GAME DAY 105 ACTION

S-MART 7, POTTSYLVANIA 1
WP: Kenny Rogers (2-2, 3.00)
LP: David Wells (4-13, 5.28)

Kenny Rogers took a shutout into the ninth before needing some relief help from Fernando Rodney in his best-pitched game since coming back from a shoulder injury, and David Ross hit his 15th HR as a part-time catcher to lead the Boom Sticks to a win on the road in Pottsylvania. Rogers would make prime trade bait, if anyone in the Boom Sticks front office would care to answer the phone!

LAS VEGAS 8, OAKEYLAND 5
WP: Chuck James (9-3, 4.42)
LP: Jeff Francis (11-8, 4.06)

Alfonso Soriano, given a start in the DH role, bloomed with a pair of HR to bring his total to 29, and Jimmy Rollins added his ninth of the year as the Luchadores simply outslugged the visiting Ballers early and often, scoring six times in the second to knock out Jeff Francis, then holding on for their sixth straight win. The Ballers, trailing Vegas by five games, now desperately need to avoid a season sweep to end any chance of their challenging GM Charles Oliver’s club.

ARIZONA 8, YUMA 5
WP: Cole Hamels (6-7, 5.48)
LP: Roger Clemens (3-4, 3.96)
SV: Cordero (11)

Jose Reyes hit a pair of triples, rattled Roger Clemens in the first with his BARB-leading 40th stolen base, helping knock ‘The Rocket’ out in the second inning as the D-Backs went on to take the opener of another crucial series with division-leading Yuma. Vladimir Guerrero (#20) and rookie Ryan Braun (#10) both went deep in a losing cause for the Firebirds, who still own an eight-game lead in the Western Division.

FROSTBITE FALLS 6, DARWIN 1
WP: Chris Capuano (6-4, 3.92)
LP: Kelvim Escobar (11-5, 3.98)

Capuano, in his first start since coming off the DL, was brilliant, out-dueling Kelvim Escobar, who fell apart in a six-run fifth inning due to wildness, and the Squirrels would score all of their runs on just six hits, the big one being a bases-clearing double by Brad Hawpe. Jason Bay added his 18th boundary belt in the same inning, and the last-place Squirrels find themselves in familiar territory: just two-and-a-half games out of first, in striking distance of defending their back-to-back world championships!

SAN JOSE 1, BLACK MESA 0
WP: Barry Zito (7-8, 4.48)
LP: Jon Garland (7-9, 3.54)

Zito outdueled Garland, allowing just three hits, as his teammates scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the eighth after a terrific showing by both pitchers, one of the tightest games of the season. Garland was brilliant in a losing error: he hit a double leading off the third but was stranded; he executed a perfect sacrifice to get Austin Kearns in scoring position in the fifth, but Paul LoDuca popped out to right, and (of course) he induced three double-play balls and took a five-hitter into the eighth.