Today in Major League Baseball:

The National League races are tight as the All-Star Break nears.

All three NL divisions are either tied or separated by just a game between the top two teams. Baseball fans hope that this is holds over the next two months in order to create exciting pennant races.

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals - Milwaukee Brewers (Game One)

The downward spiral for the Milwaukee Brewers continues as they drop their sixth in a row and 10 out of their last 11. The Brewers jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the second inning off of Cardinals starter Joe Kelly (1-1, 3.44) and seemed to have things under control. Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo (5-5, 3.68) shut the Cardinals out through the first three innings until they got to him in the fourth with a Matt Adams two run homer. A four run Cardinal sixth inning led by a Johnny Peralta two run homer tied the game at six. It stayed tied until the ninth when Matt Holiday launched a two out, first pitch changeup from Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez into the seats for the go-ahead run. Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal closed out the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth to secure his 28th save and pull the Cardinals to within a single game of first place. The Brewers had a 6 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals on July 1 and since then have seen things come unglued for them.

St. Louis Cardinals pull to within a game of first place Milwaukee Brewers. Getty Images.

Cardinals - Brewers (Game Two)

The Brewers face an uphill battle today as they try to break their six-game slide. They will face Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright (11-4, 1.79) who is second in the NL in ERA and tossed seven scoreless innings in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brewers will counter Wainwright with their top pitching prospect, Jimmy Nelson (1-0, 0,00), who was recalled on Thursday and will make his second start of the year. Nelson bumped Marco Estrada (7-6, 4.96) from the rotation and into the bullpen.

NL West

The NL West is all tied up again between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. As we close-in on the All-Star Break the Dodgers are in San Diego against the Padres while the Giants are hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Dodgers - Padres (Game One)

Padres rookie starter Jesse Hahn (5-2, 2.21) controlled the Dodgers through six-innings of work, giving up just a run on three hits, while left fielder Carlos Quentin went 2-for-5 and drove in three RBI's in their 6-3 win. Padres reliever Blaine Boyer (0-0, 1.29) ran into a rough patch after replacing Hahn in the seventh. Boyd gave up a leadoff double to catcher Drew Butera and walked Carl Crawford that ended his string of retiring 26 straight right-handed bats without a hit or walk. It was the longest such streak since STATS began tracking such a record in 1974. Dodgers All-Star right fielder Yasiel Puig went 2-for-4 with an RBI double. Dodgers starter Dan Haren (8-6, 4.23) suffered his second loss to the Padres in the last three weeks. He lasted only four innings, giving up four runs on six hits. The Padres starters have a 1.74 ERA over their last 11 starts.

Los Angeles Dodgers loss keeps them tied with the San Francisco Giants for first in NL West. Getty Images.

Dodgers - Padres (Game Two)

The Dodgers have left-hander Paul Maholm (1-4, 5.18) coming out of the bullpen today in place of injured Josh Beckett as they look to even up their series against the Padres. The Padres are sending right-hander Ian Kennedy(7-9, 3.71) to the mound. Kennedy allowed one run in his last start against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. He struck out nine over seven innings of work, giving him his 10th quality start of year.

Diamondbacks - Giants (Game One)

The Giants moved into a first place tie after knocking off the Diamondbacks 5-0 last night. Giants starter Tim Lincecum (9-5, 3.66) pitched seven innings, giving up no runs on three hits with six strikeouts. Lincecum appears to have straightened his pitching problems out, having won four straight starts with an ERA of an astounding 0.30. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, mired in a 16 game slump in which he is hitting .222, went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI's. Prior to the game Marco Scutaro was activated from the disabled list but did not play.

Tim Lincecum's seven shutout innings helped propel the Giants into a first place tie with the Dodgers in the NL West. Getty Images.

Diamondbacks - Giants (Game Two)

Today's game at AT&T Park will feature Diamondbacks left-hander Wade Miley (4-6, 4.43) against Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong (5-6, 3.92). Miley is coming off a strong start against NL East co-leader Atlanta Braves, holding them to just a run over 6 2/3 innings. Vogelsong has a 3.06 ERA in 10 starts at AT&T Park this year but the Giants have only been able to manage a record of 4-6 in those starts.

NL East

The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves remain tied at the top of the NL East. Neither was able to capitalize on the other's loss.

Nationals - Phillies (Game One)

The Washington Nationals fell to the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2, victimized by two Jimmy Rollins homers and a strong 7 2/3 innings by A.J. Burnett (6-8, 3.23) who picked up the win. The Phillies have won five in a row which matches their longest winning streak of the year. Former Boston Red Sox left fielder Grady Sizemore, released by Boston last month, made his Phillies debut and went 1-for- with a run scored. Nationals All-Star pitcher Jordan Zimmerman picked up the loss in the game and was forced to leave his start in the fourth with a bicep cramp. Left fielder Bryce Harper hit a solo homer off of Burnett in the seventh. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Jimmy Rollins two homers led the way for the Phillies win over the Nationals. Getty Images.

Nationals - Phillies (Game Two)

The Nationals will send NL strikeout leader Stephen Strasburg (7-6, 3.47) to the mound today against Philadelphia's Cole Hamels (3-5, 2.87). Strasburg gave up two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings of work against the Orioles in his last start. Hamels had similar production against the Brewers in his last start, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out seven. Hamels has a losing record but he has pitched well in his outings with hardly any run support.

Braves - Cubs (Game One)

The Atlanta Braves were downed by the Chicago Cubs 5-4.when right-fielder Justin Ruggiano hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth for the win. The Braves tied the game in the top of the ninth when catcher Christian Bethancourt hit a two-out, RBI single off of Cubs closer Hector Rondon. Braves centerfielder Jordan Schafer went 3-for- in stolen bases during the game.

Braves - Cubs (Game Two)

Left-hander Mike Minor (205, 4.54) will be pitching for the Braves today against RHP Edwin Jackson (5-9, 5.05) for the Cubs. Minor had an excellent outing in his last game. He gave up just two hits in seven innings against the Mets. In his last start against the Reds, Jackson retired 13 in a row but his outing collapsed in the fifth.

In the American League, division races in the East and West have a little more room than the NL but not by much. The Central has seen the Detroit Tigers begin to pull away.

AL Central

Tigers - Royals (Game Two)

This game was a pitchers duel the whole way as the first place Detroit Tigers scratched out a 2-1 win over second place Royals. The Royals can't say they didn't have scoring opportunities in this game as they squandered chances in every inning. Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez (6-3, 3.04) along with the bullpen found a way to wiggle out of trouble throughout the game. Sanchez gave up eight hits in his seven innings of work to earn the win. The Tigers scored their two runs on an Ian Kinsler RBI single in the first and a Miguel Cabrera sacrifice fly in the third. The lone Royals run came in the first when Salvador Perez hit a RBI single center. Royals starter Danny Duffy had a good outing that went to waste, going six innings, giving up just the one run on five hits. Sanchez continues to dominate the Royals with a career record of 5-2 and an ERA of 1,08. The Tigers have taken two straight in the series and have increased their NL Central lead over the Royals to 6 1/2 games.

Anibal Sanchez of the Detroit Tigers continued his domination of the Kansas City Royals. Getty Images.

Tigers - Royals (Game Three)

Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello (11-5, 3.53) gets the call today as the Tigers look to win the series over the Royals. Right-hander James Shields (9-4, 3.71) will go for the Royals. Porcello had his 25 scoreless inning streak snapped in his last outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. He gave up season highs in runs (seven) and hits (12). Porcello last faced the Royals on May 2, giving up just two runs in seven innings. Shields also faced the Rays in his last start, snapping a three game losing streak. He gave up three hits in seven shutout innings. Shields has faced the Tigers twice already and it hasn't been pretty, giving up 10 runs in just 12 1/3 innings. It's now or never time for the Royals as they hope to stem the Tigers steamroller just before the All-Star break.

