Verlander flirts with no-no as Tigers beat Angels

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander came within four outs of another no-hitter, outpitching an angry Jered Weaver as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Sunday in a testy game that grew particularly heated in the late innings.Maicer Izturis lined an RBI single to left field with two outs in the eighth for the Angels' only hit. Verlander (15-5) was trying for his third career no-hitter and second this season.Weaver was ejected for throwing a pitch over Alex Avila's head in the seventh, right after Carlos Guillen showboated on a solo home run -- infuriating the right-hander.Guillen flipped his bat, posed at the plate and skipped a few steps sideways, prompting Weaver to yell at him before Guillen rounded the bases.Sensing trouble was coming, plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt warned both benches. But Weaver threw the next pitch near Avila's head and was quickly ejected along with Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia.Knowing he would be tossed, Weaver started walking off the field immediately, gesturing angrily and cursing in the direction of Detroit's bench.Verlander was attempting to become the fourth pitcher since 1900 to throw three career no-hitters, joining Bob Feller (three), Sandy Koufax (four) and Nolan Ryan (seven). Verlander pitched a no-hitter at Toronto in May and has lost two more bids in the eighth inning this year.In a marquee matchup of All-Star aces, Verlander allowed two unearned runs and two walks in eight innings, striking out nine. Jose Valverde worked the ninth for his 28th save in 28 tries.Weaver (14-5) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings.Verlander walked Bobby Abreu in the fourth, ending any hopes of a perfect game, and walked him again in the seventh. Vernon Wells hit a ball to the warning track in the seventh, but Andy Dirks made the catch.Magglio Ordonez hit a two-run homer off Weaver in the third. Weaver yelled at Ordonez as he rounded the bases, apparently thinking he had been posing as he watched the shot, which barely stayed fair.That apparently led to the trouble with Guillen when he homered in the seventh.Guillen skipped slowly toward first, glaring out at Weaver as the pitcher screamed at him.There was more to come, too. Erick Aybar tried to bunt for a hit leading off the eighth against Verlander, often considered a violation of baseball etiquette when a pitcher has a no-hitter going in the late innings.This was a questionable case of that unwritten rule, however, because the Angels were trailing only 3-0 in a game between playoff contenders.Aybar reached second when Verlander threw the ball away for an error, and the right-hander started at him as he stood on the bag.Aybar scored from third when the Tigers botched a rundown. Izturis' single made it 3-2, but Verlander threw a 101 mph fastball to strike out Torii Hunter and end the inning.Game notes The giveaway for kids in attendance was a poster commemorating, of all things, Verlander's no-hitter against Toronto in May. ... For several moments in the eighth inning, the Comerica Park scoreboard listed the Angels as leading 8-3 despite not having a hit. ... Despite the tension between the teams, Valverde did his normal dance after recording the final out. ... Before Izturis' single, the closest the Angels came to a hit was Alberto Callaspo's hard grounder in the second inning. Guillen made a backhand stop at second.

Moreland backs Holland as Rangers blank Jays

TORONTO -- A feisty mound meeting with manager Ron Washington sure fired up Derek Holland.Holland pitched a four-hitter to win his fourth straight decision, Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli homered and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Saturday."You could tell from the get-go that Holland was on his game," Moreland said. Holland (10-4) reached double digits in victories for the first time and improved to 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA since losing to Florida on July 2. The left-hander has pitched three shutouts in that span, blanking Oakland on July 7 and following that with a shutout of Seattle on July 14."His stuff was great today," Napoli said. "When he started throwing in the bullpen I knew he had some good stuff and he brought it into the game. He had a good fastball and he mixed in some off-speed when he had to. The ball was moving all over the place."Holland, who walked one and struck out five, leads the AL with four shutouts this season and is tied with Philadelphia left-hander Cliff Lee for the major league lead. He and catcher Napoli embraced in front of the mound following the final out. Holland threw just 95 pitches, including 69 strikes.After Moreland homered off Blue Jays left-hander Brad Mills in the top of the second, Holland faced his only jam in the bottom half, issuing a two-out walk to Rajai Davis, then throwing the ball away on John McDonald's bunt to put runners at second and third. That's when Washington came to the mound to deliver a short, sharp message."I told him how important that inning was," Washington said. "We had just put two runs up there. He got two quick outs and then he walks a guy and didn't make a play that he should make. The last thing we need is for him to let those runs score. Then I left."Washington didn't have to come back the rest of the day. Moreland struck out J.P. Arencibia looking to end the inning, starting a stretch of 12 consecutive outs. The Blue Jays didn't have another runner reach scoring position.Holland didn't know what was going on when his manager first popped out of the dugout."I thought he was going to argue the call or something," he said. "I didn't think anything of it."Once Washington's stern message had been received, however, Holland was ready to go."It fired me up," Holland said. "I know I'm better than that. I shouldn't have been making those two-out mistakes. Especially after the offense just gave us some run support, I'm supposed to go out there and shut them down. I wasn't doing a very good job that inning."Washington said if Holland had allowed even one base runner in the ninth, he would have called closer Neftali Feliz in to finish. That wasn't necessary. Colby Rasmus grounded out, Jose Bautista struck out looking and Holland deflected Adam Lind's hard grounder to shortstop, where Omar Quintanilla made the final out."From previous seasons he's improved a large amount," Lind said of Holland. "You used to see fastballs and sliders but now he's locating his fastball to both sides of the plate with a slider and curveball."Bautista had two of the four hits off Holland, the first of which was an opening-inning infield pop-up that got lost in the sun. The Blue Jays slugger also hit a two-out single to left in the sixth but Lind ended the inning by grounding to the mound. Arencibia reached on a one-out infield single in the eighth, but Aaron Hill followed by grounding into a double play.Napoli singled to begin the second and Moreland followed with a line drive homer to right-center, his 13th. It was Moreland's first career homer off a left-hander.Making his first start of the season, Mills (0-1) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, matching a career-high.Napoli made it 3-0 with a solo shot to center in the eighth, his 15th.Rangers infielder Ian Kinsler snapped an 0-for-20 slump with a leadoff single to left in the fifth. Kinsler had been held hitless in his previous four games.Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar was ejected in the sixth for arguing a call at first base. Escobar jumped up and down in anger after he was called out on a groundball up the middle, arguing with umpire Marvin Hudson that Kinsler's throw had pulled Michael Young off the bag.Hill replaced Escobar and played second base, with McDonald moving from second to shortstop.Rasmus went 0 for 4 and is 0 for 12 with a walk in three games since being traded to Toronto on Wednesday.Game notes Texas OF Nelson Cruz, who left Friday's game with a tight left quadriceps muscle, was held out of the starting lineup. SS Elvis Andrus also didn't start after tweaking his sore right knee Friday. OF Josh Hamilton was held out of the starting lineup but came on defensively in the ninth. ... Lind started at DH and is expected to get the day off Sunday. ... Mills started in place of LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, who was designated for assignment last week. ... Holland is two shutouts shy of matching the club record for shutouts in a season shared by Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins (1974) and Bert Blyleven (1976). ... Holland is the second Texas pitcher to record three shutouts in a month. The others are Jenkins (1974) and Gaylord Perry (1975).

Stark: Ranking the trade chips

Jayson Stark covers the latest trade rumors on Hunter Pence, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda, Aramis Ramirez, Heath Bell and more. More Podcasts " But even if the Reds and Yankees back off, the Rockies still have several potential trade partners out there -- particularly the Red Sox and Indians. Teams that have spoken with Boston seem certain they WILL add at least one starter by the deadline. And an executive of a club that has been in touch with Cleveland says the Indians are sending signals that their list of "untouchables" in lesser deals wouldn't apply for someone like Jimenez. That could mean names such as Alex White and Drew Pomeranz would be in play for a pitcher whose talent and contract fit perfectly into the Indians' blueprint. And if that's the case, the Rockies could have the makings of a deal. If not, Colorado continues to tell clubs it's fine with keeping Jimenez if it doesn't get its price. 3. Heath Bell Was it only 24 hours ago that people were predicting a trade of Bell -- most likely to Texas -- could happen "quickly"? Yep. It sure was. But it appears the Padres got bogged down Thursday in a world in which the teams they were speaking with had too many other balls in the air. The Phillies, for instance, continue to have strong interest in a much bigger deal with San Diego that could involve Mike Adams, Ryan Ludwick, Brown and quite a few other names. But that deal would disappear if the Phillies trade for Pence. So the Padres appear to be playing a waiting game on that front until Pence's status gets resolved. The Braves and Indians also have interest in Ludwick and the Padres' relievers. But they too have a bunch of other options. Then there's Texas, a team that seems to be in pursuit of just about every name you've ever read in Rumor Central in your lifetime. And that complicates their dealings with the Padres, as well. Other clubs still expect the Rangers to wind up with Bell. In fact, an official of one team who has been speaking with them went so far as to call it "a lock." But an executive of another club said Texas believes it's the only team out there that's pursuing Bell and truly matches up with the Padres' shopping needs. So Texas continues to balk at the asking price, which could be up to three of the Rangers' top dozen prospects, according to one executive who has spoken with both teams. But Bell told reporters Thursday he's virtually certain he'll get traded in the next two days. And our best bet, here at the Daily Rumble, is he's right. 4. B.J. Upton

