Oliver Perez improved to 4-1 against Atlanta this season, throwing seven strong innings allowing only two runs and striking out seven. David Wright continued his quest to become a 30-30 player with his 28th home run in the sixth, a two-run shot that scored Jose Reyes. Reyes also scored the first Mets run and stole his 75th base of the year. more ›

• Yankees 3 Kansas City 2: It wasn’t always pretty and it was too close for comfort, but in the end the Yankees got the job done. Alex Rodriguez got things going in the second with his 49th home run of the year and Jorge Posada added his 19th to put the Yankees up 2-0. But, Ian Kennedy struggled with his command, walking three in the first and then allowing four hits in the second to tie the score, but he escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam to prevent further damage. more ›

• Yankees 10 Seattle 2: A-Rod didn’t want to go for a MRI and while the results were negative, he had to talk Joe Torre into putting him into the lineup. Good thing he did, because A-Rod hit two home runs in the seventh as the Yankees exploded for eight runs in inning. more ›

• Yankees 5 Cleveland 3: New York has passed the first big test on their current schedule, sweeping Cleveland and improving to 15-games over .500. Sunday’s win was the toughest of the series as Andy Pettitte and Jake Westbrook locked into a pitcher’s duel for the first part of the game before the Yankees jumped out to a 4-0 lead. But, Cleveland made things interesting in the ninth. more ›

• Yankees 6, Indians 1: The Yankees played well against the soft part of their schedule and last night, against an actual playoff contender, they continued their recent winning ways (they've won 20 of the last 27 games). In his second start since returning from a May leg injury, Hughes, a key player in the future of the Yankees rotation, pitched brilliantly. He allowed only one run over 6 innings to the AL Central-leading Indians. Equally as impressive as Hughes, if not more so, was Joba Chamberlain who pitched perfect 7th and 8th innings. Chamberlain picked up one strikeout in the 7th before striking out the side in the 8th. The win put the Yankees in a tie for first-place in the Wild Card standings and gave them the same record as the Mets (not that it matters).
• Marlins 4, Mets 3: Perhaps it was the cold weather that pushed Billy Wagner into the blown save territory last night. Wagner, who hasn't exactly inspired confidence recently, blew only his 2nd save of the season. Wagner allowed a two-run double by Hanley Ramirez in the 9th to spoil the return of Carlos Beltran from an oblique strain. Beltran had the go-ahead, three-run homer in the 5th inning, but the Mets were unable to capitalize on a night that the Braves loss.
• Cyclones 4, Doubledays 3: Brooklyn won its third straight game last night by defeating the Doubledays. The Cyclones took the lead in the 7th with a two runs in the inning. Doubledays starter Marc Rzepczynski had a career high 10 strike outs in six innings of work.

Luis Castillo tied things up in the seventh with a two-out single and Moises Alou put the Mets ahead with a home run on an 0-2 pitch in the eighth. So, the Mets turned to Billy Wagner, but the first three Atlanta batters reached base, leaving no margin for error. But, Wagner induced Jeff Francoeur to hit a ground ball which David Wright went home on for the first out. Then, Andruw Jones grounded into a double-play and the Mets had a victory and a 4-1/2 game lead in the division. more ›

• Yankees 5 Toronto 4: There are 50 games left in the season and the Yankees have come back from the dead. 38-41 on July 1st, they have gone 24-9 to move 12-games over .500 and wipeout an 8-1/2 game deficit in the wild card standings. more ›