AL East

The Orioles maintained their three game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays who defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 8-5.

Yankees - Orioles (Game One)

It took 10 innings but the Orioles were able to prevail over the Yankees 3-2. Orioles third baseman Manny Machado led off the 10th with a double off of Yankees right-hander Adam Warren (1-5, 2.79) and scored the winning run on a one out, RBI single by catcher Nick Hundley. Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez (4-5, 4.04) pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on six hits. T.J. McFarland (3-2, 3.25) pitched the 10th and got the win. The Orioles are 10 games over .500 for the first time this season with their ninth win in their last 11 games. The win keeps the Orioles extends their lead over the third place Yankees by five games in the AL East.

Yankees vs Orioles (Game Two)

Right-hander Shane Greene (1-0, 2.84) gets his second big league start for the Yankees while the Orioles move right-hander Chris Tillman's (7-4, 4.11) start up a day to replace the injured Ubaldo Jimenez. Greene's MLB debut last Monday against the Indians was impressive as he gave up just two earned runs in six innings of work. Greene utilized his sinker to induce Indian batters to hit groundballs. Tillman allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings against the Nationals in his last start. Four of his last five outings have been quality starts.

AL West

The Athletics hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels who shutout the last place Texas Rangers 3-0.

Athletics - Mariners (Game One)

Seattle Mariners All-Star, right-handed starter Felix Hernandez (11-2, 2.12) gave his first half of the season a fitting ending with a eight inning domination of the best team in baseball as the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2. Hernandez gave up just two runs on six hits while striking out nine. Fernando Rodney picked up his AL leading 27th save even though the Athletics had the tying run 90 ft away with two outs. Mariners All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano went 2-for- with an RBI. Jeff Samardzija (3-8, 2.78) made his second start as an Athletic, giving up three runs on five hits in eight innings. Athletics right fielder Stephen Vogt went 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the fourth. Athletics first baseman Alberto Callaspo left the game in the second inning with a strained right hamstring. Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp has a sore neck and may not be available in the series. The Mariners are in third place and moved to within eight games of the Athletics.

Athletics - Mariners (Game Two)

Right-hander Jesse Chavez (7-5, 3.06) of the Athletics will make a start today against Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (7-4, 3.07). Chavez may be making his last start as it looks like he may be moved out of the rotation after the acquisition of Samardzija and right-hander Jason Hammel from the Cubs last July 4. In his last start, Chavez pitched six shutout innings against the Giants while matching his career high in strikeouts with nine. Iwakuma shut the Minnesota Twins out over seven innings in his last start. He has allowed just one earned run over his last 13 innings.

Cincinnati Reds fireballer Aroldis Chapman struck out Jody Mercer of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth inning to set a MLB record with 40 straight relief appearances with a strikeout. The record of 39 was set by Bruce Sutter when he was with the Cubs in 1977. Chapman ended up striking out the side and earning his 20th save on Friday night in the Reds' 6-5 win over the Pirates.

Off To The DL

The Orioles placed RHP Ubaldo Jimenez on the 15-day DL with a sprained right ankle that happened in the parking lot of his apartment complex.

Ubaldo Jimenez of the Baltimore Orioles injured his ankle at his apartment complex. Getty Images.

Other MLB News: Detroit Tigers All-Star DH Victor Martinez missed his fifth straight game with a strained left side. He has been replaced on the AL All-Star roster by Tiger second baseman Ian Kinsler; Masahiro Tanaka of the New York Yankees apologized to fans and teammates for the injury he sustained. Tanaka tore the ligament in his right elbow and will be out at least six weeks for rehab; Rays All-Star left hander David Price will not make his start today against the Blue Jays due to illness. He may start on Sunday in the series finale.

A strained left side will keep DH Victor Martinez of the Detroit TIgers out of the All-Star Game. Getty Images.

This Day In Baseball History

1901: Right-hander CY Young of the Boston Red Sox earns his 300th victory in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Athletics.

