– With their 2-1 victory over the Orioles, coupled with the Rays’ 5-2 loss to the Indians, the Boston Red Sox have officially reclaimed the lead in the AL East. Dice-K threw six innings of shutout ball to improve to 10-1 on the season, while J.D. Drew added an RBI double in the first.
– Tampa has now dropped seven in a row heading into the All-Star break. Scott Kazmir got roughed up for five earned runs in six innings of work against Cleveland on Saturday. The Tribe’s Jhonny Peralta went one for three with three RBIs in the win.
– Jermaine Dye had a huge day for the White Sox, going 4 for 5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. But it wasn’t enough for the Chi Sox as they fell to the Rangers 12-11 in a wild game in Arlington. The White Sox eventually scored three runs in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough. Milton Bradley hit his 19th homer of the season for Texas.
– Chad Billingsley threw seven innings in the Dodgers’ 9-1 thrashing of the Marlins. He gave up just one earned run and five hits while striking out 13.
– Brian McCann went 3 for 3 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored in the Braves’ 12-3 romp over the Padres. It was McCann’s 18th homer of the season.
– Tim Lincecum continues to dominate, picking up his 11th win of the year in the Giants’ 4-2 win over the Cubs. San Fran snapped a six-game losing streak thanks in large part to Lincecum’s eight innings of one-run ball and nine strike outs. Ray Durham went 2 for 4 with two RBI and Brian Wilson picked up his NL-leading 25th save.
