Beckett Throws One-Hitter at Rays; Hernandez, Morse Lead Nats to 10-0 Win over Cards

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 15, 2011

American League

Josh Beckett has his old stuff back and the Boston Red Sox could not be happier.

Beckett's one-hitter
was a real gem.

Beckett tossed a one-hitter at the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday night in Tampa, setting down the first eight batters in order before surrendering the game's only hit to Reed Brignac with two outs in the 3rd inning.

After that, Beckett was truly unhittable, putting away the next 19 batters in order to close out the game.

Going just 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA in 2010, Boston fans were worried that their ace had lost his good stuff, but the 2003 World Series MVP (then with Florida) has silenced his critics and assuaged the doubters by going 6-2 this season with a 1.86 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.

Facing one over the minimum, Beckett didn't issue any walks while striking out six, needing only 96 pitches for the 3-0 win, his first complete game shutout of 2011.

Locked into a pitcher's duel with the Rays' Jeremy Hellickson, Beckett got all the runs he would need on Kevin Youkilis' 7th-inning, three-run homer.

Boston maintained its 1 1/2 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. The Rays dropped 4 1/2 games off the pace.

National League

Michael Morse

Livan Hernandez

At 36, Livan Hernandez still seems to have plenty of giddy-up in his right arm. The veteran starter, who has played on eight different teams, stymied the St. Louis Cardinals on three hits to the delight of the Washington fans.

Hernandez, always an inning-eater, recorded the 50th complete game and 9th shutout of his career in Washington's 10-0 whitewash.

Hernandez threw 105 pitches (71 strikes) without walking a batter while fanning six. Michael Morse blasted a pair of homers in support - a solo shot in the 2nd and a two-run job in the 7th - while also singling and scoring in the 4th, going 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI.

The win, combined with Philadelphia's twin killing of the collapsing Marlins, losers of 14 of their last 15, got the Nationals into a tie for last place in the NL East, rather than holding it on their own. At 32-36, the Nationals are actually not that bad a team.

For the Cardinals, the setback left them trailing the Brewers by one game in the wide-open Central division, with Cincinnati closing in, just 2 1/2 off the pace.

NOTES: The Phillies have opened up a commanding five-game lead on the Braves in the NL East after dumping the marlins twice on Wednesday, 8-1 and 5-4, in 10 innings. In the NL West, the Giants enhanced their lead with a 5-2 win over second place Arizona, now 2 1/2 back.

The Tigers and Indians are back into a tie in the AL Central. Cleveland recovered from Justin Verlander's 4-0 shutout Tuesday to take a 6-4 decision on Wednesday. The two combatants will settle their differences Thursday afternoon in the rubber game of their three-game series.

Texas lost their 4th straight, dropping a 12-4 decision in New York to the Yankees. Seattle continue pursuit, one game back. In the Texas game, Mark Teixeira connected for two-run homers from both sides of the plate, the 11th time he's he's gone long ball as both a lefty and righty in the same game. That tied him with Eddie Murray and Chili Davis as leaders of that particular feat.

Becket Spectacular in Red Sox Win over Yanks; Hamels Rebounds for 3-0 Philly Victory

Players of the Day for Sunday, April 10, 2011

American League

Josh Beckett

It would appear that all the worries about Josh Beckett and the demise of the Boston Red Sox have been grossly overstated, especially since the BoSox ace shut down the mighty Yankees Sunday night, hurling a 2-hit shutout over eight innings, paving the way for a 4-0 Boston triumph.

Beckett, coming off a 6-6 season in 2010 and losing his first start, 3-1, just five days ago, had complete command of the mound, all his pitches and the opposing Yankees. He allowed two hits and a walk over the first four innings, but set down the final 14 batters he face in order, racking up 10 Ks along the way. Jonathan Papelbon worked the ninth - a non-save situation - and retired the Yankees in order.

The win was just the third of the season for Boston, but the second in three days over their arch-rivals, an important matter to both New York and Boston fans.

National League

Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels got roughed up in his first start of the season, allowing seven hits and six runs in a 7-1 loss to the Mets, lasting only 2 2/3 innings. But, like most quality starters, he came back strong for the Phillies, hurling seven solid shutout innings in a 3-0 win at Atlanta.

Hamels gave up just 4 hits, walked one and struck out 8 Atlanta batters, not allowing a hit until a one-out double by Nate McLouth in the 4th inning. After escaping from 2-out, 2-on jams in both the 6th and 7th innings, Hamels surrendered the ball to the Phillies' capable bullpen.

Ryan Madsen worked a scoreless 8th inning and Jose Contreras picked up his second save of the season with a perfect 9th inning.

The Phillies are off to a hot, 7-2, start, with a 2-game bulge over the Marlins in the NL East.

Josh Beckett, Madison Bumgarner Get on Track in Final Tune-ups

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 30, 2011

American League

Josh Beckett

Josh Beckett won't be on the mound for the Red Sox on opening day, but he will be in the rotation and Red Sox fans are probably feeling a bit better about that after Beckett, following four straight losses, picked up his only win of the exhibition season with five shutout innings against the Houston Astros.

The former World Series MVP (2003) has struggled through the Spring, compiling a 1-4 record from six starts with an ERA of 5.33, but he didn't need any excuses for his strong stint against the Astros. He allowed just one hit, didn't walk any and struck out three as the Red Sox completed their exhibition season with a 10-0 win.

Normally one of baseball's top hurlers, Beckett suffered injuries that limited him to 21 starts and a 6-6 record in 2010 while his ERA ballooned to a career-worst 5.78. Opposing hatters averaged .292 against him.

National League

Dallas Braden and Madison Bumgarner hooked up in a pitcher's duel on Wednesday, and by the time Braden stepped off the mound after 5 2/3 innings, his A's held a tenuous 1-0 lead.

Madison Bumgarner

Bumgarner had allowed a run in the third, but that was all, as his Giants failed to get anything going against Braden, who limited them to just five hits.

But the Giants got the last laugh, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to take a 2-1 decision in their final prep game.

Bumgarner didn't get the win. That went to reliever Marc Kroon (2-0) who struck out a pair of A's during a no-hit ninth inning. What Bumgarner did get for his efforts was a little momentum and maybe some needed confidence, allowing four hits and three walks while fanning six over the first six innings of the game.

The Giants' starter went 1-4 with a 5.93 ERA this Spring but hopes to fare better in his second professional season.

