Boys will be boys...

A big brawl broke out in Boston, when Tigers starter Rick Porcello plunked Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis said he was tired of getting hit and sometimes you just have to defend yourself. You wonder if that is a not so subtle shot at his pitching staff not backing him up. The Red Sox pitching staff used to be one (with Pedro Martinez) to answer if their hitters were plunked. I wonder if things are getting to business-like for the Sox.

All was well though for Boston. Mike Lowell replaced the ejected Youkilis at third base and hit two homers to help power the Red Sox to a 7 to 5 win over Detroit.

The Yankees kept their 5.5 game lead over their AL East rival with a 7 to 5 win over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. The Bombers used back-to-back homers by Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada to tie the game then take the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Phillies got a big lift from Ben Francisco and his 12th inning homerun. Francisco's bomb gave Philadelphia a 4-3 win over the Cubs. The win stopped a mini-skid for the Fightin' Phils and kept the charging Marlins at bay.

Florida won again, beating the Astros 9-8 in eleven innings to win their fifth straight game. Hal Bodley had these thoughts on the 2009 Marlins and their chances towards October.