Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer and Josh Paul added a grand slam to lead the Anaheim Angels over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-7 on Thursday.
Darin Erstad hit a two-run shot for the Angels, who took two of three at Tampa Bay and have won 10 of 14 overall. Anaheim trails American League West-leading Oakland by one-and-a-half games and is one game behind wild-card leaders Boston and Texas.
John Lackey (10-10) took a shutout into the seventh inning before allowing four runs. He threw a three-hit shutout against Tampa Bay on May 7.
Francisco Rodriguez got five outs for his 10th save.
Carl Crawford homered and stole his 50th base for the Devil Rays, who have lost eight of nine. Rob Bell (5-7) gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings.
Tigers 8, White Sox 4
In Chicago, Bobby Higginson homered twice and Wilfredo Ledezma pitched six effective innings, leading Detroit over Chicago.
Craig Monroe and Higginson hit consecutive solo shots in the second. Higginson's three-run drive in the third capped Detroit's five-run outburst and finished Jon Garland (8-9).
Ledezma (3-0) blanked the White Sox for the first five innings and had an 8-0 lead before Chicago scored three in the sixth, capped by Juan Uribe's two-run homer.
Chicago played for the third straight game without manager Ozzie Guillen, who got his second two-game suspension Thursday, this time for calling umpire Hunter Wendelstedt a liar.
Yankees 13, Twins 10
In Minneapolis, Gary Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning, sending New York to a seesaw win over Minnesota.
Down 9-3 and minus Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter after he crashed into the fence, the Twins came back and almost swept the three-game series between AL division leaders.
Shannon Stewart hit a two-out, two-run triple past Sheffield's lunge in right field, giving the Twins a 10-9 lead in the eighth and capping an improbable comeback against New York's stellar bullpen.
But the Yankees bounced back against All-Star closer Joe Nathan (1-1), who had not allowed a run in 29 innings.
Sheffield hit a tying home run with one out. Alex Rodriguez, just back from a four-game suspension, followed with a single and a stolen base before Hideki Matsui grounded a go-ahead single.
Tom Gordon (4-3) got the win despite allowing Stewart's triple. Mariano Rivera earned his major league-leading 41st save.
Royals-Mariners, postponed
In Kansas City, Missouri, the game between Seattle and Kansas City scheduled was postponed by rain before it began. The game will be made up as a doubleheader on Aug. 28 at Seattle.
Greg Maddux overcame a shaky start to earn his 301st win, and Sammy Sosa hit one of Chicago's three homers to help the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 on Thursday.
Maddux (12-8) allowed four runs in the first inning, but settled down to push the Cubs within a half-game of idle San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.
Maddux won for the fifth time in six decisions. He retired 13 of his final 14 batters and left after seven innings with an 8-5 lead.
Sosa hit his 27th homer of the season and 566th overall, moving within seven of Harmon Killebrew for seventh place on the career list. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez also homered for the Cubs, who handed Milwaukee its sixth loss in eight games. LaTroy Hawkins got his 19th save.
Astros 12, Phillies 10
In Philadelphia, Eric Bruntlett, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman homered during a seven-run rally in the seventh inning and Houston turned a game-changing triple play to send Philadelphia to its seventh straight loss.
The Phillies led 7-2 in the fifth when Todd Pratt grounded into a bases-loaded triple play, the first turned by Houston in 13 years. The Astros swept the three-game series and won their fourth in a row.
Other results: Mets 10, Rockies 3, 1st game; Mets 4, Rockies 2, 2nd game; Pirates 3, Cardinals 2, 10 innings; Braves 6, Dodgers 5
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS