SCOREBOARD

Friday, Aug. 29

L.A. Dodgers at Arizona, 9:40 p.m. The second-place Dodgers try to make up ground on the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

STARS

Wednesday

-Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals, went 3-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in a 5-3 victory over Milwaukee.

-Brian Roberts, Orioles, had three RBIs and his AL-leading 46th double in an 11-3 win over the White Sox.

-Tim Lincecum, Giants, struck out 10 to boost his majors-leading total to 210 in a 4-1 win over Colorado.

-Josh Johnson, Marlins, threw a four-hitter for his first career complete game in a 4-1 win over the Braves.

-Jody Gerut, Padres, went 3-for-4, including the go-ahead single in the eighth inning of a 5-4 win over Arizona.

DODGERS BLUE

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost a season-high sixth straight game, 5-4 against the lowly Washington Nationals. They've lost eight straight road games for the first time since 2005. Los Angeles has scored just 10 runs during the losing streak, accentuated by failing to get even when down by a run with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning. In just two pitches from Nationals closer Joel Hanrahan, Matt Kemp popped out to left field.

SENDOFF

In their final regular-season trip to Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox have outscored their longtime rivals 18-6 in the first two games of this three-game series, including an 11-3 win on Wednesday night in which Jason Bay drove in four runs and Dustin Pedroia hit a grand slam.

RALLY CARDS

Ryan Ludwick was a triple shy of the cycle and had two RBIs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals' comeback from a three-run deficit in a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Rebounding from a 12-0 rout Tuesday, the Cardinals scored four runs in the eighth inning and pulled within 3.5 games of the Brewers for the NL wild-card lead.

STREAKY INDIANS

The Indians beat the Tigers 9-7 for their 10th straight win. They now have a 10-game winning streak and 10-game losing streak this year, the first team to have such double-digit streaks since Tampa Bay won and lost 12 in a row in 2004. The Indians also had winning and losing streaks of 10 games or more in 1931 and 1979. It's the 21st time in major league history a team has won and lost at least 10 straight games.

SWEEP

The Texas Rangers pulled off their first three-game sweep this season, beating Kansas City 3-2 when Jarrod Saltalamacchia scooted home after pitcher Brian Bannister flubbed a popup in the seventh.

RED RULER

Even in an off year, Houston ace Roy Oswalt knows how to beat the Cincinnati Reds. Oswalt improved to 12-9 in a 4-1 Astros win, his 22nd victory against the Reds in 23 decisions. He's won seven straight since a 5-4 loss at Cincinnati in 2006. He hasn't lost to the Reds in Houston since 2004.

SWEPT AWAY

The Chicago Cubs turned two well-placed bunts into two runs in the seventh inning and swept yet another three-game series from the Pirates with a 2-0 victory. After scoring 26 runs in the first two games, the Cubs turned to pitching and defense for their third three-game sweep this season of the NL Central rival Pirates. The Cubs won the season series 14-4, the most victories they've have against Pittsburgh since going 15-7 in 1954.

SPEAKING

"We're fighting some demons, the demons of the past, the rascals that have hung around us for a year." - Mets manager Jerry Manuel, after his team rallied for a 6-3 win over Philadelphia a night after blowing a seven-run lead and losing. New York faltered down the stretch last year, handing a playoff berth to the Phillies.

SEASONS

Aug. 29

1918 - The Chicago Cubs, behind the pitching of Lefty Tyler, clinched the National League pennant with a 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

1934 - The Philadelphia A's ended Schoolboy Rowe's 16-game winning streak with a 13-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

1965 - San Francisco's Willie Mays broke Ralph Kiner's National League record with his 17th home run of the month in an 8-3 triumph over the New York Mets. Kiner had 16 homers in September of 1949. Mays hit a tape measure shot off Jack Fisher.

1967 - Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A's hit three triples in a 9-8, 10-inning loss to the Cleveland Indians.

1971 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves knocked in his 100th run of the season, giving him the National League record of 11 seasons with 100 or more RBIs.

1977 - Lou Brock stole base No. 893, breaking Ty Cobb's modern record for career stolen bases.

1985 - Don Baylor of the New York Yankees set an American League record when he was hit by a pitch for the 190th time in his career. Baylor was struck by California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill in the first inning, breaking the old mark of 189 set by Minnie Minoso.

1993 - George Brett recorded his 200th stolen base in Kansas City's 5-4, 12-inning victory over Boston to join Willie Mays and Hank Aaron as the only players with 3,000 hits, 300 homers and 200 steals.

1995 - Pittsburgh's Paul Wagner, the NL leader in losses, lost his no-hitter against Colorado on an infield single with two out in ninth.

2000 - Anaheim's Darin Erstad went 3-for-5 to reach 200 hits faster than any player in 65 years as the Angels defeated Toronto 9-4. Ducky Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals did it in 131 games in 1935.

2002 - Mark Bellhorn became the first player in NL history to hit a home run in the same inning from both sides of the plate, in the fourth inning of the Chicago Cubs' 13-10 win over Milwaukee.

2004 - Albert Pujols hit his 40th home run and reached 100 RBIs for the fourth straight season to help St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 4-0. He's the fourth player to start his major league career with four straight seasons with at least 100 RBIs, joining Hall of Famers Al Simmons, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.

Today's birthdays: Aaron Rowand 31; Roy Oswalt 31; Henry Blanco 37.