The Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners are two teams going in opposite directions. The Rangers’ 4 – 0 win, behind Colby Lewis, is their 9th in a row, while Seattle drops its 7th straight, putting them 9 1/2 games back of the AL West-leading Rangers.

The Braves defeat Washington, 11 – 1, behind the pitching of Tim Hudson, to claim the 10,000th win in franchise history, dating back to the 1876 Boston Red Caps. They are the third team to reach the milestone, following the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. Martin Prado hits a three-run homer in his first game since June 9th.

Jeff Karstens needs only 83 pitches to throw a shutout as Pittsburgh defeats Houston, 4 – 0. The win moves the Pirates into first place in the NL Central as the Cardinals and Brewersboth lose; they have not been in first this late in a season since 1997.

UCLA pitcher Trevor Bauer is named recipient of the 2011 Golden Spikes Award. The third overall pick of last June’s amateur draft went 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA and 203 strikeouts in his last season as a collegiate player.