Carlos Gonzalez helps Rockies defeat Dodgers 7-6

Carlos Gonzalez doesn't get paid to hit. He gets paid to multitask, and you could argue that no player in the major leagues does it as well as CarGo.

How deep does his tool drawer run? On the same day he didn't drive in a run for the first time in 12 games, he stole two runs, potentially three, from the Dodgers on Sunday at Dodger Stadium in a game the Rockies

won 7-6.

Three words: Do the math.

Technically, Rafael Betancourt got the save in a game that enabled the Rockies to avoid a three-game sweep. But everyone who saw Gonzalez's catch to end the fourth inning knew better.

"That catch," said Rockies manager Jim Tracy, "was the play of the day."

If Gonzalez didn't make a diving catch on Justin Sellers' drive down the right-field line, two runs would have scored to pull the Dodgers within one. And Sellers would have been standing on second or third, representing the tying run.

Right. Like CarGo wasn't going to catch the ball.

"I thought when the ball came off the bat, there was no chance he was catching it," said Ty Wigginton, who had a good view from first base. "He actually made it pretty easy. He's special. As the year goes along, he's starting to get into that form that people in Colorado have seen."

Said Gonzalez, when asked about the catch, "Which one?"

Exactly. There's no such thing as a circus catch by CarGo. Because he makes the spectacular seem routine.

"Just put it on the list," Tracy said.

As for Gonzalez's hitting, his franchise-record 11-game RBI streak was snapped. He had to settle for three hits, including a double, that extended his hitting streak to 15, during which he has hit .417 (25-for-60) with eight homers and 26 RBIs.

"It's fun," Gonzalez said. "It's the baseball that I play. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy it and take advantage of whatever opportunity is in front of me. When you're hot, everything coming off your bat is hits.

"I wasn't looking for any record. The only record I care about is the record of the team."

The Rockies have a lot of work to do on that front, even after Kevin Kouzmanoff's four RBIs — three on a bases-loaded bloop double in the first — helped the Rockies win this one. At 64-70, they're 11 games behind the Diamondbacks in the National League West.

Even a sweep of Arizona this week probably wouldn't get them back in the race, but it would have been nice to arrive in Phoenix with a rested bullpen.

Instead, Jhoulys Chacin's command issues reappeared after the Rockies gave him a 5-0 lead in the first.

Chacin (11-10, 3.60 ERA) escaped the fourth thanks to Gonzalez's catch. Two innings later, he walked the first three batters to load the bases, beginning a procession of five relievers.

"I just lost my focus a little bit," Chacin said. "It's just the walks. You've got to throw strikes and give the defense a chance to make plays."

Said Tracy: "Jhoulys got the win, but that's not the way you'd like to see it be done. You have an opportunity there, with what we did early, to leave a lot of (relievers) sitting down there, but ball four continues to haunt him. He's just got to understand that. He's got to clear that hurdle."

Jimenez, Indians top Tigers

Ubaldo Jimenez showed why Cleveland traded for him, winning his home debut, and rookie Jason Kipnis went 5 for 5 with four runs and three RBIs as the Indians shaved another game off Detroit’s lead in the AL Central by beating the Tigers, 10-3, last night.

With its 13th straight win at Progressive Field over Detroit, Cleveland closed within two games of first place - and the Indians will have a chance to sweep the Tigers for the second time this year.

Jimenez (1-0), acquired in a deal from Colorado at the trade deadline, allowed three runs and six hits in eight power-packed innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Kipnis hit a two-run homer off Rick Porcello (11-7) in the second. He added three singles, a double, and became the first Cleveland rookie in 59 years to get five hits and score four times. Jim Fridley did it on April 11, 1952, at Philadelphia.

Indians manager Manny Acta is convinced Jimenez, who he referred to as “The Big U,’’ has the “stuff to be a No. 1 starter. The guy that gets everyone’s attention.’’

Mariners 4, Rangers 3 - Casper Wells had the tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning for visiting Seattle in its victory over AL West-leading Texas.

Wells walked twice and had two singles, the last one driving in Mike Carp, who started the seventh with a bloop single off reliever Koji Uehara (1-2).

Jason Vargas (7-10) went seven innings with three strikeouts and four walks. The lefthander threw a season-high 121 pitches to get his first win in his last seven starts - he had gone 0-5 since his shutout July 1 against San Diego.

