Chris Davis highlighted a seven-run
second inning with a grand slam and the Baltimore Orioles went
on to beat the New York Yankees, 11-5, in the middle test of a
three-game series. Nick Markakis, Omar Quintanilla and Wilson Betemit
knocked in two runs apiece for the Orioles, who have won three
games in a row on the heels of a 1-5 stretch and closed to within
5 1/2 games of the AL East-leading Yankees. New York jumped on
Baltimore starter Chris Tillman (4-1) for five runs in the first
inning, but the right-hander settled down and held the Yankees
scoreless over the next four frames before giving way to the bullpen.
Yankees starter Ivan Nova (10-5) was victimized for a career-high
nine runs on 10 hits over five innings. New York has lost four
straight games, matching a season high, and nine of 12 overall.
Final Score: Boston 4, Detroit 1 (6 innings)
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Carl Crawford capped a four-run fourth inning
with an RBI single as Boston topped Detroit, 4-1, in a rain-shortened
contest at Fenway Park. Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury were also
credited with an RBI each for the Red Sox, who were awarded their fourth
straight victory following a rain delay of one hour, 45 minutes. Josh Beckett
was pulled after 2 2/3 innings due to a back issue. Clayton Mortensen
(1-0), recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket before the game, recorded eight outs
in relief for the win. Franklin Morales was credited with a save despite
retiring just one batter and leaving the bases loaded in the top of the sixth
before the deluge. Justin Verlander (11-7) gave up six hits and four runs --
three earned -- over five full frames for the Tigers, who have dropped six of
eight.
Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 6, Texas 2
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Albert Pujols hit a pair of solo home runs
and Mike Trout added a two-run homer as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
downed the Texas Rangers, 6-2, in the second test of a four-game set at
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Trout also tied an MLB rookie record for runs
scored in a month by crossing the plate twice, giving him 32 runs scored in
July to tie Al Trosky, who did it for Cleveland in 1934. Jered Weaver (14-1)
allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings to win his eighth
straight start and ninth consecutive decision. He became the first Angels
pitcher to win eight starts in a row since Chuck Finley won 10 straight from
July 1-August 15, 1997. Derek Holland (7-6) surrendered six runs on five hits
and four walks through 6 2/3 innings to take the loss for Texas, which has
dropped eight of its last 12.
Final Score: Chicago 4, Minnesota 3
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - A.J. Pierzynski's two-run home run in the
ninth inning snapped a tie and sent Chicago past Minnesota, 4-3, in the second
of three between the clubs. Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo drove in a run
each for the White Sox, who shook off a loss in Monday's series opener and won
for the sixth time in their last eight. Matt Thornton (3-6) pitched a
scoreless eighth for the win. Making his first start against his old club
since being dealt to Chicago on Saturday, Francisco Liriano allowed four hits
and two runs, fanning eight with four walks, over six innings. Denard Span
finished with four hits and knocked in a run for the Twins, whose four-game
win streak came to a halt. Jeff Gray (5-1) served up the deciding blast,
wasting a strong effort by starter Nick Blackburn, who allowed two runs over
eight innings.
Final Score: Kansas City 8, Cleveland 3
Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Luke Hochevar tossed six effective innings
on Tuesday and the Kansas City Royals came away with an 8-3 win over the
Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.
Hochevar (7-9) bounced back nicely from his previous outing last Wednesday in
which he allowed eight runs on nine hits and a walk before being ejected in
the fourth inning. This time around, he allowed just three runs on seven hits
and three walks with six strikeouts to claim the win. Tim Collins fired two
scoreless innings in relief and Aaron Crow finished it off in the ninth.
Alcides Escobar went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Chris Getz clubbed a two-
run double for the Royals, who snapped a five-game slide. Alex Gordon and
Lorenzo Cain each knocked in a run in the victory. Derek Lowe (8-10) was
shelled for seven runs on eight hits in just 2 1/3 innings. He walked a pair,
fanned one and has an ERA of 15.88 over his last three starts. Johnny Damon
and Casey Kotchman ripped RBI singles for the Indians, who lost for the fourth
straight time.
Final Score: Tampa Bay 8, Oakland 0
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - James Shields fanned 11 hitters en route to his
first shutout of the season as the Tampa Bay Rays blanked the Oakland
Athletics, 8-0, in the middle installment of a three-game series at the
Coliseum. With the 11 Ks, Shields (9-7) became the first pitcher in team
history to strike out 10 or more hitters in three consecutive starts. He
allowed just three hits and did not issue a walk in the victory for the Rays,
their third in the last four games. B.J. Upton finished 2-for-5 with a pair of
RBI while Desmond Jennings and Jeff Keppinger added RBI base hits for the
Rays. Ben Zobrist, Carlos Pena and Sean Rodriguez each contributed an RBI in
the win. Jemile Weeks, George Kottaras and Chris Carter each had a hit in
defeat for the A's, who finished the month of July with an outstanding 19-5
record. They didn't have a runner reach second base all night. Tom Milone
(9-8) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits and a
walk over six innings.
Final Score: Seattle 7, Toronto 2
Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Jason Vargas tossed seven strong innings to
lead the Seattle Mariners past the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-2, in the middle test
of a three-game series at Safeco Field. Vargas (12-7) allowed just two runs on
five hits and a walk to win his fifth straight start. Dustin Ackley homered
and knocked in three runs for the Mariners, who extended their season-high win
streak to six games. Aaron Laffey (2-2) gave up seven runs on nine hits and
two walks over 4 2/3 innings for Toronto, which dropped its third consecutive
game. Brett Lawrie supplied the offense for the Blue Jays with a two-run
double in the third inning.
