Magglio Ordonez Leads Tigers Past Tribe; Lee Homer Lifts Astros

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 3, 2010 American League The Detroit Tigers were determined not to allow the excitement and attention of Wednesday's "imperfect game" thrown by Armando Galarraga - and ruined by umpire Jim Joyce - to distract their focus, which was to win the rubber game of their three-game series with the Indians. There was no movement from the Commissioner's office on whether what should have been the final out of the game would be changed and Galarraga awarded his perfect game, only a statement that baseball would be looking into it and other umpire mistakes with an eye toward future changes. As for the Tigers, well, they moved on, whipping the Indians, 12-6, shaving a full game off Minnesota's lead in the AL Central as the Twins lost to Seattle, 4-1. The Tigers are just 2 1/2 games behind the Twins, the rest of the division well back. Magglio Ordonez had one of his best games of the season, going 3-for-5 with 5 RBI and 2 runs, with a triple, double and a 7th inning, 3-run homer, his 8th of the season. Ordonez broke a 6-6 tie in the 6th inning, doubling home Austin Jackson, who went 4-for-6 with 3 doubles, and then broke the game open with his 7th-inning blast. Following Ordonez's clearing of the bases, Miguel Cabrera belted his 16th homer of the season, tying him with Paul Konerko and Jose Buatista for the most in the majors. Cabrera drove in another run with a sac fly in the third inning, giving him 51 RBI on the season, also tops in either league. National League Carlos Lee isn't having a very good season, but he came up large in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Nationals, with an RBI single in the opening frame and a two-run, walk-off homer against Washington closer Matt Capps for the Astros' thrid straight win. Lee, hitting just .213 this season, hit his 7th homer in the bottom of the ninth with Lance Berkman aboard. His three RBI upped his total to 26, well below his usual output. Lee has driven in 100 or more runs in each of the past four seasons and five of the last six. The only time he missed the mark was in 2004, when he drove home 99. He and Berkman seem to be picking it up as baseball enters the heated months of Summer. Berkman drove in 5 runs in Tuesday's 9-8 win over the Nats, and Lee has now homered in consecutive games. QUICK HITS: The Atlanta Braves have surged into first place in the NL East, now holding a 3-game edge over the Phillies in the division. Winners of 9 straight, the Braves opened a four-game series in LA by smacking down the Dodgers, 4-3. The Braves aren't the only surprise in the NL, though, with San Diego leading the West and Cincinnati tied with the Cardinals for the top spot in the Central.

Ordonez Keeps Tigers Winning; Teixeira Blasts 3 Homers in 8-3 Victory

Players of the Day from Sunday, June 22, 2008 American League While the White Sox were busy being swept by the Cubs, the Tigers continued to make progress, taking two of three from San Diego. On Sunday, Magglio Ordonez provided key offense with a two-run homer and an RBI double in Detroit's 5-3 win over the Padres. The Tigers have now won 12 of their last 15 games and are within 5 games of the White Sox and the lead in the AL Central. Also ahead of them are the Twins, winners of 6 straight, 1 1/2 behind the Sox. Ordonez, who finished a strong second in RBI to last season's AL MVP, Alex Rodriguez (139-156), notched his 13th home run and 48th RBI. Notes:The Yankees continue to keep pace in the AL East, remaining 5 behind Boston as both teams won on Sunday. The Rays took an unexpected loss at Houston, but are still only 1 1/2 behind the BoSox. National League With Chipper Jones out of the lineup, responsibility for driving in runs fell primarily to Mark Teixeira, and he responded in style, with 3 home runs in Atlanta's 8-3 beating of Seattle. Jones, who has had to take time off to repair what's described as a "small tear in the right quad" was out of the starting lineup on Saturday and Sunday and will likely sit on Monday as well. The injury has affected his fielding as well as his hitting. Jones' league-leading batting average has fallen from .419 on June 11, to .393 on Saturday.

