James Shields pitched the Tampa Bay Rays into a share of the lead in the AL East. The New York Yankees also are in unfamiliar territory with longtime catcher Jorge Posada headed to the disabled list.
Shields threw a two-hitter for his first career shutout, Evan Longoria homered and the Rays beat Josh Beckett and Boston 3-0 Sunday to complete their first three-game sweep of the Red Sox.
“It’s a great feeling, but it’s very early in the season,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s not about winning. It’s how we did it, with the pitching and defense and we get the hits when we needed them. We’re playing the game right, and if you do that, you’ll win your share of games.”
Coupled with the Orioles’ 6-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Rays’ victory gave them a share of first place. It’s the latest in any season during the team’s 11-year history that Tampa Bay has held a share of the division lead.
Chien-Ming Wang led the Yankees to a 1-0 victory at Cleveland that stopped a three-game slide, but the win was overshadowed by the troubling news on Posada, who said he’s going on the DL for the first time in his career with an arm problem.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Posada, who has played in at least 137 games in eight straight seasons. “It’s the biggest disappointment probably in my career. Not being able to participate in games is really tough.”
In other AL games, it was: Los Angeles Angels 6, Detroit 2; Toronto 5, Kansas City 2; Oakland 4, Seattle 2; and Texas 10, Minnesota 0.
Tampa Bay has won six straight for its longest winning streak since a six-game run July 28-Aug. 3, 2005. The Rays (14-11) are three games over .500 for the first time since starting the season 3-0 in 2002. It’s also the latest in the season the Rays have ever been three games above .500.
“This is huge for us,” said Shields (3-1), who struck out seven and walked one. “If you look back, this is the best April we’ve ever had.”
Beckett (2-2) struck out a career-high 13 and walked one in seven innings for the Red Sox, who have lost five straight. He allowed two runs – one earned- and four hits.
Wang (5-0) allowed four hits, struck out a season-high nine and became the AL’s first five-game winner. Only one Cleveland runner reached third against the right-hander, who made 113 pitches and got the Yankees back to .500.
Wang got help from Joba Chamberlain, who pitched a perfect eighth in his first appearance in Cleveland since Game 2 of last year’s playoffs when tiny insects called midges swarmed him and the Yankees in the late innings.
Mariano Rivera worked the ninth for his seventh save and 450th of his career, joining Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith as the only closers to reach the milestone.
C.C. Sabathia (1-4) pitched eight strong innings for Cleveland, giving up just four hits – one of them Melky Cabrera’s one-out homer in the fifth inning.
Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore sat because of a sore right ankle, ending the majors’ longest consecutive games streak at 382. Sizemore called his injury a “mild sprain” and manager Eric Wedge doesn’t think the All-Star will go on the DL.
Angels 6, Tigers 2
Torii Hunter hit an RBI triple in the fourth inning and added a two-run double in a four-run sixth to help chase Justin Verlander, lifting Los Angeles atd Detroit.
Erick Aybar also drove in three runs, helping Anaheim get its 10th win in 14 games.
Blue Jays 5, Royals 2
Scott Rolen homered, Alex Rios had four hits and Toronto ended a six-game losing streak.
Rolen, who was activated Friday from the disabled list after fracturing his right middle finger in spring training, homered in the first and has four RBIs in three games.
Jesse Litsch (3-1) allowed two runs – one earned – and five hits in seven innings for visiting Toronto. Jesse Carlson worked the ninth to pick up his first career save.
Gil Meche (1-4) gave up nine hits and three runs in 6 2-3 innings.
White Sox 6, Orioles 1
Paul Konerko homered twice and Jose Contreras pitched 6 2-3 innings to lead host Chicago.
Hitting just .197 with three homers coming in, Konerko connected off Jeremy Guthrie (0-3) leading off the second and sixth innings.
Contreras (2-2) earned his second win against Baltimore this season, giving up Brian Roberts’ home run in the third.
Athletics 4, Mariners 2
Emil Brown had a broken-bat, two-run single in Oakland’s four-run eighth inning.
Seattle starter Felix Hernandez cruised through seven innings, giving up just four hits and striking out 10. But he could not escape trouble in the eighth.
Hernandez (2-1) walked Jack Hannahan on a 3-2 pitch to open the inning as the Safeco Field roof slowly closed with a light rain falling. Mark Ellis then doubled and Daric Barton walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases, and Brown dumped a single into left that ended Hernandez’s day.
Brandon Morrow entered for Seattle and continued the trend, walking Frank Thomas on a 3-2 pitch. Jack Cust lined a single into right to give Oakland its first lead.
Joe Blanton (2-4) went seven innings for the Athletics, giving up two runs and eight hits. Huston Street pitched the ninth for his eighth save in nine opportunities.
Rangers 10, Twins 0
Vicente Padilla threw a seven-hitter for his third career shutout and Milton Bradley hit a three-run homer for host Texas.
Padilla (3-2) struck out two, walked two and didn’t allow a runner past second in his first shutout with the Rangers. Jason Botts and Josh Hamilton also homered for Texas, which had lost eight of nine.
Livan Hernandez (3-1) allowed seven runs and nine hits in 2 2-3 innings for the Twins.
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