GAME DAY 116

OAKEYLAND 4, LAS VEGAS 3 (12 innings)

WP: Brad Lidge (3-5, 4.22)
LP: Kerry Wood (1-3, 1.55)
SV: Speier (3)

Long-neglected CF Andruw Jones had three hits, including a two-out double in the top of the 12th to score Mark Ellis with the go-ahead run, and the Ballers (56-58) eighth win in their last ten games gave them a two-run lead over struggling Las Vegas, which blew a 2-0 lead in the eighth in falling to 55-61.


DARWIN 5, LEXINGTON 2

WP: Zack Grienke (10-5, 4.03)
LP: Rich Harden (6-6, 2.82)
SV: Gregg (9)

Lance Berkman hit a three-run HR, his 20th of the season, to key a four-run second against Rich Harden, and Jonathan Sanchez (back in the Finches bullpen) struck out Jeremy Hermida and Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded in the seventh, as the Unnatural Selections (68-45) hung on to beat the visiting Rebels.

BROOKLYN 4, YUMA 1

WP: Roy Oswalt (6-7, 4.60)
LP: Roy Halladay (7-10, 3.90)

The Moabs bunched five of their eleven hits in a three-run fifth capped by Ryan Howard’s two-run single, and Roy Oswalt went all the way on 117 pitches to hold down the visiting Firebirds. Despite the win, however, Brooklyn (58-55) is now ten games out of the wild card spot, and with six teams ahead of them in the race for a playoff spot, continue to shop their roster.

BLACK MESA 11, FROSTBITE FALLS 6

WP: Hong-Chih-Kuo (3-3, 6.16)
LP: Tony Pena (7-2, 3.50)

The Squirrels took an early lead on Jeff Kent’s two-run double, knocking out Jarrod Washburn in the first, but they couldn’t hold it as Adam Dunn, Jason Varitek and Raul Ibanez all homered off reliever Tony Pena in the span of ten at-bats between the fourth and fifth innings. It was an increasingly rare triumph for the Anomalies, who have now allowed a BARB-leading 646 runs.

WORCESTER 5, CASSELTON 4

WP: Jesse Litsch (8-3, 3.69)
LP: Jon Garland (11-7, 4.45)

Jason Bay and Alex Rios each hit run-scoring singles in the third inning, and rookie Jesse Litsch (8 IP, 1 ER) stepped it up for an Eliminators rotation minus Bedard, Hudson and Young, as Worcester (64-49) stayed within four games of the wild card spot. Despite their injuries, the Eliminators pitching staff leads all of BARB in ERA (3.18), in part due to their hurler’s stinginess in surrendering the long ball.