The Colorado Rockies' celebration over Jason Giambi's heroics quickly turned to concern over closer Huston Street's ailing right arm. Giambi's pinch-hit two-run single off Brian Stokes broke an eighth-inning tie and powered the Rockies to a 5-2 win over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Already without injured third baseman Michael Young, the Texas Rangers suddenly lost slugger Josh Hamilton in the middle of the game when they were down. "It seems like when adversity hits this team, they play their best," manager Ron Washington said. Despite the absence of two of their All-Stars, the Rangers gained ground in the American League playoff chase with their third straight…
Not much went smoothly for Chris Carpenter, who labored through six innings, got hit by a pitch on the left thumb and flubbed a bunt attempt. Flawed but gritty was good enough to win his 10th straight decision, especially with a five-run cushion after the second. Skip Schumaker was 4 for 4 with two RBIs, pacing a 16-hit attack as the St.
The Tampa Bay Rays keep finding ways to hang in the AL playoff race. "You're not always going to win. It's not always going to be an oil painting," manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday night after his team rebounded from a sloppy performance the previous day to beat Boston 8-5 and avoid falling farther behind the wild-card leading Red Sox.
The New York Yankees haven't played this well against the Baltimore Orioles since the days of Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra. CC Sabathia allowed one run in seven innings to earn his AL-leading 16th victory, Alex Rodriguez got his 2,500th hit and drove in four runs, and the Yankees beat Baltimore 10-2 Wednesday night for a three-game sweep.
A day that began with so much emotion and squabbling in the clubhouse ended in the best way possible for the Florida Marlins. A party at home plate. Wes Helms hit a game-winning homer, Dan Uggla had a two-run shot after challenging teammate Hanley Ramirez's effort, and the bickering Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 8-7 on Wednesday night.
After a sensational and surprising debut with San Francisco, Brad Penny kept his eyes on the Red Sox game on TV as he dressed. "Those are my buddies over there," he said. "I love all those guys." Penny would still be with Boston if he pitched like he did against Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Felix Hernandez knew he had to be at his best against a potent Los Angeles lineup. Hernandez pitched eight scoreless innings to spoil the Los Angeles debut of left-hander Scott Kazmir and the Mariners beat the Angels 3-0 on Wednesday night. "I was in the bullpen and felt like, 'I got to be Felix today because they got a pretty good team,"' said the Seattle Mariners ace.
Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher who won the allegiance of Bostonians by leading the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series, said Wednesday that he has "some interest" in running for the seat held for nearly 50 years by Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Schilling, a registered independent and longtime Republican supporter, wrote on his blog that while his family and video game…
Rick Porcello isn't worried about pitching in a pennant race. He's just concerned about how his mother will take it. The 20-year-old rookie led the Detroit Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, allowing two runs on five hits in seven-plus innings. "You look at him, and you realize he was striking out high-school kids two years ago," Tigers catcher…
