GAME DAY 30

LEXINGTON 4, WORCESTER 3
WP: Josh Beckett (3-1, 2.20)
LP: Eric Bedard (1-3, 4.88)
SV: Street (7)

Carlos Lee hit a pair of HR off Eric Bedard and Huston Street bailed out Joakim Soria in the eighth as the Rebels (19-15) won their third straight contest over visiting East Clubs. Starting catcher Ramon Hernandez went 0-for-4 in the game to drop his average to .214 in limited duty, and after the game found himself packaged away to Las Vegas in a deal for pitching depth (see story below).

CASSELTON 3, BROOKLYN 2
WP: Bobby Jenks (1-2, 4.14)
LP: Rafael Betancourt (2-2, 3.39)

Ryan Howard doubled off Jason Frasor with one out in the ninth and Jason Bay hit a clutch RBI single with two out off Bobby Jenks to send the game into extra innings, but Jermaine Dye led off the top of the tenth with his 4th HR of the year and Jenks pitched a 1-2-3 frame to nail down the win as the Horned Toads (a BARB-worst 11-23 on the season) picked up a rare win in extra frames on the road in Brooklyn.

LAS VEGAS 6, OAKEYLAND 4
WP: Ian Snell (2-3, 7.58)
LP: Chad Gaudin (1-3, 8.33)
SV: Wheeler (1)

The Luchadores achieved a rare feat, slugging their way to a win despite four errors and two passed balls in another sloppily-played affair at the visiting Ballers’ expense. Alfonso Soriano had four hits, including a solo HR, and Matt Holliday drove in five runs with a pair of boundary belts to lead the Vegas attack, and Ian Snell managed to pitch around some of the poor defensive play to help the Luchadores (16-17) extend their lead in the Central to two games. After the contest, management announced a trade with Lexington that they hoped will shore up their lineup (see story below).

POTTSYLVANIA 9, S-MART 4
WP: Yovanni Gallardo (2-1, 2.49)
LP: Hirodi Kiroda (0-2, 9.95)

Rookie Yovanni Gallardo flirted with a complete game before needing help in the ninth, as his teammates backed the young righty with HR by Aaron Hill and Ryan Garko, and the Creepers (still just 11-21) won their third straight. Amazingly, despite a .344 winning percentage, Pottsylvania is only four-and-a-half games back! Part of this is no doubt the struggles that some clubs have had in the moribund Central, but still....

DARWIN 5, FROSTBITE FALLS 3
WP: Oliver Perez (2-0, 3.03)
LP: Tim Lincecum (2-3, 4.76)
SV: Putz (3)

Backup catcher Ryan Doumit tied the score with a two-run HR in the fourth, and Carlos Guillen followed with a go-ahead single two outs later to back Oliver Perez’s eight strong innings (6 H, 7 K) as the Finches (just 9-8 on the road) finally won a game against an Eastern Divisional foe to pull within two games of division-leading Frostbite Falls (20-9).