Tracy Powers Cubs to 12-1 Win; Beckett Fans 9 as BoSox Roll

Players of the Day for Wednesday, March 24, 2010 American League Josh Beckett was bringing it against the overmatched Pirates, as he fanned 9 batters in 5 innings en route to a 6-1 Boston win and Beckett's first decision of the Spring. After allowing a first-inning solo homer by Pittsburgh's Jeremy Ferrell, Beckett settled in, at one point blowing the ball past 7 of 9 batters. After five full innings, he allowed just the one run on three hits and a pair of walks. It was Beckett's 4th start, but his first win, and definitely his best effort thus far. Prior to this, the rangy righty had worked only 8 1/3 innings and allowed 5 earned runs. Beckett was 17-6 for the Sox last season with 199 Ks, his highest total in 8 major league seasons. He also worked more innings - 212 - in 2009 than in any prior year. National League After spending six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chad Tracy signed a minor league deal with the Cubs, as a bit of insurance should Aramis Ramirez or Derek Lee suffer injury. In Chicago's 12-1 pounding of the Rangers on Wednesday, Tracy proved he was worth the reported $900,000 (if he makes the major league roster) with a pair of doubles and 5 RBI. Tracy's bat probably won't get much use during the regular season, though he could provide some extra power as a DH in inter-league games. Tracy can play first or third, but hasn't been a regular starter since 2006, when he hit 20 homers and drove in 80 runs. MLB Preview: Cincinnati Reds The biggest knock on the Reds is probably that their manager, Dusty Baker, has done nothing in 2 1/2 seasons guiding the Cincinnati franchise. Having received unusually high praise as the manager of the Giants (1993-2002), his career has been in nosedive mode ever since. In three seasons as manager of the Cubs, he helped guide one of the best Cubs teams in decades to the NL championship in 2003, only to lose to the Marlins. He fell short with the Cubs in 2004 and 2005, and is widely believed to be the cause of derailing the careers of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior by overusing the two starters. The same criticism was leveled against Baker in 2008, for apparently putting too much strain on the youthful arm of Edinson Volquez, who was 17-6 in 2008, but started only 9 games in 2009, his season cut short by injury. He is still rehabbing from elbow surgery and is not expected to be a part of the roster until June. With Baker guiding the Reds, anything better than 4th place - where they ended last season, at 78-84 - would be remarkable. Having Volquez on the bench for the start of the season places more pressure on the remaining starters, especially Aaron Harang, who is supposedly their ace, though his record over the past two seasons is a miserable 12-31. Since Harang worked 231 innings in 2007, the first year under Baker, going 16-6, the same logic could be applied in his case: overworked, and subsequently, a decline in wins. The stud of the starters is Bronson Arroyo, though his 4.43 lifetime ERA doesn't inspire much confidence. Homer Bailey is a strong, young starter, and Johnny Cueto needs more seasoning. Last year he gave up a few fewer home runs (24) than he did in 2008 (29). Micah Owings, who may be better as an outfielder and hitter, fills out the rotation. Owings carries a lifetime .300 batting average into the 2010 season, to go with his 21-29 record and 5.08 ERA. The Reds' offense doesn't scare anyone, with Joey Votto and Scott Rolen the power players at the infield corners. Up the middle, second baseman Brandon Phillips (.276, 20, 98, 25 steals) may be the team's best all-around player, while shortstop Orlando Cabrera provides a slick glove but little at the plate. Projected to start the season in the outfield, the trio of Wladimir Balentien in left, Drew Stubbs in center and Jay Bruce in right may be the weakest in the majors. In 2009 Bruce was .223, 22, 58; Stubbs, .267, 8, 17 in 42 games; and Balentien, .264, 3, 11 in 40 games. Ouch! don't expect much production from these guys. What the Reds do have is an excellent closer. Francisco Cordero cashed in 39 of 43 save opportunities in 2009 with a 2.13 ERA. Too bad he won't get many more chances in the upcoming season. With odds of 100-1 (should be higher) to win the World Series, the best thing that could happen to the Reds is to start the season with a record of something like 3-23, or 6-31, fire Baker and get a real manager in the clubhouse, preferably one that isn't a racist, too.

Beckett Holds Cards Hitless; Carter Homers Twice in 9th for Mets

Players of the Day for Monday, March 8, 2010 American League Josh Beckett tuned up nicely in Boston's 7-6 win over the St. louis Cardinals on Monday, tossing three hitless innings to start the game, striking out 3. After Beckett's stint, Bostn pitchers held the Cardinals hitless into the 7th, but then allowed S. Louis to strike for a run in the 7th, 2 in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th, but Che-Shuan Lin drove in Josh Reddick in the bottom of the 9th with the winning run. A two-time all-star (2007, 2009) and world Series MVP, it's surprising that Beckett has never won a Cy Young award, though he's consistently in the conversation, so he bears close scrutiny this season, which may turn out to be among his best. Beckett's notched double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons, and last year was 4th in the AL with 17 wins, 6th in strikeouts (199) and 9th in innings pitched (212.1). National League The Mets scored 8 runs off Florida pitchers in the 9th inning to bust open a close game and win going away, 11-2. Outfielder Chris Carter, acquired from the Red sox in the deal that sent reliever Billy Wagner to Boston last year, bashed a pair of bombs in the inning to lead the assault. Carter began the inning with a solo shot, then followed it up with a three-run blast, making the most of his brief appearance. Carter is another of what seems to be an endless supply of outfielders the Mets are looking at. A product of Stanford, Carter has performed well in each of his two prior Spring Training outings, but couldn't break into the bigs except for very brief stints in each of the last two seasons.

