Escobar stifles Blue Jays; Holliday weekend

American League Boston 11 Chi White Sox 1 - In the season's worst series drubbing, Boston soiled the White Sox by a combined score of 46-7 over the four games at Comisky. Sunday's victim was Javier Vazquez who managed to strike out 10 over 6 innings, but gave up 7 runs on 6 hits. Meanwhile, Boston's Julian Tavarez pitched his best game of the season, allowing just 2 hits and one earned run over 6, leaving the final three innings to the bullpen, which gave up just one more hit to the pathetic Chicago offense. The Red Sox scored in double-digits in each of the four games and after a day off Monday, head to New York to square off with the Yankees in a three game set. The White Sox hope to regain a little lost confidence when Tampa Bay comes calling for a single game on Monday.

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NY Yankees 4 Detroit 5 - All scores came via the home run in this one, with Curtis Granderson leading off the Tigers' first with an inside-the-park job. Marcus Thames and Carlos Guillen added two-run shots for Detroit. Jason Giambi hit a solo shot for New York and Robinson Cano belted a three-run homer in the 4th inning. The Yankees dropped another game further behind Boston - now 7 1/2 back - and must realistically be thinking more about the wild card race than catching the Red Sox, even with the Sox coming to Yankee Stadium this week. Cleveland 5 Kansas City 3, 11 innings - Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez singled home a run each in the 11th and Joe Borowski set down the Royals in the bottom of the inning for his 37th save, tying Seattle's J.J. Putz for tops in the AL. Minnesota 11 Baltimore 3 - The Twins won their 5th straight, sweeping a four-game series in Baltimore and remain just 5 1/2 behind Cleveland in the division. Toronto 1 LA Angels 3 - There are six or seven pitchers vying for the AL Cy Young award, but the most deserving of the bunch may be Kelvim Esccobar (right), who improved to 15-6 with another in a series of dominating performances on Sunday. Escobar allowed one earned off of 6 hits while striking out 5 without walking a batter over 8 innings. The win gave the Angels an additional game up on Seattle, who lost at Texas. The Mariners host the Angels in a pivotal three-game series beginning Monday. LA leads the division by 2 games over Seattle. Other AL Scores Oakland 4 Tampa Bay 7 Seattle 3 Texas 5 National League Washington 5 Colorado 10 - Matt Holliday (right) had an enjoyable weekend at Washington's expense. On Friday night, his 9th inning solo home run ignited a 5-run rally for a 6-5 Rockies win. In Saturday's 5-1 win, he joined Carlos Lee and Ryan Howard in the National League 100-RBI club, and on Sunday, he knocked in three more with a 2-run homer (his 24th), a single and a double in 4 at-bats, hoisting himself to the NL batting lead at .338. The Rockies won all three games, and stayed tied with the Dodgers in third place in the NL West, 6 1/2 behind Arizona. San Diego 2 Philadelphia 14 - Don't count the Phillies out just yet. After losing the first two games in their series with the Padres, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth let their bats do the talking. Howard pounded his 34th home run - a 3-run blast - and drove in another, going 3-4 and scoring 3 times. Werth went 5-5 - all singles - drove in 4 runs and raised his batting average from .270 to .294. With the Mets losing, the Phillies trail the division-leaders by 6 games with the New Yorkers coming for a four-game visit starting Monday. San Diego continues to lead Philly by 3 games in the wild card race. Chi Cubs 4 Arizona 5 - Arizona took 2 of 3 from Chicago and lead the Padres by 3 games in the West. San Diego will play host to the Diamondbacks in a four-game series starting Monday. The Cubs - still up 1 1/2 in the Central, head back to the Windy City for a three-game series with Milwaukee on Tuesday. Atlanta 1 St. Louis 4 - The Cardinals are still a game under .500 but only 2 back of Chicago in the division. Adam Wainwright (12-9) turned in 7 solid innings, allowing one earned on 6 hits. Wainwright has been St. Louis' most consistent starter, leading the club in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The Cards, who have the best record within the division at 30-22, head to Houston on Tuesday for a 3-game series. Florida 3 Cincinnati 9 - Don't look now, but the Reds have won six straight and are 6 1/2 back in the NL Central. Cincy scored 6 times in the first inning and cruised to the 3-game sweep of the fading Marlins. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 4 Houston 5 Milwaukee 4 San Francisco 5 - Brewers, 4 straight losses LA Dodgers 6 NY Mets 2

