Jake Peavy Dominates Cubs; Jonathan Lucroy Leads Brewers' 16-4 Rout of Twins

Players of the Day for Sunday, May 20, 2012

American League

Jake Peavy

The Chicago White Sox have had their ups and downs this season, obviously, since the Windy City boys evened their record at 21 up and 21 down after starter Jake Peavy (who's been more consistent, at 5-1) shut out the crosstown Cubs over 6 1/2 innings on three hits in a 6-0 Whit Sox win.

Though the outing was one of Peavy's shortest of the season, he was able to keep the Cubs off the board while his teammates forged a lead. He also helped by scoring on a sac fly in the top of the seventh inning to make it a 5-0 score. Walking two and striking out seven, Peavy upped his seasonal total to 55 Ks, among the top ten in the league.

While the White Sox have won four straight - three at the Cubs' expense as they swept the three-game, in-city weekend series - they sent the Cubs to their sixth consecutive defeat, currently the longest such streak in the majors.

Chicago trails the Indians by 2 1/2 games in the AL Central.


National League

Jonathan Lucroy

The the Central division-leading Cardinals losing four straight, the Brewers haven't done much to improve their position, until they blasted Minnesota, 16-4, on Sunday.

Jonathan Lucroy led the offensive assault with a pair of homers, a single and seven RBI, socking a three-run job in the first inning, singling and scoring in the second and finishing off the Brewers' scoring with a grand slam in the seventh.

His seven RBI were a career high, coming in his first ever start as the cleanup hitter, giving the Milwaukee catcher 27 on the year.

Even with the victory, the Brewers are still in fifth place in the division, at 17-24, five games out. They snapped a string of four straight losses and defeats in six of their last seven games.

The Twins remain the worst team in the majors with a record of 14-27

Jake Peavy's Shutout of A's Gets White Sox to First Place; Jason Kubel leads D-Backs over Struggling Phillies

Players of the Day for Monday, April 23, 2012

American League

Since being traded from San Diego to the White Sox, it's been a bumpy road for Jake Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young award winner. Acquired in 2009, prior to the trading deadline, Peavy won three games for Chicago that year, but the White So did not make the playoffs.

Jake Peavy: 3-0

The following two years were typified by various injuries, allowing Peavy to start just 33 games, roughly the amount a healthy starter would get in just one season.

2012 seems to be moving in the right direction, however. After tossing a 3-hit, 4-0, shutout against the A's, Peavy is 3-0 and the White Sox are tied with Detroit for the lead in the AL Central.

Peavy set down the first nine Oakland batters he faced in order and got some help from Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, who hit back-to-back solo homers for a 2-0, fourth inning lead. Peavy got out of a two-on, no outs jam in the bottom of the frame with a double play and cruised to the victory, striking out five and walking two on 107 pitches.

It was the third time Peavy's gone the distance with a shutout for the White Sox, accomplishing the feat once each in 2010 and 2011. His 3-0 record has him tied for the AL lead in wins with six other starters. His 1.88 ERA is among the best in the league, while a WHIP of 0.73 is the best among AL starters.


National League

Jason Kubel

When the Diamondbacks went shopping for more offense during the off-season, they found their way to Minnesota and acquired Jason Kubel, who had played for the Twins since being called up in 2004.

Kubel went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a solo homer in Arizona's 9-5 win over Philadelphia, driving in two and scoring twice, sending the Phillies to their third straight loss and the NL East cellar.

Arizona improved to 9-8 with the victory, just 1/2 game out of second place in the NL West, though everybody in the division is chasing the 13-4 Dodgers.

Kubel's home run was his second of the season, but his .294 batting average portends more good things to come.

Jake Peavy Goes 5 Hitless for White Sox; Delmon Young Powers Tigers over Cardinals

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 17, 2012

Grapefruit League

Young: 2B HR 4 RBI

The Detroit Tigers may want to consider moving to Lakeland, Florida, their off-season home, on a more permanent basis. Following Saturday's 10-3 pounding of St. Louis, the Tigers are 10-1 in exhibition play.

Outfielder Delmon Young belted a home run - his first of the year - and a double, driving in four runs for Detroit and raising his spring batting average to a robust .519. Prince Fielder went 3 for 3 with a pair of singles and a triple. Ryan Raburn hit his fifth homer of the spring. The Tigers scored all of their runs in the 4th through 7th innings.

Young, a right-handed slugger with ample power, came to the Tigers mid-season via Minnesota. He began his career with the Rays and spent two years with Tampa before heading to Minnesota in 2008. In 40 games with Detroit last season, Young socked eight homers and drove in 32 runs. A .288 career hitter, Young will likely platoon in the outfield or as a DH in Detroit's power-laden lineup.

Cactus League

Peavy: 5 IP 0 H 5 K

White Sox starter Jake Peavy had it going on from the mound in Chicago's 5-0 blanking of Seattle.

The right-handed hurler tossed five innings of hitless ball at the Mariners, whiffing five with one walk, to earn his first win of the spring after a couple rough outings in which he allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.

Peavy, the national League 2007 Cy Young Award winner, spent seven seasons in San Diego before arriving with the White Sox on a mid-season trade in 2009. suffering from injuries the last two seasons, Peavy went 14-13 with the Sox in 2010 and 2011, though the team hopes he can regain his previous form this year.

In 2007, Peavy led the NL in wins (19), ERA (2.54) and strikeouts (240).

Peavy Goes 8 Scoreless as Sox Sweep Twins; Fielder Scores Four as Brewers Sweep Astros

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 7, 2011

American League

Peavy: 8 scoreless

Jake Peavy evened his record at 5-5 and the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Twins as Chicago batters homered four times to defeat Minnesota, 7-0.

Peavy worked eight full innings, allowing just three hits while fanning six. He did not walk a batter and left the game with a big lead after throwing 108 pitches, 72 of them for strikes.

Paul Konerko connected for his 26th home run - a solo shot - and Brent Lillibridge and Alex Rios also delivered bases-empty bombs. Alexi Ramirez had a two-run homer in the 7th, his 11th of the season.

Peavy's return to form comes at the right time for the battling White Sox. With Detroit losing 4-3 to Kansas City and the Indians blowing a 3-0 lead in the 8th, losing to the Rangers, 5-3, Chicago is just 5 1/2 behind the Tigers and 1 1/2 back of the Indians.

The White Sox travel to Baltimore for a four-game set that begins Monday and then hosts Kansas City for three games. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Indians square off in Cleveland for a three-game series starting on Monday.

National League

Fielder: 4 scores

With a three game lead on the Cardinals in the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers won their fourth straight as they completed a three-game sweep of the decimated Houston Astros, by a 7-3 score.

Prince Fielder socked his 26th home run, and drove in two runs, giving him 85 on the year, two behind league-leading Ryan Howard's 87 ribbies.

Fielder also singled twice, going 3-for-4 and scored four times for the Brewers.

With the Reds and Pirates - losers of 10 straight - have quickly fallen out of contention, the sole concern of the Brewers for the rest of the season will be fending off the Cardinals and winning the division.

The Cardinals will get another shot at derailing the Brewers right away, as the two teams match up in St. Louis for a three game series beginning Tuesday.

STREAKS: Dan Uggla went 1-for-5, extending his hitting streak to 28 straight, but teammate Freddie Freeman has his streak stopped at 20 with an 0-for-4 effort in Atlanta's 6-5 win over the Mets.

Jake Peavy Blanks Cleveland, 1-0; Charlie Morton Silences Reds in 5-0 Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 18, 2011

American League

Jake Peavy

After leaving the mound in agony with a detached muscle in his right shoulder nearly a year ago, Jake Peavy made his first home start in nearly a year for the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night and amazingly looked as good as new.

The NL 2007 Cy Young award winner, traded from San Diego to the Sox late in 2009, blanked AL Central-leading Cleveland on three hits, going the distance in the 1-0 win. Peavy allowed a first inning single, but, after Adam Dunn got the White Sox the lead on a sac fly - scoring Juan Pierre - the righty hurler put down 18 of the next 19 batters, maintaining the slim edge his teammates had established.

Peavy looked strong even in the final innings, striking out eight without issuing a walk. He threw 111 pitches, 78 of them for strikes.

He previously went six inning in LA, surrendering four runs on seven hits in a loss to the Angels, though Peavy did not get a decision in that May 11 contest. He is 1-0 and will remain a part of the White Sox rotation.

Even with the win, the White Sox have a long way to go before getting themselves back into contention. The Indians still hold a five game lead over the Tigers, with Kansas City seven back and the Sox nine games out. Minnesota has virtually self-destructed, 12 1/2 out.

National League

Charlie Morton

Even though they're 19-23, the Pittsburgh Pirates are still only 5 1/2 games off the pace in the NL Central, and proved notice that they are not about to go away, whipping the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0, as Charlie Morton improved to 5-1, his second complete game and first shutout of the season.

Morton has been nothing but special for the Pirates this season and in this outing he was completely in control throughout, limiting a solid Reds' lineup to just five hits, walking two and fanning five.

Needing only 106 pitches, Morton dropped his ERA to 2.62 and is one of the players that have revived hopes of a return to winning baseball in the Steel City.

One of the best turn-around stories of the season thus far, Morton has been a pleasant surprise. In 2007, he was 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA.

The Reds dropped a game off their lead, as St. Louis won their third straight, beating Houston, 5-1. Cincinnati leads the Cardinals by 1/2 game. Milwaukee is four games out with the Pirates another 1 1/2 behind them.

Edwin Jackson Throws 149-Pitch No-Hitter; Peavy On Fire as ChiSox Win 10th Straight

Players of the Day for Friday, June 25, 2010 National League It being the year of the pitcher, just about anyone who steps to the mound seems capable of extraordinary feats, so when Edwin Jackson walked seven betters but didn't allow a hit over the first three innings, the stage was set. Jackson couldn't spot his fastball for strikes, but he was getting the slider over, and the pitch saved him. Working out of jams in each of the first three innings, including a bases-loaded, no out situation in the 3rd, Jackson seemed more likely to take an early shower than pitch the 4th no-hitter of the season. Inducing a pop fly and a couple of ground balls in the 3rd inning got Jackson though, with Ben Zobrist - who led off the inning with - what else? - a walk, forced out at the plate for the second out. After that, Jackson settled in. Including the final three outs of the 3rd, he set down 20 of the next 21 batters in order, his only miscue, the plunking of B.J. Upton in the 6th. Jackson cruised into the 9th, but there was more drama to come. After getting the first two outs, he walked Willy Aybar - his 8th walk of the game - before getting Jason Bartlett to ground out for the final out and the 1-0 win, the only run of the game coming on Adam laRoche's 2nd-inning solo homer. Jackson threw an amazing 149 pitches, with only 79 going for strikes. He fanned 6, got 8 on fly balls and 11 on ground outs. It was the second no-hitter this season against the Rays, who were victimized by the Dallas Braden's perfect game on May 9. The unusual no-hitter was an odd highlight for the hapless Diamondbacks, who are dead last in the NL West, 14 1/2 games out and 10 1/2 behind 4th place Colorado Rockies. American League A couple of weeks ago, nobody would have thought it possible, but the White Sox are back in the thick of the AL Central race after winning their 10th straight, a 6-0 win over the Cubs. Jake Peavy sparkled once again, allowing just three hits over seven shutout innings. Peavy walked two and struck out nine, matching his season high. Peavy led the National League in strikeouts in 2005 and 2007, when he was with the Padres. The win was the third straight for Peavy, now 7-5. He hasn't allowed an earned run in 20 straight innings, the last team to score on him being the Cubs, who touched him up for two runs back on June 11 in the second inning of a 10-5 White Sox win. Peavy shut them out for 5 more innings in that game, then tossed a 3-hit complete game shutout against Washington in his next start, June 19. While the White Sox have been screaming hot, the two teams ahead of them in the division standings, the Twins and Tigers, have been so-so. First-place Minnesota has lost four straight and lead the Tigers by just 1/2 game. Detroit has gone 6-4 to close the gap. The White Sox are just 1 1/2 behind the Twins, with teams getting back to normal after this weekend, when interleague play ends. The schedule has been favorable for the Sox and will continue to be so in the near future. They can tie Texas for the longest win streak in the majors with a win over the Cubs on Saturday. Texas' 11-game streak came to an abrupt end in a 7-4 loss to Houston Friday night. The Cubs and White Sox wrap up their series on Sunday, then the Sox close out the month of June with three straight at Kansas City while the Twins and Tigers knock heads in Minnesota. June has been turnaround month for the White Sox, with a 16-6 tally thus far. They have lost just once since June 9, winning 14 of their last 15.

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.

Colorado Holliday: Rockies Reach Playoffs

Colorado 9 San Diego 8 - Winners of 13 of their last 14 regular season games, the Colorado Rockies ended their dream run to the playoffs with a thrilling 13-inning 9-8 win over San Diego in the one-game wild card tie-breaker. Once again, Matt Holliday was at the center of the action, driving in the tying run with a triple off Padres' closer Trevor Hoffman, and scoring the game-winner on Jamey Carroll's sacrifice fly. Nothing comes easy for these Rockies. After needing consecutive losses by San Diego in the final two games of the season (they got them), they had to rally for a 4-3 decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday to force the tie, but they made the most of it at Coors Field in Denver on Monday.

