Perfect Game by Armando Galarraga Ruined by Ump Jim Joyce; Griffey Retires; Adrian Gonzlaez Slams Mets in 11

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 2, 2010 American League Armando Galarraga was robbed. The fans were robbed. Baseball was robbed. When umpire Jim Joyce made what is likely the most egregious blown call in the long, storied history of baseball, possibly in all of sport, he upset millions of people. Americans can endure a lot of pain and suffering. We've fought wars, seen young men and women die in defense of our nation's principles. We lived through the long pain of the Great Depression, Civil War, the horror of 9/11 and even today, as the BP oil gusher continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico and despoil our precious wetlands, we endure. But don't mess with baseball, especially baseball history. When Galarraga raced to first base to collect the throw from Miguel Cabrera, the ball was in his glove as his foot touched the bag before that of runner Jason Donald, the game was over. Twenty-seven straight went down in Galarraga's perfect game, but Jim Joyce blew the call. In football, the play would have been reviewed and reversed. Tennis players have the right to review and reverse line calls. Joyce's blown call needs to be reviewed, reversed, the official stats of of the game altered to reflect the correct conclusion. Donald was out. Galarraga retired 27 straight. Trevor Crowe's at-bat - which ended the game as he grounded harmlessly to third - should disappear from the records as though it never happened, because it shouldn't have. Sadly, There are no solutions to reverse Joyce's bad call. Manager Jim Leland, who was surprisingly conciliatory toward Joyce and the entire incident, could not protest the game. In baseball's antiquated rule nomenclature, specifically, rule 4.19 [PDF], on protesting games, in which it says, "No protest shall ever be permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire. In all protested games, the decision of the League President shall be final." Joyce's call was a judgment decision, thus, according to the rules, the protest would not be permitted by the league president. Were a protest allowed, at least Galarraga would have a chance to pitch to Donald again and claim his rightful place in baseball history. Rule 10.01 (b)(3) [PDF] requires that the game be replayed from the point of the protest with exactly the same situation as existed before the protested play. Rule 9.02 (a) also serves to perpetuate the "sanctity" of the umpire, saying, "Any umpire’s decision which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out, is final. No player, manager, coach or substitute shall object to any such judgment decisions." That rule needs to be stricken from the book, or at least amended. Umpires are human, and thus, prone to error. Giving them absolute authority in matters of judgment, especially in an age in which everything is televised, scrutinized and criticized, baseball leaves itself open to scorn and ridicule. It's time for a change. Detroit won the tarnished affair, 3-0. Galarraga will be officially credited with a one-hitter, in itself a notable accomplishment. It should be different. It should be a perfect game, the third of this season and 4th no-hitter this year. But it's not, thanks to the antiquated thinking of the people who run major league baseball and write the rules for same. Remember, these are the same bunch of folks who won't allow Pete Rose, the all-time leader in hits, along with records in a slew of other categories, to enter the Hall of Fame. Well, Americans have endured that travesty for a couple of decades now. Baseball supposes we should endure even more. It's ridiculous. Baseball needs to change, and change soon. National League It took the Padres 11 innings to dispose of the Mets and finish heir three-game series by winning two of the games, but Adrian Gonzalez made sure to leave a lasting impression, finishing the contest with a walk-off, grand slam homer for a 4-1 Padres' win. The win kept the padres in first place in the NL West, with a slender one-game lead over the Dodgers, who have won their last four straight. San Diego continues to defy expectations, as do the division-leaders in the East (Atlanta) and the Central (Cincinnati is tied with St. Louis for first place). The homer by Gonzalez was his 10th of the year, and the added 4 RBI brought his total to 32. He also singled twice and doubled, giving him a 4-for-6 night at the plate, on a night in which base hits were in pretty short supply.

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Farewell to the Kid: Citing a lack of playing time causing a distraction to his teammates, ever-classy Ken Griffey Jr. abruptly hung up the spikes on Wednesday, putting to rest one of the most remarkable careers in baseball history. Suitably, Griffey finished where he started, in Seattle, where he spent the first eleven years of his career, 1989-1999, knocking balls out of the park and running down flies in center field with reckless abandon and joy. Griffey spent the next nine years with the Reds, finally being traded to the White Sox near the end of the 2008 season. In Cincinnati, Griffey's career took various turns for the worse, suffering injury upon injury, especially from 2002-2004, playing in just 206 games in those three seasons combined. In 2009 and 2010 he played in Seattle. The injuries slowed Griffey's assault on the record books considerably. Barring injuries, he was a cinch to hit 700 homers, but sport can be cruel to even the best, though Griffey should have few regrets, finishing his career with stats worthy of a certain first-round induction to the Hall of Fame. For the record, Griffey's lifetime stats are: 2671 games, 9801 at-bats, 1662 runs, 2781 hits, 5271 total bases, 524 doubles, 38 triples, 630 home runs, 1836 RBI, 1312 walks (246 intentional), 184 stolen bases, a lifetime bating average of .284, on base percentage of .370 and a .538 slugging percentage. Griffey ranks 5th all-time in homers and 14th in RBI. A 12-time All-Star, Griffey led the AL in homers four times and was the 1997 American League MVP. Griffey will always be remembered for his unbridled enthusiasm and joy for playing the game, and the smile that brightened every major league ball park. It's been fun, kid. see you in Cooperstown.

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.

