AMERICAN LEAGUE
Nine-time Golden Glove winner Torri Hunter lost Carlos Peguero’s fly ball with two outs in the ninth inning in the sun, allowing Jack Cust to score and give the Seattle Mariners a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels in the American League on Thursday.
Seattle swept the brief two-game series in unusual fashion.
Photo: Reuters
Cust started the ninth with a check-swing dribbler up the third base line that beat the Angels defensive shift. A sacrifice bunt and ground out to first moved Cust to third. Peguero then hit a fly ball to left-center field. Hunter was in position, but then lost the ball in the bright sun and it fell in for a hit to score Cust.
Doug Fister went eight strong innings, giving up just a solo homer to the Angels’ Howie Kendrick. Los Angeles starter Dan Haren also went eight innings, allowing just three hits and one run to the Mariners.
YANKEES 13, ORIOLES 2
Photo: AFP
In Baltimore, Maryland, C.C. Sabathia scattered seven hits over eight shutout innings and Nick Swisher drove in four runs as New York beat Baltimore for a two-game sweep.
Mark Teixeira and Eduardo Nunez homered for the Yankees, who have matched a season-high with three straight wins after a six-game skid. New York had 14 hits, including three doubles, three triples and two home runs.
Sabathia (4-3) struck out nine, walked none and permitted only two runners to reach third base.
The Yankees left-hander is 2-0 against the Orioles this season, 16-2 in his career and 10-1 at Camden Yards.
TWINS 11, ATHLETICS 1
In Oakland, California, Justin Morneau homered and had three hits, while Rene Rivera hit his first home run in nearly five years for suddenly resurgent Minnesota.
Nick Blackburn pitched seven solid innings for Minnesota, who have won three straight — all on the road — following a season-high nine-game losing streak.
Trevor Plouffe also homered, while Michael Cuddyer added three hits. Plouffe homered as part of a six-run eighth inning, the Twins’ best of the season.
Hideki Matsui walked and scored for Oakland, who lost their starting pitcher Tyson Ross to a strained left oblique after he threw just seven pitches.
BLUE JAYS 3, RAYS 2
In Toronto, J.P. Arencibia hit a tie-breaking two-run homer and Juan Rivera also connected as Toronto beat Tampa Bay.
B.J. Upton and Kelly Shoppach had solo homers for the Rays, losers of four of six.
Ricky Romero (4-4) allowed one run and three hits in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season. He walked two and struck out six.
Romero pitched a season-high 8-2/3 shutout innings to beat Minnesota on May 13.
Marc Rzepczynski gave up Shoppach’s homer in the eighth and Frank Francisco finished in the ninth for his fifth save in six opportunities.
Rivera went two-for-three and scored a pair of runs as the Blue Jays won for the seventh time in eight games.
RED SOX 4, TIGERS 3
In Boston, Carl Crawford hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Boston past Detroit for their season-high sixth straight win.
After blowing a 3-1 lead in the eighth by giving up homers to Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera, Boston rallied in the ninth to complete a two-game sweep.
Jonathan Papelbon (2-0) got the win after pitching a scoreless, but hectic ninth, then the Red Sox came through against Al Alburquerque (0-1) in the bottom half.
J.D. Drew and David Ortiz each homered for Boston, while Josh Beckett pitched six solid innings. He was pulled before the seventh with tightness in his neck as the Red Sox took no chances on the cool, misty night.
Thursday’s other results:
‧ White Sox 8, Indians 2
‧ Royals 2, Rangers 1, 10 innings
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHILADELPHIA
Jason Giambi became the second-oldest player to hit three homers in a game and equal his career-high with seven RBIs as he led the Colorado Rockies past the Philadelphia Phillies 7-1 in the National League on Thursday.
Jhoulys Chacin was the beneficiary of Giambi’s turn-back-the-clock power display. Chacin (5-2) allowed one run and four hits, striking out a season-high nine in seven innings.
Making a rare start at first base in place of Todd Helton, Giambi went deep in his first three at-bats. The 40-year-old former American League MVP entered three-for-26 (.115) this season with one home run and four RBIs.
CARDINALS 4, ASTROS 2
In St Louis, Missouri, first-year starter Kyle McClellan became the National League’s first six-game winner as backup catcher Gerald Laird’s two-run double helped St Louis beat Houston for a two-game sweep.
Allen Craig homered in a three-hit game as the stand-in cleanup batter for injured Matt Holliday. The Cardinals completed a 4-0 homestand behind stingy pitching that allowed only five runs.
J.A. Happ (3-5) had a season-high eight strikeouts for the Astros, allowing three runs in six innings. Houston have lost five in a row, totaling just 29 hits while getting outscored 22-10.
METS 1, NATIONALS 0
In New York, Dillon Gee (3-0) shut down Washington once again, tossing hitless ball until pitcher Livan Hernandez grounded a clean single with two outs in the sixth inning, in New York’s victory.
The game ended with Washington manager Jim Riggleman, catcher Ivan Rodriguez and third-base coach Bo Porter hollering at the umpires, moments after a disputed call.
Justin Turner hit an RBI single in the fourth for the only run. That was enough for the Mets to win for the ninth time in 13 games as they headed into interleague play at Yankee Stadium in the Subway Series.
PIRATES 5, REDS 3
In Cincinnati, Ohio, James McDonald pitched into the seventh inning and Neil Walker doubled home a pair of runs to finish Pittsburgh’s two-game sweep of Cincinnati.
The Pirates arrived in town with a six-game losing streak and came away with their first series sweep in Cincinnati since 2003. They did it with pitching — Charlie Morton threw a five-hitter for a 5-0 win in the opener.
Thursday’s other results:
‧ Cubs 5, Marlins 1
‧ Diamondbacks 2, Braves 1
‧ Padres 1, Brewers 0
‧ Giants 3, Dodgers 1
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