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Teixeira, with his three blasts, now has 13 homers, and his 4 RBI gives him 55, ten behind league leader, Adrian Gonzalez. Notes: Philly Foibles: The Phillies probably can't wait for interleague play to be over so they can get back to beating up on National League teams again. The Phillies are one of only four NL teams to have posted winning records against each division. The others are the Cubs, the Cardinals and the Marlins. Meanwhile, the Phillies have lost five straight to AL division leaders, including a three-game sweep by the Angels which concluded with Sunday's 3-2 loss. The Phils won their opener against Boston at the start of the week, but dropped the next two. They'll get some class relief this week, but have to travel to Oakland, and then to Texas a pair of three-game series with the A's and Rangers. Their lead over the Marlins has dwindled to just one game.

Bay Puts Cubs Down in 14th; Ordonez, Tigers Hammer Twins

Players of the Day from Saturday, May 24, 2008 American League After Magglio Ordonez gave Detroit an early lead with a two-run, first-inning homer, Minnesota tied it back up on Alexi Casilla's 2-run shot in the third, so when Ordonez next stepped to the plate, he was determined the Tigers were going to stay ahead. He knocked a two-run double to right and later scored as Detroit scored 4 times in the bottom of the 3rd, en route to a 19-3 demolition of the Minnesota Twins. Ordonez was not finished, however. He smacked another 2-run homer in the 4th and walked and scored in the fifth inning. By the time he was relieved by Ryan Raburn in the 6th inning, he had gone 3-for-3 with a double and two homers, 6 RBI and 4 runs scored - pretty fair performance for five innings of work. Following a sensational 2007 campaign (.363, 28 HR, 139 RBI), Maggs is getting into the swing of things even though the Tigers are woefully out of it in the AL Central. He's batting .330, with 9 homers and 35 RBI. Notes: The White Sox and Red Sox had respective 8 and 7-game win streaks halted on Friday night by the Angels and A's, but the AL West leaders went one better on Saturday, blanking the East and Central leaders. Jered Weaver smoked the White Sox on 3 hits over 8 innings and Francisco Rodriguez earned his 21st save as the Angels won, 2-0. In Oakland, Justin Duchscherer was nearly perfect through 8 innings in the A's 3-0 triumph over Boston, hitting Jason Varitek with a pitch in the 6th and allowing only David Ortiz' single in the seventh for the one-hitter. Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save. National League Having accomplished little since the days of Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, disco and leisure suits, the Pittsburgh Pirates don't usually get much press, but every now and then Jason Bay reminds us that there still are some real ball players in the Steel City.

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On Saturday, Bay went 4-for-6 with a two-run homer and the game winning RBI single in the 14th inning as the Pirates downed the Central-leading Cubs, 5-4. He also stole a base and scored twice as the Pirates (still 6 games back) knocked down the Cubs into a first-place tie in the division with the Cardinals. Notes: Jeff Francoeur cracked a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Braves the 3-1 win over Arizona on Saturday. Who was on base when Francoeur unloaded? Obviously, it was Chipper Jones, who had two hits in four at-bats and continues to lead the majors in hitting with an astonishing .417 batting average. Jones has been a machine at the plate, already amassing 73 hits through just 46 games. At his present pace (73-175), Jones would play in 151 games, have 574 at-bats and produce 240 hits. That would put him close to the NL record of 254 by Lefty O'Doul (1929) and Bill Terry (1930). Even if he doesn't break any records, 240 hits would be the most by a National Leaguer since Joe Medwick's 237 in 1937.

