Chasing a sixth-inning foul pop near the Rangers dugout in the sixth inning, A.J. Pierzynski nearly makes contact with George W. Bush, who is sitting in the owner’s box with his wife, Laura. The ball drops harmlessly into the stands, but the former president takes the opportunity to comment the startled White Sox catcher.

James Shields delivers a big game as the Rays top the Marlins, 4 – 0, at Sun Life Stadium. Shields strikes out a Rays-record 13 batters in pitching a three-hit shutout, retiring 20 of the first 21 batters he faces. He also drives in his team’s first run with a groundout in the 2nd inning. Jay Buente is the loser in his first career start.

Asdrubal Cabrera collects five hits, including two homers, as the Indians defeat Cincinnati, 12 – 4. He becomes only the fifth major league shortstop with a five-hit, two-homer game and the first since Barry Larkin in 2000.

Tim Lincecum takes advantage of creeping shadows in a mid-afternoon start to stifle the Oakland A’s bats, defeating them, 3 – 0, and throwing a three-hitter. The Giants ace strikes out six and walks none.

Wearing the uniforms from the 1918 World Series, the Cubs score 8 runs in the 8th inning, taking advantage of three Boston errors, to win, 9 – 3, at Fenway Park. Two of the runs score on a botched rundown of Alfonso Soriano, which acounts for two of the miscues. Losing P Matt Albers gives up 6 runs without retiring a batter. The game is marred by an injury to Cubs CF Marlon Byrd, who suffers multiple fractures when beaned by Alfredo Aceves.

The Chicago Cubs make their first visit to Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series, but the Red Sox prove to be poor hosts, whacking them, 15 – 5. The Cubs commit 4 errors and give up 19 hits, while the Sox take advantage of the Green Monster to launch 6 doubles and a pair of homers in its direction. Adrian Gonzalez has 4 hits and 4 RBI in the Sox’s 7th straight win.

After being shut out by the Mets in back-to-back games, the Nationals have their biggest offensive game since moving to Washington, DC in 2005. They beat the Orioles, 17 – 5, launching 6 homers. Jayson Werth hits two of the long balls, and Danny Espinosa, who collects 6 RBI, Roger Bernadina, Wilson Ramos and Laynce Nix hit the others. Both the 17 runs and the 6 homers are team marks since the move to the nation’s capital.

After sitting on the bench for most of the season so far, veteran 1B Jason Giambi has the first three-homer game of his career in the Rockies’ 7 – 1 win over Philadelphia. He hits homers in his first three at-bats, driving in all 7 of his team’s runs, but fails in his last two at-bats to become only the 16th player to hit four dingers in one game. Giambi entered the game hitting .115 with 1 homer and 4 RBI; at 40, he is the second-oldest player to hit three home runs in a game, after Stan Musial who was 41 when he accomplished the feat on July 8, 1962.

After placing two of their starting pitchers, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, on the disabled list earlier this week, the Red Sox sign Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract and acquire Franklin Morales from the Rockies for a player to be named later; they also designate for assignment Japanese reliever Hideki Okajima. The veteran Millwood spent a month in the Yankees’ system earlier this year but asked for his release when it became clear that there was little chance he would be called up to the majors in the near future.

Five different games end in shutouts today. The most remarkable performance is a three-hitter thrown by Jake Peavy of the White Sox, making only his second appearance since undergoing shoulder surgery 10 months earlier. He wins 1 – 0 over Cleveland, with Justin Masterson being saddled with the loss in spite a solid performance of his own. Boston also wins 1 – 0, over Detroit, with Clay Buchholz getting the win, and, in another whitewash, Charlie Morton of Pittsburgh notches his second career shutout. The Mets and Mariners also win with combined shutouts.