Dempster's Miniscule Punishment Will Only Serve To Cause Animosity

Boston’s Ryan Dempster threw four straight pitches at Alex Rodriguez Sunday night before he finally hit him with a pitch. Home plate umpire Brian O'Nora incorrectly waited until the aftermath to warn both teams. Joe Girardi flipped out and got tossed from the game.

Yesterday, Major League Baseball mishandled things again. While Girardi was fined as expected, Dempster was given just a five game suspension. With two off days this week, the penalty means nothing to the Red Sox, who will push Dempster’s next start from Saturday to Tuesday.  Dempster, meanwhile, could have shown a set had he admitted what he had done, but instead spouted the usual jibberish.

“I thought about appealing. But at the end of the day, Major League Baseball does a really good job of thinking through punishments before they hand them out,” Dempster said before the Red Sox played the Giants. “I just thought it was in the best interests of us as a team to go ahead and serve my suspension.”¹

I believe that Joe Torre, MLB's disciplinarian that handed out the suspension, would have had Dempster sit longer if not for a directive from commissioner Bud Selig or veep Rpb Manfred.

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted this morning that suspensions for retaliations are usually five games and blatant head hunting will get you a 10 game ban. Dempster's actions should have fallen in between since it was clearly a premeditated act.²

The suspension also lends credence to the defense’s theory that MLB is “out to get” A-Rod and make an example of him. Whether or not it's true, any speculation would have been avoided had MLB merely given Dempster a 7-8 game suspension. I do disagree with people like the NY Post’s Kevin Kernan, however, who felt the ruling meant “open season” on A-Rod.³ Other pitchers would be idiots to put their own teammates in jeopardy; especially since the majority of them have certainly played with a PED player at one time in their career.

The ruling will also add fuel to an already burning fire that could get out of hand when the Yankees and Red Sox meet  in New York for a four game series beginning September 5. The two teams face each other again the following week at Fenway Park (Sept. 13-15). David Ortiz, a likely candidate for retaliation can thank his teammate should he get hit and possibly injured.

Sunday night’s Yankees starter CC Sabathia openly expressed his disappoint to the five game penalty when he spoke to the media on Tuesday.

"I thought he at least should miss a start and he's not going to do that, so I don't think it does anything. You don't throw at a guy four times. He violated every code in every way."⁴

1 - Boston Globe
2 - Buster Olney, Twitter
3 - NY Post
4 - Newsday

Yankees Prevail As Dempster Takes His Game Into The Dumpster

The New York Yankees - Boston Red Sox game last night could have been simply played like a normal baseball game between the longtime rivals. The fans would have booed Alex Rodriguez unmercifully, which isn't any different than any other time A-Rod played in Boston, and a winner would emerge after the usual four hour contest.

Except that Red Sox starting pitcher Ryan Dempster decided to make the moment and the game his own personal statement against A-Rod. In the end, the Yankees got payback at Dempster's actions and won the game, but home plate umpire Brian O'Nora handled things poorly and Yankees manager Joe Girardi was ejected as a result.

The best result of the night for the Yankees was the final score - Yankees 9 Red Sox 6. It was the third straight series win for the Pinstripes, who have won 7 of 10 since they were swept in a three game series with the Chicago White Sox.

The 2nd inning set the tone for the night when A-Rod stepped to the plate for the first time. Dempster, a onetime player rep who helped decide how PED suspensions and appeals would be handled, threw his first pitch behind A-Rod legs. The next two pitches missed their target - A-Rod, not the plate - and were inside and tight. Finally, Dempster's 3-0 delivery hit A-Rod in the back below his armpit.

That's when O'Nora made a mess of the entire situation. Instead of tossing Dempster for the obvious intent of the entire at-bat, he warned both benches. Girardi shot out of the dugout faster than he's run since he legged out that famous triple in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series.

Every vein in Girardi’s neck and head looked ready to burst as he screamed at O'Nora for his actions, or more precisely, inaction. O'Nora ejected him, but not before Girardi called Dempster another word for a cat.

