AMERICAN LEAGUE
Jose Quintana pitched effectively into the eighth inning, while Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski hit back-to-back homers in the sixth as the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 on Monday night to increase their American League Central lead to three games.
The White Sox, who had lost seven straight to Detroit, managed just two hits against Rick Porcello (9-12) and were none-for-10 with runners in scoring position when an error on second baseman Omar Infante gave them an opening.
Photo: EPA
Infante muffed Dewayne Wise’s easy, one-out grounder in the sixth. Paul Konerko singled to left to put runners at the corners and Rios lined a pitch over the wall in left-center for his 23rd homer.
Pierzynski followed with his 26th to center field for a 4-1 lead, ending Porcello’s night and sending him to his sixth straight loss. Gordon Beckham added a two-run shot in the eighth off Octavio Dotel.
Quintana (6-4), who was 1-3 in his previous 10 starts, allowed one run and seven hits in 7-2/3 innings.
Photo: AFP
ATHLETICS 3, ANGELS 1
In Anaheim, California, Jarrod Parker pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, while Brandon Moss and Cliff Pennington homered as Oakland snapped Los Angeles’ six-game winning streak.
Coco Crisp hit a leadoff triple and scored for the A’s, who opened a key four-game series against their California rivals with a measure of revenge for the Angels’ three-game sweep in Oakland last week. Those are the only losses since Aug. 23 for the A’s, who have won 13 of 16.
With his second straight impressive start against Los Angeles after a hard-luck loss last week, Parker (10-8) and his bullpen held the Angels’ surging lineup to four hits. Ryan Cook worked the eighth and Grant Balfour got his 17th save.
Dan Haren (10-11) pitched into the seventh inning, allowing four hits in his first loss since Aug. 16. The Angels had won 11 of 12 and 15 of 18 in their desperate late surge to join the playoff race.
Oakland (80-60), who are in the first wild-card slot, are 20 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2006 season — also the year of the team’s last post-season appearance.
The A’s pulled within three games of idle Texas atop the American League West.
TWINS 7, INDIANS 2
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Samuel Deduno struck out six in seven innings, while Pedro Florimon made two stellar defensive plays to go with a double and a triple, lifting the Twins to the victory.
Deduno (6-3) gave up just three hits and walked three, Ryan Doumit homered and Justin Morneau drove in two runs for the Twins, who took the final three games of the four-game series.
Lonnie Chisenhall homered for the stumbling Indians, who are an American League-worst 15-41 since the All-Star break to fall into a tie with the Twins for last place in the Central Division.
Justin Masterson (11-13) gave up six runs and seven hits in 6-2/3 innings.
Joe Mauer had two hits and an RBI to raise his average to .319 and Alexi Casilla added two more highlight-reel plays at second base for the Twins.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Gio Gonzalez earned his major league-leading 19th victory as the Washington Nationals backed him by scoring three home runs to beat the listless New York Mets 5-1 on Monday night.
Kurt Suzuki put the Nationals ahead with a home run right after catcher Kelly Shoppach dropped his foul pop-up for an error. Ryan Zimmerman launched a two-run shot later in the third inning and Ian Desmond added a two-run drive in the fourth.
That was plenty for Gonzalez (19-7) and the team with the best record in the majors. The lefty gave up three hits over six innings — none until Scott Hairston homered in the fourth.
Gonzalez worked around five walks and extended his career high for wins.
The Mets lost their fourth in a row, dropping to 4-19 in their last 23 games at Citi Field. They tied a team record by scoring three or fewer runs for the 11th straight game at home, matching the mark last done in 1979.
David Wright and his teammates have gone 106 straight innings at home without scoring more than one run. The loss eliminated them from the National League East race.
New York rookie Collin McHugh (0-2) served up three homers in his third major league start.
REDS 4, PIRATES 3, 14 INNINGS
In Cincinnati, Ohio, Ryan Ludwick drove in the winning run with a two-out infield single in the 14th inning, lifting Cincinnati to a marathon victory that handed the fading Pittsburgh Pirates their fourth straight loss.
Rick VandenHurk (0-1), called up before the game, started the 14th and gave up a single by Devin Mesoraco. Brandon Phillips reached when the Pirates failed to get a force-out on his grounder and the runners advanced on a wild pitch.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Chase d’Arnaud could not come up with Ludwick’s grounder in the hole, finally ending it.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases with none out in the top of the 14th against Alfredo Simon (2-2) and failed to score.
Andrew McCutchen homered earlier for the Pirates, but four straight losses and 21 in the last 30 games have dropped them a season-high 12 games behind the first-placed Reds in the National League Central.
