AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history, a dazzling performance for the Athletics in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
PHOTO: AFP
When Gabe Kapler grounded out to shortstop for the final out, Braden had completed the majors’ first perfect game since Mark Buehrle did it for the White Sox against the Rays on July 23 last year, and the second no-hitter this season after Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez pulled it off in Atlanta on April 17.
Braden pitched the A’s first perfect game since Hall of Famer Jim “Catfish” Hunter on May 8, 1968, against the Minnesota Twins.
Braden (4-2) threw two-strike changeups and got quick outs against a Rays team that lost on the road for just the third time this year. He struck out six in the 109-pitch performance, throwing 77 strikes in his 53rd career start.
RED SOX 9, YANKEES 3
At Boston, Massachusetts, Jon Lester pitched seven strong innings and Jeremy Hermida homered and drove in three runs to help the Red Sox end the Yankees six-game winning streak.
Lester (3-2) entered the game having allowed just one earned run over his previous 20-and-two-thirds innings and won his third consecutive start. A.J. Burnett (4-1) worked four-and-one-third innings and gave up nine runs.
Alex Rodriguez equaled Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for seventh place with 586 career homers when he hit a solo shot off Lester in the fourth.
INDIANS 7, TIGERS 4
At Cleveland, Ohio, Andy Marte drove in three runs, Mark Grudzielanek had three hits and two RBIs and the Indians ended a 10-game losing streak to Detroit.
Magglio Ordonez had two hits and two RBIs for Detroit, which couldn’t overcome another rough outing by Max Scherzer. Austin Jackson had two hits and scored twice.
Grudzielanek hit a tiebreaking RBI single off Max Scherzer (1-3) in the fifth and singled in another run in the seventh to make it 6-4. Marte added a sacrifice fly for the final run.
Chris Perez, the Indians’ fifth pitcher, worked the ninth for his fifth save.
Mitch Talbot (4-2) allowed four runs over five innings for his fourth win in five starts.
BLUE JAYS 9, WHITE SOX 7
At Chicago, Fred Lewis hit a three-run homer off Bobby Jenks as the Blue Jays rallied to win, getting homers from Vernon Wells and Adam Lind along the way.
Jenks (1-1) failed to retire any of the four batters he faced.
Travis Snider doubled and John Buck singled before Lewis drove a 3-1 pitch into the right-field seats to give the Blue Jays an 8-7 lead.
It was Lewis’ second homer of the season.
Jason Frasor (2-1) allowed Carlos Quentin’s RBI double in the eighth but got the win when Toronto rallied. Kevin Gregg pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances.
In other AL play, it was:
• Twins 6, Orioles 0
• Rangers 6, Royals 4
• Mariners 8, Angels 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Placido Polanco, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino homered and Cole Hamels survived a shaky start as the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen hung on to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 on Sunday.
Hamels (3-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out five.
Chad Durbin relieved Hamels and pitched two innings, striking out four of the six batters he faced. Jose Contreras got three outs and Brad Lidge threw a perfect ninth for the save.
Troy Glaus had two hits and two RBIs for the Braves. Kenshin Kawakami (0-6) surrendered five runs and seven hits in six-and-two-thirds innings.
GIANTS 6, METS 5
At New York, Aaron Rowand hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning after the Giants blew a two-run lead for Tim Lincecum as San Francisco ended the Mets’ nine-game home winning streak.
New York — which won the first two games of the series with game-ending homers — lost for the first time at home since April 21.
Lincecum left after six innings with a 4-2 lead, but the Giants fell apart in the seventh. Jason Bay’s wind-aided two-run single off Dan Runzler tied it and David Wright gave New York its first lead with a sacrifice fly.
Rowand homered to right-center after Jenrry Meija (0-2) issued the Mets’ 10th of 11 walks to retake the lead, and Brian Wilson prevented the Mets from making it three last at-bat wins in a row.
DODGERS 2, ROCKIES 0
At Los Angeles, Clayton Kershaw struck out nine, walked three and fanned five-time All-Star Todd Helton his first three times up to guide the Dodgers to victory.
Russell Martin homered with two out in the eighth against Matt Daley and Jonathan Broxton allowed two hits in the ninth before picking up his third save in five attempts.
In other NL play, it was:
• Reds 5, Cubs 3
• Nationals 3, Marlins 2
• Cardinals 11, Pirates 4
• Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 1
• Astros 4, Padres 3, 11 innings
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