Trumbo's five RBIs lead Angels past Tigers

DETROIT -- Mark Trumbo isn't your typical seventh hitter.The Los Angeles Angels rookie proved that again Thursday, putting together the biggest game of his young career to help the Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 12-7.Trumbo homered and drove in a career-high five runs, and is now hitting .256 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs this season."Power and production are what I need to do," he said. "That's what first basemen are known for."He also tripled, doubled and scored three times. Needing a single for the cycle, he grounded out leading off the ninth inning."I had an idea what I needed, because I'm usually aware of what I've done in the game," he said of his last at-bat. "It was in the back of my mind, and if it happened, great, but I had already produced in the game."Bobby Cassevah (1-0) worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for the win."What Bobby did kept us in the game," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That was just a big outing, and hopefully, he'll keep contributing like that, because he has a big arm."Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the Angels' three-run second. He tripled in the fourth and doubled in the seventh.Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected in the third for arguing that a pitch had hit Austin Jackson."That's a tough call for an umpire, because the knob of the bat and the hand come together, but Austin has a bruise the size of a baseball on his hand," Leyland said. "I talked to Jerry after the game, and there's no problem. It is just one of those things that happens. You have to defend your players."Los Angeles led 7-6 after six innings, then scored five times in the seventh. Tigers reliever David Purcey started the inning, but gave up a single and two walks without getting an out. Phil Coke came on and allowed a two-run single to Howie Kendrick and Trumbo's two-run double.After the Angels' three-run second, the Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Miguel Cabrera's 22nd homer -- a 428-foot drive that landed in the shrubbery above the center-field fence.Detroit made it 3-2 on Brennan Boesch's RBI single in the third, but the Angels scored four more in the fourth.Kendrick started the inning with an infield single and Trumbo followed with a triple. Peter Bourjos hit his second double of the game to put Los Angeles up 5-2, which resulted in Tigers starter Brad Penny yelling at catcher Victor Martinez. The two were calmed down by pitching coach Jeff Jones, but Penny was pulled two batters later after Erick Aybar's RBI single.Penny downplayed the incident, saying it was a discussion about how Martinez was calling the signs with a runner on second base, but the catcher refused to talk about the incident."Next question," Martinez said. "Don't ask about that."Trumbo was startled by the argument."I've seen stuff like that before, but I've never heard it as loud as that," he said.Penny (7-8) gave up seven runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings.Charlie Furbush allowed an RBI single to Torii Hunter, making it 7-2, but the Tigers scored four times in the bottom half.Jhonny Peralta and Boesch had RBI singles, while Andy Dirks drove in two runs with a base hit.Wilson Betemit finished the scoring with a homer off Scott Downs in the eighth.Game notes Former Tigers closer Fernando Rodney was booed when he came in to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh inning. ... Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque did not pitch after being bothered by a sore elbow during Detroit's visit to Chicago. Alburquerque was on the disabled list from June 30 to July 16 with the same problem.

MLB admits umpire missed call in Pirates game

MLB Executive VP of Baseball Operations Joe Torre says it appeared to him that umpire Jerry Meals missed the call at the end of the Pirates-Braves game. He talks about whether replay could help the games and what happens with the Pirates' formal complaint. More Podcasts " In the bottom of the 19th, with the Braves and Pirates locked in a 3-3 duel, Atlanta's Scott Proctor hit a ground ball off Pittsburgh's Daniel McCutchen to third base. Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez fielded it and threw home to catcher Michael McKenry, who appeared to apply the tag to Atlanta's Julio Lugo before Lugo touched the base. Meals called Lugo safe.

Padres chase Lee to avoid sweep in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA -- Chris Denorfia robbed a home run in one game and stole home in the next.Denorfia sparked San Diego with its first steal of home since 2005. It had only seemed that long since the Padres were able to defeat Philadelphia.Aaron Harang outpitched Cliff Lee, Denorfia stole home and the San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies for the first time in more than a year, 5-4 on Monday.Harang (9-2) gave up four runs in six innings to help the Padres avoid a four-game sweep and defeat the Phillies for the first time since June 7, 2010. The Phillies had beaten the Padres 10 straight times, their second-longest streak against them since winning 11 from 2004-06.Lee (9-7) lasted only four innings, his second-shortest outing of the season. He allowed 10 hits, five runs and made a pickoff blunder that allowed Denorfia to steal home.His soft toss to first gave Denorfia the opening he needed to bolt from third and give the Padres a 3-1 lead."I started to walk and when it looked like a pick, I took off," Denorfia said.Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his 29th save. Domonic Brown opened the ninth with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice. Ross Gload, who leads the majors with 13 pinch hits, struck out swinging on a 95 mph fastball. Bell retired Jimmy Rollins on a flyout to save it for Harang.Harang improved to 4-0 with 2.17 ERA over his last nine starts."He kept us in the game and our hitters did a good job," Padres manager Bud Black said.Not Lee.After the Phillies staked Lee to a 1-0 lead, he unraveled in the second. Lee, who had allowed only three runs over 14 innings in his last two starts, gave up four in the inning.Jesus Guzman led off the inning with a double and scored on Rob Johnson's tying double. Johnson came around on Denorfia's single to left. Denorfia advanced to second on the throw home, stole third, then scored when Lee attempted to pick off Jason Bartlett at first. Chase Headley's RBI double to center made it 4-1 and the Phillies couldn't recover.Lee said he soft-tossed to first because he saw Bartlett wasn't trying to steal. His rare mental mistake was all Denorfia needed to become the first Padre to steal home since Mark Sweeney on July 6, 2005."That's the first time that's ever happened," Lee said. "I didn't even consider that as a possibility right there. Next time I'm in that situation, I need to make a more firm throw to first and not allow that to happen."Denorfia's steal came a day after he sprinted with his back to home plate, twisted his body at the last second and extended his arm over the short wall to rob Raul Ibanez.The Phillies held a Christmas in July promotion and fans brought signs that read "Merry Cliff-Mas." There was little good cheer after Ryan Ludwick's sacrifice fly made it 5-1.The Padres, in last place in the NL West, snapped a three-game losing streak. They did it without getting a hit after the fifth inning.The loss appeared to be just a minor blip for the Phillies. They open a three-game series Tuesday at home with defending World Series champion San Francisco. The Giants eliminated the Phillies in last year's NL Championship Series."I don't walk around saying I want revenge on these guys," Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino said. "Revenge would be bringing the trophy back to Philly."There's plenty of time for that, and the Phillies should have a familiar arm in the bullpen to help them chase the championships.Philadelphia's highlight came in the seventh when former closer Brad Lidge made his season debut. Lidge had been out with a partially torn rotator cuff. He threw 11 pitches in a scoreless inning of work and received a standing ovation as he left the mound. Lidge will forever be remembered in Philadelphia for going 48 for 48 on save opportunities in 2008 when he led the Phillies to the World Series championship.The Phillies squandered two big scoring chances that could have led to a sweep.In the eighth, Victorino was stranded on third after a two-out triple. And Ryan Howard was easily thrown out at home on Victorino's two-out double off the right-field wall in the first.Brown's first career triple and Carlos Ruiz's run-scoring single in the fourth off Harang cut it to 5-3. Ibanez added an RBI single in the sixth.Denorfia collided with right fielder Ludwick on Brown's hit and both fielders were down as the ball scooted away. Denorfia's left shoulder crashed into Ludwick's head. The team trainer and Black both visited their shaken-up outfielders. Ludwick left the game in the sixth. Denorfia moved to right and Will Venable took over in center."I was a little bit woozy, but my body parts were OK," Ludwick said.Game notes Phillies All-Star 3B Placido Polanco (back) said he hoped to play two rehab games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and return to the lineup Saturday. ... Phillies RHP Jose Contreras (mild right forearm strain) is set for a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection soon. ... RHP Joe Blanton (elbow) is set for an exam on Tuesday. ... The Padres finished 4-3 on their road trip. ... The Padres have stolen a base in every game since July 10, a stretch of 12 straight games.

Pirates edge Cards on d'Arnaud's sac fly in 10th

PITTSBURGH -- Xavier Paul scored on Chase d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Sunday.Paul legged out an infield hit with one out against St. Louis reliever Jason Motte (3-2), then stole second and advanced to third when catcher Gerald Laird's throw rolled into center field.D'Arnaud lined to center and the speedy Paul easily beat the throw from centerfielder Colby Rasmus as the Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak.Joe Beimel (1-1) retired the Cardinals in order to pick up his first victory as a Pirate in more than eight years.Ronny Cedeno and Eric Fryer had two hits apiece for Pittsburgh.Rasmus had two hits, including his 10th homer of the season for the Cardinals, who blew their 18th save of the season to fall into a virtual tie with the Pirates in the NL Central standings.When Paul scampered home with the winning run, it marked the first time during the three-game series that the Pirates took the lead.St. Louis went up three times on Sunday, but on each occasion Pittsburgh found a way to claw back.Rasmus appeared to put the Cardinals in charge with a deep homer to right field in the sixth off starter Charlie Morton, but Pittsburgh tied it in the seventh off St. Louis reliever Lance Lynn.Cedeno led off the inning with a double and moved to third when Lynn and third baseman Daniel Descalso miscommunicated on a bunt attempt by Fryer. Cedeno tied it up on a double play by Steven Pearce and Pittsburgh's bullpen shut the door.The Cardinals never got a runner to third over the final 4 2/3 innings, as Jason Grilli, Chris Resop, Joel Hanrahan and Beimel held them in check.St. Louis dominated the first two games of the set, badly outplaying the Pirates on Friday and Saturday to dull a bit of the buzz generated when they briefly moved into first place in the division with a win over Cincinnati on Tuesday.Manager Clint Hurdle pointed to a tentative effort by the starters, who were a little too wary of St. Louis' vaunted lineup of sluggers. Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia combined to give up 12 runs in 10 2/3 innings as the Pirates were outscored 15-5.Morton's sinker proved sharp enough to keep Pittsburgh in it, though he struggled with his command. He walked five in 5 1/3 innings and throwing a wild pitch that allowed Descalso to sprint home from third to put St. Louis up 2-1.Morton exacted a bit of revenge with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two but Rasmus wasted little time putting St. Louis back in front, drilling a Morton fastball into the seats in right field for his first home since July 1.It looked like it might be enough for St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse.The veteran right-hander has struggled this month, entering the game with an 0-3 mark and a 7.64 ERA in July.The team was so concerned about his performance it ordered the 32-year-old right-hander back to St. Louis last week to have the inflammation on the middle finger of his right (pitching) hand examined.The tests revealed no significant damage and he was effective if not overpowering against Pittsburgh's slumping lineup. Lohse gave up two runs in five innings, striking out four while throwing 45 of his 64 pitches for strikes.His numbers would have been even better if not for some uncharacteristically sloppy defense.The Pirates scratched a run across in the third behind the first career steal by Fryer, who advanced to third when shortstop Ryan Theriot misplayed the throw from Laird.The steal was the first against Lohse since Pittsburgh's Jose Tabata swiped second against him on Aug. 23, 2010. The sequence was repeated almost exactly in the 10th as the Pirates avoided their longest losing streak since dropping six straight in May.Pittsburgh begins a seven-game road trip through Atlanta and Philadelphia on Monday while St. Louis begins a user-friendly portion of the schedule with home series this week against also-rans Houston and Chicago, who began the day a combined 32.5 games out of first.Game notes Pittsburgh OF Alex Presley missed his second straight game after sustaining a left thumb contusion on Friday. He is day-to-day. ... The series drew 112,994 fans to PNC Park, the third-highest total for a three-game set in the park's 11-year history. ... St. Louis RF Lance Berkman went 1 for 5 to extend his hitting streak to eight games ... St. Louis pitcher Jake Westbrook served as a pinch runner in the eighth. ... The game was delayed several minutes in the eighth when home plate umpire John Hirschbeck was hit in the groin with a foul ball. Hirschbeck was tended to by trainers but remained in the game.

