Giants slump to opening defeat

World Series champions the San Francisco Giants drew a blank in their opening game of the new season as they slumped 4-0 on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw played the starring role with a four-hit shutout and the tie-breaking homer in the four-run eighth inning.

A pair of home runs from 20-year-old Bryce Harper led the reigning NL East champions theWashington Nationals to a 2-0 home success over the Miami Marlins.

Freddie Freeman, Justin Upton and Dan Uggla all homered as the Atlanta Braves toppled thePhiladelphia Phillies 7-5, while a grand slam from Collin Cowgill in the seventh inning helped theNew York Mets to their 11-2 trouncing of the San Diego Padres.

The Chicago Cubs edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1, with a two-run homer from Anthony Rizzo.

Elsewhere in National League action, the Milwaukee Brewers sneaked a 5-4 home win after 10 innings against the Colorado Rockies, courtesy of Jonathan Lucroy's sacrifice fly, while theArizona Diamondbacks beat the St Louis Cardinals 6-2.

For the first time, the opening day featured an interleague fixture, and after 13 innings it went the way of the Los Angeles Angels who toppled the Cincinnati Reds 3-1. Chris Iannetta, who homered in the third inning, also hit the two-run single to clinch victory.

American League champions the Detroit Tigers were 4-2 winners against the Minnesota Twins, while the Boston Red Sox romped home 8-2 against the New York Yankees, and the Kansas City Royals went down 1-0 in Chicago to the White Sox.

Franklin Gutierrez's two-run single in the fifth inning delivered a 2-0 win for the Seattle Marinersagainst the Oakland Athletics.

Read more...

MLB: Fielder lifts NL to All-Star win

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder hit a three-run homer as the National League beat the American League 5-1 at Chase Field in the 82nd All-Star Game.

The victory ensured back-to-back All-Star triumphs for the NL for the first time in 15 years and earned them home-field advantage in the 2011 World Series.
Boston Red Sox's Adrian Gonzalez, runner-up to Robinson Cano in Monday night's Home Run Derby, homered off Cliff Lee in the fourth inning to give the AL a 1-0 lead.
But the NL responded in style. Carlos Beltran and Matt Kemp hit singles before Fielder became the first Brewer to record an All-Star home run. He connected off CJ Wilson in the bottom of the fourth, smashing a cutter over the wall in left-centre to give the NL a 3-1 advantage.
The NL added a fourth run in the fifth inning through Andre Ethier and an insurance run in the seventh courtesy of Pablo Sandoval in front of a crowd of 47,994.
"It's real cool," Fielder said after picking up the 2011 All-Star MVP award.
"I'm just happy I was able to be here, glad my kids are here with me too and my wife. It's been a great time."

Read more...

MLB: Verlander on song for Tigers

The Detroit Tigers climbed past Cleveland into first place in the AL Central on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

In that game, Justin Verlander also became the first Tigers pitcher to earn his 12th win before the All-Star break in 24 years.
Elsewhere, Anthony Swarzak dominated over six innings, and the Minnesota Twins got back to beating the Chicago White Sox with a 6-3 victory, and Jose Bautista hit a two-run double to help the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Cleveland Indians 7-1.
Mike Cameron belted a tying two-run homer for his first hit since joining the Florida Marlins, who completed a four-game sweep of the woeful Houston Astros with a 5-4 victory, while Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis homered in the second inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 for their sixth consecutive Major League victory.
Andre Ethier homered twice before heading off to his second straight All-Star game, Ted Lilly won for the first time in a month after losing his previous four starts and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat San Diego 4-1, and the Milwaukee Brewers pounced on Cincinnati Reds closer Francisco Cordero, rallying from a run down in the ninth for a 4-3 victory Sunday.
Alberto Callaspo hit a tie-breaking two-run double in the eighth inning, Dan Haren pitched five-hit ball before falling one out short of his second straight complete game, and the Los Angeles Angels rolled into the All-Star break with their 14th victory in 17 games, 4-2 over the struggling Seattle Mariners.
James Shields and B.J. Upton made bad throwing errors that let Robinson Cano score the only run, sending CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees to a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, and Raul Ibanez homered and drove in six runs to back eight strong innings by Cole Hamels in the Philadelphia Phillies' 14-1 rout of the Atlanta Braves.
Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in five runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 9-1, Jaime Garcia won for the sixth time at home as the St. Louis Cardinals saw off the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2, and Matt Harrison pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning as the Texas Rangers extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games with a 2-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Jordan Zimmermann took a shutout into the seventh inning, Roger Bernadina and Rick Ankiel provided the offense, and the Washington Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 2-0 to head into the All-Star break with a .500 record for the first time since 2005.
Pablo Sandoval celebrated his first All-Star game selection by hitting an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 21 games and fellow All-Star Matt Cain pitched six scoreless innings to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets.

