Cliff Lee showed again why the Philadelphia Phillies may've made the best deal of all before the trade deadline. Lee won his third straight start since joining the Phillies, and the NL East leaders beat the slumping Chicago Cubs 6-1 Thursday for their first sweep at Wrigley Field in 25 years. The reigning AL Cy Young winner allowed one run and six hits over eight innings, and Ryan Howard and…
Jonny Gomes had hit three home runs in a game once before. This time meant more to him. Gomes homered in his first three at-bats to back Bronson Arroyo's two-hitter and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals 7-0 on Thursday night. The three-homer game was Gomes' first since July 30, 2005, against Kansas City.
Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are out, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are in, and the Yankees are still glad they acquired versatile fill-in Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Cincinnati Reds two weeks ago. New York began a four-game series at Seattle on Thursday night with several stars banged up, though manager Joe Girardi said he expects to have his regulars back soon.
Jim Tracy thinks his middle infielders have few equals offensively or defensively, and Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes backed up their manager's words. Jason Marquis allowed three hits over seven innings, Tulowitzki and Barmes homered and the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1 on Thursday.
Yovani Gallardo teased backup catcher Mike Rivera about his newfound acclaim. Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and the rest of the Brewers didn't want any part of the attention. Fielder and Rivera each hit two home runs, and the struggling Brewers built a big lead before hanging on to beat the San Diego Padres 12-9 Thursday.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello has dropped his appeal of a five-game suspension for hitting Boston's Kevin Youkilis with a pitch. The Tigers said late Wednesday night that Porcello would not appeal. Porcello and Youkilis were both given five-game penalties for Tuesday night's brawl, which began when the Tigers pitcher hit Youkilis in the back and he charged the mound.
Joe Torre's Los Angeles Dodgers have their swagger back. The skipper has seen plenty of positive changes from his club in a matter of a few days. The NL West leaders showed they're back on track in a big way during their recent road series with archrival San Francisco. The Dodgers took two of three and distanced themselves in the division race — that after losing the final three of a…
The Minnesota Twins started this week with hopes of closing ground on the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. They had the lowly Kansas City Royals in town and the Tigers were at Fenway Park to play heavy-hitting Boston. But the week quickly turned into one of missed opportunities — on the field and in the division.
Justin Verlander knew it was his last batter, and it was a dangerous one. So the Tigers right-hander reached back for a pair of 100 mph fastballs that blew by Jason Bay and essentially clinched Detroit's 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. "That's a horse," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, after the AL Central-leading Tigers avoided a four-game sweep and beat the Red…
Josh Hamilton is heating up. The timing couldn't be better for the Texas Rangers. Hamilton had four hits Thursday, including the go-ahead two-run double in the third inning, leading Texas to a 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The All-Star outfielder hit .486 with a homer and eight RBIs on the Rangers' 10-game trip, raising his average from .220 to .260.
