AMERICAN LEAGUE
Andy Pettitte out-pitched Major League Baseball All-Star Justin Duchscherer, getting just enough run support from Jason Giambi’s homer and a sacrifice fly by Alex Rodriguez, to help the New York Yankees hold off the Oakland Athletics 2-1 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.
The Yankees (53-45) won their seventh straight at home and climbed to a season-best eight games over .500. Their winning streak at Yankee Stadium is their longest since September.
PHOTO: AP
The A’s have dropped five straight, managing just nine runs in the process.
Blue Jays 9, Rays 4
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Alex Rios and Marco Scutaro homered as Toronto avoided a three-game sweep with a victory over American League East Division-leading Tampa Bay.
Scutaro hit a three-run shot off Edwin Jackson (5-7) in the fifth to put the Blue Jays ahead 6-4. Rios had a two-run homer in the third and added a run-scoring double during a three-run seventh.
Shawn Camp (3-1) threw one-and-two-third scoreless innings for the win. The Blue Jays won for the fourth time in 17 road games.
Indians 6, Mariners 2
In Seattle, Cliff Lee followed up his All-Star Game start with his second complete game of the season, scattering 11 hits in Cleveland’s victory over Seattle.
Lee became the American League’s first 13-game winner and Kelly Shoppach ended an 0-for-13 funk with a three-run homer off Carlos Silva in the fourth. Silva (4-12) left with back tightness immediately after the home run, the latest ailment for Seattle’s sick, injured and ineffective rotation.
Rangers 1, Twins 0
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Taylor Teagarden broke up Scott Baker’s perfect-game bid with a sixth-inning home run for his first Major League hit as Vicente Padilla pitched Texas past Minnesota.
The Rangers denied the Twins their fourth series sweep over the past month, handing them just their eighth defeat in 31 games. Baker (6-3) took a hard-luck loss, his first in six starts.
Other results on Sunday:
• Tigers 5, Orioles 1
• Royals 8, White Sox 7
• Angels 5, Red Sox 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, MIAMI
Jorge Cantu hit a bases-loaded single off the scoreboard with none out in the 11th inning as the Florida Marlins tightened the National League East race by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 on Sunday.
Alfredo Amezaga led off the 11th with a single against Clay Condrey (2-2) and Hanley Ramirez walked on a 3-2 pitch. Jeremy Hermida bunted to Condrey, who looked to third base before throwing late to first and the in-field single loaded the bases.
Cantu singled on a 1-1 pitch and was mobbed by his teammates.
By winning two of three games in the series, the Marlins closed to within half-a-game of the Phillies and the New York Mets.
Cubs 9, Astros 0
In Houston, Texas, Ryan Dempster struck out seven in eight shutout innings to earn his first road win in two years as Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Houston.
Mike Fontenot hit a solo homer and a two-run double and Derrek Lee had three RBIs to help Chicago shake out a mini-offensive slump that bridged the All-Star Game break.
Dempster (11-4) allowed six hits, all singles, and got his first road win since June 2, 2006, at St. Louis.
Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 5
In Phoenix, Arizona, Andre Ethier hit a go-ahead triple to highlight a five-run ninth-inning rally as Los Angeles beat Arizona.
The Dodgers took two of three from Arizona to pull even with the Diamondbacks in the National League’s West Division.
Mets 7, Reds 5, 10 innings
In Cincinnati, Ohio, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion hit one of Cincinnati’s three homers off Mike Pelfrey, then made a throwing error in the 10th inning that helped New York rally for a victory and a split of their four-game series.
The Mets have won 11 of their last 13 games, salvaging their season one month after they fired manager Willie Randolph.
Cardinals 9, Padres 5
In St. Louis, Missouri, Aaron Miles’ grand slam in the ninth inning, the first game-ending hit of his career, helped St. Louis recover from another blown save by Jason Isringhausen to wrap up a four-game sweep of San Diego.
Troy Glaus’ three-run homer off Heath Bell in the eighth gave the Cardinals a two-run lead, but the Padres rallied against Isringhausen, who blew his eighth save in 19 chances.
Other results on Sunday:
• Rockies 11, Pirates 3
• Brewers 7, Giants 4
• Nationals 15, Braves 6
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
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Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
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