Carroll Leads Marlins Past Astros; Sizemore Slugs Slam

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 10, 2010 American League Grady Sizemore cranked a grand slam as part of a 9-run 4th inning as the Indians scalped the Padres, 10-4. Sizemore's first homer of the Spring came after he had already singled and scored in the opening frame. In a departure from his normal spot atop the Cleveland batting order, Sizemore has been hitting in the #2 spot, seen as a move to make more use of his bat and power rather than his speed. In his five full seasons as an Indian, Sizemore has averaged 25 home runs a year, so the move is a logical one and one which the Indians hope to employ throughout the 2010 campaign, shifting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera into the leadoff role. National League Florida's Brett Carroll is making the most of his opportunity this Spring to land a job with the Marlins. An outfielder by trade, Carroll displayed his versatility by playing center and left field, then finishing with a stint behind the plate. While standing next to the plate, Carroll made an even bigger impression, especially towards Astros pitchers, who allowed him a pair of doubles and home run in 4 at-bats, saw him drive in two runs and score four times. In 2008, Carroll suffered a separated shoulder which sidelined him most of that season and into early 2009, but he apparently is fully recovered and could find himself in a good spot on a Marlins squad which seems to surprise with good players every year. Florida hammered the Astros, 16-4, banging out 17 hits. MLB Preview: Chicago White Sox Finishing third in the AL Central with a 79-83 record in 2009, the White Sox have the make-up of a team that can return to the top of the division. Offensively, they boast both speed and power in their lineup, a dangerous combination. Although 32 years old, Juan Pierre, acquired in a trade with the LA Dodgers in December, still has the wheels for 30 or more steals and will bat in the leadoff spot and play left field. Alex Rios will flank Pierre in center, and bat either fifth or second in the order. Rios was plucked from the Blue Jays during their August fire sale last season, but didn't really pan out for the Sox, who are hoping for better from the multi-talented outfielder. Rios swiped 32 bases in 2008 and 24 more in 2009. He's the second part of the speed formula. Toss in Alexei Ramirez's 14 steals and the Sox may cause other teams problems with men on base. If they're not running, Chicago has the bats to drive them in. Paul Konerko, Carlos Quentin and newcomer Mark Teahen (KC, 3rd base) can crush in any ball park. Second beaseman Gordon Beckham, catcher A.J. Pierzynski and DH Mark Kotsay round out a very solid starting lineup. The pitching has had its ups and downs, but when the Sox picked up Jake Peavy from San Diego it really solidified. Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Gavin Floyd and John Danks are as talented a group of 2-5 starters anywhere in the majors. Bobby Jenks will handle the closing duties, with Scott Linebrink and Matt Thornton as set-up men. Along with the Twins and Tigers, the Sox have plenty of sock with which to compete in the AL Central. The White Sox are 12-1 to win the World Series in the future book.

Sizemore's Slam Ruins Yankee Opener; Berkman Blasts Pirates

Players of the Day for Thursday, April 16, 2009 American League The NY Yankees opened an new chapter in their storied history with the first home game at the new Yankee Stadium, but the Cleveland Indians put a damper on the festivities, pounding New York, 10-2. With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Cleveland struck for 9 runs off the Yankees' suspect relief corps, capped by Grady Sizemore's grand slam, which put the game hopelessly out of reach. Sizemore's bomb was his only hit of the game, and it occurred after the Indians had already scored four runs in the inning. Victor Martinez completed the scoring with a solo shot in the same inning. Both homers came off reliever Damaso Marte. The grand slam was Sizemore's third homer of the season and upped his RBI total to 10. National League Astro fans haven't had much to cheer about this season, but after taking 2 of 3 at Pittsburgh with a 6-3 win Thursday night, spirits may be rising. Lance Berkman, who hasn't exactly gotten off to a scorching start, broke open a 3-3 game with his second home run of the season, a three-run shot in the sixth inning which sealed the deal for Houston. The Pirates struck for 2 runs in the first and another in the second inning, but were unable to get any more runners across home plate after that. Notes: The Florida Marlins keep winning, leading the NL East with a major league-best record of 8-1, maybe the most astonishing development is a continent away, in the AL West, where the Seattle Mariners lead the division by 2 1/2 games with a 7-3 record. The Mariners finished last in the division last year and were pretty much ruled out of contention by the end of May. This season may be different, owing to the overall weakness in the division. Texas, Oakland and the LA Angels are all 4-5.

