American League
Jason Kendall charged the mound and wrestled with Angels pitcher John Lackey, spicing up the Oakland Athletics' 10-3 win over Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The dugouts and bullpens emptied, followed by a lot of pushing and shoving. No one else was ejected because of the sixth-inning scuffle.
PHOTO: AP
Eric Chavez hit a three-run drive for his 200th career home run and Bobby Crosby also hit a three-run homer for Oakland, which scored six runs in the ninth inning to break it open.
Lackey threw a pitch to Kendall that started out high and inside, then sharply broke back toward the plate. Kendall backed out of the batter's box, then suddenly charged the mound after Lackey barked something at him. The two grabbed each other as they both tumbled to the ground.
The Athletics were leading 3-1 and had the bases loaded with one out when the scuffle occurred. Brendan Donnelly replaced Lackey on the mound and Adam Melhuse finished Kendall's at-bat, beating the relay from second baseman Adam Kennedy on a potential double-play grounder to drive in Oakland's fourth run.
Brad Halsey (1-0), making a spot start for Rich Harden, allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings to help the A's win their fifth straight game and finish their road trip 6-1.
Vladimir Guerrero chased Halsey in the sixth with his seventh homer, a two-run shot that narrowed the gap to 4-3.
Lackey (3-2) was charged with four runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings and struck out six.
Indians 7, White Sox 1
At Cleveland, C.C. Sabathia made a strong return after injuring himself on opening night and Travis Hafner drove in four runs for the Indians.
Activated from the disabled list before the game, Sabathia helped stop Chicago's winning streak at four. The White Sox had won eight in a row at Jacobs Field.
Sabathia (1-0) allowed one run in five innings and got out of a bases-loaded jam in his first appearance since leaving the April 2 opener against Chicago with a strained oblique muscle.
Hafner, who hit a grand slam Monday night, hit a three-run homer in the first inning and added an RBI single as Cleveland stopped its three-game losing streak.
Mark Buehrle (3-2) gave up seven runs on 13 hits and three walks in 5 2-3 innings for Chicago.
Tigers 4, Royals 1
At Detroit, Brandon Inge and Craig Monroe homered and Mike Maroth pitched six strong innings to help the Tigers win their fifth straight game.
Detroit is 5-0 on its current homestand, having outscored the Minnesota Twins and Royals by a combined 40-4. Kansas City has lost five straight and is 0-11 on the road this season.
Maroth (4-1) allowed one run, four hits and a walk in six innings and lowered his ERA to 1.78. Three Detroit relievers finished, with Todd Jones pitching the ninth for his fifth save in as many tries.
Former Tiger Mark Redman (0-2) gave up three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Orioles 9, Blue Jays 2
At Baltimore, Kris Benson took a shutout into the seventh inning to help the Orioles earn a split of the two-game series.
Jay Gibbons, Miguel Tejada and Ramon Hernandez homered, and Melvin Mora had three hits and two RBIs for Baltimore.
Benson (4-2) allowed two runs, six hits and two walks in 6 2-3 innings. It was the right-hander's second win over Toronto in six days. Todd Williams, the fourth Baltimore pitcher, got the final five outs for his first save.
Blue Jays starter Casey Janssen (0-2) gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings.
Rangers 7, Devil Rays 5
At St. Petersburg, Florida, Mark DeRosa hit a two-run homer to lead the Rangers to the win.
Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson also hit back-to-back homers for Texas, which has won nine of 12. The Rangers swept the two games from Tampa Bay to win a fourth consecutive road series for the first time since 1992.
Robinson Tejeda (1-0) won in his Texas debut, allowing two runs, three hits and six walks in five innings. He was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma before the game. Akinori Otsuka pitched the ninth for his third save.
Damon Hollins had a solo homer for the Devil Rays, who have lost 10 of 14.
Mark Hendrickson (1-2) gave up six runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.
Twins 5, Mariners 1
At Minneapolis, Johan Santana was dominant as the Twins scored four runs in the second inning.
Santana (2-3) allowed one run and six hits and struck out nine in seven innings to help Minnesota snap a four-game losing streak.
The Twins opened the second inning with five straight hits, including run-scoring singles from Tony Batista and Nick Punto and an RBI double from Rondell White, which snapped the DH's 0-for-14 slump.
Jarrod Washburn (2-4) gave up four runs and seven hits in seven innings.
National League
Barry Bonds is two away from tying the Babe.
Bonds hit his 712th home run in the San Francisco Giants' 5-3 loss to San Diego on Tuesday, moving him even closer to matching Babe Ruth's total for second place on the career list.
Bonds sent a full-count pitch from Scott Linebrink over the center-field wall for a solo shot that traveled an estimated 440 feet in the bottom of the eighth inning. Linebrink became the 419th pitcher to surrender a home run to Bonds.
The slugger, as popular as ever in his home ballpark despite the steroids accusations surrounding him, came home to chants of "Barry! Barry!" and a loud standing ovation -- and he gave the fans a wave before disappearing into the dugout. His home run total flashed on the scoreboard between innings.
Now, the 41-year-old Bonds will resume his chase for No. 714 on the road. The Giants open a two-game series Wednesday night in Milwaukee -- where home run king Hank Aaron played much of his career -- and then start a three-game, weekend set in Philadelphia.
