NL Central (Ted Savage Division):

The Cubs and Cardinals played a day-night doublheader and it wasn't until the evening before St. Louis could finally stop its nine-game losing streak and get a split. And the Brewers won to pull back to one game behind and even with the Cubs in the AILC.

In the afternoon game at Busch, Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run homer off of Ryan Franklin in the 8th inning to give the Cubs a 3-2 win. In the evening game, the Cubs had a 3-0 lead in the third, and then the Cardinals scored four times, capped off by a Miguel Cairo triple and the Cardinals held on for a 4-3 win.

Prince Fielder hit his 46th homer and J.J. Hardy hit his 25th and the Brewers beat the Reds 5-3.

Houston had a 7-run fourth at home to beat the Pirates 9-7. The Astros would become the first NL Central team eliminated from postseason play if they lose Sunday and the Cubs win. The Pirates clinched their 15th straight losing season.

The Brewers will catch up to Chicago in games played a week from Monday. The Brewers have no off days the rest of the year and the Cubs are off Thursday and a week from Monday.

NL West (Steve Finley Division):

First place Arizona lost again in Los Angeles, dropping one to the Dodgers 6-2. The Dodgers win eliminated the Giants.

The Padres moved to two games back and one back in the AILC with a 6-0 win over the Giants. Dodgers castoff Brett Tomko shut out the Giants for six innings as the Padres tied a team record with their 19th shutout, a mark they also reached in 1985.

Arizona's magic number is 13 to clinch the division and 11 to clinch a playoff spot.

The Rockies have pretty much consigned themselves to spoiler role (three games left with San Diego, seven with Los Angeles, and three against Arizona) after a 10-2 pasting by Florida.

NL East (Rico Brogna Division):

The Mets lost their seventh straight game against the Phillies as they gave away a game in a 5-3 loss. The Mets let one run score on an error by first baseman Shawn Green and later Carlos Beltran misplayed a Jimmy Rollins drive into a 2-run triple.

Washington beat Atlanta and the game lasted just nine innings.

NL Wild Card (Andy Ashby Division):

San Diego still leads Los Angeles and Philadelphia by 1 1/2 games. None of the three teams play against each other the rest of the year.

Sunday's mathcups for games with postseason implications:

Adam Eaton (Philadelphia) vs Oliver Perez (New York), Matt Belisle (Cincinnati) vs Carlos Villanueva (Milwaukee), Jason Marquis (Chicago) vs Mark Mulder (St. Louis), Tim Lincecum (San Francisco) vs Jake Peavy (San Diego), Edgar Gonzalez (Arizona) vs Esteban Loiaza (Los Angeles) in a Dia de Independencia special.

AL East (Pee-Wee Wanninger Division):

Baseball players and managers like to say that "momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher." One day after the Yankees came from behind to score six runs in the eighth and beat the Red Sox and send New England into a state of extreme paranoia, Josh Beckett came out and shut down the Yankees (aside from a first inning Derek Jeter homer) and the Red Sox won 10-1. The Red Sox now lead the division by 5 1/2. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 6, to clinch the division is 9, and to clinch the best record in the league is 11.

Kurt Birkins of the Orioles didn't retire a batter and the Blue Jays won 8-3. And Tampa Bay knocked out Seattle starter Horacio Ramirez before he could retire a batter as the Devil Rays won 6-2.

AL Central (Vito Valentinetti Division):

Cleveland kept on rolling to the division title with a 6-0 win against Kansas City. Fausto Carmona won his 17th game of the season.

Detroit scored four times in the first at Minneapolis against Johan Santana, but YORMAN BOZARDO couldn't go five innings and Joel Zumaya got the win for the Tigers 4-3. Minnesota was eliminated from winning the Central, but is still alive for the wild card.

Cleveland leads the division by 5 1/2 games. Their magic number to clinch the division and a playoff spot is 9. Cleveland starts a 3-game series in Detroit Monday.

Interested in the White Sox? Then skip down about about four lines. Also tell me why.

AL West (John Montague Division):

The Angels lowered their magic number to win the AL West to 7 and increased their lead to 8 1/2 games with a 2-1 win over the White Sox in Chicago. Seattle would lose to Tampa Bay later in the evening.

Oakland eliminated Texas from postseason play with a 7-3 win at home. Oakland was eliminated from the AL West race when the Angels won.

Sunday's matchups for games with postseason implications:

Billy Buckner (Kansas City) vs Aaron Laffey (Cleveland), Joe Saunders (Los Angeles) vs Mark Buehrle (Chicago), Jair Jurrjens (Detroit) vs Scott Baker (Minnesota), Andy Sonnanstine (Tampa Bay) vs Jarrod Washburn (Seattle), Roger Clemens (New York) vs Curt Schilling (Boston)