Rays 8, Royals 7 - Sam Fuld hit a tying triple and then scored on an errant throw to complete a five-run ninth as host Tampa Bay rallied to beat Kansas City.

Fuld hit a drive to right center off closer Joakim Soria (5-5) and wound up scoring the running run when second baseman Johnny Giavotella was charged with an error for a bad relay throw to third.

Braves 6, Marlins 2 - Dan Uggla extended his hitting streak to 31 games and Tim Hudson pitched into the eighth inning, leading Atlanta over Florida for a sweep in Miami.

Uggla’s two-run single in the first tied Rico Carty for the second-longest hitting streak in franchise history. Tommy Holmes hit in 37 straight for the Boston Braves in 1945.

Orioles 6, White Sox 4 - Nolan Reimold hit a two-run homer off Jason Frasor in the 10th inning, and host Baltimore ended Chicago’s five-game winning streak.

Blue Jays 8, Athletics 4 - Brett Lawrie hit his first career grand slam and Toronto beat visiting Oakland.

Phillies 9, Dodgers 8 - Ryan Howard and Hunter Pence homered to help Philadelphia overcome an early six-run deficit for a three-game sweep in Los Angeles. The Phillies completed a 9-1 road trip.

Brewers 5, Cardinals 1 - Randy Wolf pitched eight sharp innings and Milwaukee jumped on Jake Westbrook early to beat host St. Louis, giving the NL Central leaders their 13th win in 14 games.

Cubs 4, Nationals 2 - Reed Johnson, Alfonso Soriano, and Geovany Soto each homered and host Chicago kept up its power surge in a victory over Washington. The Cubs have connected in eight straight games.

Pirates 9, Giants 2 - Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Jeff Karstens (9-6) bounced back from his worst start of the season, and Pittsburgh won its first series in three weeks with a victory in San Francisco.

Reds 3, Rockies 2 - Joey Votto hit the last of host Cincinnati’s three solo homers, spoiling Kevin Millwood’s return to the majors, and the Reds turned a season-high four double plays in a victory over Colorado.

Padres 9, Mets 5 - Will Venable sparked the offense with four hits from the leadoff spot for visiting San Diego.

Diamondbacks 6, Astros 3 - Josh Collmenter scattered four hits over seven innings and Willie Bloomquist homered to start a three-run first for host Arizona.

Padres-Mets Preview

The New York Mets' chances to reach the postseason may be dim, but they're not giving up.

A collective effort against one of the best staffs in baseball may have provided some momentum.

After rallying for a stunning victory in the opener of this four-game set, the Mets look to continue overcoming

some key absences when they face the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.

New York (57-57) is nine games back of wild card-leading Atlanta and is missing Jose Reyes(hamstring), Daniel Murphy (knee) and Ike Davis (ankle). Murphy and Davis are out for the season, and Reyes landed on the disabled list for the second time this year Monday.

"We're not conceding anything," said David Wright, batting .368 with 18 RBIs in 16 games since missing two months with a back problem. "There are a lot of games left. Crazier things have happened."

That was certainly the case Monday, with rookie Lucas Duda hitting a two-run walkoff single as New York erased a four-run deficit in the final two innings to beat San Diego 9-8. New York has won two of three after a five-game slide.

"I'm proud of the way they have endured this whole thing," manager Terry Collins said. "We're not done yet. ... If they think for one second that this is over, they're mistaken."

Jason Bay appears to have heeded Collins' message, enjoying perhaps his best stretch since joining the Mets prior to last season. He's hitting .447 with three homers and nine RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.

"It really is going to take everybody," said Bay, one of three Mets to homer Monday.

Duda, Wright and rookie Justin Turner accounted for seven hits and five RBIs for New York, which scored three runs off Heath Bell and handed the Padres closer just his third blown save.

Wright owns a .351 average with three homers and 10 RBIs in his last nine meetings with the Padres (51-65), who are among baseball's best with a 3.33 ERA - 2.89 from the bullpen.

The Mets turn to Chris Capuano (9-10, 4.44 ERA), who is 1-3 with a 5.23 ERA in his last five starts after winning five of his previous six with a 2.57 ERA.

The left-hander was in position for a victory last Tuesday, leaving after six innings with a one-run lead only to have Jason Isringhausen give up two runs in the ninth in a 4-3 loss to Florida.

Capuano is 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA in seven games - six starts - against San Diego.

