There were enough twists and turns to fill a novel.

And after the Cardinals won that thriller, it just seemed inevitable that they would win Game 7, which they did, for their 11th World Series championship.

Of course, David Freese won last Thursday’s Game 6 on a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, but what happened before that climatic hit was also incredible.

With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning, the pre-Halloween craziness started as Cardinals left-fielder Matt Holliday failed to call for a ball on a pop fly hit by Nelson Cruz, and then dropped it. Cruz came around to score on a single by Mike Napoli.

Holliday’s miscue may have rubbed off on Rangers first baseman Michael Young, whose error allowed Lance Berkman to reach base in the bottom half of the inning. Berkman scored on a ground ball to third by Yadier Molina, tying it 3-3.

In the fifth, Freese became the goat for the moment by dropping a popup at third base, allowing Josh Hamilton to reach. Young doubled in Hamilton to retake the lead.

“I’m just glad I had a chance after I looked like an idiot on that popup,” Freese said later.

St. Louis had two runners on base following another error by Young in the sixth. Alexi Ogando walked Molina, sending Berkman in with the tying run. A key play in the game followed when Napoli picked off Holliday at third. Adrian Beltre blocked the bag with his foot against a sliding Holliday, who bruised his right pinkie finger and would have to leave the game.

The World Series appeared to be the Rangers’ to take after Beltre and Cruz homered in the seventh. And with another score before the inning was over, Texas held a 7-4 lead.

Holliday’s replacement, Allen Craig, hit a home run in the eighth to cut the Cardinals deficit to 7-5, but when St. Louis left the bases loaded, the game and the Series seemed to be going to the Rangers.

Even the Rangers clubhouse was getting readied for a celebration with protective plastic over the lockers and champagne on ice.

In the ninth, the Rangers called on closer Neftali Feliz to finish off the first championship for the franchise that started in 1961 in Washington.

Feliz got the first batter. But Albert Pujols, who had been quiet at the plate in the Series since hitting three home runs in Game 3, doubled to left-center.

Freese came to the plate with two outs, Pujols on second and Berkman on first with a walk. He drove the ball to deep right, a triple that scored two runs and tied the game again at 7-7.

“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? My first AB off Feliz in this situation ever,’” Freese said. “I just beared down, got a pitch to hit.”

Most of the 47,325 fans at Busch Stadium went wild.

Hamilton gave Texas the lead with a two-run shot in the 10th inning, quieting the crowd. In the bottom half of the frame, and again down to their final out, the Cardinals tied it at 9-9 when Berkman singled to center off Scott Feldman, scoring Jon Jay.

“I understand it’s not over till you get that last out,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “I was just sitting there praying we got that last out. We didn’t get it.”

In the 11th, Freese topped off the night with a historic, 428-foot homer to center, setting off a frenzy in the stands and on the field.

Teammates mobbed Freese and tore his jersey off.

“Just an incredible feeling, seeing all my teammates at the dish waiting for me,” Freese said.

It was the fifth walk-off home run in a Game 6 or 7 in World Series history. The Cardinals celebration looked like they had already won the title.

As if Freese hadn’t done enough already, the player who grew up in the St. Louis area doubled in two runs to tie Game 7 at 2-2 in the bottom of the first inning on Friday night.

The Cardinals went on to win 6-2, and Freese was named the Series MVP.

“The whole ride, this team deserves this,” Freese said.

It certainly was quite a ride for the Cardinals.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

On August 24, after getting swept in three straight games by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cardinals had lost five of six games, and seven of their last nine. They were 67-63, 10 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central and 10 1/2 games out in the NL wild-card race, trailing Atlanta.

The came the surge.

St. Louis went 23-9 in its last 32 games, winning nine of 10 series, including sweeps over the Brewers and Braves; two of three in another series against Milwaukee, and three of four over Philadelphia.

“For two weeks in August, we started mugging games left and right and we had to say, hey, look, unless we go about this better, we’re going to ruin everything we accomplished as far as respect,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “And we started winning a little bit. An literally played every game like it was the last game of our life.”

After that sweep by the Dodgers, the writing was pretty much on the wall for St. Louis. But La Russa wanted his club to play hard the rest of the season, if nothing more than to finish with a little dignity.

And then came the series with Atlanta. St. Louis swept the three games at Busch Stadium to climb back into the wild-card race, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves.

Of course, if it wasn’t for Atlanta’s epic collapse, the Cardinals wouldn’t have reached the postseason.

“We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it,” Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter said. “People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves an do what we can. We played ourselves back into it.”

St. Louis made deals at the trade deadline in July, sending center fielder Colby Rasmus to Toronto for pitchers Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, and acquiring shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The moves didn’t have immediate impact, but proved to be key down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Of course, veterans Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday contributed to the Cardinals drive to the postseason. And Carpenter threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout over Houston on the last day of the regular season as the Braves lost to the Phillies.

That clinched the wild-card for St. Louis, and the best was yet to come.

Truly a Cinderella story, the Cardinals then upset the pitching-rich Phillies in five games in the NLDS, with Carpenter outpitching Roy Halladay in a series-clinching 1-0 win in Game 5 at Philadelphia.

Then they upended the Brewers in the NLCS, outscoring them 43-26 in the six-game series, 19-7 in the last two games. Third baseman David Freese, the NLCS MVP, hit .545 with three homers and nine RBIs in the series.

“It’s kind of surreal that we’re here,” Freese said. “But this team deserves what we’ve been rewarded. We believe. I think that’s what you’ve got to do in this game. We got a group of guys with some talent, desire, and just a ton of heart.”

The bullpen was also a key for St. Louis. La Russa called on his relievers 28 times in the NLCS, and the Cardinals became the first team to win a postseason series without a starter reaching the sixth inning.

Behind Fernando Salas, Rzepczynski, Dotel, Lance Lynn and Jason Motte, they went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 28 2/3 innings pitched.

“It’s crazy to be where we are right now,” Dotel said. “I don’t know how to explain it. The only thing I know is we’re here and we’re looking forward to keep winning games.”

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

New York has to face the possibility of CC Sabathia opting out of his contract. Philadelphia might lose star shortstop Jimmy Rollins to free agency.

“The one need we are going to have to address again is our rotation,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “There is no doubt about it. We have two guys (Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon) who are free agents. We have another guy who can opt out. It is similar to what we had to do for this year. It all starts with CC and then you go from there.”

The Yankees, who topped the AL this season with 97 wins, were stunned in a five-game, ALDS defeat to the Detroit Tigers.

“It’s devastating,” said third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who hit just .118 in the series. “This is going to hurt for a long time. I’ve got a lot of work for me to do, personally. I’ve got to get my health back in order and I know exactly what I have to do to get back to help this team get back to the top.”

New York has gone two years without a World Series championship, and is 1-2 in the Fall Classic since 2001.

“The Yankees are so good that I would be lying if I said it didn’t give me a little extra satisfaction to be able to do it here (at Yankee Stadium) in the fifth game,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “This will be a game I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Philadelphia led the majors this year with 102 wins, and seemed to have what it took to win its second World Series since 2008. But the Phillies were ousted by St. Louis in five games in the NLDS.

Chris Carpenter outdueled Roy Halladay in the Cardinals 1-0 win last Friday night in Game 5.

“We had a great team this year,” Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence said. “We had a great opportunity. When you have a team like this, it’s definitely disappointing to not come through.”

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. spoke about the team’s lineup in a press conference.

“Abilitywise, there is no question in my mind this is a championship caliber lineup,” Amaro said. “We have to go about it in a different way. We don’t have nearly as much power, have to be better with two strikes, better situational at-bats. Those are frankly things we have to change.”

The Phillies have won five straight NL East Division titles.

Ventura named new White Sox manager: Robin Ventura was introduced on Tuesday as the new Chicago White Sox manager. Ventura, 44, played 10 of his 16 seasons in the major leagues with the White Sox.

“It’s great, it’s exciting… being able to do this for a franchise that I love,” Ventura said. “I’m confident about being able to do this.”

When hired last week, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams was criticized for selecting Ventura, who has no coaching or managerial experience in the big leagues, and is considered a low-key, nice guy.

But Sox captain Paul Konerko approves.

“I think most people cross over with him being a great guy, a nice guy, that he’s not tough,” Konerko said. “But in actuality, more of the stories I’ve heard about Robin over the years are the times he stood up to people and got into physical fights in clubhouses and dugouts.

“A lot of people think nice and great equals easy-going and pushover. That’s what people will probably learn is not the case.”

Ventura rushed the mound in a 1993 game at Texas after getting hit by a pitch from Nolan Ryan, inciting a brawl.

A two-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Ventura also played for the New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a career .267 with 294 home runs, 1,812 RBIs and had 18 grand slams.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

Tampa Bay’s Kelly Shopach hit two home runs and knocked in five runs in the Rays 9-0 win in the series opener against Texas. Robinson Cano belted a grand slam and had six RBIs in New York’s 9-3 win over Detroit on Saturday.

Homers were on display again in Philadelphia’s Game 1, 11-6 victory over St. Louis on Saturday. Ryan Howard crushed a three-run shot for the Phillies while teammate Raul Ibanez added a two-run homer.

Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead on Arizona in the NLDS thanks to a little power. Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer in the Brewers 4-1 victory on Saturday, while Ryan Braun hit a two-run shot in a 9-4 win on Sunday.

Mike Napoli helped lead the Rangers to a 2-1 series lead with two-run single in Game 2, won by Texas 8-6, and a two-run homer in Game 3 in a 4-3 victory. Adrian Beltre outdid Napoli with a three-homer performance in Game 4.

The long ball gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in their series against the Yankees as Miguel Cabrera drove in two runs with a home run in a 5-3 win in Game 2, while Delmon Young hit the tiebreaking homer in Monday’s 5-4, Game 3 win.

Pitching, too: Here were some of the notable pitching performances early in the Divisional Series:

— Matt Moore, Rays, 22-year-old rookie shut out Texas in Game 1, allowing two hits in seven innings.

— Ivan Nova won his 13th straight decision, giving up four hits in 6 1/3 innings in the Yankees Game 1 win over Detroit.

— Yovani Gallardo struck out nine with four hits and a walk in eight innings for Milwaukee in Game 1 against Arizona.

— Roy Halladay retired 21 straight from innings 2-8 in the Phillies Game 1 victory over St. Louis.

— Max Scherzer didn’t allow a hit through five innings in the Tigers Game 2 win over New York.

— Colby Lewis gave up just one hit in six innings of the Rangers win in Game 3 over Tampa Bay.

Ryes bunts way to batting title: Jose Reyes appeared to take the easy way to the National League batting title in the New York Mets’ season finale last week.

The shortstop bunted in the first inning against Cincinnati for a single. With that, Reyes forced Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun to go 3-for-4 to overtake him for the batting title.

Reyes told manager Terry Collins that he wanted to be taken out of the game if he got a hit in his first at-bat. Collins obliged.

“It was kind of tough,” Reyes said. “I want to stay in the game. They have to understand, too, what’s going on. They have to feel happy about it if I win the batting title.”

That’s just what Reyes did. He finished with a .337 average to take the NL crown. Braun went 0-for-4 to finish at .332. Reyes was the Mets first batting champion.

Braun took the high road.

“I respect whatever decision he decided to make and ultimately, he left the door open for me,” Braun said.

The fans at Citi Field in New York booed when Reyes was lifted for a pinch-runner. It might have been the last time they saw Reyes play in a Mets uniform. He’ll become a free agent after the World Series.

