AMERICAN LEAGUE
Matt Moore pitched six solid innings to remain unbeaten and tie for the major league lead in wins, sending the surging Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Moore (7-0) yielded a three-run homer to David Ortiz in the first, then limited the struggling Red Sox to one hit over the next five innings.
Photo: AFP
The Rays overcame the early deficit with a five-run fifth off John Lackey (1-4). Jose Molina and Matt Joyce each drove in two runs in the inning, helping Tampa Bay extend their winning streak to a season-high six games.
Boston have lost six of seven, including three straight.
Moore allowed three hits and struck out eight. The 23-year-old lefty matched Washington’s Jordan Zimmerman for the major league lead in victories, became the first Tampa Bay starter to begin a season 7-0 and tied a club record by winning his eighth straight decision dating to September.
Fernando Rodney struck out the side in the ninth to finish the combined three-hitter and earn his seventh save.
YANKEES 4, MARINERS 3
In New York, Robinson Cano hit a two-run double, Lyle Overbay delivered a tiebreaking sacrifice fly and New York rallied past Seattle after Felix Hernandez left following a couple of odd twists.
Hernandez exited after six innings with a 3-1 lead, having outpitched C.C. Sabathia in the first matchup between the former Cy Young Award winners. However, Hernandez tweaked his back in the sixth when he fielded a comebacker, pivoted and threw to second for a forceout.
The righthander allowed one earned run in another strong outing at Yankee Stadium, and leads the AL with a 1.53 ERA. Sabathia, who had won his last eight starts against Seattle, struck out 10 in 6-1/3 innings, while giving up 10 hits.
Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer for Seattle in his return to Yankee Stadium. New York star Curtis Granderson came off the disabled list and went zero for three with a walk in his season debut.
Down 3-1, the Yankees rallied for three runs in the seventh to win for the seventh time in eight games.
Charlie Furbush (0-2) gave up Cano’s tying double off the base of the wall in right-center.
Shawn Kelley (2-0) got two outs and Mariano Rivera remained perfect in 16 save chances this season.
In other play, it was:
‧ Rangers 6, Athletics 5,
10 innings
‧ Angels 6, Royals 2
‧ Tigers 6, Astros 2
‧ White Sox 4, Twins 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ST LOUIS, Missouri
Carlos Beltran drove in four runs and rookie left-hander John Gast picked up a win in his major league debut, helping the St Louis Cardinals cruise past the New York Mets 10-4 on Tuesday night.
Gast (1-0) tossed five shutout innings before giving up four runs in the sixth. He surrendered six hits, struck out three and walked one in a 71-pitch effort to help the Cardinals win for the fifth time in six games, and 11th in their last 13.
Beltran slammed a three-run homer in the fifth inning, his team-high 10th, to give St Louis a 9-0 lead. He also added a run-scoring hit in the third.
Dillon Gee (2-5) gave up six runs — five earned — in four innings for the Mets, who lost their fifth straight.
ROCKIES 9, CUBS 4
In Chicago, Carlos Gonzalez homered twice and finished with a career-high five hits to lead the struggling Rockies to a victory over the Cubs.
Gonzalez was five for five and fell a triple shy of a cycle, and Eric Young Jr also homered for the Rockies, who had lost five of their last six.
Colorado increased its lead to 5-0 in the third when Gonzalez hit his eighth of the season deep into the right-field bleachers. His home run in the ninth put the Rockies up 8-3 and gave him nine multihome run games in his career.
Jeff Francis (2-3), winless since April 5, gave up one run and three hits, while striking out seven in six innings. He was 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA over his previous six outings.
Carlos Villanueva (1-3) allowed six runs and 12 hits in five innings for the Cubs.
In other play, it was:
‧ Reds 6, Marlins 2
‧ Diamondbacks 2, Braves 0
‧ Pirates 4, Brewers 3,
12 innings
‧ Dodgers 2, Nationals 0
INTERLEAGUE PLAY
‧ Blue Jays 10, Giants 6
‧ Padres 3, Orioles 2
‧ Phillies 6, Indians 2
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