Read more...

johnson on song for Arizona

Kelly Johnson broke a seventh-inning tie with his second career grand slam and the Arizona Diamondbacks' bullpen barely hung on for a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Raul Ibanez hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves, and pinch-hitter Scott Hairston hit a tie-breaking home run off All-Star closer Brian Wilson in the ninth inning, leading the New York Mets past the San Francisco Giants 5-2.
David Ortiz homered in Boston's eight-run first inning, then got into a bench-clearing brawl with Baltimore reliever Kevin Gregg as the Red Sox routed the Orioles 10-3, and Luke Hughes' three-run homer capped a six-run fourth Friday night and the Minnesota Twins continued their mastery of the Chicago White Sox, rallying for an 8-5 victory.
Travis Snider drove in five runs and Rajai Davis knocked in four as the Toronto Blue Jays rebounded a day after a stunning loss to beat the Cleveland Indians 11-7, while Hanley Ramirez continued his recent torrid hitting with three hits and three RBIs and Javier Vazquez pitched seven solid innings as the Florida Marlins defeated the Houston Astros 6-3.
Magglio Ordonez's two-run home run just six pitches into the game staked Rick Porcello to an early lead and got the Detroit Tigers rolling toward a 6-4 victory over Kyle Davies and the reeling Kansas City Royals.
Mark Kotsay hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth off Reds closer Francisco Cordero and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied twice to beat Cincinnati 8-7, and Chad Billingsley scattered four hits over eight innings and Rafael Furcal singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Mike McKenry's first major league home run, a three-run shot in the eighth inning, lifted Pittsburgh to a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs,
C.J. Wilson allowed four runs and five hits with eight strikeouts, and got early support from Mike Napoli's first-inning grand slam off Gio Gonzalez as the Rangers stretched their winning streak to five games with an 8-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Jason Hammel pitched into the seventh inning for his second win in 13 starts and the Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 to end a five-game losing streak.
Mark Trumbo led off the ninth with a tie-breaking homer, and Hank Conger hit a tying homer in the seventh inning of the Los Angeles Angels' 12th win in 15 games, 4-3 over the Seattle Mariners.
The clash between Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees was postponed because of the weather.

Read more...

MLB: Rangers win marred by tragedy

Texas Rangers' 6-0 win over the Oakland Athletics was overshadowed by a fan falling to his death while trying to catch a ball.

The spectator fell from around 20 feet while trying to field a ball thrown by Josh Hamilton.
"We had a very tragic accident and one of our fans lost their life reaching over the rail trying to get a ball," team president Nolan Ryan said.
"As an organisation, and as our team members and our staff, we're very heavy-hearted about this, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."
On the field, Derek Holland rebounded from his shortest outing ever with a four-hitter for his third career shutout and Josh Hamilton had four RBIs
Jeff Niemann gave up Derek Jeter's 2,998th hit but little else, BJ Upton homered and drove in three runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 5-1 to start a long stretch of games against their biggest division rivals in fine style.
Darwin Barney's tie-breaking ninth-inning double capped off a wild comeback and the Chicago Cubs rebounded from an eight-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 10-9.
Barry Zito won his third straight start since coming off the disabled list, Eli Whiteside homered and the San Francisco Giants edged the San Diego Padres, while Justin Upton hit a two-run homer and Joe Saunders threw five scoreless innings to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-1 victory over the St Louis Cardinals.
Jered Weaver pitched a six-hitter for his 11th victory, and fellow All-Star selection Howie Kendrick extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a run-scoring double in the Los Angeles Angels' 11th win in 14 games, 5-1 over the Seattle Mariners.
Rickie Weeks hit a three-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen held on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 to open an important four-game series for both clubs before the All-Star break,
Travis Hafner hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap the Cleveland's five-run rally and give the Indians a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, and Mike Stanton homered and Brad Hand allowed two hits over seven innings for his first victory in the major leagues as the Florida Marlins beat the Houston Astros 5-0.
Dustin Pedroia hit a three-run homer and Boston added three consecutive home runs in the seventh as the Red Sox beat the struggling Baltimore Orioles 10-4, while Joe Mauer had three hits, drove in two runs and was flawless in his first game at first base as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2.
Max Scherzer held the Royals in check while pitching into the seventh inning, Ryan Raburn belted a two-run homer and a shaky Detroit Tigers side held on for a 3-1 victory over Kansas City,
Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer, his fourth of the series, and the Atlanta Braves beat Colorado 6-3, while the New York Mets were beaten 6-0 by the LA Dodgers.

Read more...

Roy Williams wants to get back the ring he mailed to girlfriend

By Chris Chase

Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams is going to court to get back the $76,000 engagement ring he gave to a former beauty pageant winner.
In February, Williams proposed to his girlfriend, Brooke Daniels. When she turned him down, Daniels didn't return the ring. According to Williams' affidavit that was filed in a Texas court last week, he asked for the ring back but was told by Daniels that she had lost it. An insurance investigation later revealed that Daniels' father was in possession of the ring.
Michael Daniels told the Odessa American that his daughter will return the ring to avoid the lawsuit even though he says he has documentation saying Williams told her to keep it.
Pretty standard stuff, right? Minus the price tag, this is a dispute that probably happens every day in the United States. Except it's not because most people don't propose the way Roy Williams did.
From the Odessa American:

Williams has declined to comment for the story, but in an affidavit signed by Williams, he claims he sent $5,000 for school and dental bills, a baseball for Daniels' brother and — as a surprise — a recorded marriage proposal with the ring through the mail just before Valentine's Day to Daniels. However, when Daniels declined the proposal, she did not return the ring.

He recorded a marriage proposal and then sent the ring through the mail? Unless you're a soldier stationed overseas, that's just about the lamest thing I've ever heard. If you proposed through the mail, wouldn't you not want other people to hear that? I'd consider eating the $76,000 just so I didn't have to tell anyone.

It's a shame Daniels is giving the ring back and avoiding trial because we may have learned the specifics of how Williams went about this process. Was it a video proposal? Did he record it in song form? And how did she reject him, with a return receipt?

Read more...

Button hoping for Silverstone rain

Jenson Button believes wet weather can help McLaren overhaul Red Bull at this weekend's British Grand Prix Silverstone.

Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel have had far superior pace so far this season but the McLaren's have shown that they can compete when weather becomes a factor, as was seen when Button won the rain-effected Canadian Grand Prix.
While the 2009 champion knows that rain is not what the fans will be hoping for, he feels his best shot of breaking his British GP duck is if the clouds open.
"Sorry guys but if it rains it is not so good for fans sitting out in it, but for us in terms of our pace in the wet and in terms of a result, wet weather could be good," Button told the Daily Express.
"It definitely does mix it up a bit. Our car seems to work well in the wet.
"We've proved that on a couple of occasions and if you look at the pace in Valencia you would say we were nowhere near close enough to the Red Bulls.
"Whether that is going to be the same when we arrive at Silverstone, as we do have changes to the car and there is a regulation change, I don't know. I hope not.
"I hope we have made some good improvements. It is going to be tough to beat the Red Bulls.
"We always knew that but we won't know how difficult it is until Friday and the practice sessions," he added.

Read more...

Young the hero for Diamondbacks

Chris Young was the hero for the Arizona Diamondbacks as they rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the slumping Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 in a thriller.

Young hit the crucial run with a two-out single in the ninth as the Diamondbacks overcame a grand slam by pitcher Shaun Marcum.
Arizona scored in every inning from the fourth through ninth after falling into a 6-1 hole to the best home team in the majors.
Miguel Montero and Wily Mo Pena homered for the Diamondbacks, who have lost six of their last nine but have a morale boosting win on this 10-game road trip before hosting the All-Star game.
Austin Kearns hit his first home run in 105 at-bats this season, a stunning three-run shot in the seventh inning off New York's A.J. Burnett, to send the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 win and spoil Derek Jeter's return to the Yankees' line-up.
Vance Worley pitched seven shutout innings and the Philadelphia Phillies scored the only run on a close play in the seventh innings to beat the Florida Marlins 1-0.
Chris Carpenter got the better of his Cincinnati Reds nemesis Johnny Cueto with eight scoreless inning, then watched from the dugout as pinch-hitter Mark Hamilton drove in the lone run with an infield hit for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1-0 victory.
Elsewhere, Will Venable hit his second home run of the season and the San Diego Padres pounced on Tim Lincecum in a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Michael Pineda and three relievers combined on a three-hitter and Josh Bard hit his first home run of the season to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 2-1 victory over the Athletics, while Travis Snider had three doubles and drove in a pair of runs and Aaron Hill homered as the Toronto Blue Jays became the latest team to rough up John Lackey, beating the Boston Red Sox 9-7.
Jayson Werth stole the show by scoring the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning, and the Washington Nationals snagged another one-run victory with a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago White Sox shaded Kansas City by the same scoreline.
Home advantage helped Atlanta beat Colorado 4-1 with Freddie Freeman hitting three runs, while Brian Duensing overcame a shaky start to throw a six-hitter as the Minnesota Twins beat Tampa Bay Rays 7-0.
Rookie Alex Presley had three of Pittsburgh's 14 hits in a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros, Endy Chavez had his first four-RBI game in more than eight years with a long home run and a double in the Texas Rangers' 13-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 5-1.
The day's other game saw the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2.

Read more...

Bautista helps Blue Jays to win

Jose Bautista's 27th home run of the MLB season helped the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

Bautista, who leads the league in homers this season, was one of three Toronto players to clear the wall in a four-run eighth inning as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep.
Jason Bay's bases-loaded single in the 10th inning lifted the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Yankees, snapping their city rivals' winning streak at seven.
The Mets had been staring defeat in the face when trailing 2-1 with two outs in the ninth, but forced the extra inning on Ronny Paulino's single before going on to complete the fightback.
Russell Branyan hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning to guide the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Melky Cabrera hit two home runs to help the Kansas City Royals to a 21-hit 16-8 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Logan Morrison's tie-breaking two-run double in the eighth handed the Florida Marlins a 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers, while Conor Jackson and Scott Sizemore each enjoyed two-run homers as the Oakland Athletics downed the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2.
Brandon Inge's eighth-inning, two-run triple set the seal on the Detroit Tigers' 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, while eight runs inside the opening two innings was the platform for the Pittsburgh Pirates to beat the Washington National 10-2.
The Cincinnati Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 7-5, the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-4, the Tampa Bay Rays were 8-3 victors over the St Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox were 2-1 winners over the Houston Astros.
The Minnesota Twins downed the Milwaukee Brewers 9-7, the Chicago Cubs were 3-1 winners over the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners ran out 3-1 victors against the San Diego Padres.

Read more...

Bautista helps Blue Jays to win

Jose Bautista's 27th home run of the MLB season helped the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

Bautista, who leads the league in homers this season, was one of three Toronto players to clear the wall in a four-run eighth inning as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep.
Jason Bay's bases-loaded single in the 10th inning lifted the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Yankees, snapping their city rivals' winning streak at seven.
The Mets had been staring defeat in the face when trailing 2-1 with two outs in the ninth, but forced the extra inning on Ronny Paulino's single before going on to complete the fightback.
Russell Branyan hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning to guide the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Melky Cabrera hit two home runs to help the Kansas City Royals to a 21-hit 16-8 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Logan Morrison's tie-breaking two-run double in the eighth handed the Florida Marlins a 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers, while Conor Jackson and Scott Sizemore each enjoyed two-run homers as the Oakland Athletics downed the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2.
Brandon Inge's eighth-inning, two-run triple set the seal on the Detroit Tigers' 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, while eight runs inside the opening two innings was the platform for the Pittsburgh Pirates to beat the Washington National 10-2.
The Cincinnati Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 7-5, the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-4, the Tampa Bay Rays were 8-3 victors over the St Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox were 2-1 winners over the Houston Astros.
The Minnesota Twins downed the Milwaukee Brewers 9-7, the Chicago Cubs were 3-1 winners over the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners ran out 3-1 victors against the San Diego Padres.

Read more...

MLB: Yankees continue fine run

The New York Yankees continued their strong recent run in the MLB with a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Russell Martin hit a three-run homer as part of a game-clinching four-run fourth inning as the Yankees made it four wins in succession to strengthen their lead in the American League East.
The Philadelphia Phillies secured their second win over the Boston Red Sox in as many nights.
The encounter between two of the favourites for the World Series ended in a 2-1 win for the Phillies thanks to Raul Ibanez's tie-breaking home run in the seventh.
The free-scoring New York Mets maintained their rich run of form with a 16-9 win over the Detroit Tigers.
The Mets' comfortable victory was achieved without hitting any home runs, although Scott Hairston contributed with a bases-loaded triple.
Ryan Hanigan hit a three-run homer to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, while Freddie Freeman had two RBIs as the Atlanta Braces downed the Seattle Mariners 5-3.
Ian Kinsler hit two home runs to pace the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros, while the St Louis Cardinals were 5-1 winners over the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Washington Nationals 1-0.
The Chicago White Sox were 3-2 victors against the Colorado Rockies, the Cleveland Indians defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2, the Minnesota Twins registered a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays were 2-1 winners over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The San Diego Padres saw off the Kansas City Royals 4-1, the Chicago Cubs won 2-1 against the San Francisco Giants and the Florida Marlins were 3-0 winners against the Oakland Athletics.