Phillies KO Brewers; Angels, White Sox Extend Series

Players of the Day from Sunday, October 5, 2008 LA Angels 5 Boston 4 Mike Napoli became the unlikely hero as the LA Angels staved off elimination with a 5-4, 12-inning win over the Boston Red Sox. Napoli, who also caught the entire game, handling six different pitchers, homered twice off Boston starter Josh Beckett, rapping a 2-run shot in the third and a solo blast in the 5th, sending the Red Sox hurler to an early shower. Napoli's second homer gave the Angels a 4-3 lead, but Boston tied it in the bottom of the frame and the score remained the same until the 12th inning. Napoli led off with a single, moved to second on a sac bunt and scored on Erick Abyar's single up the middle. Notes: The Angels now trail Boston 2-1 in the best-of-five series, which resumes Monday at 8:35 ET at Fenway. The same pairing that started game 1 will go, with Jon Lester heading to the hill for Boston to face the Angels' John Lackey. LA's win snapped a string of 11 straight playoff losses to the Red Sox, dating back to 1986. Chicago White Sox 5 Rays 3 Manager Jose Guillen juggled his lineup and it worked out just fine for Ken Griffey Jr., who singled twice, walked and scored the eventual game-winner as the White Sox stayed alive with a 5-3 win over the Rays. The Sox are still trailing the Rays, 2-1 in the series, which continues Monday in Chicago. Game 4 begins at 5:05 pm ET, with Chicago's Gavin Floyd facing the Rays' Andy Sonnanstine. Philadelphia 6 Milwaukee 2 The Phillies were just too much for the Brewers, taking their playoff series by a 3-1 margin. Jimmy Rollins homered to open the game, but it was Pat Burrell's three-run homer in the third and solo shot in the 8th that really put the Phillies over the top. The Phillies scored all of their runs via the long ball, as they knocked off the Brewers, 6-2. Notes: Philly now has home field advantage in the NL Championship Series against the Dodgers, starting Thursday, October 9.

Griffey Mashes #600; Navarro a Sweet Find for the Rays

Players of the Day from Monday, June 9, 2008 American League Ken Griffey Jr. became the 6th player in major league history to hit 600 home runs, launching a first-inning blast off Marlins' starter Mark Hendrickson into the right field stands. Jerry Hairston was on third when Griffey hit the historic homer, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead and starting a 9-4 rout of Florida by the Reds.

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The home run was Griffey's only hit of the night. He finished 1-for-4 with 2 RBI. It was just his 7th home run of the season and his 28th and 29th RBI. Griffey joins Sammy Sosa, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds as the only players to reach the 600 HR plateau. Notes: Cincy split the 4-game series with the Marlins by find themselves in last place in the NL Central, 9 1/2 games behind the Cubs. With #600 out of the way, could Griffey be headed for a trade? Seattle has been mentioned, though other teams which might be looking for an extra left-handed DH or outfielder include Cleveland, Toronto and Baltimore. While Griffey would likely want to be traded to a contender, that may not happen. He and his swing would be a nice fit for the compact dimensions of Camden Yards. The O's could definitely use a boost, but do they have what the Reds need - young, starting pitching? Daniel Cabrera or Garrett Olson come to mind. The Blue Jays have even more to spare. Stay tuned. National League Just what do the Rays have in young catcher Dioner Navarro? It's somewhat early to say, but Navarro, a solid plate presence with occasional power is batting .347 through 42 games as Tampa Bay's #1 backstop.

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In the opener of their three-game series with the Angels, Navarro led the charge to a 13-4 Rays romp with a single, a pair of doubles and his third homer of the season in 5 at-bats, driving in four runs and scoring three times. Whatever the Rays see in Navarro, it's definitely working for them. Notes: Despite their loss on Monday, the Angels still hold a 4-game lead on the A's in the West, with Texas 7 back. The Mariners have dropped out of it completely, 15 1/2 games off the pace. Meanwhile, the White Sox won their seventh straight, sending the 2nd place Twins to their 5th straight loss, 7-5, and opening up the largest lead in the majors, 6 1/2 games. The Sox have built their lead by beating up on divisional opponents, posting a 21-8 mark in that regard.

Griffey, Dunn lead Reds to 5th straight; Lowell propels Red Sox

American League Boston 14 Chi White Sox 2 - The Red Sox are on cruise control and Mike Lowell (right) is one of the big reasons why. Lowell connected for 4 singles in 6 at-bats, drove in two runs and scored a pair, as Boston hammered the White Sox for the third straight day. Boston took both ends of a double-header - 11-3 and 10-1 on Friday prior to Saturday's drubbing. Lowell leads the team in hits, with 150, and RBI, with 92. His .324 batting average is just .001 shy of David Ortiz' team lead. Lowell's hitting backed Tim Wakefield's 7 shutout innings as the knuckler joined teammate Josh Beckett the majors' only 16-game winners. NY Yankees 7 Detroit 2 - The Yankees remained 6 1/2 behind the Red Sox as Chien-Ming Wang (15-6) kept the Tigers in check for his 15th win. Wang allowed one earned run on five hits over 8 innings of work. Johnny Damon tripled and homered to spark the offense. The Yanks picked up a game on wild card leader Seattle and now trail the Mariners by 2 games. Cleveland 9 Kansas City 4 - Detroit's pain was Cleveland's gain. The Indian's improved their AL Central lead to 2 1/2 games over the Tigers with a drubbing of the Royals. The Indians banged out 17 hits - 9 for extra bases - with 7 of the 9 regulars getting at least 2 knocks. Victor Martinez had two doubles and his 19th home run from 5 at-bats, drove in 2 runs and scored 3 times. Minnesota 8 Baltimore 1 - Almost without notice, the Twins have snuck back into the AL Central fray with their 4th straight win. Torii Hunter smacked a 3 run homer in the 6th inning and drove in another with a double in the 8th. Hunter has 90 RBI on the season. The Twins trail the Indians by 5 1/2. Other AL Scores Oakland 3 Tampa Bay 14 Seattle 3 Texas 5 = Mariners still 1 game back of Angels in AL West Toronto 9 LA Angels 2 National League LA Dodgers 3 NY Mets 4 - The Mets extended their dominance in the NL East as both the Phillies and Braves were losing Saturday. New York has opened a 7-game lead on both as they squeaked by the Dodgers to take the second straight in the 3-game series. Tonight's finale is ESPN's featured game. Atlanta 4 St. Louis 5 - The Cardinals refuse to die, picking up a game on both the Cubs and Brewers in the NL Central race. The Cards ended up just 3 games behind Chicago as they scored all of their runs in the 6th inning, batting around on loser Tim Hudson (15-6). The Cardinal bullpen worked the final five innings, with Jason Isringhausen fanning two in the ninth for his 26th save. Chi Cubs 1 Arizona 3 - The D-Backs kept their slim 2-game lead over San Diego intact with more solid starting pitching, this time from Doug Davis (11-11), who scattered 6 hits over 7 innings while striking out 8. Jose Valverde picked up his 39th save, tops in the majors. San Diego 4 Philadelphia 3 - The Padres kept pace in the West with four homers accounting for all of their runs, and now lead the wild card standings by four games over the Phillies and Braves. Mike Cameron, Milton Bradley and Kevin Kouzmanoff all had solo shots, and pinch hitter Terrmel Sledge's solo slug to center provided the winning margin in the ninth. The Philadelphia bullpen, overworked and under pressure, gave up a lead again, sending the Phillies to their 4th straight loss. The Padres have won 4 straight. Florida 7 Cincinnati 11 - Adam Dunn (left) hit his 36th home run and Ken Griffey Jr. (right) knocked career #591 as the Reds slugged their way to their 5th straight win and are just 7 1/2 games out in the Central division. Over the five game span, the Reds have scored 35 runs, but their average margin of victory is just 2.2 runs per game. A little pitching could put the Reds right in the thick of things. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 4 Houston 1 Washington 1 Colorado 5 Milwaukee 2 San Francisco 6 - Brewers, 3 straight losses