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MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins The Twins capped a memorable season in 2009 by chasing down the Tigers and beating them in a one-game playoff to capture the Central Division. That turned out to be the last regular season game played at the Metrodome and also the last Minnesota win, as the Twins were thumped by the Yankees in a 3-game sweep. The Twins will move into new digs in 2009, opening Target Field at the start of the 2010 season. The outdoor stadium has roughly the same dimensions as the old Metrodome, minus the baggie in right field. It will accommodate significantly fewer patrons, with seating capacity 39,504. The Metrodome could hold over 55,000. Changing the venue from indoor to outdoor will have some effect on Minnesota's games, especially in the infield, where the high hops and quick artificial surface will give way to natural grass. The change should help the capable Twins infielders, though they hardly need it. Changing temperatures will be the biggest adjustment players will have to make, as the outdoors in Minnesota in early April and late September are usually a bit chilly. Minnesota will have essentially the same starting five that finished last season, and it's a very capable bunch, led by Scott Baker and Carl Pavano. Nick Blackburn and Keven Slowey are young and improving, but questions still surround Francisco Liriano, who, if healthy, could be Minnesota's top starter. In the field, Minnesota will once again be one of the best fielding teams in the league. They've bolstered the lineup with the addition of Orlando Hudson at 2nd base and J.J. Hardy (who had a down year last season with Milwaukee) at short. Those two are a major upgrade from last year, when Alexi Casilla flopped at second and shortstop Nick Punto was steady in the field but underwhelming at the plate. First baseman Justin Morneau will continue to bat in the cleanup position. Over the past four seasons, Morneau has been the complete power hitter, driving in more than 100 runs in each season and clubbing 34, 31, 23 and 30 home runs over that span. Filling out the infield is 3rd baseman Brendan Harris, and 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer will continue his sparkling career from behind the plate as well as beside it. Mauer led the league with a .365 batting average, his third batting title, and, batting in front of Morneau, is guaranteed to see plenty of hittable pitches. The outfield of Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span is better than adequate, especially Span, who has the speed and bat to become one of baseball's best center fielders. In his first full season in the bigs last year, Span batten .311 and stole 23 bases. Expect the batting average to remain high and the steals head higher. This is a very serious team that has no weaknesses except possibly that they're a little light in the power department, but DH Jason Kubel could change that. Kubel has improved his HR and RBI totals in each of the last three seasons. In 2009, he batted an even .300 with 28 dingers and 103 RBI. Along with Detroit and Chicago, Minnesota should be competitive in the division and are the favorites to win it. The pitching will have to do better, however, if they are to advance through the playoffs. The future book has them down as a 30-1 shot to win the World Series. With a new stadium and a couple of key additions, that's worth consideration.

Beckett Blanks Braves; Harris, Nats Stun Jays

Players of the Day for Saturday, June 20, 2009 American League Need an explanation for the Red Sox being 3 games in front in the AL East with the best record in the American League? How about Josh Beckett, who twirled a 5-hit, complete game shutout on Saturday as Boston slipped past the Braves, 3-0, at Fenway Park. Beckett (8-3) was at the top of his game, striking out 7 batters without walking any and using just 94 pitches (67 strikes) for his 6th career complete game and 3rd career shutout. After a slow start, Beckett has recorded wins in 6 of his last 7 decisions. National League The Washington Nationals won their 4th straight - all on the road - for their longest winning streak of the season, knocking off Toronto, 5-3, in 12 innings. The Nats have been getting quality pitching during their run, but on Saturday, it was Willie Harris' timely hitting that carried the day. Harris doubled and scored the Nationals' first run in the 5th inning, and persevered, delivering a game-winning, two-run home run in the top of the 12th, his first long ball of the season. The Nats will look to extend their season-high win streak to five games on Sunday in Toronto. They will also be looking for their first series sweep of the season. Ironically, the Blue Jays just finished off a sweep of the AL East first place Phillies before the last place Nationals came to town.

Beckett Buries Yanks; Ethier, Dodgers Continue to Roll

Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 9, 2009 American League The Yankees and Red Sox renewed their storied rivalry Tuesday night at Fenway Park, the two battling for first place in the AL East. By the time it was over, the message was clear: Josh Beckett remains a big-game pitcher, as he 1-hit the Yanks over 6 innings, striking out 8 to lead the Red Sox to a 7-0 win and a tie for the division lead. Beckett (7-2) issued two walks and threw just 93 pitches< he obviously could have gone deeper, having allowed just one baserunner past first and setting down the last seven Yankees in order, but, with the game not in question, opted for an early out allowing the bullpen to mop up. The Red Sox and Yankees continue their three game series Wednesday and Thursday in Boston. National League The LA Dodgers continued their domination over the rest of their division with a 6-4 victory over San Diego. Andre Ethier paced the offense with a pair of solo home runs as Chad Billingsley and 4 relievers managed the Padres' hitters. Ethier's shots came in the first and third innings, with the latter giving the Dodgers an early 3-2 lead. After the Padres tied the score in the top of the fifth, Matt Kemp and Orlando Hudson launched solo bombs to give the Dodgers the lead for good. Ethier is having a productive season, with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. The Dodgers have the largest edge of any division leader, at 8 1/2 games over the San Francisco Giants and a 26-9 record against NL West opponents.

Beckett, BoSox Top Rays; Jimenez Shuts Out D-Backs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, April 7 American League Josh Beckett is back and in mid-season form, or so it would seem to the reigning AL champions, Tampa Bay. Beckett stymied the Rays on 2 hits over 7 innings, fanning 10 while allowing just one run. Boston won their home opener, 5-3, with Jonathan Papelbon picking up the save. Beckett was able to relax after his teammates built a 4-1 lead in the 3rd inning and he had all of his stuff working including a nice moving fastball. Boston's burly starter struck out Tampa strongman, Carlos Pena, three times and was ahead in the count on almost every batter he faced. National League When the season started, Ubaldo Jiménez was a .500 starter, with 16 wins and 16 losses, but, following his 7 shutout innings in Colorado's 3-0 win over Arizona, he looks to become better than that as the 2009 season progresses. Jimenez was in complete control Tuesday night, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks over 7 strong innings, striking out 8 D-Backs in the process. The Rockies' rightie reached the upper limit of his pitch count, throwing 107 pitches, 61 for strikes, but the Colorado relief corps of Manny Corpas and Huston Street mopped up with an inning of work each.

Beckett, Red Sox, Force Game 7

Players of the Day from Saturday, October 18, 2008 American League Big-game pitchers step up in big games, and that's exactly what Josh Beckett did in Game 6 of the ALCS Saturday night at Tampa. Beckett worked five innings, holding the Rays to two runs on five hits, and the score tied 2-2, but the Red Sox responded with a pair of runs in the top of the 6th to give Beckett the win and record a 4-2 win over the Rays and force a series-deciding seventh game. Tampa's only runs came on solo homers by B.J. Upton (1st inning) and Jason Bartlett's bases-empty shot in the 5th. The Red Sox also got a pair of runs on solo shots by Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis, but also added a run on a ground out by Youkilis in the 3rd inning and an unearned run in the 6th when David Ortiz singled home Coco Crisp with the final score of the game. Notes: Game Seven begins at 8:08 pm ET at Tropicana Field. The Red Sox send out starter Jon Lester to face the Rays' Matt Garza. Both pitchers started game 3 on Monday at Fenway, won by the Rays, 9-1, as Garza was electric and the Rays pounded Lester for 8 hits and 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Beckett's 7-1 Win Sends Series Back to Boston

Detroit 7 Cleveland 1 - There was no tomorrow for the Boston Red Sox as they faced elimination in the American League Championship Series Thursday night. Down 3 games to 1 to the gritty Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox turned to their stopper, Cy Young candidate Josh Beckett (right). After a shaky first inning in which the Indians plated what would turn out to be their only run of the night, Beckett dominated as he has so often in October, striking out 11 Indians and limiting their offense to just 5 hits over 8 innings. With the game well in hand, Jonathan Papelbon got in an inning of work in the 9th and the best-of-seven series was headed back to Boston for game 6 on Saturday. Beckett allowed three hits in the first inning, and only two after that, and issued just one walk on 109 total pitches, of which he threw 74 for strikes. Beckett had his usual overpowering fastball, and also had his curve working to near-perfection.