Read more...

MLB: Rangers crush Marlins

Nelson Cruz hit a home run and had six RBIs as the Texas Rangers crushed the Florida Marlins 15-5 in the MLB on Friday night.

Adrian Beltre also contributed four runs and Alexi Ogando posted a career-high eight strikeouts as the Rangers posted a comfortable win.
The New York Yankees earned a season-high sixth straight win with a 5-1 victory over city rivals the Mets. Mark Teixeira hit a two-run double while Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano also contributed RBI doubles.
Juan Nicasio gave up three singles over eight innings and Mark Ellis smashed a two-run homer as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-0.
Pablo Sandoval's tie-breaking RBI in the ninth inning saw the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, while Jim Thome hit a three-run homer as the Minnesota Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2.
Jason Vargas allowed just six hits and Adam Kennedy had two RBIs as the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 6-0, Matt Stairs smashed the winning run in the ninth to see the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Jair Jurrjens enjoyed a first career shut-out in the Atlanta Braves' 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
The Cleveland Indians defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-2, the St Louis Cardinals were 5-3 winners over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Oakland Athletics beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 and the Philadelphia Phillies edged out the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.
The Chicago White Sox were 6-4 victors against cross-town rivals the Cubs, while the Boston Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-5 and the Los Angeles Dodgers registered a 5-0 win over local rivals the Los Angeles Angels.

Read more...

Lee leads the way for Phillies

Cliff Lee allowed just two hits to guide the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in MLB interleague play.

Lee managed to go without a hit until the sixth innings, when Marco Scutaro connected for a single.
Domonic Brown and Shane Victorino each hit two-run homers for the Phillies as they got the best of a match-up between two sides widely tipped as likely World Series contenders.
Nick Swisher hit a three-run home run to help the New York Yankees to a 12-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Mark Teixeira also homered and had four RBIs as the Yankees eased to a comfortable victory.
Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran each hit grand slams as the New York Mets posted a 14-3 win at the Detroit Tigers, while Alex Presley hit his maiden career home run as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.
Colby Rasmus and Matt Holliday hit home runs as the St Louis Cardinals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-2, and Evan Longoria hit a homer in the ninth inning to secure the Tampa Bay Rays last-gasp 4-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Minnesota Twins recovered from Monday night's 15-0 mauling at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers by posting a 6-4 win over the same opposition to end a six-game losing streak.
The San Diego Padres registered a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals, Brian McCann hit a tie-breaking two-run single in the seventh to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners, and a Ty Wigginton single in the 13th inning saw the Colorado Rockies to a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Erick Aybar and Vernon Wells each hit home runs as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Washington Nationals 11-5.
Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand each had three RBIs as the San Francisco Giants won 13-7 against the Chicago Cubs in the first game of their double-header. San Francisco won the second game 6-3.
The Oakland Athletics were 1-0 winners against the Florida Marlins thanks to Kurt Suzuki's second-inning single. Gio Gonzalez allowed one hit over eight innings for Oakland.
Wily Mo Pena hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-4, while the Texas Rangers were 7-4 winners against state rivals the Houston Astros.

Read more...

Beckett stars in Red Sox win

MLB: Beckett stars in Red Sox win

Josh Beckett allowed just one hit as he shut out the Tampa Bay Rays to help the Boston Red Sox earn a 3-0 American League victory.

Beckett claimed six strikeouts, while Adrian Gonzalez hammered a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
Mark Teixeira made it 21 homers for the season with hits in the first and sixth innings as the New York Yankees crushed the Texas Rangers 12-4.
Eduardo Nunez also blasted a homer for the Yankees.
Ricky Romero yielded just three hits in eight strong innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1.
The Cleveland Indians responded to Fausto Carmona allowing three runs in the first by battling back to win 6-4 against the Detroit Tigers, Orlando Cabrera with an RBI double in the fifth.
Carl Pavano recorded his 16th career complete game, throwing 96 pitches to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 4-1 success over the Chicago White Sox.
The Seattle Mariners were 3-1 winners over the Los Angeles Angels, while the Oakland Athletics edged out the Kansas City Royals 2-1.
In the National League, Livan Hernandez held the St Louis Cardinals to three hits in a complete game as the Washington Nationals claimed a 10-0 win.
Michael Morse also starred for the Nationals by smashing two homers.
The Philadelphia Phillies won both matches of their double header against the Florida Marlins.
The Phillies produced a six-run third inning on the way to an 8-1 win in the first game before Carlos Ruiz sealed a 5-4 victory in the 10th inning of the second.
Scott Rolen had two doubles and three RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2.
Jhoulys Chacin struck out seven in the Colorado Rockies' 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres.
Pinch-hitters Xavier Paul and Garrett Jones helped the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros.
Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Brewers claimed a 9-5 win over the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 and the New York Mets were 4-0 winners over the Atlanta Braves

Read more...

Boston Red Sox take charge

MLB: Boston Red Sox take charge

Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Marco Scutaro blasted home runs as the Boston Red Sox crushed the Milwaukee Brewers 12-3 in MLB interleague action on Sunday.

The American League East leaders were in charge from the first inning against the side which tops the NL Central standings as they built a 6-0 lead.
And Adrian Gonzalez legged out a triple for his 1,000th career hit as the Red Sox, who honoured newly-crowned Stanley Cup champions the Boston Bruins before the game with the NHL side taking over the infield, continued to dominate.
Jason Vargas allowed just three hits as the Seattle Mariners saw off the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0.
Vargas retired 15 straight at one point and claimed six strikeouts, with Justin Smoak and Adam Kennedy getting RBI singles.
Hiroki Kuroda hurled seven scoreless innings as Dioner Navarro's go-ahead homer in the eighth gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros.
Nick Swisher smashed a three-run blast in the eighth to help the New York Yankees claim a 10-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Phil Humber went scoreless until the eighth inning as the Chicago White Sox claimed a 8-2 success over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Miguel Cairo hammered a two-run homer in the sixth to earn a 2-1 win for the Cincinnati Reds over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Justin Verlander threw a complete game and allowed just one run to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 9-1 success over the Colorado Rockies.
Tyler Chatwood threw seven scoreless frames and Vernon Wells had three RBIs in the Los Angeles Angels' 7-3 win over the New York Mets.
James Shields conceded just four hits in a complete game as the Tampa Bay Rays were 2-1 winners over the Florida Marlins courtesy of Casey Kotchman's go-ahead single.
Skip Schumaker's walk-off homer gave the St Louis Cardinals a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals, for whom Alcides Escobar's blast a half-inning earlier proved in vain.
Elsewhere, the Baltimore Orioles ended the Washington Nationals' eight-game winning streak with a 7-4 victory.
The Oakland Athletics edged out the San Francisco Giants 2-1 and the Cleveland Indians were 5-2 winners over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Minnesota Twins clinched a narrow 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres, while the Atlanta Braves saw off the Texas Rangers 4-2.

Read more...

MLB: Dodgers in romp over Twins

The Los Angeles Dodgers shrugged off their off-field problems with a crushing 15-0 victory over the slumping Minnesota Twins.

The cash-strapped Dodgers filed for bankruptcy protection just hours before putting the Twins to the sword with their biggest win of the season.
Chad Billingsley led the Dodgers' seventh shutout of the season, while Casey Blake, Matt Kemp and Trent Oeltjen contributed home runs in a 25-hit display - the best of any MLB franchise this season.
"It's just one of those days," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.
"Everything went right from the beginning and kept going tonight [Monday]."
The defeat for Minnesota was their sixth in succession.
Jonny Gomes hit a home run against his former employers as the Cincinnati Reds eased to a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Reds starter Mike Leake registered six scoreless innings and three strike-outs.
Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez both hit a brace of home runs as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-4, while Jhonny Peralta's eighth-inning triple lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Ryan Ludwick's two-run home home run made the difference as the San Diego Padres defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3, while Freddie Freeman also hit a two-run homer to snap a tie in the seventh inning as the Atlanta Braves downed the Seattle Mariners 3-1.
Orlando Cabrera hit a ninth-inning, two-out home run as the Cleveland Indians snatched a last-gasp 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Maicer Izturis' bases-loaded single in the 10th inning saw the Los Angeles Angels beat the Washington Nationals 4-3.

Read more...

MLB: Giants go top with Indians win

The San Francisco Giants went top of the National League West with a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Indians.

The Giants only run came courtesy of a balk from the Indians' relief pitcher Tony Sipp which allowed Miguel Tejada to score.
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, meanwhile, struck out 14 batters in eight scoreless innings as he reached 10 wins this season. Alex Avila contributed four runs to the 6-0 win with a three-run homer in the fourth inning having also scored Victor Martinez in the second.
The Milwaukee Brewers stretched their lead in the Central conference with an 11-1 thumping of the Minnesota Twins, who lost left fielder Delmon Young to a knee injury in the fifth inning after he collided with the wall.
Corey Hart, Prince Fielder and Carlos Gomez all hit home runs for the Brewers, who were further boosted when nearest rivals the St Louis Cardinals were beaten 6-3 by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Juan Rivera's three-run homer helped the Jays to a five-run third inning to set up the victory.
The Pittsburgh Pirates enjoyed a 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox in front of a record PNC Park crowd of 39,483. Lyle Overbay's three-run homer did the damage despite Jacoby Ellsbury and Josh Reddick's long shots for Boston.
Cincinnati Reds slugger Joey Votto hit his hundredth career homer in a game which saw nine balls clear the wall as his side beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-5.
The Texas Rangers' 14-5 defeat to the New York Mets, coupled with Boston and Cleveland's setbacks, meant all three American League conference leaders were beaten on the night.
Mets pitcher Jon Niese took the win as Lucas Duda batted in four runners and Carlos Beltran three.
Nearest pursuers the Seattle Mariners succumbed to a 4-2 defeat to the Florida Marlins, kicked off by Hanley Ramirez's 2RBI double in a three-run first inning, while Mark Trumbo and Vernon Wells' home runs earned the Los Angeles Angels a 6-1 win over the Dodgers and a 2-0 lead in the Freeway Series.
The division's bottom side, the Oakland Athletics, upset the odds with a 4-1 win over the National League East-leading Philadelphia Phillies. Trevor Cahill allowed just three hits over 7 2/3 innings and Adam Rosales' homer led the offensive effort.
That allowed the Atlanta Braves to close on the Phillies with a 10-1 rout of the San Diego Padres as Jair Jurrjens pitched his 10th win of the season and Dan Uggla's three-run homer rounded off a tally of seven runs in the final two innings.
American League East challengers the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays both enjoyed victories. The Yankees beat the Colorado Rockies 8-3 to give pitcher CC Sabathia his 10th win of the season while Tampa provided good offensive back-up to pitcher Wade Davis in a 7-2 success against the Houston Astros.
The Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 despite losing starting pitcher John Danks in the second inning, while city rivals the Cubs lost 3-2 to the Kansas City Royals despite back-to-back sixth-inning homers from Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto.

Read more...

Bumgarner hits back for Giants

Madison Bumgarner bounced back from a dismal display against the Minnesota Twins by recording 11 strikeouts as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1.

The pitcher was retired after a third of an inning against the Twins after allowing eight successive hits at the start of the game, but gave up just one run in seven innings on Sunday night - and even that was shrouded in controversy.
Orlando Cabrera's single appeared foul but was allowed to stand by umpire Jerry Layne - officiating from behind the home plate in a reduced umpiring set-up after a foul ball by Grady Sizemore off Bumgarner struck original incumbent Hunter Wendelstedt in the face - and Michael Brantley reached third base before being scored by Asdrubal Cabrera.
Chris Stewart's two-run double was the key offensive contribution to the Giants' fifth straight win, a result which stretched their lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.
Jhonny Peralta homered in the second and batted in two of the seven runs the Detroit Tigers scored in a stunning eighth inning as they beat the D-Backs 8-3 and moved two games clear of the Indians in the American League West.
The three teams vying for top spot in a tight American League East all won, with the New York Yankees keeping their noses in front with a 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies despite Ty Wiggington's brace of homers in a losing cause.
Three unearned runs gave the Boston Red Sox a first win in five as they sank the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2, while the Tampa Bay Rays came out on top in a 14-10 slugfest against the Houston Astros. Evan Longoria hit two homers, including a three-run blast in the ninth to consolidate Matt Joyce's two-run double an inning previously.
The Philadelphia Phillies improved the best record in the Major League with a 3-1 win over the Oakland Athletics, their 49th of the season. Roy Halladay has 10 of those after pitching a complete game.
Nearest challengers the Atlanta Braves lost 4-1 in their series decider away to the San Diego Padres, all the runs coming in the eighth inning.
The Milwaukee Brewers extended their lead over the St Louis Cardinals in the American League Central as starting pitcher Chris Narveson struck out seven and hit an RBI double in a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The Cards, meanwhile, were beaten 5-0 by the Toronto Blue Jays as Ricky Romero pitched a full-game shutout and hit a 2RBI single. It was his first ever hit, though he was anguished to later lose the ball he connected with.
American League West leaders the Texas Rangers were beaten 8-5 by the New York Mets despite Michael Young's two-out solo homer in the first, while nearest pursuers the Seattle Mariners beat the Florida Marlins as Dustin Ackley scored on Steve Cishek's wild pitch in the 10th inning of a game which started late due to a scheduling conflict with city-mates the Sounders' Major League Soccer match against the New England Revolution.
The Los Angeles Dodgers finally got on the board in the Freeway Series with a 3-2 win over city rivals the Angels, Clayton Kershaw pitching a second successive complete-game win.
The Washington Nationals beat the Chicago White Sox 2-1, the Kansas City Royals enjoyed a 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs and homers from Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds and Luke Scott helped the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Read more...

Nationals win tarnished

The Washington Nationals won their 11th game in 12 tonight - but lost manager Jim Riggleman, who resigned minutes after the game over a contract dispute.

Riggleman was unhappy general manager Mike Rizzo was not prepared to discuss extending his year-by-year contract and his sudden departure took the gloss off a dramatic last-play victory.
After Washington's starting pitcher Jason Marquis and opposite number Michael Pineda recorded eight and seven scoreless innings respectively, Laynce Nix's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth scored Danny Espinosa for the only run.
Tim Lincecum struck out 12 batters in a seven-innings shut-out as the San Francisco Giants beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1. Miguel Tejada's groundout scored Pablo Sandoval and Cody Ross saw Aubrey Huff home for the winning run.
The St Louis Cardinals hammered the Philadelphia Phillies 12-2, Lance Berkman's three-run homer the highlight as pitcher Chris Carpenter struck out seven in as many innings and allowed just one run.
There were home runs for Miguel Montero and Juan Miranda as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3, while the New York Mets beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 as Jose Reyes batted in two runs.

Read more...

Braves sweep Blue Jays

The Atlanta Braves completed a Major League sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-1 win.

Pitcher Brandon Beachy struck out 11 batters over six innings and there were two-run homers for Dan Uggla and Brian McCann, Brooks Conrad completing the scoring with a solo pinch-hit long ball in the seventh.
The Braves' National League East rivals the Washington Nationals picked up a 10th win in 11 matches as they edged out the Seattle Mariners 2-1 to improve to .500 at 37-37.
The Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee pitched a full-game shut-out in a 4-0 win over the St Louis Cardinals, while the New York Mets beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2 in the 13th inning when Justin Turner was hit by Brad Ziegler's pitch with the bases loaded.
Casper Wells, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera and Don Kelly all hit homers for the Detroit Tigers but they still needed a fine running catch in centre field by Austin Jackson - with two out and the bases loaded - to secure a 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
AJ Pierzynzki's 2RBI triple set up the Chicago White Sox's 4-3 win over city rivals the Cubs and Travis Hafner's two-run homer helped the Cleveland Indians to defeat the Colorado Rockies by the same scoreline.
Los Angeles Angels rookie Mark Trumbo's RBI single in the 10th inning decided a tense rubber game against the Florida Marlins.
The Angels' Torii Hunter left the game with a rib injury after colliding with the wall taking a spectacular running catch from Gaby Sanchez's fly ball.
The Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees played a double-header to make up for last night's washout. Freddy Garcia pitched the Yankees to a 4-2 win in the first game but the Reds' Chris Heisey cut loose in the second, smashing three home runs - two off Brian Gordon - to set up a 10-2 rout.
A fielding error from debutant Blake Davis gifted the Pittsburgh Pirates the two runs they needed to complete a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Pinch-hitter Matt Downs struck a two-run homer as the Houston Astros scored four runs in the final inning to beat the Texas Rangers 5-3 and avoid a series clean sweep.
David Price gave up just two runs in eight innings and Kelly Shoppach and Elliott Johnson hit home runs as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 to win the series.
The San Diego Padres beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 in a game delayed four times by rain and reduced to eight innings, the Arizona Diamonbacks beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 with all their runs coming in the top of the fifth, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Minnesota Twins 5-1.

Read more...