Sizemore Joins 30-30 Club; Delgado Bombs Astros

Players of the Day from Monday, August 25, 2008 American League Grady Sizemore socked a pair of solo home runs to become the latest member of the 30-30 club as the Indians downed the Tigers, 4-3, in 11 innings. Sizemore hit his 30th and 31st homers, along with his 34 stolen bases, puts him in an elite class with 13 other AL players who have hit 30 homers and stolen 30 bases in a season. Notes: The White Sox actually won one and lost one on Monday, losing the completion of an April 28 game which was halted by rain in the 11th inning with the score tied 3-3. The game was finished in the 14th, as the Sox played the role of home team at Camden Yards, with the Orioles coming out on top, 4-3. In the regularly scheduled game, Jim Thome cracked his 535th career home run to give the Sox a 4-3 win and move past Jimmie Foxx into 15th place on the all time home run list. Thome needs one more homer to tie Mickey Mantle. The "split" gave Chicago a 1-game edge over the Twins in the Central division as Minnesota dropped their third straight, losing 4-2, at Seattle. Boston visits the Yankees for three games beginning Tuesday night in the most crucial series of the season, especially for New York. The Yankees have been hanging around, and are 5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East and wild card standings. Unless the Yankees take at least 2 out of these 3 games, their season may be all but over. National League With just two swings, Carlos Delgado bombed the Houston Astros and kept the NY Mets in first place in the NL East. Delgado unloaded with a pair of three run homers as the Mets toppled Houston, 9-1, and remained 1/2 game in front of the Phillies in the division. The Mets visit Philly for two games beginning Tuesday before a 3-game trip to Florida on Friday. It should prove to be the most important 5-game road trip of the season for the Mets. Florida is only 5 1/2 behind. Notes: The Cubs won their 3rd straight, 12-3, at Pittsburgh, to improve to a 5 game lead over second place Milwaukee, idle on Monday. Philadelphia completed a 4-game sweep of the Dodgers, winning 5-0 on Monday. Arizona also lost, 4-2, at San Diego, to remain 3 games in front of LA.

Sizemore's Seven Smacks Royals; Webb Wins 19th

Players of the Day from Thursday, August 21, 2008 American League Cleveland hasn't had a very rewarding season, but Grady Sizemore has put up some amazing numbers from his position atop the Indians' lineup. In Cleveland's 10-3 thumping of the Royals, Sizemore, in 5 at-bats, rapped out a pair of singles, a bases-loaded triple and a three-run homer, driving in 7 runs. Sizemore has 29 homers and 79 RBI. While Sizemore was going off at the plate, starter Cliff Lee was working around it, giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs over 7 innings while fanning 7. Lee recorded his AL-leading 18th win against just two losses. Lee and Sizemore's feats are all the more incredible considering that Cleveland has been out of the Central division race since before the All Star break. At 59-67, Lee (18-2) has accounted for nearly a third of the Indians' wins. Notes: Minnesota downed the Angels, 2-1, in 12 innings, and moved to within 1/2 game of idle Chicago in the Central. In the East, the Yankees were hammered, 14-3, by Toronto as both the Red Sox and Rays had a day off. That put the Jays just one game behind the Yankees, though NY is 10 1/2 out of first place. The Angels, losers of 4 of their last 5, haven't been bothered by their mini losing streak, still 15 games ahead of Texas in the West. Their magic number is now 21. National League Might as well just give Brandon Webb the NL Cy Young award now. On Thursday, Webb posted his 19th win against 4 losses, shutting out the Padres on 3 hits over 7 innings as the Diamondbacks downed San Diego, 4-1.

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Webb, sporting a 2.74 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, leads the majors in wins and has won his last 8 decisions. He ranks third in ERA among qualified starters and 6th in strikeouts with 153. Notes: Arizona maintained their 2 game bulge on the Dodgers in the West as LA dropped the Rockies, 3-1. The Mets won, while the Phillies and Marlins both lost, giving NY a 2 1/2 game lead over Philly and 6 over Florida in the East. Chicago knocked off the Reds, 3-2, and improved by 1/2 game over idle Milwaukee and St. Louis. The Cubs are 5 1/2 in front in the Central.