Matsui's homer seals win as A's hold off Yanks

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui homered against his former team, Rich Harden earned his second win of the season and the Oakland Athletics snapped an 11-game losing streak to the New York Yankees with a 4-3 victory Saturday.Andrew Bailey barely held on in the ninth inning, allowing a run before retiring Robinson Cano on an easy grounder with a runner on third to end it.Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer off A.J. Burnett and Jemile Weeks had an RBI single for the A's, who beat the Yankees for the first time since April 22, 2010, in Oakland. The skid had been tied for the longest current slide by one big league team against another. Minnesota had dropped 11 in a row against Detroit going into Saturday's matchup in Minneapolis.About 14 hours after New York polished off a 17-7 rout in 100-degree heat, Harden and four relievers held the Yankees in check on a 93-degree afternoon.Derek Jeter had three hits and a walk for the Yankees. Nick Swisher's solo homer deep into the second in right cut Oakland's lead to 3-2 and chased Harden (2-1) in the sixth.With two on and two outs in the seventh, Grant Balfour retired Cano on a long fly to center. New York put the first two batters on in the eighth, but Eduardo Nunez flied out after failing to get a bunt down and pinch-hitter Jorge Posada grounded into an inning-ending double play as Balfour pumped his fist.Bailey worked the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances. His first two batters reached safely and the Yankees pulled off a double steal as Curtis Granderson struck out. Mark Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly before Cano grounded out.It was a rare loss under the sun for the Yankees, who began the afternoon a major league-best 28-5 in day games. They also dropped to 14-4 at home since June 10.The recent series between these teams has been as lopsided as they come. New York lost for only the second time in the last 17 meetings with Oakland and fell to 25-5 against the A's since the start of the 2008 season.The Athletics have lost nine straight series to New York, an Oakland record against any team. But they can end that slide Sunday when All-Star lefty Gio Gonzalez faces Yankees veteran Bartolo Colon.Making his fourth start since missing the first three months of the season with a strained right shoulder, Harden threw 104 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed two runs and five hits while striking out six and walking four.Burnett (8-8) threw 100 pitches and dropped to 0-2 in four starts since beating Milwaukee on June 29. He was yanked after walking the Nos. 8 and 9 batters to load the bases with two outs in the sixth and never looked at manager Joe Girardi on the mound.Weeks followed with a soft single off Cory Wade to make it 3-1.Leading off the seventh, Matsui pulled lefty reliever Boone Logan's first pitch just over the right-field fence for his 501st home run combined between Japan and the United States.Recalling all the big hits he delivered in pinstripes from 2003-09, fans in the crowd of 46,188 applauded as Matsui rounded the bases. Some even stood up for the ovation.Matsui was the 2009 World Series MVP for the Yankees when they beat Philadelphia.Trying to move season-high 20 games over .500, New York jumped on top in the second when Cano blooped a double and scored on Russell Martin's two-out single.The A's answered in the third. Matsui singled with two outs and Willingham homered into the Oakland bullpen in left-center, his team-high 13th.Yankees pitchers allowed only two homers in their previous 10 games. Oakland began the day with 54 homers, fewest in the American League.Oakland right fielder David DeJesus, born in Brooklyn and raised nearby in New Jersey, made a sparkling grab to rob Jeter of extra bases in the first inning.Jeter returned the favor in the third with a quick release on a difficult jump-throw from the shortstop hole to nip DeJesus at first.Harden fought his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, striking out rookie Brandon Laird with his 31st pitch of the inning.Game notes Oakland had lost six straight and 13 of its last 14 in the Bronx. ... Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano (right elbow inflammation) is scheduled to pitch Sunday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as part of his rehab assignment. ... New York reliever David Robertson struck out Ryan Sweeney to end the ninth, the ninth consecutive batter he has fanned with the bases loaded. ... Cano was given a partial rest as the DH. Eduardo Nunez started at 2B for the second time this season. ... Laird made his first major league start, at third base.

Ramirez, Soriano spark Cubs' rally past Astros

CHICAGO -- Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano hit fifth-inning homers and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Friday.Ramirez's 18th homer, a two-run shot, capped Chicago's four-run rally in the inning. Ramirez's 13 homers since June 24 are the most in the majors.Soriano started the inning with his 15th of the season.Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano (7-5) won for just the second time since May 26 and improved to 16-8 against Houston, the most wins against the Astros by an active pitcher.Zambrano went six innings, allowing nine hits and two runs, striking out three and walking one.Houston's Bud Norris (5-7) took the loss in his first career start at Wrigley Field. He gave up nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and striking out five.Michael Bourn had three hits and two stolen bases.Five Cubs relievers combined to throw three scoreless innings of relief.Sean Marshall pitched the ninth for his third save. Carlos Marmol, the Cubs' closer for most of the season, struck out the only two batters he faced in the eighth inning.However, the Astros failed to capitalize on some early opportunities and stranded eight runners in the game.The Astros loaded the bases with nobody out in the second on a Carlos Lee walk and back-to-back singles by Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson.Zambrano fell behind Clint Barmes 3-0, but induced a double-play grounder to short, scoring Lee with the game's first run. Zambrano escaped further damage by getting Humberto Quintero on a bouncer to second.The Astros again loaded the bases with no outs in the third.Norris and Bourn singled and Zambrano hit Jose Altuve in the shoulder with a pitch.Zambrano fell behind Hunter Pence 3-0, but Pence lined sharply to shallow left and Carlos Lee flew out to about the same spot, leaving the bases loaded with two outs for Wallace. Wallace flew out to right to end the inning.The Cubs also struggled in the early going. Soriano led off the third with a double into the left-field corner. With one out, he was caught in a rundown on a comebacker hit by Zambrano. Chicago also squandered Ramirez's leadoff double in the fourth.Houston went ahead 2-0 in the fourth when Bourn singled home Barmes.The Astros' early failings cost them when the Cubs finally got to Norris with a four-run rally in the fifth.Soriano cut Houston's lead to 2-1 with a leadoff homer. Chicago tied the game when Darwin Barney singled, went to second on Zambrano's bunt hit, stole third and scored on Starlin Castro's sacrifice fly.Ramirez then hit a two-run homer into the left-field bleachers, putting the Cubs up 4-2.Game notes Houston reinstated outfielder Jason Bourgeois from the 15-day disabled list and optioned outfielder Brian Bogusevic to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Bourgeois had been on the disabled list since June 29 because of a strained right quad. Bourgeois struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. ... Henry Sosa, acquired by the Astros from the San Francisco Giants for infielder Jeff Keppinger on Tuesday, threw seven shutout innings in his debut with Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday night. He allowed four hits and struck out five. ... Cubs manager Mike Quade declined to pick a starter for Tuesday's game at Milwaukee, saying he wanted to see how the weekend series with Houston unfolded. Rodrigo Lopez, who has three straight quality starts, is the most likely candidate to take the turn. ... Aramis Ramirez hit his 231st homer as a member of the Cubs, tying him with Gabby Hartnett for sixth on the club's career list. ... The Cubs snapped a nine-game streak with at least one error, their longest since June 4-13, 1987. The Cubs entered the game with 87 errors on the season, 15 more than the Astros, who had the second-most in the National League.

Davis, Jays send Mariners to 12th straight loss

TORONTO -- Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge felt the need to air out his frustrations after his team's latest loss -- its 12th in a row.Rajai Davis hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Mariners 7-5 on Thursday.The Mariners locked the door to their clubhouse after the game as Wedge blasted his struggling team, telling them to toughen up."We've got to get tougher," an exasperated Wedge said. "This game will eat you up if you don't get tougher. They fought back today, but we've got to do a better job from inning to inning."A lot of these guys are getting eaten up right now," Wedge added. "We can't give in, we can't keep pouting about it and we damn sure can't quit. You've got to just keep going, and you've got to be tough enough when you're doing that."Miguel Olivo erased a 5-1 deficit by hitting Seattle's first grand slam of the season in the top of the eighth, but the Mariners couldn't add on.Reliever David Pauley (5-4) got two quick outs in the bottom half before Mike McCoy doubled to left and Yunel Escobar walked. Davis followed with a double over the head of Ichiro Suzuki in right, scoring both runners."It was just a good pitch to hit," Davis said. "I was able to square it up and hit it where they ain't."Shortstop Brendan Ryan said Wedge's speech was pointed and direct."He doesn't waste his words," Ryan said. "When he says something, he means it and there's something behind it."Olivo had no problem with his manager's postgame address."We need to step up a little more," Olivo said. "Everything he said is true."The Mariners have not won since beating the Athletics in Oakland on July 5. It's Seattle longest losing streak since dropping 12 straight from Sept. 11-22, 2008."I don't want to say it's embarrassing, but I don't even know how many in a row it is now," Ryan said. "This is ridiculous."Jon Rauch (4-3) worked 1 2/3 innings for the victory as Toronto wrapped up a three-game sweep and won for the eighth time in 10 games.The Mariners used a single, a walk and three stolen bases to put runners at second and third with two out in the third, but Ricky Romero caught Ryan looking at a curveball for the final out.Seattle opened the scoring in the fifth. Chone Figgins walked and stole second and, after a walk to Jack Wilson, came home on Suzuki's single to center.Toronto promptly tied it in the bottom half when McCoy's two-out double down the left field line scored Edwin Encarnacion from second base.The Blue Jays took the lead in the sixth. Eric Thames reached on a wild third strike and scored when Jose Bautista followed with a double off the wall in left-center.Toronto made it 5-1 in the seventh thanks to an error by right-hander Doug Fister, who bobbled the ball on McCoy's bunt, missing a chance to force out Corey Patterson at third."He's probably one of our best athletes," Wedge said. "He just tried to be too quick and it got away from him."That loaded the bases for Escobar, who lined an RBI single to center that ticked off the 6-foot-8 Fister's glove. After Thames followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk, Chris Ray came on to face Bautista and gave up a sacrifice fly.But Romero and the Blue Jays couldn't hold the lead. Suzuki and Ryan reached on infield singles in the eighth and Casey Janssen came on in relief after Adam Kennedy walked to load the bases. Olivo crushed Janssen's second pitch to center for a grand slam, his 13th homer of the season and his second career slam.Janssen left after giving up singles to Justin Smoak and Josh Bard, with Rauch coming on to get the final two outs.Fister, who has not won since May 30 against the Baltimore Orioles, allowed five runs, four earned, and five hits in six-plus innings. He walked three and struck out four.Romero gave up four runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out nine.Game notes Seattle recalled right-hander Josh Lueke from Triple-A Tacoma and optioned infielder Kyle Seager to Tacoma. ... Figgins made his first start in the outfield since joining Seattle before the 2010 season. Figgins started in left and Kennedy played third. ... Bautista made his third straight start at DH after missing three games with a sore right ankle but is expected to return to third base on Friday. ... With the temperature expected to exceed 100 degrees, the retractable roof at Rogers Centre remained closed. It was the first time the roof has remained closed because of heat.

Valencia helps Twins salvage split vs. Indians

MINNEAPOLIS -- Danny Valencia thinks of himself as one of the big hitters in the Minnesota Twins lineup.If he keeps coming up with clutch hits like he did against the Cleveland Indians, there will be no doubting his importance.Valencia singled home the go-ahead run for the second straight day, this time in the eighth inning, and Minnesota beat Cleveland 7-5 in a sloppy game played on another sweltering day at Target Field."You know, hitting behind Jim Thome, obviously you know they are going to pitch around him to get to me," Valencia said. "To be able to come into those situations and capitalize, and for our team to win is all I care about."Minnesota salvaged a split in the four-game series with the AL Central-leading Indians that was played in extreme heat and humidity. Temperatures were in the mid- to high-90s for each game.Twins manager Ron Gardenhire left the stadium during the game and was replaced by bench coach Scott Ullger. Gardenhire has been dealing with a viral infection and has had trouble dealing with the heat.Matt Capps (3-5) earned the win in relief of Nick Blackburn, who gave up four runs -- one earned -- in six innings. Joe Nathan gave up a solo homer to Lonnie Chisenhall but earned his sixth save.Valencia, who won Tuesday night's game with an RBI single in the ninth, lined a ball to right field, which just eluded the glove of second baseman Orlando Cabrera, to score Alexi Casilla, who had three hits, two runs and an RBI. Tsuyoshi Nishioka added a two-run single to cap the Twins' rally."I like being in those situations," Valencia said. "Anybody on this team wants to be in that position. Fortunately it's been coming up in my hands and I've been able to take it and run with it, and come through. It was a huge team win. We needed this. We're within striking distance of getting back on top of this division."Casilla had reached off Cleveland reliever Tony Sipp (4-2) after his long fly ball to the warning track fell between left fielder Luis Valbuena and center fielder Ezequiel Carrera. The ball bounced off the warning track and into the bullpen for a ground-rule double."Nobody called the ball," Valbuena said. "I tried to catch, but I feel he's right there next to me and I was scared I was going to run into him."Sipp allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in just a third of an inning. Indians starter Josh Tomlin pitched six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits.The misplay between Valbuena -- playing just his third major league game in the outfield -- and Carrera was just one of several defensive miscues by both teams."If you have an everyday outfielder, I'm sure that it probably could have been caught," Cleveland manager Manny Acta said about Casilla's double. "But we know what we're dealing with. Luis is playing out of position he played a lot of left field in Triple-A but it's a different ballgame up here."Carrera and Valbuena were part of a depleted outfield for the Indians, who were missing center fielder Michael Brantley and Travis Buck.Acta said Brantley -- the team's leadoff hitter -- was diagnosed with heat exhaustion after playing in both games of Monday's doubleheader and was still having stomach issues on Wednesday.With the Twins leading 4-3 in the sixth, the Indians tied it on a passed ball by Twins catcher Drew Butera that allowed Travis Hafner to score from third.Butera was catching with Joe Mauer playing first base for the second straight game. Mauer was given the choice of where to play by Gardenhire.Mauer had two hits and is hitting .563 (9-for-16) as a first baseman. His defense at first has been sparkling and he scooped a short-hop throw by Casilla to end the seventh inning, stranding two runners in scoring position."He looks pretty good," Ullger said. "He looks like he's been there awhile. He's just a natural athlete. I think he could probably play any position. He could probably play shortstop if he wanted to play shortstop. He's just that kind of athlete."Game notes Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said right-hander Scott Baker felt "great" throwing his bullpen session and will come off the DL to start Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. ... Buck was still experiencing headaches before the game and was unavailable. Buck was hit in the head by a pitch from Francisco Liriano on Tuesday but hasn't shown signs of a concussion. Acta said Buck is not subject to the MLB concussion testing. ... Valencia's is now 10-for-18 with the bases-loaded in his career, with 22 RBIs. He also has 21 RBIs this season in the seventh inning or later, which is tied for fifth in the league.

Red Sox snap scoreless tie, top Rays in 16th

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The streaking Boston Red Sox worked some serious overtime for their latest victory.Dustin Pedroia singled with two outs in the top of the 16th inning, snapping a scoreless tie and giving the AL East leaders a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday night. Josh Beckett and five relievers combined to pitch a three-hitter for the Red Sox, who won for the eighth time in nine games, retaining a 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees in the division.Pedroia lined a single to right field off Adam Russell (1-2), driving in Josh Reddick from third base. Reddick drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on Marco Scutaro's infield hit."I just wanted to go home. I think everybody did," said Pedroia, who was 3 for 7 while the remainder of the Red Sox went 2 of 45 against nine Tampa Bay pitchers."They threw the ball outstanding all night and we did, too. It was a great game. I'm just happy we won."Alfredo Aceves (5-1) pitched three scoreless innings for the win. Jonathan Papelbon worked the bottom of the 16th for his 21st save in 22 opportunities.It was the longest 1-0 game in the major leagues since the Brewers at Angels on June 8, 2004, went 17 innings, according to STATS LLC. The longest 1-0 game ever was 24 innings between the Mets and Astros in 1968. Both teams got outstanding performances from their starting pitchers, with Beckett allowing one hit -- an infield single -- and Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann limiting the Red Sox's potent lineup to pair of singles through eight innings. They both also wasted opportunities to win it long before it ended after 5 hours, 44 minutes -- the longest by time in Rays history.Beckett limited the Rays to one hit in a 3-0 complete game shutout at Tropicana Field last month, and the All-Star right-hander was equally tough on them this time.Reid Brignac's third-inning, infield single was Tampa Bay's lone hit off Beckett on June 15. Evan Longoria's grounder back to the mound bounced off the pitcher's right foot with two outs in the first and was the only blemish on his pitching line Sunday as he struck out six and retired the last 22 batters he faced.Niemann was almost as good while working a season-high eight innings, allowing a two-out single to Adrian Gonzalez in the first and Pedroia's single down the left field line leading off the fourth. The 6-foot-9 right-hander walked Reddick with one out in the fifth and Scutaro with two outs in the eighth, fanned a career-high 10 and didn't allow a runner past second base.Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 15 games, one shy of his career best. He's also reached base in 27 consecutive games dating to June 15, the longest current stretch in the majors."By that time it's not just physical, but it's mentally draining," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Pedroia's winning hit. "That's probably the one guy you know is going to figure out a way."Both teams wasted opportunities to win it in the ninth.The Red Sox loaded the bases on Pedroia's double and two walks before reliever Kyle Farnsworth escaped by getting Reddick to fly to center field. Longoria flied to right, sending the game into extra innings after Boston's Daniel Bard gave up a two-out single to Johnny Damon and walked Ben Zobrist in the bottom of the ninth.Sean Rodriguez had Tampa Bay's third hit, a leadoff single in the bottom of the 11th."We shut them down for 16 innings, that's pretty impressive," Pedroia said. "One run scored in 16 innings, that's unbelieveable."Boston narrowly missed going ahead when Gonzalez lined a pitch toward the left field corner that tailed into foul territory in the 10th, then failed to score after loading the bases with no outs on three walks in the 11th. Jake McGee struck out Reddick and Cruz fanned Varitek and got Scutaro to foul out to get out of the inning.Rays manager Joe Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez were ejected by plate umpire Chad Fairchild during the 11th inning. Maddon was tossed during a pitching change, leaving Martinez to lead the Rays. Martinez was ejected after leaving the dugout to have words with Fairchild after Scutaro slammed his bat to the ground in frustration after popping up.The bat bounded toward catcher Kelly Shoppach, but did not prevent him from making the catch.The Red Sox improved to 12-2 since June 30, hiking the best record in the AL to 57-36. The third-place Rays have lost 9 of 15 to fall a season-high seven games off the pace in the division."It was a nice win. It was a long win," Francona said. "But they don't give us extra credit."Beckett was scratched from the All-Star Game in Phoenix last Tuesday night after feeling soreness in his left knee while warming up in the bullpen. The right-hander pitched just five innings in his last start before the break against Baltimore after slightly hyperextending his knee on a wet mound at Fenway Park.Since spending six weeks on the DL because of lower back strain, Niemann has turned his season around with four strong performances over five starts since his return on June 20 against Milwaukee. In six starts prior to going on the DL, he went 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA.Game notes Gonzalez went 1 for 15 in the series, dropping his batting average 12 points to Boston manager Terry Francona said LF Carl Crawford (strained left hamstring) will be in the starting lineup for Monday night's game at Baltimore. He finished a two-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. ... Tampa Bay RF Matt Joyce was scratched from the starting lineup because of a sore knee. The first-time All-Star was injured when he fouled a ball off his right kneecap during the fifth inning Saturday. He pinch hit in the ninth against Bard and lined out. ... Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (strained back muscle) is scheduled to rejoin the rotation a week from Tuesday and pitch against Kansas City. ... David Ortiz had no news about his appeal of a four-game suspension stemming from Boston's bench-clearing melee with Baltimore on July 8. The slugger thinks he could get an update Monday.

Thome slugs 596th HR to lift Twins past Royals

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jim Thome has been plagued by aches and pains for the better part of a decade. They just seem to be coming around a little more often in his 19th season.A strained oblique and bothersome toe injury on his left foot have slowed his chase of 600 career homers, but the Minnesota Twins are sticking with him for moments like the sixth inning on Sunday against Kansas City.With the game tied and his team in desperate need of a jolt, Thome hit his 596th home run to lift the Twins to a 4-3 victory over the Royals.Thome's tiebreaking three-run drive off Felipe Paulino soared into the upper deck in right-center field, leaving him four shy of becoming the eighth player to hit 600 home runs."It's always special," Thome said. "That feeling you want to kind of last forever. It went out, it put us ahead. And that's No. 1."Jeff Francoeur homered and Melky Cabrera added two hits for the Royals. Paulino (1-3) struck out eight in seven innings, yielding four runs and seven hits.Brian Duensing (7-7) gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings for the Twins, who started a crucial 12-game homestand by taking three of four from the Royals.After a relatively healthy season last year in which he hit 25 homers in 108 games, this one has been a tough one. He will turn 41 in August, and it's getting tougher and tougher to get his body ready to grind out each at-bat.On a sweltering day where the heat index climbed past 110 degrees, Thome looked plenty loose when he sent a 3-2 pitch from Paulino an estimated 490 feet into the stands for a 4-1 lead. He also became the 11th player to hit 500 homers in the American League, according to STATS, LLC."He's had some injuries and we know we have to limit what you can do with him to keep him healthy," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That was a big at-bat and it was one mistake. That's what those guys do. You make one mistake and he's going to put it in the seats. That's why he's got that many home runs."Francoeur came back with a two-run shot of his own in the top of the seventh, but Glen Perkins pitched a perfect eighth and Joe Nathan, who resumed his closer role when Matt Capps began to struggle, picked up his fifth save of the season.It was a tough loss for Paulino, who has pitched well since joining the Royals at the end of May. Paulino hit 97 mph on the Target Field radar gun. He only walked one hitter, an intentional pass for Joe Mauer, who had two hits and an RBI."We're at the point where one mistake kills us," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We're just walking a thin line. Just keep battling through it. We're getting better. We've just got to keep trudging through it."The Royals made Duensing work through the first three innings.The Twins left-hander needed 58 pitches to get to the fourth, giving up an RBI single to Alex Gordon to fall behind in the first inning. But he breezed through innings four, five and six, averaging just 10 pitches per frame to keep the Twins in it.Gardenhire returned to the ballpark Sunday after missing Saturday's game with a chest cold that has bothered him for weeks. He played it safe by watching the game from the air-conditioned clubhouse, while bench coach Scott Ullger made the pitching changes.Paulino fanned Thome and got him to ground into a double play the first two times up. But he left a slider out over the middle of the plate in the third at-bat, and paid for it."He knows what his game's all about," Nathan said. "He came to us and pretty much said, 'There's going to be a lot of times I strike out. There's going to be a lot of times I walk and there's going to be a lot of times that I'm going to barrel one up.'"We got to see a lot of that today. He punched out, but he also got to barrel one up and we got to see one fly a long way."Game notes The Twins host the Indians for a doubleheader on Monday. Scott Baker will pitch Game 1 against Cleveland's David Huff. Anthony Swarzak will face Fausto Carmona in the nightcap. ... Royals 1B Eric Hosmer made a terrific, over-the-shoulder catch of a foul popup by Danny Valencia in the seventh inning. ... Gardenhire and SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who is Japanese, had a bet on the women's World Cup championship. "I wish I could trash talk in Japanese, because he would hear all of it," Gardenhire cracked before the game. But Nishioka had the last laugh, sprinting through the clubhouse saying, 'Oh sorry! Sorry!" after Japan sealed the victory.---Jon Krawczynski can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski

CC wins 14th as Yanks figure out Jays, halt skid

TORONTO -- CC Sabathia ensured the New York Yankees didn't have to wait another day for their next win.Sabathia won his seventh straight start to become the first 14-game winner in the majors, Brett Gardner had three hits and the Yankees beat Toronto 4-1 on Saturday, ending the Blue Jays' five-game winning streak. "To not win for a week, and that's what it felt like because we hadn't played for a few days, you need a win," manager Joe Girardi said. "CC went out and got one for us."The Yankees got back in the win column after losing their first two games following the All-Star break. Their last victory was Sabathia's most recent start, July 10 against Tampa, the day before the break."He's great, he is every time," Gardner said of Sabathia. "You guys keep asking me how he is and it seems like every time I tell you the same thing: He's just dominant."Sabathia (14-4) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings. He walked three and struck out eight.Derek Jeter got two hits and matched Al Kaline for 26th place on baseball's career list. Jeter singled in the ninth for hit No. 3,007.Gardner doubled in the second, hustled for a double and scored in the fourth, then stole second after reaching on a bunt single in the sixth.Sabathia has struck out 59 and posted an ERA of 1.68 over his seven-start winning streak. The left-hander has won 11 of his past 12 outings, his only defeat in that span being a June 9 home loss to Boston."His slider was good today," Girardi said. "I thought all his stuff was good. His velocity was great, his changeup was very good. He just knows how to pitch."New York's staff ace set down 12 of 13 at one stretch and allowed just one extra-base hit, John McDonald's double to left in the eighth."CC was very good," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. "There were not a lot of opportunities to take advantage of."After accusations in the first game of the series that Toronto was stealing signs, catcher Russell Martin gave pitcher Freddy Garcia multiple signs Friday. But Sabathia and batterymate Francisco Cervelli didn't bother with that."Me and Cervi talked about it before the game and just used a different set than we normally use with a runner on second. I don't really think it's something that you can really do anything about. You just go out and try to pitch," Sabathia said.Mariano Rivera pitched around a pair of singles to finish in the ninth for his 23rd save in 27 chances. New York got some much-needed rest for its bullpen, which had worked 10 1/3 innings of relief in the previous two games as Toronto outscored the Yankees 23-8.Sabathia's career-long streak of 23 2/3 scoreless innings came to an early end when Toronto scratched out a run in the first. Rajai Davis led off with a walk and stole second before coming home on Yunel Escobar's single up the middle."My command was off early," Sabathia said. "I just stuck with it, tried to be aggressive and I ended up getting better as the game went on."The Yankees gave Sabathia a lead he would not relinquish with a two-run second against left-hander Ricky Romero (7-9). Nick Swisher doubled and scored on a single, Gardner doubled and Eduardo Nunez followed with an RBI groundout.New York added one more in each of the third and fourth innings.Starting as the designated hitter, Curtis Granderson walked to open the third and went to third on a one-out single by Robinson Cano. After Romero's pitch to Jones bounced away from catcher J.P. Arencibia, Cano made a move toward second. When Arencibia threw to Aaron Hill at second, Granderson broke for the plate, scoring easily when Hill's errant throw sailed to the backstop.Gardner doubled to begin the fourth, moved up on Nunez's sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out single by Jeter.For Jeter, the RBI was his 1,160th, tying him with Tony Lazzeri for eighth place on the Yankees' all-time list.Romero lost his second straight start and has now failed to pitch into the seventh in three straight games after doing so in each of his previous nine outings."I didn't really get comfortable and was a little wild with my fastball," Romero said.Romero allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out seven.Game notes Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista (right ankle) missed his second straight game after injuring himself on a slide Thursday. Bautista, who leads the majors with 31 home runs, is still wearing a walking boot but said swelling in the ankle has gone down and that he can put more weight on it. ... New York RHP Rafael Soriano (elbow) threw at the Yankees' spring training complex in Florida but RHP Mark Prior (groin) was scratched from his appearance with the Gulf Coast Yankees. ... Attendance was 45,606, Toronto's biggest crowd since opening day (47,984). ... Yankees RHP Phil Hughes (0-2) faces Blue Jays RHP Carlos Villanueva (5-1) in Sunday's series finale.

Crasnick: Starting 9 -- What to watch for in the second half

A total of 19 clubs sported sub-4.00 ERAs at the break. In 2001, only five MLB pitching staffs achieved that feat. And ESPN Stats & Information duly notes that there have been 87 double-digit strikeout games this season, the most in 10 years. Run production in the two leagues is at its lowest level in two decades. "The game in general has been headed in that direction the last few years," said Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun. "If you look at it, there are a lot of young starting pitchers coming up who have really good stuff. It feels like guys are throwing harder overall, and velocity always gives you room for error. "Now that they've cleaned the game up -- the drug testing is legit -- there are far less guys who are able to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. That's really changed the game in its entirety. There's more focus on pitching and defense and baserunning." Braun, Michael Cuddyer and other hitters aren't just imagining things when they point to a rampant uptick in gun readings. According to FanGraphs, 41 starting pitchers this season have an average fastball velocity of 92 mph or above. Only 16 pitchers fit that description in 2002. Although pitchers are thriving, lots of established hitters are giving new meaning to the term "struggling." Adam Dunn looks so lost and forlorn, Jose Canseco is giving him hitting tips. Dan Uggla has been a major disappointment in Atlanta. Ichiro Suzuki has a .640 OPS. Joe Mauer is homerless with a .288 slugging percentage. And Jayson Werth, Washington's $126 million man, is in a deeper funk than Teddy Roosevelt, who's still riding a career oh-fer in the between-innings presidential races at Nationals Park. Airtight races In the six major league divisions, the biggest gap between first and second place is in the NL East, where Philadelphia leads Atlanta by 3½ games. The most jumbled mess exists in the NL Central, where the Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates and Reds are separated by only four games. The most compelling heavyweight smackdowns are taking place in the two East divisions. In the American League, the Yankees are within a game of first-place Boston even though they're 1-8 head-to-head against the Red Sox this season. Still, good luck finding a Boston player who'll so much as chuckle at the perception that the Red Sox "own" Team Steinbrenner this season. "I remember a few years ago people said the same stuff and [the Yankees] ended up winning like eight in a row against us," said Boston's Josh Beckett. "You never feel like they're out of a game. It doesn't matter if they're down eight runs. If they're down eight, you feel like, 'We've still got to make pitches here. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.'" While Boston and New York outslug the masses, the Phillies and Braves keep putting opponents into sleep mode. Philadelphia is first in the majors with a 3.02 ERA, and Atlanta is right behind at 3.11. The teams meet only six more times this season, but that three-game series at Turner Field in late September has a chance to be very interesting. The trade deadline Everyone looks forward to the trade deadline with great anticipation. But a multitude of factors suggest the headlines will be moderate in comparison to recent years. [+] Enlarge William Perlman/The Star Ledger/US PresswireThe Mets' Carlos Beltran ranks third in the NL in OPS (.880) among right fielders. For starters, there's no transcendent star player who's assured of dominating the conversation, as Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Matt Holliday and Cliff Lee have done in recent years. Three difference-making position players are on the cusp of free agency and might typically be mentioned in July trade speculation. But Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are playing for teams enmeshed in pennant races, so they're staying put. And every signal the Mets emit suggests they plan to hang on to Jose Reyes and take their chances in November. Obstacle No. 2 to a trade-deadline blockbuster: A select few teams (that means you, Astros, Orioles, Royals, A's and Cubs) are so bereft of hope that they've already reached the lost-cause stage. The Padres, Dodgers, Marlins and Mariners appear to be moving in that direction. "I think there's going to be action," a National League executive said. "But there are so many teams still in it, you're not going to see as many early trades. I think you're going to see an intense week from July 25 to the deadline. A lot of teams are going to wait." Some names we're likely to see making the rounds: Carlos Beltran, Jeremy Guthrie, Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy, Hunter Pence, Brett Myers, Chad Qualls, Ryan Ludwick, Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Francis, Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jamey Carroll, Carlos Pena, Kosuke Fukudome, Erik Bedard and Jason Marquis. That's just a trade-speculation appetizer. The Dodgers' debacle The Dodgers aren't winning many games this season, but they're churning out embarrassing headlines with proficiency. The daily updates from Chavez Ravine alternate between sad and surreal, black comedy and outright lunacy. On Friday, Steve Garvey confirmed that he's been fired from his job in the team's marketing and community relations department. Garvey has made no secret of his desire to assemble a group to buy the beleaguered franchise. On Saturday, the Dodgers came within an out of getting no-hit before pulling out a 1-0 win over San Diego. A group of fans congregated outside the park to protest Frank McCourt's ownership, but apathy is so rampant in L.A. that fewer than 100 people mustered the outrage to attend. Feel free to pick a side. McCourt is the obvious villain with his flair for finding new and innovative ways to debase the franchise. But commissioner Bud Selig and MLB owners also deserve their share of criticism for welcoming McCourt into the club despite an abundance of caution flags. As the McCourt saga plays out in bankruptcy and divorce courts, the negative impact on one of baseball's marquee franchises is undeniable. The Dodgers are on pace to draw fewer than 3 million fans for only the second time since the strike in the mid-1990s. And the longer the ownership picture remains in chaos, the more difficult it will be for the franchise to sign All-Star outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to long-term deals. Two good things to emerge from the McCourt fiasco: (1) Compared to the Dodgers, the Mets look like a pillar of stability; and (2) those "Frankrupt" T-shirts make for a witty fashion statement. Rust Belt revivals The Indians and Pirates left spring training as long shots to rank high on anybody's list of 2011 feel-good stories. But here we are, more than halfway through the season, and they continue to make noise in their respective divisions. The Pirates, at 47-43, are 10 victories short of their total for all of 2010. The players have responded to new manager Clint Hurdle's approach, and the city has embraced the team with zeal. PNC Park, one of baseball's most aesthetically appealing venues, is seeing bigger, more enthusiastic crowds, and the Pirates are feeding off the energy. But is it sustainable? The Pirates rank near the bottom in the National League in multiple offensive categories. They're ninth in the majors in team defensive efficiency, and they'll have to continue to play fundamentally sound ball behind a rotation (Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton, Paul Maholm, James McDonald and Jeff Karstens) that doesn't miss many bats. The Indians, who blazed out to a 30-15 start, went into a funk when the schedule got tougher, then regained their equilibrium. But lots of questions remain. What kind of contribution will Grady Sizemore and the injured Shin-Soo Choo provide the rest of the way? Can prospects Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis have an impact down the stretch? And what can coaches Tim Belcher and Scott Radinsky do to fix Fausto Carmona, who gave the team seven quality starts in 18 outings in the first half? If Indians GM Chris Antonetti makes an addition through a deadline trade, it's likely to be an outfield bat. If Cleveland needs a starter, it most likely will be Zach McAllister, David Huff or somebody else on the farm. "We continue to be encouraged by the way we've played and how our guys have responded to adversity," Antonetti said. "We'll continue to look at opportunities to improve the team as we approach the trade deadline." General-manager-speak? Sure. But when the Indians are looking to upgrade in July rather than sell, it's welcome news in Cleveland. Jim Thome's 600th homer Now that Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit is in the books, the next big milestone target belongs to Thome, who needs five homers to become the eighth member of the 600 club. Thome has been bothered by injuries to his back, quadriceps and left oblique this season, and now he has a sprained big toe, so he's gradually running out of healthy body parts. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez didn't generate many positive vibes with their 600th, but Thome is widely regarded as a "clean" player and one of baseball's nicest and humblest stars. The Twins' biggest challenge might be finding enough guys to hoist the big lug around on their shoulders. "Selfishly, you want to be a part of something like this no matter who it is," teammate Michael Cuddyer said. "Then you look at the person. For me, there's not a better guy I've met in my life than Jim Thome. Maybe Harmon Killebrew, and that's it. "He's so unassuming. He's the type of guy, if you're his next-door neighbor, he'll mow your grass for you if you're going away for two weeks. To see a guy like that accomplish a feat like this would be incredible." Albert Pujols, with 426 career homers, has a lot more exploding scoreboards in his future, but the outlook is thin beyond "The Machine." Chipper Jones (444) and Vladimir Guerrero (443) probably don't have enough left in the tank to reach 500. The free agents-in-waiting Pujols, Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes are all destined to become wealthy men this offseason (or maybe "wealthier" is a more accurate description). We won't know where they'll land until sometime after Thanksgiving. But there should be plenty of intriguing plot twists along the way. [+] Enlarge Steve Mitchell/US PresswireHow much is Prince Fielder worth on the open market? Probably too much for the Brewers. Pujols, the best player of his generation, has been tested over the past few months. He looked very un-Albert-like in April and May, then broke his wrist in June. But Pujols showed quick-healing power by returning in 15 days, and now he's intent on punishing the ball in the second half. Broadcaster Tim McCarver recently speculated that Fielder, who's having a monster year, has been the beneficiary of all the attention thrown Pujols' way. "There has been so much emphasis put on Pujols and the Cardinals that this has allowed Prince to relax and have a terrific year this year, unlike Albert," McCarver told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I don't think Prince feels it like Albert does. Players deny that, but from the way I see it, I think you certainly can make a case for it." The two sluggers aren't the only ones who'll take their contract talks to heart. Scott Boras represents Fielder, and Dan Lozano is the agent for Pujols, and if you don't think they want to outdo each other on the big stage, you don't know much about the agent business. Reyes has burnished his superstar credentials with a monster first half for the Mets. But he's on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, and he needs to get healthy and come back strong if he wants to land a deal in the Carl Crawford, $142 million range. There's nothing like a strong finish to keep a guy from slumming in the eight-figure neighborhood. Baseball labor deal Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires this year, and players and owners have been negotiating for months amid a cone of silence, free of threats, doomsday proclamations and public posturing. Selig and Michael Weiner, head of the players' association, both used the word "constructive" Tuesday to describe the state of the talks. Given the climate in the NFL and NBA, is anyone out there complaining over the lack of blow-by-blow details? Of course, MLB has its share of issues. Oakland and Tampa Bay have major stadium problems to address. The Dodgers are a mess, and the Mets have a lot of work to do to move past Bernie Madoff. The Yankees sported an Opening Day payroll of $202 million, while Cleveland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Kansas City all came in below $50 million. Players and owners have to find common ground on realignment, the first-year player draft, scheduling issues and a slew of other questions. But revenue sharing and the luxury tax have helped produce more parity in the game, and Selig began his annual All-Star meeting with baseball writers Tuesday by crowing over attendance, revenues and other tangible signs of the game's popularity. If Weiner and Rob Manfred, MLB's top lawyer, can get a deal done, it will assure baseball of a two-decade run without a shutdown. To borrow one of Selig's favorite adjectives, that's "remarkable" for a sport that wrote the book on contentious labor relations.

Clemens defense to target probe; jury seated

ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack explains what is going on with the Roger Clemens trial. More Podcasts " The dispute over the committee's proper role came as Walton considered what preliminary instructions to give the jury, which was seated Tuesday afternoon after 3½ days of screening potential members. The jury of 10 women and two men includes a woman whose cousin, former outfielder Al Bumbry, was a coach for the Boston Red Sox when Clemens played for the team. Another woman on the jury said she believes Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was "done wrong" in his criminal conviction in connection with dogfighting. Four other people were seated as alternate jurors in case any of the 12 can't serve. Prosecutors and Clemens' defense team removed 20 people from the pool of 36 jurors, offering no public explanation for their decisions. Clemens has denied allegations that he took steroids and human growth hormone, and has been charged with perjury, false statements and obstruction of Congress. The obstruction count charges Clemens with making 15 false or misleading statements to the committee, including his repeated denials he didn't take performance-enhancing drugs during his 24-season career and even whether he attended a 1998 pool party at then-Toronto Blue Jays teammate Jose Canseco's home in Miami. McNamee says he saw Clemens and admitted steroids user Canseco talking at the party with another man and that after they returned to Canada, Clemens asked McNamee to inject him with steroids for the first time. Clemens and Canseco say Clemens was never at the party but was golfing at the time. Attanasio said that dispute suggests how improper the whole inquiry was and that jurors should be able to determine whether a "he said, he said debate" between Clemens and McNamee was a legitimate congressional concern. "We're going to have a mini-trial on whether Roger Clemens went swimming," Attanasio said. "We're going to have a trial in U.S. District Court, Congress is going to have a hearing on these things? That's our point." Assistant U.S. attorney Daniel Butler responded that the committee has responsibility for oversight that is broad and goes beyond legislation. He said steroids in baseball is a drug matter and pointed out that a 2005 hearing into the issue led to legislation to regulate steroids and triggered Major League Baseball to commission a report by former Sen. George Mitchell into the extent of the problem in the league. The Mitchell report was released in December 2007 and named Clemens and 85 other current and former ballplayers as using drugs. Clemens denied the allegations and Butler pointed out that leaders of the House committee said they needed to investigate Clemens' denials to determine what weight to give the Mitchell report and its recommendations. Attanasio argued that if the committee's purpose was to come full circle on the Mitchell report, it had done so with a January 2008 hearing featuring testimony by Mitchell, baseball commissioner Bud Selig and former players union director Donald Fehr. "That ship had left. That work was done. And now it becomes a question between Mr. Clemens and Mr. McNamee," Attanasio said. But U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said if "one of the icons of baseball" was taking exception to the Mitchell report, "it seems to me that Congress has the authority to hold hearings to determine which view is correct." Attanasio said the issue will be addressed in testimony from the first two witnesses prosecutors plan to call after opening arguments Wednesday morning. He said the first will be retired House Parliamentarian Charles Johnson, followed by Phil Barnett, who was chief counsel for the committee at the time it investigated Clemens.

