A pair of National League pitchers pick up their 17th wins of the year with shutouts. The Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez throws his first career whitewash in defeating the Cardinals, 10 – 0; Adam Wainwright is the loser after going 5-0 in his previous August starts. In Miami, it is R.A. Dickey of the Mets who wins his 17th with a 3 – 0 shutout. The two pitchers catch up with Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto for the major league lead in wins.

Rookie Miguel Gonzalez holds the Yankees to 4 hits over 6 innings as the Orioles win, 6 – 1, and move within two games of the AL East leaders. Mark Reynolds hits two homers for Baltimore.

Craig Kimbrel sets a rookie record with his 41st save when he retires the side in order in the Braves’ 3-1 victory over Washington at Turner Field. The 23 year-old Atlanta closer, who will finish the season with 46, surpasses Neftali Feliz’s saves record established last season with the Rangers.

In a stretch-run trade with Pittsburgh, the Braves acquired Matt Diaz for a player to be named and cash considerations. The 33 year-old outfielder, who played with Atlanta for five years, left the organization after the 2010 season when he inked a two-year, $4.25 million free-agent deal with the Pirates.

Craig Kimbrel sets a rookie record with his 41st save when he retires the side in order in the Braves’ 3-1 victory over Washington at Turner Field. The 23 year-old Atlanta closer, who will finish the season with 46, surpasses Neftali Feliz’s saves record established last season with the Rangers.

The Diamondbacks set a team record with their 12th consecutive victory at home when they beat Colorado at Chase Field, 4-2. The streak surpasses the mark established by the 2000 and 2003 clubs.

It’s a day of milestones for the Braves. 39-year-old 3B Chipper Jones hits the 450th homer of his career, off Nationals starter John Lannan in the 2nd inning, then P Derek Lowe, only a year younger than Jones at 38, launches his first in the 3rd inning as Atlanta wins, 3 – 1. Craig Kimbrel picks up the save, his 41st of the season, for a new rookie record.

The biblical plague of midges is back in Cleveland. Four years after famously disrupting a postseason game in 2007, the pesky insects show up during today’s 16-inning context between the Indians and Athletics, which the Tribe wins, 4 – 3, on Jack Hannahan’s single. Oakland pitchers Rich Harden and Grant Balfour have an especially difficult time with the tiny winged pests who show up uninvited in the 7th inning.

The Cardinals hand the Brewers a rare defeat at Miller Park, 8 – 3, thanks to a grand slam by pitcher Jake Westbrook in the 4th. Brewers LF Ryan Braun has a couple of embarrassing moments, being caught stealing third base to end the 1st inning, then takes a spectacular tumble in the 3rd when trying to turn a triple into his first career inside-the-park home run, ending up caught in no man’s land between third base and home for an easy out.

Clubs headed for the postseason tweak their rosters on the last day when they can add players and still have them be eligible for postseason play. The Giants, who are falling ever further behind the red-hot Diamondbacks, designate veterans Aaron Rowand and Miguel Tejada for assignment, eating about $15 million in salary in the process; they use the freed-up spots to activate OF Pat Burrell from the disabled list and call up IF Brett Pillfrom the minor leagues in a bid to wake up their slumbering offense. For their part the Rangers repatriate C Matt Treanor from Kansas City and bring in P Mike Gonzalez from Baltimore, and the Red Sox bring in OF/1B Conor Jackson from Oakland as they receive news that the injured J.D. Drew may be done for the season. The Braves also repatriate a former player in OF Matt Diaz, brought back from the Pirates.