AMERICAN LEAGUE
Vladimir Guerrero used his milestone 400th career home run to lift the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, the seventh-inning blast completing the scoring in a 20-hit slugfest.
The AL West-leading Angels’ powerful right-hander drilled a pitch from reliever Russ Springer off the right-field foul pole for the decisive blow to give the team an opening victory in a three-game series.
PHOTO: AFP
“It came at a time when the team really needed it,” Guerrero told reporters.
The blast was also the second home run of the game for Guerrero, who bagged a solo shot in the second inning.
First baseman Kendry Morales also homered twice to reach 25 for the season as Los Angeles (66-44) overcame a determined Rays (61-51) challenge in a game featuring six home runs in total.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Tampa Bay rallied from a 6-3 deficit with three runs in the fifth inning, when Carlos Pena homered to center field to make it 6-6.
After Morales put the Angels back on top with one of his round-trippers in the bottom of the fifth, Jason Bartlett, who finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, had a game-tying triple against Los Angeles pitcher Jason Bulger in the sixth.
“It just wasn’t our day,” said Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist, who finished with two hits. “They hit a home run off the foul pole. It was a good game. You never like losing, but we hit the ball well today.”
Kevin Jepsen recorded the win for Los Angeles after pitching a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, while Brian Fuentes came on in the ninth to pick up his 32nd save of the year.
Young starter Sean O’Sullivan, who pitched a no-hitter in the minor leagues last month, allowed six runs in four-and-two-third innings of a no-decision.
Tampa Bay’s Matt Gaza came into the contest having allowed just three runs or less in his last five starts, but was knocked around for six runs in just three-and-a-third innings against the Angels.
RED SOX 6, TIGERS 5
At Boston, Nick Green hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly and one of the home team’s three homers as the Red Sox ended a six-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Detroit.
The Red Sox, who scored two runs in the final three games of a four-game sweep by the Yankees in New York, squandered a 5-3 lead when Manny Delcarmen allowed two runs in the seventh. They went back in front in the bottom of the inning on singles by J.D. Drew and Casey Kotchman and Green’s sacrifice fly.
Taiwan’s Ni Fu-te pitched two innings for the Tigers, allowing one hit — a home run — before being replaced by Zach Miner.
In the eighth, Detroit put runners at second and third with one out. Ramon Ramirez (6-3) struck out Adam Everett, and Jonathan Papelbon retired Curtis Granderson on a foul out. Papelbon got his 28th save.
Reliever Miner (5-2) allowed Green’s sacrifice fly in two innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 4
At New York, Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill hit solo homers as Toronto snapped the home team’s seven-game winning streak.
Overbay drove in two runs, and Edwin Encarnacion and Joe Inglett also drove in runs for the Blue Jays, who played an inspired game about 30 minutes after learning that teammate Alex Rios had been claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox.
Shawn Camp (1-5) picked up the win in relief of ineffective starter Marc Rzepczynski, who allowed three homers and didn’t make it out of the fourth. The Blue Jays bullpen allowed four hits over five and two-third shutout innings, helping Toronto win for just the third time in 10 tries against the Yankees this season.
Jason Frasor worked the ninth for his fifth save.
Derek Jeter hit a homer on the third pitch of the game, and Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston added back-to-back homers in the fourth for the Yankees.
In other AL action it was:
• Athletics 9, Orioles 1
• Mariners 6, White Sox 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, DENVER, COLORADO
Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle and had a career-high seven RBIs to help the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 11-5 in the National League on Monday.
Tulowitzki, who had a grand slam denied in the first video review ever at Coors Field, led off the seventh a triple shy of the franchise’s fifth cycle and first in nine years. He laced a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line and slid headfirst into the bag before third baseman Jake Fox could corral the throw from left.
Tulowitzki hit his 21st homer in the first, singled in the second and doubled in the fourth in his first three at-bats. He added a two-run single in the eighth to finish with five hits.
It was the sixth cycle in the majors this season.
Todd Helton had two singles to extend his hitting streak to 15 games and Jorge De La Rosa (10-8) struck out 11 for the Rockies, who took three of the four games in the wraparound series with the Cubs.
CARDINALS 4, REDS 1
At St Louis, Missouri, Kyle Lohse won for the first time since injuring his forearm more than two-and-a-half months ago, working six effective innings in the home team’s win over Cincinnati.
Colby Rasmus drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning off Kip Wells (0-3) for the go-ahead run and Matt Holliday, Khalil Greene and Brendan Ryan hit balls off the wall in a two-run sixth. The NL Central leaders have won four straight and at 63-51 are a season-high 12 games above .500.
Reds starter Johnny Cueto injured his left hip running out a grounder in the third and left the game. Lohse (5-7) won for the first time in six starts since coming off the disabled list on July 12, limiting the Reds to a run and four hits.
DIAMONDBACKS 7, METS 4
At Phoenix, Doug Davis had a two-run double and won his third straight decision and Trent Oeltjen hit his third homer in four major league games as Arizona handed New York its ninth loss in 12 games.
In other NL action it was:
• Marlins 8, Astros 6
• Dodgers 4, Giants 2
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