AMERICAN LEAGUE
Jason Bay belted a two-run homer off the foul pole in the seventh inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 win over New York on Monday in the first meeting between the bitter rivals at the new Yankee Stadium.
Bay’s blast restored a comfortable cushion to Boston left-hander Jon Lester (2-2), who mowed down the Yankees for four innings before his 4-0 lead shrank to 4-3 on back-to-back home runs by Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira in the fifth.
PHOTO: AFP
The Red Sox (16-10) beat young Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes, scoring single runs in each of the first four innings after the start of the game was delayed by more than two hours because of rain.
The 22-year-old Hughes (1-1) lasted only four innings before giving way to Alfredo Aceves, who yielded the home run to Bay.
Teixeira slugged his second homer of the game leading off the eighth against reliever Ramon Ramirez but closer Jonathan Papelbon sealed the win, pitching out of a bases-loaded ninth-inning jam for his seventh save.
The Yankees dropped to 13-12 with the loss, their fourth in a row to the Red Sox, who swept three games from them last week in Boston.
Yankee manager Joe Girardi was ejected after he came out to argue with home plate umpire Jerry Meals following a called third strike against captain Derek Jeter in the fifth inning.
“It was just the calls for the whole night,” Girardi told reporters.
Girardi said Hughes and Aceves both threw the ball well.
“[Aceves] made one mistake tonight,” he said. “Jason Bay has been a thorn in our side and he hurt us again tonight.”
ROYALS 3, WHITE SOX 0
At Kansas City, Zack Greinke struck out 10 batters and allowed just six hits for his second shutout in four starts as the Kansas City Royals downed the Chicago White Sox.
More than 6,500 fans bought walk-up tickets to watch Greinke become the major league’s first six-game winner.
ORIOLES 8, RAYS 4
At St Petersburg, Florida, Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer and Brian Roberts added a two-run shot to help Baltimore stop a six-game losing streak.
In Monday’s other games it was:
• Twins 7, Tigers 2
• Indians 9, Blue Jays 7
• Angels 5, Athletics 2
• Rangers 6, Mariners 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Carlos Beltran hit a pair of two-run homers and David Wright added a two-run shot of his own as the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 in the National League on Monday to match their total for last year for wins at Turner Field.
The Mets, who went 1-8 in Atlanta last season, improved to 30-63 at Turner Field since the start of the 1998 season.
Beltran, hitting .400, was 2 for 3 with a walk. The two homers gave him four this season.
John Maine (2-2) earned his second consecutive win despite setting a career high with six walks. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Javier Vazquez (2-3) gave up a season-high six runs in six-and-two-thirds innings.
BREWERS 7, PIRATES 4
At Pittsburgh, Rickie Weeks hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the ninth after a supposedly unavailable Ryan Braun tied it an inning earlier with a two-run double, helping Milwaukee rally for a victory over Pittsburgh.
In Monday’s other games it was:
• Nationals 9, Astros 4
• Phillies 6, Cardinals 1
• Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 2
• Cubs 4, Giants 2
• Marlins 3, Reds 2, 14 innings
• Rockies 9, Padres 6
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