Phillies' Howard, Tribe's Sizemore Each Smack a Pair

Players of the Day from Friday, June 13, 2008 American League The Indians continued to stay in the thick of things as Grady Sizemore bopped a pair of homers and drove in three runs in Cleveland's 9-5 win over the Padres. Riding a ten-game hitting streak, Sizemore has homered in each of his last three games and has 16 on the season. During the streak, he's raised his batting average from a sub-par .254 to a nearly-respectible .271. Notes: Detroit won their fifth straight, a 5-0 win over the Dodgers. However, with Minnesota, Cleveland and the White Sox all winning, they remain 8 games off the AL Central pace. In the AL East, Boston lost 3-1 at Cincinnati, while the Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles all won. Every team in the AL East is playing at least .500 ball, with the O's at the bottom of the division at 33-33, 7 games out. National League Ryan Howard singled, homered twice, drove in 5 runs and scored 4 times in 5 at-bats as the Phillies piled on the Cardinals, 20-2, Fridays night. The game got out of hand quickly as Chase Utley, Howard and Pat Burrell launched back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first inning off St. Louis starter Todd Wellemeyer, who was eventually knocked out in the Phillies' 9-run 4th. In addition to Howard's big night at the plate, catcher Carlos Ruiz went 4-for-6 with two singles and two doubles, driving in four runs. The Cardinals used six pitchers in the game, though the best mound performance was recorded by second baseman Aaron Miles, who set down the Phillies in order in the ninth. Notes: The Phillies-Cardinals matchup was the only non-interleague game of the night. Tampa Bay did themselves and the Phils a favor, handing the Marlins a 7-3 loss, increasing Philly's lead in the NL East to 4 games.

Sizemore Whacks 2 Homers; Beltran Leads Mets Over Reds; Maddux #350

Players of the Day from Saturday, May 10, 2008 American League Grady Sizemore had a heck of a night, all of it by the fifth inning as the Indians swamped the Blue Jays, 11-0, and moved to within 1/2 game of first place in the AL Central. Sizemore (.282, 6. 20) homered to lead off the game, doubled home another run in the 4th and socked a three-run homer in the 5th inning, scoring three times and driving home five. The loss was the third straight for Toronto, currently occupying last place in the East.

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Notes: Tampa Bay shut out the Angels for the second straight game. Scott Kasmir blanked the Halos for six innings, before giving way to a trio of relievers. Troy Percival picked up his 8th save. Seattle lost for the fifth straight time and the ninth in their last 10, losing 8-4, to Chicago. They are 8 games back in the West. National League The NY Mets split a double-header with Cincinnati on Saturday, winning the opener by a 12-6 tally before losing the second game, 7-1. Carlos Beltran accounted for 5 RBI in the opener, with a single, triple and sac fly in 3 at-bats. Beltran, who hit 33 homers and drove in 113 RBI last season, isn't off to one of his better starts. He's only homered twice and driven in just 18 runs while batting a sub-par .233. A career .279 hitter, he's improved his average by 29 points in the last seven games, but still has a long way to go. Notes: While the Mets remain in third place, three games behind streaking Florida (won 6 straight), they still have the Phillies with which to contend. Philly lost to San Francisco, 8-2, on Saturday, but are still a game ahead of the Mets. Florida beat Washington, 11-0, as Dan Uggla drove in five runs. The master of consistency, Greg Maddux, won his 350th career game yesterday in San Diego's 3-2 win over Colorado. Maddux (3-3, 3.60) worked 6 innings, allowing 3 hits and no earned runs. In 715 starts, Maddux is 350-217, with a 3.12 ERA. The doors to the Hall of Fame are open wide.

