AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kevin Youkilis lined a run-scoring single to center field in the ninth, ending a brilliant pitching duel between Roy Halladay and Jon Lester and giving the Boston Red Sox a 1-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Halladay (2-4) retired the first two batters in the inning before walking David Ortiz. Manny Ramirez looped a single to center, sending Ortiz to second, and Youkilis hit a ball in front of center fielder Vernon Wells that he couldn’t handle.
The hard-luck Halladay pitched his fourth straight complete game, but he’s lost the last three.
ORIOLES 7, RAYS 4
At Baltimore, Garrett Olson took a shutout into the seventh inning, and Baltimore ended Tampa Bay’s six-game winning streak in a surprising duel for first place in the American League East.
Aubrey Huff homered and Melvin Mora had two RBIs for the Orioles.
Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the game, Olson (1-0) gave up two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings, walking five and striking out six.
Tampa Bay’s Jason Hammel (2-2) allowed three runs, six hits and four walks in 2 2-3 innings, the shortest of his 28 career starts in the big leagues.
TIGERS 6, YANKEES 4
At New York, Gary Sheffield and Curtis Granderson homered in the third inning, helping old pro Kenny Rogers and Detroit beat road-weary New York.
Magglio Ordonez got Detroit going with a two-run single off Phil Hughes (0-4), who was booed by the crowd of 49,194 for allowing six runs and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings.
MARINERS 7, INDIANS 2
At Cleveland, Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in Seattle’s five-run ninth inning, making a winner of Mark Lowe.
Jose Lopez singled to start the inning off Rafael Betancourt (1-1) and took second on a soft single by Raul Ibanez. Beltre then hit an 0-1 pitch for his fifth homer and a 5-2 lead. Yuniesky Betancourt added a two-out, two-run single off Craig Breslow.
In other games, it was:
• Twins 3, White Sox 1
• Royals 9, Rangers 5
• Angels 2, Athletics 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHILADELPHIA
Cole Hamels had an impressive outing as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 7-4 in the National League on Tuesday, denying Greg Maddux his 350th career victory.
Hamels (3-3) allowed five hits, two runs and struck out six in 7 1-3 innings. Tom Gordon worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and the Phillies scored four insurance runs in the bottom half.
The four-time Cy Young award winner was trying for the third start to become the ninth pitcher in big league history to reach 350 wins.
NATIONALS 6, BRAVES 3
At Washington, slumping Ryan Zimmerman had a season-high three hits, including a homer and tiebreaking two-run double, to lead Washington past Atlanta.
In other games, it was:
• Dodgers 7, Marlins 6
• Mets 5, Pirates 4, 11 innings
• Brewers 10, Cubs 7
• Cardinals 7, Reds 2
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set