Thome Hits 599th, 600th Career Homers in Twins Win; Wolf Wins 10th as Brewers Extend NL Central Lead to 6

Players of the Day for Monday, August 15, 2011

American League

Thome: 600 HR

There's ample cause for celebration in Minnesota.

Despite the Twins trailing Detroit, Cleveland and the White Sox in the AL Central, things are looking better every day. Justin Morneau is back from a long stint on the DL, and on Monday, slugger Jim Thome hit two home runs to lead Minnesota over first-place Detroit, 9-6.

These were no ordinary home runs. For Thome, who tagged Tiger starter Rick Porcello for a two-run shot in the 6th inning and reliever Daniel Schlereth with a three-run blast in the 8th, they were the culmination of a life-long quest, career numbers 599 and 600, making him the 8th player to reach the hallowed 600-homer plateau.

Better yet, the long balls were meaningful, putting the Twins ahead against the top team in the division.

Both of Thome's bombs were to the opposite field, the first to left-center and the three run shot in the 7th into the left field stands.

The win shaved a half game off Detroit's lead over the Indians and White Sox in the division, 2 and 3 1/2 back, respectively, while the Twins picked up a full game, but remain in 4th place, 10 1/2 back.

Thome, 40 years old and a certain Hall of Famer, drove in five runs, boosting his career RBI total to 1662, 27th all-time. Thome joins Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa in exclusive 600 home run club.

National League

Wolf: 10 wins

The Milwaukee Brewers are threatening to run away in the NL Central.

Randy Wolf scattered six hits and five walks over eight scoreless innings for his 10th win of the season against eight losses, aided by three double plays and a second inning triple play. The Brewer infield turned its fourth double play in the 9th, a game-ender, giving John Axford his 35th save of the season.

The Brewers got solo home runs from Ryan Braun in the 2nd, and Jonathan Lucroy and Cory Hart in the 8th..

Thome Passes Frank Robinson, Twins Win; Votto Walk-Off Paces Reds

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 11, 2010 American League Nick Blackburn and Carlos Carrasco put up goose-eggs over 8 and 7 1/3 innings, respectively, and the Twins and Indians' relievers took their scoreless battle into extra innings. In the 12th inning, Jim Thome had seen enough pitches and hammered an 0-2 offering from Justin Germano into the Cleveland bullpen beyond the center field wall for the game's only run. It was Thome's 23rd home run of the season, the 587th of his career, passing Frank Robinson on the all-time list for 8th place. Better yet, after Matt Capps set down the Indians in order in the bottom of the inning, it proved to be the game-winner, as the Twins endured, 1-0. With the White Sox falling to Kansas City, 8-2, Minnesota re-established a six-game lead in the Central, lowering their magic number to 15. The solo shot was Thome's only hit of the night, out of four at-bats, but it was typical for the big slugger out of Peoria, IL, who turned 40 just two weeks ago. Acquired from the Dodgers in the off-season, Thome has proven a worthwhile addition. Of his 68 hits, 41 have been for extra bases and he's driven in 53 runs in just 245 at-bats. National League The Reds don't seem to be worried about the Cardinals any more; while their Central division foes flounder, Cincinnati just keeps winning games. Their 5-4, 10th-inning victory, provided by Joey Votto's walk-off home run, stood in sharp contrast to St. Louis' 12-inning, 6-3 loss to the Braves. Where the Reds are winning, the Cardinals are losing. Cincinnati has been getting the big hits in key situations all season long; the Cardinals have fallen in crunch time. Votto, who still may be entertaining thoughts of a triple crown, smashed his 33rd home run of the season off Pirates' reliever Justin Thomas to lead off the extra frame. The blast put him four behind Albert Pujols (37) and gave him 101 RBI on the season, one behind Pujols. Votto's .320 batting average is good for third-best in the league, behind the Colorado duo of Carlos Gonzalez (.335) and Troy Tulowitzki (.324). Cincinnati's win, coupled with the St. Louis loss, put the Reds seven games ahead in the division. They have just 20 more regular season games remaining; their magic number is down to 15. PENNANT NOTES: The Padres took back first place in the NL West with a 1-0 win over the Giants and lead by a game. Colorado won their 9th straight and trail San Diego by 2 1/2. In the East, Atlanta beat the Cardinals, 6-3, in 12 innings, tying for the lead, as Philadelphia dropped a 4-3 decision to the Mets. The Rays pulled to within 1/2 game of the Yankees, winning their second in a row over Toronto with a 13-1 laugher. The Yankees, meanwhile, have dropped two straight, losing to Texas, 7-6. The Rangers continue to run loose on the lead in the West, leading Oakland by 7 1/2 games. The Rangers' magic number is 14.

Jenks Closes Two 3-1 White Sox Wins; Thome Passes McGwire; Gonzalez Sends Padres to 9th Straight Loss

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 4, 2010 American League The race for the AL Central yielded two stars on Saturday, one from each of the contending teams. In Boston, the Chicago White Sox continued to keep the pressure on the Twins by beating the Red Sox twice, by identical 3-1 scores. Preservation of the wins was put into the capable hands of closer Bobby Jenks, who worked a combined 2 1/3 innings, picking his 26th and 27th saves of the season. Jenks allowed a leadoff single in the 9th inning of the first game, but after that, it was lights out, as he retired the next three batters in order. In the second game, Jenks was perfect, being called upon in the bottom of the 8th with runners on first and second. He got Darnell McDonald to fly out, ending the inning, then set the side down in order in the 9th. Jenks struck out two without issuing a walk. In Minnesota, the Twins pounded the Rangers, 12-4, on a night slugger Jim Thome will long remember. The burly batsman crashed a pair of home runs, powering the Twins to their second straight win over the Rangers, who lead the AL West by eight games. Thome want 2-for-2 in the game. When he wasn't hitting the ball out of the park, Texas pitchers were giving he free passes, walking him twice. In the third, Thome connected for his 583rd career blast, a solo shot that put the Twins 6-0 and tied him with Mark McGwire for 9th place on the all-time list. In the next inning, he crushed his 20th of the season with two aboard, moving him past McGwire and just two behind Frank Robinson (586). It was the 16th time Thome has hit at least 20 home runs in a season, but this year he's been simply amazing, delivering his 20 homers and 49 RBI in just 237 at-bats. Thome scored three times and had four RBI for the game. Minnesota's win kept them atop the division, 3 1/2 games better than the White Sox. National League Closing out the season with a strong finish has become something of a habit for the Colorado Rockies, and it appears they're at it again, as they beat the NL West-leading Padres for the second straight day, by a 6-1 score. It was the ninth straight loss for San Diego, and left them just two games in front of the Giants and 5 1/2 ahead of the hard-charging Rockies. Leading the way was Carlos Gonzalez, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a pair of doubles and a single in four at-bats, driving in two runs. He's batting .522 (24-for-46) during the streak, raising his batting average from .318 to .335, which leads the league and significantly diminishes the hopes of Albert Pujols or Joey Votto to capture the triple crown. Votto is second in batting, at .324.

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This post is dedicated to my father, Nick Gagliano Sr., who would have turned 86 on September 4. He wasn't much of a ball player, but he brought his best every time he stepped to the plate. He is shown at left in a uniform that he wore with pride and dedication, that of his country, with service in the US Army during World War II. A page dedicated to his memory can be found here. Nick passed away in 2009, after a long and fulfilling life, much of it spent as an attorney. In his later years, he built miniature carousels by hand.

