The Sports Mac: The Daily Fives for September 4th, 2010

Top 5 Stories From Yesterday

1. Pittsburgh Steelers suspended QB Ben Roethlisberger has his suspension reduced to four games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

2. The Phillies get to within one game of Atlanta in the NL East after a 1-0 home win over Milwaukee while the Marlins beat Atlanta 6-1.

3. San Diego loses its eighth in a row, falling to Colorado, but San Francisco cannot take advantage, losing on the road to the Dodgers.

4. The Twins beat the Rangers as the two division leaders start a weekend series in the Midwest.

5. Mississippi QB Jeremiah Masoli wins his appeal to play football in 2010 and is expected to play in the Rebels season opener.

Top 5 Games From Yesterday

1. Phillies 1, Brewers 0—Cole Hamels pitches seven strong innings, and Philadelphia gets just enough on a Carlos Ruiz RBI groundout for the win.

2. Twins 4, Rangers 3—Minnesota gets a game winning RBI single from Denard Span in the 7th inning to win the match-up of division leaders.

3. Rockies 4, Padres 3—Colorado scores four runs early on and hangs on as San Diego comes up short for their eighth loss in a row.

4. Mariners 1, Indians 0—Luke French carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning as Seattle made a first inning run stand up.

5. Cardinals 3, Reds 2—Jaime Garcia gives St. Louis another quality start as the Cardinals stop a five game losing streak.

Top 5 Performances From Yesterday

1. Nick Foles, Arizona QB—32 of 37 for 360 yards and two TDs in Arizona’s 41-2 blowout win over Toledo.

2. Chad Billingsley, Dodgers SP—no runs on two hits with seven K’s over eight innings and the victory in LAD’s 4-2 win over SF.

3. Luke French, Mariners SP—no runs on one hit with four K’s over seven innings and the victory in SEA’s 1-0 win over CLE.

4. Cole Hamels, Phillies SP—no runs on three hits with seven K’s over seven innings and the victory in PHI’s 1-0 win over MIL.

5. David Wright, Mets 3B—3 for 5 with a HR and three RBIs in NYM’s 7-6 loss to CHC.

5 Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

1. Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays SP—five runs on six hits in three innings in TOR’s 7-3 loss to NYY.

2. Livan Hernandez, Nationals SP—eight runs on eight hits in four and a third in Washington's 8-5 loss to PIT.

3. Kenshin Kawakami, Braves SP—five runs on five hits in three innings in ATL’s 6-1 loss to FLA.

4. Rick Ankiel, Braves CF—0 for 4 with four K’s in ATL’s 6-1 loss to FLA.

5. R.A. Dickey, Mets SP—seven runs on eight hits in six innings in NYM’s 7-6 loss to CHC.

Top 5 Events To Follow Today

1. NCAA FB: Connecticut (0-0) at Michigan (0-0), 3:30 PM, ABC—An up and coming program takes on a program looking to have a positive start to Rich Rodriguez’s third season.

2. MLB: Rangers (75-59) at Twins (78-57), 4:00 PM, FOX—(Lewis (TEX) vs. Pavano (MIN))

3. NCAA FB: #24 Oregon State (0-0) vs. Texas Christian (0-0), 7:45 pm, ESPN—TCU looks to start another BCS run taking the Beavers and the Rodgers brothers

4. NCAA FB: #21 Louisiana State (0-0) vs. #18 North Carolina (0-0), 8:00 PM, ABC—a depleted Tar Heel team takes on a Tiger team looking to get off to a good start

5. MLB: Giants (74-61) at Dodgers (69-66), 10:00 PM—(Good match-up, Cain (SF) vs. Lilly (LAD))