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Kevin Youkilis was the slugging star for Boston, with a solo homer in the 1st, an RBI triple in the 7th and a bases-loaded walk in the 8th inning which accounted for his 3rd RBI of the night. David Ortiz chipped in with a pair of RBI on two sac flies. With the Indians now up 3 games to 2, the remaining games will be played at Boston's Fenway Park, where the Indians have already won one game, that being the game 2 marathon won when the Indians scored 7 runs in the 11th to win 13-6. The starters for game six will be the same two that started game 2; Curt Schilling will go for Boston, while the Indians send Fausto Carmona up the hill. Both pitchers were ineffective in their previous starts. Carmona lasted 4 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks. Schilling went 4 2/3, giving up 9 hits and 5 runs without walking a batter. Game time on Saturday is 8:07 pm ET.

ALCS Preview: Red Sox v. Indians

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

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

Pitching Dominates Game 1 Wins

Josh Beckett, Brandon Webb and Jeff Francis turned in stellar performances in opening-game wins for Boston, Arizona and Colorado. The Yankees-Indians series opens this afternoon in Cleveland. Boston 4 LA Angels 0 - Josh Beckett (right) blanked the Angels on 4 hits in a complete game shutout (something he failed to do in the regular season), staking the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Divisional Playoff series. Beckett, phenomenal in the post-season, hurled his second straight playoff shutout, running his post-season scoreless streak to 18 innings. Beckett's last post-season appearance was in 2003, when he pitched the final game of the World Series, when he shut out the NY Yankees and won the series MVP award. Following a leadoff single by Chone Figgins, Beckett retired 19 straight batters and finished allowing just four hits, two by Vladimir Guerrero. Beckett struck out 8 and didn't issue any walks, throwing just 108 pitches,83 of them for strikes. Kevin Youkilis hit a solo homer in the first to stake Beckett to an early lead, and David Ortiz supplied a two-run blast in the 3rd inning off LA starter John Lackey. The series continues at Fenway on Thursday with Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound for Boston against the Angels' Kelvim Escobar.

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Colorado 4 Philadelphia 2 - Jeff Francis wasn't worried that the Phillies led the league in scoring through the regular season as he earned a hard-fought win in the opener of the divisional series. Francis worked six full innings, allowing just 4 hits and two runs on back-to-back solo homers in the fifth inning by Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell. The Rockies had gotten to Philly's ace, Cole Hamels, for three runs in the third and Matt Holliday added insurance with a solo shot of his own in the 8th inning. Colorado's bullpen was also brilliant. LaTroy Hawkins, Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas each pitched an inning of hitless ball to finish off the potent Phillies. The series resumes Thursday at 3:00 pm in Philadelphia. Arizona 3 Chicago Cubs 1 - Pitching and defense are what got the Diamondbacks to the NL West title and the same strategy worked like a charm as their ace, Brandon Webb (right) allowed just one run on four hits over seven strong innings. Webb was locked into a duel with Chicago starter, Carlos Zambrano, who was lifted for a pinch-hitter after just 6 innings and 85 pitches by manager Lou Piniella. That approach didn't exactly pan out for Sweet Lou, as reliever Carlos Marmol surrendered a home run to the first batter he faced, Mark Reynolds, leading off the 7th inning. After that, Marmol walked Chris Snyder, gave up a double to Augie Ojeda and Conor Jackson - pinch-hitting for Webb - got the insurance run home with a sac fly. Arizona's Brandon Lyon set the Cubs down in order in the 8th, and Jose Valverde, who led the majors with 47 saves, slammed the door with a hitless ninth inning. Webb struck out 9, including getting slugger Derrek Lee three times on strikes. This divisional series resumes Thursday in Phoenix at 10:00 ET. Doug Davis heads to the hill for Arizona against the Cubs' Ted Lilly.

Rockies keep closing; Beckett gets 20th win

American League Boston 8 Tampa Bay 1 - Josh Beckett (right) became the first 20-game winner in the majors, helping Boston regain some breathing room over the hard-charging Yankees. Beckett (20-6) won his 4th straight decision, and 7th in his last 8, allowing one earned run on 4 hits over six innings. His effort put Boston 2 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees, who lost to Toronto. Boston had lost 4 straight before Beckett's win. Toronto 5 NY Yankees 4, 14 innings - The Yankees couldn't get to Roy Halladay until the 9th inning, but tied the game with a 4-run (3 unearned) rally before finally losing in the 14th on Greg Zaun's home run. The loss dealt a blow to the Yankees' hopes of winning the AL East, as they now trail Boston by 2 1/2 games with just 9 games left. New York is looking very good for the post-season, however, as they need just 5 more wins or Detroit losses to clinch the wild card spot. Manager Joe Torre may have to make a decision on whether to rest his starters the early part of next. If the Yankees have the wild card sewn up, but don't see much chance of catching Boston, Torre could opt to keep Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens on the bench as these are older pitchers who may not get much rest in the playoffs. Oakland 3 Cleveland 4 - The Indians got one step closer to capturing the Central division crown, reducing their magic number to 2 with their 4th straight win. Cleveland also has the best record in baseball, at 91-62, 1/2-game better than both Boston and Los Angeles. If the Indians end the season with the league's best record, they will play the wild card team in the first playoff round. Right now, that team looks to be the Yankees. Other AL Scores Kansas City 4 Detroit 5 Baltimore 2 Texas 3 Chi White Sox 6 Minnesota 4 Seattle 6 LA Angels 0 National League NY Mets 9 Florida 6 - Pedro Martinez improved to 3-0 as the Mets scored 8 runs in the 3rd through 5th innings to retain their perilous 1 1/2-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. Philadelphia 6 Washington 3 - Ryan Howard led the Phillies to another come-from-behind win with his 42nd homer and a run-scoring double. The Phils are 1 1/2 behind the Mets in the division and trail San Diego in the wild card race by the same margin. Pittsburgh 8 Chi Cubs 13 - Aramis Ramirez (right) belted a pair of 3-run homers to lead the Cubs over Pittsburgh and keep their 1 1/2 game lead over Milwaukee in the tense NL Central. Both the Cubs and Brewers face a win-or-go-home situation as neither are close in the wild card standings. LA Dodgers 3 Arizona 12 - Arizona broke out the bats as Mark Reynolds, Tony Clark and Chris Young all connected for 2-run homers off Dodger pitching, sending LA to their 6th straight loss and virtually eliminating them from post-season contention. The Diamondbacks padded their lead in the division to 1 1/2 games over San Diego. Colorado 2 San Diego 1, 14 innings - Brad Hawpe homered in the top of the 14th inning, sending the Rockies to their 6th straight win and keeping Colorado's slender post-season hopes alive. The Rockies are 3 1/2 behind the Padres in the wild card race and 5 back of Arizona in the division. The Rockies have two more games at San Diego, then travel to Los Angeles for a 3-game series before ending the season at home against division-leader Arizona. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 1 Houston 6 St. Louis 3 Cincinnati 9 San Francisco 8, 11 innings

