Monday, September 27, 2004
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Angels 6, A's 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Troy Glaus drove in three runs to back John Lackey, and the Anaheim Angels beat Oakland 6-2 Sunday to pull within one game of the AL West-leading Athletics with a week to play. Oakland (88-67), which has had sole possession of the first place since Aug. 6, dropped to 10-14 in September.
Mariners 9, Rangers 0
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ichiro Suzuki moved within six of George Sisler's 84-year-old record of 257 hits in a season. Cha Seung Baek (2-4) allowed just three hits in eight innings, and Scott Atchison pitched the ninth to complete the three-hitter.
Ryan Drese (14-9) had won his three previous starts and had a 2.87 ERA at home but gave up six runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings.
Red Sox 11, Yankees 4
BOSTON -- Curt Schilling (21-6), who leads in the major leagues in wins, allowed one hit in seven innings as Boston battered Kevin Brown (10-5) in his return from a broken left hand. Boston's Pedro Astacio and New York's Brad Halsey were ejected in the eighth for throwing inside to batters, and Yankees manager Joe Torre also was ejected. After losing Friday's opener, Boston won the final two games and took the season series (11-8) for the first time since 1999.
Orioles 5, Tigers 0
BALTIMORE -- Rodrigo Lopez (14-8) pitched a three-hitter for his second career shutout, and Baltimore completed a 6-0 season sweep. Miguel Tejada homered and drove in three runs, and B.J. Surhoff also connected for the Orioles.
Detroit, blanked in its last 21 innings, has lost five straight and seven of eight. Mike Maroth (11-12) allowed five runs and nine hits in 7 2-3 innings.
White Sox 5, Royals 1
CHICAGO-- Jon Garland (11-11) gave up one run and five hits in 8 1-3 innings, and Damaso Marte finished for his sixth save. Wilson Valdez hit his first career homer, a drive off Brian Anderson (5-12), as the Royals dropped to 57-98 -- their second-most losses behind 2002 (62-100).
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Dodgers 7, Giants 4
SAN FRANCISCO -- Alex Cora's second homer in two days provided the unexpected spark Los Angeles needed. The light-hitting second baseman homered and drove in two runs again, and the Dodgers moved 21/2 games ahead of the Giants in the NL West with a 7-4 victory over San Francisco on Sunday. Barry Bonds' 703rd homer gave the Giants a third-inning lead. But Cora was just one of several heroes for the Dodgers, who took two of three weekend games in San Francisco.
Mets 3, Cubs 2
NEW YORK -- Al Leiter pitched two-hit ball for six innings to earn his first win in six weeks, and New York kept Chicago from improving its playoff chances. The Cubs managed only seven runs in 30 innings over the weekend, losing two of three games to the lowly Mets. Sammy Sosa, in a 5-for-41 slump, went 0-for-12 in the series.
Padres 7, Diamondbacks 1
SAN DIEGO -- Jake Peavy lowered his NL-leading ERA to 2.25, and San Diego beat Arizona to close within 21/2 games of the Cubs in the wild-card race. Houston and San Francisco are also ahead of the Padres, who remained 41/2 games behind first-place Los Angeles in the NL West. Working on three days' rest for the first time in his 21/2-year career, the 23-year-old Peavy (14-6) allowed one run and three hits in six innings.
Astros 11, Brewers 7
MILWAUKEE -- Raul Chavez drove in a career-high five runs, helping Houston outslug Milwaukee to move within 11/2 games of the wild-card lead. Lance Berkman and Jeff Kent homered for the Astros, who return home to play St. Louis three times and Colorado three times during the final week of the season. Kent hit a three-run homer off Victor Santos (11-12) in the first, pulling within two of Ryne Sandberg's major league record of 277 for a second baseman.
Braves 6, Marlins 3
ATLANTA -- The Florida Marlins won't repeat as World Series champions. Florida was eliminated from postseason contention, losing to Atlanta as John Thomson held the Marlins to one run in seven innings. Florida has lost six straight -- its longest skid since May 2003. Dontrelle Willis (10-11) gave up six runs and seven hits in six innings, dropping the NL Rookie of the Year to 1-3 in seven starts since Aug. 14. Florida finished 5-14 against the Braves this season.
Cardinals 9, Rockies 3
DENVER -- Albert Pujols hit his 46th homer to move within one of the major league lead and Jason Marquis pitched seven strong innings, helping St. Louis beat Colorado for its fifth straight victory. Pujols was 4-for-5 with four RBIs, Hector Luna tied a career high with four of the Cardinals' 16 hits and St. Louis (103-52) moved 61/2 games ahead of the Yankees for the best record in baseball.
Phillies 2, Expos 1
MONTREAL -- Bobby Abreu hit a two-run double to back a solid outing by Cory Lidle in Philadelphia's victory over Montreal. The Expos, expected to be relocated for 2005, begin a three-game series against Florida on Monday in what will likely be the final major league games in Montreal. Lidle (11-12) improved to 4-0 in his last six starts, allowing four hits in 7 1-3 innings.
Source: Associated Press