The Closer: Randy Newman Is Smiling

Notes from a day in baseball:

• 1. Dodgers Let It Ride. Well, someone has to win the NL West, it might as well be the Dodgers. LA won its ninth straight, 7-3 over the Marlins, with a six-run seventh inning that featured three consecutive walks, two with the bases loaded. Florida was outscored 23-7 in the series.

• 2. To The Moon, Norton! Introducing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. For those unfamiliar, they are a baseball team which joined the American League in 1998, named for a cephalic-finned sea creature which feeds primarily on plankton. The human, baseball version, however, feeds mainly on the Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay has beaten Boston 7-of-10 times at Tropicana Field this year, a feat which has helped keep the Red Sox out of first place in the East, two games behind the Yankees. Greg Norton's walkoff home run in the 10th offset David Ortiz's major league-leading 40th homer as the Rays prevailed on Sunday, 7-6. Julian Tavarez (2-4) gave up the winning homer, by the way.

• 3. The Twins Are Winning On The Road? The great outdoors have not been kind to the Minnesota Twins; they lost 18 of their first 23 road games. But Jason Bartlett's five-hit day spurred Minnesota to its eighth straight road win on Sunday, 11-5 over the Royals. The Twins had 22 hits on Sunday; and had 56 hits in the four-game sweep, with 99 baserunners.

• 4. Tanned, Rested And Ready. John Maine, starting for the first time in 11 days, extended his scoreless streak to 23 innings as the Mets beat the Phillies 8-1. The Mets' David Wright signed a $55 million, six-year contract extension before the game.

• 5. I Know It Was You, Fredo. You Broke Cleveland's Heart. Replacing arm-weary Justin Verlander in the rotation, Wilfredo Ledezma went 5 2/3 innings in Detroit's 1-0 win over Cleveland. The Tigers are 75-36.