Cust's 7 RBI tames Tigers; the Philly Flash is back

American League NY Yankees 6 Cleveland 1 - The Yankees did more than just beat the Central division leaders on Friday. They also tied Seattle for the lead in the wild card race and drew to within 5 games of Boston in their own division. Alex Rodriguez pounded his 37th home run of the season to get the scoring started in the 2nd inning and rookie starter Phil Hughes gave up just one earned run from 4 hits over six innings to improve to 2-1.

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Hughes struck out 6 and walked one. Yankees' center fielder Melky Carbrera extended his hitting streak to 15 games. Oakland 16 Detroit 10 - In light of the Indians' loss, Detroit had the opportunity to close the gap in the division, but the slumping Tigers dropped their 3rd straight and 14th of their last 18. The main problem for Detroit seems to lie in their pitching staff, which, over those 14 losses, has allowed an average of 7.8 runs per game, 4 times allowing 10 or more. With no quick fix to pitching woes, the Tigers head into a rough part of their schedule once they conclude their 4-game series with the A's on Monday. Following that, they play 13 straight games against the Indians and Yankees, their principal division and wild card foes. In Friday's win by the A's, Jack Cust (right) delivered two devastating blows. First, a bases-loaded double in the 3rd, then, in the 6th inning, a grand slam homer, his 18th round-tripper. Cust finished 2-5 with 7 RBI. Minnesota 1 LA Angels 10 - Starter Kelvim Escobar improved to 12-6, allowing one earned run on 5 hits over six innings as his teammates scored 2 in the third and 4 in each of the 6th and 7th innings. The win increased the Angels' edge in the division to 3 1/2 games over Seattle. Other AL Scores Boston 5 Baltimore 6 - Boston blows 5-1 lead Toronto 2 Kansas City 1 Seattle 3 Chi White Sox 5 Tampa Bay 4 Texas 7 National League Atlanta 4 Philadelphia 5 - With the Mets losing to Florida, the two main contenders for the top spot in the NL East squared off in the opener of a crucial 3-game series, with the home boys taking the advantage. A couple of subs accounted for the game-winner, as Greg Dobbs singled home Jayson Werth in the bottom of the 7th, snapping a 4-4 tie. After J.C. Romero and Antonio Alfonseca held the lead in the 8th, Tom (Flash) Gordon (right) recently back from the DL, picked up his first save since May 1 with a scoreless 9th. The Phillies took a 1.2-game edge over the Braves and trail the Mets by 3 1/2. Cole Hamels (13-5) got the win. Chi Cubs 6 Colorado 2 - The Cubs won their 2nd straight at Colorado, remaining 1/2-game back of Milwaukee in the NL Central. Jason Marquis (9-7) didn't allow an earned run over 6 2/3, giving up 5 hits and no walks, while striking out 5. Washington 4 Arizona 11 - The D-backs maintained their 3-game edge in the West, winning their 3rd straight and 8th of their last 10. Conor Jackson smashed a pair of home runs (9) and drove in 4,on a 3-3 night. San Diego 12 Cincinnati 7, 11 innings - Adrian Gonzalez went 3-4, with a pair of doubles and a 3-run homer - his 19th - and scored three times as the Padres kept pace with Arizona, putting up a 5-spot in the top of the 11th for the win. Ken Griffey Jr. homered for the Reds, his 27th. Pittsburgh 8 San Francisco 7 - Barry Bonds homered for the 4th time in his last 6 games, giving him 24 on the season and 758 lifetime. His 3 RBI, however, could not prevent another San Francisco loss, as the last-place Giants fell to 49-65, 15 1/2 games out in the NL West. Other NL Scores Florida 4 NY Mets 3 Milwaukee 5 Houston 4, 11 innings LA Dodgers 2 St. Louis 1

Indians rule AL Central; Mets mash Cubs

American League Cleveland 5 Minnesota 2 - The Indians finally put together a pair of wins - the first time since July 19 & 20 at Texas that they've won two straight - and took over first place in the AL Central. After a 5-0 win over Texas on Thursday, the Indians put their ace, C.C. Sabathia, (right) on the mound, and he responded with six solid innings, allowing just two earned runs against Twins' starter Johan Santana (11-9). Sabathia (14-6) became the first pitcher in the American league to get to 14 wins, tying the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano for the most in the majors. The Indians have been dogging Detroit for nearly a month, most recently going through a frustrating 3-8 stretch while the Tigers were desperately trying to fumble away first place, losing 11 of 15 since ending a 4-game win streak on August 19. Kansas City 1 NY Yankees 7 - The Yankees, on the verge of completing what may be the softest part of their entire 2007 schedule, have taken 10 of 15 over Tampa Bay, Baltimore, KC and the White Sox, and with two games left in their series with the Royals, seem to have made some headway. With Boston losing last night, the Yanks are 7 back in the AL East and now trail Detroit by 2 1/2 in the wild card race. Seattle is also involved, 1/2-game behind the Tigers. After Sunday, it gets a lot more interesting in the Yankees' quest for a playoff spot, with August filled with games against Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and the LA Angels. The month culminates with a 3-game series in the Bronx with Boston on August 28, 29 and 30. The upcoming stretch may well determine the post-season fate of the Bronx Bombers. Boston 4 Seattle 7 - The Mariners continue to confound their critics, remaining a contender in both the AL West and wild card races. With a lineup consisting of no-name players beyond Ichiro and Adrian Beltre, Seattle manages to get timely hitting and pitching, like on Friday, when #9 hitter, Yuniesky Betancourt delivered a 3-run homer in the 4th and broke a 4-all tie in the 6th with a key ground-out RBI. The Mariners are 2 1/2 behind the Angels and just 1/2-game behind Detroit in the wild card. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 7 Detroit 4 Texas 4 Toronto 6 Baltimore 3 Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 4 Oakland 8 National League Cincinnati 13 Pittsburgh 4 - Adam Dunn (right) socked his 29th homer and Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 26th, as all 8 position players for the Reds had at least 2 hits. NY Mets 6 Chi Cubs 2 - The Mets are determined to make a mess of any other team's hopes of making the playoffs. On Friday, they knocked the Cubs out of first place, and, by virtue of losses by Philly and Atlanta, improved their NL East lead to 5 games. Orlando Hernandez gave the Mets 6 2/3 innings of solid mound work, allowing 2 earned runs, and the bullpen blanked the Cubs the rest of the way, preventing Carlos Zambrano from becoming the first 15-game winner in the majors. Arizona 1 LA Dodgers 0 - The Diamondbacks upped their lead to 1 1/2 games, behind the 3-hit, 8-inning performance of Doug Davis (8-10), who outdueled LA starter Chad Billingsley (7-2). Jose Valverde delivered a perfect ninth, fanning 2 of the 3 batters he faced, for his 32nd save. The Dodgers fell to third place, 2 back, as the Padres beat San Fran. Colorado stayed in the race with a win at Florida. The Rockies are 3 1/2 off the pace. Other NL Scores St. Louis 2 Washington 3 Houston 8 Florida 2 Colorado 9 Atlanta 2 Philadelphia 1 Milwaukee 2 San Francisco 3 San Diego 4, 10 innings

