NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHILADELPHIA
Jonathan Sanchez allowed just two hits while pitching into the ninth inning, steering the San Francisco Giants to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday that averted a sweep in the clash of National League wild-card contenders.
Sanchez (9-8) became the first Giants starting pitcher to record a win in 15 games. No runner reached second base against Sanchez, who retired 15 straight after hitting a batter with a pitch in the fourth.
Buster Posey lined a pair of RBI doubles for the Giants, who ended a three-game skid while arresting the Phillies winning trot at four.
San Francisco, who had scored three or fewer runs in each of their past five games, jumped on Phillies starter Cole Hamels (7-10) for three first-inning runs.
DODGERS 2, ROCKIES 0
In Los Angeles, Ted Lilly threw his third career shutout as Los Angeles downed Colorado.
Lilly (7-8) had a season-high 11 strikeouts, walked two and retired 19 consecutive batters in his fourth straight start since joining the Dodgers.
Colorado didn’t get a hit between one out in the first and two outs in the seventh.
Reed Johnson hit his first homer of the season for Los Angeles.
Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (4-4) allowed two runs and four walks over seven innings.
PADRES 5, CUBS 3
In Chicago, San Diego completed its first four-game sweep of Chicago in its 42-year history.
Will Venable hit a two-run single amid four runs in the seventh inning, helping the NL West-leading Padres to their 10th win in 11 games.
The Cubs lost their seventh straight at home, their longest skid at Wrigley Field since 2006.
San Diego starter Mat Latos (13-5) had a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings, yielding two runs.
Cubs reliever Sean Marshall (6-4) recorded just one out in the seventh and was charged with four runs and the loss.
NATIONALS 6, BRAVES 2
In Atlanta, Nyjer Morgan had two hits and scored two runs in his return from the disabled list, lifting Washington over Atlanta.
Nationals starter John Lannan (5-5) gave up two runs in 5 1-3 innings to win his third straight start.
Atlanta starter Derek Lowe (11-11) pitched seven innings, yielding four runs.
The NL East-leading Braves, who had won four straight, were to get a boost yesterday when newly acquired first baseman Derrek Lee makes his first start after being traded from the Cubs.
REDS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 5
In Phoenix, Ramon Hernandez and Jay Bruce hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie and help Cincinnati to victory over Arizona.
The victory gave the Reds a three-game sweep over the NL West cellar dwellers, and was Cincinnati’s sixth straight win overall, the team’s longest streak of the season.
The Reds took a season-high three-game lead over St Louis in the NL Central.
Hernandez, on a .360 tear with two home runs since coming off the disabled list, blasted a three-run shot to left field on the first pitch he saw from Joe Saunders (7-13). Bruce followed with his second homer in as many nights. It was the seventh time the Reds hit back-to-back homers this season.
Cincinnatis’ Travis Wood (4-1), called up from the minors on Thursday, lasted 6 1-3 innings and allowed one run.
In other NL play it was:
• Astros 3, Mets 2
• Marlins 4, Pirates 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
Paul Konerko had five hits and four RBIs as the Chicago White Sox won 11-0 on Thursday to put an abrupt end to the Minnesota’s surge in the American League.
Konerko hit his 31st home run of the season and had a double and three singles among Chicago’s 21 hits to help the Sox avoid a sweep and shave the Twins’ lead to four games in the AL Central.
Chicago starter Mark Buehrle (12-9) pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing only three runners past first base all game.
Twins starter Carl Pavano (15-8) set a career worst and tied a club record by giving up 15 hits. He gave up seven runs in six innings. The Twins lost at sold-out Target Field for the first time in 10 games and missed a chance to take a six-game lead in the division.
ATHLETICS 4, RAYS 3
In Oakland, Cliff Pennington hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning to lift Oakland to a tight win over Tampa Bay.
Rays starter Trevor Cahill shook off an unusually rough start to record his team-leading 13th win. Having only allowed one earned run in his previous 33 innings, Cahiall gave up two homers and was headed for a loss until Pennington’s hit off reliever Dan Wheeler (2-1).
The Rays had a five-game winning streak snapped and fell one game behind the Yankees in the AL East.
Jerry Blevins pitched the ninth for his first career save as Oakland held on for a third straight win.
YANKEES 11, TIGERS 5
In New York, Robinson Cano hit a tiebreaking double and a two-run homer in New York’s nine-run sixth inning as the Yankees beat Detroit.
Cano has homered in three straight games while batting fourth in the order. He had three hits and scored three times for the Yankees, who took the final three of a four-game series with the fading Tigers.
Detroit starter Rick Porcello (5-11) gave up six runs in five innings.
New York starter Phil Hughes (15-1) allowed two hits in six innings.
ANGELS 7, RED SOX 2
In Boston, Hideki Matsui hit a three-run homer, then drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk as Los Angeles won its first game in ten against Boston this season.
Angels starter Ervin Santana (13-8) allowed two runs in seven-plus innings. Kevin Jepsen pitched out of Santana’s bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the eighth.
The Angels had lost three straight to fall below .500.
Boston starter Josh Beckett (3-3) took a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning before giving up four straight hits, leading to four Los Angeles runs. He allowed six runs in all.
In other AL play it was:
• Orioles 4, Rangers 0
• Indians 7, Royals 3
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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
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