AMERICAN LEAGUE
Even without injured captain Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees were too good for Texas on Tuesday, hammering previously unbeaten pitcher Alexi Ogando in a 12-4 rout of the Rangers.
The Yankees, who placed Jeter on the 15-day disabled list after the shortstop strained his right calf a day earlier, burst out of the blocks with six runs in the second inning to chase Ogando from the game.
Jeter made his presence felt on the bench by giving advice to his replacement, Eduardo Nunez, who finished with two hits and an RBI in the second.
“He told me what kind of pitch [Ogando] had and he told me to wait for a fastball,” Nunez told reporters. “[When I got the hit] Jeter said, ‘Man, I told you.’”
Curtis Granderson hit a two-run single during the second-inning onslaught and added a two-run home run in the sixth where the Yankees scored three times.
Ogando had won his first seven decisions of the season, but the right-hander never made it out of the second inning.
“I just didn’t feel very well,” Ogando said. “I was not making my pitches and locating. They hit me hard. That’s pretty much it.”
New York (37-28) starter C.C. Sabathia pitched seven innings and allowed four runs to improve to 8-4 this season.
Michael Young had a two-RBI single in the fourth for the Rangers and the visitors added two runs in the fifth.
BLUE JAYS 6, ORIOLES 5, 11 INNINGS
In Toronto, Adam Lind homered to lead off the 11th inning and give Toronto a victory over Baltimore that snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Blue Jays have won 15 straight at home against Baltimore since Aug. 7, 2009.
Lind connected against Koji Uehara (1-1) and finished with two RBIs. Aaron Hill also homered for the Blue Jays and Shawn Camp (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.
Matt Wieters’ two-run homer off Toronto reliever Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth tied it at five. J.J. Hardy had three hits for the Orioles.
TIGERS 4, INDIANS 0
In Detroit, Michigan, Justin Verlander almost pitched another no-hitter, taking his latest bid into the eighth inning to lead the Detroit Tigers past the Cleveland Indians 4-0 on Tuesday and into first place in the American League Central.
With two no-hitters already on his resume, including one in Toronto last month, Verlander (8-3) struck out a season-high 12 and dominated the slumping Indians until Orlando Cabrera lined a clean single to center with one out in the eighth for his 2,001st career hit.
The hard-throwing right-hander finished with a two-hitter, giving Detroit sole possession of the division lead for the first time this year. He walked one, hit a batter with a pitch and has won six straight decisions.
Andy Dirks drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have won 12 of 16.
Yankees left-hander Jim Abbott was the last pitcher to hold Cleveland hitless on Sept. 4, 1993, in New York.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Angels 4, Mariners 0
‧ Rays 4, Red Sox 0
‧ Royals 7, Athletics 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, WASHINGTON
Ryan Zimmerman hit a run-scoring double in his return from the disabled list to spark a six-run seventh-inning as the Washington Nationals beat the St Louis Cardinals 8-6 on Tuesday.
Zimmerman had missed 58 games because of an injured abdominal muscle. He doubled down the right-field line to drive in the Nationals’ first run of the seventh.
Washington’s last four runs in the inning scored with two outs. The tying run scored on a wild pitch and the Nationals took the lead on a bases-loaded walk.
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