Matt Garza

And in the seventh inning, Juan Pierre walked. In terms of accomplishments, that was about it Sunday afternoon as the Cubs beat the Phillies, 5-1, at Citizens Bank Park to drop them to 10-12. Pierre's base on balls snapped a string of 19 consecutive batters retired by Chicago righthander Matt Garza, who allowed a single to Jimmy Rollins to lead off the game before mowing down the Phillies lineup inning after inning. Garza finished with seven scoreless innings, allowing two baserunners and striking out 10 on 103 pitches.

Outfielder Delmon Young was sent from Tampa Bay to Minnesota last night as part of a six-player trade that sent righthander Matt Garza to the Rays. The Twins, who lost centerfielder Torii Hunter to free agency last week, also gave up starting shortstop Jason Bartlett and minor-league pitcher Eduardo Morlan. They acquired shortstop Brendan Harris and minor-league outfielder Jason Pridie. Cardinals. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence eight months after police found him asleep and smelling of alcohol in his running sport utility vehicle at a stoplight in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was fined $678.

Matt Garza pitched seven strong innings in his first outing since throwing a one-hitter, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat visiting Boston and nemesis Tim Wakefield last night, 3-1. The win extended the Rays' lead in the American League East to 2 1/2 games over the second-place Red Sox. Garza (7-4) allowed an unearned run and five hits, and Dioner Navarro snapped a fourth-inning tie with an RBI single off Wakefield (5-6), whose 19 career victories against Tampa Bay - nine at Tropicana Field - are the most by an opposing pitcher.

Matt Garza had to settle for his second career shutout after making a bid for the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay history. Garza didn't allow a hit against the Rangers until a debatable call with two outs in the sixth inning last night, then finished with a two-hitter as the Rays beat host Texas, 7-0. Meanwhile, a Tampa Bay lineup missing injured stars Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford hit four home runs in 4 2/3 innings off Kevin Millwood (6-7)....

Tampa Bay Rays righthander Matt Garza did not display the form that he showed in the American League Championship Series during his first start in the World Series against the Phillies last night. Garza, the MVP of the AL series, struggled early and late in his appearance against the Phillies. In six innings, he allowed four runs, all earned, while striking out seven and walking two. His Achilles' heel was the long ball, as he surrendered three home runs. That was quite a contrast to his ALCS performance when he was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Garza won the decisive seventh game against the Boston Red Sox, 3-1. Garza put himself in an immediate hole last night when he had runners on second and third and no outs in the first inning.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Royals on Monday traded outfielder Melky Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants for lefthander Jonathan Sanchez. It was the second significant trade involving a starter this offseason. The Atlanta Braves shipped Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians last week. The subject of trade speculation for several years, Sanchez threw a no-hitter on July 10, 2009, against San Diego. Only an error by third baseman Juan Uribe kept it from being a perfect game. Giants general manager Brian Sabean, who said he was never close to moving Sanchez in the past, put Sanchez on the trading block after the season in hopes of finding a player to bolster an offense that finished last in the NL in runs.

Where is everybody? "Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today," John Fogerty once sang. The Tampa Bay Rays, off to great start with nobody in Florida watching, have taken the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer at his word - and thrown in fellow Famers ZZ Top, too (we hear Billy Gibbons has a mean circle change). The Rays started a nine-game homestand featuring the Blue Jays, A's and Royals at Tropicana Field on Friday, which is not drawing well. The club tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that tickets remain available in all price categories.

Aaron Rowand back to the White Sox? Not so fast. The Chicago Sun-Times, citing a source close to the situation, reported yesterday that the former Phillies centerfielder is out of the White Sox' economic range. The newspaper said that, according to the source, the White Sox contacted Rowand before they began exchanging numbers with free agent Torii Hunter, who since has signed with the Angels. According to the newspaper, Rowand was seeking a longer-range contract than White Sox found attractive.

Jason Bay drove in four runs, Dustin Pedroia hit a grand slam and the Boston Red Sox routed the listless Yankees, 11-3, last night, putting an emphatic dent in New York's dwindling playoff chances. Paul Byrd (9-11) got the win and David Ortiz reached base four times for the second straight night. Pedroia's first career slam capped a seven-run eighth inning and sent hordes of booing Yankees fans shuffling toward the exits. New York dropped seven games behind Boston, which leads the AL wild-card race by 2 1/2 games over Minnesota.