Beckett, Bosox Bash Bombers; Phillies Flying

American League NY Yankees 1 Boston 10 - Derek Jeter's first-inning home run was all the Yankees could muster off Boston's Josh Beckett (right), who dominated from the mound, allowing just 3 hits over seven innings to improve his record to 19-6. The win dropped the Yankees back to 5 1/2 behind the Sox in the AL East standings and all but ended hopes for a division title in New York. The Yankees, however, have a grip on the post-season, leading the wild card chase by 2 1/2 over Detroit. The series ends tonight at Fenway with Roger Clemens taking the mound against Boston's Curt Schilling. Detroit 4 Minnesota 3 - The Tigers picked up a game in the wild card, scoring all of their runs in the first inning, highlighted by Ivan Rodriguez's three-run triple. Detroit continues to trail Cleveland in the Central by 5 1/2 games. The Indians' magic number is 9. Other AL Scores Baltimore 3 Toronto 8 Texas 3 Oakland 7 Kansas City 0 Cleveland 6 LA Angels 2 Chi White Sox 1 - Angels magic number is 7 Tampa Bay 6 Seattle 2 National League Philadelphia 5 NY Mets 3 - The Phillies took their second straight from the Mets and have won three in a row to pull to within 4 1/2 games of the NL East lead. Jimmy Rollins drove in the go-ahead runs with an 8th inning double as Philly rallied from an early 3-1 deficit. The Philadelphia bullpen came up with one of its better performances, blanking New York on 1 hit over the final four innings. San Diego still leads Philly by 1 1/2 in the wild card standings. Chi Cubs 3 St. Louis 2 Chi Cubs 3 St. Louis 4 - The Cardinals finally snapped their nine-game losing streak, but the Cubs maintained a 1-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central. In the opener, Alfonso Soriano smacked an 8th-inning two-run homer for the win. In the 2nd game, St. Louis scored all of their runs in the 4th inning to negate a 3-0 Chicago lead. Cincinnati 3 Milwaukee 5 - Prince Fielder (right) socked his 46th home run to lead the Brewers over Cincy. Fielder leads the NL in home runs; his closest pursuer is Cincy's Adam Dunn with 39. Arizona 2 LA Dodgers 6 - Los Angeles took their second straight from the Diamondbacks in their crucial 3-game series which concludes today. Luis Gonzalez stroked a 3-run homer in the first inning and Derek Lowe (12-12) made it stand up, allowing 1 run on 4 hits over 7 innings. The Dodgers trail Arizona by 3 1/2 and are 1 1/2 behind San Diego both in the division standings and wild card race. San Francisco 0 San Diego 6 - Brett Tomko (3-10) blanked the Giants on four hits over the first 6 innings and four Padres pitchers finished the whitewash as San Diego snuck to within 2 games of the D-Backs in the West. Other NL Scores Atlanta 4 Washington 7 Pittsburgh 7 Houston 9 Florida 10 Colorado 2

Beckett, Wang get 18th wins; Pedro shines for Mets

American League Boston 3 Baltimore 2 - Josh Beckett (right) won for the fifth time in his last six decisions, improving to 18-6 while dropping his ERA down to 3.27 with a 7-hit, 2-run performance over 7 innings. Beckett, the leading candidate in the AL for the Cy Young Award, struck out 8 without walking a batter. His BB/K ratio is 4.81, having allowed only 36 free passes while punching out 173 batters in 181 2/3 innings. NY Yankees 6 Kansas City 3 - For the 5th straight game, Alex Rodriguez homered and the Yankees won. Chien-Ming Wang won his 18th against 6 losses to keep New York within 5 1/2 of the 1st-place Red Sox. Rodriguez continues in quite a groove, even for him, stroking his 52nd home run in the first inning with Bobby Abreu aboard, his 7th home run and 10th RBI in the past 5 outings. Wang's win was his fifth straight and 8th in his last 9 decisions. The Yankees also cemented their lead in the wild card standings, now 4 up on Detroit. Seattle 14 Detroit 7 - You want hits? The Seattle Mariners banged out 19 of them, sending Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman to the showers after only 1 1/3 innings, knocking him around for 7 hits and 6 earned runs. Ichiro Suzuki went 3-4 and scored 4 times, but still trails Magglio Ordonez in the AL batting race.

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Suzuki is at .351, while Ordonez went 2-4 and drove in three runs, keeping his lead with a .355 average. The win for Seattle ended a four-game losing streak and got them to within 5 games of the Yankees in the wild card. Detroit remains a game better, 4 behind the Yankees and 6 back of Cleveland in the AL Central. Cleveland 6 LA Angels 2 - The Indians erupted for 5 4th-inning runs off Angels' starter Jered Weaver, highlighted by Ryan Garko's 3-run blast, which gave the Indians an insurmountable lead and a 2-2 split in the series matching likely playoff teams. Despite the loss, the Angels have the biggest lead in the majors, 8 games to the good over Seattle in the West, and the best home record, 49-25. Other AL Scores Toronto 2 Tampa Bay 3 Minnesota 5 Chi White Sox 2 Oakland 9 Texas 12 National League Houston 1 NY Mets 4 - The Mets took another step toward the NL East title, as Pedro Martinez (right) blanked the Astros on 6 hits over 5 innings for his second win without a loss. Martinez is returning from a long stint on the DL, but has solidified the Mets' starting rotation with two quality outings. New York won for the 8th time in their last 10 outings and retained their 6-game bulge over Philly. Florida 5 Philadelphia 8 - Pat Burrell slugged his 27th home run and drove in two as the Phillies continue to dog the Padres in the wild card race. San Diego's lead is now down to just 2 games with 20 left to play. St. Louis 5 Arizona 6 - The Diamondbacks won their 5th straight, sweeping the Cardinals in their 3-game series. Arizona improved their lead in the West over San Diego to 3 games as the Padres took one on the chin in Colorado. Milwaukee 10 Cincinnati 5 - After giving up an early 9 1/2-game lead in the NL Central, the Brewers have battled back and regained first place in the division. The Brewers took little time to establish a lead over the Reds, as the first three hitters - Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun all homered off starter Phil Dumatrait, who pitched to five batters without getting an out before being lifted. Hardy added a pair of doubles. Weeks and Braun each hit another homer in the rout. Braun, the leading candidate for NL Rookie of the Year, has 30 homers and 79 RBI. The Brewers took a one-game lead over the Cubs in the division. St. Louis is 3 back. Other NL Scores Washington 7 Atlanta 4 Chi Cubs 5 Pittsburgh 10 San Diego 2 Colorado 4 LA Dodgers 2 San Francisco 4

