AMERICAN LEAGUE : No misprint; Tampa Bay all alone atop the AL East
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gabe Gross singled with no outs in the 11 th inning to drive in the first run Mariano Rivera has allowed all season as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 2-1 Tuesday night and moved into first place in the American League East.
Cliff Floyd began the 11 th with a single and pinch runner Jonny Gomes stole second before Gross delivered the winner up the middle on a 1-1 pitch. Rivera (0-1 ) had not allowed a run in 14 previous appearances.
J. P. Howell (3-0 ) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory, the Rays’ 15 th in 20 games. Tampa Bay has won a club-record 11 consecutive at home and is a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. It’s the first time the Rays have sat alone atop the division standings beyond the first week of a season.
At 23-16, the Rays are seven games over. 500 for the first time in the team’s 11 seasons. They’ve finished last nine times in the past decade. ROYALS 3, TIGERS 2 Jose Guillen drove in two runs to help host Kansas City beat Detroit. With the score 2-2 in the eighth inning, Guillen doubled with two outs off Francisco Cruceta (0-1 ). Esteban German ran for Guillen. After Billy Butler walked, Mark Teahen had an infield single, but Edgar Renteria committed a throwing error on a backhanded flip to second base, allowing German to score an unearned run. Joakim Soria worked a perfect ninth to earn his ninth save in nine opportunities. He has yet to give up an earned run. RANGERS 5, MARINERS 2 Ramon Vazquez drove in the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly as host Texas beat Seattle. INDIANS 4, ATHLETICS 0 Paul Byrd (2-3 ) and two relievers combined for host Cleveland’s fourth shutout in seven games, beating Oakland. ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 4 Luke Scott, who was in a 7-for-55 slump, went 3 for 3 with a three-run home run in the third inning that put host Baltimore ahead 5-3 against Boston’s Josh Beckett (4-3 ). BLUE JAYS 5, TWINS 3 Matt Stairs homered and scored twice as Toronto beat host Minnesota.
National League PIRATES 8, CARDINALS 4 Ronny Paulino, who entered in the second inning after catcher Ryan Doumit hurt his left thumb muffing a pitch on a passed ball in the first, drove in the go-ahead run in a four-run 10 th inning as Pittsburgh beat host St. Louis. Adam LaRoche added a three-run double off Ron Villone (1-1 ) in the 10 th for the Pirates, who have won 7 of 8 and are one game below. 500. Troy Glaus hit a three-run home run and Albert Pujols tied it with his eighth in the eighth for the Cardinals, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Pujols also walked twice and has reached base in all 40 games. Nate McLouth hit a two-run home run, and Paulino had a game-tying double in the seventh. PADRES 4, CUBS 3 Khalil Greene hit a three-run home run and Shawn Estes (1-0 ) got his first victory since 2005 as San Diego beat host Chicago. Cubs starter Jason Marquis (1-3 ) couldn’t hold a 3-0 lead. Estes allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, 7 hits and 1 walk in 5 1 / 3 innings. Estes made only one start in 2006 and missed the 2007 season recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery. The Padres’ bullpen pitched 3 2 / 3 innings of hitless relief. Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save in nine chances. It was the 531 st save of his career. BREWERS 5, DODGERS 3 Eric Gagne earned his 10 th save in a bid to reclaim his closer’s job as host Milwaukee handed Los Angeles its fifth consecutive loss. Gagne allowed a leadoff single to Russell Martin before getting Blake DeWitt to hit into a fielder’s choice and Mark Sweeney to fly out. DeWitt advanced to second on a passed ball, and Gagne walked Andruw Jones before getting Juan Pierre to pop out to end the game. REDS 5, MARLINS 3 Edinson Volquez (6-1 ) allowed 1 earned run and a season-high 7 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in 6 innings as host Cincinnati beat Florida. Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger fouled a pitch off his leg in the second, and X-rays revealed a broken left kneecap. He drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 and played defense in the third and fourth innings before departing. PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 4 Jayson Werth drove in four runs and Kyle Kendrick (3-2 ) shook off a shaky first inning (3 runs and 3 hits ) and allowed 3 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings as host Philadelphia beat Atlanta. Brad Lidge finished for his 10 th save in 10 chances, though he allowed his first earned run of the season. METS 6, NATIONALS 3 Ryan Church had a home run, double and four RBI against his former team and John Maine (5-2 ) allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, 2 hits and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts in 6 innings as host New York beat Washington. Tuesday’s games NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 4 NY Mets 6, Washington 3 Cincinnati 5, Florida 3 San Diego 4, Chicago Cubs 3 Milwaukee 5, LA Dodgers 3 Pittsburgh 8, St. Louis 4 Colorado at Arizona, (n ) Houston at San Francisco, (n ) AMERICAN LEAGUE Cleveland 4, Oakland 0 Baltimore 5, Boston 4 Tampa Bay 2, NY Yankees 1, 11 innings Texas 5, Seattle 2 Toronto 5, Minnesota 3 Kansas City 3, Detroit 2 Chicago White Sox at LA Angels, (n )
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