A-Rod stood quietly alongside first base coach Mick Kelleher as both benches emptied, but no altercations took place. Girardi was still furious after the game ended. He told the YES Network:

"Ryan Dempster has hit six guys in his last 320 innings. He throws the first pitch behind him, intentional. He threw the next one inside, he didn't hit him...intentional. At some point Brian O'Nora has to give him a warning and he should have thrown him out of the game. It's the bottom line.

Everyone knows it was intentional and I don't know understand why he's left in the game, and then to give us a warning...You know Brian and I have a long history together. Back in 'A' ball, Double-A, and I respect him, but that was wrong.

You know the one thing you can't do is start changing the system, because maybe you don't like it. Ryan Dempster has been a player rep and he's been very involved in the union, and he knows this is what they decided to do. So you can't change it and take your potshots, and you'd have to have your head in the sand with the comments coming from the other side not to know that something might be happen.

So, I thought it was handled very poorly and I was upset about yesterday, because calls went against us that changed the complexion of the game. Then you have this...it's just flat wrong."

The complete interview:

Jerry Seinfeld once said the best revenge was "living well." In baseball, it's hitting a home run and knocking the pitcher out of the game. Down 6-3 in the 6th, A-Rod crushed a Dempster delivery into the centerfield stands. As he rounded first, A-Rod loudly clapped his hands and pointed both arms skyward when he reached home plate.

The blast fired up his teammates, who then took control of the game. Eduardo Nunez and Lyle Overbay reached on one-out singles and Dempster was pulled after he walked light hitting Chris Stewart to load the bases. Drake Britton came on and Brett Gardner introduced himself by ripping a ball to the deepest part of right-center field. Pinch-runner Jayson Nix, Overbay, and Stewart all crossed home plate as Gardner raced to third with a triple that gave the Yankees a 7-6 lead.

Mark Reynolds and Stewart added tack on RBI singles and Mariano Rivera got out of a two-out, two-on jam in the 9th when he got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to line out to left.

A-Rod was obviously upset after the game when YES asked him, "Joe said that should have been handled differently. The first pitch behind you should have been a warning and when you got hit he should have been tossed. Do you feel the same way?"

"Yeah I agree. That was..whether you like me or hate me, what's wrong is wrong and that was unprofessional and silly. And kind of a silly way to get someone on your team hurt as well.

YES: "Considering how many players have spoken out about you playing during your suspension, are you concerned about this at all moving forward?"

"I'm not at all. You know we um, that today brought us together. Joe's reaction was amazing. Every one of my teammates said "hit a bomb and walk it off. They were more...as pissed as I was. That's just not right."

There was a light moment when a reporter asked if Dempster should be suspended. A-Rod and the media laughed when he responded, "You're the asking the wrong guy about a suspension. I got an attorney I can recommend."

The complete interview:

And so it will continue to go.

TJ Quinn: A-Rod Paid For Bosch Attorney

ESPN.com's T.J. Quinn continued his fine investigative reporting tonight with a story he broke a short time ago. According to Quinn, Alex Rodriguez paid for Biogenesis head Tony Bosch's attorney and later wired $50K that the attorney would not accept.

One of A-Rod's former attorneys described the latter transfer as "a mistake", but it is reportedly part of Major League Baseball's pile of evidence about A-Rod. Here is an excerpt of Quinn's story:

A spokesperson for Bosch attorney Susy Ribero-Ayala said in a statement to "Outside the Lines" on Sunday that Rodriguez, currently appealing a 211-game suspension from MLB, paid her a $25,000 retainer to defend Bosch in February. Bosch was the founder of the now-defunct Biogenesis clinic in Coral Gables, Fla., at the center of the league's ongoing drug scandal. "A retainer was paid (via wire transfer) by a representative of Alex Rodriquez (sic). Ms. Ribero-Ayala accepted this payment on behalf of Anthony Bosch as payment for his legal representation," the statement says.

"In April 2013, Ms. Ribero-Ayala received an unsolicited and unwarranted wire transfer from A-Rod Corp. The funds were immediately returned. Mr. Rodriquez (sic) does not have any involvement in Mr. Bosch's legal representation." According to documents seen by "Outside the Lines," the amount of the second transfer was for nearly $50,000, minus transfer fees.

The documents also show that Ribero-Ayala and Jared Lopez, a partner with Roy Black's law firm in Miami, exchanged emails discussing the wire transfer. Black's firm was representing Rodriguez at the time. 

According to the document, Ribero-Ayala said she had received the money and was unaware of any reason for it. Lopez responded that the money had been sent in error, and he asked that it be returned. It was.Black's firm no longer represents Rodriguez, and Lopez could not be reached Sunday night. The documents and the statement from Ribero-Ayala's office appear to contradict earlier reports that Bosch sought to "shake down" Rodriguez for money before agreeing to cooperate with MLB's investigation in June. 

Instead, several sources familiar with the case said, investigators have said they believe Rodriguez paid for Bosch's attorney and sent the second payment in order to prevent him from providing evidence or testimony against Rodriguez.¹

The outcome of this soap opera has a long way to go and got emotionally charged Sunday night when Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ryan Dempster hit A-Rod with a pitch after throwing behind his legs and two other pitches inside and tight. Joe Girardi was ejected for arguing after home plate umpire Brian O'Nora ignored the obvious intent of the pitches and warned both benches. A-Rod got a measure of revenge later in the game when he hit a solo home run off of Dempster.

1 - ESPN.com

A Long Time Partnership Rights the Yankees Ship

Appreciating the time left as teammates

Some things go perfectly together. Hamburgers and hot dogs, Laurel and Hardy, spaghetti and meatballs. When it comes to the Yankees though it's Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.

Needing innings from his starter, Joe Girardi let Pettitte go a full eight innings before Rivera came on in the 9th for the first time in his final season. The result was a 4-2 Yankees win over the Red Sox to salvage the finale of the three games series. (It was the 69th all-time win that Rivera preserved for Pettitte.)

Pettitte was extremely efficient and finished with a 94 pitch count. He scattered eight hits, allowd a run, walked one, and struck out three. I thought for sure Girardi would take him out after a bit of a shaky 7th inning and again when Pettitte gave up a lead off single to Jose Iglesias in the 8th. Pettitte made the non move pay off with one of his patented double play grounders, Jacoby Ellsbury the victim of a 3-6-3 DP between Lyle Overbay and Eduardo Nunez.

Rivera got squeezed by home plate ump Mike DiMuro and issued a walk to Dustin Pedroia to start the top of the 9th. One out later Jonny Gomes doubled to bring the tying run to the plate. Youngsters Will Middlebrooks and Jackie Bradley Jr. got schooled though by the all time saves leader.

Middlebrooks grounded out to Overbay to allow a run to score, but it was the second out of the inning. Then it was welcome to the Majors Mr. Bradley, as he watched a called third strike end the game.

The Yankees had their first lead of the season when Overbay singled in a pair of runs off Ryan Dempster in the 2nd inning. It was Dempster's debut with his new team. The right-hander was normally a quick worker in the National League, but Thursday night he channeled slow poke Josh Beckett on the mound. He walked four batters and threw 101 pitches in just five innings of work.

Brett Gardner hit a solo shot off of Dempster in the 3rd inning and Francisco Cervelli added a big insurance run in the 7th when he hit a 400-footer off Clayton Mortensen. (How did the Red Sox find two pitchers named Clayton, Buchholz being the other.)

Notes:

The supposedly popless Yankees now have four home runs in three games.

Brett Gardner got a gift single off the first base bag, but was gunned down by right fielder Shane Victorino when he tried to stretch it into a double.

Nunez had a nice night in the field and at the plate, with two hits and a run scored. Both he and Gardner were thrown out attempting to steal second base by backup catcher David Ross.

Ichiro Suzuki is off to a slow start - 1-9 (.111)

The Yankees released relievers Clay Rapada and David Aardsma after both had been DFA'ed earlier. I can only think that Rapada's bursitis is much worse than originally diagnosed or there's something more than bursitis. I figured that Vidal Nuno might have a shot at the other lefty spot in the pen, but I spoke to Scranton beat writer Donnie Collins who said Nuno would be a starter in Triple-A and has not looked as effective as a reliever in the past.

The Yankees travel to Detroit now for a weekend series, with day games Friday and Sunday. The highlight of the series will be Sunday when CC Sabathia faces Justin Verlander.

Good Evening Mr. Phelps

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to shut down the Texas Rangers through five innings. If you or any member of your team fail in this mission, the fans will NOT disavow any knowledge of your actions. In fact they may boo. This tape will self destruct in five seconds.

Mission Not Impossible

David Phelps gave the agency, er, Joe Girardi exactly what he needed - five innings of solid baseball, keeping his team in the game against one of the toughest lineups in all of baseball. Phelps allowed single runs in each of the first two innings, including a solo home run by David Murphy, but put three zeros on the board as the Yankees took the lead and went on to an 8-2 win.

The newest Yankee, Derek Lowe, than came out of the pen to throw four scoreless innings to earn a save in his Bronx debut.  Texas Rangers starter Ryan Dempster was making his third start since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago Cubs. Dempster's first time out was a rocky one as the Los Angeles Angels battered him, but Dempster bounced back with a win over the Boston Red Sox his last time out. Monday's game resembled his Texas debut as the Yankees hammered him for eight runs and nine hits in six innings.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the third behind singles by Russell Martin and Raul Ibanez, a sac bunt by Ichiro Suzuki, and a walk to Derek Jeter. Nick Swisher then ripped a Dempster delivery into the second deck in right field for a grand slam and a 4-2 Yankees lead. It was the 200th home run of Swisher's career.

The Yankees loaded the bases again in the inning on Robinson Cano's walk and back to back singles by Mark Teixeira and Eric Chavez. Curtis Granderson brought home the fifth run of the inning with a deep fly to center field.

Phelps helped himself out with a pair of pick offs in the early going. He hit Ian Kinsler with a pitch with two out in the 2nd inning, but caught the second baseman before he could return to first safely with a quick toss to Teixeira to end the inning. The Rangers had a chance to break the game open in the 3rd on singles by Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre, but Phelps picked Andrus off second base to kill the rally.

The Yankees tacked on runs in the 6th (solo home run by Chavez) and 7th innings (triple by Ichiro followed by a Jeter double, and an RBI single by Swisher). If Lowe was at all nervous he certainly didn't show it in his performance. The 16-year veteran allowed just two hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out four.

Notes

Mariano Rivera was at the Stadium to throw from flat ground. The Yankees still insist there's no way Mo will return this season.

Swisher's slam gave the Yankees a Major League leading nine for the season.

Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to nine games; he's hitting .372 (16-43) during the stretch.

Chavez's home run was his 13th of the season and fourth in August. It's his highest season HR total since he hit 15 in 2007 while with the Oakland A's.

Granderson's average dipped to .239, the lowest it's been since mid-April. He also struck out twice more and has 142 on the year. It's already the third highest total of his career.

Yankees Top Cubs In Spite Of Themselves

Ray Liotta, er, Russell Martin takes Carlos Pena's best shot

The Yankees did everything they could today to give the ball game away, but held on a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. It evened the series at a game apiece, with the rubber game another nationally televised affair on ESPN Sunday night.

The Yankees squandered offensive opportunities, ran the bases poorly, committed errors, threw wild pitches, hit batters, and still came out on top even after Mariano Rivera surrendered a solo home run to Reed Johnson in the 9th and a follow up single to Alfonso Soriano.

