Major League Baseball
Wells gets first victory of an injury-riddled season BOSTON (AP) – David Wells benefited from a seven-run third inning to earn his first victory of an injury-riddled season, pitching seven strong innings Friday night to help the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-2 and snap Boston’s five-game losing streak.
Wells (1-2) made his third start since May 26, when he went on the disabled list for the third time this season after taking a line drive off his right knee. He allowed one run and nine hits before leaving to a standing ovation when Melvin Mora popped up to end the seventh.
Mike Lowell recovered from a frightful first-inning beaning by Adam Loewen (2-4) to make an into-the-stands catch, hit an RBI single and steal a base.
Angels 7, Yankees 4
NEW YORK – Rookie Joe Saunders won his fourth straight start, getting early home runs from Garret Anderson and Maicer Izturis to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the New York Yankees.
Saunders (4-0) is in the rotation because AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon has a partially torn rotator cuff. The 25-year-old left-hander allowed two earned runs and six hits over six-plus innings, and has a 1.67 ERA.
Vladimir Guerrero also homered in the opener of the four-game series, helping the Angels beat the Yankees for the third time in four games this year.
Alex Rodriguez hit his 453rd home run, tying injured Yankees teammate Gary Sheffield for 30th place on the career list. Cory Lidle (1-1) took the loss.
Indians 4, Royals 3
CLEVELAND – Grady Sizemore sliced a bases-loaded triple in the ninth inning and the Cleveland Indians became the latest team to rally against Ambiorix Burgos and beat Kansas City.
The Indians won their third in a row and stopped Kansas City’s three-game winning streak. Cleveland also beat the Royals for the eighth straight time at Jacobs Field.
Burgos (2-5), who now leads the AL with 11 blown saves, gave up singles to Ryan Garko and Ramon Vazquez with one out and walked pinch-hitter Aaron Boone. Sizemore hit an opposite-field liner that bounced off the wall, and when the carom got past left fielder David DeJesus, the winning run scored.
Fernando Cabrera (2-2) pitched a perfect ninth.
Rangers 14, Mariners 7
ARLINGTON, Texas – Mark DeRosa went 3-for-4 in his second six-RBI game this week. DeRosa had two-RBI hits in each of the first two innings, when the Rangers batted through their order both times and led 10-0. He added a solo home run, his 12th, in the third to make it 12-1 and later had a sacrifice fly. The six RBIs matched a career high DeRosa set Wednesday in Oakland.
Carlos Lee and Gary Matthews Jr. also homered for the Rangers, who won their third straight game. Matthews was 3-for-3, including a two-run single, with two walks.
Wes Littleton (2-0), the third reliever for Texas, pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
The Rangers sent 11 batters up in the first inning and scored seven times with only two hits – helped by four walks and two errors. Gil Meche (9-7) then walked the first two batters in the second and was done for the night.
White Sox 5, Tigers 0
CHICAGO – Jose Contreras pitched a three-hitter for his first career shutout and Jim Thome and A.J. Pierzynski homered as the White Sox ended Justin Verlander’s seven-game winning streak.
Contreras (11-4) didn’t give up a hit until Curtis Granderson doubled with two outs in the sixth in the opener of a three-game series between the team with the best record in baseball and the defending World Series champions.
The White Sox cut Detroit’s lead in the AL Central to 71/2 games and sent the Tigers to their third straight loss.
Contreras struck out five and walked one.
Verlander (14-5) failed in his bid to become the majors’ first 15-game winner and lost for the first time since Chicago beat him June 7.
Blue Jays 7, Twins 1
MINNEAPOLIS – A.J. Burnett struck out a season-high 10 and the Blue Jays spoiled Matt Garza’s major league debut.
Reed Johnson and John McDonald hit two-run homers as Toronto won for the fifth time in six games.
Burnett (4-5) allowed one run and six hits with two walks in seven innings.
Garza (0-1) yielded seven runs and eight hits in 2 2-3 innings. All seven runs scored with two outs.
Nationals 2, Mets 1
WASHINGTON – Billy Traber outdueled Tom Glavine and Brian Schneider hit a two-run double for the Nationals.
Traber (2-1) pitched into the eighth inning, allowing one run and four hits with no walks, to earn his eighth career major league win. That’s 279 fewer than Glavine (12-5), who was almost as good: He allowed Schneider’s two-run double in the second, and that was pretty much it.
Paul Lo Duca homered in the first inning for the Mets, who had won five straight games.
Chad Cordero pitched the ninth for his 21st save, hitting one batter and walking another before getting Michael Tucker to ground out to end it.
Glavine threw a season-high 123 pitches, allowing two runs and seven hits in six innings.
Braves 2, Brewers 1
ATLANTA – John Smoltz pitched a five-hitter and got the win when Jeff Francoeur hit an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Braves.
Marcus Giles drew a leadoff walk from Derrick Turnbow (4-8) and Andruw Jones walked with one out. Francoeur followed with a drive to the wall in right-center field for his team-leading 10th game-winning RBI.
Jones earlier hit his 29th home run.
Smoltz (10-5) won his sixth straight decision and pitched his 53rd complete game. He struck out eight, walked none and retired 18 straight batters after giving up a leadoff single to Gabe Gross in the second inning.
Astros 4, Padres 2
HOUSTON – Andy Pettitte hit his first career homer and matched a season high with 10 strikeouts to help the Astros win for the eighth time in 10 games.
Pettitte (11-12) hit a solo homer in the fourth inning off Chan Ho Park and allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings to earn his second win in three starts.
Craig Biggio doubled and scored the go-ahead run on Park’s wild pitch in the fifth.