Like the Mets, the Padres are dealing with a slew of injuries, having added third baseman Chase Headley (finger) and reliever Ernesto Frieri (back) to the 15-day DL on Monday.

They've recalled Wade LeBlanc (0-2, 4.98) to make another start in place of Dustin Moseley, recently lost for the season with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

In his last outing July 31, LeBlanc allowed three runs and nine hits with six strikeouts in six innings while not getting a decision in an 8-3 win over Colorado. He was demoted to Triple-A Tucson the following day and hasn't pitched since.

"They said kind of hold tight and see what happens," LeBlanc told the team's official website. "They said they may need someone or they may not."

LeBlanc was charged with a 4-2 defeat in his only meeting with the Mets on June 1, 2010, yielding two runs and four walks in 5 1-3 innings.

Wright is 3 for 3 with a homer off LeBlanc.

Red Sox-Twins Preview

David Ortiz may garner attention for his torrid hitting against the Minnesota Twins, but Dustin Pedroia is also making quite an impact.

They'll look to continue that success at the plate and help the AL East-leading Boston Red Soxto a fifth

straight win over the slumping Twins on Tuesday night.

Ortiz spent his first six seasons with the Twins (51-64) before he was signed by Boston as a free agent in 2003 in a move Minnesota has come to regret.

He's hitting .327 with 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 42 games against his former team. Ortiz powered the Red Sox to an 8-6 victory in Monday's series opener, homering among his four hits and driving in three.

"Of course you get a little excited when you play the team you've played for before," said Ortiz, who has six hits in two games. "But you go with the same intensity against everybody."

Pedroia has also made a habit of beating up on the Twins, particularly in Minnesota, where he has a .439 average with seven RBIs in 14 visits.

He had two hits Monday, and is batting .383 with nine homers and 26 RBIs in 36 games, hitting safely in all but two.

Pedroia and Ortiz have helped Boston win four straight against the Twins during which the Red Sox are batting .342 while averaging 5.7 runs per game.

Erik Bedard (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will make his second start with the Red Sox since being acquired in a seven-player, three-team deal with Seattle on July 31.

The oft-injured left-hander allowed three runs and seven hits with five strikeouts in five innings before leaving without a decision in a 7-3 loss to Cleveland on Thursday. He was much more effective than in his final appearance for the Mariners on July 29, when he was tagged for five runs in 1 1-3 innings of an 8-0 loss to Tampa Bay. Bedard had missed the previous month with a sprained left knee, and has landed on the disabled list at least once in five consecutive seasons.

He's still working his way back from his most recent injury.

"I felt pretty good," Bedard told the Red Sox's official website. "I threw strikes. That's a basic thing coming back and trying to get my pitch count up. That's the most important thing."

Bedard has won his last two starts against the Twins, allowing two runs in 11 innings. He scattered six hits in six innings of a 3-0 win at Target Field on May 25.

The Twins' offense has been punchless during a five-game losing streak, batting .209 while scoring 11 total runs.

Francisco Liriano (7-9, 5.03) may have to make do with minimal run support as he tries to rebound from a difficult outing.

The left-hander struggled against a lineup made up of right-handed hitters Thursday, surrendering seven runs and a season-high 10 hits in five innings of a 7-1 loss at Los Angeles.

Of the 11 homers he's allowed this season, 10 have come against right-handers.

That's been a factor in Liriano going 1-3 with a 7.78 ERA in four career starts against Boston. Righties have hit .328 with all three homers and 14 of 17 RBIs in those games.

Liriano, however, got his only victory over the Red Sox at home in impressive fashion on April 15, 2010. He gave up four hits and struck out eight in seven innings of an 8-0 win.

Pedroia is 6 for 10 off Liriano.

Minnesota's Jim Thome, two homers shy of 600, has one in 18 at-bats against Bedard.

Reddick's walk-off single gives Red Sox edge over Yankees

Josh Reddick hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-2 on Sunday night.

With the win, the Red Sox took over sole possession of first place in the AL East and clinched a win in the

season series against New York for the first time since 2004.

The Yankees led 2-1 on homers by Eduardo Nunez and Brett Gardner before Mariano Rivera came in to close it out in the ninth.

But Marco Scutaro led off with a double for his fourth hit of the game. He moved up on a sacrifice and scored on a sacrifice fly to send the game into extra innings.

It was the fifth blown save of the season for Rivera, who pitched a scoreless inning in each of his first two appearances against Boston this season.

