With their offense out of gas, the Mariners fire hitting coach Alan Cockrell and replace him with AAA hitting instructor Alonzo Powell. Seattle is hitting only .225 and has been outhomered as a team by Paul Konerko of the White Sox. The M’s respond to the change with an 8 – 1 win over the Angels as Michael Saunders hits his first major league homer and Josh Wilson also goes deep. Jason Vargas is the beneficiary of the offensive outburst.

Snapping out of what is for him a typical cold start to the season, the Yankees’ Mark Teixeira hits three homers and drives in 5 runs to lead New York to a 14 – 3 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park; he is the second player in Yankee history to hit three long balls in a game against Boston, after Lou Gehrig. Francisco Cervelli, starting because of an injury to C Jorge Posada, also drives in 5 runs. Teixeira’s last dinger is hit against OF Jonathan Van Every, making the second pitching appearance of his career. The game is interrupted for 1:15 by a rain delay in the 5th inning, forcing starter CC Sabathia out early and giving Alfredo Aceves the win.

Hideki Matsui collects the 1500th RBI of his professional career, between Nippon Pro Baseball and Major League Baseball, in the 10th inning. to give the Angels a 4 – 3 victory over the Mariners.

Brewers manager Ken Macha flips a coin to decide who will be his starter in right field and hits the jackpot. Both Jody Gerut and Corey Hart have struggled all season, but Gerut, the coin toss winner, hitting .048 against righties coming into the game, hits for the cycle in a 17 – 3 rout of Arizona.

Robin Roberts dies at age 83 at his home in Temple Terrace, FL. He began his career in 1948 with the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he had his best seasons. He was named to 7 All-Star teams and went 286-245 in a career that stretched until 1966. He led the National League in wins 4 times, won 20 or more games during 6 consecutive seasons, but also gave up a major league record 505 home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

Scott Olsen of the Washington Nationals, who started the year in the minors after undergoing shoulder surgery the previous July, retires 22 of the first 23 Braves batters he faces, until David Ross breaks up his no-hit bid with a one-out single in the 8th. The Braves then proceed to tie the score at 2-all, but the Nats score a run in the bottom of the 9th on a pinch-hit single by Willie Harris with the bases loaded and none out. Tyler Clippard is credited with the 3 – 2 win.

The Texas Rangers manage to blow an 8 – 0 lead to the Royals, but come back in dramatic fashion for a wild 13 – 12 win. Texas scores the tying and winning runs on back-to-back solo homers by Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero off Royals closer Joakim Soria with two outs in the bottom of the 8th.

Andy Pettitte earns his fourth win of the year against no losses in beating the Orioles, 7 – 5, but the veteran Yankees starter has to be removed from the game after only 77 pitches and undergoes an MRI on his left elbow. The test reveals no structural damage, but Pettitte will have to rest until the inflammation goes away. He will retire after this season, then come back in 2012.

Two very disappointing seasons after signing one of the biggest contracts in baseball history, Barry Zito is pitching like a Cy Young Award winner once again. The Giants lefty improves his record to 5-0 with a 3 – 2 win over the Marlins, with help from reliever Sergio Romo, who gets out of a none-out, bases-loaded jam in the 8th. Zito’s ERA is now 1.49. Aaron Rowand hits a home run for San Francisco and Brian Wilson pitches the 9th for the save. Zito will soon cool down, however, and be back on the sidelines when the Giants win the World Series in October.

Ernie Harwell, one of the greatest broadcasters in baseball history, dies at the age of 92 after a year-long bout with cancer. He was the radio and television voice of the Detroit Tigers for 42 years, retiring from the booth in 2002. He received the Ford Frick Award in 1981 and was a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.