“I’m humbled and honored,” Reyes said in a statement about his achievement. “It means so much to my family and my country, the Dominican Republic. I have been through a lot over the past few years, so this really means a lot to me. It’s also very special to be the first Mets player to win a batting title. There have been so many great players throughout our history.”

• StatsWatch: Here are the final regular-season leaders —
• Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, .344 average.
• Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, 43 home runs.
• Matt Kemp, Dodgers, 126 RBIs.
• Justin Verlander, Tigers, 24 wins.
• Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, 2.28 ERA.
• Jose Valverde, Tigers, 49 saves.

Diamond Notes: Monday’s ALDS game at Tampa Bay was the Rays’ first sellout at Tropicana Field since Opening Day…Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was fined an undisclosed amount after he criticized home plate umpire Jerry Meals in Sunday night’s game at Philadelphia. La Russa told TBS in an interview during the game that Meals had “two different strike zones.”…Tampa Bay’s streak of 31 straight wins when scoring five or more runs this season ended in Saturday’s Game 2, 8-6 loss to Texas. The Rangers win was their first in a Division Series at home after starting 0-7…Philadelphia has sold out 219 consecutive games, including playoffs…Because of the rain-shortened start of Game 1 in the ALDS, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander were the first pitchers to start Games 1 and 3 of a postseason series since Dave Stewart of the Oakland A’s in the earthquake-interrupted 1989 World Series against San Francisco.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

It wasn’t just another save for the 41-year-old veteran. Rivera’s 602nd career save broke a tie with Trevor Hoffman, giving him the most saves in major league history.

The modest Rivera received hugs from teammates after the game.

“It’s a blessing,” Rivera said. “I never thought that I’d be doing this for so many years and be able to accomplish (this) record.”

Rivera stood on the mound and tipped his cap as fans applauded him.

Rivera also leads the majors with 42 career postseason saves. He has 43 saves this year with a 1.98 ERA. Rivera has matched his save total from 1997, and is 10 shy of his single-season high of 53 in 2004.

“We don’t get to the playoffs, we don’t win championships, we don’t do a lot of the things that we were able to do without this guy,” said Yankees longtime catcher, now designated hitter Jorge Posada, who won five World Series with Rivera.

Rivera has eight seasons of at least 40-plus saves. He is a 12-time All-Star and was the MVP of the 1999 World Series.

Wild-card race tightens up: The wild-card race in both leagues is tighter than it was a month ago. Boston went into Tuesday’s game with a two-game lead over Tampa Bay and a 4 1/2-game edge over the Los Angeles Angels in the AL. Atlanta led St. Louis by just 2 1/2 games and San Francisco by 3 1/2 in the NL.

The Red Sox and Braves have done just about everything possible to give away their wild-card leads. Boston went 17-12 in August, but 5-14 this month going into Tuesday’s game. Atlanta was 17-9 in August and 7-12 so far this month.

The remaining schedule appears to favor the Red Sox, who have the Orioles five times and the Yankees three in their last eight games. Tampa Bay had seven games left with the Yankees and three against Toronto. The Angels had three each left with the Blue Jays, Oakland and Texas.

If the Braves continue to slump, the Cardinals might have a shot, playing the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Houston three times each. Atlanta had two more games left against Florida, and three each with Washington and Philadelphia. The Giants had three games left each against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona and Colorado.

Sandberg wins again, in Triple-A: Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg took his Lehigh Valley IronPigs to the Governor’s Cup championship series in the International League, winning a first-round game before being eliminated last Friday by the Columbus Clippers.

Sandberg, who starred for the Chicago Cubs as a player, and managed in their farm system for four years, took over the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies after the Cubs chose Mike Quade as their manager in the offseason.

