Timo Perez, a replacement for the injured Frank Thomas, singled in two runs in the ninth inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Thomas made his first appearance since breaking a bone in his left ankle last July 6, but was forced to leave because of a strained hip flexor. Perez batted for him in the seventh, then helped the White Sox snap a three-game losing streak with his hit down the left-field line off Scot Shields (4-2).
Pinch-hitter Willie Harris walked to lead off the ninth and stole second, and Joe Crede also walked. Both runners moved up on Scott Podsednik's sacrifice and Shields struck out pinch-hitter Carl Everett before Perez's single.
PHOTO: AFP
Orioles 8, Red Sox 1
In Boston, Rodrigo Lopez (4-2) won his second straight start following a long winless stretch, and the Orioles broke a season-high, three-game losing streak.
David Newhan hit his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, and Baltimore built a 7-0 lead after three innings against Bronson Arroyo (4-2), who got just eight outs.
Lopez allowed just one run and six hits in eight innings.
He was 0-2 in seven starts after beating the New York Yankees on April 10, then defeated Seattle 3-1 last Wednesday.
Mariners 4, Blue Jays 3
In Seattle, Jamie Moyer (5-2) pitched six solid innings for his 131st win with Seattle, passing Randy Johnson to become the club's career leader.
Richie Sexson hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Mariners, who won their third straight, matching a season high.
Moyer outlasted Toronto's Ted Lilly (3-5), another lefty.
Joe Randa homered and had three RBIs, and Aaron Harang struck out 10 on Monday to thwart an eight-inning effort by Roger Clemens and help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Houston Astros 9-0.
Clemens (3-3) made his first start since last Tuesday, when he left after five scoreless innings with a strained right groin. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven.
After a single to center by Sean Casey in the third, Clemens retired the next 11 batters in a row and 16 of his last 17.
Nationals 3, Braves 2
In Washington, Marlon Byrd had two RBI doubles, Tomo Ohka (4-3) allowed just one unearned run and two hits over seven innings, and the Nationals were helped by a reversed umpire's call that turned Brian Jordan's apparent game-tying homer in the seventh inning into a foul ball.
With the score tied at 1 and one out, Jordan drove a 1-1 pitch into the left-field corner. Byrd drifted back for the ball and was in foul territory when he jumped for it. TV replays seemed to show the ball hit the black base of the foul pole, just beyond Byrd's glove and the wall.
Third-base umpire Jerry Layne ruled it a homer, but Washington manager Frank Robinson jogged to the outfield to argue the call, and crew chief Ed Montague eventually changed it.
Pirates 3, Marlins 2, 10 innings
In Pittsburgh, Freddy Sanchez's opposite-field single in the 10th inning drove in the winning run and the Pirates won a one-run game at home for the first time this season.
Pittsburgh was 0-7 at home and 3-11 overall in one-run games before Jack Wilson doubled with two outs against Todd Jones (0-1), Florida's sixth pitcher, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Sanchez's single to right.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two