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Up against the young Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw, the Giants failed to score a run. Barry Zito, too, was dealing for a while until the sixth inning, when he hit Reed Johnson with a pitch and then walked Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier. With the bases loaded and two outs, SS Juan Uribe bobbled a groundball, allowing Reed Johnson to score.

It is September. Usually, that means fans of a team managed by Jim Tracy can let out a sigh of relief.

That is because it means that Tracy can micromanage to his heart's content and still have enough players on the bench to make it work.

Much can be said about a team that makes things happen amidst a pennant race, and a lot can be said about those who don’t. What can we say about the difference between the Philadelphia Phillies and their competition? Well, there are still 15 games left to be played out.

After being swept at home by Colorado in the midst of a near franchise worst 10-game losing streak, the Padres are returning the favor at Coors Field.

The Padres hung on to beat the Rockies 7-6 Tuesday night, behind a 16-hit effort to win the second of a pivotal 10-game road trip.

In a search to find a leadoff hitter, manager Bud Black inserted Aaron Cunningham at the top of the order. Cunningham responded with three hits, including a double, and two runs scored.

Home runs, clutch hits, and complete-game victories. All have been lacking this year for the New York Mets thus leading to their sub-.500 record.

However, in last night's win over the Pirates, we saw a little of each for a rare time this season.

R.A. Dickey threw a complete game (his second of the year) to earn his eleventh victory of the season—a new career high. The only run he gave up came courtesy of a leadoff triple in the ninth to Pedro Ciriaco, who later scored on a ground out.

Almost a year ago, September 13, Joe Girardi was a ticked off manager.  Even though the Yankees had the best record in the game (92-52) and a seven-game lead in the AL East over the Boston Red Sox, Girardi had been tossed out of a close game against the Orioles for arguing balls and strikes.  

The Yankees overcame a seven-run fifth inning, battled back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7 in 10 innings, and regained first place in the AL East.

The Chicago Cubs proved on Tuesday night that Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright is beatable.

They managed to get five runs off him to set up their second victory in as many nights in Busch Stadium. They beat the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 7-2.

At the same time, they prevented Wainwright from becoming the National League pitcher with the most wins this season.

October can't come any sooner for fans of the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers. The American League has little to no excitement on the postseason hunt in September with teams like the Red Sox and White Sox playing for any realistic hope that just isn't there to be had. 

With the 2010 baseball season nearly coming to a close, it's time to take a look at the National League Cy Young candidates.