Derek Holland pitches his third shutout in five starts as the Rangers defeat the Blue Jays, 3 – 0. He is the first Ranger pitcher to throw 4 shutouts in a season since Doc Medich in 1981. Mitch Moreland hits a two-run homer in the 2nd.

There is a frenzy of trades as the trading deadline approaches. The Indians make two big deals, first acquiring P Ubaldo Jimenez from Colorado, then sending 2B Orlando Cabrera to San Francisco. In the unusual position of being buyers this year, the Pirates pry 1B Derrek Lee from Baltimore to replace the underachieving Lyle Overbay. Their rivals in the NL Central, the Cardinals, add SS Rafael Furcal from Los Angeles, the Diamondbacksadd P Jason Marquis from Washington, the Rangers get P Koji Uehara from Baltimore, the Red Sox add 2B Mike Aviles from Kansas City, and the Tigers get Ps Doug Fister and David Pauley from the Mariners. In all cases, the deals involve prospects in return, many of them in the lower reaches of the minor leagues, and the occasional player who has just reached the majors.

The two best teams in the majors this year, the Yankees and the Rays, begin a three-game series before a rare sold-out crowd at Tropicana Field. Two batters into the game, New York leads 2 – 0 on a homer by Nick Swisher, but that’s all the runs they’ll score. Tampa Bay comes back with a three-run shot by Matt Joyce in the 6th to win, 3 – 2. Wade Davis beats Phil Hughes, with Rafael Soriano picking up the save. Alex Rodriguez, who has been sitting on 599 homers for a week, goes 0 for 4 in the loss.

One of the players traded yesterday makes a splash in his debut for his new team. Starting at 3B for the Tigers, Jhonny Peralta homers twice over the Green Monster as Detroit defeats Boston, 6 – 5, withstanding a late-game grand slam by David Ortiz. Armando Galarraga’s run of bad luck continues as he is hit on the ankle by a line drive off the bat of Kevin Youkilis with a 4 – 1 lead, and has to leave the game one out shy of qualifying for the win. Rookie Robbie Weinhardt relieves him and picks up his first major league victory.

However, the Phillies may be having buyer’s remorse as prize acquisition Roy Oswalt is rocked by the Nationals, losing his debut, 8 – 1. Making it worse, the man he was traded for, J.A. Happ, shines in his first outing for Houston, throwing 6 scoreless innings in a 5 – 0 win over Milwaukee.

The deals continue on the eve of tomorrow’s trading deadline. The Chicago White Sox acquire P Edwin Jackson, author of a no-hitter earlier this year, from the Diamondbacks in return for young Ps Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg; the Rangers obtain IF Cristian Guzman from Washington for Tanner Roark and Ryan Tatsuko just as starting 2B Ian Kinsler is placed on the disabled list; and the Yankees snap up OF Austin Kearns from the Indians, although the bigger news is that they have tentatively reached a deal with Houston for 1B Lance Berkman.

A story in the New York Times states that sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. The test results were supposed to be kept secret, but Alex Rodriguez’s presence on the list of those who tested positive had already been leaked earlier this year. Ortiz states that he was not aware he had tested positive six years earlier and denies using steroids.

Action continues on the trading front with Los Angeles acquiring closer George Sherrill from the Baltimore Orioles for two players currently at AA Chattanooga. For their part, the Pirates are still busy house-cleaning, sending Ps John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs, one day after trading three players on their 25-man roster. The Pirates receive P Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio and minor league infielder Josh Harrison from their NL Central rivals.

The Yankees, in need of a catcher due to Jorge Posada’s season-ending surgery, obtain 13-time Gold Glove winner Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers in exchange for reliever Kyle Farnsworth. The 36 year-old All-Star backstop waives his no-trade clause to go to New York, which completes the deal a day before the trading deadline.

The Royals, with a 4-3 victory at McAfee Coliseum, sweep the A’s in Oakland for the first time in two decades. The last time Kansas City broke out the broom in O-town was in June of 1988.