Dean Jones Jr. previews this week's action as the regular season winds down around the NCAA. There are five series this weekend between teams ranked in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association poll. Two of these matchups come from the Big 12, where No. 5 Texas travels across the state to take on the ninth-ranked Aggies of Texas A&M and No. 20 Missouri heads to 10th-ranked Oklahoma State. See what Dean has to say about all the exciting action in his latest NCAA Series of the Week and Other Interesting Match-Ups: 5/18-5/20 Edition.

Photo: Bill Richardson, Baseball Digest Daily

Grady Sizemore put on an offensive show Friday night against the Reds

• Aaron Boone hit a grand slam, and Reggie Abercrombie had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs as the Marlins doubled up the Devil Rays, 8-4. Ty Wigginton hit 2 home runs, and Carlos Pena doubled, homered, walked and scored twice for Tampa Bay.
• Angel Pagan had 3 hits, tripled and drove in 2 runs, and Aramis Ramirez added a double and 3 hits as the Cubs rallied to knock off the White Sox, 6-3. Ted Lilly pitched 7 solid innings for the Cubs.
• Xavier Nady had 3 hits, a homer, and 3 RBI, and Ryan Doumit hit a pinch-hit 3 run blast as the Pirates coasted to an 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks. Adam LaRoche reached base 3 times, doubled, scored twice and drove in 2 for Pittsburgh as well.
• Brian Roberts went 4-for-5, and Steve Trachsel kept Baltimore in the game all day as the Orioles edged the Nationals, 5-4. Dmitri Young had 2 hits, a home run, and 2 RBI for Washington.
• Grady Sizemore went 4-for-5 with a home run, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, and a stolen base, and Ryan Garko added 2 hits, a homer, and 3 RBI as the Indians roughed up the Reds, 9-4. Ryan Freel tripled and drove in 3 for Cincinnati.
• Rookie Andrew Miller pitched 6 scoreless innings, and 4 players had 3 or more hits as the Tigers punished the Cardinals 14-4. Placido Polanco had 3 doubles, drove in 3, and scored twice, and Sean Casey went 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored for Detroit. Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 with a walk, a home run, and 2 RBI for St. Louis.
• Philadelphia scored 5 times in the 5th inning, and Jon Lieber pitched 7 strong innings as the Phillies defeated the Blue Jays, 5-3. Aaron Hill and Matt Stairs hit home runs for Toronto.
• Oliver Perez allowed just 2 runs over 7 2/3 innings, and Endy Chavez hit a game deciding 2-run home run as the Mets nipped the Yankees, 3-2. Hideki Matsui hit a 2-run homer, and Andy Pettitte pitched 7 solid innings for the Bombers.
• Boof Bonser allowed just one run on 3 hits while striking out 11 in 7 innings, and Torii Hunter hit a grand slam to lead the Twins to a 8-1 thrashing of the Brewers. Jeff Cirillo also homered and drove in 3 for Minnesota.
• Ramon Vazquez had 3 hits and a home run, and Robinson Tejeda allowed just one run in 5 innings of work as the Rangers beat the Astros, 7-4. Kenny Lofton and Michael Young each reached base 3 times for Texas.
• Emil Brown had 3 hits and hit a 3-run home run to lead a 5-run 8th inning as the Royals rallied for their 3rd straight win, a 5-2 victory over the Rockies. Jorge De La Rosa and Jeff Francis both had solid starts on the mound for Kansas City and Colorado respectively.
• Shea Hillenbrand, Mike Napoli, and Reggie Willits each drove in 2 runs, and Ervin Santana allowed just one run on 6 hits over 6 innings as the Angels took care of the Dodgers, 9-1. Rafael Furcal and Russell Martin each reached base 3 times for LA (the Dodgers that is!).
• Russell Branyan hit a 3-run homer, and Mike Cameron and Kevin Kouzmanoff each drove in a pair of runs to help the Padres to an easy win over the Mariners, 8-1. Chris Young allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings for San Diego.
• Dan Johnson had 2 hits, walked 3 times, hit a home run, drove in 2 runs, and scored 4 times, and Mark Ellis hit a grand slam and drove in 5 as the Athletics battered former teammate Barry Zito and the Giants, 15-3.  

BDD Player of the Day – Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore