Major League Baseball roundup: September 2, 2007

September 3, 2007

Athletics bump Tigers in 10

 * Athletics 8, Tigers 7, 10 inn: In a game that the Tigers led, 7-0, the Athletics came back, scoring two runs in the 9th inning to tie the game, and winning the game in the 10th inning with a bloop single by Jack Hannahan.  Yorman Bazardo (0-1) was credited with the loss, while Athletics pitcher Huston Street (4-2), who pitched a perfect 10th inning, receiving the win.  Todd Jones received his 6th blown save, losing a 7-5 lead in the 9th.  The Tigers (73-64) remain 5 1/2 games behind the Indians in the AL Central race, and 3 games behind the Yankees in the AL Wild Card.

Other games

 * White Sox 8, Indians 0: The White Sox racked up 18 hits; leadoff hitter Jerry Owens went 3-4, with 2 RBI, 2 walks, and a stolen base, his 23rd of the season.  The Indians amassed seven walks, six by starter Jose Contreras, but failed to score any runs.  Contreras (8-16) picked up the win, while White Sox pitcher Jake Westbrook (5-8) allowed four runs (three earned) in 5 innings of work for the loss.  Thanks to a Tigers loss, the Indians (78-58) remain 5 1/2 games in front in the AL Central race.


 * Devil Rays 8, Yankees 2: Carlos Pena hit a triple and a three-run homer, as the Devil Rays took two out of three from the Yankees.  Jason Hammel (2-4) pitched five innings, allowing one run and five hits for the win, while Andy Pettitte, forced out of the game after Pena's homer, allowed five runs for the loss.  The Yankees (76-61) remain 2 games ahead of the Mariners in the AL Wild Card race.


 * Red Sox 3, Orioles 2: Mike Lowell hit an RBI single in the first inning, and drove in another run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.  Jon Lester (3-0) got the win, allowing two earned runs in 6+ innings, while Daniel Cabrera (9-14) pitched six innings in the loss, allowing five hits and three earned runs.  Jonathan Papelbon threw a perfect 9th for his 31st save.  The Red Sox improved their AL East lead to six games.


 * Mets 3, Braves 2: David Wright hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, which proved to be the deciding factor in the game.  Pitcher Tom Glavine (12-6) pitched six innings, giving up one run and five hits; Glavine was also responsible for the Mets' first run, on a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning.  John Smoltz (12-7) got the loss, giving up three earned runs in seven innings.  Billy Wagner allowed one earned run in the ninth inning, but held on for the save, his 30th of the season.  The Mets (76-60) are 4 games ahead of the Phillies, and 7.5 games ahead of the Braves (69-68).


 * Marlins 7, Phillies 6: Cody Ross hit two home runs (9, 10), a two-run homer in the fourth and a solo shot in the sixth.  Justin Miller (5-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win, while Kane Davis (0-1) gave up two runs and three hits in the loss.  The Phillies are four games back of the Mets in the NL East.


 * Cubs 6, Astros 5: The Cubs came back from a 5-1 deficit, led by Derrek Lee, who went 3-4 with a home run and 3 RBI.  Matt Murton hit a home run in a pinch-hit at-bat in the 7th inning.  Carlos Marmol (5-1) got the win, facing one batter in the eighth inning.  Chad Qualls (6-4) got the loss, giving up two runs on the Lee home run in the eighth.  Ryan Dempster threw a perfect 9th, striking out two of the three batters he faced, for his 25th save.  The Cubs (70-65) are 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers and 2 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central.


 * Brewers 7, Pirates 4: Ryan Braun went 3-4 with a homer and 3 RBI, and Prince Fielder hit his 40th home run of the year, a two-run shot.  Jeff Suppan (9-11) gave up four runs (two earned) for the win, while Pirates reliever Franquelis Osoria (0-1) gave up three runs in two innings for the loss.  Francisco Cordero picked up his 39th save.  The Brewers (69-67) are 1.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central.


 * Cardinals 3, Reds 2: Cardinals' Rick Ankiel hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, and drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.  Braden Looper (12-10) pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits.  Bronson Arroyo (7-14) gave up three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings for the loss.  Jason Isringhausen gave up a run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly, but picked up his 28th save.  The Cardinals (67-66) are 2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central race.


 * Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 3: Matt Holliday hit a two-run single in the first inning.  Josh Fogg (8-9) got the win, giving up two runs in six innings.  Brandon Webb (14-10) gave up four runs in seven innings of work for the loss.  Manny Corpas earned his 12th save.  The Diamondbacks (76-62) are tied with the Padres for the NL West lead.


 * Royals 8, Twins 1: The Royals' Alex Gordon hit solo homers (13, 14) in the 2nd and 3rd innings, two of sixteen hits recorded by the Royals.  Twins first baseman Garrett Jones went 3-3 in the game, with three of the six hits recorded by the Twins (all singles).  Brian Bannister (12-7) allowed one run and six hits in eight innings of work, receiving the win.  Boof Bonser (6-12) pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing five runs for the loss.


 * Dodgers 5, Padres 0. The Dodgers scored one run in the sixth and four in the seventh for the win.  Chad Billingsley pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits and striking out nine for the win.  Justin Germano pitched six innings, giving up one run for the loss.  The Padres (75-61) are tied with the Diamondbacks for the NL West lead, while the Dodgers (71-65) are four games back.


 * Blue Jays 6, Mariners 4: Gregg Zaun (8) and Matt Stairs (18) each hit a two-run homer in the game to put Toronto ahead early.  The loss is Seattle's ninth in a row.  A.J. Burnett (8-7) got the win, while Jeff Weaver (6-11) left after three innings, allowing five runs for the loss.  Casey Janssen recorded his fifth save of the season for the Blue Jays.  Seattle (73-62) remains two games back of the Yankees in the AL Wild Card race.


 * Rangers 8, Angels 7: Hank Blalock hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, to take the lead.  Wes Littleton (3-1) pitched two hitless innings in relief for the win, while Scot Shields (3-5) got the loss, giving up four runs on the Blalock slam.  C.J. Wilson picked up his 10th save.  The Angels (80-56) remained 6.5 games ahead of the Mariners in the AL West race.


 * Nationals 2, Giants 1: Ryan Zimmerman hit a ninth-inning single, scoring Felipe Lopez to break a 1-1 tie and win the game for the Nationals.  Chad Cordero (3-3) pitched one inning for the win, while Brian Wilson (1-1) gave up two hits and one run in the ninth inning for the loss.