MLB ROUNDUP

MLB ROUNDUP

Thursday’s other games

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yankees 7, Twins 6

NEW YORK — Hideki Matsui hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning and Mariano Rivera got out of a jam in the ninth for his 424th save, tying him with John Franco for third on the career list. Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera also homered for New York, which played without Alex Rodriguez for the first time this season. Rodriguez sat out with a strained left hamstring. Derek Jeter walked with two outs in the eighth against Pat Neshek (3-1) before Matsui hit a 3-1 pitch deep into the stands in right for his 10th homer of the season. Kyle Farnsworth (1-1) pitched a perfect eighth before Rivera allowed Joe Mauer’s RBI groundout in the ninth. He struck out Michael Cuddyer with a runner on second for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.

Red Sox 15, Devil Rays 4

BOSTON — Coco Crisp hit a grand slam in the first inning, and Josh Beckett earned his 12th win as the Boston handed Tampa Bay its 11th consecutive loss. The Devil Rays were swept for the third straight series. A fourth this weekend in Kansas City would pull them within one of the franchise record of 15 straight losses set in 2002. Mike Lowell had a career-high four hits of Boston’s season-high total of 21, and he and Crisp each drove in five of Boston’s season-high 15 runs. The Red Sox led 6-0 lead after one inning, 9-0 after two and 13-2 after three, when Beckett (12-2) already had seven strikeouts.

White Sox 11, Orioles 6

CHICAGO — Tadahito Iguchi fell a single shy of the cycle, and Jermaine Dye hit a three-run homer to lead the White Sox over the Orioles. The 11 runs were a season high for the White Sox, who have won eight of 11 and are trying to turn around a brutal season. They began the night 36-45, 131⁄2 games behind in the AL Central and, it seemed, light years removed from their championship run in 2005. Dye’s shot in the first inning capped a five-run outburst, and Iguchi’s two-run drive with one out in the second made it 7-0 and knocked out Brian Burres (4-3). Chicago’s John Danks (5-6) got the win, although he didn’t exactly dominate. He lasted 6 1-3 innings, allowing five runs and seven hits while striking out three and walking one. He left after Corey Patterson hit a two-run homer.

Angels 5, Rangers 2

ARLINGTON, Texas — Kelvim Escobar won his 10th game after being snubbed again for a spot in the All-Star game and the Los Angeles Angels avoided a three-game sweep. Left off the initial American League roster released Sunday, Escobar had another chance to make the team. But Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima beat out Escobar and three others in Internet voting that ended Thursday to determine the final player.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Marlins 3, Padres 2

SAN DIEGO — Byung-Hyun Kim outdueled All-Star Jake Peavy, leading the Marlins to a win and earning his first victory since May 28. Kim and four relievers combined to hold the Padres to three hits as the Marlins split the four-game series with the NL West leaders. Jeremy Hermida homered and doubled off Peavy (9-3), who gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked three. Kim (4-4) allowed two runs and three hits — all for extra bases — in 61⁄3 innings, matching his longest outing of the year. He struck out seven and walked two. Kevin Gregg pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances.

Cardinals 3, Diamondbacks 2

ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright carried a five-hit shutout into the eighth inning and Juan Encarnacion hit a three-run homer in the Cardinals’ victory over the Diamondbacks. Wainwright (7-7) induced four inning-ending double plays for the Cardinals, who took three of four from Arizona. Jason Isringhausen also induced a game-ending double-play with the bases loaded in the ninth. The Cardinals (39-43) are four games below .500 for the first time since June 6, when their record was 26-30, and the defending World Series champions also pulled to .500 (20-20) at home. Doug Davis (5-10) was hurt only by Encarnacion’s homer in seven innings and the left-hander, who has a .074 career average, added a rare hit. Pinch hitter Augie Ojeda’s two-run triple in the eighth off Randy Flores cut the deficit to one. Isringhausen got Miguel Montero to ground into a double-play for his 17th save in 19 chances, sending the Diamondbacks to their fifth loss in six games.

Cubs 4, Nationals 2

WASHINGTON — Mike Fontenot broke out of an 0-for-16 skid with three hits, including the tie-breaking single in the seventh inning, and former National Daryle Ward added two hits and two RBIs to lead the Cubs over Washington. The win was Chicago’s 11th in 13 games and their third in this four-game series. The Cubs have gone a major league-best 21-10 since June 3. The Nationals have lost eight of their last 10 games. Will Ohman (1-4), the second of five Chicago pitchers, went 2-3 of an inning for the win. Bob Howry pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Luis Ayala (0-1) took the loss.

Mets 6, Astros 2

HOUSTON — John Maine set a career high with nine strikeouts in 72⁄3 innings and Ramon Castro had a two-run double filling in for suspended Paul Lo Duca, as the Mets beat the Astros. The Mets started the week by getting outscored 34-12 in a three-game sweep by the Rockies in Denver. They were a different team in the opener of this series, with Maine dominating and the Mets pounding Houston starter Jason Jennings (1-4) with extra-base hits in each of the first three innings. Maine (10-4) won his fourth straight start, allowing six hits with two walks. Carlos Lee had an RBI double off Maine in the eighth, the first inning he looked vulnerable.

Associated Press