Cole Hamels pitched eight impressive innings, Tadahito Iguchi hit his first homer with Philadelphia as the Phillies beat Ted Lilly and the Chicago Cubs 4-1 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.
Aaron Rowand also hit a three-run drive for the Phillies, who have won nine of 10 and trail the NL East-leading Mets by three games. Philadelphia was eight-and-a-half games back of New York on June 2.
The Phillies also made a move before the game to strengthen their pitching staff, acquiring Kyle Lohse from the Cincinnati Reds for a minor leaguer.
PHOTO: AP
Hamels (12-5) allowed one run and three hits, struck out eight and walked two. The 23-year-old left-hander retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced and also retired his last nine batters.
Iguchi walked and Ryan Howard doubled ahead of Rowand's two-out homer in the third. It was his 15th of the season.
Iguchi, who was acquired from the White Sox on Friday, led off the fifth inning with a homer on an 0-1 pitch from Lilly. Iguchi is 4-for-10 with two RBIs with the Phillies.
Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco both had three hits and an RBI as Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over Oakland on Monday.
Jordan Tata, called up to take the injured Kenny Rogers' spot in Detroit's rotation, allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings in his first major league start. Tata (1-0) walked two and struck out five.
Todd Jones worked the ninth for his 28th save.
Joe Blanton (8-8) gave up five runs in six innings for Oakland, which lost its fourth straight.
Granderson and Polanco singled to open the game, with Granderson scoring on Gary Sheffield's double-play grounder. Granderson and Polanco both singled and scored to start the sixth. They had added RBI singles in the seventh.
Mariners 2, Angels 0
At Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki had three hits and an RBI and Miguel Batista allowed four singles in seven innings for Seattle, which had won four straight and moved within three games of the American League West-leading Angels.
Los Angeles, which had won four in a row, struggled against Batista (11-7), who struck out two and walked none in his first scoreless start this season. Brandon Morrow pitched the eighth and J.J. Putz needed just six pitches to complete the four-hitter and earn his 31st save.
Kelvim Escobar (11-5) allowed eight hits in his third complete game this season.
Suzuki tripled in the third and scored on Jose Vidro's single. His RBI single in the seventh was the last of Seattle's three singles in the inning.
Devil Rays 5, Blue Jays 4
At St. Petersburg, Florida, Carl Crawford, who scored the tying run as a pinch runner in the ninth inning, led off the bottom of the 11th with a homer as Tampa Bay beat Toronto.
Crawford, who was out of the starting lineup for three games with a sprained right wrist, hit a 3-2 pitch from Brian Wolfe (2-1) over the fence in center field for Tampa Bay, which had lost eight of nine.
The All-Star outfielder tied the game at 4 on pinch-hitter Josh Wilson's two-out RBI single off Jeremy Accardo, who was charged with his fourth blown save of the season.
Scott Dohmannn (1-0) worked out of a bases loaded, one-out jam in the 11th for the win.
Twins 3, Royals 1
At Minneapolis, Minnesota, Scott Baker allowed two hits over eight innings and Joe Mauer drove in all the runs as Minnesota downed Kansas City.
Baker (5-4) faced one batter over the minimum and struck out seven. Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in 25 opportunities.
Gil Meche (7-8) allowed two runs over seven innings and had his four-game winning streak ended.
Mauer drove in two runs with a double in the first inning and he made it 3-1 in the eighth with an RBI single.
David DeJesus led off the fourth with a double for Kansas City and scored on Mark Grudzielanek's single.
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