The Indians-White Sox game was rained out.

Cubs 5, Astros 1

- poor Wandy Rodriguez. He goes out and throws seven good innings -- three hits and a walk while striking out seven -- with the only Chicago runs coming on two solo shots... and he takes the loss. You can blame a totally inept Houston offense for that.
- said inept offense made a winner out of Randy Wells, who between his forearm injury and his ERA over 6 hadn't won a game since the first week of the season. Houston had their leadoff batter on base four times in Wells' six innings, and got just one of them home.
- Carlos Lee had three of the Astros' nine singles, and their only RBI.
- Cubs' bullpen watch: Sean Marshall worked a scoreless eighth, and Carlos Marmol didn't walk anyone in a scoreless ninth.
- Astros batboy Jose Altuve got another start and second and went 1-for-4.
W: Wells (2-3) HR: Marlon Byrd (5), Geovanny Soto (9) CS: Michael Bourn (6)

A's 4, Yankees 3

- bonus points for the moral victory: Oakland had lost their previous 11 against the Yanks, and 13 of the last 14 against them on the road.
- it was also a day for revenge homers, as both Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui went yard against their former clubs. Josh Willingham also homered off A.J. Burnett, so maybe he harbored some grudge against Burnett from their Marlin days or something.
- Burnett and Rich Harden each allowed nine baserunners and struck out six in five-plus innings, but Harden gave up one less run and scooped the W.
- the old-timer's were walking down Memory Lane too. Matsui's homer was his second in three games, and he's hitting .370 (10-for-27) over his last seven games with 10 RBI. Derek Jeter went 3-for-4 with a steal, his third SB in his last four games, and he's now hitting .357 (10-for-28) over his last seven.
W: Harden (2-1) SV: Andrew Bailey (11) HR: Willingham (13), Matsui (8), Swisher (12) SB: Jeter (11), Brett Gardner (31) CS: Curtis Granderson (9)

Reds 11, Braves 2

- Derek Lowe took a one-hitter into the sixth, but then the wheels came flying off and he wound up getting tagged for four runs in the inning without recording an out.
- Homer Bailey flirted with a bit of trouble too but wound up with a solid line, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings with three K's.
- Zach Cozart left the game with a hyperextended elbow, opening the door for Edgar Renteria to go 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.
- Brandon Phillips also went 3-for-5 with a couple of doubles and a couple of RBI as he tries to work his way out of his July funk.
- how bad was the Braves offense in this one? Jason Heyward and Brian McCann combined to leave 11 men on base, and Lowe had both the team's RBI.
W: Bailey (5-4) SB: Drew Stubbs (24)

Twins 4, Tigers 1

- like the A's in New York, the Twins were on an 11-game losing streak against Detroit coming into this one, but Scott Baker came off the DL and gave Minny five shutout innings with a 5:1 K:BB ratio to put an end to the skid.
- Brad Penny fought his control over seven erratic innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and three walks with four K's.
- Joe Nathan gave up a double to Jhonny Peralta but otherwise looked great in getting the save, topping out at 95 mph with his fastball. He's back, folks.
W: Baker (8-5) SV: Nathan (7) HR: Danny Valencia (12) SB: Ben Revere (14) CS: Carlos Guillen (1)

Phillies 8, Padres 6

- if you had Chad Qualls active today, I'm so, so sorry. He came into the game to protect a one run lead and having allowed just one home run all season, and that back in April. He left it having surrendered three more, and five runs total, while recording just one out. The truly insulting one came from Michael Martinez, who badly blew two bunt attempts, squared to try again with two strikes and got bailed out by a wild pitch to advance the runers before launching a three-run blast into the seats.
- Qualls' disaster wasted a decent outing from Mat Latos, who gave up three runs over six innings with a 7:2 K:BB ratio. Although none of them were fantastic outings, Latos has now reeled off five straight quality starts.
- Chase Utley led the charge for the Phils, going 3-for-3 with two jacks and four RBI.
W: Michael Stutes (5-1) SV: Ryan Madson (17) HR: Cameron Maybin (6), Chase Headley (3), Utley 2 (6), Ryan Howard (19), Martinez (2) SB: Maybin (21), Jimmy Rollins 2 (21)

Orioles 3, Angels 2

- Brad Bergesen turned in a solid effort to get the victory, allowing just two runs on six hits over six innings with a 3:2 K:BB ratio.
- Joel Pineiro wasn't quite as sharp, getting slapped around for three runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings. He neither walked nor whiffed anybody.
- Vernon Wells homered for the second straight game as his power semi-surge continues. He's only hitting .246 in July, but half his hits have gone for extra bases including five dingers.
W: Bergesen (2-6) SV: Kevin Gregg (16) HR: Wells (16), Adam Jones (17) CS: Howie Kendrick (3), Erick Aybar (3)

Cardinals 9, Pirates 1

- Jaime Garcia stifled the Bucs, allowing just one run on eight hits and a walk over 7.1 innings while striking out five.
- Kevin Correia got in some nice regression to the mean action, getting tagged for seven runs on eight hits (including two HR) and three walks over just 4.2 frames, striking out two.
- Lance Berkman continues his quest to hit his age in long balls, blasting his 27th. Just eight more to go!
W: Garcia (10-4) HR: Berkman (27), Yadier Molina (5) SB: Chase d'Arnaud (7)