The Yankees had Ryan Dempster on the ropes all day, but it took until the 6th inning and the game tied 2-2 to finally take the lead for good. Eduardo Nunez reached on a lead off single and moved to second base on an odd bunt from A.J. Burnett. The ball rolled foul, but first baseman Carlos Pena didn't pick the ball up and it rolled back into fair territory for a successful sacrifice. Brett Gardner's single put runners on the corners and drove Dempster from the game. Reliever James Russell got away with a pitch to Curtis Granderson, who narrowly missed his 22nd home run, but delivered a sac fly and a 3-2 Yankees lead. With a chance to possibly score more and Mark Teixeira at the plate, Gardner was picked off first base to end the inning. But Gardner would more than make up for his gaffe a short time later.

Yankees starter A.J. Burnett was effective for the most part, his one mistake a flat fastball that Pena turned in a game tying (2-2) home run. Burnett almost became a victim of bad luck in the bottom half of the 6th when the wheels came off the Yankees defense. Burnett's breaking ball broke into Pena for a hit batter with one out and Nunez booted Reed Johnson's ground ball to put the tying and go ahead runs on base. Joe Girardi went to Cory Wade to face Alfonso Soriano, who hit a sharp grounder to third. Alex Rodriguez made a nice play to snare the ball, but Robinson Cano dropped the throw to second for the second Yankees error of the inning.

The dangerous Geovany Soto stepped in and hit a bullet to left that Gardner caught on the run and then fired a perfect one hopper to Russell Martin at home plate. Pena came barrelling in high and slammed into the Yankees catcher, who had a firm grip on the baseball for an inning ending double play. Martin was sure not only to show the ball to the umpire, but Pena as well in a "I took your best shot" moment.

The Yankees got a much needed insurance run in the 9th when Nunez doubled home Cano, but Nick Swisher continued the Yankees tough day on the bases by getting throw out at home plate to end the inning. The run proved to be huge when Reed Johnson hit a hanging cutter from Rivera into the left field seats to make it a one run game. (FOX's anti-Yankee Joe Buck announced the game was tied with much glee, but then had to sadly retract his statement) But after Soriano followed with a single, Rivera got Soto to bounce into a double play and struck out Jeff Baker to nail down the win.

Notes

In addition to Gardner and Swisher, Granderson was thrown out attempting to steal and Rodriguez was nailed trying to stretch a single into a double.

The Yankees were 3-12 with runners in scoring position, plus two sacrifice flies.

Tuesday Night Hot Stove

With the temps in the 20s in the metro area, what better night to start talking hot stove. All the awards have been handed out and now teams can concentrate are making up their rosters for next season.

The Seattle Times says the Mariners have reportedly found their new manager in 45-year old Don Wakamatsu. Joey Cora was thought to be the front runner for the job, but GM Jack Zduriencik wanted Wakamatsu.

A former minor league catcher, Wakamatsu is the first manager of Asian descent. His father was born in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Wakamatsu has extensive minor and major league coaching experience, and was manager of the year in the California League in 1998.

The Cubs have signed Ryan Dempster to a 4-year, $52 million, with the final year having a player's option.

The Cubs are reportedly interested in acquiring outfielder/infielder Mark Teahen from the Royals.

Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa is garnering interest from the Indians, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Braves.

Peter Gammons is reporting the Jake Peavy to the Braves deal is not dead. The Red Sox could move Coco Crisp for a reliever so that Justin Masterson can move into the starting rotation, and the Blue Jays have made Milton Bradley their top priority.

According to his agent, Pedro Martinez is not ready to retire and plans to pitch in 2009 and beyond.

The Giants inked one of the prized lefty relievers on Monday, signing Jeremy Affeldt to a 2-year, $8 million.

Tuesday Night Hot Stove

With the temps in the 20s in the metro area, what better night to start talking hot stove. All the awards have been handed out and now teams can concentrate are making up their rosters for next season.