Ordonez Drives Detroit; Griffey Strokes 2500th Hit

American League Detroit 3 Minnesota 2 - Magglio Ordonez singled, doubled and hit his 14th homer, driving in all of Detroit's runs against Johan Santana and the Twins. The win was Detroit's 3rd straight and second in a row over the Twins. The teams wrap up their 3-game set tonight at Minnesota. Detroit has a 2-game bulge over Cleveland in the division and lead Minnesota by 8. Toronto 1 NY Yankees 6 - Roger Clemens scattered 9 hits over 6 innings, allowing just 1 run and Alex Rodriguez drove in a pair of runs with a double in the 7th to give him 92 RBI on the year. New York closed to within 7 games of the AL East-leading Red Sox, who dropped their second straight to the Royals. The Yankees have won 5 straight and will be looking for the 4-game sweep over Toronto tonight. Baltimore 5 Seattle 6 - Adrian Beltre's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 8th forced home Jose Vidro with the winning run as the Mariners crept to within 1 1/2 games of the struggling Angels.

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Los Angeles lost their 3rd straight and have dropped 6 of their last 8 on the road, evening their away record at 24-24. Just a month ago, the Angels looked like a lock to win the AL West in runaway fashion, but since June 25th, LA is just 6-11, while Seattle put together an 18-7 run since June 19th and has closed the gap considerably. The two meet in Seattle for a 3-game series beginning July 30. Other AL Scores Chi White Sox 5 Cleveland 1 Texas 0 Oakland 6 - A's break 9-game losing streak Kansas City 6 Boston 5 LA Angels 2 Tampa Bay 7 National League Cincinnati 5 Atlanta 4, 15 innings - Ken Griffey Jr. (right) reached another milestone in his certain Hall of Fame career with his 2,500th hit and scored the go-ahead run in the 15th on Brandon Phillips' 2-run single. Jeff Francoeur knocked home Andruw Jones in the bottom frame, but the Braves fell a run short and were swept at home by the last-place Reds. San Francisco 1 Chi Cubs 12 - Barry Bonds sat out his third straight game and watched as Koyie Hill - a .179 back-up catcher - drove in five runs with a pair of doubles. The Cubs improved to 10-4 in July and trail Milwaukee by 3 1/2 games as the Brewers lost to Arizona. Meanwhile, the rest of the NL West clubs all won, sinking the Giants further into the cellar, 13 1/2 games out. Colorado 5 Pittsburgh 3 - Jeff Francis (W, 10-5) worked 7 innings, allowing just 2 earned on 6 runs while fanning 6, helping the Rockies to their 3rd straight win. Colorado remains in 4th place in the NL West, but they are only 5 1/2 behind division-leader Los Angeles. NY Mets 4 San Diego 5 - David Wright erased a 4-1 Padres' lead with a 3-run shot in the 8th, but San Diego responded with a run in the bottom of the inning and Trevor Hoffman set the New Yorkers down in order in the 9th for his 26th save. Neither team made any move in the standings as all the contenders in the East lost, while all the Western division teams were winners. Other NL Scores Houston 6 Washington 7 Philadelphia 4 LA Dodgers 5 St. Louis 6 Florida 0 - K. Wells, W (4-12), 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Arizona 5 Milwaukee 2