Marlins 8, Mets 5

- Gaby Sanchez loves him some Mets pitching. He went 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers, and is now hitting .394 lifetime againt them.
- Emilio Bonifacio extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a pair of infield singles, also scoring two runs and stealing a base. He's evolving into a legitimate leadoff threat this season: he's taking more pitches and hitting fewer fly balls on the pitches he does swing at, which means walks and infield hits. He might never be a .400 OBP guy, but if he can stay in the .360-.370 range he'll be a dangerous top-of-the-order weapon given his wheels.
- Marlins bullpen watch: Leo Nunez worked the ninth with a five run cushion and promptly allowed two solo shots, presumably so he'd be protecting a lead he was more comfortabale with. Mike Dunn, trying to make a case for the closer gig if Nunez gets dealt, working 1.1 perfect innings and struck out three of the four batters he faced.
- oh, right, the starters. Chris Capuano cruised through five innings before running into trouble, and ended up getting touched for four runs on six hits and three walks while K'ing six. Clay Hensley looked very much like a temporary rotation band-aid, lasting just five frames and getting away with only two runs allowed despite four hits and four walks.
W: Burke Badenhop (2-1) HR: Lucas Duda (1), Jose Reyes (4), Sanchez 2 (16), Logan Morrison (14) SB: Reyes (31), Bonifacio (21), Dewayne Wise (3) CS: Hanley Ramirez (7)

Red Sox 3, Mariners 1

- Josh Beckett and Blake Beaven traded zeros until the seventh inning, which is when all the game's scoring took place. Beckett's final line of one run on seven hits with a 7:1 K:BB in seven innings ratio was excellent, but Beaven's three runs on nine hits with a 4:0 K:BB ratio in 6.2 innings wasn't bad either.
- Mike Carp homered for the second straight game, his first two dingers of the season. Dustin Ackley also went 3-for-5 for the M's.
- Jacoby Ellsbury carried the load for the Sawx, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
W: Beckett (9-3) SV: Jonathan Papelbon (23) HR: Carp (2) SB: Franklin Gutierrez (8), Miguel Olivo (4), Dustin Pedroia (20)

Royals 5, Rays 4 (10 innings)

- Desmond Jennings hit leadoff in his debut and got on base four times, going 2-for-3 with a double, triple, two walks, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Not bad, rook.
- Eric Hosmer went 3-for-5 with a game-winning double in the 10th. Alex Gordon also went 3-for-5 out of the leadoff spot and stole a base.
- neither starter were terrible. Jeff Niemann allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits in six innings, striking out four, while Jeff Francis gave up three runs on nine hits in five innigs with a 6:2 K:BB ratio.
- Greg Holland turned in another excellent relief outing for KC, giving up one run and striking out six over three innings. Joakim Soria struck out two in a shutout 10th to notch the win.
W: Soria (5-3) SB: Jennings (1), Gordon (9)

Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4

- Matt Harrison turned in a nifty 8:0 K:BB ratio but was otherwise mediocre, giving up four runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings.
- Carlos Villanueva pitched to contact and paid for it, allowing three runs on 10 hits in just 5.2 innings. He struck out one without a walk.
- it was Mark Rzepczynski and Jon Rauch's turn to be the bullpen goats for the Blue Jays, although in Rauch's defense the winning run scored when Corey Patterson botched a deep fly by Michael Young that should have ended the inning.
- Josh Hamilton went 3-for-4 with a triple, stolen base, run scored and an RBI.
W: Darren Oliver (3-5) HR: J. P. Arencibia (15) SB: Hamilton (6), David Murphy (6) CS: Yunel Escobar (2), Rajai Davis (10)

Diamondbacks 12, Rockies 3

- Jason Hammel must have felt like Manny Pacquiao's sparring partner. Eight runs on 12 hits and four walks in 5.2 innings, although he did manage seven K's.
- almost all the damage came off the bats of Justin Upton and Miguel Montero, who both doubled and homered and combined for 11 RBI.
- Jason Collmenter turned in another solid start, allowing three runs on six hits in seven frames, striking out four without any walks.
- Gerardo Parra also reached base every time he was up (2-for-2, two walks) and scored three runs.
W: Collmenter (6-5) HR: Troy Tulowitzki (19), Montero (12), Upton (17) CS: Parra (1)

Giants 4, Brewers 2

- Ryan Vogelsong's redonkulous season kept rolling right along, as he gave up two runs over five innings before turning thing over to the Giants' impenetrable bullpen and got the win. He's now 8-1, and the NL ERA leader at 2.10.
- that San Fran bullpen, by the way, has allowed only one run in 30.2 innings since the All-Star break. Brian Wilson capped off a five-man effort in this one with his 30th save.
- Randy Wolf turned in a BMQS (Bare Minimum Quality Start), giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks over six innings while striking out six.
- Nate Schierholz went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. He's quietly having a nice little season for the Giants, hitting .292 with seven homers and seven steals.
W: Vogelsong (8-1) SV: Wilson (30) HR: Ryan Braun (19) SB: Rickie Weeks (9) CS: Casey McGahee (2)

Dodgers 7, Nationals 6

- Rafael Furcal has had a perfectly awful season but came through in the clutch in the clutch in this one, going 2-for-4 with the game-winning double in the ninth.
- Ted Lilly was bad, getting tagged for six runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings with six K's, but Tom Gorzelanny was downright awful, lasting just three innings and getting stung for five runs on eight hits and a walk with three K's. Gorzelanny says his ankle is fine, but you'd never know it from that line.
- Mike Morse went 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and an RBI. He's hitting .414 (12-for-29) over a seven game hitting streak with a .793 SLG, boosting his July line to .365/.406/.571.
- Juan Rivera went 2-for-4, and is now hitting .296/.345/.481 as a Dodger. I wouldn't necessarily expect him to keep it up, but he'll have a starting gig as long as he's supplying some offense.
W: Javy Guerra (2-0) SB: Ryan Zimmerman (3), Jayson Werth (12), Eugenio Velez (1)