"That's huge. He's the best closer in the game right now," Reddick said.

David Ortiz sparked the game-ending rally with a one-out double against Phil Hughes (2-4). Darnell McDonald came in to run and the Yankees opted to walk Carl Crawford, who had three hits.

Reddick then hit a liner into the corner in left, driving in McDonald as the Fenway Park crowd erupted in cheers.

Daniel Bard (2-5) pitched a scoreless 10th for the win.

Boston lost the series opener but won the next two to snap the Yankees' eight-game winning streak and take the series. The Red Sox are 10-2 against New York this season with six games left, and one game up in the AL East.

Gardner had three hits for the Yankees, including the tiebreaking drive with two out in the seventh. He also stole two bases, giving him 35 on the season.

Nunez tied it with his homer in the fifth — one batter after Russell Martin was thrown out by Reddick trying to stretch a single into a double.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox kept producing baserunners -- and stranding them. They left the bases loaded in the second and sixth, and stranded a pair in the fourth.

Rays-Astros Preview

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon hopes the way Jeff Niemann pitched in his first start in more than a month will set the tone for a successful remainder of the season for the Rays right-hander.
Niemann looks to build on his latest effort while trying to help the Rays complete a three-game sweep of the struggling Houston Astros on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.
After spending 45 days on the disabled list with a strained lower back, Niemann (2-4, 4.82 ERA) allowed

four hits and struck out five in six scoreless innings of an 8-4 win at Milwaukee on Monday in his first action since May 4.
"To pitch that well really gets you going in the right direction, no question about that," Maddon said. "I'd like to believe what he did is going to bolster his confidence a bit and get him ready for the next outing."
Niemann, 25-14 the previous two seasons, is just happy to be back on the mound for a Tampa Bay club that has won seven of eight - all against NL opponents.
"The biggest thing is it's just nice to be back and be a contributing member of the team again," he said.
Niemann provided a strong contribution when he gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings of the Rays' 4-2 win at Houston on May 22, 2010.
He will try to help the Rays (43-34) win their fourth in a row following Saturday's 7-2 victory. Tampa Bay has won four straight at Minute Maid Park, where the Astros have dropped a season-high five in a row and 13 of 15.
"I don't think right now anybody is really standing out, we're just getting hits at the right time," said B.J. Upton, who homered for the second straight game.
Casey Kotchman had three hits and Wade Davis threw seven strong innings for Tampa Bay, which has averaged 5.4 runs during a 4-1 road trip.
"This game is tough no matter who you play," said third baseman Evan Longoria, 4 for 8 with five RBIs in the series. "We've done a really good job on this road trip."
Kotchman is batting .393 (11 for 28) his last seven games and is 3 for 7 with a double and homer against scheduled starter J.A. Happ (3-9, 5.33), who makes his first start against the Rays looking for his first win since May 14.
The left-hander allowed seven runs and eight hits in 2 2-3 innings of an 8-3 loss at Texas on Monday to fall to 0-5 with a 5.25 ERA in his last seven starts.
"Good pitchers get out of those kinds of things," Happ told the Astros' official website. "In the past I have, and I take pride in overcoming those kinds of things. It just seems like I've been struggling to a little bit."
Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee each had an RBI on Saturday for the Astros (28-50), who have totaled 15 runs while losing five of six. Lee had two hits, but is batting .167 (4 for 24) his last six games.
A lifetime .298 hitter at Minute Maid Park, Pence has batted just .211 (4 for 19) with five RBIs in five home games versus Tampa Bay.

With more pep, Swisher returns to lineup

BALTIMORE -- The Yankees couldn't be sure if they'd have Nick Swisher in uniform when they boarded their flight early Wednesday morning, as the outfielder's skin tone was taking on a sickly pale hue.

But Swisher was bouncing around with something approaching his usual energy level and vocal volume at Camden Yards, an impressive recovery after he was forced out of Tuesday's game with flu-like symptoms.

"I'm like a whole new person," said Swisher, who also found time to completely shave his head.

Swisher could use a fresh start; he had just four hits in his last 17 at-bats entering play on Wednesday. He was hitting .218 with two homers and 14 RBIs.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Swisher "didn't look too good" on the team's late-night flight from Tampa, Fla., and advised Swisher to communicate if he started to feel ill again.

"He seems to have a lot of life today, which is good," Girardi said. "My concern today is probably more, 'How long does the life last?'"