The Seattle Times says the Mariners have reportedly found their new manager in 45-year old Don Wakamatsu. Joey Cora was thought to be the front runner for the job, but GM Jack Zduriencik wanted Wakamatsu.

A former minor league catcher, Wakamatsu is the first manager of Asian descent. His father was born in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Wakamatsu has extensive minor and major league coaching experience, and was manager of the year in the California League in 1998.

The Cubs have signed Ryan Dempster to a 4-year, $52 million, with the final year having a player's option.

The Cubs are reportedly interested in acquiring outfielder/infielder Mark Teahen from the Royals.

Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa is garnering interest from the Indians, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Braves.

Peter Gammons is reporting the Jake Peavy to the Braves deal is not dead. The Red Sox could move Coco Crisp for a reliever so that Justin Masterson can move into the starting rotation, and the Blue Jays have made Milton Bradley their top priority.

According to his agent, Pedro Martinez is not ready to retire and plans to pitch in 2009 and beyond.

The Giants inked one of the prized lefty relievers on Monday, signing Jeremy Affeldt to a 2-year, $8 million.

The Pennant Race - 10/2

Three of the four playoff series got underway yesterday, with some good games right off the bat.

Cole as Ice

It may have only been his second career playoff game, but Cole Hamels looked like Whitey Ford yesterday for the Phillies. Hamels limited the Brewers to just two runs over eight innings as the Phillies beat Milwaukee, 3-1.

Brad Lidge may have been 41-41 in save situations this season, but we still don't trust him in big spots. His performance yesterday did nothing to change that. Lidge struck out the side, but not before allowing a run on two hits and a walk.

Game 2 is tonight with CC Sabathia facing off against Brett Myers.


Loney Slams Cubs

It's a managerial match up of ex-Yankees managers. Joe Torre in his first year with the Dodgers and Lou Piniella in his second season with the Cubs. The Cubs sent 17-game winner Ryan Dempster to the mound in game one and things looked good as Chicago led 1-0 through four innings.

But James Loney, who was 3-4 in his only other playoff experience, hit his first career playoff grand slam to give the Dodgers the lead for good. Manny Ramirez added a solo shot for good measure, as did Russell Martin.

Dempster struggled with his control, walking seven Dodgers, while Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed two runs in six innings of work for the win. The series continues tonight at Wrigley with Chad Billingsley facing Carlos Zambrano.


Manny Who?

Everyone knows Jason Bay is very talented, but when you're in a deal for Manny Ramirez, you don't get a lot of attention. That may change after last night, when Bay's 2-run home run put the Red Sox ahead and catapulted them to a 4-1 win.

The Angels had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning against Boston starter Jon Lester, but Bay made his first playoff appearance a memorable one, hitting a John Lackey pitch over the left field wall.

Lester breezed through seven and the Red Sox gave Jon Papelbon room to work with, scoring a pair of runs off of Scot Shields in the ninth. The series continues on Friday night with Dice-K facing Ervin Santana.

The Pennant Race - 10/2

Three of the four playoff series got underway yesterday, with some good games right off the bat.

Cole as Ice

It may have only been his second career playoff game, but Cole Hamels looked like Whitey Ford yesterday for the Phillies. Hamels limited the Brewers to just two runs over eight innings as the Phillies beat Milwaukee, 3-1.

Brad Lidge may have been 41-41 in save situations this season, but we still don't trust him in big spots. His performance yesterday did nothing to change that. Lidge struck out the side, but not before allowing a run on two hits and a walk.

Game 2 is tonight with CC Sabathia facing off against Brett Myers.


Loney Slams Cubs

It's a managerial match up of ex-Yankees managers. Joe Torre in his first year with the Dodgers and Lou Piniella in his second season with the Cubs. The Cubs sent 17-game winner Ryan Dempster to the mound in game one and things looked good as Chicago led 1-0 through four innings.

But James Loney, who was 3-4 in his only other playoff experience, hit his first career playoff grand slam to give the Dodgers the lead for good. Manny Ramirez added a solo shot for good measure, as did Russell Martin.

Dempster struggled with his control, walking seven Dodgers, while Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed two runs in six innings of work for the win. The series continues tonight at Wrigley with Chad Billingsley facing Carlos Zambrano.


Manny Who?

Everyone knows Jason Bay is very talented, but when you're in a deal for Manny Ramirez, you don't get a lot of attention. That may change after last night, when Bay's 2-run home run put the Red Sox ahead and catapulted them to a 4-1 win.

The Angels had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning against Boston starter Jon Lester, but Bay made his first playoff appearance a memorable one, hitting a John Lackey pitch over the left field wall.

Lester breezed through seven and the Red Sox gave Jon Papelbon room to work with, scoring a pair of runs off of Scot Shields in the ninth. The series continues on Friday night with Dice-K facing Ervin Santana.

Around the Horn - 7/31

The Phillies and Mets continue to play leap frog in the NL East. The Phils took a half game lead last night with an 8-5 win over the Nationals. Chase Utley and Shane Victorino both went deep to help Jamie Moyer pick up his 240th win, 12th best (tied with Frank Tanana) among left-handers.

The Mets meanwhile couldn't hold an early lead and red hot Mike Pelfrey was cooled off by the Marlins 7-5. The Marlins sit just 1.5 games back.

Garret Anderson put up a 4-hit, 4 RBI night as the Angels beat the Red Sox 9-2. It was LA's second three game sweep of the Red Sox this month. The Rays gained a game on Boston with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Colorado still can't make up its collective mind as to buy or sell today. Had they lost three straight to the Pirates they probably would have been sellers. But the Rockies snapped the 2-game losing streak last night, 7-4, as Aaron Cook won his 14th game.

Dan Haren won his 11th game of the season in the Diamondbacks 7-3 win over the Padres. That kept them one game ahead of the Dodgers, who got a complete game shutout from Chad Billingsley in a 4-0 win over the Giants.

The Diamondbacks have to wonder what their offense would be like had they kept Carlos Quentin. The White Sox outfielder continued his breakout season with his 28th home run and drove in 4 runs in the Chisox 8-3 win over the Twins. Quentin has 83 RBI for the season.

The Cubs beat the Brewers for the third straight night, this time 7-2, behind a strong outing by Ryan Dempster, who picked up his 12th win. The Brewers will try to salvage the finale of the series, but they're up against Rich Harden.

Around the Horn - 7/31

The Phillies and Mets continue to play leap frog in the NL East. The Phils took a half game lead last night with an 8-5 win over the Nationals. Chase Utley and Shane Victorino both went deep to help Jamie Moyer pick up his 240th win, 12th best (tied with Frank Tanana) among left-handers.

The Mets meanwhile couldn't hold an early lead and red hot Mike Pelfrey was cooled off by the Marlins 7-5. The Marlins sit just 1.5 games back.

Garret Anderson put up a 4-hit, 4 RBI night as the Angels beat the Red Sox 9-2. It was LA's second three game sweep of the Red Sox this month. The Rays gained a game on Boston with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Colorado still can't make up its collective mind as to buy or sell today. Had they lost three straight to the Pirates they probably would have been sellers. But the Rockies snapped the 2-game losing streak last night, 7-4, as Aaron Cook won his 14th game.

Dan Haren won his 11th game of the season in the Diamondbacks 7-3 win over the Padres. That kept them one game ahead of the Dodgers, who got a complete game shutout from Chad Billingsley in a 4-0 win over the Giants.

The Diamondbacks have to wonder what their offense would be like had they kept Carlos Quentin. The White Sox outfielder continued his breakout season with his 28th home run and drove in 4 runs in the Chisox 8-3 win over the Twins. Quentin has 83 RBI for the season.

The Cubs beat the Brewers for the third straight night, this time 7-2, behind a strong outing by Ryan Dempster, who picked up his 12th win. The Brewers will try to salvage the finale of the series, but they're up against Rich Harden.