• Yankees 16, Royals 8: It was bound to happen and it took a little while, but Alex Rodriguez became the 22nd player in Major League history to hit 500 career home runs and the youngest player to reach that mark. A-Rod got it done early in the game, hitting a three-run shot in the 1st inning of yesterday's win against the Royals, which is the same team he hit #499 off of on July 25th. For future trivia usage, A-Rod hit the first pitch he saw from Royals starter Kyle Davies into the left field stands and he becomes the 3rd player to reach the milestone in a Yankees uniform (Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle). Like the first inning, the rest of the game was a run-fest, with the two teams combining for 33 hits. The Yankees are now 10 games over .500 for the first time this season. Nationally, #500 for A-Rod is overshadowed by Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron's career mark of 755 in San Diego, a mark that Rodriguez should break if he stays healthy and continues to play. Bonds had 180 fewer home runs when he was Rodriguez's age.
• Cubs 6, Mets 2: Perhaps John Maine didn't get enough work in his last outting when he pitched a rain-shortened 5-inning complete game. He didn't even last that long in yesterday's game. Maine was pulled after only 2 2/3 innings as he allowed 6 Cubs runs in the 3rd inning, all with two outs. That was all the Mets would give up, but it was also all the Cubs would need. In the inning, Maine hit one batter, walked three, and gave up four hits. It was his first loss in three starts. Ted Lilly held the Mets to only two runs, both on Moises Alou solo home runs, over 7 2/3 innings.
• Cyclones 7, Tigers 2: The Cyclones avenged an extra inning loss Friday night with an easy win Saturday. They broke open the tie game, scoring 5 total runs in the 5th and 6th innings.

• Yankees 16 White Sox 3: Is it really possible that the Yankees could tie a club record by belting eight home runs, yet somehow Alex Rodriguez would be about the only person not to get one? Somehow, that’s exactly what happened Tuesday as every starter except for A-Rod, Jeter and Andy Phillips went deep and Hideki Matsui did twice. Shelly Duncan continued his Shane Spencer imitation by belting his 4th home run in 21 AB’s. more ›

• Yankees 8, Orioles 7: Way back on June 28th, the game between the Yankees and Orioles was suspended in the 8th inning with New York up 8-6. Last night, the two teams continued the June game with Mariano Rivera allowing one Baltimore run to make things exciting in the 9th before picking up what is officially his 10th save of the season.
• Orioles 4, Yankees 2: In the regularly scheduled game last night, the Yankees were unable to drive in the key runs to beat the Orioles. The Yankees had 5 runners at 3rd base over the course of the game, but were unable to plate any of them. Andy Pettitte had a solid game that consisted of one bad inning, which was all Baltimore needed. Pettitte allowed three runs in the 3rd inning when he allowed three hits and two walks. On the positive side, he did retire the last 12 batters he faced.
• Nationals 6, Mets 2: It's the games against the bad teams that the Mets need to win if they want to keep their minuscule lead in the NL East. Unfortunately, they couldn't muster up much offense last night against Washington. Moises Alou went 1-4 including a double and a run scored in his return to the team, but that wasn't nearly enough to bail out Jorge Sosa. Sosa allowed 5 runs over 6 innings and had the Mets in a hole from the 2nd inning. The Mets and Nationals play a day-night doubleheader Saturday with Mike Pelfrey pitching in one game and Orlando Hernandez in the other.

• Yankees Sweep Tampa: When you send Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo out to the mound in a doubleheader, you cannot expect a lot of good to happen, but the Yankees’ offense changed that thinking. New York took the first game 7-3 behind some great hitting from Andy Phillips and the first career home run by Shelly Duncan and then took the second game 17-5. more ›