Cleveland Advances; Yankees Go Home

Cleveland 6 NY Yankees 4 - Grady Sizemore (right) got it started with a leadoff home run, and Joe Borowski closed it out in the 9th as the Cleveland Indians ousted the NY Yankees from the playoffs, 3 games to 1. Paul Byrd took the win, working out of trouble in his 5+ innings, allowing 8 hits and 2 earned runs. For the third consecutive season, the Yankees were knocked out in the opening round and that continuing failure may cost manager Joe Torre his job. Owner George Steinbrenner said before game 3 that he would likely fire Torre if the Yankees didn't win the series. There was no mention of Torre's future following the loss, but in the Cleveland locker room the champagne was flowing. The Indians again had victimized Yankee starter Chien-Ming Wang, pitching on three days rest, for two runs in the first and two more in the second inning. Wang did not retire a batter in the second before being replaced by Mike Mussina, who allowed the other two runs over 4 2/3 innings, when Victor Martinez singled home a pair in the 4th. The Yankees managed to cut into the lead with solo homers by Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu, but while they nearly matched Cleveland in hits, 13-12, they could not get runners home in key situations, stranding 10 runners for the game. For the series, the most notable flops were by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Jeter was 3-17, didn't score a run and drove in just one while fanning 5 times in the series. Rodriguez went 4-15, but only drove in one run on his homer in game 4. He struck out 6 times in the four games. The Cleveland bullpen was dominant, allowing just two earned runs - both in game 4 - on 7 hits over 13 innings of work. The Indians will open play in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series Friday night in Boston.

Indians, Angels clinch; Cubs open daylight in NL Central

American League Oakland 2 Cleveland 6 - The Indians became the first AL team to clinch their division, their first since 2001, as Grady Sizemore (right) went 4-4 and drove in a pair of runs. Jake Westbrook earned the win, striking out a career-high 9 in 7 2/3 innings. Westbrook, who missed much of the season with injuries, completes what may be the most potent starting four pitchers in the AL, including Paul Byrd (15-7), Cy Young candidate C. C. Sabathia (18-7) and rookie Fausto Carmona (18-8). Seattle 4 LA Angels 7 - Shortly after Cleveland clinched, the Angels did the same in the AL West, topping Seattle in their final home game. The Angels have the best home record in the majors, at 54-27, and play their final 6 games at Texas and Oakland. Though the Angels have already wrapped up the division, those games, and those final games for Cleveland, still have meaning, as the race for the best record in the league, and home field advantage in the playoffs, is still up for grabs. Who wants it most is a vexing question, as the top AL team will play the wild card entry, which is looking more and more like the New York Yankees, one of the hottest teams in the majors since late May. All three division leaders have 92 wins. The Angels and Red Sox have just 6 games left. Cleveland has 7 remaining. John Lackey (18-9) got the win in the clincher for LA, allowing 2 earned runs on 7 hits over 7 innings, fanning 7. Toronto 5 NY Yankees 7 - New York kept pace with the Red Sox, still 1 1/2 back, as Mike Mussina won his third straight, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits over 7 innings. The Yankees still need any combination of two wins or two Tiger losses to wrap up the wild card. Other AL Scores Kansas City 2 Detroit 7 Boston 4 Tampa Bay 5 Chi White Sox 1 Minnesota 7 Baltimore 0 Texas 3 National League Pittsburgh 0 Chi Cubs 8 - Carlos Zambrano (17-13) (right) hurled six innings of shutout ball and Derek Lee drove in 3 runs with a double and his 20th home run (a 2-run shot), leading the Cubs to their 4th straight win and a 3 1/2-game lead in the NL Central race. With Milwaukee losing their second straight at Atlanta, Chicago's path t o the playoffs will go through Florida and Cincinnati, where they play a pair of 3-game series to close out the season. Their magic number reduced to 4, the Cubs hope to clinch the division before the weekend in order to rest their starting pitchers. NY Mets 7 Florida 6, 11 innings - The Mets' bullpen failed again,

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allowing Florida to tie the game with 2 runs in the 8th and one in the ninth before the Mets finally ended it on David Wright's single in the 11th, which sent Jose Reyes home with the winning run. New York improved their lead to 2 1/2 games over the Phillies and reduced their magic number to 5. Colorado 7 San Diego 3 - The Rockies gained on everybody, as Philly and Arizona both lost with Colorado drawing to 1 1/2-games of wild card leader San Diego. The Rockies are also just 4 back of Arizona, and while there are only 6 games left, the final 3 games for Arizona are at Colorado. Other NL Scores Philadelphia 3 Washington 5 Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 7 Cincinnati 4 San Francisco 5 LA Dodgers 7 Arizona 1 Houston 3 St. Louis 4

