Projo Sox Blog

Associated Press

MONDAY'S GAME TO WATCH

Cincinnati at L.A. Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EDT). Jason Schmidt, who hasn't pitched in the majors since July 16, 2007, will be activated by Los Angeles from the 60-day disabled list to start against the Reds.

SUNDAY'S STARS

-Roy Halladay, Blue Jays, pitched a six-hitter to win for the first time since June 7, leading Toronto past Boston 3-1.

-Joel Pineiro, Cardinals, pitched seven sharp innings and hit a two-run double to lead St. Louis over Arizona 2-1.

-Ian Kinsler, Rangers, hit both a leadoff and a game-winning homer in Texas' 5-3 victory against Minnesota in 12 innings.

-Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, had three hits, scored twice and made a game-saving catch to help Seattle to a three-game sweep of Cleveland with a 5-3 win.

-Jason Marquis, Rockies, threw eight strong innings and drove in two runs to become the majors' first 12-game winner in Colorado's 6-1 victory at San Diego.

-Bobby Abreu and John Lackey, Angels. Abreu homered with one out in the 10th and broke up rookie Brett Anderson's bid for a perfect game with a seventh-inning single, and Lackey allowed three hits over nine scoreless innings in leading Los Angeles over Oakland 1-0.

-Matt Kemp, Dodgers, hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and scored four times for Los Angeles in a 4-3 win over Houston.

-Gregg Zaun, Orioles, homered and drove in four runs, helping send Baltimore to a 10-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

SAD DAY

Sue Burns (right) a part owner of the San Francisco Giants who was close friends with home run king Barry Bonds, died early Sunday of complications from cancer, the team said. She was 58. Burns was diagnosed with the disease July 10 and missed Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter for the Giants that night - a rare absence from the ballpark. "We all have heavy hearts," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Sue was such a beautiful lady who gave us her unwavering support all the time."

QUICK ONE

The Angels needed 10 innings to beat the A's 1-0, but it came in a breezy 2 hours, 17 minutes, thanks to fine pitching performances by Oakland's Brett Anderson and Los Angeles ace John Lackey. Anderson allowed two hits over eight innings, taking a perfect game into the seventh, and Lackey pitched three-hit ball for nine innings.

SWAPS

The Brewers acquired second baseman Felipe Lopez from Arizona for two minor leaguers, giving Milwaukee a much-needed threat at the top of the order. Milwaukee has been without starting second baseman Rickie Weeks after he had season-ending surgery on his wrist in May. The 29-year-old Lopez was hitting .301 with six homers, 25 RBIs and six stolen bases in 85 games in his first season with the Diamondbacks. He can become a free agent after the season. ... San Diego acquired infielder Oscar Salazar from Baltimore for right-handed reliever Cla Meredith.

SWING AND A MISS

The AL-worst Indians struck out 12 times in a 5-3 loss to Seattle, putting their season total at 709. They became the third team, following Texas and Tampa Bay, to fan 700 times this season.

FANTASTIC PHILLY

Unbeaten rookie J.A. Happ allowed five hits in seven innings, and the Phillies extended their longest winning streak since 2006 to eight games by beating Florida 5-0 - their 12th victory in 13 games. Happ (7-0) also singled with two outs to start a three-run rally in the second. The Phillies have won eight in a row in Miami.

STATS

The Yankees' Mariano Rivera issued his fourth walk in 40 innings this season before finishing for his 26th save in 27 opportunities and third of the series against Detroit. ... DeWayne Wise hit his first homer since Sept. 19, 2008, for the Chicago White Sox in a 10-2 loss to Baltimore. ... The Royals stranded 13 and went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position during a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. ... Adam Dunn hit his 24th homer but Washington dropped to 0-4 under new manager Jim Riggleman with an 11-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

STAR WATCHING

Matt Cain held the Pirates to one run over seven innings, outpitching All-Star replacement Zach Duke in San Francisco's 4-3 victory at Pittsburgh. Cain (11-3) was pitching for the first time since he was hit on the right arm by a line drive July 11, making him unavailable for the All-Star game due to a bruised elbow. Cain was replaced on the NL squad by Duke (8-9).

SIGNED

Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek agreed to a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins, providing a possible veteran presence later in the season. Grudzielanek has played 14 major league seasons with five teams. He ended last season on the disabled list for Kansas City after hurting his ankle Aug. 1. A .290 career hitter, Grudzielanek played 1,772 games for Montreal (1995-98), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2002), Chicago Cubs (2003-04), St. Louis (2005) and the Royals (2006-08). He was an All-Star in 1996 and won a Gold Glove in 2006.

BREAKING LOOSE

Alfonso Soriano's two-run homer keyed a seven-run fourth inning and the Cubs completed a four-game sweep at Washington with an 11-3 rout. Jake Fox had three hits and a career-high four RBIs. Soriano's 16th home run, his second in two games after a drought of 120 at-bats, began the biggest inning of the season for Chicago.

SPEAKING

"The only thing that was in my mind as soon as the bat made contact was to catch it. Just like a dog chasing after a Frisbee." - Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki on his leaping catch at the fence that ended a 5-3 victory at Cleveland.

THIS DATE IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1906 - Malcolm Eason of Brooklyn pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

1925 - Brooklyn's Dazzy Vance struck out 17 batters as the Dodgers tripped the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in 10 innings.

1933 - Babe Herman hit three home runs, including a grand slam, to pace the Chicago Cubs in a 10-1 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.

1941 - New York's Joe DiMaggio had three doubles and a homer in the Yankees' 12-6, 17-inning victory over the Tigers in Detroit.

1958 - Jim Bunning of the Detroit Tigers threw a no-hitter, beating the Boston Red Sox 3-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

1970 - Bill Singer of the Dodgers pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies for a 5-0 victory in front of 12,454 at Los Angeles.

1973 - Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox lost both ends of a doubleheader to the New York Yankees, 12-2 and 7-0.

1976 - Hank Aaron hit the 755th and final home run of his career to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-2 win over California.

2003 - Albert Pujols became the fourth player to hit 100 home runs in his first three major league seasons with a two-run shot in St. Louis' 10-7 win over Los Angeles.

2008 - Francisco Rodriguez became the fastest pitcher to 40 saves in big league history when he closed out the Los Angeles Angels' 5-3 victory over Boston. Rodriguez, who struck out the side in the ninth inning, reached 40 saves in 98 games - 10 faster than John Smoltz did five years ago.

Today's birthday: Bengie Molina 35.

 Tags  Baseball Today

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