• Mets 13, Dodgers 9: While Tom Glavine was on the mound attempting to win his 299th career game, the Mets were trying to win their first game against the Dodgers this year. In an trip to Los Angeles earlier this season, the Mets were swept in a three game series. The Mets jumped out to a 6-run lead in the first inning last night and never trailed, but Glavine couldn't keep the Dodgers from scoring in his brief outing. Then again, no pitcher seemed to have an answer for either team's offense in this game. Although Glavine didn't come close to winning his 299th victory, the Mets did finally pick up a win in L.A. In the combined 22 run slugfest, Glavine was removed after only two innings, allowing 10 hits and 6 earned runs. Derek Lowe, the starter for the Dodgers, hardly fared better - 10 hits and 8 earned runs over three innings. Each position player that started the game for the Mets, had at least one hit. The two teams combined for 35 hits in the game.
• Blue Jays 3, Yankees 2: The Yankees were going for a four-game sweep of Toronto and for their 6th win in a row. All was well until they reached the 7th inning. Chien-Ming Wang pitched well through 6, holding the Jays scoreless, but it all unraveled in the 7th when Wang allowed Toronto to score 3 runs. The Yankees jumped to a quick two-run lead in the 1st inning, but Toronto starter Dustin McGowan shut them down for the rest of the time he was pitching, allowing only 4 total hits over 7 innings. Wang was eventually pulled from the game in the 8th inning after already giving up the go ahead run in the 7th. The Yankees start another four-game series Friday against the Devil Rays, who they took three of four from just last week.
• Crosscutters 4, Cyclones 2: The Cyclones fell to Williamsport for their first loss in seven games. Brooklyn had a one run lead entering the 7th, but the Crosscutters scored 3 unearned runs to take the lead for good. Brooklyn scored only one run in the 8th despite having the bases loaded and were unable to score in the 9th despite having two runners on base with no outs.

• Yankees 3 Blue Jays 2 (10 innings): This was a wild one. Andy Pettitte and Roy Halliday pitched brilliantly each allowing only one run before turning it over to the bullpens and that’s when things really got interesting. more ›

• Yankees 6, Blue Jays 4: The Yankees used some home runs and a bloop single to beat Toronto. Alex Rodriguez hit his 32nd home run of the season and career home run number 496, but it was Andy Phillips who delivered the go-ahead runs. With two outs in the 6th inning, Phillips broke a tie game with bloop single to center, scoring Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano. The two teams combined for six home runs (Hideki Matsui, Cano, and Rodriguez for the Yankees, Troy Glaus x 2 and Alex Rios for the Jays) to score the first eight runs of the game. Yankees' starter Kei Igawa needed 115 pitches to get through 5 innings in his 4th start back in the Majors. It's the 7th win in 9 games for the Yankees.
• Padres 5, Mets 1: The Mets started a 7-game Southern California road trip with a loss to an overweight 40 year-old that pitches surprisingly well for his size and age. David Wells held the Mets to only one run in 6 innings. While the Mets only trailed by one run for most of the game, they seemed flat after their trip west, making two errors in the loss. Carlos Beltran continued to slump, going 0-4 in the game, making him 1-16 since the All-Star break. On the positive side, Jorge Sosa pitched well in his first start after returning from the DL. Things don't get any better for the Mets Tuesday when Jake Peavy takes the mound for the Padres.
• SI Yankees 6, Lake Monsters 5: The scary Lake Monsters scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th to tie the game at 5, but the Yankees scored in the bottom of the inning to slay the beast.

Jose Reyes was 2-for-3 with a home run and Ramon Castro continued to show what a great backup he is with a 2-for-3 day of his own. The Mets will now head to California for seven games with the Padres and Dodgers. more ›

• Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 3: If the Yankees are going to start winning regularly they will need more nights like this. A-Rod, Jeter and Abreu homered to pace the attack and Andy Pettitte gutted out 5 2/3 innings for the win. Before the game, A-Rod announced that he will not discuss a new conteact with the Yankees until the season is over.
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• Angels 2 Yankees 1 (13 innings): The Yankees had their chances and probably would have won this game if they hadn’t made five errors in it. The biggest were Miguel Cairo’s mishandling of a grounder in the top of the 13th, which resulted in two errors and allowed the Angels to score the go-ahead run. more ›

• Yankees 7 Minnesota 6: The Yankees showed some grit Thursday, overcoming another lousy start from Kei Igawa and a lack of clutch-hitting to get the win. Things looked great in the first couple of innings as New York rebounded from a two-run deficit take a 5-2 lead thanks to home runs from Cano and Cabrera. But, Igawa was awful again, giving the lead back in the fourth by allowing three runs to score with two outs. Igawa may have come with a $46-million price tag, but the Yankees can’t keep sending him out there every fifth day. more ›

