2B Dustin Pedroia had his second consecutive 4-for-4 night against the White Sox and wrested the battling race lead from C Joe Mauer of the Twins. Pedroia hit cleanup for the first time in his career when 1B Kevin Youkilis became ill before the game and was scratched. Pedroia scored three runs, stole two bases and also walked Friday night, then added a double and three singles Saturday before being intentionally walked.

RHP Brian Wilson worked a perfect inning with two strikeouts Saturday to notch his National League-leading 34th save (in 37 chances). San Francisco is 43-9 in games in which Wilson pitched and 14-63 in all others.

SS Jimmy Rollins' secret for snapping out of a slump? Don't take batting practice. Rollins entered Monday night in a 4-for-48 malaise that sent his average spiraling to .255. So, he decided to take his mind off his troubles by ditching batting practice before the series finale against the Dodgers. He barely has made an out since. Rollins went 3-for-3 in Monday night's victory, then followed with his fourth career five-hit game Tuesday night, fueling an improbable comeback against the Mets. In the 10th inning, his streak of eight consecutive hits was snapped with a hard-hit line drive to left field that nearly was the game-winning hit.

RHP Jeff Suppan won his fifth consecutive decision. Suppan is 5-0 in August and 12-3 in his career against Pittsburgh, for whom he played in 2003. Suppan allowed just 14 runs in six starts during August and allowed three hits in seven innings Saturday. "He threw the ball really, really well," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "He was changing speeds, spotting the ball well on the attack. He�s throwing good."

OF Manny Ramirez's "Manny Effect" on the Dodgers may be running down. After starting out hitting .400 (20-for-50) in his first 11 games, Ramirez is hitting .273 since (9-for-33 in 10 games), and the Dodgers have lost four of their last five.

OF Pat Burrell homered and matched his career high with five RBIs Saturday. Burrell hit his 30th homer, a three-run shot and scored three runs, tying a season high. This is the fourth time in his nine-year career that Burrell has reached 30 HR.

RHP Josh Beckett was relieved to hear that the ligaments in his right elbow are structurally sound after meeting with Dr. James Andrews on Friday afternoon in his Florida offices. Beckett underwent an arthrogram procedure that revealed no ligament damage in Beckett's golden arm, and the 28-year-old ace is now penciled to start next Friday against the Texas Rangers. Despite the positive news, Beckett was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 18, with the inflammation in his right elbow. While Beckett seems to be on tap for the start next week, the Sox still voiced a willingness to push him back if encounters any arm problems along the way.

RHP Joe Nathan gave up two unearned runs and did not retire a batter. Nathan allowed a single, then hit Emil Brown while ahead in the count. He fielded Ryan Sweeney's bunt attempt cleanly but threw it into the Oakland bullpen, allowing both runs to score in Oakland's 3-2 win. It was Nathan's fourth blown save of the season.

RHP Brandon Webb had his eight-game winning streak stopped Tuesday in San Diego, as well as his streak of nine consecutive quality starts. It was his first start after being struck directly in the lower left rib cage by a line drive by San Diego 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff in the sixth inning of the D-backs' 4-1 victory Aug. 21. Webb remained in the game for one more inning that night.

1B Hank Blalock officially began his career as a first baseman Friday night. Blalock, no longer able to make the throw from third base, moved across the infield after a three-day minor league rehab assignment. Infielder Chris Davis moved to third base. Blalock was 0-for-3 at the plate in a 7-5 loss to Cleveland, but had no problems in the field. "I felt good at first base," Blalock told the Dallas Morning News. "At the plate, I was up with some guys on base and I think I tried to do too much. I'll try to slow the game down and relax a little bit and stay within myself."