Smoltz racks up 2000th

Newark's John Smoltz picked up strikeout number 2000 for his career Monday. Smoltz pitched eight innings to earn his 13th win of the year against the Falcons, 8-4. Bobby Abreu was 4-5 with 2 stolen bases and 3 RBIs.

Nate Robertson pitched a 6-0, complete game shutout of the Sardine City Straphangers to earn only his second win of the season. Robertson held the Sardines to five hits and two walks. Garrett Atkins and Vlad Guerrero each had three hits and hit their 27th homers of the season.

Jacques Jones hit a two-run walkoff homer to give Team Buddah a 5-4 win over Hillsborough yesterday. Ichiro Suzuki and Shea Hillenbrand both had four hits in the win.

The Rat Pack spoiled the sweep for the Bushslappers yesterday. D.C. had a 4-2 lead in the eighth, but Joe Mauer and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back doubles to give the Rats a 5-4 lead. Frank Thomas hit two homers in a losing cause, though he did move into fifth all-time with 1285 RBIs.

Erik Bedard shut down the Sharks yesterday 5-0. Bedard held the Sharks to four runs over 7.2 innings and J.J. Putz completed the shutout. The Animals were held to only six hits as well, but four of them were home runs, including two by Scott Rolen.

Woeful Woody

D.C. broke their hex yesterday with an 8-6 win over Honolulu. D.C. moved back into sole possession of fourth place overall. Frank Thomas had five RBIs in the game including a grand slam in the eighth that gave the Bushslappers the lead.

Woody Williams' woes continued against his former team Vancouver yesterday. Williams lasted only 3.2 innings, surrendering 5 earned runs and eight hits. Williams was fortunate enough to escape with a no decision. Marietta came roaring back in the sixth inning, knocking Vancouver starter Jake Peavy out of the game. Jim Thome hit his 30th homer in the game, a 9-7 victory for the Mighty Men.

Meanwhile, Hillsborough continued to roll, winning their ninth straight. Sure it took them 11 innings to beat the Cutters, but the Hitmen kept their streak alive. The game was tied 3-3 going into the 10th, but Geoff Jenkins hit an RBI double to give the Cutters the lead. It was short-lived, however, because the Hitmen tied it up in the bottom of the 10th. After a quick top of the 11th, the Hitmen started off their half of the 11th with a leadoff double. With two outs to go, Russell Martin hit a weak grounder to Ian Kinsler at second. Kinsler hesitated then panicked and threw the ball past Chris Shelton and into the dugout, scoring Ryan Howard from third and losing the game for the Cutters.