Verlander K's 9 Royals to earn historic 12th win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Justin Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to earn his 12th win before the All-Star break in 24 years and Detroit climbed past Cleveland into first place in the AL Central on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.Verlander (12-4) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings in the sweltering heat to match Jack Morris' win total in 1987. Striking out the side in the second and sixth, he fanned nine altogether and raised his league-leading strikeout total to 147. He allowed six hits and did not walk a batter while getting charged with one unearned run. He has not allowed more than two runs in nine straight starts.The 28-year-old right-hander threw 119 pitches, 82 strikes, as temperatures got as high as 98 degrees. The heat index on the concourse of the stadium in the eighth inning was 113. Lifetime, Verlander improved to 12-2 in 18 starts against the Royals, who lost three of the four games against their AL Central rivals and went into the break with a league-worst 37-54 record.The Tigers, winners of four of their last five, moved a half-game ahead of Cleveland, which lost to Toronto 7-1.Jeff Francis (3-10) took the loss even though he had one of the his best outings of the season, going six-plus innings and surrendering two runs on just four hits, with one walk and six strikeouts, matching his season high.Verlander lost the shutout in the eighth when Alcides Escobar singled, went to third on Chris Getz's single and scored with two outs when Brandon Inge threw high to first on Alex Gordon's slow roller to third. Joaquin Benoit relieved and struck out Billy Butler. All-Star closer Jose Valverde worked around a leadoff double by Eric Hosmer in the ninth for his 24th straight save. He saved all three of the victories against KC.It was 95 degrees with a heat index of 105 when the game started and 97, 112 by the sixth inning.Francis retired the first nine Tigers but Casper Wells doubled leading off the fourth and made it 1-0 on an RBI single by Brennan Boesch. In the sixth, Wells walked, went to second with his first career steal and came home on Magglio Ordonez's RBI single.Verlander, as usual against KC, was dominant most of the hot, sticky afternoon.After Butler singled leading off the second, struggling rookie Mike Moustakas broke an 0 for 21 streak with a two-out single into right. But Verlander ended the threat by striking out Brayan Pena. Jeff Francoeur singled to start the Royals fifth, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on Moustakas' roller to first. But Verlander kept him there by striking out Pena and retiring Escobar on an easy infield grounder.Hosmer made a terrific defensive play to end the eighth, diving to his right to snare Don Kelly's hot grounder wide of the bag and, from his knees, whipping the ball to pitcher Aaron Crow on the bag, nipping the runner by half a step.Game notes Verlander's pitch hit Escobar on the inside of his right arm in the third inning but home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi refused to let him take first, apparently ruling the ball had glanced off the bat. Replays clearly showed the ball hitting Escobar. The batter and manager Ned Yost argued in vain.... Morris was 18-11 after winning 12 games in '87 before the break. ... Melky Cabrera's sixth-inning single stretched his hitting streak to nine games.

McGehee's 3-run bomb lifts Brewers, Gallardo

MILWAUKEE -- Pinch-hitter Casey McGehee launched a three-run homer in the seventh inning, then spiked his batting helmet in the dugout while apparently letting out weeks of frustration, as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Wednesday.McGehee, benched three of the previous five games because of a season-long slump, hit his first home run since May 20. He had been hitting .171 since last homering.Yovani Gallardo (10-5) pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run and four hits, and helped prevent Arizona from sweeping the Brewers for the first time. He had lost three of his past four decisions, allowing 14 runs in 28 innings over that stretch.Against the Diamondbacks, Gallardo was more like the pitcher who won six consecutive starts earlier this season. He gave up a leadoff home run to Kelly Johnson on his third pitch of the game, but quickly recovered and struck out six, walked one and retired 13 of 14 batters during one stretch.Gallardo became the sixth NL pitcher with double-digit victories.LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless eighth and John Axford earned his 22nd save in 24 chances by striking out the side in the ninth.Arizona rookie Josh Collmenter pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits. He had lost his last four starts.Reliever Joe Paterson (0-2) struck out Prince Fielder to start the seventh before giving up consecutive singles. Sam Demel came on to face McGehee, who hit a 3-2 pitch off the slight overhang in center field for his third career pinch-hit home run and second this season. The other was April 10 against Chicago.The Brewers' offense was all McGehee as the rest of the team struggled, especially with All-Star Ryan Braun missing his fourth consecutive with a sore left calf.Game notes Johnson hit his ninth career leadoff home run. ... All-Star second baseman Rickie Weeks made a nice diving catch in the third to rob Johnson of a hit up the middle. ... Roenicke came out to check on Gallardo before he faced Juan Miranda with two out in the seventh. The right-hander, who already had thrown 116 pitches, stayed in the game and struck out Miranda.

Pirates remain hot, knock off MLB-worst Astros

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates fans aren't used to watching relevant baseball in July. They've responded favorably to it.Rookie Alex Presley had three of the Pirates' 14 hits and Pittsburgh moved three games over .500 this late in the season for the first time in 12 years with a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros on Monday.Chase D'Arnaud, Garrett Jones, Neil Walker and Lyle Overbay each had two hits for Pittsburgh, which played in front of its fourth consecutive home sellout crowd -- another sign of how rare it is for the Pirates to be in contention. Paul Maholm (5-9) allowed one earned run in six innings for the Pirates, who entered the day 1½ games behind Milwaukee and St. Louis the National League Central -- the first time they were less than two games from a division lead this late in a season since 1997."It's fun, but we need to continue to play well," Maholm said. "In September, it will be a lot more fun. For any of us who have been here, it's uncharted waters, but you're seeing a group that's having fun and likes playing in front of big crowds. Today was cool. These were all Pirates' fans and you had 10,000 military personnel here, too. It was really a special day."Jeff Keppinger had two hits and scored two runs and Hunter Pence went 2 for 3 to extend his hitting streak to nine games for the Astros, who have lost four consecutive, nine of 10 and 12 of 14.They have the majors' worst record -- a distinction that last season belonged to the Pirates. But Pittsburgh is 14 games better than it was at this point of 2010. The Pirates have won three of four and nine of 13."The energy and attitude is completely different," said Presley, who was recalled six days earlier after having played in 19 September games for Pittsburgh last season."We had already been eliminated when I got called up. Now, we're a game out of first place and we feel like we're going to win every time out. It's fun and just totally different. We had a good crowd and I really got to see what Pittsburgh fans are like this time."Pittsburgh scored more runs Monday than it had in all but two of the previous 17 starts by Maholm, who allowed five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Maholm has won four of his past six decisions, lowering his ERA to 3.08.Daniel McCutchen, Jose Veras and Joel Hanrahan each followed with a scoreless inning of relief. Named an All-Star on Sunday, Hanrahan worked a perfect ninth to improve to 25 for 25 in save opportunities, a Pirates record for most consecutive saves without a blown save. It also tied the team mark for most saves prior to the All-star break.With the game tied at 3 in the fifth, Walker singled to right, scoring D'Arnaud. Presley's two-out triple in the sixth scored Brandon Wood to make it 5-3.Those runs came after the Pirates had rallied to tie Houston twice after trailing 1-0 and 3-1."A lot of things went on in the first three innings," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said, "but we were able to slow things down and Paul was able to settle down."Defensively, we patched things up. We swung the bats consistently again," Hurdle added. "(Brett) Myers throws everything at you. For us to stay after it to catch up and go ahead showed a lot of moxie on our part."Houston's two-run third came the result of three Pittsburgh errors, but the Pirates tied it the following half-inning when d'Arnaud doubled and scored on Andrew McCutchen's double. Overbay then drove McCutchen in with a single.Myers (3-8) allowed five runs -- four earned -- with no walks and one strikeout in six innings."Balls were hit on the ground; they were right to the holes," Myers said. "I guess that's the way it's going. I felt like I made good pitches and they were just finding holes and making me work deep into counts."A day after matching a season high for hits with 16 hits, the Pirates had 13 off Myers -- the most he's allowed in 234 career starters."He didn't walk anybody, but they seemed to put the ball in play on him and kept fouling him off and fouling him off and kept getting the pitch count up," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "But he battled all the way through and gave us those six innings, and gave us that chance."Game notes Before the game, Hurdle criticized those involved with the selection process for next week's All-Star game for not including McCutchen. "I think everybody whiffed on this one," Hurdle said. McCutchen's .904 on base-plus-slugging percentage ranked fifth among NL outfielders heading into Monday. ... Pirates 3B Josh Harrison left the game after the third inning due to dizziness. He had collided with Astros C Carlos Corporan at home plate in the second. Harrison was being administered post-concussion tests Monday. ... The crowd of 36,942 ensured the first time the Pirates sold out four consecutive games in the history of 11-year-old PNC Park.