Bonds Tags Two; Escobar Blanks D-Rays

American League Detroit 4 Minnesota 3, 10 innings - Detroit won their third straight one-run game over the Twins, relegating Minnesota to third place, 9 games back. Brandon Inge doubled home Timo Perez in the top of the 11th and Todd Jones worked a scoreless bottom frame for his 26th save. LA Angels 3 Tampa Bay 0 - Kelvim Escobar (11-3, right) blanked the Devil Rays on 9 hits over 7 2/3, for his 5th straight win over a span of 8 starts. The Angles increased their suddenly slim lead over idle Seattle to 2 games in the AL West. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 4 Boston 2 - Red Sox have lost 3 straight Toronto 3 NY Yankees 2 - Yankees remain 7 behind Boston Cleveland 7 Texas 5 - Indians trail Detroit by 2 games National League San Francisco 8 Chi Cubs 9 - Even though the Cubs won the game, there was little doubt that this was all about Barry Bonds and his quest for the all-time home run mark. Bonds (right) blasted a pair of homers sandwiched around a two-run single for a six RBI day. He hit #552 - a solo shot - in the 2nd inning, singled in the 3rd and popped a three-run shot, #553, in the seventh. The last homer got the Giants within a run, but they failed to score after that. The Giants have lost 7 of their last 8 and dropped 3 of 4 to the Cubs. Bonds had sat out the last three games - except for a pinch-hit line-out on Tuesday - before getting off an 0-21 schneid with his 3-3 effort Thursday and is now just two short of tying Hank Aaron with 755 homers. The Giants play their next 3 games at Milwaukee, before returning home to play Atlanta, two teams for which Aaron played. It's expected that if Bonds hits one homer in Milwaukee, he will be benched so he can tie and break the record at home. Like it or not, history is about to be made. Arizona 1 Milwaukee 10 - The Brewers turned to rookie Yovani Gallardo to retain their 3 1/2-game lead on the Cubs, and the Mexican native turned in an impressive performance, allowing 3 hits and no earned runs over 6 innings, extending his personal scoreless streak to 13 innings. The Brewers gave him plenty of support, especially Tony Graffanino, who doubled and homered in four at-bats, driving in 3 and scoring 3 times. Colorado 4 Washington 5, 10 innings - The surging Rockies could have moved into a tie for third place in the NL West, but squandered a 4-1 lead, dropping a key game at Washington. Colorado remains 5 1/2 back of San Diego and LA and a game behind Arizona. Philadelphia 0 San Diego 1 - Chris Young outdueled Phillies ace Cole Hamels over 7 innings to improve to 9-3. Both starters gave up just 2 hits apiece, though Hamels' both came in the 3rd inning when Geoff Blum singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on Brian Giles' double. Trevor Hoffman picked up his 7th save. The win put San Diego percentage points ahead of the Dodgers, who were blasted by the Mets. NY Mets 13 LA Dodgers 9 - The Mets made more of their opportunities as the Dodgers actually outhit them, 19-16, and retained their 2 1/3-game lead over Atlanta. Other NL Scores Cincinnati 7 Florida 5 - Reds, 4th straight win; R. Freel, 3-4, HR (3), 3 RBI, SB (15) St. Louis 1 Atlanta 10 - A. Jones, HR (19), 3 RBI (65)

Big Hurt Close to 500; Atlanta Scores, Loses Again

American League Chi Cubs 2 Chi White Sox 1 - The White Sox still can't find anyone they can beat, even with a solid pitching performance like the one they got on Saturday from Javier Vazquez (7 1/3, 5 hits, 1 earned, 8 Ks). The Cubs pushed a run across on a perfectly-executed squeeze play by Ryan Theriot (the squeezor) and Angel Pagan (the squeezee) in the top of the 9th of closer Bobby Jenks, who was doing anything but closing in this one. The Sox are deep in the throes of an horrific losing streak, dropping their 4th straight and 21 of their last 26. Ouch! Their dismal play has left them 13 1/2 games behind AL Central leader, Detroit. In those 21 losses, the Sox have scored 2 runs or less 8 times, though they were last shutout on May 31 by Toronto. LA Angels 10 Pittsburgh 1 - The LA Angles just continue to roll towards the NL West title, winning their 3rd straight and 8th of their last 10. LA improved to 28-10 at home, as Kelvim Escobar (9-3, right) gave up just one earned run off 5 hits while striking out 4 and Vladimir Guerrero boosted his All-Star credentials with a 3-5 effort, including 14th home run - a 2-run shot in the 8th. Vlad has 68 RBI, tied for 2nd in the AL with Magglio Ordonez. The Halos now lead both Oakland and Seattle by 8 games. Toronto 11 Colorado 6 - The Colorado Rockies swept the Yankees, but can't seem to find a way to beat another AL East squad - the Blue Jays - who beat them for the second time in as many days on Saturday. Frank Thomas went 4-4, including a 2-run, 1st-inning home run, driving in four runs total on the day. It was Big Hurt's 11th dinger of the season and career #498. The Rockies and Jays complete their series this afternoon, with Toronto looking for the sweep. Other AL Scores Texas 7 Houston 2 - M. Young, 2-4 4 RBI Tampa Bay 4 LA Dodgers 3 - Dodgers trail Az., SD, by 1/2-gm. Seattle 9 Cincinnati 1 - R. Ibanez, GS HR (6); R. Sexson, 2 HR (14) National League Detroit 2 Atlanta 1 - The Braves finally pushed a run across on Chipper Jones' 4th inning solo homer, but it was all they could muster off Detroit starter Justin Verlander (9-2), who powered through 7 innings, striking out 11, while surrendering only 4 hits. It was the first run for Atlanta in 4 games, having been shut out twice by Boston (4-0 and 11-0) and Friday by the Tigers with Kenny Rogers on the mound for 6 innings (5-0). The Braves' 4th straight loss dropped them 3 1/2 back of the Mets in the NL East while the Tigers retained their 1-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. Milwaukee 7 Kansas City 1 - The Brewers won their 5th straight and 9th of their last 10, continuing to lead the Cubs and Cardinals by 8 1/2 in the NL Central. The efficient Brewers turned 8 hits and 3 walks into 7 runs for the win, their 7th in 11 recent tries against AL teams. Minnesota 11 Florida 1 - Justin Morneau remained in the hospital after a collision with Florida catcher Miguel Olivo on Friday, but the Twins didn't miss a beat, trouncing the Marlins with the help of Jason Kubel's 3-3, 3 run, 2 RBI performance. Catcher Joe Mauer cracked a pair of doubles and drove in 3, in support of starter Carlos Silva (5-8), who allowed just one earned on 4 hits over 7 innings. San Diego 6 Boston 1 - Chris Young struck out 11 and allowed just 1 hit in 7 scoreless innings of work as the Padres evened their series with Boston at 1-each with the rubber game this afternoon. Khalil Greene rapped a pair of solo home runs to lead the San Diego offense as the Padres picked up a share of 1st place in the NL West as the Dodgers lost and Arizona won. Other NL Scores Cleveland 4 Washington 3 - V. Martinez, 3-run 9th inning HR (14) Arizona 7 Baltimore 4 - J. Valverde, S (24) NY Mets 1 Oakland 0 - D. Wright, 9th inning RBI double St. Louis 8 Philadelphia 3 NY Yankees 5 San Francisco 6, 13 innings - A. Rodriguez, 4-6, solo HR (28, leads majors) 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 Total: AL: 99 NL: 84 Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues.

Escobar Shuts Down Punchless Dodgers; Jenkins Drives in Five

Sunday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Kelvim Escobar threw 8 scoreless innings in a 4-1 win, giving up just 3 singles and a pair of walks as the LA Angels won their 5th straight and swept the Dodgers in their 3-game LA series, outscoring their SoCal rivals, 19-4. Scott Shields came in to work the 8th and allowed the Dodgers' only run, but Francisco Rodriguez came in to get the final out and his 14th save. Escobar is 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA. The Angels have opened up a 4-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. Matt Morris was tough as nails, allowing just 1 earned run on 2 hits and 2 walks in San Francisco's 4-1 win over the Oakland A's, helping the Giants avoid a sweep in the 3-game Bay area series. Morris pitched the entire 9 innings for his first complete game of the season. He threw 126 pitches and struck out 9, improving to 5-1. Other AL Scores Detroit 6 St. Louis 3 - Tigers sweep 3-gm. series with Cards Cleveland 5 Cincinnati 3 - Indians take all-Ohio series, 2-1 Florida 4 Tampa Bay 3 - Marlins sweep 3 in all-Florida series Boston 6 Atlanta 3 - Red Sox (30-13) best in majors, 10 1/2-gm. AL East lead San Diego 2 Seattle 1 National League We knew it was only a matter of time before this guy would begin making regular appearances as a Peak Performer, so, Milwaukee'sGeoff Jenkins performance on Sunday wasn't surprising as he single-handedly got the Brewers back on the winning track by driving in 5 runs in Milwaukee's 6-5 win over the Twins. Jenkins cracked his 9th homer of the season - a 3-run shot that tied the game in the 5th inning at 5-5 - after singling in a run in the 3rd, but he wasn't quite finished. Jenkins knocked in the game-winner with a scratch single in the 7th, plating Prince Fielder. After that, reliever Derrick Turnbow shut down the Twins in the 8th and closer Francisco Cordero struck out the side in the 9th for his 17th save, which tops the majors. The win was only Milwaukee's 3rd in their last 10 games, but the Brewers still maintain a 5 1/2-game lead in the NL Central over Houston and are 6 games up on the Chicago Cubs.

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Mark Teixiera and Victor Diaz both had 4 hits, drove in 4 runs and scored twice, including a pair of homers each, in the Rangers 14-1 romp over the Houston Astros. But the most efficient Ranger was Ramon Vazquez, playing in just his 3rd game of the season, who scored 3 times, drove in 5 with a 2-run homer, a 2-run double and a single in 3 at-bats. He's batting .750 (6-8). Other NL Scores Arizona 5 Pittsburgh 2 - R. Johnson (W, 2-2), 10 K; J. Valverde, S (16) Philadelphia 5 Toronto 3 Washington 4 Baltimore 3 - O's take Beltway series, 2-1 White Sox 10 Cubs 6 - AJ Pierzynski GS HR (8), Cubs take 2 of 3 in Windy City series Kansas City 10 Colorado 5, 12 innings NY Yankees 6 NY Mets 2 - Yanks avoid Subway series sweep, A. Rodriguez, HR (17)