AL ROUNDUP Texas powers way past Mariners on Matthews' homer

His two-out blast in the ninth inning beat Seattle, 6-5.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE -- Gary Matthews was asked if he could remember a team with more power than his Texas Rangers team.
"Yeah, last year's team," he said.
Matthews hit a two-out home run in the ninth inning Saturday, leading the Rangers over the Seattle Mariners 6-5 for their fourth straight victory.
Texas finished third in the AL with 227 home runs in 2004, but this year's version may be even better.
The Rangers, who lead the majors with 133 home runs, also got a three-run shot from Michael Young in the second and a solo shot from David Dellucci -- his third homer in three games -- in the fourth.
"We've got a lot of spots in the order that can really hurt you, but we have our moments, too," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "We've been doing a good job of taking advantage of what mistakes are made."
Matthews hit a line drive shot on a 1-1 sinker from J.J. Putz into the first row of the right-field seats.
"That was as hard a ball as I've seen hit this year," Showalter said.
Putz said it was a poor pitch.
"That was just a dumb pitch to throw at that point," he said. "Nobody on or in scoring position and he's looking to try and jerk one."
Beltre hits pair
Adrian Beltre had his first two-homer game since joining the Mariners, but struck out against rookie Kameron Loe (2-1) with the game tied and two men on to end the seventh. Beltre had departed before the media arrived in the clubhouse.
"It was a two-seamer in," Loe said of the strikeout pitch to Beltre. "I went after him with fastballs, trying to make him hit it on the ground. I ended up getting ahead of him with a chance to throw a dirty one."
Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 23 opportunities.
Seattle matched a season high with its seventh straight loss.
Dellucci homered for a 5-4 lead, but Beltre answered with a solo shot into the left-field bullpen in the fifth. It was his first multihomer game since Sept. 21 for the Dodgers against San Diego.
In 12 games since returning from a tight left hamstring, Beltre is hitting .360 (18-for-50) with three home runs and nine RBIs, raising his average 20 points to .264
Mariners starter Joel Pineiro needed 30 pitches, including three 3-2 counts, just to get out of the first inning. The Rangers scored only once, on Hank Blalock's single through the right side just past the diving Richie Sexson. Kevin Mench left the bases loaded when he swung through a 3-2 outside fastball.
C.J. Wilson, in his third major league start, also struggled in the first. He threw 26 pitches and walked three, including Raul Ibanez with the bases loaded.
TEXASSEATTLE
abrhbiabrhbi
Dllucci dh5231ISuzuki rf3220
MYong ss4233Winn lf4111
Txeira 1b4000Beltre 3b4233
Blalock 3b5011Sexson 1b3000
ASrano 2b5000Ibanez dh3001
Mathws rf4131BBoone 2b4000
Mench lf5010Reed cf3000
Nix cf4010Blmqist ss3000
Brajas c2100Hansen ph0000
Olivo c3000
Spiezio ph1000
Totals386126Totals31565
Texas130100001--6
Seattle103010000--5
DP--Texas 1, Seattle 1. LOB--Texas 10, Seattle 6. 2B--Matthews (7), Winn (21). HR--Dellucci (15), MYoung (12), Matthews (4), Beltre 2 (8). S--Hansen.
IPHRERBBSO
Texas
Wilson244432
Wasdin4 2-321115
Loe W,2-11 1-300002
FCordero S,19100021
Seattle
Pineiro575543
JMateo2-310000
Villone220001
JeNelson010000
Putz L,1-31 1-311100
Wilson pitched to 3 batters in the 3rd, JeNelson pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. HBP--by JMateo (Barajas). WP--Pineiro. Umpires--Home, Mike Reilly; First, Andy Fletcher; Second, Bob Davidson; Third, Paul Schrieber. T--3:13. A--34,209.
Twins 4, Devil Rays 1
MINNEAPOLIS -- Justin Morneau hit a three-run homer and Kyle Lohse pitched eight strong innings for Minnesota.
Joe Mauer added an RBI double for Minnesota, which won for the fifth time in six games.
Jorge Cantu, a strong candidate to represent the reeling Devil Rays in the All-Star game, drove in a run with a fourth-inning single. The Devil Rays have lost seven of their last eight games overall and seven in a row to the Twins.
Lohse (7-6) gave up just four hits and one walk while striking out six. He got help from left fielder Shannon Stewart, who made a diving catch of Travis Lee's sinking liner to end the second and leaped against the wall in the eighth to take an extra-base hit away from Nick Green.
Joe Nathan worked the ninth for his 22nd save in 24 chances.
Seth McClung (0-4), making his second start since his recall from Triple-A Durham last week, gave up six hits, four runs and three walks in six innings. He struck out eight.
After totaling 27 victories over the previous two seasons, Lohse stumbled to a 9-13 record with a 5.34 ERA last year and was even worse this April. He had a strong May, going 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA, but June brought mostly more troubles -- until he turned in six shutout innings at Milwaukee last Sunday.
