AMERICAN LEAGUE
REUTERS AND AP, TORONTO AND BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
The struggling Toronto Blue Jays returned home to snap a nine-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
PHOTO: AP
Toronto’s Rod Barajas delivered a two-run single in the fifth inning as the Blue Jays scored five times to sink the Red Sox, who swept a three-game series between the teams last week to send their AL East foe spiraling into a prolonged slump.
Starter Casey Janssen allowed 11 hits through seven innings before relievers Brandon League and Scott Downs closed out the final two innings to help the Blue Jays (28-23) improve to 17-6 at home.
The win was the first in more than two years for Janssen, who missed all of last year with a shoulder injury.
“It’s a relief to finally get it,” Janssen told reporters. “’Grind’ is probably the best word (for tonight). Or ‘battle’. It seemed like my command wasn’t great. They hit my mistakes.”
Boston (28-21) starter Tim Wakefield surrendered six runs in four-and-two-third innings as the Red Sox dropped their third game in the last four.
The Red Sox entered the contest having defeated the Blue Jays four successive times but failed to drive home runners when they needed to.
David Ortiz ended his career-long home run slump against Toronto on May 20 but he continued his poor hitting by finishing 0-for-4.
Jacoby Ellsbury was 2-for-5 with two RBIs for Boston and gave his team a 2-1 edge with an RBI single in the fourth.
J.D. Drew added a solo home run to center field in the seventh.
Scott Rolen was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Blue Jays and Marco Scutaro added two hits and an RBI as the team rebounded from its recent road trip.
“You go through a period like that and you’d think, ‘Goodness, we just lost six games in the standings,’” said Toronto outfielder Vernon Wells, whose team was first in the AL East a little more than a week ago. “We lost a few, but nobody really ran away with anything. We obviously have to play a little better baseball from here on out.”
ORIOLES 7, TIGERS 2
In Baltimore, Maryland, top-rated rookie Matt Wieters went 0-for-4 at the plate in his much anticipated Major League debut on Friday as Baltimore defeated visiting Detroit.
Wieters, who signed a US$6 million contract with the Orioles after they made him the fifth overall selection in the 2007 draft, batted in the No. 7 spot and received a rousing ovation from the home crowd upon his first at-bat in the second inning.
But the fairytale start ended there for the 196cm switch-hitting catcher, as he grounded out twice and flied out once against left-handed Detroit starter Dontrelle Willis before striking out in his final at-bat in the eighth.
The Minor League Player of the Year in 2008 had been batting .305 with five homers and 30 RBIs for Triple A Norfolk when he was called up to the big leagues.
Wieters’ teammate Luke Scott blasted a grand slam home run in the third inning to lift the Orioles to a crushing victory and ensure the rookie’s debut finished on a winning note.
YANKEES 3, INDIANS 1
In Cleveland, Ohio, New York went to the top of the AL East standings with victory over the home team.
Andy Pettitte pitched five scoreless innings for the Yankees before leaving in the sixth inning because of a stiff back.
The loss ended Cleveland’s season-high, four-game winning streak.
In other AL action, it was:
• Rays 5, Twins 3
• Mariners 5, Angels 2
• Rangers 6, Athletics 3, first
• Rangers 5, Athletics 2, second
In NL action, it was:
• Cubs 2, Dodgers 1
• Brewers 3, Reds 2
• Giants 4, Cardinals 2
• Mets 2, Marlins 1, 11 inns
• Braves 10, Diamondbacks 6
• Rockies 3, Padres 0
• Astros 6, Pirates 1
• Phillies 5, Nationals 4
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