Manny's Back! Rockies win 9th Straight; Fielder's Fifty

American League Oakland 3 Boston 7 - After nearly a month on the bench, Manny Ramirez (right) returned to the Red Sox lineup, promptly reminding everyone of his value to the offense, singling and scoring in the first inning. After making an out and walking in two subsequent trips to the plate, Ramirez took a seat on the bench in the fifth, as Boston was cruising to a win that would give them a 3-game lead over the Yankees and reduce their magic number to clinch the division to 3. NY Yankees 6 Tampa Bay 7, 10 innings - The Yankees squandered Alex Rodriguez's grand slam and a five-run lead, as the bullpen allowed six runs in the Tampa Bay 6th. The Yanks eventually tied the game, but lost it on Dioner Navarro's solo homer in the bottom of the tenth. New York still needs either a win or a Detroit loss to capture the wild card spot, but they've lost two straight and their bullpen - along with their starting pitching - is a very sore spot right now. Minnesota 0 Detroit 8 - Magglio Ordonez homered and doubled in four at-bats, drove in three runs and raised his AL-best batting average to .359, closing in on his first batting title. The Detroit slugger leads Ichiro Suzuki by .009 with just four games remaining on the Tiger's schedule. Ordonez has hit 28 homers, 52 doubles and has 136 RBI, good for 2nd in the AL behind A-Rod's 151. Other AL Scores Toronto 11 Baltimore 4 LA Angels 1 Texas 3 Kansas City 9 Chi White Sox 5 Cleveland 4 Seattle 3, 12 innings National League Washington 10 NY Mets 9 - The Mets would like to seal off the NL East title, but their pitching staff - and the Washington Nationals - aren't helping matters much. Starter Tom Glavine gave up 6 runs over the first five innings and the bullpen allowed another 4, as the Mets posted their second straight loss to the Nats. Washington has beaten the Mets four times in their last 5 games, with the season series concluding Wednesday night. New York remained 2 games ahead of Philly, also losers on Tuesday. Atlanta 10 Philadelphia 6 - Despite the Mets practically handing the division to the Phillies, they haven't been able to take advantage, losing their second straight with just five games left. Mark Teixeira and Chipper Jones both homered to lead the 13-hit Atlanta attack. The Braves, who were nearly forgotten, are still alive, trailing the Mets by 4 games. They have two more against the Phillies before finishing the regular season with 3 games at Houston. St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 9 - Prince Fielder (right) became the youngest player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season, besting Willie Mays' 1955 record by nearly a year. Fielder, 23, cranked a pair of 2-run homers, giving him an even 50 for the year and boosting his RBI total to 119, good for 3rd in the National League. Milwaukee closed to within 2 games of Chicago in the division, but have two more games with the Cardinals and close out the season with 3 against the Padres. Colorado 9 LA Dodgers 7 - The Rockies won their 9th straight and now trail the Padres by just one game in the wild card race. Equally important, they are just three behind division-leader Arizona, with whom they finish the season in a 3-game series at Colorado. Should the Rockies win out, they'd at least tie the Diamondbacks, and any San Diego loss would put them in a tie for the division title. Matt Holliday returned to the lineup on Tuesday, going 2-4, after missing two games with a strained oblique. Holliday leads the National League with 131 RBI. San Diego 6 San Francisco 4 - Brian Giles belted a 3-run, ninth inning home run to give the Padres a hard-fought decision over the Giants and establish their 1-game edge on the Rockies and Phillies in the wild card race. Arizona's loss also pushed San Diego to within 2 games of the division leader. Other NL Scores Arizona 5 Pittsburgh 6 Chi Cubs 2 Florida 4 Houston 8 Cincinnati 5