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Starters Jake Peavy and Josh Fogg were largely ineffective for their respective teams. Peavy allowed 6 runs on 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings, while Fogg lasted only 4, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits. The game see-sawed until Brian Giles tied the game at 6-6, with an RBI double. Then the bullpens took over, putting up zeroes until the climactic 13th inning.Scott Hairston put the Padres ahead 8-6 in the top of the inning with a two-run homer off Jorge Julio, but the Rockies were far from through. Facing the all-time leader in saves, Trevor Hoffman, the Rockies didn't make an out before tying the game on a leadoff double by Kazuo Matsui, another double by Troy Tulowitzki and Holliday's triple. After intentionally walking Todd Helton, Holliday flew home on Carroll's line drive out to right. The winning score came with some controversy. Holliday barreled head-first into Michael Barrett, who was blocking the plate, but the ball bounded away from the catcher and Holliday was called safe even though replays showed that he never actually touched home plate. Holliday was stunned by the collision and lay motionless for several seconds while the stands erupted and Rockies' players poured out onto the field. Despite that the play may have been botched by umpire Tim McClelland, it didn't matter. Hoffman blew saves on consecutive chances - Saturday and Monday - to seal the wild card. He couldn't get it done against either Milwaukee or Colorado and the Rockies certainly had no quit in them. How big was Holliday's final inning triple? Enormous. It sealed the batting championship and gave him one more RBI than Philly's Ryan Howard, 137, and maybe wrapped up the National League MVP award. Holliday also led the league in hits (216) and doubles (50), and was third in runs scored with 120 and his 36 home runs were good for 4th in the league. If that's not enough to qualify for MVP, than what is? Colorado gets a day off to recover before heading to Philadelphia on Wednesday to face the Phillies in the opening round of the playoffs. Here's the schedule for each of the five-game series divisional playoffs: Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox Series tied 0-0 Series Breakdown 1. Wed, Oct 3 – at Boston, 6:30 pm EDT (TBS) 2. Fri, Oct 5 – at Boston, 8:30 pm EDT (TBS) 3. Sun, Oct 7 – at LA Angels, 3:00 pm EDT (TBS) 4.* Mon, Oct 8 – at LA Angels, 9:30 pm EDT (TBS) 5.* Wed, Oct 10 – at Boston, 8:30 pm EDT (TBS) New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 1. Thu, Oct 4 – at Cleveland, 6:30 pm EDT (TBS) 2. Fri, Oct 5 – at Cleveland, 5:00 pm EDT (TBS) 3. Sun, Oct 7 – at NY Yankees, 6:30 pm EDT (TBS) 4.* Mon, Oct 8 – at NY Yankees, 6:00 pm EDT (TBS) 5.* Wed, Oct 10 – at Cleveland, 5:00 pm EDT (TBS) Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 1. Wed, Oct 3 – at Arizona, 10:00 pm EDT (TBS) 2. Thu, Oct 4 – at Arizona, 10:00 pm EDT (TBS) 3. Sat, Oct 6 – at Chi Cubs, 6:00 pm EDT (TBS) 4.* Sun, Oct 7 – at Chi Cubs, 1:00 pm EDT (TNT) 5.* Tue, Oct 9 – at Arizona, 10:00 pm EDT (TBS) Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies 1. Wed, Oct 3 – at Philadelphia, 3:00 pm EDT (TBS) 2. Thu, Oct 4 – at Philadelphia, 3:00 pm EDT (TBS) 3. Sat, Oct 6 – at Colorado, 9:30 pm EDT (TBS) 4.* Sun, Oct 7 – at Colorado, 10:00 pm EDT (TBS) 5.* Tue, Oct 9 – at Philadelphia, 6:30 pm EDT (TBS) Tomorrow: Playoff Previews and Baseball On Deck's MVP and Cy Young Picks

Peavy wins 18th; Thome Knocks 500th; Yankees beat Boston

American League NY Yankees 4 Boston 3 - The Yankees took two of three in Boston yet remain 4 1/2 games behind the Red Sox with just two weeks left in the regular season. Derek Jeter's 3-run blast in the 8th inning snapped a 1-1 tie and provided the winning runs as Java Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera gave up a run each in the 8th and 9th innings. The win may not have gotten the Yankees much closer to the AL East prize, but it did keep them 2 1/2 games to the good over Detroit in the wild card race. LA Angels 7 Chi White Sox 9 - Jim Thome (right) cracked his 500th career home run - a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth - to give the White Sox a win over Los Angeles. It was Thome's only hit of the game and his 28th home run this season. Thome, who spent 12 years in Cleveland and three more with the Phillies, is in his second season with the White Sox. His career high came in 2002, when he hit 52 home runs for the Indians. Detroit 6 Minnesota 4 - The Tigers won their 5th straight as they head to Cleveland to begin a pivotal three-game series on Monday. Detroit trails the Indians by 4 1/2 games in the AL Central and are 2 1/2 behind the Yankees in the wild card race. With their pitching staff mostly intact, the Tigers will try to make a statement this week and pick up valuable ground. Texas 11 Oakland 9 - Michael Young singled, doubled and hit a grand slam in 4 at-bats, driving in a career-high seven runs for the Rangers. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Cleveland 3 Baltimore 8 Toronto 6, 12 innings Tampa Bay 9 Seattle 2 National League Philadelphia 10 NY Mets 6 - The Phillies swept the Mets in New York with their 8th straight win over the division leaders to pull to within 3 1/2 games of first place. Greg Dobbs hit a pinch hit grand slam in a fitting conclusion to the season series, won 12-6 by Philadelphia. Philly remains 1 1/2 games behind San Diego in the wild card. Arizona 6 LA Dodgers 1 - Arizona avoided being swept in LA and kept their 2-game lead in the NL West intact. Middle reliever and spot starter Edgar Gonzalez (8-2) worked 5 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits to lead the effort. The Diamondbacks have 12 games remaining with 3-game series at home against the Giants and Dodgers this week. They close the season with a pair of 3-game sets at Pittsburgh and Colorado. San Francisco 1 San Diego 5 - Jake Peavy (right) improved to 18-6, allowing 4 hits and one earned run in 7 1/3 innings while fanning 10. The Padres won their 3rd straight to remain 2 games behind Arizona and 1 1/2 ahead of Philly in the wild card race. Peavy leads the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts, and is the obvious choice for the NL Cy Young award. Barry Bonds did not play, and has hit just one home run and driven in a mere two runs in his last 13 games. Maybe, for the good of the game, we're seeing (or not seeing) the end of Bonds' career, as he quietly winds down by the San Francisco Bay. Florida 0 Colorado 13 - The Rockies probably won't make it to the post-season, but Matt Holliday is having a season to remember. Holliday (right) went 4-5 with his 32nd home run - a two-run shot - 2 RBI and 3 runs scored.

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He leads the league with 122 RBI and is within a percentage point of the batting lead at .334. Holliday also leads the league in doubles (47) and is 4th in runs scored with 107. Chi Cubs 4 St. Louis 2 - The Cubs remained a game ahead of Milwaukee with just 12 games left in the season, but they'll have to deal with the Reds 6 times, including the final three at Cincy. The Reds hold a 7-5 lead in the season series between the two clubs. The Brewers may have a tough time catching the Cubs as they have 14 games left and no days off the rest of the way. After 3 games at Houston, they travel to Atlanta for a 4-game series, then return home for 3 with the Cardinals and finish with four against the Padres. Other NL Scores Atlanta 3 Washington 0 Cincinnati 2 Milwaukee 5 Pittsburgh 3 Houston 15

Peavy wins 17th; Angels Magic Number is 10

American League LA Angels 10 Baltimore 5 - The Angels have the largest lead in the major leagues, at 9 1/2 games over Seattle, and last night reduced their magic number to 10 with a thumping of the hapless O's. Vladimir Guerrero (right) led a 14-hit Angels attack with a pair of 2-run homers, giving him 24 on the season and increasing his RBI total to 114, third best in the AL. How bad are the Orioles? They've won just 3 times in their last 20 games. That's how bad. Tampa Bay 10 Boston 16 - The Red Sox fell behind Tampa 8-1 in the 4th inning, but rallied past the Devil Rays to even their series at 1-1 and stay 5 games ahead of the Yankees in the division. Mike Lowell went 4-5 and scored 4 times and Kevin Youkilis banged a 3-run double off the left field wall to highlight a 6-run 6th inning. NY Yankees 9 Toronto 2 - With a showdown looming in Boston, the Yankees are the hottest team in the majors, winning their 6th straight and 10th of their last 13. Jason Giambi socked a grand slam to lead the offense as the Yankees improved their wild card lead to 4 games over Detroit. Other AL Scores Cleveland 8 Chi White Sox 3 - Indians have 6 1/2-gm. lead in Central Texas 13 Detroit 6 Texas 1 Detroit 4 Minnesota 6 Kansas City 3 Oakland 7 Seattle 4 National League San Diego 9 LA Dodgers 4 - The Padres moved on everybody Tuesday night, beating their closest pursuer as the D-Backs and Phillies also lost. The win put them 2 1/2 behind Arizona in the division and 2 1/2 ahead of Philly in the wild card race. Jake Peavy (left) became the NL's first 17-game winner, allowing 2 earned runs on five hits over 7 innings. Peavy is looking more and more like the easy choice for the NL Cy Young award, leading the league in wins (17-6), ERA (2.44) and strikeouts (215). Tuesday's win was his 8th in his last nine decisions. St. Louis 2 Cincinnati 7 - Adam Dunn cracked a pair of homers, driving in 5 runs as the Reds dumped the Cardinals. Dunn hit a solo shot in the first inning and banged a grand slam in the 3rd, both of Cardinals' starter Mark Mulder, who lasted only 4 innings in his second start after coming off the disabled list. Mulder's line for the two games is pretty disappointing: 8 IP, 15 hits, 11 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, and an ERA of 12.38. Given every opportunity to get past the .500 mark and take over the NL Central lead, the Cards have lost five straight and are 4 games behind Milwaukee in the division. Milwaukee 6 Pittsburgh 1 - The Brewers took back first place in the Central, grabbing a 1-game lead over the Cubs. Colorado 8 Philadelphia 2 - Matt Holliday (right) took over the RBI leadership in the NL, banging a couple of home runs and driving in 3. Ryan Howard, who had the lead going into the game, went 0-4. Holliday has 116 RBI; Howard, 115. Other NL Scores Washington 8 Florida 13 Atlanta 13 NY Mets 5 Chi Cubs 4 Houston 5, 11 innings Arizona 1 San Francisco 2

Boston rookie no-hits O's; Mets top Braves again

American League Baltimore 0 Boston 10 - Less than a week ago, Clay Buchholz was pitching for Pawtucket in the International League. On Saturday night, he became the toast of the American League. Buchholz (right), in just his second major league start, twirled a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles, who lost for the 10th time in their last 11 games and were also recent victims of a 30-3 whipping by the Texas Rangers, so the rookie picked the right night and the right team for his best stuff. The rookie, now 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA, wasn't overpowering, but changed speeds well and followed the game plan of catcher Jason Varitek nearly flawlessly, striking out 9 and walking 3 batters. Buchholz was called up on Saturday when teams were allowed to expand their rosters. According to manager Terry Francona, he'll probably stick with the big club for a while. Tampa Bay 6 NY Yankees 9 - Alex Rodriguez socked his major league-leading 45th home run in the first inning - a 2-run job - and added a 2-run double in the 4th to pad his MLB-best RBI total to 129. He also singled, going 3-4 for the night. New York continues to chase Boston in the East, 5 games back, but they now have a 2-game edge in the wild card standings as Seattle has lost 8 straight. Chi White Sox 0 Cleveland 7 - While the Mariners have been a picture of collapse, the Indians have been exactly the opposite, winning 9 in a row and opening up a 5 1/2-game lead on Detroit in the Central. Paul Byrd blanked Chicago with a his second 4-hit complete-game shutout in less than a month. Bryd (14-5) matched his effort of August 6 at Minnesota, when he shut out the Twins, 4-0. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Minnesota 6 Seattle 1 Toronto 2 Texas 7 LA Angels 6 Detroit 6 Oakland 1 National League NY Mets 5 Atlanta 1 - A couple of guys named Carlos led the Mets to their second straight win over the fading Braves. Carlos Beltran (right) went 3-4 with a solo homer - his 26th - and scored three times, and Carlos Delgado homered for the 2nd straight game (21), driving in 2 runs. The Mets increased their lead over Philly to 3 games and dropped the Braves to 6 1/2 back. The Mets will try for the sweep on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. Pittsburgh 3 Milwaukee 12 - Kevin Mench singled, doubled and homered in 3 at-bats, scored four times and drove in 3 runs as the Brewers banged out 15 hits to remain 1 1/2 back of Chicago in the NL Central. Cincinnati 3 St. Louis 11 - The Cardinals made it back to the .500 mark again, and stayed 2 games behind the Cubs. Former pitcher Rick Ankiel went 3-4, drove in 3 runs, scored twice and is batting .354. LA Dodgers 0 San Diego 7 - Jake Peavy struck out 9 and blanked the Dodgers on 2 hits over 7 innings to improve his record to 16-5 and drop his ERA to 2.10, best in the majors. The Padres remained .001 ahead of the Diamondbacks in the NL West race. Colorado 7 Arizona 13 - Arizona scored 12 runs in the first three innings and never looked back. Tony Clark stroked a 3-run homer in the second inning and drove in two more with a single in the third to help keep the D-Backs even with the Padres. Other NL Scores Houston 3 Chi Cubs 4 Philadelphia 6 Florida 12 San Francisco 1 Washington 4

Lackey blanks Mariners; Utley returns to menace Mets

American League Minnesota 3 Cleveland 8 - The Indians put a stamp on their season with a signature win over the Twins, improving their record against Central division teams to 32-20. Paul Byrd improved to 13-5 and Victor Martinez sparked the offense with a 2-run homer (20) in the 3rd inning. The Indians retained their 2 1/2 game lead over Detroit and sunk the Twins back to 6 1/2 out in the division. LA Angels 6 Seattle 0 - John Lackey (right) owns the Seattle Mariners. The veteran righty set the tone for the showdown in the AL West with a complete-game, 7-hit shutout over the Mariners, matching his July 31 effort - an 8-0 win at Seattle. Lackey improved to 16-8 while fanning 5 without walking a batter. Garret Anderson provided all the offense needed with a 2nd inning solo homer and a two-run double in the third. The Angels lead Seattle by 3 games in the division. NY Yankees 0 Detroit 16 - Justin Verlander (14-5) blanked the Yankees on 3 hits over 7 innings while his teammates were pounding his mound counterpart, Mike Mussina, scoring 6 runs on 9 hits over the first 3 innings. For Mussina, who will turn 39 in December, it was his third straight troubling outing and the signs that something's missing are apparent. Over his last three starts, he's managed to last a total of only 9 2/3 innings, allowing 25 hits and 19 earned runs. He's walked five batters and stuck out only 3 over that span as his ERA has ballooned from 4.50 to 5.53. His only wins over contending teams were a pair of 7 2/3 inning games against Arizona and Cleveland and he's lasted 5 innings or less in 9 of his 23 starts. Possibly the most telling stat is his strikeout to walk ratio, which, over his entire career, has been 3.54-1. This season, that's slipped to 2.62-1. The arm is obviously tired and the Yankees are pondering whether to take Mussina out of the rotation and onto the DL, put him in the bullpen or release him outright. None of the options are good as the Yankees fall further out of the playoff picture and are in need of quality starts. The Bombers are 8 games behind the Red Sox and begin a three-game series with them tonight. They are still chasing Seattle for the wild card spot, 2 games back with Detroit another game behind them. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 4 Chi White Sox 5 Toronto 6 Oakland 2, 12 innings National League NY Mets 2 Philadelphia 9 - Chase Utley (right) returned from a month on the DL just in time to make the Mets miserable. The gritty second baseman, who was sidelined with a broken finger, rapped his 18th home run, singled, doubled and drove in 2 runs to get the Phillies off to a flying start in their four-game showdown series with the first-place Mets. The win put the Phillies 5 games behind New York and 3 games behind San Diego in the wild card race. Arizona 1 San Diego 3 - The Padres aren't ready to concede anything to the Diamondbacks and apparently don't want to settle for a wild card spot in the playoffs. Jake Peavy (15-5) allowed just three hits over 7 innings, one of them a solo homer by Eric Byrnes, striking out 11 to extend his NL-best K total to 197. Geoff Blum stroked a 2-run homer in the 7th inning and Milton Bradley added a solo shot in the 8th for all of the Padres' runs. San Diego trails Arizona by 2 games in the division and host the D-Backs for 3 more games through Thursday. Other NL Scores Atlanta 13 Florida 2 - B. McCann, GS HR (16) Washington 4 LA Dodgers 5 Colorado 1 San Francisco 4

Don't mess with Texas; Pujols homers for 5th straight game

American League Texas 30 Baltimore 3 - You know when the Dodgers score 15 runs (see below), that there are some tired arms in the legions of major league pitching staffs, but Texas actually doubled that against the O's. Actually losing 3-0 after 3 innings, the Rangers took the lead with 5 in the 4th and were just getting started on a record-setting night. Texas scored 9 times in the 6th inning, 10 in the 8th and 6 more in the 9th inning to total 30 runs, an American League record. Every batter had at least one hit, including grand slams by Marlon Byrd and Travis Metcalf (right) and 4-fo-6, 2 home run, 7 RBI efforts by the 8 and 9 hitters, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ramon Vazquez. According to published reports the Rangers are the first team to score 30 or more runs since 1897, 110 years ago. Here's the box score. It's mind-blowing. Texas 9 Baltimore 7 - Texas continued the thumping by taking the nightcap.Trevor Metcalf completed an impressive night by knocking in four more runs with a single and double in 3 at-bats, to give him a line of 3-4 with 8 RBI in the twin bill. NY Yankees 8 LA Angels 2 - The Yankees got a game back against both the Red Sox in the Al East and the Mariners in the wild card race with a win over the Angels. Andy Pettitte was effective over 7 innings, allowing just one earned run on 5 hits and Jorge Posada went 3-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBI. The Yankees trail Boston by 5 and Seattle by 1 1/2. Cleveland 11 Detroit 8 - Franklin Gutiérrez bopped a 3-run homer to lead a 16-hit Indian uprising over Detroit, increasing their lead in the division to 1 1/2 games. Tiger starter, Justin Verlander (13-5) lasted only 4 innings, allowing 7 runs on 10 hits. Other AL Scores Oakland 4 Toronto 1 Seattle 4 Minnesota 8 Kansas City 7 Chi White Sox 6 Boston 1 Tampa Bay 2 National League Florida 4 St. Louis 6 - The Cardinals are closing in on the NL Central leaders and Albert Pujols (right) has gotten hot at the right time. Pujols homered in his fifth straight game, a two-run shot in the 1st inning that got the Cards headed towards another win - their 10th in the last 14 games. Jim Edmonds unknotted a 4-4 tie with another 2-run blast in the 7th for the winning margin. In addition to the home run streak, Pujols has hit safely in 9 straight and is 14-for-36 (.389) over that span. His homer in Wednesday's game was his 30th. Milwaukee 2 Arizona 3 - Brandon Webb's 42-inning scoreless streak ended in the first inning, but he still pitched well enough to notch his 6th straight win for the first-place Diamondbacks. Webb (14-8) gave a single runs in the 1st and the 6th on five hits as he worked through the 7th inning. Jose Valverde picked up his MLB-best 38th save with a scoreless 9th. Arizona maintained their 3-game edge over the Padres in the NL West. Chi Cubs 4 San Francisco 2, 10 innings - Chicago took over sole possession of first place in the volatile NL Central when the Cubs scored a pair of unearned runs in the 10th inning, taking the second straight in their 3-game series with the Giants. Starter Rich Hill struck out 10 over 7 innings but did not receive a decision. The Cubs lead Milwaukee by one game and the Cardinals by 3. LA Dodgers 15 Philadelphia 3 - The Dodgers won for the 5th time in their last 7 games and set a season high for runs, hammering the depleted Phillies pitching staff into submission. Matt Kemp was 4-6 with 3 runs and 2 RBI, and Rafael Furcal scored 4 runs while going 3-5. The Dodgers are still 6 games back of Arizona in the division, in third place. San Diego 7 NY Mets 5 - Jake Peavy (14-5) worked only 6 innings, but he struck out 11 and allowed just 2 earned runs on two hits and five walks. The Mets scored 3 times in the ninth inning to make the game closer, but Trevor Hoffman nailed down the final two outs for his 32nd save. The Padres crept back to within 3 games of Arizona in the division and lead the Phillies by 1 game in the wild card race. Other NL Scores Atlanta 2 Cincinnati 4 Washington 2 Houston 3 Pittsburgh 11 Colorado 2

Clemens clobbered; Peavy NL K king

American League Chi White Sox 13 NY Yankees 9 - The Sox hammered Roger Clemens for 8 runs in the second inning, so the Yankees answered with 8 of their own off Chicago starter Jon Garland in the bottom frame. Unfortunately for the Yanks, Jermaine Dye was just getting started. After his double in the 2nd started the scoring, he crunched a 2-run homer in the 4th and a solo shot in the 8th, finishing with a 4-5 night, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. The Yankees fell 8 behind Boston and 3 back of Cleveland in the wild card race. Texas 0 Cleveland 5 - The Indians liked what Jake Westbrook (2-6, right) did on Thursday, hurling 6 innings of shutoff ball on 5 hits. His best performance of the season may be a sign that he is coming around to last season's form, when he posted 15 wins. This season, injury kept him sidelined for most of May and June, and when he returned, he was largely ineffective, posting 4 losses and 3 no decisions in his 7 starts. The win over Texas was his first since an April 27 victory over Baltimore. The Indians snapped a 4-game skid and now trail Detroit by just 1/2 game. LA Angels 6 Oakland 4 - Vladimir Guerrero socked a pair of homers, the second one a 3-run shot in the fifth that broke a 1-1 tie, leading the Angels with 4 RBI. LA improved its lead on Seattle to 3 1/2 games in the West. Other AL Scores Baltimore 4 Boston 7 National League NY Mets 12 Milwaukee 4 - David Wright (right) went 4-5 with a double and his 19th home run and scored 3 times as the Mets pressed their edge in the NL East. The Mets pulverized the Brewers in the final 2 games of this series after dropping the opener, 4-2. In the finale, the New Yorkers pounded out 18 hits, 10 of them off Brewers starter Chris Capuano (5-8), who lasted 6 innings and allowed 5 earned. The Cubs lost to the Phillies, leaving the standings unchanged in both divisions, except that Atlanta fell 1/2-game behind the Phillies, 4 1/2 games out. Houston 12 Atlanta 11, 14 innings - Jason Lane and Mike Lamb each drove in 4 runs as the Astros stole one from Atlanta. Lane whacked a three-run homer in the 3rd inning and scored the winning run 11 frames later, while Lamb's grand salami in the 8th inning tied the game at 9. Arizona 0 San Diego 11 - Jake Peavy (right) fanned 10, allowing just 3 hits over 7 innings for his 11th win against 5 losses. The Padres tightened the race in the wild NL West, drawing to within 1 1/2 of the division-leading Diamondbacks, with the Dodgers sandwiched in between, one game out. Peavy's 154 strikeouts lead the league. Colorado 4 Florida 3 - The Rockies stayed in the race with a come-from-behind win over the Marlins. Once again, Matt Holliday was smack in the middle of the action. His double in the 8th plated Kazuo Matsui with the tying run, and he scored on Garrett Atkins' sac fly one out later. Holliday is batting at a brisk .337 pace and his 86 RBI have him just 2 behind league leader Prince Fielder. Other NL Scores St. Louis 4 Pittsburgh 5, 11 innings Philadelphia 10 Chi Cubs 6 Cincinnati 3 Washington 7 - A. Dunn, HR (28) Houston 12 Atlanta 11, 14 innings San Francisco 4 LA Dodgers 2

Phillies Tie for 2nd Place; Yankees Win 8th in Row

Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues. National League Philadelphia 8 Chi White Sox 4 - Just after the Phillies took a 4-3 lead in the 7th inning, Aaron Rowand broke the game open with a pinch hit grand slam to send the reeling White Sox to their 10th loss in their last 12 outings. The Phillies won for the 9th time in their last 12 games, sweeping the White Sox in their 3-game series in Philly. With Atlanta and the Mets both losing on Wednesday, the Phils are now tied with the Braves, 2 games behind NY in the NL East. After starting out the 2007 campaign a woeful 4-11, the Phillies have gone 31-20 since and are now contending for post-season position. With no offensive shortage - Philadelphia leads the NL in runs (334), RBI (321), and are third in home runs with 74, sporting a .263 batting average (5th) - the Phillies rank 2nd worst in ERA (4.66). Only St. Louis trails them in that category at 4.81. If the Phillies can continue playing well, they'll have another shot at the Mets, hosting them for 4 games June 29 - July 1. The Phillies swept the Mets in New York just a week ago and are now poised to make a run for the top spot in the division. LA Dodgers 9 NY Mets 1 - Helping the Phillies' push are the LA Dodgers, who completed the 3-game sweep on Wednesday with another masterwork from ace Brad Penny (right), who improved to 8-1, allowing 1 earned run on 7 hits over 7 innings. Penny didn't walk a batter and struck out 7. While the Dodgers have won 3 straight to remain tied with San Diego atop the NL West, the Mets have hit a rough patch, losing 5 straight and 10 of their last 12. Adding to the mid-season intrigue, the Mets get a day off before heading to the Bronx for a 3-game series with the red-hot Yankees beginning Friday. Other NL Scores LA Angels 6 Cincinnati 3 - V. Guerrero, 3-5, 5 RBI (58) Chi Cubs 3 Seattle 2 Toronto 7 San Francisco 4 - Giants take 2 of 3 from Blue Jays Cleveland 7 Florida 3 Oakland 7 Houston 3 Pittsburgh 8 Texas 1 - I. Snell (W, 6-4) 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K American League Milwaukee 3 Detroit 2 - The Brewers, winners of just their 4th game in the past 10, though still maintain a 5 1/2-game lead over the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central, and if either of the teams chasing them catch fire, could see their lead evaporate rather quickly. The Tigers' loss dropped them a game back of Cleveland in the AL Central race. Francisco Cordero picked up his 23rd save, which leads the majors. NY Yankees 7 Arizona 2 - The Yankees won their 8th straight and swept their 3-game series with Arizona. Alex Rodriguez whacked a 2-run homer - his MLB-best 25th - and added an RBI single to give him 66, also the best in the majors. Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui also homered as the Yanks cut the Red Sox lead to 8 1/2 in the AL East. Colorado 12 Boston 2 - It was a Shilling shelling in Beantown, as the Rockies lit up Boston's pitching. Starter Curt Schilling lasted just 5 innings, giving up 9 hits and 5 earned runs. Matt Holliday went 3-4 and scored 3 times and Todd Helton drove in 4 runs. The Rockies have gone 14-6 since May 21, but haven't made up much ground on the trokia of San Diego, Arizona and LA atop the NL West.

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They are 5 1/2 back, but have sent the Giants into the division cellar. The Giants are 7 1/2 out. San Diego 9 Tampa Bay 0 - Jake Peavy stopped the D-Rays on 3 hits over 7 innings to keep the Padres tied with the Dodgers. Peavy matches Brad Penny at 8-1 and his 8 Ks left him one behind league leader Cole Hamels' 104 strikeouts. Minnesota 6 Atlanta 0 - Pitching fanatics take note: Carlos Silva rewrote the definition of "scattering" with his 8 hit shutout of visiting Atlanta. Silva allowed leadoff hits in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th innings. The key was that Silva didn't walk a batter or allow an extra base hit or stolen base. Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter backed their starter with back-to-back homers. The Twins remain a threat in the AL Central, just 5 1/2 behind Cleveland. Other AL Scores Washington 9 Baltimore 6, 11 innings - F. Lopez GW triple St. Louis 7 Kansas City 3 - A. Wainwright, (W, 5-5) 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER Interleague Scoreboard: Friday (6/8): AL 8, NL 6 Saturday (6/9): AL 10, NL 4 Sunday (6/10): AL 9, NL 5 Monday (6/11): AL 0, NL 2 Tuesday (6/12): AL: 8, NL: 6 Wednesday (6/13): AL: 6, NL: 8

Peavy Punches Out 10 for Padres; Guillen Powers Tigers, 7-3

Friday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Gary Sheffield hit a solo home run in the 1st inning, singled twice and scored 3 times in 5 at-bats, and Carlos Guillen (right) singled, tripled, homered and drove in 4 runs in 5 trips to the plate as the Detroit Tigers extended their AL Central lead to 1 1/2 games with a 7-3 win over Johan Santana at Minnesota. Jarrod Washburn shut out the Yankees on 5 hits and a walk over 8 innings and J.J. Putz pitched a perfect 9th inning for his 8th save and a 3-0 win in Seattle. Washburn evened his season record at 3-3, struck out 6 and lowered his ERA to 2.54. Other AL Scores Toronto 5 Tampa Bay 1 - Blue Jays snap 9-gm. losing streak Baltimore 6 Boston 3 - O's, 4 straight Ws, 2nd AL East, 6 behind Boston LA Angels 6 Texas 3 - J. Lackey (W, 5-3) Oakland 8 Cleveland 2 Chicago White Sox 2 Kansas City 1 - J. Garland (W, 2-2) National League San Diego's Jake Peavy (5-1, right) is on one heck of a roll. On Friday, he treated 38,901 Padres fans to 7 innings of shutout ball, limiting the St. Louis Cardinal hitters to just 3 base hits and a pair of walks, striking out 10, as the Padres won 7-0. While Peavy was working mound magic, Russell Branyan, who's played on 5 different teams in 10 years, pounded two 2-run homers and added a single in 4 at-bats to juice the offense. Peavy has struck out 10 or more batters in each of his last 4 starts, and threw a 1-hitter (over 7 innings) last time out. He hasn't allowed an earned run in 14 innings, sports a 1.52 ERA (2nd in the NL), a 1.09 WHIP, is tied for most wins in the National League and leads the majors in strikeouts with 66. The Padres are locked into a NL West battle with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Giants, all 4 teams separated by just 2 1/2 games. LA leads with a 1 1/2-game edge over Arizona, with San Diego in third, 2 back, followed by San Fran. The LA Dodgers bested visiting Cincinnati, 2-0, as Randy Wolf shut down the Reds on 4 hits over seven innings, striking out 11 without walking a batter. Reliever Jonathan Broxton worked the 8th and closer Takashi Saito took over in the 9th for his 11th save. David Wright, Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley each hit solo home runs as the Mets held off Milwaukee, 5-4, at Shea Stadium, ending the Brewers' 6-game win streak. The Mets closed to 1/2 game of Atlanta in the NL East and Milwaukee remained 7 games up on the Cubs in the Central. Pat Burrell cranked out a pair of homers - a 3-run shot in the 4th and a 2-run dinger in the 6th - went 3-4 and drove in 5 runs as the Phillies battered the visiting Cubs, 7-2. Starter Cole Hamels picked up his 5th win against just one loss, working 7 innings, allowing the Cubs 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while fanning 7. Chris B. Young knocked his 5th and 6th home runs, both solo shots and added a double in support of Brandon Webb's complete game 6-hitter as the D-Backs won, 3-1, at Houston. Webb struck out 10, improving to 3-2. Other NL Scores Washington 6 Florida 0 - Nationals, 5 pitchers combine for 4-hit shutout San Francisco 8 Colorado 3 Atlanta 4 Pittsburgh 1

Peavy Fans 10 for 4th Win; Monroe, Tigers Hammer KC

Sunday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League On Sunday, the Detroit Tigers did what most teams have been doing to Kansas City pitchers, abusing them. The Tigers roughed up starter Zack Greinke and three relievers for 16 hits and 13 runs in a 13-4 rout in KC. Much of the damage was done by left fielder Craig Monroe, who cranked out a 2-run home run and delivered RBIs with a single and double in 5 at-bats. In addition to the 4 ribbies, Monroe also scored 3 times. The NY Yankees employed five pitchers in a 5-0 win over visiting Seattle. Darrell Rasner evened his record at 1-1 with 5 2/3 innings of 3-hit work. With pitching at a premium for the Bombers, the front office announced on Sunday - via a giant scoreboard video - that Roger Clemens would return to the team in three to four weeks. The Rocket agreed to a $28 million, one-year contract, just enough to lure any 45-year old, future hall of famer out of retirement ...again. Trot Nixon went 5-5, drove in 4 runs and scored twice in Cleveland's 9-6 win at Baltimore. The Orioles' Ramon Hernandez tried to keep pace, going 4-5 with 4 RBI and a stolen base, but like the O's, fell just short. The Texas Rangers completed a 3-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with a 3-2 win sending the visitors away losers of 6 straight.

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The Rangers runs all came via the long ball as Kenny Lofton, Mark Teixiera and Michael Young each sent balls into the stands, with Young's 8th inning dinger being the game winner. Other AL Scores Oakland 5 Tampa Bay 3 Chicago White Sox 4 LA Angels 3, 10 innings Boston 4 Minnesota 3 - C. Schilling (W, 4-1), T. Hunter, 21-gm. hit streak National League Prince Fielder knocked a solo homer in the 2nd inning, a 2-run shot in the 4th, and singled and scored the go-ahead run in Milwaukee's 6-4 win over Pittsburgh, taking 3 of 4 from the Pirates in Milwaukee. The homers were Fielder's 8th and 9th of the season and the 3 RBI gave him 26, close to the NL leaders. The win kept Milwaukee 5 games ahead of the charging Cubs, who have won 5 straight. Francisco Cordero pitched a hitless 9th inning, tying Detroit's Todd Jones for the most saves in the majors, with 12. Jake Peavy (right) was on the road and on top of his game, shutting down the Florida Marlins on 1 hit though 7 innings while striking out 10 in a 2-1 San Diego victory. Florida's lone run of the game came in the 6th inning when Hector Ramirez reached on third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff's throwing error and scored on Dan Uggla's triple, ending both Peavy's shutout and no-hit bid. Otherwise, it was Jake's world and everyone else was just along for the ride as the Padres' hurler improved to 4-1 and increased his major league-leading strikeout total to 56. Peavy's been brilliant in his last three outings, striking out 10, 16 and 10 again, each a 7 inning performance. Over the last 21 innings, Peavy has allowed just 9 hits and 3 earned runs. Carlos Lee went 1 for 3 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and Alfonso Soriano got a single in 5 at-bats to boost his hitting streak to 15 as the Cubs won their 5th straight, with a 4-3, 10-inning win over the visiting Washington Nationals.

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Lee's batting average dropped a couple of digits, from .416 to .414. Other NL Scores Atlanta 6 LA Dodgers 4 - Braves take 2 of 3 in LA Arizona 3 NY Mets 1 - L. Hernandez (W, 3-1) Cincinnati 9 Colorado 3 St. Louis 3 Houston 1 - B. Looper (W, 4-2) Philadelphia 8, San Francisco 5 - C. Hamels (W, 4-1), R. Howard, HR (5)

Peavy's 16 K's Wasted; Washburn Blanks A's

Wednesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Jerrod Washburn earned his first victory of the season, shutting out the Oakland A's on 3 hits, and 2 walks.

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The complete game was the 7 of his career and his 3rd shutout. Washburn struck out only two and needed 104 pitches (72 for strikes) to mow down the A's hitters. He began the night setting down the first nine batters he faced and the Seattle infield turned a pair of double plays in support of his outstanding performance. The loss dropped the A's into a first place tie with the Angels in the AL West. 7-9 Seattle is only 1 1/2 back. Magglio Ordonez went 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI - giving him 20 on the season - as the Tigers won at Chicago, 4-2 and climbed to within a 1/2 game of AL Central leader, Cleveland. In the contentious division, the White Sox are only 1 game back, followed by the Twins, 1 1/2 behind. Other AL Scores Boston 6 Baltimore 1 - C. Schilling (W, 3-1) 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER Cleveland 8, Texas 7, 11 innings Kansas City 4 Minnesota 3 - D. DeJesus, 3-4, HR (4) LA Angels 9 Tampa Bay 1 - J. Lackey (W, 3-2) National League Jake Peavy (right) struck out 16 Diamondbacks - at one point fanning 9 straight - but his stellar effort was wasted when Stephen Drew smacked a 2-out, 2-run walk-off homer against Trevor Hoffman in the 9th to earn Arizona's 3-2 victory over the Padres. Peavy was nothing short of spectacular, allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings. All but 5 of the outs he recorded were by strikeout. With no decision, Peavy remains 3-0, lowering his ERA to 1.67 with a 1.05 WHIP. Todd Helton singled twice and doubled twice, driving in 3 runs and scoring twice as Colorado upended the NY Mets at Shea. John Mabry chipped in with 4 RBI and a 3-run homer. Matt Holiday drove in 3 runs with a pair of singles and Willie Taveras stroked 5 singles in 6 at-bats. Derrek Lee singled, doubled twice and hit his 1st home run of 2007, pacing the Chicago Cubs to a 9-3 win over the visiting 1st place Brewers. Lee scored twice and drove in a pair. His 5th inning HR was a solo shot. Other NL Scores St. Louis 5 Cincinnati 2 Pittsburgh 4 Houston 3, 16 innings Florida 4 Atlanta 3 Philadelphia 9 Washington 3 - J. Rollins, HR (8), C. Utley, 5-5 San Francisco 6 LA Dodgers 4 - B. Bonds, HR (7), Giants, 7 straight wins

Peavy blanks Giants; Sexson goes yard again

Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops National League NY Mets' pitcher Orlando Hernandez (El Duque) polished of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, going 7 strong innings. He allowed only five hits, two walks and one earned run, a solo homer by Scott Rolen. The Mets won, 4-1 and are 2-0, both wins coming against the Cards. Florida's Miguel Cabrera (right) is off to a hot start. After going 3 for 4 on Monday with a 2-run homer, 4 RBI and a run scored in Florida's 9-2 win at Washington, he followed that up on Tuesday with a 2 for 5 performance, an RBI and 2 more runs scored as the Marlins won again, 9-3. The Nationals will be happy to see Cabrera and the Marlins leave town after their afternoon engagement today. Jake Peavy and two relievers blanked the San Francisco Giants, 4-0. The San Diego starter twirled 6 innings of 3 hit ball, striking out 6 for the win. LA Dodgers' catcher Russell Martin banged out 3 hits in 5 at-bats, including a double and solo home run off Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano, drove in 2 and scored twice, but it wasn't enough as the Brewers won again, 4-3. They beat the visiting Dodgers 7-1 on Monday in their home opener. The Pittsburgh Pirates are relishing the acquisition of Xavier Nady from the Mets last season. Nady batted an even .300 with Pittsburgh in 55 games in 2006, and yesterday drove in the winning run with a single in the top of the 8th in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win at Houston. The Pirates find themselves atop the NL Central at 2-0, as they opened with a 4-2 win over the Astros on Monday. Nady also contributed a solo home run in Tuesday's win. American League Vladimir Guerrero banged out a 4-4 performance Tuesday, including a solo shot off Texas starter Vicente Padilla, scored 2 runs and drove in 3, pacing the LA Angels to a 8-3 win, their 2nd straight over the Rangers. Guerrero is batting .714. The Seattle Mariners improved to 2-0 with an 8-4 win over visiting Oakland. Richie Sexson (shown at right) pounded his 2nd homer of the season - a two-run shot - bringing his RBI total to 5. It's going to be a long season for the Baltimore Orioles if they use 37-year-old Alberto Castillo behind the plate very often. On Tuesday, 5 different Minnesota players stole 2nd base on Castillo and the Twins beat the O's for the second time in as many days, 4-3. Joe Nathan picked up his 2nd save for the Twinkies.