Griffey Passes Robinson; Rookie Gabbard Blanks Royals

American League Chi White Sox 11 Cleveland 10 - The White Sox snapped a 3-game losing streak, but nearly blew a 9-run lead, holding on for their 2nd road win since the All-Star break. On their previous road trip, Chicago took 6 of 7 from Tampa Bay and Kansas City, but their current excursion pits them against vastly better squads. The Sox, now mired near the bottom of the AL Central at 41-50 play 2 more at Cleveland before heading to Boston for a 4-game series. Cleveland could have tied Detroit for first place in the division, but fell just short, scoring 3 runs in the 6th and 5 more in the 8th, but were eventually squelched by closer Bobby Jenks - the 7th White Sox pitcher - who earned his 25th save with a scoreless 8th inning. Kansas City 0 Boston 4 - Rookie starter Kason Gabbard (right) shut out the Royals on 3 hits Monday, earning his first complete game shutout, improving his record to 3-0. Gabbard walked one, struck out 8 and allowed just two runners past first base as the Red Sox turned 3 double plays behind him. Boston got all their runs via the long ball as Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez hit solo shots in the 4th and David Ortiz put the game away with a 2-run blast in the 6th. Toronto 4 NY Yankees 6 - The Yankees kept pace with Boston, remaining 9 games back while throttling their nearest competition, Toronto, with solid late-inning bullpen work and home runs from Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez, who cracked his 32nd with a 2-run shot in the 3rd inning. Other AL Scores Baltimore 2 Seattle 4 - Mariners, 2 1/2 behind Angels, win 6th of last 8 Texas 4 Oakland 1 - A's lose 8th straight National League Cincinnati 10 Atlanta 3 - Ken Griffey Jr. passed Frank Robinson to move into 6th place on the career home run list with number 687. Griffey's 24th homer of the season - a 3-run swat - gave the Reds a 5-0 lead in the 2nd inning as they cruised to their first win after dropping 3 of 4 from the Mets. Griffey's next target is still-active, Sammy Sosa, at 602. Slumping Sammy is 0-for-July in both homers and RBI, his last long ball coming on June 30. The Braves remained 1 1/2 back of New York in the AL East as the Mets lost at San Diego. NY Mets 1 San Diego 5 - The first leg of the Mets' 7-game West coast swing didn't go so well as David Wells and a trio of relievers stymied the New Yorkers on 9 hits. Wells (5-5), worked 6 innings, giving up the only run the Mets would produce, in the 4th inning. Catcher Michael Barrett knocked in 3 runs with run-scoring singles in the 2nd and 8th innings, and added another single for a 3-4 night. Philadelphia 3 LA Dodgers 10 - Jeff Kent knocked a 3-run homer off loser Jamie Moyer while Brad Penny (11-1) was turning in another outstanding performance from the mound, allowing just one earned run on 4 hits over 7 innings. Penny struck out 8 and dropped his ERA to 2.33. The Dodgers retained their 1-game advantage over the Padres in the contentious NL West. Colorado 10 Pittsburgh 8 - The Rockies continued to creep up on the leaders in the NL West, and now trail Arizona by only 2 games, though they remain 6 1/2 behind division leader Los Angeles. Pitching not being the Rockies' strong suit, they nearly squandered an early 9-1 lead. Their bullpen came through, shutting out the Pirates over the final four innings. Matt Holiday drove in three runs with a double and a pair of sac flies. San Francisco 2 Chi Cubs 3 - Barry Bonds sat this one out, but the Giants probably could have used his bat. Cubs' starter Rich Hill evened his record at 6-6, allowing the only runs off 4 hits over 8 innings of work. The Cubs continue to chase NL Central leader Milwaukee, who lead by 3 1/2. The Cubs have won 4 straight. Other NL Scores St. Louis 5 Florida 3 Houston 3 Washington 4 Arizona 3 Milwaukee 4 - R. Braun, 2-run HR (14); Brewers, 19-26, worst road record of any division leader

Windy City Massacre; Griffey ties Robinson with #586

American League Minnesota 20 Chi White Sox 14 - You're supposed to win games in which you score 14 runs, but, for the White Sox, this is the kind of season it's been. The Twins and Sox combined for 39 hits and Chicago committed 5 errors in this season's highest scoring game. How about some highlights. Torii Hunter would normally be getting high fives for his 2 doubles and 18th home run in 4 at-bats, but he only drove in 3 and scored the same number. Joe Mauer went 4-6 (all singles), but crossed the plate 4 times and drove in 5. The hitting star for the Twins was Jason Kubel, who knocked a grand slam, hoisted 2 sac flies and singled to drive in 7 runs, going 2-3. The Sox' #8 hitter, Alex Cintron, did some damage, going 3-4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored, but it was not nearly enough. Jon Garland (6-6) took the loss, allowing 11 hits and 3 walks for 12 runs in just 3 1/3 innings, though winning pitcher Scott Baker didn't fare much better, giving up 9 hits and 7 earned over 5 innings. Between the two teams, there was scoring in every inning. Minnesota scored in all but the 6th and 9th, while the White Sox put numbers on the board in every inning except the 1st and 4th. As if that wasn't enough, the game was only the first half of a double header. Minnesota 12, Chi White Sox 0 - Justin Morneau slammed three home runs - giving him 23 for the year - and drove in 6 as the Twins completed the sweep of the double bill at Chicago. Morneau's big night at the plate overshadowed a fine pitching performance by Matt Garza, who hurled 6 innings of shutout ball on five hits. Adding his two game totals together, Morneau was 6-10, scored 6 runs and drove in 9, numbers that normally would be a great week. LA Angels 9 NY Yankees 14 - It seems like Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez is just fine. To the dismay of pitchers around the AL, Rodriguez came back after missing a game to bop his 29th home run of the season, score three times and drive in a pair of runs as the Yankees outslugged the Angels. A-Rod was injured in a collision with Justin Morneau in a Monday game and had to leave that contest early.

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On Tuesday and Wednesday, he matched up a pair of 0-4 efforts, before taking Thursday off. Seems like the rest helped. Boston 2 Detroit 9 - In a potential playoff matchup, the Tigers banged out 15 hits against Boston starter Julian Tavarez and three other pitchers to take the first game of the series handily. Marcus Thames drove in five runs with a grand slam and sac fly. The Tigers took over first place in the AL Central by .002 over the Cleveland Indians, losers at Toronto. Seattle 7 Oakland 1 - Adrian Beltre went 5-5, with 2 doubles and 2 homers, driving in 3 runs and scoring twice as the Mariners continued to dog the Angels in the AL West. Seattle closed to within 3 1/2 games of first place. Other AL Scores Cleveland 6 Toronto 8 - V. Wells, 2-4, HR (13), 3 RBI Tampa Bay 6 Kansas City 5 Baltimore 3 Texas 4, 10 innings National League NY Mets 0 Houston 4 - Wandy Rodriguez (6-7), pitched his best game of the season, blanking the Mets on 4 hits in a complete game victory. Rodriguez struck out 8 and issued only 1 walk. Rookie Hunter Pence continued his hot hitting, going 2-4 to get to .347, right behind league leader Matt Holliday at .349. Arizona 1 Cincinnati 8 - Ken Griffey Jr. (right) smacked a 2-run homer in the 5th inning, giving him 23 on the year and 586 for his career, tying him with Frank Robinson for 6th place on the all-time homers list. Milwaukee 6 Washington 2 - Ryan Braun hit a pair of solo homers and Milwaukee increased its lead over the Cubs to 5 1/2 games in the NL Central. Philadelphia 6 Colorado 7, 11 innings - Yorvit Torrealba singled home Garrett Aktins with the winning run as the Rockies got back to .500 at 43-43 and closed to within 5 1/2 of the NL West lead as the Padres, Dodgers and Diamondbacks all lost. The Rockies battled back from a 6-1 deficit in the fifth inning scoring 2 in the 6th and one in each of the 7th, 8th and 9th. Other NL Scores San Francisco 4 St. Louis 3 Chi Cubs 4 Pittsburgh 8 - Pirates, 4 straight wins Atlanta 7 San Diego 4 - Braves, 3 straight wins Florida 6 LA Dodgers 5, 10 innings

Hargrove Quits Mariners; Narron Fired By Reds

American League Toronto 1 Seattle 2 - Prior to the game, manager Mike Hargrove announced that he would no longer be coaching the Mariners, saying that he no longer had the drive or commitment to the game that was needed and that he demanded from his players. The entire team, including the front office, was caught off guard by Hargrove's sudden decision.

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Speculation is running rampant about his health, his relationship with superstar Ichiro Suzuki and other potential issues, though it appears that after 35 years in organized baseball, Hargrove, 57, simply couldn't handle the pressure, the press and the grind of a 162-game season. Despite the managerial shake-out, the Mariners went out and won their 8th straight. Jeff Weaver pitched 8 innings without a decision, allowing only Frank Thomas' 501st home run in the 7th. J.J. Putz got the win, as Jose Guillen homered in the 8th and singled in Adrian Beltre with the winning run in the ninth. The Mariners trail the Angels by 4 games in the AL West and will be managed, beginning Monday night, by Hargrove's bench coach, John McLaren Minnesota 0 Detroit 1 - Jeremy Bonderman (right) shut out the Twins for 8 innings and Todd Jones worked a perfect ninth for his 20th save. Bonderman (9-1) allowed just six hits and a walk while striking out 7. The Tigers trail Cleveland by 1 1/2 in the AL Central. Oakland 11 NY Yankees 5 - The Yankees dropped their 2nd of 3 against the visiting A's and Danny Haren improved to 10-2 as the A's hammered NY starter Andy Pettitte for 8 (7 earned) runs on 9 hits in the first 1 2/3 innings, scoring once in the first and 7 in the second. The Yankees, losers of 8 of their last 10, trail Boston by 11 games and 2nd place Toronto by 1/2 in the AL East. The A's remained in 3rd place in the AL West, trailing Seattle by 4 1/2 and the Angels by 8 1/2. Other AL Scores Tampa Bay 2 Cleveland 3 - J. Borowski, S (24), Devil Rays lose 7th straight LA Angels 4 Baltimore 3 - F. Rodriguez, S (24) Texas 2 Boston 1 - Red Sox have lost 5 of last 6 Chi White Sox 3 Kansas City 1 - Sox have won 6 of 7 National League St. Louis 11 Cincinnati 7 - The Reds, with the worst record and, arguably, the worst pitching staff in either league, dropped their 16th game in their last 22 and fired manager Jerry Narron after the game. Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 22nd home run, but the Reds' used 6 pitchers in another embarrassing performance. The Reds, obviously an unbalanced squad, rank 28th out of 32 teams in ERA, but lead the majors in homers with 119. Advance scout Pete Mackanin will take over as interim manager. NY Mets 3 Philadelphia 5 - The Phillies managed to regain a bit of their dignity by taking the last of their four-game homestand against the Mets. When the series began on Friday, Phillies' fans had dreams of first place, as the Phils were only 3 games out, but the Mets won the first three games before dropping the finale on Sunday. Milwaukee 1 Chi Cubs 5 - Jason Marquis stopped the Brewers' offense on 4 hits over 7 innings, allowing just Corey Hart's 6th inning solo shot as the Cubs took 2 of 3 from Milwaukee. Chicago evened their record at 40-40 and trail the Brewers by 6 1/2. San Diego 0 LA Dodgers 5 - Chad Billingsley struck out 9, and allowed just 3 hits over 7 innings as the Dodgers regained 2nd place in the NL West. The Padres lead by one over LA and 1 1/2 over Arizona. Other NL Scores Atlanta 5 Florida 6, 10 innings - Braves trail NY by 4 in NL East Washington 3 Pittsburgh 2 Colorado 0 Houston 12 - H. Pence, 4-5, 3 R, 1 RBI Arizona 0 San Francisco 13 - R. Klesko, 3-5, HR (5), 4 RBI

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.

NL East a Real Race; Rockies on the Rise

Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues. American League Atlanta 6 Cleveland 2 - Edgar Renteria (right) went 5 for 5 with a double, his 10th home run, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, and John Smoltz won his 8th game against just 2 losses, limiting the Indians to 7 hits and 2 earned over 6 innings. Smoltz struck out seven and didn't walk a batter as the Braves closed to within 1 1/2 of the stumbling Mets. Philadelphia and Florida were also winners and trail New York by 2 and 5 1/2 respectively. Suddenly the NL East has turned into a pennant race. Cleveland maintained a slim 1-game lead over the Tigers, who also lost, at Philly. NY Yankees 11 NY Mets 8 - While the everyone else in the NL East except Washington was beating up on AL opponents, Tom Glavine and the Mets were being pounded up in the Bronx. Glavine, stuck on 295 wins for nearly a month, lost his 4th straight, allowing 7 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks over 4 innings. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez both blasted 2-run homers off Glavine, for A-Rod, his MLB-best 26th. Rodriguez went 2-4 and scored 3 times while Jeter finished the game 4-5, with a pair of RBI and 2 scores. Both players also stole a base, as did Miguel Cairo. Jose Reyes swiped a pair, giving him 37, tops in the majors. The Yankees kept pace with Boston, 8 1/2 ahead. Boston 1 San Francisco 0 - Daisuke Matusaka pitched his best game of the season against the impotent San Francisco Giants, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings, fanning 8. Manny Ramirez provided the only score with his 9th home run of the season in the 4th. Bonds watch is back on again. Barry Bonds went 0-3 and failed to homer for the 4th straight game. He has hit just 2 over his last 31 games, stretching back to May 8. Bonds needs 9 to break Hank Aaron's career mark of 755 and should average one per 10 games if he plans on breaking the mark this season. In 2006, Bonds hit 4 in June, 3 in July, 5 in August and 7 in September, so he has history on his side, though the time between Barry Bombs has lengthened as 2006 turned into 2007. He'll be 43 in July and time is gnawing away at his steroid-riddle body every day. St. Louis 15 Oakland 6 - The Cardinals put up 10 runs in the 5th inning, capped off by Chris Duncan's grand slam as St. Louis swamped the A's in Oakland. So Taguchi went 4-6, drove in 3 runs and scored a pair. The A's dropped another game further behind the Angels in the AL West, now 5 back as the Angels beat the Dodgers. Other AL Scores Toronto 7 Washington 3 Arizona 8 Baltimore 4 - O's 7 straight losses Florida 9 Kansas City 8 - M. Cabrera, 2 HR (16), 4 RBI (51); M. Olivo, 5-5 Milwaukee 5 Minnesota 2 - Brewers win 4th straight, lead NL Central by 6 1/2 National League San Diego 1 Chi Cubs 0 - Carlos Zambrano took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, but ended up on the losing side of the ledger, giving up a 9th inning homer to the Padres' Russell Branyan. The game was interrupted by a bench-clearing brawl which started when Padres' starter Chris Young plunked Derrek Lee and began throwing punches in the 4th inning. Lee and Young were ejected along with Jake Peavy and San Diego hitting coach Gerald Perry. The fight was a no-decision, but the Padres won the war and took over 1st place in the NL West by 1/2-game over the Dodgers and 1 ahead of Arizona. Colorado 10 Tampa Bay 5 - The Rockies won their 4th straight and 8th of their last 10, creeping to within 4 1/2 of the NL West lead. Right fielder Brad Hawpe set the tone in the first inning with his 11th home run - a grand slam. Hawpe later singled and scored an additional run for the Rockies. Philadelphia 6 Detroit 3 - Jamie Moyer improved to 6-5 and the Phillies gained on the Mets winning for the 4th time in their last five games. The Phillies trail NY by 2 games. LA Angels 3 LA Dodgers 0 - Jered Weaver blanked the Dodgers over 5 1/3 innings and the Angels' bullpen finished the job. Francisco Rodriguez (right) picked up his 22nd save, fanning all three batters faced in the 9th inning. The Angels lead the AL West by 5 games with a 43-26 record, second best in the majors (Boston, 43-24). Weaver improved to 6-3. The best in the West series' rubber game is this afternoon. Other NL Scores Chi White Sox 6 Pittsburgh 1 Houston 9 Seattle 4 Cincinnati 8 Texas 4 - K. Griffey Jr., 2 HR (16), 3 RBI (43) 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

Morneau Out of Park Twice; Lopez is Grand for Nats

Tuesday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Justin Morneau (right) blasted a 2-run homer in the 4th inning and a 3-run shot in the 5th to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 7-1 win at Texas. Morneau, last season's AL MVP, also singled to go 3-4. Torii Hunter also added his 11th home run of the season, a 2-run job in the 8th in support of starter Johan Santana. The Minnesota ace worked 7 innings, allowing one earned run on Sammy Sosa's 10th homer. Santana gave up just 4 hits, walking 2 while striking out 13. Jim Thome went 3-3 with a single, a 2-run double in the 2nd and a 3-run home run (7) in the 4th inning to lead the White Sox to a 10-4 win over visiting Oakland. The win was the 2nd straight for the Sox over the A's, who will complete their 3-game set on Wednesday. Thome, who spent most of May on the DL, has started the last 2 games at DH. The Sox have won 3 straight overall and trail Cleveland by 3 1/2 games in the hotly-contested AL Central. Other AL Scores

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LA Angels 6 Detroit 3 - J. Lackey (W, 7-3), Angels up 5 1/2 in AL West Boston 7 NY Yankees 3 - M. Ramirez, 3-run HR (7) Toronto 6 Baltimore 4 - Blue Jays tied for 2nd in AL East with NY Seattle 5 Tampa Bay 2 Kansas City 4 Cleveland 3 - Royals 7-3 last 10 National League Ken Griffey Jr. hit career home run #573 - tying him with Harmon Killebrew for #8 all-time - but Washington's light-hitting 2nd baseman, Felipe Lopez (right) had a bigger blast with his 3rd home run of the season (and 59th of his career) in the Nationals' 8-4 win at Cincinnati. Lopez snapped a 4-4 tie with a grand slam in the 8th inning after driving in a run with a double in the 3rd and another on a ground out in the 5th, for a 3-6, 5 RBI night with 2 runs scored. The win was Washington's 6th on the road this season, against 16 losses, still the worst road record in the majors. The Reds dropped into last place in the NL Central, 10 games back of Milwaukee. Other NL Scores Florida 5 Philadelphia 3 Atlanta 8 NY Mets 1 - Braves trail NY by 1 1/2 in NL East St. Louis 9 Pittsburgh 4 San Francisco 4 Houston 2 - B. Bonds, 0-2, no HRs in last 12 games San Diego 5 Chicago Cubs 1 - J. Peavy (W, 6-1) 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Colorado 3 Arizona 1 LA Dodgers 3 Milwaukee 2 - R. Wolf (W, 6-3), LA maintains 1/2-gm. lead over Padres in NL West

Quentin Cracks a Pair; Rangers Hammer with Laird Slam; Bonds Watch

Monday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Catcher Gerald Laird (right) whacked a grand slam homer in the Rangers' 8-run 5th inning and earlier doubled in a run as Texas hammered the visiting Minnesota Twins, 14-4. The Rangers banged out 15 hits, 8 for extra bases. Every starter had a hit, with 6 regulars getting 2, as the Rangers scored single runs in each of the first 4 innings, 8 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th inning. It was the 2nd night in a row in which Texas scored 14 runs. Nick Swisher drove in all of Oakland's runs in the A's 8-5 road loss to the Chicago White Sox. Coming to the plate twice with the bases loaded, Swisher delivered a 3-run double in the 5th and a 2-run single in the 8th.