Ortiz powers Red Sox; Bradley knocks in 6 for Padres

American League Boston 11 Chi White Sox 3 Boston 10 Chi White Sox 1 - The Red Sox took both ends of their double-header with the stumbling White Sox and when the Yankees lost to Detroit late in the evening, found themselves with a cushy 6 1/2-game bulge over New York. With a key 3-game series next week at New York, the Sox seem to have little to worry about in the division. In the opener, Mike Lowell went 3-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. The second game was all David Ortiz (right), as the slugger went 4-5 with a pair of homers, 3 RBI and 3 runs. NY Yankees 6 Detroit 9, 10 innings - Roger Clemens was shelled for 6 runs on 6 hits over 5 innings, Magglio Ordonez went 4-6 with a 2-run homer, raising his league-leading batting average to .357. Carlos Guillen ended the late-night affair - delayed 3 hours due to rain - with a 3 run blast in the bottom of the 10th inning. Detroit's win moved them to within 1 1/2 of Cleveland in the AL Central division as Cleveland lost at KC. Alex Rodriguez pounded his 43rd home run and increased his stunning RBI total to 123. Ordonez continues in hot pursuit, culling 2 more RBI with his 25th homer, to give him 115. Toronto 0 LA Angels 3 - The Angels kept their slim 1-game advantage in the West, getting 6 shutout innings from Jered Weaver. Seattle 4 Texas 2 - Ichiro Suzuki went 3-5, with an RBI and a run scored to keep the Mariners hot on LA's heels. The Mariners host the Angels for three games beginning on Monday. Other AL Scores Minnesota 7 Baltimore 4 Oakland 2 Tampa Bay 12 Cleveland 1 Kansas City 2 National League San Diego 14 Philadelphia 3 - The Padres cemented their lead in the wild card race with a win over their closest pursuer and now lead the Phillies and Atlanta by 3 games. With Arizona losing, the Padres also closed to within 2 games of first place in the NL West. Milton Bradley (right) smoked a couple of 2-run homers and doubled in two more runs, giving him 6 RBI on the night. The Padres pounded out 22 hits against the exhausted Philadelphia pitching staff. Jose Mesa worked the 9th, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. Chi Cubs 6 Arizona 2 - In the battle of division leaders, round one went to the Cubs, who led all the way. Jacques Jones stroked 3 singles and a double, scoring a run and driving in another. The two teams meet for the second of their 3-game set on Saturday. Chicago leads Milwaukee by 1 1/2 in the Central. LA Dodgers 2 NY Mets 5 - The Mets continued to roll along, atop the NL East, with their 8th win in their last 11 games. David Wright knocked his 23rd home run and Oliver Perez (12-8) pitched 7 innings of shutout ball, allowing just 3 hits while fanning 6. The Mets got to Dodger starter Brad Penny (14-4), who failed to get win #15 for his second straight start. After an incredible 13-1 start, Penny is 1-3 over his last 6 starts, stretching back to July 31. Milwaukee 6 San Francisco 11 - Barry Bonds hit his 27th home run, and career #761, as the Giants won for the 7th time in their last ten games. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Cincinnati 5 Pittsburgh 8 Houston 3, 15 innings Atlanta 7 St. Louis 2 Washington 5 Colorado 6

Ordonez launches 2 in 2nd; Howard's homer boosts Phils

American League Seattle 6 Chi White Sox 0 - Jeff Weaver (4-10) pitched his second complete game shutout of the season on Sunday, blanking the White Sox on 5 hits, striking out 8 without walking a batter. Weaver dominated like he did back on June 20, when the Mariners whitewashed Pittsburgh, 7-0. Starting out 0-6, Weaver's gone 4-4 since mid-June and the Mariners have contended in the AL West and wild card races. NY Yankees 5 Cleveland 3 - The Yankees completed their 3-game sweep of the Indians, as Jason Giambi homered for the second straight game since returning from the DL on August 7, and Andy Pettitte (9-7) won his third straight decision. The Yankees' romp through Cleveland did serious damage to the post-season hopes of the Indians, dropping them out of first place in the AL Central (Detroit now leads by 1/2 game), and placing them in 3rd place in the wild card race, 1 1/2 games behind co-leaders NY and Seattle. Left for dead in early July, the Yankees have been relentless in their pursuit of Boston, and now trail the Red Sox by just 4 games, compiling a 23-8 record since the All-Star break. Oakland 6 Detroit 11 - Magglio Ordonez (right) led off the 2nd inning with a home run to right, and completed the 8-run Detroit outburst with a 3-run shot to left. Detroit's win gave them a 1/2-game lead in the AL Central. Ordonez leads the league with a .357 batting average, is second in RBI with 102 and his 21 homers are the 9th most in the league. Other AL Scores Boston 3 Baltimore 6, 10 innings Minnesota 2 LA Angels 6 - Angels sweep Twins, have best home record in majors at 40-17 Toronto 4 Kansas City 1 Tampa Bay 1 Texas 9 National League Florida 4 NY Mets 10 - Moises Alou may turn out to be the savior of the Mets' season, returning to full strength off the DL just about the same time slugger Carlos Beltran went to the bench for his own stint on the DL. Beltran has been back for three games now, but he's yet to produce tangible results, with just 1 hit in 10 at-bats. Alou smashed a pair of homers on Sunday and added a single to go 3-4 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. Alou has hit 5 homers in his last 8 games, helping the Mets stay 3 games ahead of Philly and 3 1/2 in front of Atlanta in the NL East. Atlanta 3 Philadelphia 5 - The Phillies took 2 of 3 and a 1/2-game edge from the Braves in the battle for 2nd place in the division. Ryan Howard (right) socked his 33rd home run, a 3-run shot in the 5th inning which turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 advantage. Starter Jamie Moyer picked up win #11 against 9 losses, and the Philly bullpen shut out the Braves over the final 2 2/3 innings. The Phillies have somewhat of an easy road week upcoming, with 3 games at Washington followed by a 3-game series at Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Braves are home against San Fran and Arizona, while the Mets flip-flop with the Phils, playing consecutive three game sets at Pittsburgh and at Washington beginning Tuesday. San Diego 10 Cincinnati 4 - The Padres picked up a game on Arizona with their second double-digit output in the last three games, giving them a 2-1 split at Cincy. Kahlil Green went 4-5 with 3 RBI and Brian Giles hit two home runs for the second game in a row. Both of Giles' homers on Sunday were solo shots. Jake Peavy gave up 2 earned runs over 6 2/3, improving to 13-5. LA Dodgers 2 St. Louis 12 - While the Cardinals may be hitting their best stride at just the right time, the Dodgers are hurtling headlong into the abyss of of the National League.

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The Cardinals have won 4 of their last six, but the Dodgers are a pitiful 3-11 over their last 14 games. On Sunday, Ryan Ludwick smashed a 3-run homer in the first inning and delivered a run-scoring single in the 3rd to lead the Redbird assault with 4 RBI. The Dodgers fell to 4th place in the NL West, 6 games out, while the Cardinals closed to within 5 1/2 of Milwaukee in the Central. The Cardinals have a critical week ahead, beginning with a three-game series at Milwaukee, followed by a 4-game set at 2nd place Chicago. It's put up or shut up time in the Central, especially for the Cardinals, who have yet to crack the .500 mark (55-60). Other NL Scores Washington 7 Arizona 6 San Diego 10 Cincinnati 4 Milwaukee 4 Houston 6 Chi Cubs 3 Colorado 6 - Cubs, Rockies split 4-game series Pittsburgh 5 San Francisco 0

Mariners down Angels, 2-0; Phillies Close in on Mets

American League LA Angels 0 Seattle 2 - Miguel Batista (11-7) bested Angels' ace Kelvim Escobar (11-5), blanking the Halos on 3 hits over 7 innings. Ichiro Suzuki (right) had two singles and a triple in 4 at-bats, scored once and drove in another run, advancing the Mariners to within 3 games of the first-place Angels. Suzuki's effort was his 51st multiple-hit game of the season, and boosted his batting average to .347, good for second in the AL, behind the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez at .351. The Angels and Mariners are in the midst of a crucial 3-game series, with games 2 and 3 on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mariners are 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the wild card chase and have won 4 straight. Detroit 5 Oakland 2 - Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco each collected three hits as the Tigers upped their slim lead in the AL Central to 1 full game over idle Cleveland. The Tigers topped the sliding A's, who have lost 4 straight and are 5-13 since the All-Star break. Other AL Scores Kansas City 1 Minnesota 3 Toronto 4 Tampa Bay 5, 11 innings National League Philadelphia 4 Chi Cubs 1 - Cole Hamels (right) improved to 12-5, allowing just three hits over 8 innings. The Cubs got their only run on Ryan Theriot's 6th inning solo homer. Hamels struck out 8, giving him 143 on the season, one behind NL leader Jake Peavy. Aaron Rowand cracked a 3-run homer off loser Ted Lilly in the 3rd inning and Tadahito Iguchi hit his first homer as a Philly - a solo shot in the 5th. This was the first of a pivotal four-game set between the Cubs and Phillies, each team in second place in their respective division. The Cubs trail Milwaukee by only 1 game, while the Phillies are 3 behind the East-leading Mets.

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

Sosa Jams #600; Ordonez Leads AL at .383

American League Toronto 12 LA Dodgers 1 - Frank Thomas smashed his 10th home run of the season (and 497th of his career) - a 2nd inning grand slam, Greg Zaun chipped in with a single, double, homer, 3 runs and 3 RBI in 3 at-bats, and Roy Halladay worked the Dodgers over, allowing just 6 hits and 1 earned run. After LA had handed the Blue Jays a 10-1 knuckling on Tuesday, Toronto came back with a pretty good beat down of their own. Halladay improved to 8-2. Texas 7 Chi Cubs 3 - It was just another home run for Sammy Sosa (right), but this one was especially sweet, coming against his former team and elevating him into an elite club with only Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays as the other members. Sosa's 600th career home run came in Texas' half of the 5th inning and the solo shot put the Rangers up 5-1, and they coasted from there. It was Sosa's only hit of the night in 4 at-bats. Sosa spent all of 2006 out of baseball, some speculating that he was purging his body of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs as baseball began cracking down on the use of banned substances by players. With #600 under his belt, Sosa need only look behind him as Ken Griffey Jr. is quickly approaching the same plateau. Griffey, a year younger at 37, has 582 lifetime homers, already has 19 this season and is on pace to crack his own 600th sometime in August or September. Griffey has never been associated with steroids or any other foul play, and for good reason - he didn't need them. Seattle 7 Pittsburgh 0 - Enigmatic Jeff Weaver got his first win of the season (1-6), shutting out the Pirates with a commanding complete game performance, in which he allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Despite the blanking, the up-and-down Weaver still sports an 8.56 ERA. The Mariners snapped a 6-game losing streak and have fallen into 3rd place in the AL West, 7 1/2 behind the Angels and 1 1/2 behind Oakland. Other AL Scores Florida 5 Chi White Sox 4 - Sox, 5-19 last 24 Oakland 5 Cincinnati 3 - D. Haren (W, 9-2) Cleveland 10 Philadelphia 6 - Indians remain tied for 1st in NL Cent. LA Angels 8 Houston 4 - V. Guerrero, HR (13), 3 RBI (66) Seattle 7 Pittsburgh 0 National League Arizona 7 Tampa Bay 4 - The Diamondbacks climbed to within a 1/2 game of San Diego in the NL West as Eric Brynes went 4-5 with a homer, double, two singles, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. The D-Backs get a day off Thursday, then host Baltimore for 3 games before a 4-game showdown with the LA Dodgers, June 25-28. Detroit 8 Washington 4 - Who's hot? The Tigers are, winners of 4 straight and 10 of their last 14. The win at Washington kept them tied for 1st place in the AL Central with Cleveland. Magglio Ordonez (right) continued his stellar all-around play with a 3-4 effort last night, scoring twice and driving in a run - his 67th. Ordonez leads the majors with a .383 batting average. Maggs has an 8-game hitting streak, during which he's 16-29 (.552). Jeremy Bonderman pitched 5 innings for his 8th win without a loss. Other NL Scores Milwaukee 7 San Francisco 5 - B. Hall, GS HR (8), 5 RBI Baltimore 7 San Diego 1 - O's snap 9-game losing streak Colorado 6 NY Yankees 1 - M. Holliday HR (13), 3 RBI (57) Minnesota 6 NY Mets 2 - 2nd straight for Twins over Mets Boston 11 Atlanta 0 - J. Tavarez (W, 5-4) 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K St. Louis 7 Kansas City 6, 14 innings - R. Ludwick GW HR (4) 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 Total: AL: 88 NL: 76 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.

