AMERICAN LEAGUE
REUTERS, CLEVELAND, OHIO
The stage was set for Alex Rodriguez, a chance to celebrate his 35th birthday with a ninth-inning, game-tying home run that would make him only the seventh Major League Baseball player to hit 600 career homers.
However, the stadium lights dimmed shortly after A-Rod bounced meekly to short to end a 4-1 victory for the Cleveland Indians over the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
“I saw an opportunity to get a big hit to at least keep the rally going,” Rodriguez said about his ninth-inning chance with Brett Gardner on third and Derek Jeter on first. “The No. 1 thing is you want is to get a big hit, hit the ball hard somewhere. A home run would be fantastic, not to get 600 but to tie the game.”
Rodriguez grounded out three times in the game and hit a long fly to right-center in the seventh that was caught just in front of the warning track.
A-Rod is hitless in eight at-bats after two games of a four-game series in Cleveland.
“For me, the biggest thing is to stay within the game and not try to do too much,” Rodriguez told reporters, saying that a few times in recent days he had “tried to swing too hard or maybe got a little pull happy.”
“As long as I swing at strikes and think big part of the field, like that ball to right-center, good things are going to happen,” he said.
Good things happened on Tuesday for 25-year-old Indians starter Josh Tomlin, who kept the Bronx Bombers off balance as he notched a victory in his major league debut.
“He threw the ball extremely well,” Rodriguez said. “He kept working ahead of guys. For the most part, I don’t think we had any good swings against him.”
RAYS 3, TIGERS 2
James Shields pitched six-and-two-thirds strong innings to guide the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in the American League in St Petersburg, Florida, on Tuesday.
Shields (9-9) allowed just one walk and had seven strikeouts as the Rays closed within two games of AL East-leading New York.
Tampa Bay went up 3-2 when Matt Joyce had a broken-bat run-scoring double during the sixth.
Detroit’s Justin Verlander (12-6) allowed three runs in his second complete game of the season, but took the loss.
Rafael Soriano, the Rays’ fourth reliever, struggled in the ninth before getting his 27th save.
RED SOX 4, ANGELS 2
In Anaheim, California, John Lackey pitched into the eighth inning to win in his return to Angel Stadium, directing Boston’s win over Los Angeles.
Lackey (10-5), pitching against his old team, threw 124 pitches.
Jed Lowrie’s two-run double in the seventh put Boston ahead in just his sixth game of the season after missing nearly four months with mononucleosis.
Angels starter Jered Weaver (9-7) allowed six hits in seven innings as Los Angeles slumped to its sixth loss in seven games.
RANGERS 3, ATHLETICS 1, 10 INNINGS
In Arlington, Texas, Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to lift Texas over Oakland.
With the game tied 1-1, Josh Hamilton drew a one-out walk off Michael Wertz (2-2) and Cruz followed with his homer.
Oakland advanced a runner to third with two outs in the 10th, but Texas’ Neftali Feliz (2-2) struck out Cliff Pennington to end it.
Rangers starter Cliff Lee struck out a career-high 13 — the most by a Texas pitcher for 11 years — but remained stuck on 99 career victories.
TWINS 11, ROYALS 2
In Kansas City, Missouri, Danny Valencia drove in three runs as Minnesota completed the worst three-day pitching span in Kansas City history.
In their past three games, the Royals have given up 42 runs — surpassing the team’s previous worst of 40. The 53 hits they have given up is also a new worst.
Valencia had two singles and a double in his first three at-bats against Royals starter Bruce Chen (5-5), who was charged with six runs. He added an RBI single in the eighth, making him 4 for 5.
Twins starter Carl Pavano (13-6) won his eighth straight decision, giving up one run in give innings.
The Twins have won six of seven and over their past four games against Baltimore and Kansas City they have 47 runs and 72 hits.
BLUE JAYS 8, ORIOLES 2
In Toronto, Jose Bautista hit two home runs, giving him a major league-leading 30, as Toronto beat Baltimore for the 11th straight time.
It was the fifth multi-homer game of the season for Bautista, who has connected in three straight and leads the AL with 10 this month.
Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero (8-7) pitched seven-and-two-thirds strong innings, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and not allowing a run until the eighth. He walked one and struck out eight.
Baltimore starter Kevin Millwood (2-10) allowed six runs in five-and-one-third innings and is winless in four starts.
WHITE SOX 11, MARINERS 0
In Chicago, Alexei Ramirez, Andruw Jones and Paul Konerko homered as Chicago routed Seattle.
Ramirez finished with three hits and three RBIs. He also singled in a run in the first, and is 8 for 12 with five RBIs in his past three games, including six hits in consecutive games against Seattle.
Jones drove in three runs for the White Sox, who led 8-0 after three innings against Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-10), who allowed 11 runs in five innings.
White Sox starter Gavin Floyd (6-8) took the win, ceding four hits in seven innings.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier hit a two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning for the only runs of the game as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the San Diego Padres 2-0 in Tuesday’s clash of National League West rivals.
Ethier didn’t start in right field due to a stomach bug, but manager Joe Torre brought in the noted clutch hitter with the bases loaded and the score tied 0-0.
The Dodgers have won five of six against the Padres this season, including four straight at Petco Park, and closed within five games of the NL West leaders.
San Diego starter Jon Garland (9-7) allowed five hits in six-and-two-thirds innings, departing after Ethier’s hit. L.A. starter Chad Billingsley (9-5) held the Padres pitched six scoreless innings.
NATIONALS 3, BRAVES 0
In Washington, scheduled starter Stephen Strasburg was scratched with a shoulder injury in the warm-up, so reliever Miguel Batista made his first start in nearly two years and guided Washington to victory over Atlanta.
The 39-year-old journeyman Batista (1-2) pitched five scoreless innings, striking out six and walking only one.
Braves starter Tommy Hanson (8-7) went six innings, giving up only one earned run and no walks while striking out eight, but was undone by a couple of throwing errors.
GIANTS 6, MARLINS 4
In San Francisco, Juan Uribe hit a tie-breaking homer leading off the eighth inning to lift San Francisco over Florida.
Uribe, starting in place of Pablo Sandoval at third base, homered off Brian Sanches (0-2) to break a 3-3 tie. Edgar Renteria followed three batters later with a two-run shot for only his second homer of the season.
METS 8, CARDINALS 2
In New York, the hosts returned home, after being shut out four times during a 2-9 road trip, and rediscovered some offensive pep, beating St Louis.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright’s career-best scoreless streak was ended at 26 innings. Wainwright (14-6) allowed a season-worst six runs.
In other NL play, it was:
Reds 12, Brewers 4
Phillies 9, Diamondbacks 5
Astros 6, Cubs 1
Pirates 4, Rockies 2
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday said that he will probably be out for an extended period after hurting his right calf again after a similar injury caused him to miss eight games earlier this season. Antetokounmpo had his right calf wrapped in the first half of their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He did not appear comfortable the rest of the night and left for good with 34 seconds remaining. “At the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop playing,” Antetokounmpo said. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player said he expected to undergo an MRI
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