Duensing tosses six-hitter in blanking of Rays

MINNEAPOLIS -- As Danny Valencia's three-run homer barely reached the seats in left field to give the Minnesota Twins a 7-0 lead in the eighth inning, Brian Duensing was worried his chances for a second career shutout left the ballpark with it.He lobbied briefly to stay in the game, and that was enough for Ron Gardenhire.Duensing overcame a shaky start to throw a six-hitter and Valencia had three hits and three RBIs to help the Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-0 on Monday."He said, 'I'm going back out there," Gardenhire said. "There was no question about it. He was going back out, which was kind of neat. And we were going to let him."Duensing (6-7) struck out seven and walked four for his second career shutout, throwing a career-high 119 pitches to give struggling closer Matt Capps the day off.David Price (8-7) gave up four runs on five hits with six strikeouts in six innings for the Rays.Michael Cuddyer added a solo homer and Tsuyoshi Nishioka had a two-run double for the Twins. Capps blew a three-run lead on Saturday and had to be pulled from the game in the ninth on Sunday.Casey Kotchman and Sean Rodriguez each had two hits for Tampa.Duensing walked a tightrope early in the game, getting hit hard by the Rays but taking advantage of some good defense keep Tampa Bay off the board."Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," he said.Tampa loaded the bases in the first inning before Justin Ruggiano bounced into an inning-ending double play. Kelly Shoppach did the same after a leadoff single from Kotchman in the second and Cuddyer and Alexi Casilla both made nifty plays in the fourth inning.Cuddyer, who is headed to his first All-Star game, made a leaping catch at the right field wall to take away an extra-base hit from Ruggiano and Casilla made a diving stop to get Matt Joyce and strand two runners on base. Duensing pumped his fist and slapped Casilla on the rear as they headed to the dugout, and he cruised from there.The lefty retired 15 of the final 16 hitters he faced."It didn't start as well as I wanted it to," Duensing said. "But the defense made some unbelievable plays that kept me in it. Next thing you know we're putting across runs against David Price."It was the kind of outing many expected to see from Price against the injury plagued Twins lineup manager Ron Gardenhire trotted out there. Only two hitters started the day with a batting average better than .244, and the bottom third featured lightweights Jason Repko (.230), Matt Tolbert (.186) and Nishioka (.189).The trio proved to be a lot more formidable than expected the first time through the order. Repko singled, Tolbert walked and Nishioka hit a two-run double to right field to open the scoring.A scary moment occurred in the third inning, when Joe Mauer's bat splintered on a dribbler back to Price. The barrel slammed into home plate umpire Paul Emmel's right leg on the follow through, causing Mauer to turn and look as he trotted down the first base line.Trainers rushed to Emmel's aid, but after a few minutes the umpire remained in the game without missing a pitch.Cuddyer hit the next offering from Price an estimated 443 feet into the second deck in left field, giving the Twins a 4-0 lead."It's a pretty big confidence booster," said Duensing, who had given up 14 earned runs in his previous four starts. "I haven't been doing very well lately and I know that. My numbers haven't been good and I haven't gone real deep in a game, really. This is a real positive."Valencia took all suspense out of the game when he hit a three-run homer off Adam Russell in the eighth inning. He also had a double and is 6 for 7 with two walks in his career against Price."I thought we hit some balls well, then by about the fifth or the sixth inning he settled in," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I thought we were swinging the bats good. I thought we had a legitimate shot. It just went away."Game notes Rays OF Ben Zobrist missed the game because of illness. ... The Twins said OF Jason Kubel (sprained foot) was still having discomfort while running so he was going to return to the Twin Cities for further examination on Tuesday.

Correia gets 11th win as Pirates blast Nationals

WASHINGTON -- The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't need their All-Star on Sunday. The closer is superfluous when it's an eight-run game.Instead, a pair of maybe-could-have-beens again made the case that, perhaps, these Pirates are deserving of more attention than the black-and-gold teams of recent past.Kevin Correia won his 11th game, and Andrew McCutchen had three hits to cap a prolific series as Pittsburgh cruised to a 10-2 win over the Washington Nationals.Pittsburgh will wake up on the Fourth of July with a winning record for the first time since 1999. Correia's nine road victories are tops in baseball. McCutchen had nine hits, including six for extra bases, in the four-game series to raise his average to .294. If they were anyone but the Pirates, perhaps there would be three All-Stars instead of just reliever Joel Hanrahan, who earned the team's lone nod when the selections were announced earlier in the day."It's up to us to change that," McCutchen said. "The majority of people look at us as just being 'the Pirates,' and they're going to say it's 'the Pirates' until we show a difference. That's just fuel for the fire for us as a team to continue surprising teams every time we show up. Win a series here, win a series there. Sweep a team here, sweep a team there. Next thing you know they're going, 'Hey, these Pirates are the real deal."Correia (11-6) allowed two runs and six hits over six innings to become the first Pirates pitcher to win 11 games before the All-Star break since Jim Bibby in 1980. He's tied for the majors lead in wins with Jair Jurrjens, Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander.Correia said he was more focused on his start than the All-Star selection show, but he likes that the club was at least in the mix for more than one spot."We had a few guys that deserved a look, and that's good," Correia said. "I don't think this team's had that in the past. It's been 'a guy's got to make it, so a guy goes.' "Pittsburgh's 10 runs matched a season-high as the club moved two games over .500 for the ninth time this season, where they keep hitting a barrier that so far has stopped them cold. They are 0-8 when trying to get to three games over.The Pirates were due for a laugher after playing mostly tight ones for much of the season. They scored three in the first, five in the second. McCutchen had three hits and would have had four were it not for Roger Bernadina's diving catch on the warning track in the left field corner."It's nice for the bats to show up and have a feel-good day on offense," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "But I think we're built more for the other. I don't know how many more of these we'll get, but when we get 'em we'll take 'em."The Pirates battered Jason Marquis (7-3), who lost for the first time in eight starts. He lasted only 1 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs and eight hits as the Nationals again fell below .500 and dropped to 2-5 under manager Davey Johnson. Washington has already allowed 10 or more runs twice under Johnson, matching the number times it happened in 78 games under Jim Riggleman and John McLaren."I don't like to get beat," Johnson said. "It wasn't any fun today."Jayson Werth left the game after getting hit on the left arm by a pitch in the sixth. He continued to struggle at the plate, striking out with two outs and two men on base in the first and flying out to center with a runner on base in the third to drop his batting average to .223. The fans' tepid reaction was much kinder than it was on Saturday, when he was booed loudly during the second game of a doubleheader.Werth declined to speak to reporters for the second straight day. Johnson said Werth is sore and will probably miss a day or two.Such nagging injuries are a mounting problem for the Nationals. Michael Morse, the team's best hitter, sat out Sunday with a bruised forearm and will likely miss Monday's game as well."I'm real concerned about it," Johnson said. "Nobody's 100 percent."Game notes There wasn't much of a feeling that Hanrahan and Tyler Clippard would be future All-Stars when they were part of the Nationals bullpen in 2008 and 2009. On Sunday, they both were named to the NL squad. Hanrahan has tied a Pirates record with 24 consecutive converted save chances. "It is kind of ironic," Hanrahan said. "I went into that (Washington) clubhouse plenty of times hanging my head, looking for answers, trying to figure out where my career was going -- really searching for everything. To be here now, riding high, hearing the announcement I made the All-Star team -- that's really a good feeling." Clippard didn't figure he'd have much of a shot because he's a setup man, but he has 57 strikeouts, 15 walks and a 1.96 ERA for the Nationals. He has allowed only 6 of 31 inherited runners to score. "I knew there was maybe an outside shot," Clippard said. "But I didn't really take it seriously and maybe that's probably a good thing." ... Morse will be on a fan ballot to determine the final NL All-Star spot. ... The Pirates sent RHP Brad Lincoln to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalled RHP Chris Leroux. ... Nationals 43-year-old first baseman Matt Stairs beat out an infield hit in the first inning. He was starting in the field for the first time since April 12.

Valencia caps Twins' comeback win vs. Brewers

MINNEAPOLIS -- With closers Joe Nathan and Matt Capps on the roster, Glen Perkins doesn't expect to get many save opportunities for the Minnesota Twins.He made the most of his chance Sunday.After Capps had a second straight rough outing, Perkins ensured the Twins' seventh-inning rally held up for a 9-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.Danny Valencia delivered another bases-loaded hit, a two-run single that capped a four-run seventh and Rene Tosoni homered and drove in three runs for Minnesota, which trailed Zack Greinke by 6-1 in the fourth inning. Jim Thome hit his 595th career homer for the Twins.It was a reversal of about 19 hours earlier for the Twins, who blew a 7-0 lead Saturday night and lost 8-7."If you're not able to put one particular game in your rearview mirror, you're not going to have too much success," said Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota's lone All-Star.Capps, tagged for four earned runs Saturday, gave up two hits in the ninth before Perkins recorded his first career save in two opportunities by striking out Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee. McGehee snapped his bat across his knee after missing a low slider."I'm throwing the ball well, kind of putting it where I want to right now. I'm getting out there a lot and its easy to get into a rhythm," Perkins said.It's been an up-and-down season for Perkins, who did not allow a run in 18 of 23 appearances before spending almost a month on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. In nine appearances since his June 16 return, he's allowed two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings, striking out 10."So far in my big league career, this is the best I've pitched," Perkins said. "I've felt good and there's no reason not to put me out there."Manager Ron Gardenhire said Capps remains the team's closer despite his weekend struggles."It was just a situation where Perk has been so good against a lefty. I thought that was a better matchup at the time. He's got the hot hand and I wanted to win the ballgame."Mark Kotsay homered and drove in three runs for the Brewers, who lost for the fifth time in six games.The Twins trailed 7-5 in the seventh before Cuddyer hit a two-out RBI single off Kameron Loe (2-7). Thome was walked to load the bases and Valencia had his go-ahead hit, with Kotsay misplaying the ball in left field for an error that also let Thome score on the play.Valencia is 8 for 13 with the bases loaded this season."I was going to be aggressive and throw Cuddyer out at the plate and played it in between hops," Kotsay said. "If I come up with the ball, I think we have a play on Cuddyer and try to keep the game 7-7 there. I guess I have to go over and apologize to Thome for making him run from first to home."Phil Dumatrait (1-1) pitched a scoreless seventh and Nathan worked a perfect eighth for the Twins.Greinke and Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn both were looking to bounce back from bad last outings.Greinke, who gave up seven earned runs in two innings at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, allowed four earned runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out nine.Blackburn gave up six earned runs on six hits in four innings, six days after yielding seven runs on 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings to the Dodgers. In his first four June starts, the right-hander allowed a combined six earned runs."I kind of over-adjusted from my last start and went out and tried to do a little too much today," Blackburn said.Thome homered in the second and Kotsay connected in the third. Milwaukee scored five times in the fourth for a 6-1 lead.Mat Gamel hit an RBI double, Yuniesky Betancourt singled home a run, Kotsay hit a two-run triple and Jonathan Lucroy added an RBI single."We came out and swung the bat well. I like what we did offensively. We didn't pitch well," said Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke.Tosoni's three-run homer came in the fourth. Cuddyer had an RBI single in the fifth to cut the deficit to one run before Greinke struck out Thome with two men on.Newly announced All-Star Rickie Weeks ended an 0-for-21 slump with a home run in the Brewers sixth.Fellow Brewers All-Star Ryan Braun sat out with a strained left calf and is considered day to day. He has a 22-game hit streak.Game notes Thome leads all major leaguers with 59 interleague home runs. ... Gamel got his first start at third base for the Brewers. ... Minnesota's Luke Hughes struck out three times. ... The Twins finished interleague play with a losing record (8-10) for the second year in a row. The Twins went 53-19 against the National League between 2006-09. ... Milwaukee finished interleague play 6-9.