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AMERICAN LEAGUE: White Sox pull off two grand slams, beat Tigers 11-0

The Chicago White Sox’s Paul Konerko hits a grand slam against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning of their baseball game on Sunday in Chicago. PHOTO: AP

Joe Crede and Paul Konerko each hit grand slams to back Javier Vazquez’s strong start, as the White Sox pounded the struggling Detroit Tigers 11-0 on Sunday.

Konerko’s homer came in the third off Kenny Rogers and Crede’s grand slam, his second this season, came in the fifth against Zach Miner as the White Sox won for the fifth time in six games over Detroit, the preseason favorite to win Major League Baseball’s American League Central Division.

Vazquez (2-1) won his second straight start, scattering five hits in seven innings while striking out nine without a walk.

Royals 5, Twins 1

In Kansas City, Missouri, Brian Bannister threw his second career complete game and outpitched Francisco Liriano, who was making his first start since 2006, to help end a three-game skid.

Liriano, a MLB All-Star as a rookie in 2006, gave up six hits, walked five and struck out four in his first major league appearance since undergoing surgery 17 months ago. The big left-hander went 4 2-3 innings and gave up four runs. He threw 90 pitches, 51 for strikes.

Bannister (3-0) gave up only three hits, walking one and striking out three. In three starts covering 21 innings, the right-hander has allowed only two earned runs for an ERA of 0.86.

Indians 7, Athletics 1

In Cleveland, Cliff Lee’s quick and efficient pitching in the wind and cold helped the Indians end Oakland’s five-game winning streak.

After a 48-minute delay at the start, Lee (2-0) limited the A’s one run and two hits over eight innings. He struck out eight without a walk as a wind-whipped mix of snow and rain fell throughout.

Rays 6, Orioles 2

In St. Petersburg, Florida, Jeff Niemann allowed one run over six innings in his MLB debut and B.J. Upton hit a three-run homer during a six-run fifth for the Rays.

Niemann, taken fourth overall in the 2004 amateur draft, was recalled from minor-league Durham to replace the injured Matt Garza in the rotation. He gave up six hits while striking out five.

Blue Jays 5, Rangers 4, 10 innings

In Arlington, Texas, Joe Inglett drove in the tiebreaking run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, B.J. Ryan earned his first save in more than a year and Toronto completed a three-game sweep of the Rangers.

With the game tied at 4, Frank Thomas was walked by Dustin Nippert (0-1) leading off the 10th, and after Marco Scutaro came in as a pinch-runner, Lyle Overbay also walked. Gregg Zaun’s sacrifice moved the runners up, and Inglett’s flyball to right scored Scutaro.

Jesse Carlson (1-0) got two outs in the ninth for his first MLB victory.

Angels 10, Mariners 5

In Seattle, Jeff Mathis hit a two-run homer to lead a 16-hit attack, and Joe Saunders had another strong start to help Los Angeles avoid a series sweep.

The Mariners, who won the first two games 8-5 and 8-3, scratched starting pitcher Erik Bedard before the game because of inflammation in his left hip.

The Mariners expected to find out in a throwing session yesterday whether Bedard can return to the mound next week.

Saunders (2-0) pitched 5 1-3 innings in his third straight solid start. He gave up two runs on six hits with three walks and one strikeout. Saunders pitched eight innings in his first two starts this season and gave up only one earned run.

Red Sox 8, Yankees 5

At Boston, a wild Daisuke Matsuzaka labored through five innings before the Red Sox’s overworked bullpen bailed him out for a sloppy win over New York.

Matsuzaka improved to 3-0 after lasting just long enough to get the win as he issued six walks — at least one in each inning. But Yankees starter Phil Hughes (0-2) was even worse, lasting a career-low two innings and allowing a career-high seven runs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE


AP, LOS ANGELES

Greg Maddux recorded his 349th career victory in Major League Baseball one day before his 42nd birthday and Paul McAnulty drove in the only run with a sacrifice fly, leading the San Diego Padres to a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

Maddux (2-0) threw 68 pitches over five innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two. The four-time Cy Young winner has made nine of his 35 career starts against the Dodgers this month, going 8-0 with a 1.11 ERA in that month.

Trevor Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth of the season and 528th of his career.

Nationals 5, Braves 4

In Washington, Atlanta starter Tom Glavine left with an injury before recording an out, and the Washington Nationals ended their nine-game losing streak.

Glavine (0-1) matched the shortest start of his 22-season, 303-win career, departing with a strained right hamstring after letting all four batters he faced reach base. After being staked to a 5-0 lead, Washington starter

Tim Redding (2-1) and five relievers did just enough to protect it and end the Nationals’ longest losing streak since the franchise moved to the nation’s capital.

Brewers 9, Mets 7

In New York, Gabe Kapler, who managed in the Red Sox organization last season, homered for the second straight day, doubled twice and drove in three runs to help Milwaukee beat the Mets.

Corey Hart had a career-high four hits and Rickie Weeks homered off Jorge Sosa (1-1) and scored three runs for the Brewers, who won two of three in the weekend series.

The 32-year-old Kapler came out of retirement during the offseason and has four home runs in 26 at-bats.

Astros 5, Marlins 1

J.R. Towles and Michael Bourn homered to lead the Astros, who’ve won two in a row for the first time this season.



In other games, it was:

• Pirates 9, Reds 1

• Cubs 6, Phillies 5, 10 innings

• Giants 7, Cardinals 4