AMERICAN LEAGUE A's young right-hander impressive
Seattle blanked Texas while the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Rich Harden earned his first major league win and Billy McMillon hit a leadoff homer Saturday as the Oakland Athletics beat the Anaheim Angels, 8-1.
McMillon, Miguel Tejada and Scott Hatteberg had three hits apiece for Oakland. Eric Chavez added a two-run double.
Harden (1-0) allowed a run and seven hits, struck out three and walked one in seven innings. He gave up one run and four hits over seven innings at Kansas City in his big league debut last Monday.
The Canadian-born right-hander, who doesn't turn 22 until November, is considered perhaps the top pitching prospect in baseball.
The Angels, 111/2 games behind first-place Seattle in the AL West and 91/2 out in the wild-card chase, grounded into five double plays -- including one in each of the first four innings.
Jose Molina drove in Anaheim's run with a two-out bloop single in the fifth. Harden retired his next seven batters before the bullpen closed it out.
Aaron Sele (6-8) allowed four runs -- three earned -- and seven hits over five innings. The right-hander, who won all three starts in which manager Mike Scioscia kept him on a five-inning limit, has dropped both starts since the restrictions were lifted.
OAKLANDANAHEIM
abrhbiabrhbi
McMln lf5131Eckstin ss4020
Long rf0100Erstad cf4000
MEllis 2b5110Salmon dh3010
Durazo dh5111GAndsn lf3010
Tejada ss5231Spiezio 3b4000
EChavz 3b5122Wooten 1b4020
Httberg 1b5131DVnon rf4110
Piatt rf5011AKndy 2b3020
Mlhuse c3011JMolna c3011
Snglton cf3000
Totals418158Totals321101
Oakland202000013--8
Anaheim000010000--1
E--Wooten (1). DP--Oakland 5, Anaheim 1. LOB--Oakland 8, Anaheim 6. 2B--McMillon (5), Tejada (27), EChavez (21), Hatteberg (20), Piatt (9), Eckstein (16). HR--McMillon (3). CS--EChavez (3).
IPHRERBBSO
Oakland
Harden W,1-0771113
Rincon2-320000
Bradford1-300010
Halama110000
Anaheim
Sele L,6-8574324
Shields220002
Schoeneweis121101
Callaway143301
WP--Harden. Umpires--Home, Charlie Reliford; First, Jay Klemm; Second, Fieldin Culbreth; Third, Terry Craft. T--2:55. A--43,279.
Mariners 4, Rangers 0
SEATTLE -- Joel Pineiro pitched a career-best three-hitter to win his seventh straight decision, leading the Seattle Mariners.
Pineiro (12-5) struck out seven and walked two in his third career shutout and second this season. He beat Minnesota 6-0 with a four-hitter on May 30.
Ichiro Suzuki hit an RBI single and Bret Boone had a sacrifice fly for the AL West-leading Mariners, who lead the majors with 12 shutouts.
Surprisingly, the powerful Rangers have been blanked nine times, second-most in the majors. The three hits were a season low for Texas.
Colby Lewis (4-6) was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma earlier in the day to start for the Rangers. He allowed three runs on eight hits in 52/3 innings.
Mark McLemore and Randy Winn each had three hits for Seattle. Willie Bloomquist had two hits and scored twice.
Mike Cameron drove home McLemore with the game's first run in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout.
The Mariners added two more in the fifth on an RBI single by Suzuki and a sacrifice fly by Boone. McLemore added an RBI single off reliever Aaron Fultz in the seventh.
The Rangers (27-48) are a season-worst 21 games under .500.
Lewis started the season with the Rangers before being optioned to Oklahoma on June 13.
Texas' R.A. Dickey was originally scheduled to start Saturday, but was called in to pitch two innings of relief Friday night after starter Robert Ellis lasted only four innings.
McLemore trotted to first base after ball three in the fourth inning, thinking he had walked. Upon returning to the batter's box, he singled sharply to right on the next pitch.
TEXASSEATTLE
abrhbiabrhbi
MYong 2b4000ISuzuki rf3011
Blalock 3b4010McLmr ss4131
ARdrgz ss4000BBoone 2b2011
RPlmo 1b4000Olerud 1b4010
Txeira lf3000Cmeron cf4001
Jones dh3000BDavis c3000
Glnville cf3010Winn lf4030
Nix rf3010Mabry dh4110
EDiaz c2000Blmqist 3b4220
Totals30030Totals324124
Texas000000000--0
Seattle00012010x--4
DP--Texas 1. LOB--Texas 6, Seattle 8. 2B--Winn (20), Bloomquist (4). S--ISuzuki. SF--BBoone.
IPHRERBBSO
Texas
CLewis L,4-65 2-383301
Fultz1 1-331100
Garcia110011
Seattle
Pineiro W,12-5930027
HBP--by CLewis (BBoone), by Pineiro (EDiaz). Umpires--Home, Bruce Froemming; First, Rob Drake; Second, Doug Eddings; Third, Mike Winters. T--2:19. A--45,934.
Orioles 7, Blue Jays 2
TORONTO -- Pat Hentgen beat his former team, and Jeff Conine and Melvin Mora homered for Baltimore.
Former Blue Jays third baseman Tony Batista went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Hentgen (3-5) won his second straight start, allowing two runs and five hits, while striking out five and walking two in six innings.
The 34-year-old right-hander was pitching at SkyDome for just the second time since leaving after the 1999 season. He earned three All-Star appearances, a World Series championship and a Cy Young Award in his nine years in Toronto.
BALTIMORETORONTO
abrhbiabrhbi
BRbrts 2b5220Ctlnotto lf2000
Matos cf4012Jhnson lf2000
Mora lf4211Hinske 3b3010
Conine 1b5132Wells cf4110
Gbbons rf5000CDlgdo 1b4000
TBtsta 3b4230Kielty rf3111
DCruz ss4020TWilsn c3010
Mchado c3010JPhlps dh4000
Mendez dh3012OHudsn 2b4021
Bordick ss3010
Clark ph1000
Totals377147Totals33272
Baltimore110110300--7
Toronto011000000--2
DP--Baltimore 1, Toronto 1. LOB--Baltimore 7, Toronto 8. 2B--Conine (28), DCruz (15), Wells (31). 3B--BRoberts (3). HR--Mora (14), Conine (15). SB--BRoberts (17), TBatista (2). CS--DCruz (1). SF--Matos, Mendez.
IPHRERBBSO
Baltimore
Hentgen W,3-5652225
Dubose220012
HCarrasco100001
Toronto
Hndrck L,6-75 1-384412
Wasdin1 1-322211
JuAcevedo1 1-331100
Sturtze110000
HBP--by Hentgen (Kielty). Umpires--Home, Laz Diaz; First, Jim Joyce; Second, Jim Reynolds; Third, Dale Scott. T--3:05. A--23,168.