Tue, Sep 01, 2009 page19

• Polanco long ball seals Tigers’ rally

  ROARING BACK: Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander worked eight innings to join Yankees pitcher Sabathia with 15 wins, one short of the Cardinals’ Wainwright

  • • 
    • 
    • 

  AMERICAN LEAGUE

  REUTERS AND AP, DETROIT AND BOSTON

  The Detroit Tigers roared from behind on Placido Polanco’s three-run, eighth-inning homer to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 and give Justin Verlander his 15th win of the season on Sunday.

  Polanco drilled a two-out pitch off reliever Grant Balfour over the left field fence to rally the American League Central Division leaders from a 3-1 deficit.

  “When I hit it, I knew it had a chance,” Polanco told reporters. “But I was kind of blowing it, pushing it, like: ‘Go, go, please.’”

  Verlander (15-7) worked eight innings to join the Yankees’ CC Sabathia as the league’s only 15-game winners. The right-hander also was hoping the ball would clear the fence.

  “I saw a similar ball get caught in the All-Star Game by the same guy,” Verlander said in a reference to Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford. “I was hoping it had just enough legs on it to get out behind the fence and he wouldn’t have a play on it.”

  Adam Wainwright of the National League St Louis Cardinals leads the Major Leagues with 16 wins. He stopped the Washington Nationals 2-1 on Sunday, his 28th birthday.

  Verlander survived a pair of fourth-inning home runs by the Rays while striking out four and walking three. He gave up six hits.

  Curtis Granderson’s third-inning single put the Tigers on the scoreboard first.

  Tampa Bay responded with Evan Longoria’s solo homer and a two-run blast by Akinori Iwamura in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.

  The win kept the Tigers four-and-a-half games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the Central Division. Tampa Bay, last year’s AL champions, dropped to 11-and-a-half games behind the East-leading New York Yankees.

  The Rays trail AL wild card leader Boston by five-and-a-half games.

  YANKEES 8, WHITE SOX 3

  At New York, Mark Teixeira homered and drove in four runs and Johnny Damon also went deep as New York polished off a three-game sweep of struggling Chicago.

  Alfredo Aceves (9-1) provided stellar relief pitching after Joba Chamberlain’s abbreviated outing, and the streaking Yankees won for the 20th time in 26 games.

  Derek Jeter scored three times for the AL East leaders, who boosted baseball’s best record to 82-48. They are 31-11 since the All-Star break, also the top mark in the majors.

  Teixeira is making a push for AL MVP honors. The switch-hitting slugger, in his first season with the Yankees after signing a US$180 million, eight-year contract, has 32 homers and 101 RBIs.

  RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 0

  In Boston, Paul Byrd, making his first major league start since last September, pitched six shutout innings as the Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League on Sunday.

  In other AL action it was:

  • Orioles 5, Indians 2

  • Twins 5, Rangers 3

  • Angels 9, Athletics 1

  • Royals 3, Mariners 0

  NATIONAL LEAGUE

  AP, SAN FRANCISCO

  Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam in the seventh inning as the San Francisco Giants pulled even in the National League wild-card race with Colorado, beating the Rockies 9-5 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.

  The Giants moved into a second-place tie in the NL West with Colorado, six games behind Los Angeles. The Rockies lost their season-high fifth in a row.

  Renteria homered with two outs to overcome a 5-2 deficit, connecting two pitches after Rafael Betancourt (0-1) relieved Franklin Morales.

  In other NL action it was:

  • Phillies 3, Braves 2

  • Brewers 4, Pirates 1

  • Cardinals 2, Nationals 1

  • Mets 4, Cubs 1

  • Diamondbacks 4, Astros 3

  • Marlins 6, Padres 4

  For your information

  MLB standings after Sunday’s games

  AMERICAN LEAGUE Eastern Division

  	W	L	PCT	GB
  New York	82	48	0.631	_
  Boston	76	54	0.585	6
  Tampa Bay	70	59	0.543	11.5
  Toronto	58	70	0.453	23
  Baltimore	54	77	0.412	28.5

  Central Division

  	W	L	PCT	GB
  Detroit	69	60	0.535	_
  Minnesota	65	65	0.5	4.5
  Chicago	64	67	0.489	6
  Cleveland	58	72	0.446	11.5
  Kansas City	50	80	0.385	19.5

  Western Division

  	W	L	PCT	GB
  Los Angeles	77	52	0.597	_
  Texas	72	57	0.558	5
  Seattle	68	63	0.519	10
  Oakland	57	73	0.438	20.5

  NATIONAL LEAGUE Eastern Division

  	W	L	PCT	GB
  Philadelphia	75	53	0.586	_
  Atlanta	68	62	0.523	8
  Florida	68	62	0.523	8
  New York	59	72	0.45	17.5
  Washington	46	85	0.351	30.5

  Central Division

  	W	L	PCT	GB
  St Louis	77	55	0.583	_
  Chicago	65	63	0.508	10
  Milwaukee	64	66	0.492	12
  Houston	62	68	0.477	14
  Cincinnati	56	73	0.434	19.5
  Pittsburgh	53	75	0.414	22

  Western Division

  	W	L	PCT	GB
  Los Angeles	78	53	0.595	_
  Colorado	72	59	0.55	6
  San Francisco	72	59	0.55	6
  Arizona	59	72	0.45	19
  San Diego	56	76	0.424	22.5

     
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Central bank announces banknote redesign plans

  • 2

    Japan deploys long-range missiles close to China

  • 3

    CDC reports COVID-19 variant case

  • 4

    KMT chair accepts trip invite from Xi Jinping

  • 5

    New streamlined Taiwan Pass to go on sale today