Tyler Clippard falls to 7-3 as the Nationals drop a 3 – 2 game to the Cards. He becomes the second reliever to get 10 decisions in his team’s first 40 games, following Mike Marshall by 31 years.

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Tyler Clippard falls to 7-3 as the Nationals drop a 3 – 2 game to the Cards. He becomes the second reliever to get 10 decisions in his team’s first 40 games, following Mike Marshall by 31 years.

Carlos Silva improves his record to 5-0 as the Cubs beat the Rockies, 6 – 2. A huge disappointment for the Seattle Mariners the last two seasons, Silva has found his old form with Chicago, forcing manager Lou Piniella to make a difficult decision: who will be bumped from the starting rotation to make room for Carlos Zambrano, set to return after an unconvincing stint in the bullpen ?

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Carlos Silva improves his record to 5-0 as the Cubs beat the Rockies, 6 – 2. A huge disappointment for the Seattle Mariners the last two seasons, Silva has found his old form with Chicago, forcing manager Lou Piniella to make a difficult decision: who will be bumped from the starting rotation to make room for Carlos Zambrano, set to return after an unconvincing stint in the bullpen ?

Another day, another epic Yankees-Red Sox battle. Today, the Yankees play the game under protest, claiming the Sox did not properly signal an injury before removing pitcher Josh Beckett trailing 5 – 0 in the 5th inning, thus giving reliever Manny Delcarmen more time to warm up than warranted. For the second night in a row, the Sox come back from a five-run hole, taking a 7 – 5 lead in the 9th thanks to an error by RF Marcus Thames on Marco Scutaro’s fly ball. Jonathan Papelbon, who blew a save the previous night, allows a run in the bottom of the 9th, but strikes out Randy Winn with runners on second and third to end the game. The contest starts almost an hour late because of rain, is played in a constant drizzle, and lasts a marathon 4 hours and 9 minutes, making it the longest nine-inning game played so far this season.

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Another day, another epic Yankees-Red Sox battle. Today, the Yankees play the game under protest, claiming the Sox did not properly signal an injury before removing pitcher Josh Beckett trailing 5 – 0 in the 5th inning, thus giving reliever Manny Delcarmen more time to warm up than warranted. For the second night in a row, the Sox come back from a five-run hole, taking a 7 – 5 lead in the 9th thanks to an error by RF Marcus Thames on Marco Scutaro’s fly ball. Jonathan Papelbon, who blew a save the previous night, allows a run in the bottom of the 9th, but strikes out Randy Winn with runners on second and third to end the game. The contest starts almost an hour late because of rain, is played in a constant drizzle, and lasts a marathon 4 hours and 9 minutes, making it the longest nine-inning game played so far this season.

The Dodgers extend their winning streak to 8 games with a 6 – 2 victory over the Astros. Rookie John Ely allows only one run in 7 innings facing the worst offense in the major leagues; he has yet to allow a walk while striking out 25 in 25 1/3 innings this season. Blake DeWitt hits two triples for the Dodgers who have moved to within two games of the NL West lead after a slow start.

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The Dodgers extend their winning streak to 8 games with a 6 – 2 victory over the Astros. Rookie John Ely allows only one run in 7 innings facing the worst offense in the major leagues; he has yet to allow a walk while striking out 25 in 25 1/3 innings this season. Blake DeWitt hits two triples for the Dodgers who have moved to within two games of the NL West lead after a slow start.

It’s another epic battle between the Yankees and Red Sox at New Yankee Stadium. The Yanks take a 5 – 0 lead in the 1st inning against Daisuke Matsuzaka, but the Sox storm back to take the lead with five home runs, two by Victor Martinez, and one each by David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Jonathan Papelbon gives up a pair of two-run homers, to Alex Rodriguez and Marcus Thames, and the Yankees end up on top, 11 – 9.

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It’s another epic battle between the Yankees and Red Sox at New Yankee Stadium. The Yanks take a 5 – 0 lead in the 1st inning against Daisuke Matsuzaka, but the Sox storm back to take the lead with five home runs, two by Victor Martinez, and one each by David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Jonathan Papelbon gives up a pair of two-run homers, to Alex Rodriguez and Marcus Thames, and the Yankees end up on top, 11 – 9.

The Twins stun the Yankees with an 8th-inning grand slam by Jason Kubel against closer Mariano Rivera for a 6 – 3 win at New Yankee Stadium. Rivera had converted a record-tying 51 consecutive save opportunities at home and had not given up a grand slam since 2002; the runs are also the first he gives up this season.

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The Twins stun the Yankees with an 8th-inning grand slam by Jason Kubel against closer Mariano Rivera for a 6 – 3 win at New Yankee Stadium. Rivera had converted a record-tying 51 consecutive save opportunities at home and had not given up a grand slam since 2002; the runs are also the first he gives up this season.

The Cincinnati Reds defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 – 3, in the annual Civil Rights Game, which honors those who have worked for racial equality in the country. For the occasion, both teams sport their 1947 uniforms. Skip Schumaker is thrown out at the plate by a relay from LF Chris Heisey to SS Orlando Cabrera to C Ramon Hernandez to end the game. The Reds’ Mike Leake, in his first professional season, is now 4-0.

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The Cincinnati Reds defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 – 3, in the annual Civil Rights Game, which honors those who have worked for racial equality in the country. For the occasion, both teams sport their 1947 uniforms. Skip Schumaker is thrown out at the plate by a relay from LF Chris Heisey to SS Orlando Cabrera to C Ramon Hernandez to end the game. The Reds’ Mike Leake, in his first professional season, is now 4-0.

Dodgers RF Andre Ethier, who leads or is tied for the lead in all three National League Triple Crown categories, fractures a finger in batting practice and will be out indefinitely.

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Dodgers RF Andre Ethier, who leads or is tied for the lead in all three National League Triple Crown categories, fractures a finger in batting practice and will be out indefinitely.

The Tampa Bay Rays release designated hitter Pat Burrell, after his average falls to .202. A key member of the Phillies’ World Championship team in 2008, Burrell never got his bat going in a season-and-a-half with the Rays, hitting a combined .218 with 16 home runs. To replace him, the Rays promote veteran Hank Blalock from the Durham Bulls.

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The Tampa Bay Rays release designated hitter Pat Burrell, after his average falls to .202. A key member of the Phillies’ World Championship team in 2008, Burrell never got his bat going in a season-and-a-half with the Rays, hitting a combined .218 with 16 home runs. To replace him, the Rays promote veteran Hank Blalock from the Durham Bulls.

After Twins manager Ron Gardenhire orders an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira and brings in righty Matt Guerrier to face Alex Rodriguez in the 7th, the Yankee third baseman blasts his 19th career grand slam to pass Frank Robinson for 7th on the all-time career home run list and give New York an 8 – 4 win.

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After Twins manager Ron Gardenhire orders an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira and brings in righty Matt Guerrier to face Alex Rodriguez in the 7th, the Yankee third baseman blasts his 19th career grand slam to pass Frank Robinson for 7th on the all-time career home run list and give New York an 8 – 4 win.