Pierzynski Sends Tigers to 0-4 Start; Hall, Owings Share NL Limelight

Friday's Players of the Day American League In the off-season, the Detroit Tigers opened their checkbook and signed 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera. Now that the Tigers are 0-4, fans are thinking they should have picked up some pitching or maybe a veteran catcher like A.J. Pierzynski, who stroked a two-run double in the third and broke a 5-5 tie with a three-run homer in the 7th as the Chicago White Sox caged the Tigers, 8-5. A.J. also doubled in the second inning, scoring on Carlos Quentin's home run. After his 3-5 evening, A.J. is batting a solid .529. National League The game was essentially over after Bill Hall socked a two-run homer in the first and then pounded another 3-run shot to left in the 5th inning as the Milwaukee Brewers routed the visiting San Francisco Giants, 13-4. Hall, however, wasn't finished, stroking a single to right in a 5-run Milwaukee 6th, for his 6th RBI of the game. Hall finished with a pretty good stat line: 3 hits in 5 at-bats, including the pair of dingers, 6 RBI and 2 runs. Not to be outdone, Arizona's Micah Owings worked over the Colorado Rockies for 6 2/3 innings, fanning 9 while allowing just 2 hits and 1 earned run (a Todd Helton solo homer) as the visiting Diamondbacks downed the Rockies, 8-1. Allowing just two walks, Owings recorded a WHIP of 0.60. He's off to a great start in just his second year in the majors. The only thing missing from Owings' performance was a contribution from the plate. Probably the best hitting pitcher in baseball, Owings went 1-4 at the plate. Owings is a career .328 hitter, with 4 homers and 15 RBI in just 64 at-bats.

Mets collapse complete, Phillies tie for first; Rockies win 11th straight

National League St. Louis 3 NY Mets 0 - The Mets could only muster 2 singles and a David Wright double off Cardinals' starter Joel Piniero (6-4), who shut New York out for 8 innings, striking out 6. Closer Jason Isringhausen worked a perfect ninth for his 31st save, but the loss - the 10th in their last 14 games - dropped the Mets into a tie for first place with the Philadelphia Phillies, after owning the division lead outright since May 16. It was the 4th straight loss by the Mets, who were swept by the Nationals before last night's power outage. It's not like the games have been close, either. New York has been outscored 35-19 in the past four games and will close out the season at home against the red hot, last place Florida Marlins, who are fresh off a sweep of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. Atlanta 4 Philadelphia 6 - Trying hard not to peek at the scoreboard, the Phillies accomplished what three weeks ago was nearly unthinkable: earning a share of first place in the NL East with the slumping Mets. Roughing up Braves' starter John Smoltz, Ryan Howard (right) blasted a two-run, first inning home run (44), staking the Phillies to an early 4-0 lead. Later in the game Howard also set a new mark for strikeouts in a season with his 196th and 197th whiffs, breaking the previous record (195) set in 2004 by Adam Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds. Nonetheless, the Phillies were celebrating on the field after the game Brett Myers quelled a ninth inning rally by the Braves. The loss eliminated Atlanta from post-season consideration for the second straight season. Chi Cubs 4 Florida 7 - Despite being swept by the Marlins, the Cubs maintained a two-game edge in the NL Central, thanks to Milwaukee losing their second straight. Chicago will try to clinch the division in a season-ending three-game series at Cincinnati beginning Friday. They need one win or one more Milwaukee loss to clinch at least a tie, 2 to win outright. San Diego 9 Milwaukee 5 - The Padres took an early 4-0 lead and never looked back, retaining their single-game edge in the wild card standings over Philly and Colorado, while remaining one game behind Arizona in the NL West. The Padres and Brewers finish the season together in Milwaukee this weekend. Arizona 8 Pittsburgh 0 - The Diamondbacks got everything they needed from starting pitcher Micah Owings (8-8) (right), who shut out the Pirates on 4 hits over 6 1/3 innings and also went 4-4 at the plate with 3 doubles, driving in 3 runs. Owings, who is batting .339 on the season presents a rare double threat for the Diamondbacks, who kept their slim one-game lead in the NL West, snapping a 3-game losing streak. Colorado 10 LA Dodgers 4 - The D-Backs won't be able to rest on their laurels as they head into Colorado for the season's final series beginning Friday. The Rockies won their 11th straight and are just 2 games back in the division and one game behind San Diego in the wild card standings. Garrett Atkins went 4-4 with his 25th home run, driving in a pair of runs and scoring three times, and Brad Hawpe was 3-5, with his 29th homer and 4 RBI. The Rockies swept the Dodgers for the 2nd time in a week, winning 7 straight from the faltering Los Angelinos. Other NL Scores Houston 4 Cincinnati 3 American League NY Yankees 3 Tampa Bay 1 - Manager Joe Torre rested most of his regulars, but the subs managed to get a win over punchless Tampa Bay and draw to within 2 games of Boston in the AL East.

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The Yanks close out the season with a 3-game set in Baltimore, while the Red Sox try to clinch the division title at Fenway against the Twins. Minnesota 5 Boston 4 - The magic number for the Red Sox remained at two, as ace Josh Beckett (20-7) lost for the first time since August 29. If the Sox are gripping a bit right now, it's understandable. The Yankees have been breathing down their backs for the better part of two months and with the division title in sight, there's more than the usual anxiety in Beantown. Despite having the best record in baseball (currently tied with Cleveland at 94-65), the Red Sox are just 4-7 since September 14. Other AL Scores Toronto 5 Baltimore 8 Kansas City 0 Chi White Sox 10 Cleveland 2 Seattle 4

Yanks cruise; Mets sputter; Braun leads Brewers to first place

American League Baltimore 0 NY Yankees 12 - The Yankees continue to close ground on the Boston Red Sox, and with Detroit's loss, have virtually guaranteed themselves a spot in the post-season, with a 4 1/2-game lead on Detroit. With 11 games remaining, that puts the Yanks' magic number for clinching the wild card spot at 6, though they're clearly aiming for the AL East crown, now just 2 1/2 games behind Boston. That's the closest the Yankees have been since April. Last night's Baltimore blitz was a personal triumph for Mike Mussina who has rebounded from four straight horrific starts with a pair of September wins. Mussina blanked his former team on 3 hits over 7 innings, walking one while striking out six. Boston 3 Toronto 4 - With the Yankees breathing down their backs, Boston's bullpen can't seem to close out games. Eric Gagne gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in the 8th inning as the Red Sox dropped their 3rd straight. Detroit 4 Cleveland 7 - Travis Hafner (right) unknotted a 4-4 tie in the 6th inning with a massive 3-run blast to center field, giving the Indians their second straight win in the showdown series with the Tigers. Cleveland's now opened up a 6 1/2 game lead on Detroit and has a clear view of the AL Central title. Last night's win reduced their magic number to 5. Tampa Bay 1 LA Angels 2 - John Lackey appears to be ready for the post-season. On Tuesday, he struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run on five hits over eight innings, improving to 17-9. The Angels should have the AL West clinched by the weekend. Their magic number is down to 4. Other AL Scores Texas 2 Minnesota 4 Chi White Sox 2 Kansas City 3 Seattle 8 Oakland 7 National League Philadelphia 7 St. Louis 4, 14 innings - The Phillies won their 6th straight, while the Mets dropped their 5th in a row, and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the NL East leaders. Both St. Louis and Philly empties their benches in this one, with the Cardinals using 11 pitchers. Jayson Werth put the game away with a 2-run triple after Chase Utley had already scored the go-ahead run. NY Mets 8 Washington 9 - The Mets can't seem to hold onto a lead as the season winds towards a conclusion. On Tuesday, they blew leads of 4-0 and 7-3, losing their 5th straight and second in a row to the lowly Nationals. After having led the division by as many as 7 1/2 games, are the Mets going to choke? Sure looks like it. Milwaukee 9 Houston 1 - Jhonny Estrada smacked a grand slam and rookie sensation Ryan Braun (right) cranked out his 31st home run, driving in two, as the Brewers used four home runs to bury the Astros and regain a tie for first place with the Cubs. LA Dodgers 1 Colorado 3 LA Dodgers 8 Colorado 9 - The road to the NL West title and probably the wild card slot is going straight through Colorado. The Rockies kept their playoff hopes alive with a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers, dropping them into a 3rd place tie, 5 1/2 games behind Arizona. The Rockies have two more games with LA, then travel to San Diego and Los Angeles for a pair of 3-game series before ending the season with a 3-game set at home with Arizona. San Francisco 0 Arizona 5 - Micah Owings hurled a 2-hit complete game shutout to improve to 7-8 and keep the Diamondbacks a game ahead of San Diego in the division. Owings struck out 4 and walked 1 in his best performance of the season. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Atlanta 4 Cincinnati 5 Chi Cubs 2 - Padres has won 5 straight Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 5

Ortiz keeps Sox on top; Owings hits, pitches D-backs to victory

American League Detroit 2 NY Yankees 5 - Roger Clemens (5-5) stymied the Tigers, allowing only 2 earned runs on 10 hits over 6 innings, while fanning 8. The win kept New York 5 behind Boston in the AL East and 1/2-game behind Seattle in the wild card race. Cleveland 8 Tampa Bay 1 - Jake Westbrook won for the third time in his last four starts, giving up just 2 hits over 7 innings while his teammates built a healthy lead. Cleveland's won 3 straight and has a 1 1/2-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. LA Angels 5 Boston 10 - David Ortiz (right) helped erase a 5-0 Angels lead with a grand slam in the Red Sox' 6-run 5th inning. Julio Lugo had already driven in a pair of runs in the inning, when Ortiz popped one into the right field stands. Chi White Sox 5 Seattle 7 - Seattle drew to within 2 games of the Angels in the Western division with their 2nd straight over Chicago. The series concludes on Sunday. The Mariners play a 3-game series at Minnesota and 4 at Texas before returning home for a three game showdown with the Angels, August 27-29. Other AL Scores Baltimore 5 Toronto 3 Texas 5 Minnesota 0 Kansas City 7 Oakland 3 National League Arizona 12 Atlanta 6 - The Diamondbacks have a found themselves a rookie who can hit with power. Micah Owings (right) went 4-5, with a single, double and a pair of homers, drove in 6 runs and scored 4 times against the Braves on Saturday. Oh, and he was the starting pitcher and got the win, by the way, allowing 3 hits - all 2-out solo homers - over 7 innings. Owings (6-6) struck out seven and walked none, but his performance at the plate overshadowed his mound work. The Diamondbacks won their 4th straight and are 12-4 in August. In a division that was a dead tight race between San Diego, Los Angeles and Arizona until just two weeks ago, the D-Backs have now sprinted ahead of the pack, opening up a 5-game bulge on the Padres and have left the slumping Dodgers (6-11 in August) for dead, 7 1/2 back. NY Mets 7 Washington 4 - Try as they like, nobody can catch the Mets in NL East. New York won for the 5th time in their last 6, as both Philadelphia and Atlanta lost. The Mets have a 4-game lead over the Phillies and lead Atlanta by 5 1/2. Luis Castillo hit his first home run of the season and first as a Met, drove in a pair of runs and scored twice. Castillo, brought over from Minnesota on July 31, has hit safely in 14 of 17 games with the Mets. Notable for making consistent contact, home runs are rare for the native of the Dominican Republic. His 24 career long balls have come in 1372 games for a ratio of 1 per 57 games. Barry Bonds need not worry. St. Louis 3 Chi Cubs 5 - Daryle Ward hoisted a grand slam over the ivy in center field and the Cubs scored all of their run in the 3rd inning, besting the Cardinals for the second straight day. The win kept the Cubs in first place, 12-game to the good over Milwaukee and 4 games better than St. Louis. Other NL Scores Philadelphia 6 Pittsburgh 11 San Francisco 4 Florida 3 Cincinnati 4 Milwaukee 8 - G. Jenkins, 3-run HR (19) Houston 3 San Diego 2 Colorado 7 LA Dodgers 4, 14 innings