the 8th inning. Sabathia, who walked 2 and struck out 5, set down the first 12 Rays in order before walking Evan Longoria to open the 5th. Longoria stole second and eventually advanced to third with two outs, but Sabathia struck out Pat Burrell to end the inning. It wasn't until there were two outs in the 8th that Sabathia finally gave up a hit, a line single to left by former teammate Kelly Shoppach. The burly lefty - perennially among the league leaders in innings pitched - was lifted for a reliever because of a high pitch count, it being only his second start of the season. In picking up his first win of the year, Sabathia threw 111 pitches, 69 of them for strikes.

Research Sports Illustracted back issues at Collectible Magazine Back Issue Price Guide.

National League On of the most-highly touted rookies to hit the big leagues this season is Atlanta right fielder Jason Heyward, who hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat and went 2-for-5 in his first game with the Braves. Since then, Heyward has had to adjust to reality, going just 1-for-12 over his next three games. Until Saturday, that is. Facing the 4-0 Giants, Heyward and the Braves fell behind, 1-0, but tied it on Heyward's solo homer in the sixth. The rookie also singled home a run in the 7th and singled and scored in the 9th as Atlanta beat the Giants, 7-2. His 3-for-3 performance, 2 runs and 2 RBI upped his batting average from an anemic .176 before the game, to a respectable .300 after it. This early in the season, Heyward is carrying rookie of the year credentials with 2 homers and 6 RBI.

Yankees, Sabathia Dominate for Game 1 Win; Phillies Hand Dodgers Game 2 Gift

Players of the Day for Friday, October 16, 2009 NY Yankees 4 LA Angels 1 C.C. Sabathia was brilliant in the opening game of the ALCS, working over the Angels' batters in less-than-ideal chilly temperatures at Yankee Stadium Friday night. Limiting the punchless and error-prone Angels to 4 hits and 1 measly earned run over 8 spectacular innings, Sabathia was everything a money pitcher could want to be: cool, confident, in control, dominant, and nearly impossible to figure out. The big man had everything working his way, especially having the lead, which the Yankees got when Alex Rodriguez drove in Derek Jeter with one out in the first inning on a sac fly, and the Angels infielders botched a sure third out when Chome Figgins and Erick Aybar played "you got, no, I got it," allowing Hideki Matsui's high pop up to fall harmlessly between them as Johnny Damon scampered home from second base with run number two. Sabathia, who struck out 7 and issued just one free pass, had the Angels in his pocket all night. Only two Angels reached second base, and just one, Vlaidimir Guerrero, made it to third. He scored after doubling with one out in the 4th inning, moving to third on Juan Rivera's ground out and trotted home on Kendry Morales' two-out single, but that was all the offense the Angels could muster. As Sabathia was cruising, the Yankees added single runs in the 5th and 6th innings. After setting down the side in order in the 8th, Sabathia, who looked as though he could have easily finished the game, relinquished the mound to Mr. Sandman, Mariano Rivera, who issued one walk, but otherwise recorded the final three outs without much fuss. The Angels committed three errors in the game, which was unusual for them, a very solid fielding team, but the Yankees looked every bit as good as they had all season, taking a 1-0 lead in the series into Saturday, when A.J. Burnett will go up the hill against the Angels' Joe Saunders. Game time is set for 7:57 pm in the Bronx, but the weather is supposed to deteriorate with cold winds and rain in the forecast. LA Dodgers 2 Philadelphia Phillies 1 The Dodgers got a gift in game 2 of their NLDS series with the Cardinals and were handed another one in game 2 of the NLCS. After Pedro Martinez dazzled the Dodgers on 2 hits over 7 innings, leaving with a 1-0 lead, the Phillie bullpen could not get out of the 8th inning before surrendering 2 runs, the lead and the game. The 8th frame debacle was highlighted by a Chase Utley throwing error to first on a sure double-play ball that would have left Juan Pierre on third base with two outs and the lead still intact. Instead, Pierre trotted home with the game-tying run and Russell Martin, who had grounded to short and forced out Ronnie Belliard, stood at first with just one out. After Jim Thome singled Martin over to third, Rafael Furcal walked, loading the bases, but Matt kemp struck out swinging at a 3-2 pitch. J.A. Happ, the 4th Phillies pitcher of the inning, walked Andre Ethier, forcing in Russell with the game winner. Chad Durbin, the 5th pitcher of the inning, got Manny Ramirez to pop out on one pitch with the bases still loaded to end the threat, but by then, the Dodgers had done enough damage and their relievers mopped up the final 3 outs in the Phillies' half of the 9th. Overlooked in all of the 8th inning frenzy, was the fact that the Dodgers were only in a position to win thanks to Vicente Padilla, who nearly matched Martinez pitch-for-pitch, giving up a solo homer to - who else - Ryan Howard, and limiting Philadelphia to just the one run on 4 hits over seven superb innings. It was Padilla's second straight strong outing, fanning 7 and walking just one. Padilla pitched the NLDS clincher on Sunday in St. Louis, beating the Cardinals with 7 innings of scoreless ball. Padilla was acquired from the Texas Rangers off waivers in August and is now 5-0 with the Dodgers. He did not get a decision, though he certainly earned one, as did Martinez. Game 3 is set for 8:07 pm Sunday night in Philadelphia, Hideki Kuroda starts for the Dodgers against Philly's ace, Cliff Lee.

Sabathia Keeps Yankees Close to Red Sox;

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 18, 2009 American League When the Yankees acquired C.C. Sabathia in the off-season, the front office brass was probably envisioning just this kind of scenario, with the Red Sox up in the standings and the Yankees needing a win from their stud starter. On Saturday, Sabathia outdueled Detroit's ace, Justin Verlander, over 7 innings, leaving the game after Alex Rodriguez homered and Melky Cabrera singled home another run to give New York a 2-0 lead. The burly lefty allowed five hits and three walks, but kept the Tigers off the scoreboard, improving his record to 9-6 and getting the Yankees to within 2 games of Boston, losers at Toronto, with a 2-1 win. Sabathia has had an up-and-down season, but still has enough in the tank to deliver the goods in big games. Though not the overpowering pitcher from last season, when he tossed 10 complete games and five shutouts, he may be hitting midseason form at the right time, though it's doubtful that Yankee manager Joe Girardi will allow his ace to be overworked. Sabathia does have 2 complete games and one shutout this season, and after throwing 116 pitches on Saturday, everyone in the AL is aware of his amazing stamina. National League Stationed near the bottom of the NL West, 18 games out, there haven't been many highlights for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, but starter Dan Haren has quietly put together an excellent first half and continued into the second half with a superb outing in Arizona's 4-2 win over St. Louis. Haren shut down the Central division-leading Cardinals on 4 hits, 2 walks and 1 earned run over 8 innings, improving his record to 10-5. Considering the Diamondbacks' record (39-52), Haren's stats are mind-boggling: 1.96 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 137 Ks in 138 innings. With a lot of people viewing San Francisco's Tim Lincecum as odds-on to win the Cy Young Award, Haren is putting up numbers the voters will have to strongly consider. The win didn't do much for the D-Backs, who are hopelessly out of any race, but the Cardinals' loss tightened up the NL Central race. St. Louis leads the Cubs and Brewers - both winners on Saturday - by just 2 games, with Houston 3 back.

ALCS Preview: Red Sox v. Indians

ALCS: Boston v. Cleveland The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians square off beginning tonight at Boston's Fenway Park shortly after 7:00 pm ET. While Boston is favored to win the series and move on to the World Series, the Indians are not about to just roll over. In their 4-game win over the Yankees in the divisional series, they displayed not only superb starting pitching from the likes of C.C. Sabathia (who will face Josh Beckett in Game 1), Fausto Carmona (right) and Paul Byrd, but exceptional middle relief by Rafael Perez and Rafael Betancourt. The Cleveland bullpen canceled out New York's hitters in the late innings, as they did throughout the regular season to every other team in the league. Through the second half, the Cleveland bullpen was the most dominant in the majors and that momentum has carried through to the playoffs. Offensively, Cleveland relies on solid fundamental baseball, moving runners over, stealing the occasional base, sacrificing and keen baserunning skills than Boston's power game. Their top hitter was catcher Victor Martinez, who led the team in the three most important categories with a .301 batting average, 25 homers and 114 RBI. Martinez gets plenty of people on base in front of him, especially leadoff man Grady Sizemore, Ryan Garko and late-season addition, Kenny Lofton. DH Travis Hafner provides more power and bats in front of Martinez. Hafner knocked 24 out of the park and totaled 100 RBI during the regular season. If Cleveland has balance, the Red Sox have one of the more powerful lineups, especially in the 3, 4 and 5 slots, as Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz (right) and Mike Lowell combined for 76 home runs and 325 RBI in the regular season, despite Ramirez, arguably the most dangerous of the trio, missing nearly 30 games late in the season. The Sox have plenty of good bats up and down the lineup, though Julio Lugo's .237 batting average and .294 on-base percentage are a concern. What's not a problem is game one starter Josh Beckett, who was the most dominant pitcher in the AL for almost the entire season, and he's proven to be even better in the post-season. Boston's sweep of the Angels in the divisional series started with a Beckett shutout in game 1. After Beckett, Curt Schilling has been named the #2 starter, pushing high-priced Daisuke Matsuzaka back to game 3. If Boston decides not to pitch Beckett in game 4, that duty would fall to workhorse knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who can be virtually unhittable or banged around the yard, depending on the flutter-ability of his famous pitch.

Fish , Hunt Ducks and Waterfowl Lake Manitoba Narrows
Golf, Fish Walleye , Fall Duck Hunting at Resort Lake Manitoba Narrows Home Cottage Lot.

fishlakemanitobanarrows.com

The Red Sox and Indians finished with identical 96-66 records, tops in the majors, and while pitching is solid for both teams, their hitters will not be kept entirely in check. Bottom line, is that the Indians actually have an edge with Carmona over Schilling. After game two, this could go either way, but the Indians late-inning pitching advantage is obvious and their clutch hitting has carried them thus far and should continue. Boston has had bullpen issues for most of the season and those may become magnified in this short series. If the Indians get a split in Boston, they will have the upper hand. Prediction: Cleveland advances to the World Series in 7 games.

MVP, Cy Young Choices

The annual baseball awards won't be for a couple of weeks, but here are Baseball On Deck's choices for the top hitters and pitchers in the majors. The awards are based on players' regular season performances. NL MVP - Matt Holliday - There's little doubt that Colorado's Matt Holliday should be the NL MVP. The Rockies made the playoffs by finishing 13-1 down the stretch and then winning a one-game playoff with San Diego for the wild card spot. Holliday was a major contributor throughout the season and came up big during the late-season run. Over the final 14 games of the season, Holliday batted .456 (21-46) with 5 home runs and 15 RBI. More importantly, for the regular season, Holliday led all National League hitters with a .340 average and 137 RBI. He also was at the top of the list in hits (216) and doubles (50). He also whacked 35 home runs, good for 4th place in the league and scored 120 runs, 3rd best in the league. No other player dominated the stats like the Colorado slugger. Runner-up Ryan Howard also had an excellent season and got his team, the Phillies, into post-season play. Howard was second behind Milwaukee's Prince Fielder in home runs with 47 and lost the RBI title to Holliday by just one. NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy - When a pitcher is so dominant throughout the course of the season that he leads the league in the three most important statistical fields - wins, ERA and strikeouts - he deserves all the awards and accolades. That's what San Diego's Jake Peavy did, leading the National League with 19 wins, a 2.54 ERA and 240 strikeouts. While Peavy's Padres didn't make the playoffs, it was hardly his fault, as San Diego fell in extra innings to the Rockies in that one-game eliminator. AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez - This one was the easiest pick of all. The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez started the season red-hot, setting the AL standard for home runs in April with 14 (which also tied the major league record) and falling one short of the AL record for RBI in April with 34. A-Rod continued his excellence through the regular season, topping the majors in home runs with 54 home runs and setting a career high in RBI with 156. His 143 runs scored easily led the league. The closest to him was the player who batted in front of him for most of the season, Bobby Abreu, who totaled 123. A-Rod also batted a solid .314 for the season and led the Yankees to the wild card. A clear second choice is Detroit's Magglio Ordonez who took the batting title with a .363 average and drove in 139 RBI with 28 home runs and also topped all AL hitters with 54 doubles. AL Cy Young - C.C. Sabathia - This was the closest call of them all, but the Cy Young award should go to Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia as a narrow choice of Botson's Josh Beckett. Sabathia led the American League in innings pitched (241) and finished second in wins (to Beckett's 20), with a 19-7 record. His 3.21 ERA was good for 5th-best in the league as were his 209 strikeouts. Nobody in the American League had a better K-BB ratio (5.65) or walks per 9 innings (1.38), as Sabathia issued only 37 free passes. There's little doubt that the Indians would not have captured the AL Central crown without Sabathia's mastery on the mound.

