MLB ROUNDUP Wednesday's other games

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Yankees 2, Tigers 0Tigers 5, Yankees 3
NEW YORK -- Craig Monroe hit a three-run homer off Scott Proctor with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Tigers avoided a doubleheader sweep. Chien-Ming Wang tied Toronto's Roy Halladay for the major league lead with his 16th win in the day game, combining on a four-hitter in a 2-0 Yankees victory. New York led 3-2 in the nightcap when Proctor (5-4), trying for his first career save, walked Brandon Inge with one out in the ninth and Curtis Granderson with two outs. Monroe followed with his 23rd homer of the season, a drive to left-center. As the ball sailed high over him, Derek Jeter didn't even turn around at shortstop. He just dropped his head between his legs and swiped the infield dirt with his hands. Jason Grilli (2-2) retired one batter for the win, and Todd Jones finished for his 35th save in 38 chances.
Royals 4, Twins 3
MINNEAPOLIS -- Luke Hudson threw seven strong innings, Ryan Shealy hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins for the second straight night. Minnesota, which has lost three in a row overall, entered the night a half-game behind Chicago in the wild-card standings. They began the series with a half-game lead on the White Sox after taking two of three in Chicago. But the last-place Royals outpitched them for the second straight night.
White Sox 5, Devil Rays 4
CHICAGO -- Tadahito Iguchi tied it with a two-out, two-run homer, and Jim Thome celebrated his return to the lineup with a go-ahead single as the Chicago White Sox scored three in the eighth to beat Tampa Bay. Jon Garland (16-4) tied for the major league lead in victories, overcoming a rough start when he gave up three first-inning runs, including a leadoff homer to Rocco Baldelli. The White Sox's comeback was aided by three Tampa Bay errors as the Devil Rays lost their sixth straight overall and 12th in a row on the road.
Orioles 7, Rangers 4, 10 innings
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jay Gibbons hit a go-ahead RBI double to spark Baltimore's three-run 10th inning, and Miguel Tejada had four hits as the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers. Nick Markakis homered for Baltimore, which blew a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning. LaTroy Hawkins (3-2) gave up two hits and threw wild pitch in the ninth, but held the Rangers scoreless over two innings to pick up the win.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Braves 5, Giants 3
ATLANTA -- Adam LaRoche hit three doubles and a triple, and drove in three runs to lead Atlanta. Chuck James (7-3) held the Giants to six hits in seven innings for his third straight win. He kept Barry Bonds from doing any damage by hitting the 42-year-old slugger in the back with a pitch and walking him twice. Eight-time Gold Glover Andruw Jones came up with a huge defensive play in the eighth, leaping against the center-field wall to rob Ray Durham of a two-run homer. Bob Wickman pitched the ninth for his 10th save in as many chances since being acquired from Cleveland, even though he gave up a leadoff homer to Eliezer Alfonzo.
Padres 4, Diamondbacks 1
PHOENIX -- Mike Piazza drove in two runs with a pair of bloop singles, and Mike Thompson earned his first victory in more than two months. The Padres took two of three from the Diamondbacks and maintained its wild-card lead. San Diego entered with a half-game lead over Philadelphia and Cincinnati, and was three games behind first-place Los Angeles in the NL West. The fading Diamondbacks finished their homestand 2-4, and were 5-11 in a stretch of 16 consecutive games against NL West foes. Dave Roberts was 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, making him 8-for-14 in the series. Trevor Hoffman allowed a leadoff single in the ninth before striking out the side for his NL-leading 35th save in 39 tries. He has 471 career saves, seven shy of Lee Smith for first on baseball's career list. Thompson (4-5) allowed one run on four hits in 51/3 innings for his first victory in eight starts. Claudio Vargas (10-9) gave up three runs on six hits in five innings in his first loss in five outings.
Phillies 5, Nationals 1
WASHINGTON -- Cole Hamels pitched eight strong innings and Ryan Howard hit a two-run double to lead Philadelphia. The surging Phillies, who began the day just a half-game behind NL wild-card leader San Diego, won for the eighth time in 11 games. The 22-year-old Hamels (7-7), who started the season with Class-A Clearwater, had little trouble in this one. He gave up only four hits and two walks before Arthur Rhodes came on in the ninth. Hamels threw 104 pitches, 69 for strikes, in one of his best efforts. The Nationals had few scoring chances and got their only run on Alfonso Soriano's 43rd homer in the eighth. Ramon Ortiz (9-12) took the loss.
Astros 1, Brewers 0
HOUSTON -- Roger Clemens struck out nine in seven shutout innings and Mike Lamb scored on a strange play in the ninth to lift Houston. The Astros won their season-high fifth straight by salvaging another solid outing from Clemens, who matched his season high for strikeouts. But his teammates again had trouble scoring with their 44-year-old ace on the mound, and he wound up with another no-decision. The Rocket has allowed three runs or fewer in 13 of his 14 starts this season.
Associated Press
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