Indians Claim Ohio; Mets Squeak by Yanks, Hunter Slams Brewers

Note: During Interleague play, games played in AL parks are listed under American League, NL parks, National League. Friday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Grady Sizemore (right) smacked a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning and added 3 singles to go 4-5 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI and a stolen base (15) as the Cleveland Indians took the first game of the Ohio series, 9-3, over Cincinnati. Bay Area Bombing - The San Francisco Giants brought out their ace, Barry Zito, a former A's pitcher, but the Oakland A's greeting was not very cordial. Zito lasted into the 5th inning, allowing 7 runs on 6 hits and - get this! - 7 walks, as the A's pounded their crosstown rivals, 15-3. Zito (3-5) has mostly struggled in the NL, accruing an ERA of 5.13, issuing 28 bases on balls while striking out 30. After Zito's departure, the A's continued piling on. They scored in every inning except the 2nd and 4th, with the big blast coming in the 5-run 8th, capped by Mark Ellis' grand slam. Barry Bonds singled twice in 3 at-bats but hasn't hit a home run in his last 8 games, his longest such drought of the season. Aaron Boone went 2-3 with a grand slam home run in the 3rd inning and scored another run as the

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Florida Marlins beat up on their Sunshine State hosts, Tampa Bay, 8-4. Placido Polanco had 3 doubles in 4 at-bats, scored twice and drove in 3, Gary Sheffield was 2-5 with his 7th home run, 3 RBI and 3 runs, and Sean Casey stroked 4 singles in 5 trips to the plate, drove in 2 and scored twice as the Detroit Tigers ripped the St. Louis Cardinals, 14-4, in the first of a three-game rematch of last season's World Series participants. Other AL Scores LA Angels 9 LA Dodgers 1 San Diego 8 Seattle 1 - C. Young (W, 5-3) 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K National League Torii Hunter (right) pounded a grand slam home run in the third inning, singled and scored in the 6th and starter Boof Bonser won his second game of the season, holding the Milwaukee Brewers to 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings in an 8-1 rout. Bonser struck out 11 batters while walking just one. The Twins snapped a 3-game losing streak, sending the Brewers to their 6th loss in their last 8 games. Oliver Perez (5-3) outdueled Andy Pettitte, pitching 7 2/3rds innings in the Mets' 3-2 win over the Yankees. Perez allowed just 4 hits and 2 earned runs, both which came off the bat of Hideki Matsui's 4th inning homer. That was all the offense the Yanks could muster as reliever Joe Smith finished the eighth by striking out Derek Jeter and Billy Wagner mopped up in the 9th for his 10th save. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 11 Arizona 5 Cubs 6 White Sox 3 Philadelphia 5 Toronto 3 Baltimore 5 Washington 4 Texas 7 Houston 4 Kansas City 5 Colorado 2 - Royals win 3rd straight, 5 of last 6

Furcal 12-14 in last 3 games; Sizemore Leads 15-7 Tribe Rout of Twins

Tuesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Grady Sizemore (right) doubled, homered and singled twice in 5 at-bats, driving in 2 and scoring twice as Cleveland outslugged visiting Minnesota, 15-7. Much of the Cleveland pain was inflicted on starter Ramon Ortiz (3-4) who lasted just 1 inning, allowing 6 earned runs on 7 hits and a walk. Ichiro Suzuki knocked 5 singles in 5 at-bats, stole a base, scored a run and drove in another in Seattle's 11-3 home win over the LA Angels. The Mariners are locked into a dead-tight race in the AL West with the Angels and A's. LA leads both Seattle and Oakland by one game. The Angels and Mariners play the second of their 3-game series tonight. Toronto rookie Jesse Litsch, called up from Double-A New Hampshire to replace ailing Roy Halladay, turned in a superb performance, earning his first major league win with a 4-hit, 1-run, 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

