AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kendry Morales hit two home runs to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing streak with a 10-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
Morales finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored as the Angels (19-18) made 15 hits in the American League West teams’ first of their four-game set.
PHOTO: AP
After being ejected on Saturday after just two pitches, Los Angeles starter John Lackey threw five innings for four earned runs.
Former Angels starter Jarrod Washburn was charged with the loss for the Mariners (18-21) after allowing six runs over five innings.
Leading 4-3 in the fifth inning, Washburn surrendered a three-run double to Torii Hunter to give Los Angeles a 6-4 break.
Morales hit a two-run shot in the sixth and sent a solo home run over the right-field fence in the eighth.
A switch-hitting first baseman, Morales was dropped three spots in the lineup to No. 8 after his team managed just three runs from its last two games.
“I respected the manager’s position and there was nothing I could do about it,” Morales told reporters through an interpreter. “I wasn’t hitting it well from the right side ... [Tonight] it felt very good when I connected.”
The Mariners scored three times over the first two innings to take the lead and were up 4-1 before Los Angeles’ five-run fifth.
Russell Branyan was 2-for-3 with a home run while Ichiro Suzuki and Ken Griffey Jr had two hits apiece for Seattle, who have lost five of their last seven games, after posting a sparkling 12-6 record earlier this season.
RAYS 13, ATHLETICS 4
In St Petersburg, Jason Bartlett drove in a career-high five runs as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the struggling Oakland Athletics 13-4 on Monday for a season-best four-game winning streak.
Rookie Jeff Niemann (4-3) allowed four runs and eight hits in eight innings to win for the fourth time in his last five decisions.
He struck out three and walked none in the longest outing of his career.
Bartlett went 3 for 3 with a walk to raise his batting average to .384. He had a two-run single off Sean Gallagher (1-2) in the first as well as a run-scoring triple in the fifth and a two-run single in the sixth.
The A’s, swept at Detroit last weekend, have been outscored 47-13 during a four-game losing streak in which their starting pitchers have yielded 31 runs (23 earned) in 13 innings.
YANKEES 7, TWINS 6
At New York, Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate, combining with Alex Rodriguez for back-to-back drives in a six-run first inning as New York completed a four-game sweep of Minnesota.
After stringing together three straight walk-off wins for the first time since 1972, the Yankees overcame a 2-0 first-inning deficit and hung on to extend their winning streak to a season-high six.
Andy Pettitte (4-1) won consecutive starts for the first time this year, allowing four runs and 12 hits in six-and-two-third innings.
Justin Morneau had four hits and Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span homered for the Twins.
BLUE JAYS 3, WHITE SOX 2
At Toronto, Alex Rios hit a go-ahead triple in the eighth inning as Toronto completed a four-game sweep of Chicago.
Jim Thome tied it in the top of the eighth with a two-run homer, the 548th of his career, but Toronto rallied against Octavio Dotel (1-1).
Chicago lost its season-high fifth straight and has dropped 10 in a row at Toronto.
Dotel had not allowed a run in 14 games this season, a span of 12-and-a-third innings, when he relieved in the eighth with the score 2-all.
Jose Bautista drew a leadoff walk, moved up on a sacrifice and stole third. Rios’ triple skipped past a diving Scott Podsednik in center field.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ST LOUIS, MISSOURI
Braden Looper allowed just two hits into the seventh inning and Mat Gamel hit a three-run homer in his first career start as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the St Louis Cardinals with an 8-4 victory in the National League on Monday.
Jason Kendall of the Brewers became the eighth full-time catcher to reach 2,000 hits.
Milwaukee has won 12 of 14 overall and 10 of 11 over the Cardinals the last two seasons.
DODGERS 3, METS 2, 11 INNINGS
At Los Angeles, errors by Gold Glove center fielder Carlos Beltran and fill-in first baseman Jeremy Reed in the 11th inning cost New York as Los Angeles sneaked away with a victory.
The Dodgers have won five of their last six games after dropping four of their first five following the 50-game suspension Manny Ramirez received for violating baseball’s drug policy. They are a major league-best 27-13 overall, and 14 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2006 season 88-74.
ROCKIES 5, BRAVES 1
At Atlanta, Georgia, Jason Marquis outpitched Derek Lowe as Colorado downed Atlanta.
Marquis (5-3) scattered five hits and allowed one run in eight innings to end a two-start losing streak.
Lowe (5-2) was attempting to become the NL’s first six-game winner. He allowed two runs, three hits and one walk in eight innings, losing for the first time in five starts.
Colorado, which had lost three out of four and seven of 10, snapped a two-game losing streak.
PIRATES 12, NATIONALS 7
At Washington, Craig Monroe hit a three-run homer and Jack Wilson got four hits to lead Pittsburgh past the home team.
Washington made four errors — all on routine plays — and its bullpen had another lead-blowing implosion in the loss to Pittsburgh.
A five-run sixth led Pittsburgh to its third straight win and ended an eight-game road losing streak.
Washington has lost five straight despite scoring at least five runs in every game. The Nationals entered the game with 37 errors, five more than any team in the majors.
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