The Yankees’ 6 – 0 win over the White Sox is shortened to 7 innings by rain at U.S. Cellular Field, but not before Mark Teixeira sets a record by hitting a homer from both sides of the plate for the 12th time of his career. He hits a long ball righthanded off starter John Danks in the 3rd, then one lefthanded in the pouring rain off reliever Jason Frasor in the 7th. Teixeira had been tied with Eddie Murray and Chili Davis with 11 such games. Phil Hughes is the winner in his best outing of the season.

After intentionally throwing a pitch at Alex Avila two days ago, Jered Weaver, who will appeal the ruling, is suspended for six games and fined an undisclosed amount of money. The Angels right-hander threw the seventh-inning pitch over the Tigers catcher’s head after being annoyed by Carlos Guillen, the previous Detroit batter, who stayed at home plate to admire his home run before starting to trot around the bases.

The Reds retake 1st place in the NL Central with a 4 – 0 win over Pittsburgh, combined with the Cardinals’ 9 – 4 loss at home to Houston. Rookie Travis Wood pitches 7 shutout innings in Cincinnati’s victory, but starting SS Orlando Cabrera strains a muscle on a 9th-inning swing and is headed for the disabled list.

The Brewers bang out 26 hits in beating the Cubs, 18 – 1, at Wrigley Field. Prince Fielder drives in 5 runs on 5 hits, Ryan Braun also collects 5 hits and Corey Hart has 4 in support of Yovani Gallardo’s 12 strikeouts; Casey McGehee hits a three-run homer in the rout. “Nothing worked”, comments Cubs acting manager Alan Trammell, filling in for Lou Piniella, who is in Florida to attend a funeral. It ties the Cubs’ franchise record for hits allowed, set back in the 1950s.

The Brewers and Corey Hart agree to a $26.5 million, three-year contract extension keeping the All-Star outfielder in Milwaukee through the 2013 season. The 28 year-old fly chaser, who had an unproductive 2009 season and a poor spring training, had been the subject of recent trade rumors.

Washington backstop Ivan Rodriguez becomes the fifth player to collect 300 home runs while catching when he goes deep off Rodrigo Lopez leading off the second inning of the Nationals’ 3-1 victory in Arizona. Pudge joins Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, and Yogi Berra as the only catchers in baseball history to reach the plateau while playing behind the dish.

Jeremy Hellickson, making his first major league start in a one-game stint in Tampa Bay, leads the club to a tie for 1st place in the AL East with a 4 – 2 win over the Twins. Making a spot start to give Tampa’s starters a rest – none of the five starters had yet missed a turn on the mound this year – Hellickson retires the first 10 batters he faces and gives up only 2 runs in 7 innings to best Carl Pavano. After the game, the Rays purchase the contract of 1B Dan Johnson and option Hellickson back to AAA.

Meanwhile, in New York, the Blue Jays lash out a record-tying 6 doubles in the 5th inning, including 2 by Travis Snider, to beat the Yankees, 8 – 6. Brandon Morrow beats former Jay A.J. Burnett, while Kevin Gregg retires Alex Rodriguez after giving up a solo homer to Nick Swisher to end the game and earn his 24th save.

Melky Cabrera completes a cycle with a ninth-inning triple during an 8-5 victory in Chicago to become the first Yankee in 14 years to accomplish the feat. Tony Fernandez had been the last Bronx Bomber to collect a single, double, triple, and a home run in the same game with his four hits against Oakland on September 3rd, 1995.

Two days after being acquired from Cleveland, Victor Martinez makes his presence felt in the Red Sox line-up, banging out 5 hits and collecting 4 RBI in an 18 – 10 thrashing of Baltimore. For his part, Kevin Youkilis goes 10 for 12 in the BoSox three-game sweep of the Birds at Camden Yards.