TAMPA BAYMINNESOTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Crwfrd lf4010ShStwrt lf4000
Lugo ss4100JCastro ss4000
Huff rf4010Mauer c4021
Cantu 3b4011THnter cf4000
Gomes dh3000JJones rf3120
TLee 1b2000LFord dh3120
Hollins cf3010Mrneau 1b4113
THall c3000LRdrgz 3b3010
NGreen 2b3000Rivas 2b2100
Totals30141Totals31484
Tampa Bay000100000--1
Minnesota03001000x--4
E--Lugo (14). DP--Tampa Bay 2, Minnesota 1. LOB--Tampa Bay 3, Minnesota 7. 2B--Hollins (9), Mauer (10), JJones (10), LFord (18). 3B--LRodriguez (1). HR--Morneau (11). SB--Rivas (2).
IPHRERBBSO
Tampa Bay
McClung L,0-4664438
Harper110000
TreMiller110001
Minnesota
Lohse W,7-6841116
Nathan S,22100000
HBP--by TreMiller (LFord). Umpires--Home, Ted Barrett; First, Terry Craft; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Brian Knight. T--2:05. A--26,393.
Angels 5, Royals 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bartolo Colon allowed one hit through seven innings, then walked off the field with the team trainer after surrendering three more in the eighth Angels' victory.
There was no immediate indication what, if anything, was wrong with the right-hander. Retiring 19 in a row in one stretch, Colon (11-4) wound up going 71/3 innings and giving up three runs and four hits, with five strikeouts and no walks.
Chone Figgins had three hits and scored twice for the AL West-leading Angels. Francisco Rodriguez earned his 15th save in 17 chances.
LOS ANGELESKANSAS CITY
abrhbiabrhbi
Figgins cf5230DJesus cf4011
Erstad 1b4121Berroa ss4000
VGrero rf3011MiSwy dh4010
GAndsn lf4121Stairs 1b4000
JRivra dh4000Brown rf4110
Izturis ss4121Costa lf3000
McPrsn 3b4021Grffnno 3b3110
BMolna c4020Gotay 2b3112
DVnon pr0000ACstillo c2000
JMolna c0000Long ph1000
AKndy 2b4000Buck c0000
Totals365145Totals32353
Los Angeles101110010--5
Kansas City000000030--3
E--ACastillo (2), Gobble (1). DP--Kansas City 1. LOB--Los Angeles 5, Kansas City 2. 2B--GAnderson (18), Izturis (5), McPherson (13), DeJesus (13), Brown (16). SB--Figgins (25). CS--Figgins (6), DaVanon (4).
IPHRERBBSO
Los Angeles
Colon W,11-47 1-343305
FRodriguez S,151 2-310000
Kansas City
Lima L,1-76104310
Nunez231101
Gobble110000
WP--Lima. Umpires--Home, C.B. Bucknor; First, Phil Cuzzi; Second, Ed Rapuano; Third, Jerry Crawford. T--2:33. A--16,051.
Yankees 8, Tigers 4
DETROIT -- Tony Womack hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth to break a tie and Bernie Williams followed with three-run homer to lift the New York Yankees.
Williams finished with four hits and five RBIs, matching a season high.
Womack was in the game because he ran for Jason Giambi in the eighth.
Dmitri Young's three-run homer gave Detroit a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning before the Yankees rallied with two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and four in the ninth off closer Troy Percival (1-2).
Tom Gordon (2-3) entered the game in the seventh for New York, and retired five straight before Carlos Guillen reached on an error and Magglio Ordonez walked. Gordon got out of the eighth unscathed by striking out Ivan Rodriguez, who reacted by whipping his bat toward Detroit's dugout, hitting Young's foot in the on-deck circle.
Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth.
New York's Mike Mussina started and finished strong, but was roughed up in the fourth inning. He gave up four runs -- all in one inning -- on seven hits while striking out five and walking none. He didn't give up a hit until Craig Monroe hit an infield single with one out in the third inning, then gave up just two hits over his final two innings.
Detroit's Sean Douglass gave up three runs -- one earned -- on seven hits and two walks. He struck out six in his second start of the season, replacing Wilfredo Ledezma as the Tigers' No. 5 starter.
Fernando Rodney relieved Douglass and gave up a run on two hits, getting only two outs.
Alex Rodriguez hit a one-out double off Troy Percival in the ninth. Hideki Matsui then popped out and Jorge Posada was intentionally walked, bringing Womack, who entered the game as a pinch-runner for Jason Giambi, to the plate.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Rodriguez scored on Posada's fielder's choice.
Detroit went up 4-1 in the home half on two singles, a double and a home run.
Placido Polanco singled and scored on Ordonez's double before Young followed with his 13th homer.