Bonds' big hit overshadowed Mike Cameron's first home run with the Padres, a two-run shot in the first that helped Woody Williams (2-1) end a three-start winless stretch.
Trevor Hoffman recorded the final three outs for his fourth save in as many chances.
Matt Morris (2-2) allowed seven hits and five runs in seven innings for the Giants.
Reds 3, Cardinals 2
At Cincinnati, Javier Valentin's ninth-inning single over a drawn-in infield gave the Reds a two-game sweep of the Cardinals.
Adam Dunn and Edwin Encarnacion added solo homers for the Reds (19-8), who moved a season-high 11 games over .500.
Austin Kearns started the winning rally with a leadoff single off Brian Falkenborg (0-1), who was called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game. The right-hander hit Brandon Phillips with his next pitch.
After Jason LaRue's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, Valentin pinch-hit and lined a single over the head of second baseman Aaron Miles.
Todd Coffey (2-0) struck out John Gall with two runners aboard in the ninth to keep it tied at 2.
Juan Encarnacion hit his third homer in three games for St. Louis.
Pirates 8, Cubs 0
At Chicago, Zach Duke baffled the Cubs again, allowing five hits and pitching his first major league shutout and complete game.
Jeromy Burnitz homered against his former team and Freddy Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs after being moved to the third spot in the batting order as the Pirates earned a split in the two-game series at Wrigley Field.
Duke (2-2) is now 4-0 in his career against the Cubs, including 2-0 this season. The 23-year-old left-hander walked one, struck out two and was backed by a pair of double plays.
Chicago rookie Angel Guzman (0-1) went 5 2-3 innings, allowing six hits and six runs -- four earned.
Phillies 7, Marlins 5
At Miami, Aaron Rowand knocked out a bases-loaded triple to cap Philadelphia's comeback and give Jon Lieber his first victory of the season.
The last-place Marlins completed an 0-5 homestand, and have lost eight of nine.
Lieber (1-4), a 17-game winner last year, had been off to the worst start of his career. He gave up nine hits and five runs, four earned, in six innings. He left for a pinch-hitter with the Phils trailing 5-3 in the seventh.
One batter later, Jimmy Rollins homered with two outs against Ricky Nolasco (1-1). An infield single and two walks loaded the bases. Matt Herges relieved, and Rowand hit a drive over center fielder Reggie Abercrombie's head for a triple.
Nationals 6, Mets 2
At New York, Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer and Mike O'Connor stymied New York for his first major league win.
Pinch-hitter Damian Jackson also had a two-run shot and new leadoff batter Marlon Byrd got three hits and scored three times to help Washington win for only the second time in 10 games.
O'Connor (1-1) allowed only a homer and a single to Paul Lo Duca in seven impressive innings. The 25-year-old left-hander struck out six and walked two. Mike Stanton and Chad Cordero completed the three-hitter.
John Maine (0-1) lost his Mets debut, giving up four runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings.
Braves 5, Rockies 4
At Atlana, Marcus Giles had four hits, including a run-scoring double with two outs in the eighth inning that gave Atlanta its third straight win.
Giles, hitting .195 entering the game, had three straight singles and scored the Braves' first run before coming through with the game-winning hit off Jose Mesa.
Mesa took over for Ray King (1-2) after Wilson Betemit's pinch-hit single with two outs. Mesa's first pitch skidded to the backstop, allowing Betemit to take second. Giles then sent a liner over the head of left fielder Matt Holliday that bounced off the wall.
Lance Cormier (2-1) earned the win by getting the final two outs in the top half of the eighth. Chris Reitsma worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.
Holliday homered twice for the Rockies, and Brad Hawpe also went deep -- all off Braves starter Jose Sosa.
Astros 8, Brewers 5
At Milwaukee, Fernando Nieve pitched seven innings to earn his first major league win and Houston roughed up Brewers ace Ben Sheets.
Nieve helped the Astros match their best record in franchise history by retiring 14 in a row at one point, giving up four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts. The 23-year-old Venezuelan signed with the Astros when he was 16, spent several years in the minors and made his major league debut earlier this season.
Brad Lidge pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.
Sheets (1-3) gave up nine hits and seven runs in 2 1-3 innings in one of the worst outings of his career. His only shorter outing was one inning against Philadelphia in 2003, when Sheets was pulled as a precaution but made his next start.
Diamondbacks 10, Dodgers 8
At Phoenix, Chad Tracy's first career grand slam sparked a seven-run fifth inning and Shawn Green had four hits for Arizona, which tied a club record by overcoming a 6-0 deficit to beat Los Angeles.
San Francisco also achieved the feat on Sept. 15, 1998.
It was the second time in three games the Dodgers couldn't hold a big lead. They blew a 5-0 ninth-inning lead at San Diego on Sunday, losing 6-5 in 10 innings.
Arizona scored the seven runs in the fifth -- one shy of the team record for runs in an inning -- before Luis Vizcaino (1-2) gave up a solo home run to the Dodgers' J.D. Drew to tie the game 7-7 in the seventh.
In the bottom of the inning, the Diamondbacks regained the lead at 8-7 on a bases-loaded single by Craig Counsell off rookie reliever Takashi Saito (2-1).
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely