It may be too little too late, but the Nationals are finally getting hot, winning their 7th straight and 18th in 23 games, 6 – 1 over the Phillies. They are now 4 1/2 games back of a wild cardslot, but time is running out. Ross Ohlendorf, making an emergency start in place of ace Stephen Strasburg, picks up the win.

In a much anticipated start, Atlanta rookie David Hale sets a franchise record with nine strikeouts in his major league debut, but does not collect the victory when San Diego stages a late rally off the bullpen to overcome a three-run deficit to beat the Braves at Turner Field, 4-3. The 25 year-old right-hander from Marietta, GA surpasses the previous mark of eight shared by Bob Dresser (1902) and Kenshin Kawakami (2009).

2013 – The Yankees defeat the Orioles, 6 – 5, as their newest player, SS Brendan Ryan, acquired in a trade three days earlier, scores the winning run in the 9th. He opens the inning with a single and reaches third when O’s closer Jim Johnson throws Chris Stewart’s bunt into center field. Johnson then bounces a pitch to the screen to allow Ryan to score. The loss is a letdown for Baltimore, as Danny Valencia had tied the game with a three-run homer off David Robertson in the 8th.

At Marlins Park, benches clear when Brian McCann confronts Jose Fernandez as the Miami starting pitcher crosses home plate after hitting his first career home run. The Braves’ backstop and third baseman Chris Johnson take exception to the 21 year-old rookie right-hander admiring the home run from the batter box, then glaring into the Atlanta dugout as he was rounding the bases.

The Pirates complete a three-game sweep of the Rangers with a 7 – 5 win in Arlington. A.J. Burnett is the winner and Kyle Farnsworth registers his first save in almost two years with top relievers Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon both unavailable. Meanwhile, the Cardinals stay in first place in the NL Central with a 5 – 1 win over Milwaukee after not getting a hit until the 6th inning; they still lead the Pirates by a game.

Wladimir Balentien takes Kan Otake deep for his 55th homer of the 2013 season. He ties the Nippon Pro Baseball record for dingers shared by Sadaharu Oh, Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera. Balentien, who had set the Arizona League home run mark 10 years earlier, led the Central League in homers the past two years, while the league juiced up the ball prior to the season.

With three doubles and a home run, Mark Trumbo ties a franchise record with four extra-base hits and becomes the first player in Angels’ history to collect five hits and score five runs in the same game. The Anaheim first baseman’s ten total bases, however, yield only two RBIs in the Halos’ 12-6 victory over Toronto at the Rogers Centre.

2013 – Clay Buchholz is victorious in his return to the mound for the Red Sox after being out since June with a strained neck. He gives up no runs over five innings to improve to 10-0 on the year as the Sox blank the Rays, 2 – 0.

2013 – In a rare highlight for the Nationals this season, Gio Gonzalez pitches a one-hitter and is backed by five homers as the team rolls to an easy 9 – 0 win over the Mets. The Nats start off with a bang as Denard Span and Ryan Zimmerman greet Mets starter Carlos Torres with back-to-back long balls. Pinch-hitter Zach Lutz has the Mets’ only hit, a soft single that lands on the first base foul line to open the 7th.

Juan Uribe homers in each of his first three trips to the plate in the Dodgers’ 8-1 victory over Arizona. Los Angeles goes yard six times in the Chavez Ravine contest, falling two shy of the franchise record established in 2002.