Royals go deep to extend AL Central lead. They hit five homers in an 8-3 win over the Twins. They didn't actually widen their lead over the White Sox, who won to stay 5 games behind. The Twins are 6 1/2 back. (Yahoo!)

Red Sox 10, Devil Rays 4. Trot Nixon (.320/.405/.567) homered twice, including a grand slam. (Yahoo!)

Yankees 4, Orioles 2. Andy Pettitte has won at least 12 games in his first 9 years, starting with his rookie year. The last pitcher to do that? You guessed it - Stan Coveleski (1916-24). (Yahoo!)

Mariners 6, Athletics 0. Ryan Franklin pitched a 2-hit shutout for his first career complete game. The A's had better start playing their customary second-half .700 ball pretty soon. (Yahoo!)

For some, major moves needed to stay afloat. Rob Neyer: "I think the world of Billy [Beane], but if he can fix what ails the A's lineup, we should let him rule the world." (ESPN.com)

Dan Werr on hitters who have been struggling, and their prospects for recovery. (Baseball Primer)

Aaron Gleeman looks at this year's rookie crop. It's a good one. (Aaron's Baseball Blog)

Prospectus Triple Play: Braves, Twins, Devil Rays. "There's no surer thing in baseball right now than John Smoltz, who might be having one of the two or three best seasons ever by a closer. The gold standard in these things is Dennis Eckersley's 1990 campaign, and Smoltzie's numbers this season are comparable." (Baseball Prospectus)

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