Felix Hernandez breezed through the Oakland lineup on his way to his first complete game in more than a year for Seattle. Chien-Ming Wang didn’t fare as well, but the New York Yankees still managed to get a win against the Boston Red Sox.
Another AL ace, Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia, was just awful in a loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Hernandez had the pitching performance of the night, striking out eight in an eight-hitter and leading the Mariners past the Athletics 4-2 on Wednesday.
The right-hander – who didn’t give up an earned run in either of his first two starts but got no-decisions – pitched his first complete game since a 3-0 win at Boston on April 11, 2007.
“What’s it mean?” Hernandez said. “It’s good. It means a lot for the pitchers.”
Hernandez (2-0) threw 115 pitches in a game that took only 2 hours, 9 minutes. Compare that to Wang, who matched his career high with eight runs allowed as the Yankees needed 4 hours, 8 minutes to beat Boston 15-9.
Long after Alex Rodriguez hit his 522nd home run to pass Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th place on the career list, Melky Cabrera’s tiebreaking groundout in a four-run fifth inning helped New York hold on for the win in the glacially paced game at Yankee Stadium.
LaTroy Hawkins (1-0) combined with Billy Traber and Brian Bruney for four innings of scoreless relief. Bruney got his first save since 2005.
“I got the win?” a surprised Hawkins said. “It’s cool. It’s very nice.”
In other AL games, it was: Kansas City 3, Los Angeles Angels 2; Chicago White Sox 3, Baltimore 1; Texas 7, Toronto 5 in 14 innings; and Minnesota 6, Tampa Bay 5.
At Cleveland, Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam, Miguel Cabrera also homered and drove in five runs, and the resurgent Tigers roughed up a struggling Sabathia in a 13-2 victory.
Sabathia (0-3), last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner, has a 13.50 ERA after four outings. He gave up nine runs, eight hits and five walks over four-plus innings.
“My arm feels fine. I just can’t command either side of the plate,” Sabathia said.
Armando Galarraga (1-0) gave up two runs and only one hit over 6 2-3 innings in his Detroit debut.
At Oakland, Calif., Joe Blanton (1-3), making his fifth start after pitching the major league opener in Japan last month, dropped to 0-3 at home this season. The right-hander was tagged for four runs in eight innings and matched his career high by giving up 12 hits.
Julian Tavarez (0-1) got the loss for the Red Sox, allowing four runs and three hits in 1 1-3 innings.
Royals 3, Angels 2
Gil Meche pitched six solid innings to earn his first win of the year and Kansas City scored three early runs off Los Angeles right-hander Jered Weaver.
Meche (1-2) held the Angels to two runs and six hits, improving to 7-2 against them. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon had RBI singles in the first, and Joey Gathright scored on Weaver’s error in the second.
The visiting Royals extended their winning streak against the Angels to six, five of those last year. Joakim Soria got his fifth save.
Weaver (2-2) wasn’t sharp, but he lasted six innings. He allowed 10 hits – including five singles in the first. Casey Kotchman hit a two-run single for the Angels.
White Sox 3, Orioles 1
Jim Thome broke a prolonged power drought with a three-run homer and a double, leading Chicago past skidding Baltimore.
Jose Contreras (1-1) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball for the visiting White Sox, who have won nine of 12. He struck out six, walked none and lowered his ERA from 6.17 to 4.34.
Scott Linebrink worked the eighth and Bobby Jenks got three straight outs for his sixth save.
Thome was forced to sit Tuesday after being suspended for inappropriate actions during an April 11 game against Detroit. He returned to lineup against the Orioles with a .156 batting average and a homerless drought that had reached 43 at-bats.
In his first plate appearance, Thome followed a leadoff single by Nick Swisher and a walk to Orlando Cabrera with a shot to center off Adam Loewen (0-1).
Baltimore has lost six of eight after a 6-1 start.
Rangers 7, Blue Jays 5, 14 innings
At Toronto, Frank Catalanotto scored the go-ahead run on A.J. Burnett’s wild pitch in the 14th inning and Texas ended a five-game losing streak.
With the bullpen depleted, Burnett (1-1) relieved in the 14th. The right-hander, who started in Texas on Sunday, became Toronto’s ninth pitcher of the game, tying a team record.
Josh Hamilton added an RBI double in the 14th and went 4-for-7 for the Rangers. Milton Bradley drew five walks, two of them intentional, and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Dustin Nippert (1-1) worked one inning for the win and C.J. Wilson closed it out for his fourth save.
Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock left in the 10th with a sore lower back.
Twins 6, Rays 5
At Minneapolis, Mike Lamb hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning that Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford caught in foul territory.
Juan Rincon (1-0) got two outs and Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his fifth save, striking out Crawford to end the game.
Shawn Riggans hit a two-run shot for the Rays, who also got homers from Crawford and Eric Hinske off Livan Hernandez. Dan Wheeler (0-2) took the loss.
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