AMERICAN LEAGUE
Jason Giambi homered and drove in two runs to back an effective pitching performance by Andy Pettitte as the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Wednesday to avert a three-game sweep.
Pettitte (5-5) gave up two runs and eight hits in six-and-two-third innings to improve to 24-6 against the Orioles, including 15-4 in Baltimore. He has more wins at Camden Yards than any visiting pitcher.
PHOTO: AP
Joba Chamberlain struck out three and allowed one hit in one-and-a-third innings before Mariano Rivera got three outs for his 13th save in 13 tries.
Melvin Mora had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Brian Roberts also had three hits for Baltimore. But the rest of the lineup went three-for-27.
RAYS 5, RANGERS 3
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Matt Garza pitched a career-high eight innings, leading first-place Tampa Bay over Texas.
Despite being off to the best start in franchise history and beginning the day tied with the Chicago Cubs for the best record in the major leagues, Tampa Bay drew an announced crowd of 10,927.
Garza (4-1) allowed two runs and four hits for the American League East leaders, who won two of three from the Rangers to hand Texas their first series loss in over a month. The Rays have won nine of their last 11 series, including six straight at home.
B.J. Upton and Akinori Iwamura delivered RBI singles off Kason Gabbard (1-2), Evan Longoria had a sacrifice fly and Carlos Pena and pinch-hitter Cliff Floyd drew walks with the bases loaded for Tampa Bay, who have won 15 of 20 games.
WHITE SOX 6, INDIANS 5
In Cleveland, Ohio, Carlos Quentin drove in three runs, including a go-ahead, two-run double in a three-run seventh inning that led Chicago to their 1,000th win over Cleveland.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Gavin Floyd (5-3) allowed two runs in the first, then retired 15 of 17 hitters before the Indians scored three times to take a 5-3 lead in the sixth. Floyd gave up five runs — four earned — and eight hits in six innings with seven strikeouts.
The American League Central-leading White Sox have won five of six against Cleveland.
AP, PHILADELPHIA
Chase Utley hit his major league-leading 17th homer to help Adam Eaton earn his first win as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
Eaton (1-3) allowed one run over six innings, Geoff Jenkins hit a two-run shot and the Phillies (31-24) moved to a season-best seven games above .500 with their first sweep of the season. Philadelphia outscored Colorado 33-10 in the series.
The reeling Colorado Rockies are a season-worst 13 games under .500. The defending National League champions, who swept Philadelphia last October, have been decimated by injuries this season.
Eaton needed 11 starts to get his first win. He gave up four hits and struck out four in his best outing so far, lowering his ERA to 4.99.
REDS 9, PIRATES 1
In Cincinnati, Ohio, David Ross hit his first homer of the season to put the finishing touch on a six-run first inning off Tom Gorzelanny as Cincinnati extended their home winning streak to nine games.
Ross drove in four runs overall and rookie Jay Bruce had a double and a pair of walks as the Reds extended their best home winning streak since 1980.
Gorzelanny (4-5) retired only two of the eight batters he faced during the shortest of his 54 starts in the majors. He gave up four hits and two walks and threw a wild pitch that set up a run.
Wednesday’s other results:
• Brewers 1, Braves 0
• Cardinals 6, Astros 1
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but