AMERICAN LEAGUE
The Minnesota Twins went top of the American League Central division with a 9-0 thrashing of the high-flying Los Angeles Angels yesterday.
Pitcher Glen Perkins was commanding over eight innings for Minnesota, while Denard Span and Delmon Young both homered for the Twins, who recorded a fourth straight win to move half a game above Chicago in the Central.
Los Angeles appears certain to reach the playoffs, but Perkins held the Angels to five hits on the way to winning his fourth consecutive decision.
RAYS 9, WHITE SOX 4
In Chicago, Tampa Bay assumed the American League’s best record by beating Chicago.
The Rays took over from Los Angeles as holders of the AL’s best win-loss record and maintained a 4.5 game lead over Boston atop the AL East.
The result also cost the White Sox their leadership of the AL Central, leaving them half a game behind Minnesota and the same margin behind Boston, which holds the wildcard.
Rocco Baldelli hit his first homer in more than a year while Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist also went deep for Tampa Bay.
RED SOX 8, BLUE JAYS 4
In Toronto, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek hit solo home runs to power Boston over Toronto.
Pedroia went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and has now hit safely in 46 of his past 50 games.
YANKEES 9, ORIOLES 4
In Baltimore, New York posted a rare late rally to beat Baltimore.
The Yankees got just their third win from 53 attempts in games in which they trailed after seven innings.
Bobby Abreu went 5-for-5, his fourth coming to lead off the eighth. He advanced to third on a double and then got home on a wild pitch. Xavier Nady then singled in the go-ahead run.
In other games it was:
• Indians 7, Rangers 5
• Tigers 4, Royals 3
• Mariners 7, Athletics 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
The Philadelphia Phillies pounded veteran pitcher Greg Maddux in his Los Angeles debut to beat the Dodgers 8-1 in the National League on Friday.
Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Chris Coste hit home runs for Philadelphia, which ended a six-game losing streak to the Dodgers and remained 2.5 games behind New York, which tops the NL East division.
Maddux, who was traded from San Diego on Tuesday, allowed seven runs in 5 2-3 innings.
Los Angeles remained two games behind NL West leader Arizona.
Howard hit his 34th homer to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Howard entered the at-bat with a dismal record of 3-for-36 with 18 strikeouts and one homer in his past 14 games.
The Phillies scored four runs in the sixth to knock Maddux out of the game. Coste’s three-run homer capped the inning as the Phillies scored their most runs this month.
MARLINS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4
In Phoenix, Florida came from behind in the eighth inning to edge Arizona.
Wes Helms tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the eighth and Cody Ross followed with a solo homer.
The comeback spoiled a 13-strikeout performance by Arizona’s Randy Johnson, who pitched seven strong innings. The Diamondbacks maintained a two-game lead over Los Angeles in the NL West.
METS 3, ASTROS 0
In New York, New York shut out Houston to maintain its buffer atop the NL East.
Mets starter Johan Santana allowed eight hits in seven innings to win his fifth straight decision.
New York took advantage of the only two mistakes made by Houston starter Roy Oswalt: capitalizing on a wild pitch to score in the first and hitting a two-run homer in the second.
In other games it was:
• Cardinals 18, Braves 3
• Brewers 10, Pirates 4
• Nationals 13, Cubs 5
• Giants 5, Padres 0
• Reds 8, Rockies 5
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely