The Diamondbacks pick up closer Jon Rauch from the Nationals for prospect Emilio Bonifacio. In other trade news, the Astros get Randy Wolf from San Diego for Chad Reineke.

Coming out of the bullpen in the eighth, Jimmy Gobble allows ten runs in two-thirds of an inning, setting a franchise record for the most runs allowed by a Royals reliever in a game. The 26 year-old southpaw, who will be placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day with a stiff lower back, gives up seven hits and walks four batters, facing 13 Tigers.

2008 – The Tigers beat the Royals, 19 – 4. It is their third time scoring 19 or more runs this season, the first time a major league team has done that since the 1950 Red Sox. Miguel Cabrera drives in six and Matt Joyce five in the rout.

Diamondback left-hander Randy Johnson becomes the first major leaguer to collect 2,000 strikeouts for two different teams. The Arizona southpaw, who fanned 2,162 batters pitching for the Mariners from 1989-98, whiffs Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez to earn the distinction.

The Dodgers, with a five-run ninth-inning rally at Chase Field, beat the Diamondbacks, 6-5, and move into a flat-footed tie (48-50) with Arizona for first place in the National League West. Andre Ethier has the key hit in the comeback victory, a go-ahead triple off the center-field wall, as D-Back closer Brandon Lyon, pitching in his third consecutive game, couldn’t hold a three-run lead.

2008 – The Giants send veteran 2B Ray Durham (.293/.385/.414, 2,024 career hits) to the Brewers for two non-prospects, Steve Hammond (0-4 in his first 4 AAA games) and OF Darren Ford (.230/.322/.303, 48 SB in 49 tries in A ball).

2008 – Confusion erupts in a New York-Penn League game between the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones. Switch-hitting Brooklyn DH Ralph Henriquez Jr. steps to the plate from the right side against Pat Venditte, the minor leagues’ first ambidextrous pitcher of the century. Henriquez then decides he will hit left-handed and Venditte promptly switches his glove to the right hand. Henriquez again calls time and switches sides. The shuffle continues several times before the umpires and managers decide that the batter must declare first from which side he will bat and that players can only switch once per at-bat. Venditte, throwing from the right side, winds up whiffing Henriquez on four pitches.

2008 – Back from the All-Star break, the Brewers get a complete game win from C.C. Sabathia – just as they did in their last game before the break. Sabathia becomes the first hurler since Wilbur Wood in 1975 to get complete game wins in consecutive games without his team playing a contest in between. Wood accomplished the feat under similar circumstances.

The Oakland A’s trade struggling Joe Blanton (5-12, 4.96) for prospects Adrian Cardenas and Josh Outman as well as minor leaguer Matt Spencer. Outman is having a productive year in AA and Cardenas is hitting .309 with 16 steals in 16 tries in high A ball.

The American League defeats the National League, 4 – 3, in 15 innings at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. It is the first extra-inning win ever for the AL after seven losses and one tie. The two teams combine for a record 7 steals, six of them by the American League. The game goes 4 hours and 50 minutes, also a record.