NATIONAL LEAGUE
REUTERS AND AP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
The Atlanta Braves used an eighth-inning rally to beat the spiraling Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 on Thursday, moving to within two games from first place in the National League East Division.
PHOTO: AP
Matt Diaz hit a go-ahead double for a 3-2 lead and Garret Anderson followed with a pinch-hit home run against reliever Ryan Madson, giving Atlanta their fourth straight win and continued success over the defending World Series champions.
Atlanta are 7-2 this season against Philadelphia (39-37), who have lost 14 of their last 18 contests to slip back into a tie for the NL East lead with the Florida Marlins.
Philadelphia’s J.A. Happ (5-0) stayed sharp since being moved from the bullpen to a starting role, throwing seven innings and striking out five while allowing two runs in the fourth, where the Braves (38-40) took a 2-0 lead on a Casey Kotchman two-run home run.
The Phillies tied the game on RBIs from Greg Dobbs and Pedro Feliz in the sixth but were shutdown late by Atlanta’s strong bullpen.
Peter Moylan relieved Braves starter Javier Vazquez in the sixth and allowed just one hit in one-and-a-third innings, while Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano nailed down the eighth and ninth innings respectively.
Vazquez entered the contest having lost four of his last five decisions but rebounded with a performance that included 109 pitches over five-and-a-third innings as he struck out five batters.
Diaz aided the pitching effort with three hits and two runs as Atlanta swept the Phillies for the first time since 2007.
Philadelphia has struggled with offense since slugger Raul Ibanez suffered a groin injury to be sidelined since June 18.
In other NL games, it was:
• Astros 7, Padres 2
• Mets 9, Pirates 8, 10 inns
• Cubs 9, Brewers 5
• Reds 3, D’backs 2, 10 inns
• Cardinals 5, Giants 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Franklin Gutierrez and Russell Branyan homered as Seattle snapped New York’s seven-game winning streak with an 8-4 victory Thursday night.
Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-run double and Chris Woodward added two RBIs as the Mariners handed CC Sabathia his second loss in 11 starts.
Miguel Batista pitched two hitless innings to win in relief of Jason Vargas, who lasted four innings with flu symptoms.
Sabathia was pulled with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth. He allowed six runs and 10 hits, striking out eight.
In other AL action, it was:
• White Sox 4, Royals 1
• Angels 5, Orioles 2
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS