Last Updated on June 24, 2007 8:01 pm by admin
SEATTLE (AP) -Ken Griffey Jr. capped his Seattle homecoming with two home runs, passing Mark McGwire for seventh place on the career list in the Cincinnati Reds’ 3-2 loss to the Mariners on Sunday.
Griffey connected off Miguel Batista for his 583rd and 584th home runs, tying and then passing McGwire.
Ben Broussard hit a two-out, two-run double off Bronson Arroyo in the sixth inning to tie the score and Willie Bloomquist executed a perfect suicide squeeze in the seventh to put Seattle ahead.
Eric O’Flaherty (4-0) pitched a scoreless seventh to get the win and J.J. Putz got four outs for his 21st save in 21 chances.
Arroyo (2-9) lost his seventh consecutive decision despite allowing three runs or fewer for the fourth time in the skid.
Giants 7, Yankees 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Roger Clemens came out of the bullpen too late to save the Yankees.
Barry Bonds scored twice on sacrifice flies, Noah Lowry (7-6) pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning and San Francisco beat Mike Mussina (3-5) to take two of three from New York after snapping an eight-game skid Saturday with a 13-inning victory.
Clemens walked Bonds on five pitches and allowed Nate Schierholtz’s sacrifice fly while pitching the seventh inning – his first regular-season relief appearance since he was a rookie with the Boston Red Sox 23 years ago. He left with the Yankees trailing 4-1.
Of course, Clemens came out of the bullpen to earn the win for Houston in an 18-inning playoff game against Atlanta in 2005, the longest postseason game in major league history. That victory sent his hometown Astros into the NL championship series.
This time, the 44-year-old right-hander volunteered to spell the Yankees’ weary relievers, doing his usual off day throwing on the mound instead of in the bullpen.
Bonds singled, walked twice and stole a base, but remained at 749 career homers after Ron Villone hit him with a pitch in the eighth.
Red Sox 4, Padres 2
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Josh Beckett became baseball’s first 11-game winner and Boston worked over Jake Peavy to beat San Diego in a matchup of two of the game’s top pitchers.
Jason Varitek tripled and homered for the AL East leaders, who took two of three from the Padres.
Beckett (11-1) kept the Padres scoreless until he gave up a two-run double in the fifth to Terrmel Sledge, who was pinch-hitting for Peavy (9-2).
Beckett allowed two runs and six hits in eight innings, struck out eight and walked one. He improved to 5-1 lifetime against the Padres, with the previous decisions coming while he was with Florida.
Peavy lasted five innings, his shortest outing this season, and saw his ERA rise from 1.98 to 2.14. He gave up three runs and nine hits while striking out only three – matching his season low.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances.
Blue Jays 5, Rockies 0
TORONTO (AP) – Dustin McGowan’s bid for the second no-hitter in Blue Jays history ended when Jeff Baker singled leading off the ninth inning, and Toronto beat Colorado to complete a three-game sweep.
McGowan lost his chance at the majors’ third no-hitter this season when Baker lined an 0-1 pitch up the middle for a base hit. The Rogers Centre crowd then saluted McGowan with a standing ovation.
McGowan (3-3) retired the next three batters to finish his first career complete game. He struck out seven and walked one while throwing 109 pitches.
Dave Stieb tossed the only no-hitter for the Blue Jays on Sept. 2, 1990, at Cleveland. Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox and Detroit’s Justin Verlander have thrown no-hitters this season.
Frank Thomas hit his 499th career homer and Vernon Wells added a three-run drive for the Blue Jays (37-37), who got back to .500 for the first time since they were 13-13 on May 1.
Josh Fogg (3-6) allowed five runs and seven hits over six innings for the Rockies.
Twins 7, Marlins 4
MIAMI (AP) – Johan Santana allowed one earned run in six innings and drove in a run with his first career triple to help Minnesota get the win.
Joe Mauer hit two homers for the Twins, who have won both games while scoring 18 runs since 2006 American League MVP Justin Morneau was sidelined Friday with a bruised lung.
Santana (8-6), pitching in Miami for the first time, struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 2.83. He departed with a 7-2 lead after throwing 97 pitches in 90-degree sunshine.
Florida’s Byung-Hyun Kim (3-4) gave up seven runs, six earned, in six innings.
Dan Uggla hit his 15th home run and Miguel Cabrera his 17th for the Marlins.
Angels 4, Pirates 3, 10 innings
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Erick Aybar singled home the winning run in the 10th inning and Jose Molina had two RBIs, leading Los Angeles to a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh.
The AL West leaders won their fourth straight. The Pirates have lost five in a row, matching their longest skid this season.
Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez gave up the tying run in the ninth on Xavier Nady’s RBI single and was charged with his second blown save in 24 attempts.
Chris Bootcheck (2-1) pitched a scoreless 10th for the win. Pirates closer Matt Capps (3-4) took the loss.
Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 3
PHOENIX (AP) – Stephen Drew and Chad Tracy homered, Eric Byrnes drove in two runs and Arizona moved back into first place in the NL West by beating Baltimore for its seventh victory in nine games.
The Diamondbacks built an early lead and coasted behind Doug Davis (5-8), who allowed two runs and 10 hits in 6 1-3 innings. Davis also singled in a run as he won for only the third time in 11 starts.
Brian Roberts homered and had four hits for the Orioles, who have lost 16 of 21. Melvin Mora hit his 11th homer. Baltimore starter Steve Trachsel (5-6) gave up five runs and seven hits in four innings.
Mets 10, Athletics 2
NEW YORK (AP) – John Maine pitched seven solid innings and the Mets finished off their first series sweep at home since last August.
Jose Valentin had three hits, including a three-run homer, and Damion Easley hit a two-run double for New York. Jose Reyes added three hits and an RBI.
The Mets have won three straight for the first time since winning four in a row May 25-29 against Florida and San Francisco. It was their first series sweep since late May at Florida, and the first at Shea Stadium since Aug. 22-24 against St. Louis.
Maine (8-4) allowed two runs and five hits.
Joe Kennedy (2-5) lasted just four innings for Oakland and yielded five runs and eight hits.
Cubs 3, White Sox 0
CHICAGO (AP) – Alfonso Soriano showed off his power and his arm and the Cubs completed a three-game sweep.
Soriano cut down a runner at the plate in the fifth with a strong throw and then hit his third homer of the interleague series in the seventh – also his 15th of the season and 11th this month.
Sean Marshall (4-2) allowed five hits in 6 1-3 scoreless innings against the punchless White Sox, who managed two runs in the three-game set and have lost 22 of their last 27.
Bob Howry got three outs for his second save.
The Cubs won five of six meetings this season with the White Sox, the most by either team since their interleague series expanded to six games in 1999. It also was the Cubs’ first three-game sweep at U.S. Cellular Field.
Jose Contreras (5-8) allowed 10 hits and two runs in seven innings for the White Sox.
Nationals 3, Indians 1
WASHINGTON (AP) – Jason Simontacchi shut down the Indians for six innings and Jesus Flores drove in two runs.
Ronnie Belliard went 3-for-3 and Dmitri Young scored twice for the Nationals, who took two of three in the series.
Jake Westbrook came off the disabled list and pitched seven solid innings for Cleveland in his first start since May 2. Westbrook (1-3) allowed three runs and seven hits.
Simontacchi (5-5) gave up one run and four hits with one walk. He matched a season high with six strikeouts. Chad Cordero got three outs for his 13th save in 19 chances.
Devil Rays 9, Dodgers 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Edwin Jackson beat his old team for his first win in almost two years, leading the Devil Rays to the victory.
Jackson (1-8), acquired by Tampa Bay from the Dodgers in a five-player deal in January 2006, allowed two runs and nine hits over six innings in stopping a franchise record-tying eight-decision losing streak to begin a season.
His previous win was for Los Angeles against Pittsburgh on Sept. 26, 2005.
The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the first when Luis Gonzalez hit a 1-1 pitch into a fish tank in center field that is home to about 30 cownose rays. It was his 10th of the season and No. 335 as a left fielder, which moved him past Ralph Kiner for the third-most ever. Only Barry Bonds and Ted Williams have hit more homers while playing left field.
Ty Wigginton homered off Hong-Chih Kuo (1-3) for the Devil Rays.
Royals 4, Brewers 3, 11 innings
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Joey Gathright’s bases-loaded walk in the 11th inning off Chris Spurling lifted Kansas City to the win.
The Royals loaded the bases with no outs in the 11th against Jose Capellan (0-2). John Buck walked, Tony Pena singled, and Emil Brown walked, chasing Capellan.
Spurling entered and got David DeJesus to line out, but Gathright walked on five pitches to make it 4-3.
David Riske (1-2) pitched the 10th to get the win and Jimmy Gobble worked a perfect 11th for his first save.
Kansas City snapped a four-game losing streak. It was only the third time in 39 games that the Royals have come back to win when trailing after seven.
Corey Hart hit a solo home run off Kansas City closer Octavio Dotel with one out in the ninth to tie it at 3.