AMERICAN LEAGUE
Derek Jeter shook off an injury to tie Willie Mays for 10th place on the career hits list, backing Phil Hughes and helping the Yankees to maintain a share of the American League East lead with a 2-0 win over the Red Sox. New York won consecutive games for the first time in a month.
Hughes (15-12) gave up five hits in 7-1/3 innings, struck out seven and walked one. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 38th save. Jeter started at designated hitter after leaving Wednesday night’s 5-4 win when he pulled up lame lunging for first base trying to avoid a double-play grounder in the eighth.Andruw Jones hit a fourth-inning sacrifice fly off Felix Doubront (10-9).
Photo: AFP
ANGELS 6, ATHLETICS 0
In Anaheim, California, Jered Weaver (17-4) allowed two hits in seven innings and struck out nine in his first start since skipping a turn in the rotation because of biceps tendinitis.
Torii Hunter homered and added an RBI single in a six-run seventh as Los Angeles avoided a four-game sweep and remained 3.5 games back for the AL’s second wild-card berth.
The loss snapped Oakland’s 12-game road winning streak, two shy of the franchise record set by the Philadelphia Athletics in May 1931. The A’s have been shut out a big league-high 16 times.
Brett Anderson (4-1) gave up five runs and nine hits in 6-2/3 innings. A’s rookie Yoenis Cespedes left midway through the fifth because of a sprained right wrist.
INDIANS 5, RANGERS 4
In Arlington, Texas, Jason Kipnis hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Joe Nathan and the Indians snapped a five-game losing streak, beating the Rangers.
The Rangers remained three games ahead of Oakland in the AL West after the Athletics lost to the Los Angeles Angels.
Nathan (2-4) had converted a club-record 31 straight save chances before the Indians erased a 4-2 deficit in the ninth.
Ezequiel Carrera homered leading off the ninth. Pinch hitter Russ Canzler singled and Kipnis homered off to chase Nathan, who did not record an out.
Scott Maine (1-0) got the final two outs in the eighth in his third appearance with the Indians this season.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Blue Jays 8, Mariners 3
‧ Twins 4, Royals 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, LOS ANGELES
Allen Craig drove in Shane Robinson with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the St Louis Cardinals extended their National League wild-card lead over Los Angeles to two games with a 2-1 victory over the struggling Dodgers on Thursday night.
Lance Lynn (15-7) pitched six innings of five-hit ball to earn his first win since July 27 for the Cardinals, striking out seven in the All-Star’s return to the rotation after a bullpen demotion. Skip Schumaker had an early run-scoring single for St Louis.
Adrian Gonzalez had an RBI double in the Dodgers’ seventh loss in eight games. St Louis and Los Angeles had lost three straight and six of seven coming in.
Paco Rodriguez (0-1) and Ronald Belisario allowed the seventh-inning rally capped by Craig’s RBI single.
ASTROS 6, PHILLIES 4
In Houston, Texas, Pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning and the Astros stung Philadelphia, rallying for a 6-4 victory that ended the Phillies’ seven-game winning streak. The Phillies’ surge had pushed them within three games of St Louis for the second NL wild-card spot.
Philadelphia could not hold an early 4-0 lead and Lowrie’s two-out put the Astros ahead 5-4.
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