Thome Blast Tears Sox; Garland Extends Scoreless Streak to 17 as Padres Top Cubs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 17, 2010 American League Maybe it's time to move Jim Thome a little higher up in the batting order, though considering how he's done recently, even batting in the #7 spot Tuesday night, just keeping him in the lineup - anywhere - is probably a good idea. Thome mashed his 17th home run of the season - and 581st of his career (two behind Mark McGwire) - with a man aboard and no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to provide the Twins with their fifth straight win, especially sweet because it was against AL Central rival Chicago. Trailing 6-5 after the White Sox's Alexi Ramirez homered to tie the game in the 9th and put Chicago ahead with an RBI single in the 10th, Delmon Young singled to lead off the Twins' half of the inning. Thome followed with his rip to right, a two-run shot that put the Twins four games to the good over the White Sox and sent the partisan crowd home happy with the 7-6 extra-inning win. One of the hottest hitters in either league right now, Thome has homered in four of his last six games, all wins for the Twins. Over that span he's 9-for-21 (.429), with 13 RBI. Tuesday night's 3-for-5 effort was good for 3 RBI, tying him with Goose Goslin at #30 on the career RBI list, with 1609. Thome singled twice before hitting the game-winner, his first inning hit bringing home Jason Kubel with the 4th run of the inning, though Minnesota was unable to hold their early lead. The Twins and White Sox go at it twice more before parting company. The Sox need to win at least one of the remaining two games of the series or risk falling out of the race. National League With the rest of the division in one kind of funk or another, the San Diego Padres are threatening to run away with the NL West. Jon Garland hurled seven inning of shutout ball at the Chicago Cubs Tuesday for the Padres' third straight win and eighth of the last nine, taking a commanding five game lead over second place San Francisco. Mike Adams allowed a hit in the 8th for his 27th hold of the year and Heath Bell gave up a leadoff single in the 9th, but fanned two and got Blake DeWitt on a long fly that Ryan Ludwick caught in the right field ivy at the wall for his league-leading 36th save in the Padres' 1-0 win over the Cubs. Garland allowed just four hits while walking three in his seven shutout innings, extending his scoreless streak to 17 innings. In his last start, he allowed the Pirates just one hit in six scoreless innings of a 3-0 San Diego win August 12. Garland is 12-8 with a 3.25 ERA. His three strikeouts against the Cubs gave him 100 on the year, the first time he's reached that level since 2006.

Slowey, Thome Lead Twins to 3-Game Edge; Glaus Powers Braves Past Dodgers

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 15, 2010 American League It isn't often that a pitcher gets yanked when he throwing a no-hitter, but there are sometimes more important matters which need to be addressed, such as a hurler's health and the implications of a pennant race. Such was the case with Kevin Slowey (left) of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, who tossed seven innings of on-hit ball, allowing only three walks and a hit batsman, before manager Ron Gardenhire decided his man had done enough. Slowey was up to 106 pitches and had missed his last start, due to elbow tendonitis, so Gardenhire didn't want to cause any recurrence of inflammation. Besides, the Twins had just recently managed to secure a little space between themselves and the White Sox, and the team could certainly use the win. When Slowey finished the 7th inning, the score was 1-0, in favor of the Twins. In the bottom of the inning, Jim Thome (right) jacked a three-run homer to put the Twins up 4-0, which added to the angst of pulling the starter. Twins' relievers allowed two runs, but the Twins came away with the 4-2 victory over the A's and a 3-game cushion over the White Sox in the AL Central, as Chicago was outhit by Detroit, 13-8. Slowey improved to 11-5, and Thome's homer was his 16th this season and the 580th of his career. He is 10th on the all-time list, having passed Rafael Palmiero and Harmon Killebrew earlier this season, and is just three long balls shy of Mark McGwire. National League The Braves just keep on winning, clinging to their slim, 2-game lead over the three-time defending NL East champion Phillies. On Sunday, Atlanta's bats did the heavy lifting, pounding four Dodger pitchers for 16 hits in a 13-1 romp. All of the starting players had at least one hit, including starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens, Troy Glaus went 2-for-5, including a three-run homer and an RBI single. Glaus is probably not everybody's fantasy first baseman, but he's had a solid year for the Braves, with 16 homers and 69 RBI, despite a .242 batting average. The Braves have taken two of three from the Dodgers and will wrap up the series on Monday. Philadelphia has been dogging Atlanta for months, and remained two games behind with a 3-1 win over the Mets. The Dodgers have lost four of six on their road trip, which ends Monday, and have fallen out of contention in the NL West and the wild card race. They trail San Diego by 10 games in the division and are 6 1/2 behind the Giants and Phillies, with the Cards and Rockies also ahead of them for the wild card.

Two Thome Homers Lift Sox Past Angels; Happ Stops Rockies on 4 Hits

Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 5, 2009 American League The Chicago White Sox is the most enigmatic team in the American League, maybe in all of the majors. Just about the time one would think they're about to fold up their tents and fade into the sunset, they come back and win games they're supposed to lose. Consider that since the all star break the Sox have taken 2 of 3 from Baltimore, 3 of 4 from the Rays, lost 3 of 4 at Detroit, lost 3 straight at Minnesota, and lately have taken 3 of 4 from the Yankees and two in a row from the LA Angels, a team that had won 5 straight and 14 of 17 since the all star break. On Wednesday, it was veteran Jim Thome doing the dirty work for the Sox, crushing a pair of home runs, a solo shot in the 4th inning and a 3-run blast in the 6th that ostensibly put the game away and secured a 6-2 win for Chicago, keeping them one game behind AL Central leader, Detroit. Thome's pair gave him 20 on the year, the 15th time he's hit 20 or more homers in a season. The only year since since 1994 that he did not put 20 or more balls out of major league parks was in 2005, when he was saddled with injuries, played in just 53 games and launched a mere 7 round-trippers. Thome now has 561 career home runs, just two behind Reggie Jackson at #12 on the all time list. He turns 39 on August 27 and has made no mention of retirement. 600 long balls seems to be within his reach should he stay in good health. National League Despite their six-game bulge in the NL East, the Phillies haven't been playing all that well, losing three straight and five of their last six entering Wednesday's meeting with Colorado, but J.A. Happ got the Phillies back on the winning track with his second complete game shutout this season, stopping the Rockies on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out a career high 10 for a 7-0 Phillies whitewash. Happ, a rookie, won his 8th against just 2 losses in 14 starts this season. His ERA continues to flirt with the best in the league, at 2.74, and he's carrying a WHIP of just 1.12, putting him at an elite level in that category for starters. The rebound for the Phillies also was one for Happ, who suffered his only losses in his previous two starts. With the Phillies cruising toward another NL East crown, fans are certain to see more of Mr. Happ this fall. NOTES: The Cardinals and Cubs remain knotted atop the NL Central, both being shut out on Wednesday - St. Louis by the Mets and Chicago by the Reds.two teams that have fallen off the pace since the break. Milwaukee got back at the Dodgers with a 4-1 win while the Giants retook 2nd place in the division - 6 games back - and the top spot in the wild card chase. In the AL, the Angels continue to lead by 4 1/2 over the Rangers despite losing two straight to Chicago, and the Yankees opened up a 2 1/2 game lead on the Red Sox thanks to the Rays, who have taken two in a row from Boston. The Rays are right in the thick of it again, having won three straight and five of their last six. Tampa gets Thursday off as they travel to the coast for three each with Seattle and LA. Meanwhile, the Red Sox head to Yankee Stadium for a four-game showdown with the Bombers. New York has yet to beat the Red Sox in 8 tries this season.

Thome's 7 RBI Lifts Sox; McCann Gets Braves Back to .500

Players of the Day for Friday, July 17, 2009 American League The designated hitter (DH) rule has extended the careers of many a slugger, but maybe none more significantly than that of Jim Thome, who came back to the American League after three years in Philadelphia in 2006. Since then, Thome has aided the White Sox cause with 127 home runs and 352 RBI. On Friday, Thome delighted the partisan Chicago crowd with a pair of bombs - numbers 15 and 16 on the season - and 7 RBI, bringing his season total to 57, not bad for a guy who turns 39 next month. In Chicago's 12-8 win over the Orioles, Thome provided the key runs, first, with a 3-run shot in the 5th inning, putting the Sox ahead 6-3, and then again in the 6th, after Baltimore had scored two runs in the top of the inning, Thome blasted his 9th career grand slam, putting the game away at 10-5. Thome is almost certainly a future Hall of Famer. His 557 home runs rank him at #12 all time, and his RBI total of 1545 are enough to qualify him for immortality at Cooperstown. And he hasn't even mentioned retirement yet. National League While the Mets struggled to get two hits off Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens and three relievers, Brian McCann and the Braves' regulars were mashing out 14 hits in an 11-0 rout of the stumbling New Yorkers. McCann singled, doubled and knocked his 9th home run of the season, driving in four runs and scoring three times. The win got the Braves back to the .500 mark, at 45-45, though they tied for second place with the Marlins, both six games behind the surging Phillies, who have won 7 straight. The loss dropped the Mets even further behind, 8 1/2 games out. With the Phillies threatening to run away with the division title, the Braves find themselves in second place in the wild card race as well, 4 1/2 behind surprising San Francisco. NOTES: Out of the mid-season break, the Phillies, Dodgers and Cardinals have the upper hand in their respective divisions. While the streaking Phillies may make the East a laugher, the Cardinals lead three teams - the Astros, Cubs and Brewers - by 3 games. The Reds are still a factor, though they have fallen to 5 1/2 behind and the Pirates have assumed a stranglehold on last place, 9 1/2 out. In the West, LA hasn't really been playing the best baseball, having lost 3 of their last four and two straight, but their 6 1/2 game cushion is still comfortable enough. The American League, which claimed home field advantage again with their All-Star win on Tuesday, may prove to be a bit more contentious. Boston leads the Yankees by 3 games in the East with the Rays lurking just 6 1/2 out. Detroit has held sway in the Central most of the season, but their lead - 2 1/2 over the white Sox and 3 ahead of Minnesota - will be challenged. The West is shaping up to be a battle down the stretch, though the Angels have recently assumed control and lead the Rangers by 2 games. The dark horse Mariners continue to hang on, 4 games back. A replay of last year's Philly-Tampa World Series looks very much in doubt, though the defending champions from Philadelphia have emerged, along with the Dodgers, as the team to beat. Those two are rock-solid. The Cardinals, along with all of the other teams in the Central division hunt, appear to be second-tier at best. With the trade deadline approaching, a key trade or late-season injury could change the fate of any of the contenders.

Brothers LaRoche Dump Mets; Thome Notches #550

Players of the Day for Monday, June 1, 2009 American League With the score tied, 2-2 and two runners on with one out in the 8th inning, Jim Thome stepped to the plate in a pressure situation and delivered home run #550, busting the game open as the White Sox dumped the A's, 6-2, their 4th straight win, putting the Sox 3 1/2 games behind the Tigers, in second place in the AL Central. For Thome, the drama has become routine over the years, as he has established himself as one of the pre-eminent (and non-steroid using) home run hitters of the era. Monday's shot was his ninth on the year, the 3 RBI giving him 32. In his 19th major league season, Thome, 38, still seems to have plenty of pop in his swing. Over the past three seasons, he's averaged 37 home runs and 98 home runs. Having just passed Mike Schmidt (248) for 13th place on the career HR list, dead ahead are Alex Rodriguez (560), whom he probably won't catch, Reggie Jackson (563), Rafael Palmeiro (569), Harmon Killebrew (573), Mark McGwire (583), Frank Robinson (586). With A-Rod pacing him, Thome is likely to reach #10 this season and enter the elite 600-club next year. National League Opening a four-game series hosting the NY Mets, the Pirates fell behind, 5-0, after just three innings, but that was before the brothers LaRoche, Andy (left) and Adam (right), went to work. Adam, the elder of the two, was batting 4th, with Andy, in the six hole. In the 4th inning, Adam stroked a one-out double to right, and scored, after a walk to Eric Hinske, when Andy tripled both of them home. Andy scored on a ground out to make the score 5-3, Mets. In the 8th, still trailing 5-3, Adam led off with his second double of the night and scored on Andy's single. Andy later scored to tie the game, but the Pirates continued the assault against reliever J.J. Putz, eventually scoring 5 times for the final score of 8-5. Adam finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs, while Andy went 2-for-4, with a triple, 3 RBI and two runs. The Pirates remain mired near the bottom of the NL Central, while the Mets have dropped 1 1/2 games behind NL East-leader Philadelphia, winners of 4 straight.

