Joe Crede’s latest clutch hit gave Joba Chamberlain his first major league loss.
Crede’s RBI single to center in the bottom of the ninth Thursday night gave the Chicago White Sox a 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees and their young reliever.
Chamberlain had given up three runs in 32 innings over 26 regular-season appearances since being called up last season. He gave up one earned run in 19 outings in 2007.
“I’m not perfect every night,” said the 22-year-old Chamberlain, who was a hot topic among New York fans this week when team co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said he should be starting instead of relieving. “I give up hits and that’s the way it’s going to be. I let my team down.”
Carlos Quentin doubled with one out off Chamberlain (1-1) and Crede lined the single to left-center.
“He’ll be fine. He’ll bounce back. He’s given up a run before in his life,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Chamberlain.
Crede, who’s made a strong comeback after back surgery last season, has two grand slams this season.
“We like our chances with Joe up. He’s done it all year,” White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “He’s done it his whole career. He was the right guy in the right spot.”
In other AL games on Thursday, it was: Detroit 8, Texas 2; Los Angeles 7, Boston 5; Oakland 11, Minnesota 2; Cleveland 9-6 and 2-0 in a sweep of Kansas City; Tampa Bay 5, Toronto 3; and Baltimore 8, Seattle 7.
Bobby Jenks (1-0) got pinch-hitter Jorge Posada to ground into an inning-ending double play with two runners on in the top of the ninth to get the win in a game twice delayed by rain.
Trailing 6-3, the Yankees tied it when Melky Cabrera hit a two-out, two-run homer off Gavin Floyd in the sixth, and Morgan Ensberg delivered a two-out RBI single off Scott Linebrink in the seventh.
Floyd worked before and after a 51-minute rain delay in the third inning, allowing five hits and five runs in six innings.
Yankees starter Phil Hughes is still looking for his first win after five starts. New York took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third before the delay but decided not to bring back Hughes, their promising 21-year-old right-hander. Hughes allowed one hit in two innings, throwing 23 pitches.
Chicago’s Jim Thome hit his 513th homer to move into 19th place on the career list, breaking a tie with Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews.
Tigers 8, Rangers 2
Magglio Ordonez hit two of Detroit’s five homers as the Tigers outscored Texas 37-10 in the three-game series. The Tigers have won a season-best four straight while the Rangers have lost seven in a row.
Reliever Zach Miner (1-1) threw 3 1-3 hitless innings for the win. Jason Jennings (0-4) allowed five runs and five hits and walked five in five innings, raising his ERA to 7.46 in five starts.
Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge and Ryan Raburn also homered for Detroit.
Angels 7, Red Sox 5
Joe Saunders pitched six innings to win his fourth consecutive decision, and Gary Matthews Jr. singled in the go-ahead runs in the Angels’ four-run seventh inning. Saunders (4-0) left trailing 3-1 but the Angels rallied in the seventh, when three Red Sox relievers allowed four singles and three walks to give Los Angeles a 5-3 lead.
David Ortiz hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth for Boston, but Francisco Rodriguez got Manny Ramirez on a fly to deep center to earn his ninth save.
Athletics 11, Twins 2
Rajai Davis, claimed off waivers from San Francisco on Wednesday, got three hits in his debut with the Athletics, who tagged Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano (0-3) for six runs in the first inning. Donnie Murphy hit solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings for his first career multihomer game.
Frank Thomas, who agreed to terms with the A’s after being released Sunday by Toronto, went 0-for-3 with two walks.
Indians 9, Royals 6, 1st game
Indians 2, Royals 0, 2nd game
Cliff Lee faced only two batters over the minimum in a three-hitter that gave Cleveland the sweep. Lee (4-0) struck out nine and did not issue a walk while shrinking his major league-best ERA to 0.28. His nine strikeouts tied his career best.
The Royals have lost seven straight.
In the opener, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake and Jason Michaels all had two RBIs for the Indians. Fausto Carmona (3-1) survived five shaky innings and benefited from an early 7-1 lead.
Rays 5, Blue Jays 3
Andy Sonnanstine (3-1), coming off a three-hit shutout of Chicago, allowed three runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. Closer Troy Percival worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his third save in as many nights as Tampa Bay swept the three-game series at Disney World.
Marco Scutaro had an RBI single for the Blue Jays, who have lost four straight and seven of nine.
Orioles 8, Mariners 7
Brian Roberts homered to open the eighth for Baltimore, which had rallied from a five-run deficit. Chad Bradford (2-1) got the final out of the seventh and worked the eighth to get the win. Former Seattle reliever George Sherrill pitched the ninth for his eighth save, five against the Mariners.
Seattle led 5-0 after three innings against Baltimore starter Adam Loewen. The Mariners tied the game at 7 on a two-run homer by Ichiro Suzuki in the seventh.
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