The Dodgers homer on three straight pitches off the Mets’ John Maine in the 2nd inning, as Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp and Hong-Chih Kuo go yard. Kuo’s home run is the first ever in the major leagues by a native of Taiwan.

Hee-Seop Choi homers in his first three at-bats in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over Minnesota. The southpaw-swinging first baseman’s solo shot in the sixth off Brad Radke, who also gave up the infielder’s first two home runs, proves to be the difference in the Chavez Ravine contest.

Tony Armas, Jr. pitches five scoreless innings and Junior Spivey hits a two-run home run as the Washington Nationals tie a franchise record with their 10th consecutive win, a 3 – 2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Before relocating to the nation’s capital this season, the Nationals were known as the Montreal Expos, who won 10 straight games three previous times in 1979, 1980 and 1997.

2004 – In an Orioles-Giants interleague game, Barry Bonds hits a home run, the 675th of his career, and Rafael Palmeiro hits his 536th and 537th to move past Mickey Mantle into 11th place on the career list. It is only the third time in major league history that two players with 500 homers connect in the same game. Willie Mays and Ernie Banks did it in 1970, and Mays and Hank Aaron both homered in 1971.

The pitching-poor Rangers trade backup backstop Doug Mirabelli to the Red Sox for Double-A Trenton right-handed pitcher Justin Duchscherer (6-3, 2.44). Mirabelli will help fill the void created last week when Boston’s starting catcher Jason Varitek broke his right elbow.