A-Roid? Examining Alex Rodriguez's Seasons

Baseball's reputation was tarnished once again this past weekend when it was revealed that Alex Rodriguez - baseball's premier power hitter and highest-paid player - had used banned substances (steroids) when a member of the Texas Rangers. Following the initial reporting by Sports Illustrated that he tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone, Rodriguez admitted to using banned substances - without naming which ones in particular - during his three seasons with the Rangers, 2001-2003, and that he stopped using them during Spring training in 2003. What's intriguing about A-Rod's admission is that he led the AL in home runs in each of those seasons, knocking 52 in 2001, 57 in 2002 and 47 in 2003. Is it notable that in 2003 he hit fewer than in the previous seasons, or that his previous high was 42, which he accomplished in both 1998 and 1999 when a player with the Seattle Mariners? Maybe more interesting are his erratic season-to-season fluctuations since leaving Texas for the NY Yankees. In the five full seasons with the Bombers, A-Rod hit 36, 48, 35, 54 and 35. Did Rodriguez use steroids in those odd-year seasons (2005 and 2007) when he hit 48 and 54, respectively, or were '04, '06 and '08 just injury-riddled years? In those seasons, he played in fewer games, especially in '08, when he suited up just 138 times. One could give A-Rod a pass on 2008, though the evidence is telling. Both the batting averages and slugging percentages were significantly lower in the three even-numbered Yankee years as opposed to the 2005 and 2007 seasons, which compared favorably to 2001-2003. After studying the career records of players like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmiero - all notable roidsters - the evidence is pretty compelling. In each case, it's fairly obvious when a player started or stopped using steroids. All the stats go in reverse. Judge for yourself. Here are A-Rod's career stats. It seems fairly likely that he was using steroids as a member of the Yankees, notably in 2005 and 2007, one of which, I'm sure, was a contract negotiation year (2007). Considering Rodriguez's penchant for not telling the truth (a symptom nearly universally shared by steroid users), as in the 2005 interview with Katie Couric in which he stated unequivocally that he had never used steroids, it would be imprudent to believe him when he says he quit for good in 2003. The evidence in the stats is just too damming. Spring training is just weeks away, but this is no way to head into a new season. We're supposed to be full of hope and promise when the Boys of Summer take the fields in Florida and Arizona, but this year fans are likely to be full of angst and aggravation, that another one of their heroes turns out to be more hype than reality, more dope than muscle and more dishonest than ever. A-Rod's exposure leaves roughly four possible bona fide non-steroid power hitters from the drug-addled era: Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez. Let's all hope and pray that those guys turn out to have been clean all along. Baseball needs some standard of unblemished excellence. Then again, even if they are upright and un-drugged, just being an active player during these years puts a bit of taint on them as well. This has been another sad week for baseball, and they haven't even started playing.

Danks, Thome Send White Sox into Post-Season; NL AL Series Previews

Players of the Day from Tuesday, September 30, 2008 American League John Danks shut out the Twins on 2 hits over 8 innings and Jim Thome launched a 7th inning solo shot to center field in the 1-0 White Sox win over Minnesota which captured the AL Central division, sending Chicago into the playoffs. The single-game playoff was played at US Cellular Field in Chicago after the White Sox won a coin flip to determine the site and beat the Tigers in a make-up game to tie the Twins for the division lead at the conclusion of the regular season. Twins' starter Nick Blackburn worked into the seventh, shutting out the White Sox until Thome delivered with one out in the bottom of the 7th. Danks worked through the 8th before giving way to closer Bobby Jenks, who retired the Twins in order in the 9th. Notes: The White Sox head south to Tampa Bay to face the Rays in a best-of-five series to see who advances to the AL Championship series. Game one is Thursday, Oct. 2. Chicago sends Javier Vazquez (12-16, 4.67) to the hill against the Rays' James Shields (14-8, 3.56). Shields is 0-1 lifetime against the Sox, but he allowed just one run on seven hits over 6 innings in his last start vs. Chicago. Vazquez is 4-5 vs. Tampa Bay. He took a loss in his last start against the Rays, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits over 7 innings in a 5-3 home loss August 23. Vazquez has not been sharp down the stretch, losing 6 of his last eight starts. He has not even completed 5 innings in any of his last three outings. In the other divisional series, the LA Angels host the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night at 10:07 pm ET. John Lackey goes to the mound for the Angels to face Boston's Jon Lester. National League Milwaukee Brewers vs. Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies host the Brewers in the opener of their best-of-five series at 3:07 pm ET. Staff ace, Cole Hamels goes for Philly, while the Brewers - due to having used up their rotation in the hotly-contested wild card race - are forced to send up Yovani Galardo, who has started just once since May 1. The Brewers plan to start C.C. Sabathia in game 2 on three days rest. Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs Ryan Dempster takes the mound for the Cubs as they open play hosting the Dodgers in the other divisional series, which has a scheduled start of 6:07 pm ET. LA sends Derek Lowe up the hill with a 2-1 lifetime mark against the Cubs. It's widely considered an uphill battle for the Dodgers, who were just 36-45 on the road this season. The Central division winning Cubs were 55-26 at Wrigley Field this season.

Chicago Streaks: Sox Sock 4 Straight Homers; Kotsay's Cycle Can't Stop Cubs

Players of the Day from Thursday, August 14, 2008 American League A quiet giant, Jim Thome gave the White Sox a 6-2 lead with a three-run homer in the 6th inning. Little did he know that he was starting the wheels of history in motion, as Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe followed him to the plate, each smacking one out of the park to tie a major league record with four consecutive home runs. The White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Royals with a 9-2 win.

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Thome, who has 532 career home runs, hit his 25th of the year, driving in Ken Griffey Jr. (who has 608 homers himself) and Carlos Quentin, who leads the AL in home runs with 32. Neither Griffey nor Quentin went yard in Chicago's homer-fest. Notes: With Minnesota idle, the White Sox improved their slim advantage in the AL Central to 1 game over the Twins. In the East, Tampa Bay beat Oakland, 7-6, in 12 innings and Boston downed Texas, 10-0, as Daisuke Matsuzaka improved to 14-2. The Rays lead Boston by 3 games. National League Mark Kotsay had a huge 5-for-5 night at the plate, hitting for the cycle, but it all went for naught as the Braves fell to the Cubs, 11-7, completing their first season sweep of the Braves since the two teams began playing each other in 1876. The Cubs have also won eight straight road games and lead Milwaukee - who had their 8-game win streak broken by Jake Peavy and the San Diego Padres, 3-2 - by 4 1/2 games in the Central division.

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Notes: The Dodgers completed a sweep of the Phillies with a 3-1 win to stay tied with Arizona (beat Colorado, 6-2) in the West. The Mets took over first place in the East by a game over the Phillies with a 9-3 romp past Washington. The Marlins lost to St. Louis, 3-0, to drop 2 1/2 off the pace. The Cardinals remain 3 behind Milwaukee in the Central and wild card race and are 2 1/2 better than the Phillies for the wild card. With roughly 40 games left to play, it's looking more and more like the second-place finisher in the Central will be the wild card, while the Phillies, Mets and Marlins battle in the East in an all-or-nothing division.

Thome's Hits Bash Rays; Utley's Homer Help Phils Past Mets

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 20, 2008 American League Jim Thome singled twice, doubled and homered in 5 at-bats, driving in 3 runs and scoring twice in Chicago's 6-0 win over Tampa Bay. While Thome was doing his thing at the plate, starting pitcher John Danks limited the Rays to 3 hits over 8 innings, striking out 8 without walking a batter. His record improved to 2-1. National League Pedro Feliz homered in the bottom of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie as the Phillies topped the Mets, 5-4, but it was Chase Utley who made it all possible, going 3-for-3 with a pair of homers and 4 RBI. Utley, known to teammates as "the Machine" leads the majors with 8 homers and his 17 RBI is good for 4th place in the NL.

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

Cleveland to Play Home Set in Milwaukee; Marlins' Cabrera at .500

Monday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Alex Rodriguez continued his single-handed attack on AL pitchers with his 5th home run last night, but Bobby Abreu stole some of his thunder with a 2-run shot of his own and a pair of run scoring singles in the Yankees' 8-2 win at Minnesota. Abreu finished the night 3 for 5, with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. He's batting .348 in his first full season with New York. Toronto's A. J. Burnett bounced back from a horrid first outing (2 innings, 5 hits, 4 walks, 6 earned runs on April 4 at Detroit) with a solid 6 2/3 innings against Kansas City. Burnett allowed the visiting Royals just 1 earned run on 3 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 5. The Blue Jays' bats provided more than enough offense for the 9-1 win. Jim Thome (right) crashed a solo homer in the 4th inning and drove in another run in the 8th with a single to right, providing all the offense starter Jose Contreras would need in the 4-1 White Sox win at Oakland. Thome added another single to go 3-4, while Contreras scattered 4 hits and 4 walks for 1 earned run over 6 innings, evening his record at 1-1. The Cleveland Indians had their games against Seattle canceled for the 4th straight day Monday after freak, heavy snow has kept the Indians and Mariners inside since Cleveland's home opener was cut short Friday night. The Indians were leading 4-0 with 2 outs in the 5th inning, but the game was called and the players haven't seen the field since. In an unprecedented move, MLB has ordered their series against the LA Angels, which was scheduled to start Tuesday in Cleveland, moved to Milwaukee's Miller Field which has a retractable roof and is in good playing shape. With the Brewers on the road until April 18, the Indians can call Milwaukee home, though officials feel that the team should be able to play their 3-game series with the White Sox - which is supposed to begin Friday - at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. As of yesterday, there was still about a foot of snow on the ground in Cleveland and another storm threatening a rain/snow mix tonight. The four games with Seattle have not yet been rescheduled. National League San Diego's Chris Young outdueled San Francisco's Matt Cain for the 1-0 Padres' home win. Young allowed just 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Cain gave up just 1 hit, but the Padres pushed across the only run of the game in the bottom of the 7th with pinch hitter Geoff Blum's sac fly plating shortstop Kahlil Greene. Braden Looper, who began his major league career with the Cardinals in 1998, but spent the next 8 seasons working out of the bullpen, has become a key in St. Louis' rotation, hurling a dandy 2-hitter at the Pirates last night in chilly Pittsburgh. Looper was re-acquired by the Cards in 2006 and used exclusively in relief, but got his first win in just his second start in 2007, going 7 innings without allowing a run in the 3-0 St. Louis win. The NY Mets welcomed the Phillies into Shea Stadium for a three-game set with an 11-5 thrashing, turning a 5-4 deficit around by scoring 7 runs in the 8th inning. Carlos Delgado (right) led the assault, going 3 for 3 with a pair of RBI while scoring twice. The 5-2 Mets have shown a propensity for scoring runs in bunches. Last night marked the third time they've put up 10 or more runs. The Houston Astros are never going to be confused with a power ball club, but through 7 games they're averaging only 2.71 runs per game. One reason the Astros aren't scoring has to be the failure of first baseman and cleanup hitter Lance Berkman to produce. Berkman drove in just his 3rd run of the season in last night's 5-3 loss at Chicago. He's gone 4-24 (.167) with 8 Ks to start the season. Berkman is a career .303 hitter, so he's either going to get it going soon or the Astros are really going to struggle. Florida's Miguel Cabrera may be the best 3rd baseman in the majors. Cabrera led the Marlins to a 5-3 home win over Milwaukee last night with a sac fly and a 2-run homer (his 3rd of the season) and kept his batting average at .500. If the season were to end today (actually, there's about 155 games left on most schedules), Cabrera would win the NL Triple Crown. His 11 RBI are second in the majors to A-Rod's 13. The Arizona Diamondbacks improved to 6-2 and 1st place in the NL West with a 3-2 home win over Cincinnati. As has been the case in 4 of those wins, closer Jose Valverde finished up in the ninth, though this one wasn't pretty, giving up a walk and a hit in the one inning of work. Valverde has allowed just 1 earned run in 4.2 innings this season.