For all the problems the Kansas City Royals have, they can take solace in this: The Seattle Mariners are keeping right with them for the worst record in the American League.
After a baserunning blunder cost the Royals a chance to score the tying run Friday night, Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore held on to a deep fly ball while crashing into the wall and preserved a 5-4 victory – the 12th consecutive defeat for Kansas City.
The Royals blew a 4-1 lead while creeping to within one of the 13-game losing streak they endured in May 2006. Pittsburgh also lost 13 straight in June 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“I’m at a loss,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said bluntly.
That goes for Mariners manager John McLaren, too.
Curtis Granderson singled and doubled in the first inning alone, Brandon Inge added a two-run triple and the Detroit Tigers got all their runs off Carlos Silva in the opening inning of a 7-4 win over the Mariners.
It was a little more than a week ago when the Tigers scored 30 runs off Seattle pitching over three games in Detroit. They seemed well on their way to another offensive-charged series, knocking out Silva after he recorded just two outs and allowed all seven runs.
“We’re trying to figure it out,” McLaren said. “They hit balls off the fence, over the fence and everything else.”
In other AL games, it was Boston 5, Baltimore 2 in 13 innings; Tampa Bay 2, the Chicago White Sox 1; the New York Yankees 6, Minnesota 5; Texas 3, Oakland 1; and Toronto 10, the Los Angeles Angels 4.
The Royals built a 4-1 advantage off Cliff Lee (8-1), but Casey Blake’s two-run homer off Brett Tomko (2-7) in the sixth inning gave Cleveland the lead and helped move Lee into a tie for the AL lead in victories.
The Royals’ worst mistake came in their half of the sixth. With Joey Gathright on second and David DeJesus on first, Esteban German singled to right with two outs. DeJesus, after making a wide turn at second, scrambled back to the bag but was tagged out by shortstop Jhonny Peralta.
Plate umpire Brian Runge waved off what would have been the tying run, saying Gathright touched the plate a split second after Peralta tagged DeJesus.
“He slowed down to look at the play,” said Hillman, assigning equal blame to DeJesus and Gathright. “You can’t make that mistake. He wasn’t going elbows and rear ends like he’s got to on that play just in case the initial runner from first base makes a mistake.”
DeJesus insisted it was all his fault, but Lee seemed to agree with Hillman.
“I was backing up home and saw Gathright running hard,” he said. “Then he saw the throw going to second and he pulled back a little bit.”
The Royals dropped to 21-34, a game better than the cellar-dwelling Mariners.
The Tigers had 12 of their 14 hits in the first five innings against Seattle, including one by every starter in the lineup. Jeff Larish was the final Detroit starter to get a hit, with an infield single in the fifth for his first major league hit.
Detroit never really threatened after the first, but starter Nate Robertson didn’t need any more help, keeping the Mariners in check.
Robertson (3-5) allowed just two hits over the first five innings – both solo homers by Adrian Beltre – and did a solid job protecting his big lead.
“The one thing you won’t hear from any pitcher is any kind of complaint after getting a seven-spot in the first,” Robertson said. “That’s nice to have. I’ll take that every start.”
Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his eighth save in eight chances.
Silva (3-5) was among the Mariners pitchers to be rocked in Detroit recently, giving up seven runs in four innings on May 20.
“Nothing was working today. Nothing,” Silva said. “If I make my pitches I am able to take people out, but I didn’t make any pitches.”
Red Sox 5, Orioles 2, 13 innings
At Baltimore, Mike Lowell singled in the tiebreaking run during a 13th inning in which the Orioles made three errors.
Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits and half of Boston’s club-record six stolen bases. Manny Ramirez, bidding for his 500th home run, went 1-for-6 but scored the go-ahead run in the 13th.
The Red Sox were held scoreless for 11 straight innings before breaking through against Chad Bradford (2-2). Mike Timlin (3-3) worked the 12th and Jonathan Papelbon got his 15th save.
Rays 2, White Sox 1
At St. Petersburg, Fla., Cliff Floyd lined a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Scott Linebrink (2-1), giving the AL East-leading Rays the win.
Dan Wheeler (1-3), the fourth Rays pitcher, worked one scoreless inning for the victory.
Yankees 6, Twins 5
At Minneapolis, Bobby Abreu tripled twice and scored all four times he reached base, backing Mike Mussina (8-4) and giving the Yankees to another win.
Mariano Rivera stayed perfect with his 14th save in as many tries.
Twins starter Glen Perkins (2-2) lost his early 4-1 lead when Alex Rodriguez doubled in Abreu to make it 5-4 Yankees in the fifth.
Rangers 3, Athletics 1
At Arlington, Texas, Kevin Millwood (3-3) allowed one run through six innings in his first start in almost three weeks and rookie Brandon Boggs matched a career high with three RBIs for the Rangers. C.J. Wilson got three outs for his 11th save in 13 chances.
Justin Duchscherer (4-4) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings for Oakland.
Blue Jays 10, Angels 4
At Anaheim, Calif., Lyle Overbay hit a pair of solo homers and an RBI single for Toronto.
Dustin McGowan (4-4) won for the first time in seven road starts this season, allowing four runs – three earned – and seven hits over six innings with a walk and six strikeouts.
Jered Weaver (4-6) gave up six runs and 10 hits in four-plus innings.
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