Lo Duca drives in 7 for Mets; Hafner leads Indians

American League Toronto 3 Boston 5 - Josh Beckett allowed 3 runs on 5 hits over 8 innings to boost his record to 17-6, the first 17-game winner in the majors. Boston maintained its 7 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East and cut their magic number for clinching the division title to 17. Cleveland 7 Minnesota 5, 11 innings - Want to know why the Cleveland Indians are in first place by a whopping 7 games in the AL Central? Two words: Travis Hafner. At Minnesota on Tuesday, Hafner got the Indians started with a solo home run in the first inning, tied the game at 5-5 with a 2-run shot in the ninth - his 21st - and drove in the game winner two innings later with a sac fly. His four RBI gave him 84 on the season. The Indians have won 9 of their last 10. Seattle 3 NY Yankees 12 - The Yankees took another step closer to the post-season with a big win over the Mariners. The win put the Yankees 2 games ahead of Seattle in the wild card standings with the rubber game of their 3-game series on Wednesday. Alex Rodriguez crunched his 46th home run, Jorge Posada went 4-4 with a pair of homers and Chien-Ming Wang joined Josh Beckett as the AL's only 17-game winners. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 3 Detroit 1 Baltimore 8 Tampa Bay 4 Kansas City 8 Texas 9 Oakland 3 LA Angels 4 National League NY Mets 11 Cincinnati 7 - Paul Lo Duca smashed a pair of 3-run homers and drove in another run with a single in the 6th inning to lead the Mets with 7 RBI. Lo Duca (right) homered in the 2nd to give the Mets a 3-0 lead and again in the 8th to put the game out of reach. New York maintained its 5 game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. LA Dodgers 6 Chi Cubs 2 - Brad Penny (15-4) allowed just one earned run over seven innings as the Dodgers stayed in the NL West race - 3 games back - and hurt Chicago in the Central. The Cubs' lead is down to just 1/2 game over the Brewers and 1 game over the resurgent Cardinals. The Cubs aren't exactly counting down their magic number just yet. They've lost two straight to the Dodgers with 2 left in their series before heading out for three games in Pittsburgh. On Monday of next week, they play a single game with St. Louis - in Chicago - then travel to St. Louis over the weekend for a three-game set with the Cards that may determine the division winner. The Cubs will have to win it on the road, as their final six games are at Florida and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh 2 St. Louis 6 - Joel Pineiro (5-2) worked out of trouble continually, but limited the Pirates to just 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over 5 2/3 innings. The Cardinals kept the pressure on the Cubs, just one game behind in the NL Central. San Diego 1 Arizona 9 - Doug Davis (14-11) allowed the Padres just one run on 5 hits over 7 innings to help the Diamondbacks back into a virtual tie with San Diego in the West. San Francisco 5 Colorado 6 - Don't forget the Rockies, who won their 3rd straight and are just four games out in the division. The Rockies chipped away at a 5-1 deficit, tying the game in the 8th on Kazuo Matsui's RBI single and winning it on Brad Hawpe's one-out single in the 9th. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Washington 4 Philadelphia 5 Atlanta 2 Houston 3 Milwaukee 5

A-Rod cracks a pair; Webb blank streak at 33

American League NY Yankees 11 Cleveland 2 - Alex Rodriguez (right) is having what some might describe as a "dream season." On Saturday, A-Rod, already leading the universe in home runs and RBI, belted another pair of 2-run moon shots, giving him 39 while boosting his RBI total to 114. Even better, the Yankees knocked off the AL Central leader for the second straight day and can sweep the Indians with a win on Sunday. Rodriguez is on pace to hit 54 homers and drive in about 155 runs, clearly an MVP-type season. If he gets hot down the stretch, he could challenge the American League single-season home run mark, still held by Roger Maris, who hit 61 in 1961. The Yankees also remained tied for the wild card lead with Seattle and continue to trail Boston by 5 games in their division. Boston 6 Baltimore 2 - Josh Beckett joined the Angels' John Lackey as the AL's only 15-game winners, getting to within 1 out of a complete game before being lifted with 2 out in the ninth. Beckett allowed 8 hits and 2 earned run, struck out 8 and lowered his ERA to 3.24. Seattle 7 Chi White Sox 6 - The Mariners nearly blew a 5-run lead as Josh Fields hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth off closer J.J. Putz, who, nevertheless, picked up his 34th save. Seattle trails the Angels by 3 1/2 in the AL West. Other AL Scores Oakland 2 Detroit 5 Toronto 1 Kansas City 4 Tampa Bay 3 Texas 0 Minnesota 3 LA Angels 4 National League Washington 0 Arizona 1 - Brandon Webb (right) pitched his second straight complete game shutout, extending his scoreless streak to 33 innings. Webb (12-8), gave up just 5 hits and one walk, while fanning 10. The Diamondbacks scored the game's only run on Justin Upton's 4th inning triple, which plated Erik Byrnes. With their 4th straight win, Arizona increased its lead in the division to 4 games over the losing Padres. LA Dodgers 1 St. Louis 6 - Rick Ankiel continues to impress with his power. The pitcher-turned-outfielder smacked a pair of homers to help St. Louis knock off the Dodgers, who are quickly slipping out of contention for both the division and the wild card. The Dodgers (60-56) are 6 behind Arizona and trail San Diego, the wild card leader, by 2 games. Ankiel added a single to go 3-4, drove in 3 runs and scored 3 times. Milwaukee 7 Houston 4 - The Brewers may be waking up at just the right time. Fending off injuries and a month-long slump - they've gone 13-16 since the All-Star break - Milwaukee won their second straight and opened up a tiny bit of breathing room in the NL Central as the Cubs lost at Colorado. The Brewers have a 1 1/2 game edge in the division. Rookie Ryan Braun went 2-5 with his 22nd home run and 4 RBI. He's hitting .346. Slugger Prince Fielder whacked his NL-best 36th home run in the 9th. Atlanta 7 Philadelphia 5 - With the Mets losing for the third straight day, the NL East race got a little more interesting. The Braves closed to within 2 1/2 of New York, with Philly 3 back. The rubber game of this critical 3-game series is the featured game on ESPN, tonight at 8:00 pm. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 13 San Francisco 3 San Diego 3 Cincinnati 8 Florida 7 NY Mets 5

