Barrel-chested Billy Butler always had powerful wrists and quick reflexes. Only now his mental ability is catching up with his physical talent. Picking on three different pitchers Wednesday night, Butler doubled three times for a club-record fourth time this season to help the Kansas City Royals beat Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers 5-1 for their first three-game winning streak since July.
The Colorado Rockies are starting to show everyone 2007 was no fluke. Seth Smith hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning to give the surging Rockies a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. Colorado won its sixth straight game and extended its NL wild-card lead to four games over San Francisco, which lost 4-2 to San Diego.
The Boston Red Sox wanted Victor Martinez because he could help them at first base, catcher and designated hitter. He's turned out to be a pretty good pinch-hitter, too. Martinez came off the bench and hit a three-run double to break a seventh-inning tie, leading the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over Baltimore on Wednesday night.
Derek Jeter stood at first base and waved his batting helmet, cheers resonating from the upper reaches of a packed Yankee Stadium. After tying Lou Gehrig atop the Yankees hit list, the ever-confident captain suddenly wasn't so sure of himself. "I really didn't know what to do because we were losing at the time and I didn't want to disrespect Tampa," Jeter said.
Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 win against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth in place of struggling closer Brad Lidge, earning his sixth save in 11 chances as Philadelphia beat the Nationals for the ninth straight time.
Dodgers left-hander Randy Wolf will miss his next start with elbow irritation. Wolf returned to Los Angeles to consult team doctors on Tuesday night and received a cortisone injection, manager Joe Torre said. Wolf told the team he thought he hurt himself swinging the bat in a game. He reported discomfort in his elbow during a bullpen session on Tuesday.
Wade LeBlanc peeked out of the San Diego dugout as his turn to hit approached in the eighth inning. No one was warming up in the Padres' bullpen. "That was a real good feeling," LeBlanc said. "It lets you they have confidence in you." Adrian Gonzalez hit his career-high 37th homer and drove in three runs, helping LeBlanc and the Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2…
The NL East-leading Phillies sent reliever Scott Eyre back to Philadelphia on Wednesday to have his ailing left elbow examined. Eyre is 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA in 39 games. Manager Charlie Manuel said Jamie Moyer would start in place of J.A. Happ in Saturday's game against New York. Happ was scratched from Monday's start with an oblique strain.
Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols and the rest of the St. Louis Cardinals keep rolling through September. They hope Matt Holliday's tumble doesn't trip them up. Wainwright became the first pitcher to reach 18 wins this season, Pujols hit two home runs for a majors-leading 47 and the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 Wednesday.
Carlos Zambrano ran into few problems against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Trying to get a seventh inning out of Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella is where his success ended. Zambrano won for the first time since July 22 by limiting the slumping-again Pirates to two runs over six innings, and the Cubs finished off a three-game sweep by beating Pittsburgh 8-5 on Wednesday.
