Crazy Eights

The Toronto Blue Jays continued a rather good tend at home today at the Rogers Centre.

Coming into today, the Jays lead the majors in winning percentage at home with a 27-10 record (.730). Toronto had won 7 straight games coming into todays game with Texas and looked to get a sweep.

The game started out like the previous 2 in the series, and Texas scored a run off starter Dustin McGowan in the 1st. And just like the previous 2 games, the Jays bounced back tying up the game with a Frank Thomas single with Matt Stairs on 3rd. Then, after 3 1/2 scoreless innings, Matt Stairs doubled in Ray Olmedo, a call-up that got the start today. Then the Jays really opened things up 2 innings later, as Stairs and Wells both picked up a RBI to give the Jays a 4-1 lead. McGowan would shut down the Rangers for another inning, and Jeremy Accardo got his 20th save of the year as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 4-1.

The game was dominated by 2 people - an up and coming super-star in Dustin McGowan, and an old, Canadian boy celebrating his 1,500th game in Matt Stairs. McGowan was up to his old tricks looking un-hittable at times, and Stairs hit 3 doubles that cashed in 2 runs and scored a run himself.

"He's a good professional hitter. If you give him a pitch in the zone when he's ahead in the count, you're actually not expecting to get the ball back. He got me in a couple of big situations that I'd love to go back and do over again." -- Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy on Stairs.

McGowan seemed to blow away former teammate in Frank Catalanotto, who left for the Rangers just last season. "He's finally put it all together," Catalanotto added. "We always knew he had the stuff but now he's putting it together, mentally too, and being able to execute."

Toronto will now try to extend their home winning streak of 8 games to 9 against the New York Yankees tomorrow with another young star on the mound, Jesse Litsch.

Braves Land Teixeira From Rangers

In the 1st big MLB trade of the season, Mark Teixeira, the slugger from Texas was traded to Atlanta today.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 27-year old was shipped off to Atlanta with pitcher Ron Mahay and picked up rookie catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, minor league shortstop Elvis Andrus, pitcher Matt Harrison and a player to be named.

Teixeira has 13 homers and 49 RBI this season, but did miss about a month with injury troubles.

Saltalamacchia is a 22-year-old switch-hitter who can also play first base and was hitting .284 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 141 at-bats for the Braves. Feliz is a 19-year-old left-hander who is 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven games, including six starts, for the Braves' Rookie League team in Danville (Va.). Andrus is a shortstop who is hitting .244 with three home runs and 37 RBIs at Class A Myrtle Beach. He has 25 stolen bases.

This trade is probably the 1st of many to come in the next few days.

Slammin' Sammy Gets 600

Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. All of these players have one thing in common. They have 600 home runs. Yesterday, Sammy Sosa looked to become a member of the 600 club.

Playing just his 2nd game against his former team the Cubs, Sammy had a 1-2 count. He then whacked a ball away to right field. It went out for his 600th homer of his career. "It was something that cannot be explained," Sosa said. "Getting my 600th against the Chicago Cubs, and my first team (was) the Texas Rangers. It's liked everything clicked. My emotions, I don't know what they are."

Sosa hit 545 home runs with the Cubs, and hit his 600th against them. Sosa played 12 years with the Cubs and won the '98 NL MVP. No. 600 came off Jason Marquis, the 364th pitcher the 38-year-old Sosa has homered off in his 18 major league seasons.

Lou Piniella expressed his thoughts about Sosa hitting his 600th homer against his team. "Sammy's had a great career," Piniella said before the series began. "It's maybe apropos that here the Cubbies are in town. . He was an icon in Chicago for a long time, was loved."

Congratulations Sammy Sosa - Number 600!