STARS
Thursday
— Cody Ross, Dodgers, hit a grand slam and a three-run homer to help Los Angeles beat Pittsburgh 13-5.
— Jim Thome, White Sox, homered in his fourth straight game and added an RBI double, leading Chicago to a 13-9 victory over Detroit.
— Roy Oswalt, Astros, pitched 8 1-3 scoreless innings in an 8-0 win over the Giants.
— Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns, Reds, each hit three-run homers to help Cincinnati beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3.
— Chase Utley, Phillies, hit two homer and drove in four runs in Philadelphia's 7-6 win over Atlanta.
— Melvin Mora, Orioles, hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning to lead Baltimore to a 6-5 win over Tampa Bay.
BRONX BLUES
The Royals matched their record for consecutive defeats in an opposing ballpark, losing 9-3 to the Yankees on Thursday. Kansas City has dropped 14 straight at Yankee Stadium, a streak that dates to August 2002.
FANTASTIC FOURS
Brad Hawpe homered for the fourth straight game in Colorado's 5-3 victory over Arizona on Thursday night. Hawpe's streak matches the third-longest in club history, one shy of the record shared by Larry Walker and Dante Bichette. None of Hawpe's homers have come in hitter-friendly Coors Field. ... Jim Thome homered in his fourth straight game, leading Chicago to a 13-9 victory over Detroit.
MILESTONES
Bernie Williams went 3-for-4 and recorded his 1,200th RBI in the second inning of the Yankees' 9-3 victory over Kansas City on Thursday. ... San Francisco's Moises Alou hit his 300th career homer in the Giants' 5-3 win over Houston.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Jeff Francoeur went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs in Atlanta's 7-6 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday. ... Nick Johnson went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run in Washington's 13-4 loss to the Mets.
STREAKS
Ted Lilly struck out 10 in seven innings in Toronto's 8-6 win over Boston on Thursday, Lilly's fifth straight win against the Red Sox. Lilly improved to 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA in his last seven starts against Boston dating to August 23, 2004. ... Baltimore's Jay Gibbons extended his hitting streak to nine games in a 6-5 win over the Devil Rays.
SPEAKING
"This is a good time to get out of here." — Kansas City manager Buddy Bell after the Royals' 14th straight loss at Yankee Stadium. Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Yankees matched the Royals' record for consecutive defeats in an opposing ballpark, set at Detroit's Tiger Stadium from August 1987 to May 1990.
SEASONS
April 15
1947 — Jackie Robinson played his first major league game, for the Dodgers. He went 0-for-3, but scored the deciding run in a 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves in Brooklyn. He was the first black to appear in the majors since 1884.