1949: The color barrier was broken in the All-Star Game as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers along with Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians appeared played in the AL's 11-7 win over the NL at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

1951: Allie Reynolds of the New York Yankees pitches a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians in a 1-0 victory. Hall of Fame Right-hander Bob Feller was the starter for the Indians.

1955: Hall of Famer Stan Musial of the St Louis Cardinals hit a walk-off homer in the 12th inning off of Frank Sullivan of the Boston Red Sox to win the All-Star Game for the NL 6-5 at County Stadium, home of the Milwaukee Braves.

1979: To cash in on the growing anti-Disco movement spreading across the country, the Chicago White Sox hosted a "Disco Demolition Night" in- between games of a double-header against the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park. At the end of the event a large crate containing disco records was exploded on the field. Thousands of fans overran the field, causing game two to be canceled.

1990: The seventh no-hitter of the season, tying a MLB record, was thrown by Melido Perez of the Chicago White Sox in a 8-0 victory over the New York Yankees.

1994: The NL's record six-game losing streak in the All-Star Game came to an end as Moises Alou of the Montreal Expos doubles home Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres in the tenth inning to clinch a 8-7 victory. The "Crime Dog" Fred McGriff of the Atlanta Braves wins the MVP.

1997: A 10 inning combined no-hitter was thrown at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh as Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon of the Pirates shutdown the Houston Astros 3-0. Cordova pitched nine shutout innings and Rincon pitched the 10th. Mark Smith hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to make Rincon the winning pitcher.

Baseball Birthdays

1965: Mike Munoz

American League Games
Team Time (EDT) Pitching Matchup
White Sox (44-50) - Indians (46-46) 3:05 PM Carroll (3-5) - McAllister (3-4)
Yankees (46-46) vs Orioles (51-41) 4:05 PM Greene (1-0) - Tillman (7-4)
Red Sox (42-51) - Astros (39-55) 4:10 PM Peavy (1-7) - Oberholtzer (2-7)
Blue Jays (49-45) - Rays (42-53) 4:10 PM Hutchinson (6-7) - Price (8-7)
Tigers (52-37) - Royals (47-45) 7:10 PM Porcello (11-5) - Shields (9-4)
Angels (55-37) vs Rangers (38-55) 7:15 PM Weaver (9-6) - Mikolas (0-1)
Athletics (58-35) vs Mariners (50-43) 10:10 PM Chavez (7-5) - Iwakuma (7-4)
National League Games
Team Time (EDT) Pitching Matchup
Diamondbacks (39-55) vs Giants (51-42) 4:05 PM Miley (4-6) - Vogelsong (5-6)
Braves (50-43) - Cubs (40-52) 4:05 PM Minor (2-5) - Jackson (5-9)
Marlins (44-48) vs Mets (43-50) 4:10 PM Koehler (6-7) - Matsuzaka (3-3)
Cardinals (51-43) vs Brewers (52-42) 4:10 PM Wainwright (11-4) - Nelson (1-0)
Pirates (48-45) vs Reds (50-43) 7:15 PM Morton (5-9) - Leake (7-7)
Nationals (49-42) vs Phillies (42-51) 7:15 PM Strasburg (7-6) - Hamels (3-5)
Padres (40-51) - Dodgers (51-42) 10:10 PM Kennedy (7-9) - Maholm (1-4)

Interleague Games

Team Time (EDT) Pitching Matchup
Twins (42-50) - Rockies (40-53) 4:10 PM Correia (4-11) - Matzek (1-3)

