Major League Baseball
Gomez, Beltran help Mets break out for 6-2 win over Marlins MIAMI (AP) – Pinch-runner Carlos Gomez scored the go-ahead run on an error in the ninth inning, and Carlos Beltran’s two-run double broke the game open to help New York to a 6-2 victory over Florida on Friday night.
The Mets’ Orlando Hernandez, making his first start since April 24, allowed two hits and walked none in six shutout innings. Florida starter Sergio Mitre was just as good until New York scored in the eighth when second baseman Dan Uggla bobbled a two-out broken-bat grounder.
With the score 1-all, Carlos Delgado walked to start the Mets’ ninth against Renyel Pinto (0-2). Gomez pinch ran, stole second and took third on a bloop single by Paul Lo Duca.
Phillies 8, Braves 3
ATLANTA – Greg Dobbs snapped a tie with a two-run single in the seventh inning and Ryan Howard padded the lead with a two-run double in the eighth as Jamie Moyer beat Atlanta for the first time in 20 years.
Moyer’s win came 20 years and two days after the only other time he beat the Braves. On May 23, 1987, Moyer earned the win in relief as the Cubs beat the Braves in Chicago.
The 44-year-old Moyer (5-3) had never won in Atlanta and had lost six straight decisions to the Braves before giving up five hits and three runs, two earned, in seven innings.
Atlanta’s Tim Hudson (5-3) gave up 10 hits and five runs in 6 2-3 innings.
Nationals 5, Cardinals 4
ST. LOUIS – Brian Schneider homered and Micah Bowie won as a starter for the first time in more than seven years as Washington won its fourth straight.
Schneider’s second-inning homer was his third of the year and second in three games for the Nationals, who ended the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak.
Bowie (1-2) gave up two runs and four hits in five innings. He’s 3-6 with a 6.27 ERA in 13 career starts with the last victory coming Sept. 23, 1999, against the Pirates while with the Cubs.
Albert Pujols and Edmonds homered for St. Louis, which had won five in a row at home.
Chad Cordero got the last three outs for his seventh save.
Indians 7, Tigers 4
DETROIT – Casey Blake and Victor Martinez hit first-inning homers and Cleveland beat Detroit.
The game was the first of seven between the AL Central’s top teams in the next 10 days. The Indians’ victory gave them a half-game lead over Detroit.
Paul Byrd (5-1) allowed four runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings to improve to 4-0 in his last six starts.
Rafael Betancourt came in for Byrd and allowed one hit in 1 2-3 scoreless innings and Joe Borowski pitched the ninth for his 15th save.
Athletics 3, Orioles 2
BALTIMORE – Oakland’s Dan Haren pitched seven innings of two-hit ball for his fifth straight victory.
Nick Swisher hit a two-run homer for the Athletics, who have won 14 of their last 16 games at Camden Yards.
Haren (5-2) gave up a first-inning run, then allowed only two baserunners over the next six innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.70.
Alan Embree struck out Jay Gibbons with runners on the corners and two outs to earn his second save.
Erik Bedard (3-3) yielded six hits and three runs – two earned – in seven innings. Bedard struck out eight to take over the AL lead with 83. But Baltimore lost for the ninth time in 12 games to fall a season-high six games under .500 (21-27).
Angels 10, Yankees 6
NEW YORK – Casey Kotchman and Chone Figgins homered and Vladimir Guerrero doubled twice for Los Angeles.
The Angels had eight extra-base hits to support an unsteady Jered Weaver (4-3).
The Angels are the only AL team to hold an edge over New York since Joe Torre became its manager before the 1996 season. The Angels are 56-52 against the Yankees in the regular season – they’ve also beaten them twice in the playoffs.
Alex Rodriguez hit his major league-leading 19th home run and Robinson Cano had a late, three-run double that made it 10-6.
Twins 4, Blue Jays 3
MINNEAPOLIS – Torii Hunter followed a two-out fielding error by Toronto reliever Scott Downs with an RBI single in the seventh inning, sending Minnesota to the victory.
Toronto’s Frank Thomas homered to tie it 3-3 in the sixth with home run No. 494 to move past Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff into sole possession of 21st place on the career list.
Mariners 10, Royals 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Vidro homered and Seattle hit seven doubles in a game that saw both starters leave with stiff lower backs.
Felix Hernandez (3-2) pitched five innings for Seattle in his third start since coming off the disabled list. He gave up an RBI triple to Shane Costa and an RBI double to Alex Gordon in the sixth and left with what the Mariners said was had tightness in the lower back, which was also what the Royals announced about Gil Meche when he left in the fifth.
White Sox 5, Devil Rays 4
CHICAGO – Joe Crede’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the ninth inning lifted Chicago to its fourth win in five games.
Tampa Bay’s Chad Orvella (0-2) pitched a scoreless eighth but left after walking Tadahito Iguchi and Jim Thome to start the ninth.
Brian Stokes came in and struck out Jermaine Dye, but A.J. Pierzynski singled to right to load the bases.
Crede then drove in Iguchi with a fly to left on the first pitch.