The Rangers see a potential game-winning rally ended by a rare call of coach’s interference in the 9th inning of their game against the Twins. Trailing by 4 entering the inning, Texas rallies for 3 runs, but Michael Young is called out at third base to end the game by umpire Alfonso Marquez, who rules that coach Dave Anderson touched Young in ordering him to stop at the bag on Vladimir Guerrero’s infield single. Without the ruling, slugger Nelson Cruz would have batted with the bases loaded, but instead the Twins walk away with a 6 – 5 win after the Rangers argue the call to no avail.

The Padres fall, 4 – 2, to the Rockies. They become the second team to lose ten straight games while in first place the whole time, following the 1932 Pirates.

The game’s final out in the Twins’ 6-5 victory over the Rangers is the result of third base coach Dave Anderson being called for interfering with runner Michael Young. Umpire Alfonso Marquez rules that the runner tapped hands with his coach before stopping and scrambling back to the bag.

Jim Thome hits two homers to pass Mark McGwire and take over 9th place on the all-time list in the Twins’ 12 – 4 drubbing of Texas. Thome drives in 4 runs, and 3B Matt Tolbert adds two triples and 5 RBI to pace Minnesota’s attack. Carl Pavano wins his 16th of the year.

Meanwhile, the Rangers sign former All-Star P Mark Prior and assign him to AAA Oklahoma City. A month ago, Prior began a comeback with the Orange County Flyers of the independent Golden Baseball League, during which he did not allow an earned run in 11 innings and struck out half the batters he faced. He will fail to make it back to the majors, however.

The Giants move within two games of the NL West-leading Padres with a 5 – 4 win over the Dodgers. Trailing 4 – 0 entering the 7th, the Giants hit four homers, the last a two-run blast by Juan Uribe off closer Jonathan Broxton in the top of the 9th, to secure the win. Meanwhile, the Padres continue their free fall, losing their 9th straight game, 6 – 2 at home to Colorado.

Jim Thome hits a pair of homers to pass Mark McGwire for eighth place on the all-time career list with 584. The Twins designated hitter’s historic round-trippers, which he blasts in the third and fourth innings off Colby Lewis at Target Field, contribute to Minnesota’s 12-4 victory over Texas.

The Phillies pull to within one game of the NL East-leading Braves with a 1 – 0 win over the Brewers. Cole Hamels pitches 7 scoreless innings, while the lone run scores after Shane Victorino’s fly ball drops between LF Ryan Braun and CF Lorenzo Cain for a double; the Flyin’ Hawaiian then scores on two consecutive ground ball outs. Meanwhile, the Braves drop a 6 – 1 decision to Florida as rookie Logan Morrison hits a pair of triples.

With a number of pitchers unavailable following a 13-inning loss to Detroit during which starter Scott Baker had to leave after only two innings, the Twins turn to rookie Matt Fox to start a key game against the Rangers. Fox delivers in his major league debut, pitching 5 2/3 solid innings after being called up from AAA Rochester in the middle of the night. His teammate in the minors, Alex Burnett, then pitches 1 1/3 innings to get credit for the 4 – 3 win.

Major League Baseball penalizes six players, both skippers, and a coach following an ugly brawl which occurred two days ago between the Nationals and Marlins in Miami that was the result of Chris Volstad throwing at Nyjer Morgan for the second time in the game. The Florida outfielder, who became a target when he ran over Brett Hayes, separating the catcher’s shoulder in the previous contest, retaliated to being hit in the fourth by stealing two bases, but charges the mound after the sixth inning incident, setting off the melee.