• Yankees 8, Twins 0: On a night where the Yankees shut out the Twins, perhaps the best news on the evening was that Alex Rodriguez played. A day after straining his hamstring against the Twins, A-Rod returned to the lineup and went 0-4, but also started a double play in the 4th inning to help keep the Twins off the scoreboard. Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his best stuff, but he was still good enough to shutout the Twins over the 7 innings he pitched. Wang only allowed 4 hits in his first win in three starts.
• Rockies 11, Mets 3: What is it with New York baseball teams playing in Denver? The Yankees couldn't win there and so far this series, neither can the Mets. Mets pitchers set out to give the fans at the game a good show on fireworks night at Coors Field. After chasing triple A call-up Jason Vargas out of the game in the fourth inning, Ryan Spilborghs hit a grand slam off of Joe Smith. Colorado had two other home runs in the game as well. All told, Colorado managed 18 hits in the game. After staring their road trip with three straight wins, the Mets have now lost three in a row. Adding insult to injury, former Met shortstop/second baseman Kaz Matsui had a big night, going 5-5 at the plate. Some good news for the Mets though - Pedro Martinez looked good in a simulated start and could be back in August.
• Cyclones 2, Ironbirds 1: The Cyclones scored a run in the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie and come away with the win.

• Yankees 5 Minnesota 1: It should have been a great night at the ballpark. Roger Clemens became only the 8th pitcher to win 350 games and Bobby Abreu hit a monster home run, into the middle of the upper-deck in right, but it was all overshadowed by A-Rod. more ›

• Oakland 7 Yankees 0: Not only did the Yankees lose on Saturday, but they managed only a single hit in the game, Johnny Damon’s single to center in the sixth. Apart from that, they were totally embarrassed, giving a half-assed performance in another utterly forgettable game in an utterly forgettable season. more ›

The 9th inning started with Ramon Castro legging out a lead off double, something that wouldn't have happened without the ejection of staring catcher Paul Lo Duca in the 6th inning. Lo Duca argued a 0-1 strike that he thought was inside and was quickly ejected. Despite the ejection, Lo Duca remained on the field, arguing with home plate umpire Marvin Hudson while Willie Randolph attempted to shield Hudson from the fuming Lo Duca. On his way off the field, Lo Duca threw his helmet, bat, and batting gloves onto the field. Once off the field, he threw his catcher's gear onto the field as well. more ›

- Yankees 8, Twins 1: Doing well against a potential first round opponent is never a bad thing. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they weren't facing one of the Twins' aces yesterday. Fortunately, it looks like Alex Rodriguez might be coming out of his slump. A-Rod got the Yankees off to a good start with a solo home run in the 2nd inning and later added another solo shot in the 7th. There was even a bases-loaded single in a four-run Yankee fifth inning. It was the 2nd game in a row that Rodriguez had a home run and the first time since July 1st and 2nd, good enough to earn him a curtain call. Corey Lidle pitched six shutout innings for his 3rd win as a Yankee. more ›

- Mets 10, Rockies 5: The humidor didn't seem to be keeping the offense down in Colorado last night as the Mets rang up two home runs and David Wright's bat came back to life. TheRockies didn't help their cause with some missed opportunities in the outfield. Carlos Beltran hit his 39th home run of the season, setting a career record and later in the game batted to chants of MVP from at least one Mets fan in attendance at Coors Field. Steve Trachsel pitched six innings and allowed three runs for his 14th win of the season. more ›

-Mets 8 Cardinals 7: It is a very real possibility that these two teams will be facing off in October with a trip to the World Series on the line. If that does happen, the Mets took a huge psychological advantage with their win tonight. Down 7-1, Carlos Delgado hit a grand slam; his second home run of the game and Carlos Beltran sent them home happy in the ninth with a two-run blast off of Jason Isringhausen. All the runs overcame two homers and seven RBI’s by the amazing Albert Pujols. more ›