StatsWatch: Pitchers with the most saves in major league history —

1. Mariano Rivera, 602
2. Trevor Hoffman, 601
3. Lee Smith, 478
4. John Franco, 424
5. Billy Wagner, 422
6. Dennis Eckersley, 390
7. Jeff Reardon, 367
8. Troy Percival, 358
9. Randy Myers, 347
10. Rollie Fingers, 341

Diamond Notes: Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Monday to remove a bone spur and associated loose bodies. He should be able to begin a throwing program within six to eight weeks. Broxton pitched just 12 2/3 innings, with seven saves and a 5.68 ERA this season in the second year of an $11 million deal. He will be a free agent after the World Series…San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson is off the disabled list, which he had been on since Aug. 16 with a right elbow strain…Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Kerry Wood is out for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee, and will have arthroscopic surgery…Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval was named the NL Player of the Week. Sandoval hit four home runs, drove in 10 runs, had 28 total bases and a slugging percentage of 1.120…The Oakland A’s are averaging 4.05 runs per game, the fourth-lowest in the AL…Carlos Santana has hit 26 homers for Cleveland this season, setting a team record for switch hitters.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

Verlander (20-5) didn’t have his best stuff, allowing eight hits, including two homers and four runs with three walks and six strikeouts, but it was a win nevertheless.

He is the first pitcher to win his 20th game before the end of August since Curt Schilling did it with Arizona in 2002. It’s also Verlander’s first 20-win season. Bill Gullickson was the last Tigers pitcher to win 20 games, doing so in 1991.

“There have been times I’ve picked these guys up and there have been times they’ve picked me up,” Verlander said. “To get to 20 at this point in the season, obviously you can’t do it all on your own. These guys have helped me along the way and today was a good example of that.”

Verlander has been gold on the road this season. He has won his last seven starts away from home, the longest streak by a Tigers starter since Jack Morris won seven straight road starts in 1981.

It’s been a terrific season for Verlander, who threw his second career no-hitter in May and has taken two more into the eighth inning. He ranks second in the AL with a 2.38 ERA and leads the major leagues with 218 strikeouts.

He has also won his last 15 starts in which Detroit has scored three or more runs. The last pitcher to accomplish that was Juaquin Andujar, who won 18 straight for the Cardinals in 1985.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland wants his pitcher to win the MVP.

“I want everyone in here to know that I support Justin Verlander for MVP to the hilt,” Leyland said. “I want to make that perfectly clear.”

Flanagan’s death ruled a suicide: The death of former Baltimore Orioles pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan was ruled a suicide. Flanagan’s body was found behind his Baltimore County home last week.

According to police, Flanagan was upset over financial issues.

Flanagan, 59, had been working as a broadcaster for the Orioles. After his retirement in 1992, Flanagan was the Orioles pitching coach, executive vice president of baseball operations and co-general manager.

Flanagan pitched 18 years in the major leagues, and was with the Orioles from 1975-87 and 1991-92. He won the Cy Young Award in 1979 with a 23-9 record and 3.08 ERA. A left-hander, Flanagan went 12-4 in 1983 when the Orioles won the World Series. He had a career record of 167-143 with a 3.90 ERA.

StatsWatch: Here are the top five active players with the lowest number of at-bats per home run —

• — Ryan Howard, Phillies, 13.27 (280 career home runs)
• — Jim Thome, Indians, 13.62 (602 HR)
• — Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 14.12 (439 HR)
• — Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 14.59 (627 HR)
• — Adam Dunn, White Sox, 14.64 (365 HR)

Note: Mark McGwire is the all-time leader at 10.61 AB per HR. He hit 583 homers.

Diamond Notes: Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz has a mild hamstring strain and will miss about three weeks…Rockies center fielder Carlos Gonzalez was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .481 with three homers and 10 RBIs in six games. Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was the AL Player of the Week, batting .393 with five home runs and nine RBIs…In the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter passed Mickey Mantle as the player who has played the most games as a Yankee with 2,402…Jim Thome accepted a trade to the Cleveland Indians last week, returning to the team that he started his career with. Thome, who slugged his 600th career home run recently with Minnesota, played for the Indians from 1991-2002, hitting a team-record 334 homers.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

Going into the game at Detroit, Thome needed just two home runs to get to 600. He hit No. 599 in the sixth inning. Then in the seventh, he hit No. 600 in the seventh off left-handed reliever Daniel Schlereth, a three-run shot over the left field fence in a 9-6 win over the Tigers.

It was his 48th multi-homer game.

“Hitting home runs can be very difficult,” Thome said. “You sit in bed at night and think about how’s it going to be, how are you going to do this?

“It goes back to trying to slow yourself down and not being too antsy, too hyped up. When I got the first one tonight, though, I knew it was going to come quick. It’s just a great night.”

Thome’s 600th was only his 11th this season, far off his career average of 28.6 per season. But at 40, and in his 21st year, time and injuries have taken a toll. However, Thome still has a swing that is prodigious enough to make pitchers sweat.

The crowd at Comerica Park showed Thome respect with a standing ovation. Twins players rushed out of the dugout to greet Thome at home plate. Thome’s father Chuck, wife Andrea and children Lila and Landon were on the field to celebrate too.

A future Hall-of-Famer, all-around nice guy and someone who has shown great respect for the game, Thome deserved all of the attention.

StatsWatch: Jim Thome became the eighth player to hit 600 home runs this week. Here’s the list, with totals of active players through Monday:

• Barry Bonds, 762
• Hank Aaron, 755
• Babe Ruth, 714
• Willie Mays, 660
• Ken Griffey Jr., 630
• Alex Rodriguez, 626
• Sammy Sosa, 609
• Jim Thome, 600

Triple the fun: The Milwaukee Brewers turned the first triple play in the National League this season in their 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.

After the Dodgers Matt Kemp walked and Juan Rivera singled to put runners on first and second in the second inning at Milwaukee, the Brewers infield went to work.

On a ground ball hit by James Loney, second baseman Josh Wilson flipped the ball from his glove to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who stepped on second and threw to first for two outs.

First baseman Prince Fielder then threw home to catcher George Kottaras, who tagged a sliding Kemp, who was attempting to score.

“You never really plan on those things happening,” Kottaras said. It was really amazing.”

It was Milwaukee’s sixth triple play in history and first in nearly two years.

Zambrano DQ’d: Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has been placed on the disqualified list by the club after he cleaned out his locker and said he was retiring following a rough outing at Atlanta last week.

Zambrano, who is no stranger to emotional outbursts and controversy, allowed five home runs and was ejected for throwing at Chipper Jones in a 10-4 loss last Friday.

“I’m really disappointed,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said after the game. “His locker is empty. I don’t know where he’s at. He walked out on 24 guys that are battling their ass off for him. I don’t know where he’s gone or what he’s doing. I heard he has retired, or talking about retiring.

“I can’t have a guy walking out on 24 guys, that’s for damn sure.”

Zambrano reappeared this week, saying that he hasn’t retired. But the Cubs appear to have finally had enough of their volatile pitcher. The Cubs placed Zambrano on the 30-day disqualified list without pay for leaving the team.

“This was the most stringent penalty that our club could inflict without a release,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “There’s not much worse than running out on your teammates in the middle of a ballgame.”

Zambrano’s other antics have included taunting an umpire, getting into a dugout fight with catcher Michael Barrett and engaging in a shouting match with Derrek Lee.

In June, Zambrano called the Cubs “embarrassing,” and a “Triple-A team.”

Zambrano likely won’t pitch for the Cubs again. But he’s owed nearly $23 million, $18 million next year.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

• Orioles, 17-37, .315
• A’s, 20-39, .339
• Astros, 19-37, .345
• Royals, 18-34, .346
• Mariners, 20-36, .357
• Nationals, 23-36, .390
• Cubs, 22-34, .393
• Brewers, 24-35, .407
• Twins, 25-35, .417
• Reds, 25-32, .439

Quotable: “They are human. They can be beat.” — Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher after beating the Red Sox last Friday, New York’s first win over Boston in eight attempts.

Diamond Notes: New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and infielder Daniel Murphy have been placed on the disabled list. Reyes strained his left hamstring on Saturday and Murphy has a sprained MCL in his left knee, and might miss the rest of the season…Hypnotherapist AlVera Paxson has apparently cured Giants manager Bruce Bochy from his chewing tobacco habit. Bochy hasn’t chewed tobacco since April 14, following a session with Paxson…Detroit manager Jim Leyland has received a contract extension through 2012, while Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski got extended through 2015…Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 3, made his first rehab start on Sunday. Strasburg threw 25 of his 31 pitches for strikes with a fastball clocking in the upper 90s. He struck out four and allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings for Class A Hagerstown.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the big trades:

GIANTS: They obtained outfielder Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets for top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. The Giants added more offense, which was exactly what they needed, and if Beltran can get hot after a cold start, the rest of the lineup will benefit. They also traded for veteran second baseman/shortstop Orlando Cabrera in exchange for outfield prospect Thomas Neal.

INDIANS: They paid a steep price to acquire starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies. The Indians, who dealt top pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, hope that Jimenez can return to his pre-All-Star break 2010 form.

PHILLIES: Picked up outfielder Hunter Pence from Houston for first baseman Jonathan Singleton and a pair of right-handed pitchers. If Pence is able to produce in Philadelphia as he did for the Astros, then the Phillies will have the right-handed bat they need for the postseason.

RANGERS: Needing help in their bullpen, the Rangers traded for relievers Koji Uehra from Baltimore and Mike Adams from San Diego.

DIAMONDBACKS: Got right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis from Washington. Marquis is a veteran who can give them innings, and who has pitched well against the Giants.

TIGERS: Were desperate for pitching help, and the additions of starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from Seattle should help.

CARDINALS: Obtained shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Alex Castellanos. The veteran will give them a boost in the infield, although he’s not hitting.

BRAVES: After not getting Beltran or Pence, they dealt for outfielder Michael Bourn from the Astros. Bourn gives them a solid leadoff hitter, who also leads the majors in stolen bases.

RED SOX: With Clay Buchholz possibly out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back at most, and a lower back strain at the very least, they are glad to have left-hander Erik Bedard, whom they acquired from the Mariners, in the rotation.

PIRATES: Didn’t get the big boppers, but ended up with outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Padres and first baseman Derrek Lee from the Orioles.

Guillen vs. Weaver: After Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver allowed a home run to Carlos Guillen of the Tigers on Sunday, Guillen rubbed it in by flipping his bat, admiring his homer and staring down Weaver.

The Angels pitcher yelled at Guillen, and then threw his next pitch at Alex Avila’s head. Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt had warned both benches before that pitch, so Weaver was ejected along with Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez hit a two-run homer in the third, but didn’t begin to run the bases immediately.

“I had a lot of respect for those guys, but then they stand at the plate and do something like that,” Weaver said. “I’m not going to try to hit someone, but what Guillen did crossed the line.”

Ordonez said he wasn’t trying to show up Weaver on his home run.

“I don’t hit many homers anymore, and I wanted to make sure that it stayed fair,” Ordonez said. “After that, he was yelling at me to run faster, and I told him that I’m old, that’s as fast as I run. I’m not going to show anyone up. That’s not me.”

Diamond Notes: Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg will begin a rehab assignment soon, and could join the team by late August or early September…Giants pitcher Barry Zito is back on the DL with a recurrence of his sprained right foot…Roberto Alomar had is No. 12 jersey retired by the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Alomar, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame the week before, played five years for the Blue Jays, including their World Series champion seasons of 1992 and 1993…The Atlanta Braves lost their 10,000th game in franchise history on Sunday, becoming the second team in major league history to do so, after the Phillies did it in 2007. The Braves won their 10,000th game last month.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

The Rangers had the most hits, 27, and scored the most runs, 20, of the major league season so far, in a 20-6 blowout over the Minnesota Twins at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Texas poured across 18 runs in the first five innings, becoming the third team ever to score at least three runs in each of the opening five frames.

