The Atlanta Braves left Dodger Stadium with a triple infusion of confidence for the stretch drive. Javier Vazquez won his fifth straight decision with eight solid innings, and the resurgent Braves beat the NL West leaders 8-2 on Sunday to take three of the four games in their weekend series. They have won five of their last six overall, and are four games over .500 (58-54) for the first time since…
Johan Santana decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He not only pitched a strong game, but the light-hitting pitcher also contributed with his bat. Santana threw eight solid innings and tied his career high with two hits and an RBI as the New York Mets avoided a four-game sweep with a 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Red Sox slugger Jason Bay was back in the lineup Sunday night against the New York Yankees, ending the Kevin Youkilis adventure in left field and returning some pop to what's been a punchless offense. Bay had missed the first three games of the series after re-injuring his hamstring while running out a grounder Wednesday in a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay.
Aaron Harang had been hearing it from family members and friends, a constant reminder as the losses piled up over the past two months. They should leave him be now. Harang ended the worst winless stretch of his career with his first victory since late May, Brandon Phillips and Adam Rosales each homered and the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Sunday.
No matter what pitch Taylor Teagarden called, Derek Holland executed it precisely. Through the first five hitless innings to the last 1-2-3 frame, the rookie catcher and his rookie left-hander were perfectly poised while shutting out the majors' highest-scoring team. The Texas Rangers claimed they weren't even the least bit shocked by Sunday's seasoned effort from two remarkable…
Swept out of Washington by the woeful Nationals, the Florida Marlins jumped back in the playoff race with a dominant weekend in Philadelphia. Josh Johnson pitched six impressive innings, helping the Marlins complete a three-game sweep over the Phillies with a 12-3 victory on Sunday. The Marlins moved within four games of the NL East leaders with their first sweep in Philadelphia since April 2004.
Adam Dunn should have been celebrating. Instead, he was angry. Dunn's Washington Nationals won their eighth straight game, but he kept talking about games that had gotten away. After a 9-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, the Nationals have their second longest run in their five seasons in the nation's capital.
Tony La Russa said he did. Matt Capps and Albert Pujols said he didn't. Even if the pitch that hit Pujols didn't get away from Capps, the first-place St. Louis Cardinals took yet another game away from the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates. Skip Schumaker's first career pinch-hit home run started a five-run eighth-inning rally for St.
The Detroit Tigers know there's a lot of baseball left this season and they're far from wrapping up the AL Central. Their latest win, however, on a sweltering Sunday was especially sweet. Placido Polanco hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Detroit held on for an 8-7 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Another start against the Baltimore Orioles, another victory for Toronto's Roy Halladay. Halladay won his 10th straight decision over Baltimore, Vernon Wells and Marco Scutaro hit two-run homers in a four-run third and the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 7-3 on Sunday. "We scored some runs early for me and that makes a big difference," said Halladay, who had received three runs of support…