And in the seventh inning, Juan Pierre walked. In terms of accomplishments, that was about it Sunday afternoon as the Cubs beat the Phillies, 5-1, at Citizens Bank Park to drop them to 10-12. Pierre's base on balls snapped a string of 19 consecutive batters retired by Chicago righthander Matt Garza, who allowed a single to Jimmy Rollins to lead off the game before mowing down the Phillies lineup inning after inning. Garza finished with seven scoreless innings, allowing two baserunners and striking out 10 on 103 pitches.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Royals on Monday traded outfielder Melky Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants for lefthander Jonathan Sanchez. It was the second significant trade involving a starter this offseason. The Atlanta Braves shipped Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians last week. The subject of trade speculation for several years, Sanchez threw a no-hitter on July 10, 2009, against San Diego. Only an error by third baseman Juan Uribe kept it from being a perfect game. Giants general manager Brian Sabean, who said he was never close to moving Sanchez in the past, put Sanchez on the trading block after the season in hopes of finding a player to bolster an offense that finished last in the NL in runs.

The Cubs made amends, then lost again. Matt Garza came off the disabled list and lasted four innings last night, but couldn't get the Cubs out of their slump. Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer and drove in four overall, and the Cincinnati Reds pulled away to an 8-2 victory that added to the visiting Cubs' misery. Chicago has lost seven in a row, its deepest slump since it also lost that many last July 27-Aug. 3. "We're just in a tough place right now," Garza said. "There's still 4 months of baseball to play, boys.

WHO'S THAT VULTURE perched on Mariano Rivera's shoulder? Why is Torii Hunter OK moving to rightfield? And how much will Adrian Gonzalez enjoy his new home? Here's a quick buzz around the American League: 1. Just try to imagine the late, great Bob Sheppard's voice announcing the following: "These changes for the Yankees. Russell Martin is now the catcher. Jorge Posada will DH. Rafael Soriano is the closer in waiting. Andy Pettitte has retired. And the Red Sox are now favored to win the AL East.

Where is everybody? "Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play today," John Fogerty once sang. The Tampa Bay Rays, off to great start with nobody in Florida watching, have taken the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer at his word - and thrown in fellow Famers ZZ Top, too (we hear Billy Gibbons has a mean circle change). The Rays started a nine-game homestand featuring the Blue Jays, A's and Royals at Tropicana Field on Friday, which is not drawing well. The club tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that tickets remain available in all price categories.

The Minnesota Twins are off to a sunny start at Target Field. After nearly 3 decades inside the Metrodome, the Twins moved outdoors and beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-2, yesterday behind hometown star Joe Mauer in the first regular-season game at their new ballpark. Jason Kubel hit the first home run and Carl Pavano earned the first victory. "I've been waiting a long time," said Mauer, who grew up less than 10 miles away in St. Paul. "It's definitely a special place, and I'm glad it's here.

Three games into the season, the New York Yankees finally looked the part of the highest-priced team in the major leagues. Using standout performances from newcomers A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, New York pounded the host Baltimore Orioles, 11-2, yesterday for its first win of the season. "We needed it after two losses," Burnett said. "I tried to come in here and set the tone, stop the bleeding and get us on track. " After being outscored, 17-10, in their first two games against the Orioles, the Yankees got the desired results from a collection of players poised to earn $201.

Tampa Bay Rays righthander Matt Garza did not display the form that he showed in the American League Championship Series during his first start in the World Series against the Phillies last night. Garza, the MVP of the AL series, struggled early and late in his appearance against the Phillies. In six innings, he allowed four runs, all earned, while striking out seven and walking two. His Achilles' heel was the long ball, as he surrendered three home runs. That was quite a contrast to his ALCS performance when he was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Garza won the decisive seventh game against the Boston Red Sox, 3-1. Garza put himself in an immediate hole last night when he had runners on second and third and no outs in the first inning.

Watch out Reid. Watch out Banner. Watch out Lurie. Watch out Eagles. The Phillies' dominating march to the World Series has risen the bar on the expectations of Philly sports fans. In Philly sports, the only thing that truly matters is ending the championship drought. Putting together a team that can compete night in and night out is nice. The playoffs are even better. But we have had enough of just getting to the . . . dance. We want to be the king. We want to be the envy of the sports world.