Carlos Guillen homered twice and drove in five runs, and Jeremy Bonderman made a strong return from the disabled list on Thursday to help the Detroit Tigers rout the Los Angeles Angels 12-0.
Magglio Ordonez had four hits and three RBIs to take over the major league lead with 45, two more than the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. Gary Sheffield added a solo home run in the third as Detroit won for the fifth time in six games.
Bonderman (3-0), pitching for the first time since May 8 after missing two starts with a blister on his right middle finger, gave up four hits, walked five and struck out six in eight innings to win for the third time in as many starts.
Blue Jays 5, Orioles 4, 10 innings
At Baltimore, Alex Rios homered off struggling Danys Baez in the 10th inning, and Frank Thomas hit a milestone shot to help Toronto rally.
Toronto trailed 4-2 in the seventh before Thomas hit his 493rd career home run, tying Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 21st on the career list. The solo shot left him two homers short of matching Edgar Martinez for most by a designated hitter (243).
The Blue Jays pulled even in the eighth before Rios connected against Baez (0-4), whose ineffectiveness this month cost him his role as the setup man. The right-hander came in with a 6.10 ERA, and when Rios' drive landed deep in the left-field seats, the fans at Camden Yards showered Baez with a chorus of jeers.
Devil Rays 13, Mariners 12
At St. Petersburg, Florida, Carl Crawford had three RBIs and triggered a seven-run third inning for Tampa Bay.
Seven of Tampa Bay's nine starters drove in at least one run.
Jae Seo (3-4) gave up seven runs and 13 hits over 5-plus innings to earn the win, but the bullpen nearly gave it away.
Indians 10, Royals 3
At Kansas City, Missouri, Jason Michaels capped a five-run first inning with a three-run homer, and Cleveland Indians avoided a sweep.
Casey Blake added a three-run triple and also doubled for the Indians, who have the majors' best home record at 17-4 but are 11-13 on the road. Ryan Garko had three hits for Cleveland, including a two-run single in the first.
John Smoltz became the first pitcher in major league history to win 200 games and save 150, beating an old friend for No. 200.
Smoltz beat Tom Glavine with seven shutout innings and Matt Diaz homered to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 2-1 win over the New York Mets on Thursday night.
Making his third start of the season against Glavine, his Atlanta teammate from 1988-2002, Smoltz (7-2) became the NL's first seven-game winner.
The 40-year-old Smoltz gave up seven hits without a walk and struck out five. In back-to-back wins over Boston and the Mets, Smoltz has thrown 14 scoreless innings while allowing 10 hits and one walk.
Smoltz, 4-1 in May, lowered his ERA from 2.85 to 2.58.
Glavine also pitched well, giving up only five hits and two runs in six innings for the Mets.
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
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