Pudge, Ordonez Lead Tigers; Hamels Is NL's 1st 8-Game Winner

American League Detroit 9 Cleveland 5 - The Detroit Tigers finally figured out how to beat the 2007 version of the Cleveland Indians and got their first win in six tries against the Tribe on Saturday at Cleveland. The working formula: Get 4 hits apiece from Ivan Rodriguez (left) and Magglio Ordonez (right). Pudge got a pair of singles and a couple of two-baggers, scored a run and drove in four in 5 at-bats, while Ordonez went to the plate 6 times, knocked a 2-run homer, doubled, singled twice and scored 3. Ordonez is tied with Jorge Posada for the AL batting lead at .362 and leads the RBI chase with 52. Detroit had 16 hits overall, while Cleveland totaled 13. The two teams have combined for 53 runs in the first three of their 4-game series. Detroit can earn a split with a win this afternoon. Cleveland has a 3 1/2 game lead on Detroit in the AL Central.

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Boston 11 NY Yankees 6 - Mike Lowell singled, doubled and homered in 4 at-bats, scored 2 and drove in 4 as the Red Sox rallied past the Yankees to even their 3-game series in Boston at 1 apiece with the rubber game tonight on ESPN at 8:00 pm EDT. Kevin Youkilis' 23-game hitting streak came to an inglorious end as he only had two official plate appearances, walking 3 times. Oakland 1 Minnesota 0 - Joe Blanton (5-3) delivered a virtuoso performance with a complete game shutout for the Bay Area fans, allowing just 3 hits - all singles - without walking a batter.

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Blanton struck out six, throwing 76 strikes out of his 108 pitches. The A's got the only run of the game on a 6th-inning double play hit into by Shannon Stewart that plated Mark Ellis. Carlos Silva (3-6) took the hard luck loss, pitching all 8 innings for the Twins. For Blanton, in his 3rd full year as a pro - it was the 2nd shutout and 5th complete game of his career. Other AL Scores Kansas City 9 Tampa Bay 4 - E. Jackson (L, 0-7), 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 7.77 ERA Toronto 9 Chicago White Sox 3 - Chicago, 6th loss in last 7 LA Angels 7 Baltimore 4 - Angles lead in West 5 1/2 over Seattle Seattle 5 Texas 4 - I. Suzuki, 0-4, ends 25-game hitting streak National League Philadelphia 5 San Francisco 2 - Cole Hamels (right) became the first National Leaguer to reach 8 wins with a 5-hit, complete game victory that snapped the Phillies out of a 4-game slump. Hamels (8-2), in his second year in the majors, struck out five without walking a batter. Both Giants' runs were earned. Hamels has a 3.55 ERA and his 91 strikeouts are second only to Jake Peavy's 92, tops in the majors. San Diego 11 Washington 3 - The Padres are determined to stay in the NL West race and pulled even with Arizona and LA with a thumping of the patsy Nationals in D.C. Khalil Greene scattered 4 singles in 5 at-bats, scored 3 times and drove in a run. Fill-in catcherRob Bowen knocked a bases loaded double and a sac fly for 4 RBI as rookie Justin Germano notched his 4th straight win without a loss, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings. A pleasant surprise for a staff loaded with good pitching, control freak Germano boasts an ERA of 1.74 and a ridiculous 0.81 WHIP. Other NL Scores Atlanta 5 Chicago Cubs 3 - Cubs have lost 6 straight Houston 8 St. Louis 3 - C. Lee, 1-1, 2-run HR (11), 3 RBI (52, leads NL) Florida 5 Milwaukee 2 - Brewers, 7-15 since 5/10, lead NL Cent. by 6 1/2 NY Mets 7 Arizona 1 - R. Gotay, 3-4, 3-run HR (2), Mets lead NL East by 3 1/2 Colorado 4 Cincinnati 1 - WP: J. Francis (5-4); S: B. Fuentes (16) Pittsburgh 3 LA Dodgers 1 - I. Snell (W, 5-4), 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Smoltz Gets 200th Win; Ordonez Takes AL RBI Lead

