Brewers hold off Yankees sluggers

White Sox runner Paul Konerko, right, slides safely into second base as Rockies second baseman Luis Gonzalez leaps up during the second inning at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday. Gonzalez could not catch the throw on the play. Chicago won 2-1. PHOTO: EPA

Ben Sheets won for the first time since opening day and the Milwaukee Brewers again held off Derek Jeter and the punchless Yankees, sending New York to its ninth loss in 10 games with a 2-1 win Tuesday.

Sheets (2-5) allowed just two singles in seven strong innings, his third start since coming off the disabled list. He walked five and struck out five before turning things over to his stellar bullpen.

Ricky Bottalico pitched a hitless eighth and Derrick Turnbow got his 10th save in 12 chances.

Turnbow escaped a jam in the ninth, just as he did the night before -- when Geoff Jenkins ran down Jeter's drive in the right-field corner to preserve a 4-3 victory.

This time, Jenkins nearly made a diving grab of Robinson Cano's liner to right-center, but the ball squirted free for a double that left runners at second and third with one out.

"You never want to put yourself in that situation," said closer Derrick Turnbow. "Sooner or later your luck will run out."

Bernie Williams' RBI groundout gave the Yankees a run, but Jeter bounced back to the mound on the first pitch to end it.

Yankees right-hander Carl Pavano (4-5) allowed just five hits in six solid innings, but one was a two-run homer to Bill Hall that proved to be the difference.

"They're still a good ballclub no matter what people say," insisted Hall. "They might be struggling in the win-loss column, but I'm sure any GM would take that lineup any day of the week."

Nationals 2, Athletics 1

In Washington, Nick Johnson kept up his torrid homestand with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the first-place Washington over Oakland for its eighth win in nine games.

Johnson went 2-for-3 with a walk, raising his average on the eight-game homestand to .560 (14-for-25), and the first baseman's nifty scoop of a one-hop throw completed a double play to end a threat in the eighth.

Tony Armas (2-3) pitched six innings of four-hit ball on a sultry night at RFK Stadium, allowing a first-inning run and working through long counts of endless foul balls. Armas walked three, struck out two and didn't take long to amass 110 pitches, but he quieted the A's bats that had come alive so well during Oakland's just completed 6-1 homestand.

Chad Cordero pitched the ninth for his 16th save.

Phillies 8, Rangers 5

In Philadelphia, Placido Polanco drove in three runs, Bobby Abreu homered and Jon Lieber pitched effectively into the seventh inning to win his third straight start and give Philadelphia a victory over Texas.

The Phillies bounced back from Monday's loss to win for the seventh time in the first eight games of their 13-game homestand.

Before the game, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he had talked to Lieber (8-4) about his conditioning after a start last month in Florida where the staff ace tired. After pitching eight innings each in three straight starts in April, Lieber hasn't gone past the seventh since May 7. He went 6 2-3 innings Tuesday.

Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his 15th save.

Mariners 4, Marlins 3

In Miami, a throwing error by Florida reliever Jim Mecir fueled Seattle's two-run eighth inning and enabled the Mariners to win for the seventh time in nine games.

Reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa (1-1) got just two outs and Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his 17th save in 18 opportunities.

The Marlins, who began a homestand following a 1-6 road trip, have lost 11 of 13.

Pirates 6, Orioles 5

In Pittsburgh, Jack Wilson's go-ahead solo homer followed Daryle Ward's tying three-run shot in the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh rallied from a five-run deficit to beat Baltimore.

The Orioles were cruising with a 5-0 lead behind rookie Hayden Penn after getting four solo homers in five innings off Dave Williams. Pittsburgh scored twice in the sixth on reliever John Parrish's run-scoring wild pitch and Ward's RBI double. Ward drove in four runs.

Jorge Julio (2-2), the Orioles' fourth reliever, came in to protect a 5-2 lead in the eighth but Rob Mackowiak singled and Jason Bay walked, and Ward tied it with his 11th homer. Julio got the next two batters but Wilson, slumping nearly all season, followed with his third homer.

Reds 9, Devil Rays 7

In Cincinnati, relief pitcher Randy Keisler homered and doubled to lead Cincinnati's comeback from a five-run deficit to beat Tampa Bay.

Keisler (2-0) took over in the second inning for Ramon Ortiz, who got only five outs while falling behind 6-1. The left-hander struck out a career-high eight in 6 1-3 innings -- the longest outing by a Reds reliever in 15 years -- and got Cincinnati's biggest hits as well.

Keisler had his first major league homer and a double in his first two at-bats, jump-starting the offense with his impressive left-handed swing. Joe Randa and Ken Griffey Jr. had two-run homers during the comeback. Griffey's homer was his 510th, leaving him one behind Mel Ott for 18th on the career list.

Braves 3, Angels 2

In Atlanta, Horacio Ramirez sent a message right away, then pitched eight strong innings to lead the struggling Atlanta over the Los Angeles Angels.

Ramirez also had two of Atlanta's nine hits, equaling a career high, and Rafael Furcal's seventh-inning homer proved to be crucial for the Braves.

Ramirez (4-4) threw his first pitch behind Darin Erstad's back, one day after the Angels first basemen's violent collision at home plate left Braves catcher Johnny Estrada with a mild concussion. Umpire Lance Barksdale quickly stepped out from behind the plate, warning both dugouts. Ramirez and Erstad simply glared at each other.

There were no further problems, though Angels pitcher Paul Byrd (5-5) did plunk Andruw Jones in the left arm in the fourth.

Cardinals 9, Red Sox 2

In St. Louis, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders homered off previously unbeaten Matt Clement, and Jeff Suppan worked six solid innings to lead St. Louis past Boston.

The Cardinals have won the first two games of the three-game interleague series by a combined score of 16-3, four more runs than they mustered last fall in a World Series they never led.

The action turned testy in the last four innings when five players were hit by pitches, three of them Cardinals including Larry Walker twice.

Jason Varitek hit his 11th homer and Mark Bellhorn had an RBI double for the Red Sox.

Blue Jays 6, Cubs 4

In Chicago, Aaron Hill drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the eighth inning, and Greg Zaun added an RBI single for Toronto, which beat the Chicago Cubs to win for the second consecutive night in their first visit to Wrigley Field.

Michael Barrett homered twice for the Cubs, who had won nine of 10 before this series.

Vernon Wells just missed a homer in the eighth off Cubs reliever Todd Wellemeyer (1-1). With one out, Wells' drive hit the top of the wall in left-center, just below the basket and out of the reach of Todd Hollandsworth. But Corey Patterson redeemed himself for an earlier bad throw by cutting down Wells at third.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the seventh with two outs, but failed to score. Toronto reliever Scott Schoeneweis (2-1) got Patterson to ground out to end the inning. Miguel Batista pitched the ninth for his 11th save in 12 opportunities.

White Sox 2, Rockies 1

In Denver, Jose Contreras pitched six solid innings, and Jermaine Dye and A.J. Pierzynski each had an RBI single to lead the Chicago White Sox over Colorado.

Contreras allowed five hits and earned his third win in 12 starts, helping Chicago improve its major league-leading record to 39-19. The White Sox have won five of six and are 20 games over .500 for the first time since they ended the 2000 season 95-67, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Contreras (3-2) struck out six, walked two and lowered his ERA to 3.13. Neal Cotts struck out four in two hitless innings, and Dustin Hermanson worked a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 14 chances.

Making his third emergency start of the year, Kim Byung-hyun (0-5) allowed only three hits, all in the fourth inning, and two runs. Kim retired Chicago in order in four of the six innings he worked, but remained winless in his last 20 appearances since Oct. 2.

Royals 8, Giants 1

In San Francisco, D.J. Carrasco pitched a five-hitter for his first career complete game, and Tony Graffanino homered and drove in two runs to help Kansas City beat San Francisco and snap a nine-game road losing streak.

Emil Brown and Terrence Long each added two RBIs, David DeJesus had an RBI triple and scored twice, and Angel Berroa had a triple among his three hits -- giving Carrasco (2-1) all the run support he needed in the early innings. The Royals hit an SBC Park-record three triples -- Long followed DeJesus and Berroa with a triple to right in the seventh.

Carrasco, a right-hander coming off the best start of his career with six strong innings against the New York Yankees on June 1, pitched another gem.

He had never gone longer than six innings, which he'd only accomplished three times previously.

Giants starter Kirk Rueter (2-4) lasted only 4 1-3 innings in his second-shortest outing of the year and saw his winless stretch reach four starts.

The left-hander has lost his last two decisions and hasn't earned a victory since beating Houston on the road May 13.

Tigers 8, Dodgers 4

In Los Angeles, Tony Giarratano hit his first major league homer, and Dmitri Young and Ivan Rodriguez also hit solo shots as Detroit beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Giarratano, a 22-year-old rookie, had replaced the injured Carlos Guillen at shortstop in the fifth inning. The major league's third-leading hitter, Guillen left after straining his left hamstring as he ran between third and home. Guillen, easily thrown out as he limped to the plate trying to score from second on Young's single, is day to day.

Giarratano, who made his major league debut last Wednesday, drove an 0-1 pitch from Duaner Sanchez (1-2), facing his first batter, into the seats in right to put Detroit ahead 5-4 in the seventh. Young followed three pitches later with his 11th home run, over the fence in right-center.

Detroit's Chris Spurling (2-0) pitched a perfect sixth inning to get the win.