AMERICAN LEAGUE
Adam Lind belted two home runs to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-3 victory over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday.
The Blue Jays (33-27) jumped on top when Lind hit two-run shots in the second and fourth innings as Toronto handed Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman his first loss of the year.
PHOTO: AP
Right-hander Feldman allowed four runs in six innings to fall to 5-1 and break a string of six wins for the Rangers from his last six starts.
Feldman had enjoyed a hot streak since moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation in late April, but served up two soft pitches to Lind, who has already equaled a career-high 11 home runs this year in his first season as a regular starter.
“Both of those pitches were up in the zone,” Feldman told reporters of Lind’s two homers. “I’m not too good up in the zone. Those two pitches were the game right there.”
Lind, who played left field against the Rangers, has gone 18-for-40 for a .450 batting average in his last 10 games.
Lind’s offense provided ample support for Rangers (33-24) starter Casey Janssen, who was charged with three runs in five-and-a-third innings before being relieved by Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, who handled the final one-and-a-third innings.
Texas scored three times in the fifth, including a run off a Marlon Byrd single, but the Blue Jays made two clutch outs to preserve a 4-3 advantage.
Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro finished 3-for-5 with an RBI single in the ninth, when the Blue Jays added two insurance runs.
In the process, the Blue Jays ended a nine-game losing streak, all on the road, that dropped them to third place in the AL East.
ATHLETICS 4, TWINS 3
At Oakland, California, Jack Cust hit a go-ahead solo home run and Jack Hannahan tied the game with a three-run double as Oakland beat Minnesota.
Rookie Josh Outman (4-0) recovered from an early deficit to continue an impressive run by the A’s young staff.
Outman, one of four rookies in Oakland’s rotation, fell behind in the top of the fourth when Carlos Gomez drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk, and then Matt Tolbert singled in two runs.
The A’s tied it in the bottom half and went ahead on Cust’s homer off Luis Ayala (1-2) in the fifth.
Oakland’s Aaron Cunningham sustained a concussion after being hit in the head by a pitch.
YANKEES 5, RAYS 3
At New York, Andy Pettitte recovered from two wild outings and Johnny Damon hit a tie-breaking home run in the sixth inning as New York defeated Tampa Bay.
Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Derek Jeter also homered for the Yankees, who got all their runs on longballs as Andy Sonnanstine allowed a career-high four. Tampa Bay’s Gabe Kapler hit his first home run of the season.
Damon broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth with a drive to right off Sonnanstine (4-6), and Jeter chased him with a leadoff drive in the eighth.
In the other American League game it was:
• White Sox 6, Tigers 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, MIAMI
Sean West did not allow a hit until the seventh inning in his fourth career start and Brett Carroll hit his first career home run to help the Florida Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants 4-0 on Monday.
West allowed one baserunner through the first six innings. Edgar Renteria then lined a single to left on West’s first pitch of the seventh. He gave up two hits, one walk and struck out six in eight innings.
In other National League games it was:
• Rockies 5, Cardinals 2
• Braves 7, Pirates 6, 15 inns
• Padres 6, Diamondbacks 3
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
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was