American League Standings

East W L PCT GB L10 STRK Home Road Last Game
Baltimore 51 41 .554 - 8-2 W2 25-22 26-19 7/11 - NYY, W 3-2
Toronto 49 45 .521 3 4-6 W1 25-21 24-24 7/11 @ TB, W 8-5
NY Yankees 46 46 .500 5 5-5 L2 18-23 28-23 7/11 @ BAL, L 3-2
Boston 42 51 .452 9.5 4-6 W3 23-26 19-25 7/11 @ HOU, W 8-3
Tampa Bay Rays 42 53 .442 10.5 6-4 L2 20-28 22-25 7/11 - TOR, L 8-5
Central
Detroit 52 37 .584 - 7-3 W4 25-22 27-15 7/11 @ KC, W 2-1
Kansas City 47 45 .511 6.5 4-6 L2 21-24 26-21 7/11 - DET, L 2-1
Cleveland 46 46 .500 7.5 7-3 W2 28-18 18-28 7/11 - CWS, W 7-4
Chicago White Sox 44 50 .468 10.5 5-5 L3 24-21 20-29 7/11 @ CLE, L 7-4
Minnesota 42 50 .457 11.5 4-6 L1 21-22 21-28 7/11 @ COL, L 6-2
West
Oakland 58 35 .624 - 7-3 L1 30-15 28-20 7/11 @ SEA, L 3-2
LA Angels 55 37 .598 2.5 8-2 W3 32-15 23-22 7/11 @ TEX, W 3-0
Seattle 50 43 .538 8 5-5 W1 23-25 27-18 7/11 - OAK, W 3-2
Houston 39 55 .415 19.5 3-7 L1 20-27 19-28 7/11 - BOS, L 8-3
Texas 38 55 .409 20 1-9 L6 18-28 20-27 7/11 - LAA, L 3-0

National League Standings

East W L PCT GB L10 STRK Home Road Last Game
Washington 49 42 .538 - 6-4 L2 28-19 21-23 7/11 @ PHI, L 6-2
Atlanta 50 43 .538 - 5-5 L1 25-19 25-24 7/11 @ CHC, L 5-4
Miami 44 48 .478 5.5 5-5 L2 27-22 17-26 7/11 @ NYM, L 7-1
NY Mets 43 50 .462 7 6-4 W1 23-23 20-27 7/11 - MIA, W 7-1
Philadelphia 42 51 .452 8 6-4 W5 19-27 23-24 7/11 - WSH, W 6-2
Central
Milwaukee 52 42 .553 - 1-9 L6 24-23 28-19 7/11 - STL, L 7-6
St. Louis 51 43 .543 1 7-3 W1 27 20 24 23 7/11 @ MIL, W 7-6
Cincinnati 50 43 .538 1.5 7-3 W1 26-20 24-23 7/11 - PIT, W 6-5
Pittsburgh 48 45 .516 3.5 5-5 L1 19-20 19-25 7/11 @ CIN, L 6-5
Chicago Cubs 40 52 .435 11 4-6 W2 20-20 20-32 7/11 - ATL, W 5-4
West
San Francisco 51 42 .548 - 4-6 W1 27-24 24-18 7/11 - ARI, W 5-0
LA Dodgers 52 43 .547 - 4-6 L1 23-24 29-19 7/11 - SD, L 6-3
San Diego 41 52 .441 10 5-5 W1 24-25 17-27 7/11 @ LAD, W 6-3
Colorado 40 53 .430 11 4-6 W3 24-23 16-30 7/11 - MIN, W 6-2
Arizona 39 55 .415 12.5 4-6 L1 17-31 22-24 7/11 @ SF, L 5-0

AL Leaders

Batting Player Team Stat
Average Adrian Beltre Texas .341
Home Runs Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox 28
Nelson Cruz Baltimore 28
RBI Miguel Cabrera Detroit 74
Nelson Cruz Baltimore 74
Stolen Bases Jose Altuve Houston 41
Pitching
Wins Masahiro Tanaka NY Yankees 12
ERA Chris Sale Chicago White Sox 2.08
Strikeouts David Price Tampa Bay 159
Saves Fernando Rodney Seattle 27

NL Leaders

Batting Player Team Stat
Average Troy Tulowitzki Colorado .349
Home Runs Giancarlo Stanton Miami 21
Troy Tulowitzki Colorado 21
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