Jim Thome has reached the stage of his career when every home run, every RBI and every milestone is special. Fortunately for him and the Chicago White Sox, the milestones are coming pretty often these days. Thome hit a grand slam and a three-run homer for a career-high seven RBIs Friday night, carrying the Chicago White Sox to a 12-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Phil Hughes was pumping 97 mph fastballs past the Tigers, striking out six in two innings before Mariano Rivera finished Detroit. The New York Yankees have found their setup man. "It's just a matter of, you know, adrenaline taking over," he said. Mark Teixeira bailed out a shaky A.J. Burnett with a go-ahead, three-run homer off an injured Joel Zumaya, and the Yankees opened the second…
Jair Jurrjens celebrated Greg Maddux's big day with a Maddux-like pitching effort. Jurrjens combined with three relievers on a two-hitter, Brian McCann drove in four runs in the first three innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 11-0 on Friday night. Jurrjens (8-7) gave up both hits and two walks in six innings after the Braves retired the No.
Arizona starter Jon Garland had Albert Pujols right where he wanted him Friday night, leading off two innings with no one to drive in. But Pujols still managed to do all the damage he could and his two solo homers were enough to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. The multi home run game was the eighth for Pujols, who leads the majors with 34 homers and 89 RBIs.
Talk about the Minnesota Twins, and All-Stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau quickly become the primary topic. Maybe it's time for the slugger who follows them in the lineup to be a part of the conversation. Jason Kubel hit a tiebreaking three-run homer after the recognized stars reached base and the Twins beat the Texas Rangers 5-3 Friday night, putting a damper on Josh Hamilton's first home…
Carlos Zambrano made up for some early wildness with another big hit at the plate. Zambrano worked five effective innings after a shaky start and hit a key two-run double, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. "In the National League, you have to be able to pitch and you have to be able to contribute to your own cause," Zambrano said.
Felix Hernandez allowed two runs in eight innings and Franklin Gutierrez homered against his former team in the Seattle Mariners' 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night. Hernandez (10-3) allowed five hits, walking one and striking out eight in his first start since pitching a scoreless inning in Tuesday's All-Star game.
El Duque's comeback attempt with the Texas Rangers has ended. Texas released Orlando Hernandez from his minor league contract Friday, making the right-hander a free agent just more than a month after he signed. Hernandez was 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in eight relief appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City since being activated three weeks ago.
On the day the Atlanta Braves retired Greg Maddux's number, his former manager Bobby Cox led the praises. "I get asked by managers and press people all the time, how good was he?" Cox said. "Was he the best pitcher I ever saw? Was he the smartest pitcher I ever saw? Was he the best competitor I ever saw?
Royals right fielder Jose Guillen was not on hand for Kansas City's game against Tampa Bay on Friday night because he was late getting back from the Dominican Republic. Manager Trey Hillman said Guillen was delayed because his son was ill at their home in the Dominican. Hillman said Guillen, who is hitting .243 nine homers and 37 RBIs, was expected to be in the lineup for Saturday night's…