PADRES 11, CARDINALS 3
In San Diego, California, Cameron Maybin hit a two-run homer and Will Venable had three RBIs as San Diego beat the struggling Cardinals.
St Louis, who have lost four of five, had their lead cut to one game over the idle Los Angeles Dodgers for the second National League wild-card berth. The loss started a crucial seven-game West Coast trip for the Cardinals, who begin a four-game set on Thursday night against the Dodgers.
Maybin connected off Jaime Garcia (4-7) to break a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning. Maybin had three hits and scored three runs.
Chris Denorfia tied his career high with four hits and also had two RBIs. Logan Forsythe added three hits to tie his career high as San Diego had 17 hits, matching their season best for runs.
Eric Stults (6-2) allowed three runs and five hits in 5-1/3 innings. He is 5-0 in seven starts since rejoining the Padres’ rotation on Aug. 6.
San Diego have won 14 of 18 overall and 18 of 24 at home.
BREWERS 4, BRAVES 1
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Norichika Aoki hit a two-run double to key a four-run seventh inning as Milwaukee rallied to beat Atlanta.
The Brewers sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh, but did all their damage on two hits and a sacrifice fly in snapping the Braves’ five-game winning streak.
Milwaukee’s 16th win in 21 games brought the Brewers back to the fringe of the National League wild-card race.
Jonny Venters (5-4), trying to protect a 1-0 lead for Braves starter Mike Minor, made a key error in the seventh.
Jose Veras (4-4) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to earn the victory. John Axford worked the ninth for his 28th save.
ROCKIES 6, GIANTS 5
In Denver, Colorado, Rockies pitcher Alex White homered as Colorado finally solved a struggling Ryan Vogelsong, beating San Francisco to snap a five-game losing streak.
Buster Posey and Hunter Pence went deep for the Giants, who lost for only the second time in 10 road games. San Francisco’s lead in the National League West was trimmed to five games over the idle Los Angeles Dodgers.
Matt Belisle escaped an eighth-inning jam to preserve Colorado’s one-run lead and Rafael Betancourt pitched a 1-2/3 ninth for his 28th save in 33 chances. Guillermo Moscoso (2-1) picked up the victory by allowing one run in two innings.
Colorado manager Jim Tracy was ejected in the bottom of the seventh by second-base umpire Angel Campos after a heated argument over an inning-ending double play.
Vogelsong (12-8) gave up four runs and six hits over five innings, falling to 2-3 with a 9.57 ERA in his last six starts. The right-hander entered 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in six previous starts against the Rockies for the Giants.
CUBS 4, ASTROS 1
In Houston, Texas, Dave Sappelt scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and had three RBIs, leading Chicago over Houston in a matchup of teams with the two worst records in the majors.
Sappelt, recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Sept. 1, drove in his first run for the Cubs with a double in the second inning. The game was tied 1-1 in the sixth, before he scored on a wild pitch by Fernando Rodriguez (1-10). Sappelt added a two-run double in the seventh as Chicago won their fourth straight, matching a season high.
Cubs starter Chris Volstad (3-10) allowed four hits in five innings. Carlos Marmol earned his 19th save.
There were 14 walks, two hit batters, three wild pitches and 24 runners left on base in a game that took 3 hours, 50 minutes.
Monday’s other result:
‧ Phillies 3, Marlins 1
Major League Standings
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Eastern Division
W L PCT GB
New York Yankees 79 61 .564
Baltimore 78 62 .557 1
Tampa Bay 77 63 .550 2
Toronto 64 75 .460 14.5
Boston 63 78 .447 16.5
Central Division
W L PCT GB
Chicago White Sox 76 64 .543
Detroit 73 67 .521 3
Kansas City 63 77 .450 13
Cleveland 59 82 .418 17.5
Minnesota 59 82 .418 17.5
Western Division
W L PCT GB
Texas 83 57 .593
Oakland 80 60 .571 3
Los Angeles Angels 77 64 .546 6.5
Seattle 67 74 .475 16.5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Eastern Division
W L PCT GB
Washington 87 54 .617
Atlanta 81 61 .570 6.5
Philadelphia 70 71 .496 17
New York Mets 65 76 .461 22
Miami 63 79 .444 24.5
Central Division
W L PCT GB
Cincinnati 85 57 .599
St Louis 75 66 .532 9.5
Pittsburgh 72 68 .514 12
Milwaukee 70 71 .496 14.5
Chicago Cubs 55 86 .390 29.5
Houston 44 97 .312 40.5
Western Division
W L PCT GB
San Francisco 79 62 .560
Los Angeles Dodgers 74 67 .525 5
Arizona 69 72 .489 10
San Diego 67 75 .472 12.5
Colorado 57 83 .407 21.5
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