Griffey Blasts 2, Passes McGwire; Biggio Closes In

American League Ken Griffey Jr., possibly the best outfielder of his era, tied and then passed Mark McGwire on the career home run list with a pair of homers - numbers 583 and 584 - for sole possession of 7th place all-time. Griffey bombed Seattle starter Miguel Batista in the 1st and 5th innings, though his effort was all the Reds could muster, losing 3-2 to the Mariners. Cincinnati 2 Seattle 3 Griffey's next target isn't far off. He's only two homers behind Frank Robinson at 586, and then it's on to 600. At 37, "The Kid" still has plenty of pop in his bat, with 21 homers already this season. With 600 in sight, Griffey (right) will be chasing Texas slugger Sammy Sosa, who has 601. Ahead of both Sosa and Griffey is Willie Mays with 660. It's conceivable that both players could reach Mays' mark, which is 4th all time. After that, time, and avoidance of injuries, will tell. Houston 12 Texas 9, 10 innings - The countdown to 3000 got into high gear for Craig Biggio as he stroked a pair of singles and a tie-breaking double to get the Astros over the Rangers on Sunday. The three hits gave Biggio 2996, and with a full slate of games this week, he'll likely reach the mark either on the road at Milwaukee (June 25, 26, 27) or at home against the Rockies (June 28, 29, 30). Batting in the #2 spot, right behind Biggio,

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rookie Hunter Pence went 4-6, scored 4 times and drove in a run with his 8th home run. Pence, a 2004 2nd round draft pick of the Astros, is near league leader Matt Holliday (.355) with a .353 batting average. Pence is just shy of being a qualified leader. His 207 at bats through 50 games, left him 23 short of the needed 230. Now that he's a regular in center field Pence should soon show up in the mix. Toronto 5 Colorado 0 - Nobody, not even the Toronto coaches, saw this coming. Dustin McGowan (4-3) tossed a no-hitter through eight innings, finally surrendering a single to lead off the ninth to Colorado's Jeff Baker. Undaunted, McGowan finished off the Rockies with a 1-hitter, issuing just 1 walk while striking out 7. The strong pitching performance helped the Blue Jays sweep the previously red-hot Rockies in the 3-game series and move into 2nd place in the AL East, 11 games back of Boston. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 9 LA Dodgers 4 - Dodgers drop 2 of 3 at TB Chi Cubs 3 Chi White Sox 0 - Sox swept by Cubs, score 2 runs in 3 games LA Angels 4 Pittsburgh 3, 10 innings - Angels sweep, have won 7 of 8 National League Detroit 5 Atlanta 0 - The Tigers, already boasting the top batting average in the majors at .293, showed the Braves that they have a bit of pitching as well. as Andrew Miller and Chad Durbin combined for a 6-hit shutout on Sunday. Miller (3-1) worked the first 6 innings, with Durbin going the final 3 for his first save. Sweeping the series, the Tigers allowed just one run - Chipper Jones' solo homer on Saturday - over the three game span. The Braves have now been shut out in four of their last five games. Their hitters might as well be using fly swatters. Detroit opened up a 2-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. NY Mets 10 Oakland 2 - As the Braves struggled, the Mets pounded out another win and maintained their 3-game edge on surging Philadelphia. John Maine improved to 8-4 and Jose Valentin led the 14-hit assault with a 3-4 effort and 3 RBI, including his 3rd home run of the season. Boston 4 San Diego 2 - Josh Beckett (right) outgunned the Padres' Jake Peavy and became the first 11-game winner in the majors, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 8 innings. Beckett (11-1) struck out 8. Arizona 8 Baltimore 3 - With both the Padres and Dodgers losing, the Arizona Diamondbacks took their turn at first place in the NL West, taking 2 of 3 from the rapidly-disintegrating Orioles. With just a 1-game edge on San Diego and 1 1/2 on the Dodgers, the D-Backs open a 4-game home series against LA on Monday. Other NL Scores Minnesota 7 Florida 4 - J. Mauer, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI Washington 3 Cleveland 1 - J. Simontacchi (W, 5-5) 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Kansas City 4 Milwaukee 3, 11 innings Philadelphia 5 St. Louis 1 - S. Victorino, 3-run double in 8th San Francisco 7 NY Yankees 2 - Yankees, 36-37, 3rd in AL East 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 Thursday (6/14): AL: 7, NL: 5 Friday (6/15): AL: 6, NL: 8 Saturday (6/16): AL: 5, NL: 9 Sunday (6/17): AL: 9, NL: 5 Monday (6/18): AL: 7 NL: 3 Tuesday (6/19): AL: 3, NL: 11 Wednesday (6/20): AL: 10, NL: 4 Thursday (6/21): AL: 3, NL: 2 Friday (6/22): AL: 7, NL: 7 Saturday (6/23): AL: 8, NL: 6 Sunday (6/24): AL: 8, NL: 6 Total: AL: 107 NL: 90 Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues.

Santana, Penny, Peavy, Beckett All Winners; Phils Have Howard Power

American League LA Dodgers 10 Toronto 1 - Brad Penny improved to 9-1 with another dominating performance, allowing 6 hits and 1 earned over 7 innings for his 4th win in a row. Luis Gonzalez drove in 4 with a double and a pair of singles to lead the Dodgers attack. LA remained 1 1/2 behind the Padres in the turbulent NL West. Philadelphia 9 Cleveland 6 - Ryan Howard (right) smashed his 16th home run, singled twice, scored 3 times and drive in 4 runs in 5 trips to the plate, leading the Phiilies over Cleveland. The win left the Phillies just 2 games behind the Mets in the NL East, while Cleveland's loss allowed Detroit to claim a share of first place with the Indians in the AL Central. Howard, who started out slowly and spent some time on the DL, has 5 home runs and 10 RBI over his last 9 games. Other AL Scores Pittsburgh 5 Seattle 3 - Seattle loses 6th straight Houston 9 LA Angels 5 - C. Lee, HR (12), 4 RBI (59, tied for NL lead) Florida 7 Chi White Sox 5 - Chicago, 3-7 last 10 Chi Cubs 5 Texas 4 - Cubs trail Brewers by 7 in NL Central National League Detroit 15 Washington 1 - The Tigers finally caught the Indians in the AL Central and they made sure everybody in baseball noticed, banging out 17 hits in a road rout of one of the worst squads in the majors. Six different Tigers had 2 hits or more and 7 different players had extra base hits. Magglio Ordonez (right) went 3-3, scoring 3 times and driving in 2 and Sean Casey knocked a double and a 3-run homer in 4 at-bats, accounting for 4 RBI. The Tigers and Indians are all even at 41-29. Boston 4 Atlanta 0 - Josh Beckett became the AL's 2nd 10-game winner - joining the Angels' John Lackey - and the Red Sox extended their lead in the AL East to 9 1/2 games over the Yankees. Beckett (10-1) worked 6 innings and didn't return after a rain delay, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks for the win. Colorado 3 NY Yankees 1 - The Rockies continued to stay in the NL West hunt, 5 1/2 behind San Diego, and set the Yankees back in their chase of Boston. Rockies' starter Josh Fogg (3-4) outdueled Mike Mussina, giving up 4 hits and one run over his 7 innings of work. Minnesota 9 NY Mets 0 - Johan Santana (7-6) twirled a 4-hit shutout, silencing the Mets' bats. Santana pitched perhaps his best game of the season, not allowing a walk, though he struck out only 1 batter. Despite the unimpressive record, Santana is still among the elite pitchers in the majors with a 2.91 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 102 innings. The loss tightened the race in the NL East, as the Phillies trail by just 2 games, 1/2 behind Atlanta. Minnesota is 5 1/2 back in the AL Central. Arizona 10 Tampa Bay 8, 10 innings - Down 8-2 after 5 frames, the Diamondbacks kept chipping away, scoring 2 runs in the 6th, 7th and 9th and ending it on a 2-run shot by rookie centerfielder Chris B. Young, who finished the night 3-6, with a pair of RBI and 2 runs scored. The D-Backs kept pace in the NL West, 1 1/2 behind San Diego Other NL Scores Milwaukee 6 San Francisco 2 St. Louis 5 Kansas City 1 Cincinnati 5 Oakland 2 - K. Griffey Jr., HR (19) San Diego 12 Baltimore 6 - J. Peavy, W, 9-1; K. Greene, 4-5, 3 RBI 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 Thursday (6/14): AL: 7, NL: 5 Friday (6/15): AL: 6, NL: 8 Saturday (6/16): AL: 5, NL: 9 Sunday (6/17): AL: 9, NL: 5 Monday (6/18): AL: 7 NL: 3 Monday (6/19): AL: 3, NL: 11 Total: AL: 78 NL: 72 Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues.

Beckett's Back: Goes to 8-0; Hudson's 4 Hits Lead D-Backs to 6th Straight

American League Josh Beckett (right) returned to the mound on Tuesday after a brief stint on the DL. It was like he never left, as the Red Sox ace worked over the Indians for 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits and a walk and the resultant 2 earned runs in Boston's 4-2 win at Fenway - their 5th straight. Beckett appeared to have command of all his pitches, throwing 87, striking out 7 and joining the Angels' John Lackey as the only pitchers in the majors with 8 wins. While Lackey has suffered a pair of losses, Beckett still has a zero in the "L" column. He's also down with the leaders in ERA, at 2.65 and WHIP, 0.97. If all goes well, Beckett will be on the mound again on Sunday, as the Sox host the Yankees. Gary Sheffield pounded a two-run homer, a three-run shot, singled, scored twice and drove in 5 runs as the Detroit Tigers routed the Devils Rays, 14-2, in Tampa. The win moved the Tigers closer to the AL Central leading Indians - Detroit is 1 1/2 back. Starter Jeremy Bonderman improved to 4-0, allowing only 1 earned run over 6 1/3 innings while striking out 8. Justin Morneau doubled twice, cracked his 16th home run and drove in 4 runs to lead the Twins to a 9-2 win over the visiting White Sox. The Twins and Sox are tied for 3rd in the AL Central, 5 1/2 games back, both chasing Cleveland. Other AL Scores LA Angels 4 Seattle 1 - I. Suzuki - 22-gm. hitting streak Toronto 3 NY Yankees 2 Texas 4 Oakland 0 - A's, 3-6 last 9 gms. Baltimore 6 Kansas City 2 - O's, 4 straight wins National League Orlando Hudson (right) rapped out 4 singles, drove in 4 runs and scored once over 6 at-bats, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to an 11-5 win at Philly, their 6th straight. The D-Backs trail the Dodgers by 1/2 game and moved into 2nd place in the NL West as San Diego lost at Pittsburgh. The Phillies, meanwhile, seem incapable of handling success well. After finally exceeding the .500 mark at 26-24, they've lost two straight to Arizona, putting them in danger of falling below the even mark again as they try to avoid the sweep tonight. Carlos Delgado spanked his 2nd home run of the night in the bottom of the 12th inning to send Mets fans home happy with a dramatic 5-4 win over the Giants. Delgado's 7th homer of the season provided the winning margin after the Giants had taken a 1-run lead in the top of the inning. But in the bottom frame, Jose Reyes walked, took second on a balk by reliever Armando Benitez, was sacrificed to third and scored on Benitez's second balk. That set the stage for Delgado who send a blast into the right field stands. Brad Penny threw shut out ball for 6 1/3 innings and the LA Dodgers routed the Nationals, 10-0 at Washington. Penny didn't miss a beat, becoming the 4th National Leaguer to reach 7 wins, allowing just 4 hits and a walk. Penny has lost just once this season. The wheels are coming off for the St. Louis Cardinals, but they're rolling right along for the Rockies. Colorado won their 7th straight, an 8-3 chuckler over the struggling Cardinals who lost their 3rd straight and 9th of their last 13. Worse yet, the loss went to Braden Looper, who has been the most reliable starter for St. Louis. Looper was victimized by catcher Yorvit Torreabla's first home run of the season. Naturally, it was the bases-loaded variety. When things are going bad, they just go bad. For Colorado, they have to just keep winning as, despite their recent success, they still trail the LA Dodgers by 5 1/2 and have Arizona and San Diego in front of them in the action-packed NL West. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 4 San Diego 1 - T. Gorzelanny (W, 6-3) Cincinnati 2 Houston 1 - Astros, 9 straight losses Milwaukee 5 Atlanta 4