Indians shut out Blue Jays, Angels clip Yankees
Published Monday August 11th, 2008
Chicago tops Boston in battle of the Sox
TORONTO - Cliff Lee worked eight shutout innings for his American League-leading 16th win and Cleveland completed a three-game sweep of Toronto with a 4-0 win.
Lee (16-2) lowered his ERA to 2.45, moving him ahead of Oakland's Justin Duchscherer (2.51) for the major league lead. He won his fifth straight decision and has not lost since a 4-3 defeat at Minnesota on July 6.
The left-hander is responsible for 16 of his teams 52 wins (31 per cent), the highest percentage of any major league pitcher.
Shin-soo Choo went 3-for-4 with three doubles for the Indians, who finished 6-1 in the season series against Toronto, outscoring the Blue Jays 34-8.
Blue Jays right-hander Scott Richmond (0-2) gave up three runs and nine hits in five innings. He walked none, hit two batters and struck out five.
In other MLB action yesterday:
Rays 11, Mariners 3
At Seattle, Willy Aybar and Shawn Riggans, the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters in Tampa Bay's lineup, both hit three-run homers, and the Rays set a franchise record with their 71st win in an 11-3 rout Mariners.
Tampa Bay's previous best record came in 2004 when the Rays finished the season 70-92. After taking three of four in Seattle, the Rays are 71-46 and own a 4 1/2-game lead over Boston in the AL East, their largest advantage since July 6.
And on the day the Rays learned they'll be without outfield star Carl Crawford for at least two weeks, and possibly longer, it was again everyone in Tampa Bay's lineup chipping in.
Aybar had two home runs for the first multi-homer game of his career.
Riggans came through with two outs in the fifth, hitting a pitch by R.A. Dickey (3-7) over the hand-operated scoreboard in left for his fifth homer of the season.
Edwin Jackson won his fourth straight start, scattering seven hits and a run over seven strong innings, striking out two. Jackson (9-7) allowed only Jose Lopez's solo homer leading off the second.
Angels 4, Yankees 3
At Anaheim, Calif., Chone Figgins hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth inning against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, and the Angels completed a three-game sweep of New York.
Howie Kendrick led off the ninth with a single against Damaso Marte (0-2). After Gary Matthews Jr. struck out, Marte walked Mike Napoli and Figgins grounded Rivera's first pitch into right field to end it.
Rivera has allowed seven earned runs and 19 hits in 21 1-3 innings during his 19 non-save situations. When a save is in sight, he has given up just one earned run and 13 hits in 30 1-3 innings, converting all 28 opportunities.
The Yankees fell 8 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East, and are four games behind Boston in the wild-card race.
Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez (2-2) entered the game in a 3-3 tie and struck out the side in the ninth to get the victory.
White Sox 6, Red Sox 5
At Chicago, Carlos Quentin hit his American League-leading 32nd homer, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye connected, and the White Sox beat Boston.
Gavin Floyd (12-6) got the win even though he struggled at times, allowing five runs and seven hits while striking out six and walking one in 5 1-3 innings. He is 7-1 after White Sox losses.
Octavio Dotel helped preserve the win. He came in with Chicago clinging to a 6-5 lead with one out in the seventh after Matt Thornton walked the bases loaded. Dotel got a double-play grounder from Mike Lowell to end the threat and retired the side in the eighth.
Bobby Jenks then pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 27 chances.
Clay Buchholz (2-8) allowed five runs and seven hits in three innings. He is 0-6 in his last eight starts.
Tigers 6, Athletics 1
At Detroit, Nate Robertson won for the first time in more than six weeks, allowing five hits pitching into the eighth inning to lift Detroit over Oakland.
Curtis Granderson homered and Magglio Ordonez drove in two runs for Detroit, which took two of three from the A's. Oakland has lost 12 of its last 13.
Rangers 15, Orioles 7
At Baltimore, Ian Kinsler broke out of an extended slump with a career-high five hits, including a homer, and Texas emphatically ended its own offensive drought.
Held to one run in their previous three games, the Rangers matched their season high with 20 hits. Kinsler led the charge, scoring three runs and collecting three RBIs. He was 18-for-88 (.205) since the all-star break and had not homered since July 5.
Josh Hamilton hit his 28th homer and Marlon Byrd went 4-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs for the Rangers.
Giants 5, Dodgers 4
At San Francisco, Aaron Rowand scored from third on Eugenio Velez's infield single, and the Giants rallied past Los Angeles for the second straight game.
Padres 16, Rockies 7
At Denver, San Diego hit four home runs, Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez finished with four hits each and the Padres spoiled Livan Hernandez's return to the National League.
Jody Gerut, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Giles homered in the third, and Ottawa's Luke Carlin added his first major league home run.
Brewers 5, Nationals 4
(13 innings)
At Milwaukee, Gabe Kapler homered off the pole in left leading off the 13th inning and the Brewers came back from a late three-run deficit to beat Washington.
Kapler's shot off Luis Ayala (1-8) gave Milwaukee its fifth consecutive victory.
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