After Gerald Laird put the Tigers up 1-0 with an RBI single in the second inning, the Twins went on a tear. They scored the game’s next eight runs, with the biggest hit being a three RBI bases clearing double by Orlando Cabrera in the eighth inning.

Twins starting pitcher Scott Baker was very good. In five innings, he gave up five hits and no earned runs. With the win, he improved his record to 15-9 and lowered his ERA to 4.36.

The Tigers still lead the AL Central by two games. Without any help, the Tigers can clinch the division if they can beat the Chicago White Sox twice in the upcoming series. Minnesota, on the other hand, enters a series against the Kansas City Royals.

Orlando Cabrera - Minnesota Twins (Image: Zuma Press)

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Minnesota Twins Stay Alive with Win

Against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Greinke went six scoreless innings to pick up his 15th win of the year. He struck out five batters and lowered his ERA on the season to 2.08.

In his last five starts, Greinke has been awesome. During that stretch, he has pitched 35 innings and has only allowed one earned run and only 18 hits. In September alone, he has an ERA of 0.45.

Monday’s performance allowed the Royals to beat the Red Sox by a final count of 5-1. The win improved the Royals record to 63-88. The fact that the Royals are a bad team could hurt Greinke but if voters consider how little support he has had this year, it should make him the clear cut AL Cy Young Award favorite.

Zack Greinke - Kansas City Royals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke AL Cy Young Award Favorite?

On Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, Peavy went five innings and gave up three hits, two walks and three earned runs while striking out five batters. Thanks to strong run support, Peavy was able to pick up the win as the White Sox cruised to a 13-3 victory.

The White Sox traded for Peavy to help make a push for the 2009 baseball playoffs. But after realizing he wasn’t ready and the team kept disappointing, the White Sox were patient in getting Peavy back on the big league level.

While with the Padres this year, Peavy was 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA. The 28-year-old had his best season in 2007 when he went 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA. He was also named the NL Cy Young Award winner that season.

As it stands, the White Sox are 5.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

Jake Peavy Makes his White Sox Debut (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Jake Peavy Makes White Sox Debut

Coming into the game with a 2.08 ERA, Greinke gave up ten hits, six earned runs and three walks in only five innings. The loss gave Greinke a 10-7 record on the season and his ERA jumped to 2.36.

The star at the plate for the Rays was All-Star MVP Carl Crawford. He finished with three hits in five at-bats to go along with three RBIs, one run and his 49th stolen base. DH Willy Aybar hit two solo homers — in the fifth inning and the seventh inning.

With the loss, the Royals fell to 41-64. After a good start to the season, the Royals now have the worst record in the American League. Only the Washington Nationals have a worse record.

Although the Rays improved to 58-48, they are still 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and five games behind the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card race.

Zack Greinke - Kansas City Royals (Image: Zuma Press)

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Zack Greinke Hit Hard as Rays Cruise

In five at-bats, Pujols had four hits, two homers and six RBIs. His biggest hit was in the fourth inning when he hit a grand slam to break a 4-4 tie. That long ball powered the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Pujols is now hitting .329 with 26 homers, 68 RBIs and 56 runs. His homers, RBIs and runs are all major league highs. His batting average is 12th in all of baseball.

Thanks to Pujols, the Cardinals improved to 39-31 with the win. They lead the NL Central by 1.5 games and the only team with a better record in the National League is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Albert Pujols Hits Two Homers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Albert Pujols Blasts Two Homers

Zack Greinke - Can Anyone Stop the Royal? (Image: Newscom)

Greinke gave up six hits and one earned run while walking none and striking out eight batters. To show how good he’s been this season, Greinke’s performance actually raised his ERA to 0.84.

The only run Greinke gave up was in the first inning. The Tigers were able to keep that lead until the sixth inning. In the sixth, Jose Guillen keyed a three-run inning with a two-run single. Guillen later added a homer in the eighth inning to give Greinke a comfortable cushion.

With the win, the Royals are now 23-23 on the season. The Tigers dropped to 25-19 with the loss.

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke Masterful in Winning 8th Game

Pitching all nine innings, Greinke needed only 104 pitches to allow six hits, no walks and no earned runs while striking out ten batters. He has won all six of his starts and his ERA is a microscopic 0.40 and his WHIP is an equally as impressive 0.84.

In his first four starts of the season, Greinke didn’t allow an earned run. He allowed two earned runs against the Toronto Blue Jays in his fifth start, however he came back as strong as ever against the White Sox in his sixth start.

Thanks mostly to Greinke’s pitching, the Royals currently find themselves in first place of the AL Central. They lead the Detroit Tigers by 1.5 games, the Minnesota Twins by 2 games and the Chicago White Sox by 2.5 games.

Last season, the Royals were 75-87 on the year. The 2009 campaign appears to be a season where the Royals can finally make some noise, especially if Greinke keeps pitching the way he currently is performing.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke Wins Again, Improves to 6-0

Mauer’s homer got the Twins off to a good start as Minnesota was able to topple the Kansas City Royals by a final count of 7-5. Justin Morneau hit a homer after Mauer’s double and Kevin Slowey improved to 5-0 on the season.

For the Royals, Jose Guillen went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. However, starting pitcher Sidney Ponson got creamed in his 4.1 innings of work. He gave up nine hits and seven earned runs to raise his season ERA to 7.16.

Following the game, both team’s records were 12-11. The two teams are tied for second in the AL Central, a half game being the Chicago White Sox.

Joe Mauer Returns (Image: Newscom)

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Joe Mauer Returns with Home Run

His streak of 43 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run ended in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. With two outs in the first inning, Vernon Wells hit a single that scored Marco Scutaro from second base. In the third, Alex Rios hit into a double play but a second earned run was scored against Greinke.

Despite those two runs, the Royals were easily able to win the game by a final count of 11-3. Billy Butler hit two homers and finished the game 4-for-5 with four runs and four RBI.

With the win, the Royals are now 11-10 on the season. Even with the loss, the Blue Jays sport an impressive record of 15-8.

Kansas City Royals (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke Wins but Streak Snapped

Yeah, about that. Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen let out the so-called “dirty little secret” that managers sometimes give the thumbs up on hit-by-pitch revenge.

This tidbut surprised—let’s see, we need to check our calculations . . . hold on a sec . . . almost done—yes, that’s it: Absolutely no one.

Post from: EveryJoe

White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen Forgets to Self-Censor