Orlando Hernandez tossed a three-hitter against his former team to lead the New York Mets to a 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the showdown of division leaders.
Hernandez (4-5) took a shutout into the ninth and picked up his ninth career complete game and first since Sept. 16, 2000, for the Yankees against Cleveland. The 36-year-old Cuban struck out three and walked two on 114 pitches.
Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer, his 15th, and Endy Chavez drove in three runs to back El Duque. The NL East leaders acquired Hernandez from Arizona for reliever Jorge Julio on May 24.
PHOTO: AP
Claudio Vargas (6-3) took the loss for the Diamondbacks, who have lost four straight after returning from a 7-3 road trip. The NL West leaders have been outscored 24-5 in the three games since they learned that federal agents had searched the home of reliever Jason Grimsley in a steroid investigation. The club released Grimsley on Wednesday.
In others games it was: Brewers 4, Padres 3; Reds 7, Cubs 1; Nationals 5, Phillies 2; Astros 7, Braves 4; Giants 5, Pirates 4.
Esteban Loaiza came off the disabled list and got his first win for Oakland, pitching seven superb innings to send the Athletics over the Cleveland Indians 4-1.
Previously sidelined with a strained shoulder muscle, Loaiza (1-3) took a two-hit shutout into the seventh in his first major league start since April 23. He allowed three hits, walked one, struck out five and gave the A's some return on their three-year, US$21 million investment in him.
Kiko Calero got two outs in the eighth and Huston Street finished up Oakland's combined five-hitter for his 11th save.
Mark Kotsay and Jason Kendall had three hits apiece for the A's, who collected 11 of their 15 off Jason Johnson (3-6).
Frank Thomas' 1,500th career RBI -- on an infield groundout -- gave Oakland a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Ben Broussard hit his ninth homer for the Indians.
Red Sox 9, Yankees 3
At New York, Curt Schilling became the American League's first nine-game winner, limiting the Yankees to four hits in eight innings.
Three of the hits against Schilling (9-2) were home runs by Johnny Damon, Bernie Williams and Robinson Cano. That gave New York a 3-1 lead before Boston came back against Jaret Wright (3-4).
Manny Ramirez led off the sixth inning with a walk and Trot Nixon singled to right. Jason Varitek's single to left scored Ramirez and when Mike Lowell was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, Wright was finished. Scott Proctor relieved and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Kevin Youkilis, tying the score at 3-3.Then Alex Gonzalez doubled off third baseman Alex Rodriguez's glove, scoring Varitek and giving Boston the lead.
An inning later, the Red Sox padded their lead, batting around against Proctor and Scott Erickson. Varitek hit his sixth home run, a three-run shot off Proctor, and Coco Crisp added a two-run single off Erickson.
In other games it was: Orioles 7, Blue Jays 5; Tigers 6, White Sox 2; Twins 7, Mariners 3; Royals 16, Rangers 12.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
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