Saturday's MLB Highlights

Mike Lowell drove in six runs in the Red Sox' 16-11 win over the Yankees. The Yankees had taken an early 6-0 lead, but the Red Sox came back to win. The win was Boston's ninth straight.

Lowell is leading the AL in runs batted in, with 22. Jason Varitek drove in four runs as he and Lowell combined to drive in 10 of the 16 Red Sox runs.

The Yankees bullpen pitched the last four innings of the game and gave up eight additional runs. Phil Coke was the only one of six Yankees relievers not to allow a run. Robinson Cano drove in five runs and Mark Teixeira walked five times in the contest for the Yankees.

Albert Pujols hit a grand slam as the Cardinals defeated the Cubs 8-2. Pujols is leading the Majors in runs batted in, with 25. That is amazing considering that the season is only 18 games old.

ESPN.com is projecting Pujols to hit 63 homers and drive in 225 runs by the end of the season.  He has struck out only four times in 66 at-bats and is projected to strike out 36 times in 2009.

Alexei Ramirez hit a grand slam in the 10-2 White Sox victory over the AL East-leading Blue Jays. After hitting four grand slams in 2008, Ramirez is now the second-fastest player in history to hit five grand slams, doing so in 152 career games played. It only took Rudy York 137 games to hit five grand slams.

Mark Buehrle, now 3-0, proved he is a great money pitcher by winning yesterday after the White Sox had lost on Friday night. He may be one of the least mentioned pitchers in baseball today but is quietly putting together a great career.

Randy Johnson had a third bad start in four attempts after almost pitching a no-hitter in his last start against the same Diamondbacks. The Giants still won 5-3. Johnson pitched three and one-third innings, giving up two runs, three hits, walking seven, while striking out only two.

Johnson threw 81 pitches in his short outing after throwing 73 in seven innings in his near no-hitter last weekend. Johnson will win his 300th game this season, but he needs to be more consistent to help the Giants win.

The Brewers overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Astros 9-8 in 11 innings, their fourth consecutive victory. Ryan Braun hit the game-winning single and Prince Fielder is showing signs of life, as he hit two homers and drove in three runs.

Looking at the Standings

The Blue Jays hold a slim one-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. The third-place Yankees would fall to .500 with a loss today. They have given up 118 runs this season. Only the Orioles have given up more, allowing 123 runs to cross the plate.

The White Sox, Royals, and Tigers are in a three-way tie for the AL Central lead with the Twins only a half-game back.

The Mariners lead the AL West by three-and-a-half games with the 6-11 Angels in last place. The Angels have the second-worst record in the AL.

The slumping Marlins lost their fifth consecutive game yesterday but still hold a two-game lead over the Braves in the NL East. The Nationals are the worst team in the Majors with a 3-13 record, and are 0-8 in road games.

The Cardinals lead the NL Central with a two-and-a-half-game lead over the Pirates. The Cardinals have won five games in a row even with Chris Carpenter on the disabled list.

The Dodgers are atop the NL West by two-and-a-half games and are tied with the Cardinals for the best record in the Majors with a 13-5 record.