AMERICAN LEAGUE
The Chicago White Sox eased to a 9-4 victory over Oakland on Thursday, condemning the Athletics to a 10th consecutive loss just hours after Bob Melvin replaced fired manager Bob Geren on an interim basis.
Melvin’s changes to the batting order led to an early 1-0 lead for the visitors, but Chicago tapped Oakland starter Trevor Cahill for six runs, including a two-run homer by Adam Dunn, to grab control.
Photo: Reuters
Hideki Matsui’s two-run blast in the seventh inning narrowed Chicago’s lead to 6-3 before the White Sox made sure of victory with three more runs in the eighth. Oakland added one more run in the ninth.
“There’s just so much going on, on a day like this,” Melvin told reporters. “It just seems like the baseball is secondary, and once you get to the game it’s a bit of a relief that a game is going on. There were travel issues, not only with me, but with players, last night ... meetings here and there, and you’ve got to get your feet wet in a new uniform. I’ve never done it mid-season before, either, so it’s a little different.”
Earlier on Thursday, Oakland general manager Billy Beane said in a statement that Melvin would serve as temporary manager for the rest of the season and the changeover was effective immediately.
“Bob Geren has been relieved of his duties as manager and former Major League manager Bob Melvin has been named interim manager for the remainder of the 2011 season,” Beane said.
The slumping Athletics have had an indifferent start to the season and now sit at the bottom of the American League West -standings with a 27-37 record.
Geren, 47, who had compiled a 334-376 record in his four completed seasons with the A’s, was in the final year of his contract, but facing increasing criticism over the team’s poor performances and his managerial style.
Melvin, 49, posted a 493-508 record in seven previous seasons as a Major League manager. He led the Seattle Mariners from 2003-2004 and the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2005-2009.
The Athletics have won the World Series four times since they moved from Kansas to California in 1968. Their most recent championship was in 1989 and their last appearance in the World Series was 1990.
RED SOX 8, YANKEES 3
In New York, David Ortiz started and finished a seven-run burst in the seventh inning that led the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees in a rain-delayed game that ended early yesterday.
After a wait of almost three-and-a-half hours, Josh Beckett (5-2) outpitched C.C. Sabathia (7-4) for the third time this season. Boston outscored New York 25-13 in its second three-game sweep in Yankee Stadium in a month.
Only a few thousand fans were left when Boston wrapped up its sixth win in a row overall and beat the Yankees for the seventh straight time. The Red Sox are 8-1 against their longtime rivals this year.
Hit in the right thigh by Sabathia’s fastball in the third inning, Ortiz got more than even a little later. The Red Sox trailed 2-0 when he singled off Sabathia to start the seventh.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Tigers 4, Mariners 1
‧ Twins 5, Rangers 4
‧ Royals 3, Blue Jays 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHILADELPHIA
In Philadelphia, Geovany Soto hit a game-leveling homer off Ryan Madson with one out in the ninth inning and Tyler Colvin scored from second base on a throwing error in the 11th as the Chicago Cubs edged the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 in a game that ended early yesterday.
Colvin’s go-ahead homer in the ninth was overturned by umpires after replays showed a fan wearing a Phillies T-shirt reaching over the fence and interfering with the ball. However, the Cubs still won their second straight after losing eight in a row.
Strong wind and heavy rain stopped the game for one hour, 17 minutes in the bottom of the third. Neither starter returned when play resumed, and the teams used 12 relievers. Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins hit a three-run homer in the second.
BRAVES 3, MARLINS 2
In Miami, Jair Jurrjens threw seven solid innings and drove in a run as Atlanta handed Florida their eighth straight loss.
Alex Gonzalez also drove in a run with a double to help the Braves complete a three-game sweep at Sun Life Stadium for the first time since May 2 to May 4, 1995. Mike Stanton homered off Jurrjens in the seventh.
Also on Thursday, it was:
‧ Diamondbacks 2, Pirates 0
‧ Mets 4, Brewers 1
‧ Cardinals 9, Astros 2
‧ Reds 3, Giants 0
‧ Rockies 9, Dodgers 7
‧ Padres 7, Nationals 3
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