The Cleveland Indians snapped the New York Yankees’ three-game winning streak on Tuesday, with pinch-hitter David Dellucci’s eighth-inning three-run homer lifting them to a 5-3 victory.
Dellucci’s blast came off New York reliever Joba Chamberlain and was only the second career home run off the young Yankee pitcher.
Chamberlain had allowed just three earned runs in 36-and-a-third career innings since making his MLB debut last August, but Delucci’s homer proved decisive.
PHOTO: AP
A dejected Chamberlain blamed the defeat on a bad pitch.
“I tried to get in,” Chamberlain said of the pitch, which Dellucci hit over the wall in right. “You got to give credit where credit is due. Dellucci did what he is supposed to do. The worst thing is I let my team down and that’s the most frustrating part to me.”
It was the first time the Yankees had lost this season after having led at seven innings. They fell to 26-5 in games when Chamberlain pitches.
New York manager Joe Girardi, however, did not blame his pitcher.
“When you make a mistake sometimes, it can cost you,” Girardi said.
“You tip your cap to a guy who doesn’t miss a mistake. It’s not where Joba wanted it but you go back to work tomorrow. You’re going to have some tough losses like this during the season.”
He added: “Your character shows up the next day in how you bounce back.”
Jhonny Peralta also homered for the Tribe while reliever Rafael Perez (1-1) picked up the win.
White Sox 7, Twins 1
Gavin Floyd’s no-hit bid lasted until the ninth this time. Joe Mauer doubled with one out off Chicago’s young right-hander for the Minnesota Twins’ only hit and Floyd had to settle for a 7-1 victory on Tuesday as the White Sox ended a six-game losing streak.
Floyd (3-1) was taken out to a standing ovation after Mauer’s double to left-center and Bobby Jenks came on to get the final two outs.
Floyd, who held Detroit hitless for 7 1-3 innings on April 12 before Edgar Renteria singled, walked three and struck out four. The only run the Twins could muster was aided by an error on Chicago left fielder Carlos Quentin in the fourth inning.
Rays 5, Blue Jays 4
At Toronto, Andy Sonnanstine won his fourth straight start, Eric Hinske homered, and Tampa Bay beat Toronto, snapping the Blue Jay’s five-game winning streak.
Sonnanstine (5-1) allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings, becoming the fastest five-game winner in Tampa Bay’s 11-year history. He walked one and struck out two. Dan Wheeler worked the seventh and eighth while Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
The Rays broke a three-game losing streak, while the Blue Jays lost for the first time since April 30 at Boston.
Hinske, a rookie of the year with Toronto in 2002, crushed an A.J. Burnett (3-3) pitch off the centerfield restaurant in the sixth for his seventh homer.
In other games, it was:
• Red Sox 5, Tigers 0
• Angels 5, Royals 3
• Athletics 4, Orioles 2
• Rangers 10, Mariners 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Chipper Jones hit his 10th homer, Jair Jurrjens pitched six strong innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Tuesday to improve the National Leagues’ best home record.
Mark Kotsay added two hits, including a homer, and drove in two runs. Kotsay also delivered the defensive play of the game in the fifth inning, making an over-the-shoulder catch at the warning track of Tadahito Iguchi’s drive.
The Braves have won four straight, all at home, where they improved to 12-4 overall.
Jurrjens (4-2) matched his career high with eight strikeouts and gave up seven hits with a walk and one run in six innings.
San Diego’s Chris Young (2-3) threw 98 pitches in only five innings, giving up nine hits and five runs.
Dodgers 5, Mets 4
At Los Angeles, Blake DeWitt got his first inside-the park homer, just 24 hours after hitting his first major league home run, to give Los Angeles a lead it would not relinquish.
DeWitt slammed a two-run shot off the top of the right-field fence and also had a two-run single among his three hits to help the Dodgers win for the 10th time in 11 games. His inside-the-park homer was the first by the Dodgers since Aug. 9, 2003, when Dave Roberts led off the first inning with one against Matt Clement in a 6-1 win over the Chicago Cubs at Chavez Ravine.
Kuo Hong-chih (2-1) got the victory with 3 2-3 innings of hitless relief. Jonathan Broxton pitched a scoreless eighth and Takashi Saito got three outs in the ninth for his fourth save after giving up a pair of two-out singles.
Cubs 3, Reds 0
At Cincinnati, Carlos Zambrano had his way with Cincinnati’s slumping lineup, allowing only three hits in eight innings, and Ronny Cedeno singled home a pair of runs for Chicago.
The Cubs won for only fourth time in 12 games, a span marked by inconsistency all-around. Zambrano (5-1) has been one of the constants.
The right-hander has won four straight decisions, two of them against a Reds lineup that is often its own worst enemy. Cincinnati got only one runner to second base in the first five innings — Joey Votto, who was picked off by Zambrano.
Aaron Harang (1-5) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings.
Marlins 3, Brewers 0
At Miami, Scott Olsen allowed two hits in 8 2-3 innings, and Mike Jacobs hit a two-run homer to help Florida beat the slumping Milwaukee.
Ryan Braun doubled in the fourth and Prince Fielder singled with two outs in the ninth for Milwaukee’s only hits.
Olsen came within a strike of his first complete game and the Marlins’ first since Sept. 16, 2006, but he walked pinch-hitter Joe Dillon to load the bases with two outs in the ninth. Kevin Gregg needed only one pitch to retire Bill Hall on a flyout for his sixth save in seven chances.
Pirates 12, Giants 6
At Pittsburgh, Nate McLouth, dropped a spot in Pittsburgh’s order to get more opportunities to produce runs, homered twice while driving in three runs and Zach Duke won for the first time in nearly a year.
Duke (1-2) was winless in six starts this season and 12 games since June 12 before taking a shutout into the seventh inning. He lost that on Daniel Ortmeier’s RBI double, and wound up being charged with three runs on eight hits over 7 1-3 innings — his longest start since he lasted eight innings in a 3-0 win over the Mets on Sept. 17, 2006.
Jonathan Sanchez (2-2) had allowed only six earned runs in 29 2-3 innings while going 2-0 in his previous five starts, but was lifted during a three-run Pirates fifth inning that made it 8-0.
Cardinals 6, Rockies 5
At Denver, Braden Looper pitched into the ninth inning in the longest outing of his career and went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and St.
Rick Ankiel hit his sixth homer of the season and Ryan Ludwick finished 4-for-4 with two doubles as the Cardinals won for the eighth time in 10 games.
In other games, it was:
• Astros 6, Nationals 5
• Diamondbacks 6, Phillies 4
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