“The first five innings looked like a ZIP code, that will tell you how it went,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

The Rangers were so dominating that every starter had at least two hits. Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli had a career-high tying four hits each. Ian Kinsler had a home run and drove in four runs. Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Endy Chavez had three RBIs each.

Texas set a team record with seven players getting three hits. Only Chris Davis went hitless among the starters, going 0-for-6.

“We came out with a lot of energy, but you never expect to come out like this,” said Young, who slugged a two-run homer in the first inning for a 3-0 lead. “We caught some breaks. We’ve all been on the other end when you play games like this.”

Hamilton’s run-scoring double in the second, one of eight two-baggers for the Rangers, made it 5-0. Kinsler’s three-run shot in the third put Texas up 9-0 and Elvis Andrus hit a two-run double in the fifth giving the Rangers an 18-1 advantage.

“Everything went right for us tonight,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “(Derek) Holland threw a heck of a game for six innings. We put some runs on the board and kept coming. Tonight we showed what we’re about.”

The Rangers, who recently won 12 in a row thanks to some outstanding pitching, were coming off a 3-0 loss to Toronto on Sunday. They took batting practice in indoor cages before Monday’s game to avoid the 102-degree heat while the Twins took BP on the field.

It wasn’t pretty for Minnesota, which also played sloppy defensively with three errors. The Twins also put Michael Cuddyer in to pitch the eighth, after he started the game at first base and moved to right field.

Cuddyer loaded the bases on a double, single and walk with one out before retiring the last two batters for a scoreless inning.

“Ugly night,” Gardenhire said. “Probably the worst I’ve ever had against me. We really need pitching right now and we got blasted away. I was scared to death using Cuddyer. That was his one goal in his career was to pitch.”

Cuddyer, who pitched in high school, has now played every position in the majors except catcher and shortstop.

“Obviously, the circumstances for me getting out there aren’t what you want,” Cuddyer said. “But I was excited. It was fun out there. I got to work through some trouble. I was just surprised I threw some strikes.”

StatsWatch: Here are some more notes from Monday’s game at Texas —

— Oakland, in a 19-5 rout over Texas in 1991, and Philadelphia, vs. Pittsburgh in 1900, were the only other teams to score at least three runs in each of the first five innings.

— This is the 14th consecutive season that a team has scored at least 20 runs in a major league game.

— The last team, before Texas, to be shut out in a game before scoring 20 runs was the Baltimore Orioles in 2000. There have been four teams that have done it since 1961.

— The Rangers had 22 hits in the first five innings against the Twins.

— Texas’s 27 hits were two shy of the club record of 29 set on Aug. 22, 2007 in a 30-3 win over the Orioles. The 30 runs set an AL and modern day record.

— The last Minnesota position player to pitch in a game before Monday was John Moses, on July 31, 1990 against California.

Diamond Notes: The Seattle Mariners lost their 16th straight game on Monday night. It was the longest losing streak in the majors since Kansas City dropped 19 straight in 2005…Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda would waive his no-trade clause if a trade to the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox is on the table, according to an ESPN report. Kuroda is 6-12 with a 3.19 ERA this season, but the Dodgers are averaging less than three runs per game in his starts…President Barack Obama welcomed the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants to the White House on Monday. Obama said that the Giants may be “a little different,” but “one thing they know is how to win.”…Carlos Beltran says he won’t block a trade to any of the five teams interested in him, but hopes to stay in the NL. The Braves, Phillies, Giants, Rangers and Red Sox are apparently pursuing the Mets right fielder.

Copyright © 2011 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.