American League
Minnesota 8 Detroit 5 -
Michael Cuddyer had a triple and home run in 4 at-bats and drove in 3 runs as the Twins took their second straight at Detroit and now trail the Tigers by 4 games, 5 1/2 back of AL Central leader, Cleveland. The Tigers are 1 1/2 behind the Indians with the finale of the 3-game set tonight.
Toronto 3 Seattle 8 -
Ben Broussard went 4-4, scored a run and drove in a pair as the Mariners won their 7th straight, closing to within 4 games of the LA Angels in the AL West.
Oakland 7 NY Yankees 0 -
Chad Gaudin (7-3, right) allowed just one hit over 7 innings and Rich Harden didn't allow a hit over the last 2, as the A's shut down the hot-and-cold Yankees. The Yankees are 2-8 over their last 10 games and trail the Boston Red Sox by 11 games in the AL East. Toronto, not exactly on fire either (lost 3 straight), is 1/2 game ahead of New York, at 39-41. The Red Sox are the only team in the division with a record above .500.
Tampa Bay 6 Cleveland 8 -
Grady Sizemore stroked 3 singles in four at-bats and drove in 3 runs in supports of
C.C. Sabathia's 7 innings on the mound for his 12th win against just 2 losses. Sabathia allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on six hits while fanning 8, without walking a batter. Besides being the only 12-game winner in the majors, Sabathia's numbers are outstanding: 3.20 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 116 Ks and 17 BBs in 123 1/3 innings. He deserves - and should be named - the AL starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game.
Other AL Scores
Texas 5 Boston 4 - Josh Beckett (11-2) blows 4-run lead
LA Angels 3 Baltimore 6
Chi White Sox 3 Kansas City 1, 10 innings
National League
NY Mets 8 Philadelphia 3 - The Mets took their 3rd straight at Philly, pushing the Phillies down 6 games. The Braves trail the Mets in the NL East by 4 games.
Carlos Beltran (right), who had two homers in the Mets' 5-2 win on Friday, delivered again with another pair of blasts - his 13th and 14th - in a 4-5 effort, scoring 3 runs and driving in 3.
Milwaukee 13 Chi Cubs 4 - Rookie of the Year? How about Milwaukee's
Ryan Braun? On Saturday, the Brewers' third baseman went 4-5, including 2 doubles and his 7th home run, scored 3 times and drove in 4. Braun is batting a hefty .349, but has only 129 at-bats. If he remains a regular - and it looks like he will - he'll likely have enough to qualify as a league-leader in hitting.
While the Brewers were establishing a 9-2 lead after three innings, starter
Ben Sheets was cruising to his 10th win against just 3 losses.
It was Sheets' 6th straight win. The Brewers lead the Cubs by 7 1/2 in the NL Central. Milwaukee is the only team in the division with a winning record. Chicago is 39-40.
San Diego 3 LA Dodgers 1, 12 innings - Jake Peavy and Brad Penny dueled through seven innings, each allowing a run on 5 hits apiece, but the Padres got the better of things in extra innings and Trevor Hoffman slammed the door in the bottom of the 12th for his 23rd save. The Padres - who have won 4 straight - now lead Arizona by 1 1/2 and the Dodgers by 2 in the NL West. The 3-game series concludes this afternoon in LA.
Other NL Scores
Washington 2 Pittsburgh 7
Colorado 5 Houston 0 - Rockies snap 8-game losing streak, J. Francis, W (8-5), 7 IP, 3 H
Atlanta 6 Florida 5 - Braves win 5th straight,
St. Louis 1 Cincinnati 5
Arizona 1 San Francisco 4
Some players make a lot of noise and others, like Minnesota's Justin Morneau, just quietly do their job, racking up huge stats. On Sunday, Morneau was at his best again, smacking a pair of home runs to lead the Twins to a 10-1 win over the Angels, avoiding being swept and halting a four-game skid. Morneau launched a two-run shot in the 1st inning and added a solo blast in the 7th, retaking the AL lead from Tampa's Carlos Pena, with his 25th and 26th.
Now in his 7th season in the majors - all with Minnesota - Morneau is on track to have his best season yet. Having already won the MVP award in 2006 with a .321 batting average, 34 homers and 134 RBI, Morneau numbers after 98 games - .315, 26, 82 - stack up very favorably.
With the win, Minnesota moved to within 4 games of the Tigers in the AL Central as the White Sox won, 5-1, at Detroit. The Sox avoided a four-game sweep and clawed to within 2 games of Detroit. LA leads Texas by 3 1/2 in the West.
National League
While St. Louis was dropping a 9-2 decision to the Phillies, Rich Harden was pitching the Cubs into first place in the NL Central. Harden allowed a two-out solo homer to Joey Votto in the first inning and then proceeded to set down the next 16 batters he faced before leaving after six innings. The Cubs managed a 5-2 win over the Reds for their 4th straight victory and a 1/2 game lead in the division. Harden fanned 8 and didn't walk a batter, improving to 7-6 on the year, throwing 61 of 90 pitches for strikes.
NOTES: Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, Sunday; Henderson on his first ballot and Rice on his 15th and final chance. Henderson is baseball's all-time theft leader, with 1406, and also the all-time runs leader, with 2295. Rice, who played his entire career in a Red Sox uniform, is the only player in MLB history with at least 35 homers and 200 hits in three consecutive seasons, accomplishing the feat from 1977 to 1979. Rice batted .298 with 382 homers and 1451 RBI over a 16-year career.
