AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cliff Floyd and Eric Hinske hit two-run homers for Tampa Bay, helping Andy Sonnanstine earn his 13th win in a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the American League on Monday.
The Rays, first in the AL East, won for the eighth time in 10 games, holding off the team with Major League Baseball’s best record despite another baserunning gaffe by B.J. Upton, who has been benched three times in the past two weeks for not hustling. The speedy center fielder was caught jogging on the bases again and thrown out at second on what should have been a routine double.
PHOTO: AFP
Sonnanstine (13-6) allowed three runs and five hits in five-and-a-third innings to pull within one victory of the Rays’ single-season record. Rolando Arrojo won 14 in 1998.
Jon Garland (11-8) allowed five runs, four earned, and 10 hits in six innings for Los Angeles.
RED SOX 6, ORIOLES 3
At Baltimore, Jon Lester outpitched Jeremy Guthrie, and Jason Bay homered twice for Boston.
Lester (12-4) allowed one run, and four hits in seven innings to improve to 5-0 lifetime against Baltimore.
Jason Varitek also homered for the Red Sox.
Guthrie (10-9) gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings.
Aubrey Huff hit his 27th home run, drove in three runs and finished with two of Baltimore’s five hits.
WHITE SOX 13, MARINERS 5
At Chicago, Nick Swisher hit a two-run home run and Orlando Cabrera started a six-run fifth inning with another two-run shot to help Chicago beat dismal Seattle.
After hitting a grand slam on Sunday, rookie Alexei Ramirez hit a three-run homer, Jermaine Dye doubled twice and drove in two runs, and Carlos Quentin hit his major league-leading 35th home run in the eighth for Chicago, who lead the majors with 182 homers. They hit four homers for the second straight game.
White Sox starter Mark Buehrle (11-10) survived a shaky performance. He allowed five runs and 11 hits in five-and-two-third innings.
ATHLETICS 3, TWINS 2
At Minneapolis, Kirk Saarloos pitched three-and-two-thirds shutout innings after Justin Duchscherer left with a hip injury as Oakland beat Minnesota.
Mark Ellis homered and Kurt Suzuki had two RBIs for Oakland, which got a nice effort from Saarloos (1-0) after he was called up from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day to bolster a struggling A’s bullpen that was 1-5 over its last 18 games.
Duchscherer departed with right hip pain with two outs in the third and Oakland leading 1-0.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Minnesota and wasted a good start from Blackburn (9-7). The rookie pitched eight innings, allowing six hits and three runs.
TIGERS 8, RANGERS 7
At Arlington, Texas, Gary Sheffield hit career homer No. 493, Curtis Granderson had two triples and four RBIs, and Detroit held on to beat Texas.
Sheffield hit a two-run drive in Detroit’s four-run seventh for his 13th of the season, moving into a tie with Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 25th on the career home run list. He finished with three hits and scored two runs.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
Steve Pearce hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning for the Pittsburgh Pirates to beat New York 5-2 and end the Mets’ six-game winning streak in the National League on Monday.
Adam LaRoche homered and Jack Wilson hit a two-run double as the Pirates stopped a four-game losing skid.
Jerry Manuel was ejected for the fourth time as Mets manager for arguing after a double play in the third inning.
Mets starter John Maine pitched five scoreless innings and left with a 2-0 lead, but Paul Maholm pitched at least six innings for the 19th straight start, the longest streak by a Pirates pitcher since Doug Drabek in 1992.
GIANTS 5, BRAVES 0
At Atlanta, Barry Zito won for just the third time since the All-Star break, leading San Francisco over Atlanta.
Zito (7-15) allowed five hits in seven innings, and struck out three, combining with Keiichi Yabu and Sergio Romo on a seven-hitter. Zito pitched out of trouble, stranding two runners each in the third, fifth and seventh innings.
The major league leader in losses, Zito has won just 18 of 58 starts since signing a US$126 million, seven-year contract with San Francisco before the 2007 season.
San Francisco pitched its ninth shutout, one shy of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the NL leader. Aaron Rowand homered and drove in two runs for the Giants.
BREWERS 9, ASTROS 3
At Milwaukee, CC Sabathia improved his perfect record with Milwaukee, pitching another complete game to beat Houston.
Sabathia also hit a two-run single in a five-run fourth inning.
He is 8-0 with a 1.60 ERA and five complete games in nine starts for the Brewers since they acquired him from Cleveland in a July 7 trade.
Last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner has won 11 straight decisions overall.
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