-The Mets rebounded with a 4-1 win over the Marlins thanks to Carlos Beltran’s two out go-ahead single in the sixth plus some insurance off the big bat of Carlos Delgado, who took Marlins’ lefty Renyel Pinto deep for a two-run blast in the eighth for his club best 23rd of the season. Oliver Perez went six innings allowing only a run on five hits while walking three and fanning five tossing 100 pitches. He wasn’t lights out but did just enough to give his team a chance escaping a first and second one out situation with a 1-6-3 double play. He notched his seventh victory dropping his ERA to 4.02.

New York also got solid relief from Aaron Heilman, who after walking a couple in the seventh settled down to toss two scoreless while fanning four. Billy Wagner retired the side in order whiffing a pair for his 27th save.

-For the Marlins who dropped a couple out of first, Scott Olsen wasn’t bad by any stretch matching Perez for nearly the same amount but couldn’t get that final out in the sixth walking Delgado and then giving up Beltran’s go-ahead base hit. Following a Fernando Tatis single, the lefty was pulled having gone five and two thirds while allowing two earned on six hits walking a pair and striking out five.

You have to wonder why Florida skipper Fredi Gonzalez didn’t stay with reliever Matt Lindstrom after he baffled the Mets for one and a third scoreless with two K’s. Something Howie Rose and Wayne Hagan alluded to on the radio cast when Pinto came in to start the eighth, allowing the Mets to ice the game.

If there’s an aspect the Marlins lost this game, it was stranding runners as they left 16 on compared to New York’s nine. They aren’t the most fundamentally sound club as evidenced by their D the previous night and their continued free swinging approach which saw them K 11 times including All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez going for the hat trick. There also was a big at bat where former Met Mike Jacobs pinch hit in the seventh with the tying run just put on via a walk on five pitches by Heilman. Instead of being patient, he swung at the Met setup man’s first offering harmlessly popping out. It might have been wiser to be more patient in such a big spot. But often with younger teams, they’ll be overly aggressive showing inexperience.

That’s an area Florida will have to continue to get better at if they want to seriously contend over the next couple of years.

-The Yanks again were victimized by the opportunistic Orioles who broke open a one-run game by putting up a four spot in the seventh off the combo of Darrell Rasner and recent lefty pickup Damaso Marte in a 7-6 win. With Rasner in trouble, the ex-Pirate came on and subsequently gave up three consecutive hits including a bases clearing double to hitting star Aubrey Huff and a Melvin Mora RBI two-bagger making it 6-1. Till that point, the Yanks had their lone run on Alex Rodriguez’ solo shot for his 22nd off Daniel Cabrera.

With Joe Girardi sending out Mariano Rivera to get some work after a few days off, the closer couldn’t escape Huff, who earlier in his at bat just missed a right field upper deck homer. It would take a couple of more pitches before he straightened out a fastball which got too much of the plate serving it out into the short porch for his 22nd putting the stamp on a four hit, four RBI night. As it turned out, that big swing proved large because the Bronx Bombers rallied for three in the home half versus closer George Sherrill.

Following a Johnny Damon leadoff hit, Derek Jeter walked. Then Bobby Abreu doubled in a run putting the tying run to the plate but A-Rod struck out swinging. A Jason Giambi two-run base hit suddenly made it a one-run game. When pinch runner Justin Christian swiped second, they had two shots to get him in but Sherrill buckled down getting both Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit swinging to end any chance of a miraculous Yankee comeback.

-The loss prevented the Yanks from gaining a game on the Red Sox, who were no-hit for eight and a third by Angels’ ace John Lackey Fenway before second baseman Dustin Pedroia broke it up. Though he lost his shutout bid on a Kevin Youkilis two-run dinger, Lackey finished the game with a two-hitter walking a couple and K-ing four on 120 pitches with 91 for strikes in improving to 9-2. The 29 year-old Angel ace who tossed his 12th career complete game got a nice hand from the Boston faithful.

-Off the field, Lackey’s team made some big headlines by packaging first baseman Casey Kotchman along with 24 year-old Double-A pitching prospect Stephen Marek to the Braves in exchange for 28 year-old first base slugger Mark Teixeira, making it the second straight year before the deadline the former Texas Ranger star was dealt. In 103 games this season, the former Georgia Tech star was hitting .283 with 20 homers and 78 RBI’s plus a .390 OBP and .512 slugging. In 157 total games as a Brave, Teixeira totaled 37 home runs, 74 extra base hits and 134 RBI’s. In the final year of a contract, he’ll now go West to LA to try to help deliver the Angels’ second world championship in six years. He’s making $12.5 million in the last year and could become a UFA this November.

Said Teixeira of the deal:

“Hopefully, I can just go over there and be one more piece of the puzzle.”

It should make the Halos even tougher to get out. Particularly with a middle of the order which now features Vlad Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Teixeira.

The slugger also added of his new ballclub:

“The Angels have always been one of the best teams in the league. They’ve always had great pitching, great defense and find a way to win games. I want to be the one who hopefully gets them over the top.”

The two-time Gold Glover also paid tribute to his former team where he enjoyed his brief stay:

“The last couple days I knew it was coming, so I prepared for it. It’s a little bittersweet. I really enjoyed my time here. I had a great year here. I love this team. I love this organization. I love this city. It’s tough to leave.”

Class all the way.

-In Milwaukee, Carlos Zambrano helped the Cubs to a second straight win over the Brewers easily outpitching Ben Sheets by going eight strong scoreless scattering five hits walking two and fanning nine as the NL Central leaders prevailed 7-1 extending their lead to three games. Four Cubs had at least two hits and Aramis Ramirez finished with four, two runs scored plus an RBI as Chicago put a hurting on Sheets scoring six times on 11 hits in five and a third to hand him his fourth defeat. Every Cub had at least one hit including Zambrano, whose infield RBI base hit to short highlighted a five-run sixth which broke open a one-run game. Japanese rookie Kosuke Fukudome and veteran utility man Mark DeRosa each drove in a pair giving the Cubs their third straight victory while dealing the Brewers their third loss in a row.

-With the Cards prevailing 8-3 against the DL-plagued Braves who just lost Tim Hudson for the season and placed leading hitter Chipper Jones on the DL, they’re within a game of the wild card behind Milwaukee. Albert Pujols slugged his third long ball in four days scoring three times and catcher Yadier Molina added three hits and two RBI’s.

-The Phillies remained a half game behind the Mets thanks to a stellar effort from Brett Myers, who went seven innings allowing just one unearned on four hits, walking one and striking out a couple for just his fourth win. A much better effort than his prior one against the Amazin’s which was good news for the Phils, who just sent Adam Eaton back to Triple-A to get straightened out. The Phillies got a two-run homer from Chase Utley (26th) which was enough to edge the Nationals 2-1 keeping pace with New York.

-The first place Rays gained a game on Boston going two up and four on the Yanks thanks to a 3-0 complete game shutout by Matt Garza, who outpitched Roy Halladay for win No.9. He got an Eric Hinske inside the park homer and a two-run Evan Longoria two-run eighth inning triple as he five-hit the Jays on 106 pitches walking one and striking out five. In a losing effort, Halladay went eight frames allowing three earned on six hits walking a trio while fanning eight in falling to 12-8. He tossed 118 pitches. What a horse.

-The Twins rallied from 4-0 down scoring five in the fifth and one in the seventh to comeback and beat the White Sox 6-5, pulling within half a game of first. Justin Morneau’s bases clearing double was the big hit but as it turned out teammate Joe Mauer’s run scoring single proved to be the difference due to a Nick Swisher solo homer off closer Joe Nathan in the ninth. Nathan then got the final batter to notch his 29th save.