SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, July 18
Detroit at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EDT). Rookie Andrew Miller faces off against two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana.
STARS
Monday
-Kason Gabbard, Red Sox, pitched a complete game three-hitter and struck out eight to lead Boston past Kansas City 4-0.
-Bobby Livingston, Reds, gave up two runs in five innings and went 4-for-4 with an RBI to help Cincinnati defeat Atlanta 10-3.
-Jamey Wright, Rangers, allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings and Texas topped Oakland 4-1.
-Dmitri Young, Nationals, hit a go-ahead three-run homer to lift Washington over Houston 4-3.
-Paul Konerko, White Sox, hit a three-run homer to highlight a nine-run sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox held on to beat Cleveland 11-10.
LEADING OFF
Arizona’s Chris Young and Milwaukee’s Corey Hart each hit leadoff home runs in the Brewers’ 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday. It’s the first time two leadoff men have homered in the same game since April 23 this season when Houston’s Craig Biggio and Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins did it. … Miguel Cabrera led off the eighth inning of Florida’s 5-3 loss to St. Louis on Monday with his 22nd home run of the season and has now homered the last three times he has led off an inning.
MILESTONE
Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 587th home run in Cincinnati’s 10-3 win over Atlanta on Monday, passing Frank Robinson for sixth on the career list. Griffey moved 15 behind Texas’ Sammy Sosa for fifth place. He began the season tied with Reggie Jackson for 10th place with 563 homers.
THE ANDY MAN CAN
Andy Phillips hit a two-run bloop single in the sixth inning to break a tie and push the New York Yankees past Toronto 6-4 on Monday. Phillips also hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay, then made a diving catch at first base with a runner on second to start an inning-ending double play that preserved a one-run lead.
INVALUABLE PENNY
Brad Penny picked up the win in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-3 win over Philadelphia on Monday and became the first Dodger to begin a season 11-1 since Doug Rau in 1977. The right-hander, coming off his second straight appearance in the All-Star game, allowed a run and four hits over seven innings.
HELPING HIS OWN CAUSE
Cincinnati pitcher Bobby Livingston went 4-for-4 with an RBI and allowed two runs in five innings to get the win in the Reds’ 10-3 victory over Atlanta on Monday. The last Reds pitcher to go 4-for-4 in a game was John Smiley, who had four RBIs while pitching Cincinnati to a 12-3 victory at Montreal on June 7, 1993.
STREAKS
J.J. Putz picked up his 27th save in Seattle’s 4-2 win over Baltimore on Monday. It was his 29th straight conversion dating to last September 30, extending the longest streak in the major leagues and ending the Orioles’ three-game winning streak. … Texas beat Oakland 4-1 to hand the Athletics their eighth straight loss.
TRADE
The Chicago Cubs acquired veteran catcher Jason Kendall on Monday in a trade with Oakland for catcher Rob Bowen and minor league left-hander Jerry Blevins. Kendall, a .298 career hitter, could join the Cubs for Tuesday night’s game against San Francisco at Wrigley Field. The Cubs defeated the Giants 3-2 on Monday.
SPEAKING
“I think it’s funny to watch every day. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even the position players are asking questions.” – Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen about his bullpen, which nearly blew a nine-run lead in a 11-10 win over Cleveland on Monday. Chicago relievers’ have a 7.52 ERA since May 8.
SEASONS
July 18
1882 – Ambidextrous pitcher Tony Mullane of Louisville pitched with both hands in a major league game at Baltimore. Normally a right-hander, Mullane switched to the left hand in the fourth inning. He eventually lost 9-8.
1912 – The Chicago Cubs had 21 hits in 11 innings but still lost to the Philadelphia Phillies when Gavvy Cravath stole home.
1927 – Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics doubled off the glove of Harry Heilmann for his 4,000th hit.
1948 – Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox hit four home runs in a 12-11, 11-inning victory over the Philadelphia A’s in the opener of a doubleheader.
1962 – Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins each hit grand slams in the first inning of a 14-3 rout of the Cleveland Indians.
1970 – Willie Mays bounced career hit number 3,000 through the left side of the infield off Mike Wegener in the second inning of the San Francisco Giants’ 10-1 romp over the Montreal Expos.
1987 – New York’s Don Mattingly tied Dale Long’s 31-year-old major league record when he hit a home run for the eighth consecutive game in the Yankees’ 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.
1998 – Donnie Sadler’s first major league home run was the first of Boston’s record four two-out homers in a 9-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers. In the seven-run fourth inning, Darren Lewis, Nomar Garciaparra and Mo Vaughn followed to break the AL record of three held by six teams.
1999 – With Don Larsen on hand to help celebrate Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, David Cone pitched a perfect game. Cone dazzled the Montreal Expos, throwing the 14th perfect game in modern history to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-0 victory.
2001 – Roger Cedeno was 4-for-5 with a double, triple, two homers and six RBIs in Detroit’s 12-4 win over the New York Yankees in the second game of a day-night doubleheader.
2006 – Atlanta became the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games following a 14-5 victory over St. Louis. The Braves have scored 65 runs during their offensive explosion that included two 15-run games.
Today’s birthdays: Ben Sheets 28; Torii Hunter 32.