AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas’ Craig Gentry, starting for the first time in two weeks, hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning that lifted the Rangers to a 10-6 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The Rangers avoided a four-game sweep in a matchup of AL division leaders and won for the first time at Yankee Stadium in nine attempts.
The Yankees led 5-4 before the Rangers came back with three runs in the seventh. David Murphy hit a tying RBI double off Boone Logan (4-1) and, after an intentional walk that loaded the bases, Gentry lined a tie-breaking single up the middle.
Texas reliever Tanner Scheppers (1-0) won his first big league decision.
RAYS 7, ANGELS 0
In Anaheim, David Price pitched seven scoreless innings to notch his AL-leading 16th victory and lead Tampa Bay over Los Angeles.
Price (16-4) struck out eight and allowed only two runners to third base. Price is 8-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his past 11 starts.
Tampa Bay got home runs from Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist.
Los Angeles has gone 32 consecutive innings without scoring against the Rays.
Angels starter Dan Haren (8-10) gave up five runs in 3-1/3 innings. He has allowed at least one home run in each of his past 10 starts; a career worst.
RED SOX 6, ORIOLES 3
In Baltimore, Clay Buchholz shook off a rocky start to earn the win as Boston downed Baltimore.
After giving up six hits over the first two innings, Buchholz (11-3) kept the Orioles at bay, and the Red Sox rebounded from a 3-1 deficit. He allowed three runs in eight innings and struck out seven.
Dustin Pedroia singled in the tie-breaking run in the sixth inning as the Red Sox added three runs in that frame against Luis Ayala (4-4).
In other AL play, it was:
‧ White Sox 7, Blue Jays 2
‧ Athletics 3, Royals 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PITTSBURGH, Ohio
Pittsburgh’s Garrett Jones hit two three-run homers to power the Pirates to a 10-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, avoiding a three-game sweep.
Jones had a career-high six RBIs for the Pirates, who had lost six of seven. He homered in the first and fifth for his fifth two-homer game of his career.
Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett (15-4) became the first Pirates pitcher this century to notch 15 wins in a season.
He allowed seven hits with seven strikeouts.
Dodgers starter Joe Blanton (8-11) fell to 0-2 since being acquired in a trade from Philadelphia. He gave up eight runs and a season-worst four walks in 4 1-3 innings. Los Angeles had won six straight.
METS 8, REDS 4
In Cincinnati, rookie Matt Harvey drove in one more run than he allowed as New York snapped Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.
Harvey (2-3), who had lost three straight starts after winning in his major league debut, allowed one run in 7-2/3 innings.
He struck out eight, walked one and hit a batter. Harvey doubled in two runs in New York’s three-run fourth inning.
Ike Davis and Jason Bay hit solo home runs for the Mets, who capitalized on three errors.
The Reds, who entered with a season-high, seven-game lead in the NL Central, had it cut to six over Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey (10-8) allowed six runs in 5 1-3 innings.
DIAMONDBACKS 2, CARDINALS 1
In St Louis, Paul Goldschmidt and Chris Young homered on consecutive pitches in the ninth inning to lift Arizona over St Louis.
With St Louis ahead, Jason Motte (4-4) struck out the first batter in the ninth.
Goldschmidt fouled off three full-count pitches, then drove a pitch over center for his 18th home run of the season.
Young sent the next pitch over the wall in left.
Diamondbacks reliever David Hernandez (2-2) pitched a perfect eighth, and J.J. Putz finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
Arizona had lost its previous seven games against St Louis dating to last season.
In other NL play, it was:
‧ Braves 6, Padres 0
‧ Brewers 7, Phillies 4
‧ Rockies 5, Marlins 3
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set