Shrewd acquisitions

For the second straight night, mid-season pickups starred for the SoxandPhils.

Country Joe Blanton picked up his first National League win with his first solid start in three outings for the Phillies. And Jason Bay continued to slug in his new digs. He is quickly earning the type of appreciation that makes you understand why Manny Ramirez reportedly wanted to stay.

Since I've been accused of ignoring the Phils, we'll start in the senior circuit. Blanton pitched well - four hits, two walks, one earned with five strikeouts over seven innings. He got his NL ERA under five (4.80). It didn't matter that the Phillies offense no-showed tonight; solo homers by Greg Dobbs and Ryan Howard were enough for the 2-1 win over the Cardinals.

The Marlins won but the Mets lost, so the Phillies lead the now-in-second-place Marlins by 1.5 and the third-place Mets by two.

Red Sox: Jon Lester won his 10th as the Sox blew out the A's 12-2. Bay gave the Sox the lead in the 1st with a three-run homer. He scored another run on a walk. All starters had a hit. Addition by subtraction.

The Rays and Yankees won; Twins lost. We still trail the little doodles (my affectionate nickname for small-market teams trying to defy the odds) by three. We lead the Twins for the Wild Card by a half game and the Yankees by 4.5.