AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer for the Yankees, who beat up on Oakland again in a 9-3 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night.
The victory moved the Yankees back into sole possession of first place in the AL East. Tampa Bay and New York had shared the lead for eight days.
The Yankees, who came back from a three-run deficit to win 11-5 the night before, jumped on A’s starter Vin Mazzaro right away.
Brett Gardner led off the first with a single, and the Yankees scored three runs in the inning, helped by second baseman Mark Ellis’s fielding error and Jorge Posada’s triple.
Yankees starter Phil Hughes (16-6) walked five, but only gave up two runs and four hits in five innings.
BLUE JAYS 13, RAYS 5
At St Petersburg, Florida, Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 43rd homer during a 10-run sixth inning for Toronto.
Tampa Bay lost for only the fifth time in 17 games, but fell a game behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.
Bautista capped the sixth-inning outburst with a three-run shot off reliever Lance Cormier that put the Blue Jays up 11-3. It was the most runs scored in one inning by Toronto since an 11-run sixth on July 25, 2007, at Minnesota.
TWINS 4, TIGERS 3
At Minneapolis, Minnesota, Delmon Young had two hits, including the go-ahead single in the seventh, to lift the Twins over the Tigers.
Young’s big hit came after Tigers reliever Phil Coke (7-4) hit two batters to load the bases and Ryan Perry walked in the leveling run.
Danny Valencia had three hits and an RBI and Brian Duensing gave up three unearned runs on nine hits in 6 2-3 innings for the Twins, who stayed four games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
Jhonny Peralta had three hits and an RBI for the Tigers, but struck out with the tying run at third base to end the game.
Matt Guerrier (3-7) picked up the win and Matt Capps got his seventh save since being acquired from Washington and 33rd on the season.
WHITE SOX 4, INDIANS 3
At Cleveland, Ohio, with Manny Ramirez standing in the on-deck circle ready to pinch-hit, A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run homer off Frank Herrmann in the ninth inning to lift the White Sox to a win over the Indians.
Ramirez, who arrived earlier in the day to help Chicago’s playoff push, was poised to make his White Sox debut and bat for Brent Lillibridge before Pierzynski came through.
He drove an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right field, and as he rounded the bases, Ramirez retreated to Chicago’s dugout, where the fun-loving slugger celebrated his new teammate’s heroics by high-fiving the rest of the White Sox.
In other AL play, it was:
• Orioles 5, Red Sox 2
• Royals 10, Rangers 9
• Mariners 3, Angels 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, CINCINNATI, OHIO
Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman reached 164kph during one perfect inning on Tuesday as Cincinnati beat Milwaukee to wrap up the best August by any team in the majors.
The NL Central leaders moved a season-high seven games ahead of St Louis. The Reds haven’t led by so many games since 1995, the last time they reached the playoffs.
Chapman joined the Reds’ bullpen and matched the hype his first time out, throwing four pitches clocked at 160kph or better. The Reds called up the hard-throwing lefty, hoping he can add some sizzle to their September — and beyond.
The Reds pulled away from St Louis by going 19-8 last month, the best mark in the majors.
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