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He also added a single in a separate at-bat to finish the nigh 3-5. Other AL Scores NY Yankees 6 Boston 2 - A. Rodriguez, HR (18) leads majors Cleveland 5, Seattle 2 - J. Borowski, S (14), Indians, 17-4 at home National League Carlos Quentin (right) socked a pair of homers - a 3-run shot in the 4th and a solo job in the 7th - and added the game-winning RBI with an 8th inning sac fly to provide surging Arizona with a 6-5 win over visiting Colorado. Quentin was 2-3 with 5 RBI and a pair of runs scored, boosting the Diamondbacks into a tie for 2nd in the NL West with San Diego, 1/2-game back of the LA Dodgers. Arizona has won 3 straight and 5 of their last 7. Scott Hatteberg had two doubles and a 2-run homer in Cincinnati's 8-7 win over visiting Washington, accounting for 2 runs scored, 4 RBI and keying an 8th inning winning rally. Hatteberg doubled home Alex Gonzalez and then scored the tying run on Jose Valentin's game winning 2-run blast to right. Ken Griffey Jr. also hit his 9th homer of the season - a solo shot - giving him 572 on the career list, 1 behind Harmon Killebrew at #8 all-time. Noah Lowry shut out the Astros over 7 innings, allowing 6 hits and walking 3 in San Francosco's 4-0 win over sojourning Houston. Brad Hennessey and Armando Benitez finished the job, each working an inning in relief. The Giants had only 6 hits themselves, but turned them into 4 runs and Lowry (5-4) made them stand up. In other Bay area stories, some are wondering what's happened to Barry Bonds (right) in his pursuit of Hank Aaron's mythical 755 career home run record. Barry hit 11 homers in his first 29 games and has none since. Calculating the date that Barry breaks Aaron's record may be getting easier as Bonds continues his homerless streak, now at 11 games. During that span, Bonds' batting average has fallen from .338 to .287, as he's gone 5-31 (.161), driven in exactly 0 runs, and has been walked 15 times, at least once in every game. Barry has another streak going - he's now walked at least once in each of his last 16 games. So, the current calculation, if Barry homers in his next game and then hits one every 12 games at the ripe age of 42 (he turns 43 on July 24) goes as follows: Since Barry misses one game in every 11 (he's played in 40, the Giants have played 44), that gives him 108 more chances this season, meaning he'll max out at 9 and won't get the 10 he needs to tie Aaron until, yep, next season. We can only hope. No more shots, Barry. You're being watched. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 9 LA Dodgers 5 - P. Fielder, 2 solo HR (14), R. Weeks, 4-5, 3 RBI Notes: We've had a number of requests asking about MLB rules regarding rookie status and are happy to provide the answer from MLB.com. Determining rookie status: A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

Dan Johnson Goes All 4s; Griffey catches Palmeiro on HR List

Thursday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League The Angels' Kelvim Escobar knocked the Cleveland Indians out of first place in the AL Central with a 7-hit complete game shutout on Thursday. The 8-0 win also kept the Angels a game up on Oakland in the AL West. Escobar (4-1) struck out 9 and has given up just one run in his last 16 innings, dropping his ERA to 2.21 and his WHIP to a very respectable 1.08. Oakland's Dan Johnson made up for a lot of lost time on Thursday in Kansas City. Johnson, who didn't start playing regularly until April 25, went 4-4 with 2 homers and a double, drove in 4 runs and scored 4 times as Oakland steamrolled the Royals, 17-3. With only 43 official at-bats entering the game, Johnson raised his batting average from .326 to .383. Leadoff hitter Shannon Stewart also had 4 hits in 6 at-bats, scored a pair of runs and drove in 2. Jose Contreras evened his record at 3-3 with a 5-hit complete game, 3-0 shutout of the Minnesota Twins. It was Contreras' 2nd road win of the season and his 2nd career shutout. The win moved the White Sox 1/2 game ahead of the Twins and also ended Torii Hunter's hitting streak at 23 games. The Sox took the last 2 of their 3-games series in Minnesota and trail the Detroit Tigers by 4 games in the wide-open AL Central division. Tim Wakefield shut out the Blue Jays on 3 hits over 7 innings and the Boston offense spoiled Roy Halladay's bid for his 100th career win in an 8-0 rout. The Red Sox swept the Jays in their 3-game set and sent them to their 9th straight loss. The Sox have won 4 straight and now lead the AL East by 7 games. The Texas Rangers finally got a win over the NY Yankees and they made it a big one. The Rangers had lost 5 straight to the Yankees, but their 14-2 win in New York snapped the streak.

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Mark Teixeira had a single and 3 doubles in 5 at-bats, drove in 3 runs and scored 3 for Texas. Victor Diaz hit his 1st home run of the season, a grand slam in the 8th inning to finish the scoring deluge. Other AL Scores Baltimore 11 Tampa Bay 6 - O's sweep 3-gm. series w/D-Rays Detroit 7 Seattle 3 - Tigers 1/2-gm. lead in AL Cent. National League Sergio Mitre shut out the visiting LA Dodgers on 3 hits and 3 walks over 8 innings but did not get the decision as Josh Willingham ended the contest with a 3-run homer with 1 out in the ninth inning off LA starter Derek Lowe. It was Willingham's 5th home run of the season. Adam Dunn (right) just needed a single to hit for the cycle, but he had to settle for a 3-4 effort in Cincinnati's 9-4 win over the visiting Astros, smacking his league-leading (tied with Barry Bonds) 11th home run of the season to go with a double, triple, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. While Dunn was having his fun, Ken Griffey Jr. (left) knocked his 6th homer of the season and 5th in his last 10 games. Griffey's shot was the 569th of his career, tying him for 9th place all-time with Rafeal Palmeiro. Just 4 ahead is Harmon Killebrew at #8 with 573. Griffey, when healthy, is capable of hitting 40 or more, which he's done 7 times, though various injuries have limited him since 2000, when he last hit 40. Since then, his best has been 35 in 2005, but he's off to a solid start and should easily pass Mark McGwire (583) and Frank Robinson (586) and may catch still-active Sammy Sosa (595). While Barry Bonds continues to chase down Hank Aaron's 755 this season, Griffey, 37, looks to have at least 3 or 4 more seasons to make a run of his own. One good reason to root for "The Kid" is that in an age of steroids and other performance-enhancing potions, there's never been so much as a hint that Griffey ever used any, instead relying entirely on his own abundant physical talents. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 6 Chicago Cubs 4 - A. Soriano, 18-gm. hit streak; D. Lee, 17-gm. streak Colorado 5 San Francisco 3 Atlanta 5 San Diego 3 - T. Hudson (W, 4-1)