Thursday's Peak Performers and Fabulous Flops American League Magglio Ordonez (right) had a big night in Detroit's 12-0 rout of the AL West-leading Angels, going 4-4 with a pair of doubles, scoring 3 times and driving in 3, to give him the AL RBI lead with 45. He passed by the idle Yankees Alex Rodriguez who has 43. While Ordonez was enjoying his plate appearances, teammate Carlos Guillen smacked a pair of home runs and drove in 5 runs in support of Jeremy Bonderman's 8 innings of shutout work. Bonderman allowed just 4 hits, walked 5 and struck out 6, improving to 3-0. The Tigers stayed 1/2-game ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central. Anatomy of a slug-fest: Tampa Bay 13 Seattle 12. The Devil Rays were aided by 9 walks issued by Seattle pitchers, but banged out 12 hits as the Seahawks knocked 18. Ichiro Suzuki went 3 for 6, including his 3rd homer, scored twice and drove in a pair, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. Mariners' 2nd baseman Jose Lopez went 4-5, with his 6th home run, drove in 4 and scored twice. The Tampa hitting was more balanced with all starters except DH Jonny Gomes getting at least one hit. Ty Wiggington hit a solo home run (9) and Carl Crawford drove in 3 runs.

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The two teams used 4 pitchers each, with Tampa starter Jae Seo getting the worst of it: 13 hits, 6 ER over 5 innings. Seattle's Sean White took the loss, working just 2/3rds of the 3rd inning, giving up 6 hits, walking 3 and allowing 7 earned runs. Cleveland 10 Kansas City 3 - The Indians avoided the ignominity of being swept by the lowly Royals and stayed 1/2-game behind the Tigers in the AL Central. In addition to ending KC's longest win streak of the season - 3 games - the Tribe pitching staff got a boost as starter Jeremy Sowers earned his first win of 2007, giving up just 6 hits and 1 earned run over 7 innings. In his rookie season of 2006, Sowers was 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA. This year he's 1-4 with a 6.29 ERA, but this outing was far and away his best recent effort. Other AL Scores Toronto 5 Baltimore 4, 10 innings National League John Smoltz (right) shut down the power-laden lineup of the New York Mets for 7 innings, en route to a 2-1 win at Atlanta, reducing NY's lead in the NL East to 1 1/2 games. The win was Smoltz's 7th against just 2 losses this season, his 200th career win, and, to make it especially sweet, came against his former teammate, Tom Glavine, who needs just 5 more wins to make it to 300. Smoltz allowed 7 hits, struck out 5 and didn't walk a batter on his historic night. Smoltz, who turned 40 just 10 days ago, spent most of the 2001-2004 seasons as the Braves' primary closer, saving 154 games over that span. Along with the 200 wins, Smoltz has thrown 46 complete games, 16 shutouts and carries a career ERA of 3.26. He's also closing in on another benchmark for pitchers - 3000 strikeouts. He currently has 60 this season to give him 2838 lifetime. Start making reservations for Cooperstown. This guy's a class act. Bradon Looper continues to be one of the bright spots for the struggling world champion St. Louis Cardinals. While the Cards are mired in the middle of the NL Central pack (19-25), they are just 7 1/2 games behind Milwaukee and it's early in the season. Looper pitched 6 solid innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run as the Cards trumped the Pirates, 3-1, in St. Louis. Looper improved to 6-3.

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Arizona's rookie starter, Micah Owings pitched the first complete game of his major league career, cruising to a 9-1 win over visiting Houston. Owings needed 118 pitches (80 strikes), gave up 9 hits, 1 earned run and struck out 8 while walking 1. His record improved to 3-1 and the win got the Diamondbacks to within 2 games of LA in the NL West. Other NL Scores Chicago Cubs 3 San Diego 1 Washington 4 Cincinnati 3 - Nationals take 3 of 4 in Cincy Florida 5, Philadelphia 4, 11 innings - Marlins, Phillies tied for 3rd in NL East (23-24), 6 1/2 games behind Mets