@Dodgers 4, Cardinals 3: Twice down to their last strike, LA rallied to tie on Andre Ethier‘s single and a double by Friday’s hero, Luis Cruz — then won it when pinch-hitter Juan Rivera‘s soft liner slipped free of Daniel Descalso‘s leather. And so the second wild card race, between the lame and the halt, is tied at 76-70.

• Jason Motte has blown 2 of his last 3 save tries. His 5 appearances this month all have come with a 1-run lead or tie game.

@Brewers 9, Mets 6: The Crew are just 2 back in the loss column. Now if the leaders could somehow play to a tie….

• Ryan Braun‘s 30th double gave him 379 extra-base hits since 2008, 2nd to Albert and 2 ahead of Miguel.
• Another key to Milwaukee’s push has been the resurgence of Rickie Weeks, who hit his 20th HR (3 straight years reaching that mark) and his hitting .272/.859 since the Break, with 44 Runs in 60 games.
• Shaun Marcum is still without a QS in 5 outings off the DL (5.70 ERA, 1.69 WHIP).
• Ike Davis crept a little closer to the Mets’ first 30-HR season since 2008, and just their 4th ever by a first baseman.
• Did he get beaned again while I wasn’t watching? David Wright endured a 25-game HR drought before finally getting #200, and has gone another 18 games trot-free, and with just 5 RBI. His combined WPA since the Break is -0.73.

@Astros 5, Phillies 0: An opening threat went awry (“I missed my chance!”), and the Phils ended up … not quite like Sollozzo in Louis’ Restaurant, but maybe like Tom when Michael announced the new lineup.

• So much for “gimmies” — Houston has taken 2 of 3 in this series. Philly gets one more chance to hand them their 100th loss. Then the Astros play 6 of their next 9 against St. Louis.
• The geographically misplaced Dallas Keuchel is 2-3, 3.17 in Houston, but 0-4, 9.41 away.

@Athletics 5, Orioles 2: Oakland pulled within 2 games of Texas, their nearest vantage since April 13. Jarrod Parker notched his 3rd straight strong start against playoff contenders, and his mates dug him out of an early hole with a 5-run 3rd. Zach Britton suffered his 2nd straight disaster after a hot run, with both games marred by wildness (9 walks and a HBP in 7.1 IP).

• Isn’t there an axiom about not risking the 1st out at home when you’re down by 3? The O’s wouldn’t get another man to 2nd base until the 9th.
• A’s lead the majors with 87 starts by pitchers age 25 or under, and with 53 wins in such games.
• Baltimore has lost 2 straight for the first time in almost a month. They have 7 more games on this road trip

@Royals 3, Angels 2: I believe the phrase is Stomach-Punch Game.

White Sox 5, @Twins 3: Francisco Liriano fanned 9 with just 2 walks, and almost got through 7 no-hit innings — the bid was ended here by Trevor Plouffe‘s 22nd HR, his 15th in Target Field and 11th in 112 ABs against southpaws. Paul Konerko homered and ended a 5-game ribby drought, and Adam Dunn returned from a week’s absence with a rare 2-hit game (even rarer: no Ks).

• Addison Reed‘s late swoon continued; he filled the sacks in the 9th with a pair of walks, making 20 baserunners in his last 7 IP, but was rescued by Matt Thornton, who got 3 outs with just 8 pitches.
• It’s in the rulebook: The official scorer cannot presume a double play — not even with Konerko running. But the double-bobble clearly cost the Twins a run.

Tigers 5, @Indians 3: Two runs by Detroit in the 1st were as many as Anibal Sanchez had seen in any of his last 3 starts, and he showed his appreciation by keeping the Tribe off the board — hitless, in fact — until the 7th.

• Miguel Cabrera‘s 37th HR left him one off his career high. Pop quiz: Name the last Tiger with a 40-HR season.
• The win behind Sanchez halted a run of 7 team losses when either he or Rick Porcello started — a set in which they scored 9 total runs and had 6 one-run losses.
• Did Thursday’s storm trigger an eerie Tigers/White Sox synchronization? On Friday, their respective CYA candidates led the way to shutout wins. On Saturday, their July SP acquisitions — each with a no-no in his past — tossed no-hit ball through 6.2 IP, then quickly yielded 2 runs, and the teams went on to 5-3 wins. (Or have I watched too many movies?)

@Marlins 6, Reds 4: Jose Reyes made (perhaps) the half-millionth error in MLB history, but compensated with a 4-2-3-1 batting line to lead the attack on Johnny Cueto. The Reds’ ace failed in his 3rd bid for his 18th win, and for the 2nd game in a row he failed to complete 5 innings; the 3-game slump has added almost half a run to his ERA, costing him the league lead. (He’s still #1 in ERA+ and WAR/pitchers.)

• Mark Buehrle reached 13 wins for the 11th time in 12 years. He needs 12 IP to reach 200 for the 12th straight year. And next year, he will likely become the 68th pitcher to reach 50+ WAR at the modern pitching distance, and the 6th to do so without a 6-WAR season (also the 6th without a 20-win year).
• Giancarlo Stanton hit his first triple of the year and has slipped ahead of Ryan Braun for the NL slugging lead.
• Carlos Lee hit his first HR in 16 games; sadly, that’s not far from his season pace. The clout tied him with Yogi Berra for #78 on the career list.

@Braves 5, Nationals 4: It’s everybody’s favorite game-winning rally: Single, Walk, Walk, painless HBP!

• Craig Kimbrel actually saw the tying run reach 3rd with 1 out — then he whiffed the last 2 men, giving him 3 for the inning and 104 in 55.1 IP this year. His 16.9 SO/9 would be a record for 50+ IP, and he’s whiffed 48 of 80 batters since the Break (60%).

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Pop quiz answer: Papa Fielder, 1992 1991, 44 HRs.