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Litsch almost had a complete game, but was pulled with 2 outs in the 9th after walking Miguel Tejada. Jeremy Accardo gave up a single to Ramon Hernandez, but got Aubrey Huff to ground out to end the game. It was Accardo's 3rd save. Other AL Scores Detroit 7 Boston 2 - M. Ordonez, HR (8), 3 RBI (37) Oakland 5 Kansas City 4, 11 innings Tampa Bay 4 Texas 3, 10 innings NY Yankees @ Chi White Sox, Rained out National League Rafael Furcal (right) went 4-5 Tuesday night, equaling a mark held by 4 other players - 4 hits in 3 consecutive games. The major league record of 4 hits in 4 straight games is held by Mitt Stock, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1925. Furcal will have a shot at tying that record tonight when the Dodgers host St. Louis. On Tuesday, Furcal stroked 3 singles, drove in 3 with a bases loaded triple in the 3rd inning and scored twice as the Dodgers outhit the Cards, 9-7. In the past three games, Furcal has blistered the opposition, going 12-14 with 5 RBI, 4 runs scored and a pair of steals. He's raised his batting average from .228 to .297. Dan Uggla socked a pair of home runs - this 7th and 8th - drove in 4 runs and scored twice in 5 at-bats as Florida snapped their 4-game losing streak with a 9-3 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Edgar Renteria hit a 2-run homer in the 1st inning, and a solo shot in the 7th to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 6-3 win at Washington. In between, Renteria singled and scored in the 3rd, part of a 3 run inning that put the game away for starter Tim Hudson, who cruised through 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits, a walk and one warned run for his 5th win against one loss. Randy Johnson got his first win since returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing 1 hit and no walks over 6 scoreless innings, striking out 9, as Arizona won, 3-0 at Colorado. Carlos Lee, tied for the NL RBI lead with J. J. Hardy at 37, cracked a pair of homers last night, including the game-winner in the 10th inning as the Astros took a 6-5 decision over visiting Dan Francisco. Lee's homers - his 8th and 9th - were both solo shots, but the slugger also rapped a pair of singles and scored 4 runs in his 4 at-bats. Other NL Scores Philadelphia 4 Milwaukee 3 - Brewers, 4th loss in last 5; Phillies, 8-3 vs. NL Central Chi Cubs 10, NY Mets 1 - A. Ramirez, GS HR (8) Cincinnati 2 San Diego 1, 12 innings - K. Griffey Jr., GW HR (9)

Molina Leaves Yard Twice in 5th; Sizemore, Hafner Lead Tribe

Monday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner (right) were at it again Monday night. Sizemore singled, doubled, stole a base, drove in 2 and scored a run and Hafner blasted his 7th homer of the season - an 8th inning grand slam - to ruin the Baltimore Orioles, 10-1, for a split of their 4-game series at Camden Yards. Starter Fausto Carmona stymied the O's on 7 hits over 7 innings to improve his record to 3-1. The Indians regained a 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over idle Detroit with the win. Other AL Scores Seattle 3 NY Yankees 2 - A. Beltre, GW HR (5), 9th inning, M. Rivera, (L , 1-3) National League The San Francisco Giants scored all of their runs in a crucial 5th inning, as Bengie Molina (right) cracked a pair of homers and drove in 5 runs to humble the NY Mets 9-4. Molina began the barrage with a shot to left center after Mets' starter Oliver Perez walked Ray Durham to open the inning. Then, after getting two outs, 2nd baseman Damion Easley mishandled what would have been Randy Winn's inning-ending ground ball and the game got out of hand as the Giants scored 6 unearned runs, the last 3 coming off Molina's bat with Durham and Barry Bonds aboard. Barry Zito allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs over 6 innings to even his record at 3-3. Brad Penny had everything working in Miami Monday night. Not only did he strike out 14 Marlins over 7 innings, he allowed just 5 hits, no earned runs, didn't walk a batter and even drove in a pair of runs with a single in the 4th inning.

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Penny and the Dodgers coasted to a 6-1 win to open their 4-game series with Florida and remain a game in front of San Diego in the NL West. Chris Capuano got his 5th win without a loss and the Milwaukee Brewers extended to a 5 1/2-game lead over the idle Cubs with a 3-0 win over visiting Washington. Capuano worked the Nationals over 8 innings, allowing 7 hits and no walks while striking out 9. Francisco Cordero finished up with a hitless 9th inning for his MLB-best 13th save. Geoff Jenkins provided all of the Brewers' offense with his 6th home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the 2nd. Adrian Gonzalez belted his 9th home run of the season - a solo shot in the 2nd inning - and recorded his 29th RBI, tying him with Houston's Carlos Lee, as the Padres kept pace with the Dodgers in the NL West with a 4-2 victory at Atlanta. Other NL Scores Houston 5 Cincinnati 4 - A. Dunn, HR (9) Arizona 4 Philadelphia 3 - J. Valverde, S (12) Colorado 3 St. Louis 2 - Cardinals, 3-7 last 10, O-6 vs. NL East, NL West