Angels top Oakland to cut A's lead



Anaheim posted a 5-3 win to climb back to within two gams of the A's.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Garret Anderson hit a tie-breaking double in the eighth inning, Darin Erstad had a three-run homer and the Anaheim Angels beat Oakland 5-3 Saturday to move back within two games of the AL West-leading Athletics.
Anderson greeted Ricardo Rincon with a liner down the right-field line, giving Anaheim a 4-3 lead. Rincon had just replaced Chad Bradford (5-7), who hit Jose Guillen with a pitch leading off the inning.
Alfredo Amezaga came in as a pinch-runner for Guillen and scored easily from first base on Anderson's hit. Chone Figgins' RBI single later in the inning gave Anaheim a two-run edge.
Francisco Rodriguez (4-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, and Troy Percival worked the ninth for his 30th save. He has 30 or more in seven consecutive seasons.
Jermaine Dye hit a two-run shot for the Athletics, who won the series opener.
OAKLANDANAHEIM
abrhbiabrhbi
Kotsay cf4011Erstad 1b5113
Byrnes lf4000Glaus dh3000
EChavz 3b4110VGrero rf2000
Dye rf3112JGillen lf3010
Kielty dh2000Amzga 2b0100
Durazo ph1000GAndsn cf4121
Swisher 1b3000BMolna c4000
Httberg ph1000Mcphrs 3b2000
Crosby ss3000Glrrga ph1000
DMiller c3000Pride lf0000
Scutaro 2b3120Eckstin ss3120
Figgins 2b4121
Totals31353Totals31585
Oakland000012000--3
Anaheim00003002x--5
E--Kotsay (5), EChavez (12), Eckstein (6). DP--Oakland 1, Anaheim 1. LOB--Oakland 3, Anaheim 8. 2B--Scutaro (32), GAnderson 2 (20). HR--Dye (21), Erstad (7). SB--Byrnes (16).
IPHRERBBSO
Oakland
MRedman5 2-363236
Duchscherer2-300001
Bradford L,5-7 2-301110
RRincon121112
Anaheim
Washburn653324
FRodriguez W,4-1200004
Percival S,30100001
Bradford pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. HBP--by Bradford (JGuillen). Umpires--Home, Marvin Hudson; First, Derryl Cousins; Second, Kerwin Danley; Third, Dana DeMuth.
T--3:01. A--43,197.
Orioles 3, Tigers 0
BALTIMORE -- Matt Riley allowed two hits over six shutout innings for the Orioles, who won their third straight with their eighth shutout of the season.
Buddy Groom threw a scoreless seventh, Jason Grimsley pitched a perfect eighth and B.J. Ryan got out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the ninth for his second save.
Riley (2-4) didn't allow a hit for the first 4 2-3 innings before Carlos Pena singled. Riley struck out four and walked three in his first win since April 16, when he allowed just one hit over seven innings against Toronto.
Jeremy Bonderman (10-13) allowed just five hits in seven innings, but was undone by a two-run first inning.
DETROITBALTIMORE
abrhbiabrhbi
Infante ss4000BRbrts 2b4011
Inge 3b4000Newhn rf2100
IRdrgz c4000Mora 3b4110
DYong dh4020Tejada ss3011
RoWhte lf4000RPlmo dh4011
Monroe cf4010JvLopz c4000
CPena 1b3010Surhoff lf2000
Thmes rf3010Bigbie cf3100
Raburn 2b1000Gbbons 1b3020
Shelton ph1000
Totals32050Totals29363
Detroit000000000--0
Baltimore20000010x--3
E--Riley (4). DP--Detroit 1. LOB--Detroit 9, Baltimore 6. 2B--Tejada (39), Gibbons (11).
IPHRERBBSO
Detroit
Bndrm L,10-13753335
Dingman110001
Baltimore
Riley W,2-4620034
Groom110001
Grimsley100001
BRyan S,2120003
HBP--by BRyan (CPena), by Bonderman (Tejada). Umpires--Home, Matt Hollowell; First, Phil Cuzzi; Second, Jerry Crawford; Third, Brian O'Nora. T--2:18. A--29,598.
Devil Rays 6, Blue Jays 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Geoff Blum gave the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a victory -- with 39 minutes to spare.
Blum made up for a big error by hitting a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Tampa Bay beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 Saturday night.
With a 9:15 p.m. curfew imposed because of Hurricane Jeanne, both teams came out swinging in a game that lasted just 2 hours, 20 minutes and ended at 8:36.
Hoping to beat the storm, the Blue Jays were scheduled to leave Florida on a charter flight immediately after the loss.
Even though the Devil Rays play in a dome, today's series finale was canceled because of the hurricane, which was expected to hit Florida's east coast this morning. The game will not be made up.
"If this thing keeps heading west, it's going to be dangerous out there," Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said. "It's the right decision."
The curfew meant no inning could start after 9:15. And the game appeared headed for extra innings -- and a possible tie -- after Toronto rallied for two runs in the ninth.
Blum committed an error on Gabe Gross' two-out grounder to third, allowing the tying run to score. The Blue Jays cut it to 5-4 earlier in the inning when Eric Hinske grounded into a double play.
TORONTOTAMPA BAY
abrhbiabrhbi
Adams ss4001Crwfrd lf4110
OHudsn 2b4010JoCruz rf3000
VWells cf3110Huff 3b4121
CDlgdo dh3000RSnchz 2b0000
Jhnson dh0100TMrtnz 1b4000
Rios rf3000Cmngs dh2312
Hinske 3b4110Baldelli cf3000
Gross lf3100Lugo ss3011
Quiroz c4011Blum 2b3112
Crozier 1b3111THall c3000
Totals31553Totals29666
Toronto001000022--5
Tampa Bay310100001--6
Two outs when winning run scored.
E--Quiroz 2 (2), Blum (10). DP--Tampa Bay 2. LOB--Toronto 3, Tampa Bay 3. 2B--Quiroz (2), Huff (26), Lugo (39). 3B--OHudson (6). HR--Crozier (2), Cummings (1), Blum (8). SB--Cummings (1). S--JoCruz, Baldelli. SF--Lugo, Blum.
IPHRERBBSO
Toronto
Bush3 2-345400
Chulk1 1-300001
Glynn210001
MBatista L,10-131 2-311010
Tampa Bay
Brazelton733323
Harper2-310001
DBaez W,4-31 1-312120
Brazelton pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. HBP--by Bush (Cummings). WP--Bush, DBaez. Umpires--Home, Rick Reed; First, Paul Emmel; Second, Mike DiMuro; Third, Joe West. T--2:20. A--20,978.
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