Yanks within 1 1/2 of Boston; Rockies' Holliday on a tear

American League Baltimore 1 NY Yankees 2 - The gap is closing fast in the AL East as the Yankees won their 4th straight as the Red Sox lost their 4th in a row. Andy Pettitte (14-8) held Baltimore to 1 run on 7 hits over 7 1/3 innings for his 200th career win, and Mariano Rivera survived a shaky 9th, ending the game with the bases loaded for his 30th save. The win drew the Yankees to within 1 1/2 games of Boston, with only a handful of games remaining. Boston has 9 games left on the schedule; the Yankees, 10. The Yankees also have a 5 1/2 game lead in the wild card standings as Detroit lost their 3rd in a row. Boston 1 Toronto 6 - Boston's bullpen blew another one. Already down 2-1 in the 8th, Mike Timlin loaded the bases with Blue Jays with a pair of walks and a hit batsman, and Jonathan Papelbon served up the gopher ball to Russ Adams who deposited it into the right field stands for his second home run of the season and first career grand slam. Adams has singled in a run in the 3rd and finished with 5 RBI. Detroit 2 Cleveland 4 - The Indians completed their three-game sweep of 2nd place Detroit, tied California for the best record in the majors (90-62), and reduced their magic number to 3. C. C. Sabathia (right) gave up 2 runs over 7 innings and improved to 18-7. Tiger slugger Magglio Ordonez went 0-4, allowing Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki to assume first place in the batting average race at .354. Other AL Scores Seattle 9 Oakland 5 Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 2 - Angels magic number is 3 Texas 2 Minnesota 4 Chi White Sox 7 Kansas City 0 National League NY Mets 8 Washington 4 - The Mets may have been hearing footsteps, because they finally woke up and snapped a five-game losing streak, opening up a 2 1/2-game lead on Philadelphia in the NL East. David Wright went 2-4 with 3 RBI to spearhead the offense and keep the Mets on track to capture the division flag. Philadelphia 1 St. Louis 2, 10 innings - The Phillies mustered only 4 hits and 1 earned run against Cardinal starter Adam Wainwright, who worked 8 innings without a decision, and Yadier Molina knocked in Miguel Cairo with the game winner in the 10th, snapping Philly's 6-game win streak. Cincinnati 2 Chi Cubs 3 - The Cubs regained first place in the NL Central, as Ted Lilly worked 7 innings, allowing the Reds just 2 runs and Bob Howry (6-7) pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th for the win. LA Dodgers 5 Colorado 6 - The Rockies moved into sole possession of third place in the division, 5 1/2 behind Arizona and 4 1/2 back of San Diego in the wild card race. Matt Holliday (right) continued his late season assault, blasting a pair of solo home runs (35), adding to his league-leading RBI total (128). Holliday also leads the league in hitting at .340. Over the last 11 games, Holliday is batting .463 (19-41) with 10 homers and 18 RBI. Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 5 - Scott Hairston is making the most of his playing time, blasting a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for San Diego won their sixth straight. Hairston came over from Arizona in a July trade and is hitting .364 with 5 home runs for the Padres. San Diego remained 1 game back of Arizona in the West and opened up a 2 1/2-game lead on Philadelphia in the wild card race. Other NL Scores Florida 1 Atlanta 5 Milwaukee 4 Houston 5, 10 innings - P. Fielder HR (47), leads NL San Francisco 4 Arizona 6 - J. Valverde, S (46), leads majors

Ichiro over 200 hits again; Padres dominate D-Backs

American League Seattle 7 NY Yankees 1 - It's like clockwork. Come September, Ichiro Suzuki will have 200 hits and be challenging for the AL batting title. This year is no different, as the splendid Suzuki touched up Roger Clemens for his 200th hit of 2007, a 3rd-inning solo shot to right which helped the Mariners snap a season high 9-game losing streak and close the gap to just one game behind the Yankees in the wild card race. Ichiro finished his night 3-5, giving him 201 hits. Ichiro (right) is a hitting machine. This marks the 7th consecutive year that he's had 200 or more hits, tying Wade Boggs' AL record. Breaking Willie Keeler's major league record of 8 straight seasons seems almost too easy. Ichiro got a late start in American baseball, coming to the Mariners at the age of 27, but he's been outstanding ever since, averaging 159 games and 226 hits per season. In 2004, he set a major league record with 262 hits. At age 33, he's on pace to reach 3000 hits in just 14 seasons, if he plays until he's 40, a feat which normally takes major leaguers 18-20 years. And he doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing down. After swiping 45 bases in 2006, he's got 37 steals this year and over the past two seasons, has only be caught 5 times. Ichiro, who carries a lifetime batting average of .333, is currently at .353, right behind Magglio Ordonez at .355. The two have been battling for most of the second half of the season. Ichiro is on pace for 237 hits. Cleveland 5 Minnesota 0 - C.C. Sabathia improved to 16-7 with 8 innings of shutout work over the Twins, outgunning Minnesota starter Johan Santana. Sabathia allowed just 6 hits and a walk, striking out 6, as the Indians won for the ninth time in their last 10 games and opened up a 6-game lead over idle Detroit. Toronto 10 Boston 13 - As he has all season, Mike Lowell came through for the Red Sox with another big game. Lowell cracked his 18th home run as part of a 3-4 performance, scoring twice and driving in 4 runs. The Sox, winners of 3 straight, have opened up a 7-game lead over the Yankees in the division and lay claim to the best record in baseball, at 83-55. Other AL Scores Baltimore 7 Tampa Bay 9 Kansas City 8 Texas 1 Oakland 5 LA Angels 9 National League NY Mets 10 Cincinnati 4 - Moises Alou (right) stroked a pair of doubles, a solo homer and scored three times as the Mets improved their NL East lead to 5 games, as the Braves helped out by knocking off Philadelphia. San Diego 10 Arizona 2 - The Padres reclaimed sole possession of first place in the NL West with a win in the opener of their 3-game set in Arizona. San Diego hitters sent 5 balls into the stands, including a pair by Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez's 25th of the season. Arizona starter, Micah Owings, gave up 4 hits in just 3 innings, all of them home runs. Pittsburgh 11 St. Louis 0 - Ian Snell blanked the Cardinals on 5 hits over 7 innings, keeping St. Louis 2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and 1/2 behind 2nd place Milwaukee. All three leaders in the Central lost on Monday. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Washington 6 Philadelphia 1 Atlanta 5 Houston 9 Milwaukee 7 San Francisco 4 Colorado 7 LA Dodgers 11 Chi Cubs 3

Indians rule AL Central; Mets mash Cubs

American League Cleveland 5 Minnesota 2 - The Indians finally put together a pair of wins - the first time since July 19 & 20 at Texas that they've won two straight - and took over first place in the AL Central. After a 5-0 win over Texas on Thursday, the Indians put their ace, C.C. Sabathia, (right) on the mound, and he responded with six solid innings, allowing just two earned runs against Twins' starter Johan Santana (11-9). Sabathia (14-6) became the first pitcher in the American league to get to 14 wins, tying the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano for the most in the majors. The Indians have been dogging Detroit for nearly a month, most recently going through a frustrating 3-8 stretch while the Tigers were desperately trying to fumble away first place, losing 11 of 15 since ending a 4-game win streak on August 19. Kansas City 1 NY Yankees 7 - The Yankees, on the verge of completing what may be the softest part of their entire 2007 schedule, have taken 10 of 15 over Tampa Bay, Baltimore, KC and the White Sox, and with two games left in their series with the Royals, seem to have made some headway. With Boston losing last night, the Yanks are 7 back in the AL East and now trail Detroit by 2 1/2 in the wild card race. Seattle is also involved, 1/2-game behind the Tigers. After Sunday, it gets a lot more interesting in the Yankees' quest for a playoff spot, with August filled with games against Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and the LA Angels. The month culminates with a 3-game series in the Bronx with Boston on August 28, 29 and 30. The upcoming stretch may well determine the post-season fate of the Bronx Bombers. Boston 4 Seattle 7 - The Mariners continue to confound their critics, remaining a contender in both the AL West and wild card races. With a lineup consisting of no-name players beyond Ichiro and Adrian Beltre, Seattle manages to get timely hitting and pitching, like on Friday, when #9 hitter, Yuniesky Betancourt delivered a 3-run homer in the 4th and broke a 4-all tie in the 6th with a key ground-out RBI. The Mariners are 2 1/2 behind the Angels and just 1/2-game behind Detroit in the wild card. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 7 Detroit 4 Texas 4 Toronto 6 Baltimore 3 Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 4 Oakland 8 National League Cincinnati 13 Pittsburgh 4 - Adam Dunn (right) socked his 29th homer and Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 26th, as all 8 position players for the Reds had at least 2 hits. NY Mets 6 Chi Cubs 2 - The Mets are determined to make a mess of any other team's hopes of making the playoffs. On Friday, they knocked the Cubs out of first place, and, by virtue of losses by Philly and Atlanta, improved their NL East lead to 5 games. Orlando Hernandez gave the Mets 6 2/3 innings of solid mound work, allowing 2 earned runs, and the bullpen blanked the Cubs the rest of the way, preventing Carlos Zambrano from becoming the first 15-game winner in the majors. Arizona 1 LA Dodgers 0 - The Diamondbacks upped their lead to 1 1/2 games, behind the 3-hit, 8-inning performance of Doug Davis (8-10), who outdueled LA starter Chad Billingsley (7-2). Jose Valverde delivered a perfect ninth, fanning 2 of the 3 batters he faced, for his 32nd save. The Dodgers fell to third place, 2 back, as the Padres beat San Fran. Colorado stayed in the race with a win at Florida. The Rockies are 3 1/2 off the pace. Other NL Scores St. Louis 2 Washington 3 Houston 8 Florida 2 Colorado 9 Atlanta 2 Philadelphia 1 Milwaukee 2 San Francisco 3 San Diego 4, 10 innings

Penny Gets 10th; Sabathia Goes Distance for 11th

National League St. Louis 1 NY Mets 2, 11 innings - The New York Mets got only 3 hits off Mike Maroth and two Cardinal relievers, but two of them were home runs, the last a blast by Shawn Green to end the game with nobody out in the 11th. Maroth, recently acquired by the Cardinals from Detroit to shore up a dismal pitching staff, pitched more than well enough to win, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks over 7 1/3 innings. The only run came on a Carlos Gomez solo shot in the 5th. Reliever Aaron Heilman picked up his 6th win against 3 losses, all in relief. Heilman won for the first time since May 25. He posted 4 wins in May. With Philly idle, the Mets assumed a 3 1/2-game lead in the NL East. LA Dodgers 8 Arizona 1 - Dodger starter Brad Penny (right) became the National League's first 10-game winner with another superior effort Monday night. Facing the D-Backs, who only yesterday took sole possession of first place in the NL West, Penny (10-1) dominated, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks over 8 innings. The only run for Arizona came in the 4th, when Chris B. Young doubled home Conor Jackson who had singled off Penny with two outs. Jackson had 2 of the 4 hits allowed by Penny and singled in the ninth off reliever Jonathan Broxton to finish 3-4. With San Diego losing at San Fran, the Dodgers took over 2nd place, just 1/2 behind Arizona. The two teams continue their series with the 2nd of 2nd of 4, tonight. Colorado 9 Chi Cubs 10 - Leading 8-3 entering the ninth, the fun was just beginning for the Cubs and Rockies. Colorado scored 6 times in the top of the inning off relievers Scott Eyre and Bob Howry to take a 9-8 lead, but the Cubbies struck back with a pair in the final at-bat, on Alfonso Soriano's clutch 2-out single off closer Brian Fuentes, plating both the tying and winning runs. It was Fuentes' 4th blown save and 2nd straight, even though Monday's two runs were unearned as 2nd baseman Kazuo Matsui committed his first error of the season on what should have been the game's final out. Other NL Scores Washington 1 Atlanta 4 - Atl., more runs in last 5 games combined Houston 1 Milwaukee 6 - B. Sheets (W, 9-3); P. Fielder, HR (27, leads NL) San Diego 3 San Francisco 4, 11 innings - P. Feliz singles home B. Bonds with game-winner American League Oakland 2 Cleveland 5 - C.C. Sabathia (right) joined Josh Beckett as the only pitchers in the majors with 11 wins, as he went the full 9 innings and got Cleveland back to within a game of the AL Central-leading Tigers. Sabathia scattered nine hits, 4 of them in the 2nd inning when the A's scored their only runs of the game. Between the 2nd and 6th inning, Sabathia (11-2) put down 13 straight Oakland batters, including striking out the side in the 3rd. He finished with 8 Ks, boosting his season total to 108. Sabathia didn't walk a batter. He has issued only 17 free passes all season. Other AL Scores Texas 8 Detroit 3 - M. Byrd, 2-5, 3 RBI (19), .379 ba (39-103) Toronto 8 Minnesota 5 - Jays 10 games back of Boston in AL East Kansas City 5 LA Angels 3 - Angels, 10-3 at home in June Boston 4 Seattle 9 - Jeff Weaver (2-6), 2nd straight win Chi White Sox 5 Tampa Bay 4 - Sox, 3-7 on road in June Interleague Scoreboard (6/8 - 6/24 Final): Total: AL: 107 NL: 90 Best records (AL): California Angels (11-4), Detroit Tigers (11-4), Boston Red Sox (10-5) Worst records (AL): Chicago White Sox (3-12), Baltimore Orioles (4-11) Best records (NL): Colorado Rockies (9-6), Chicago Cubs (6-3) Worst records (NL): Atlanta Braves (3-9) San Diego Padres (4-8), San Francisco Giants (4-8), Pittsburgh Pirates (5-10)

Sabathia Slings Shutout for 9th Win; Utley Drives Phils Past Mets

American League Toronto 12 Tampa Bay 11 - The Blue Jays batted around in the bottom of the ninth, but Aaron Hill was happy just taking a couple of walks. Hill opened the inning with a free pass and ended the game on ball four with the bases loaded, forcing in Matt Stairs with the winning run. The Jays scored 6 times to spoil the night for Tampa Bay's bullpen. Fur Devil Ray pitchers allowed four doubles and four walks in a sure-to-be textbook example of how not to close out a road game. There were offensive stars on both teams. For Tampa, B.J. Upton went 4-6 with a double, home run, 3 scores and 2 RBI and Carl Crawford singled, doubled, homered, stole a base, scored 4 times and drove in 3 runs in 6 at-bats. Toronto rookie Adam Lind had a game he'll not soon forget, going 3-4 with a 6th inning 3-run homer, a double to plate the first run in the ninth, 2 runs scored and 5 RBI. Toronto, already in 2nd place in the AL East, picked up a game on Boston and now trail the Red Sox by 9 games. Cleveland 1 Kansas City 0 - C.C. Sabathia (9-1, right) turned in another stellar performance for the 1st-place Indians on Tuesday night, blanking the Royals on 5 hits without issuing a walk while striking out 8 in the complete game win. The surprise of the night was at the very bottom of the order, as Franklin Gutierrez - playing in only his 8th game of the season - delivered the game's only run with a solo bomb in the 3rd inning over hard luck loser Jorge De La Rosa, who certainly pitched well enough to win, allowing just 5 hits over 7 1/3 innings. LA Angels 5 Minnesota 1 - Kelvim Escobar Shut down the Minnesota batters on 3 hits getting the complete game home win, allowing Torii Hunter's 13th homer in the 5th for the only run pushed across by the visiting Twins. It was Escobar's 2nd complete game of the season. He is 7-3 and a major reason the Angels are 5 1/2 clear of the Mariners in the AL West. Other AL Scores Seattle 5 Baltimore 4 Oakland 2 Boston 0 - 5 A's pitchers combine for 3-hit shutout NY Yankees 7 Chicago White Sox 3 - A. Rodriguez, 3-5, 2B, HR (21), 3 RBI (50) Texas 7 Detroit 4 - V. Diaz, GS HR (8); M. Young 4-4 National League Philadelphia 4 NY Mets 2, 11 innings - Chase Utley (right) homered in the top of the 11th inning and the Phillies added another run to take the first of 3 games at Shea. Utley went 3-4 and drove in 3 runs. The Phillies are 7 games behind NY and 3 1/2 back of Atlanta in the NL East standings. The win got them to .500 again, at 29-29. Jose Reyes swiped his league-leading 31st base. San Diego 1 LA Dodgers 0 - Marcus Giles singled home Russell Branyan with the game's only run as the Padres took a slim 1/2-game lead over LA in the NL West. Arizona also won, staying even with the Padres. The Dodgers and Padres play two more Wednesday and Thursday in San Diego. Other NL Scores Atlanta 3 Florida 1 Florida 5 Atlanta 1 - Braves trail Mets by 3 1/2 Pittsburgh 7 Washington 6 - X. Nady, 1-2, 4 RBI Milwaukee 7 Chicago Cubs 5 - Brewers stay 6 games clear of St. Louis in Central St. Louis 4 Cincinnati 3 - Cardinals have won 5 of last 6 Houston 4 Colorado 1 Arizona 4 San Francisco 3, 10 innings - C. Young, GW HR (7)