The stunned Nationals left the nation’s capital for the Windy City on Friday for an interleague series against the Chicago White Sox, still trying to make sense of it all.

“We should be celebrating going to Chicago,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “I’m disappointed that this is a distraction, that this is not thinking of the team first, that it is thinking of personal goals, thinking of personal things first. That’s probably what disappoints me the most.”

Riggleman quit because he felt the franchise wasn’t committed to him over the long term. He wanted the Nationals to pick up his contract option for next year, and the reluctance to do so further reinforced his feeling that he was merely a placeholder until the team could find someone better.

“I’m not happy about it,” Riggleman said in a clubhouse that quickly went from festive to preplexed after completing a sweep of the Seattle Mariners. “But I just feel in my heart it’s the right thing to do.”

Riggleman’s departure happened so quickly that Rizzo didn’t immediately announce who would manage the team in Chicago. Late Thursday, a club official informed The Associated Press that bench coach John McLaren will handle the duties on a short-term basis. The official requested anonymity because a formal announcement had yet to be made.

Rizzo said he and Riggleman had discussed the contract situation several times this season, but Rizzo said he felt it was too early in the season to commit to Riggleman for next year, even though the Nationals have won 11 of 12 and are above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2005. Not all the words were charitable as coach and GM each gave his side of the story. Rizzo even released a pointed statement saying he “was always taught that one of the cardinal rules of baseball was that no individual can put his interests before those of the team.”

“Jim told me pregame today that if we wouldn’t pick up his option, then he wouldn’t get on the team bus today,” Rizzo said. “I felt that the time wasn’t right for me to pick up the option, and certainly today’s conversation put to me in the way it was put to me, you certainly can’t make that decision in a knee-jerk reaction. It’s too big of a decision.”

Riggleman’s version of events was slightly different. He said he requested that he and Rizzo have “a conversation” about his contract when the team arrived in Chicago. Regardless, Riggleman said he would have resigned had that conversation not resulted in some sort of contract security.

“I just felt if there’s not going to be some type of commitment, then there obviously never will be,” Riggleman said. “I’m just not the guy that they thought they could move forward with.”

Riggleman has been working on one-year deals since taking over for Manny Acta in July 2009. He was being paid $600,000 this year and the Nationals held a team option for 2012 at $600,000.

“I tell ya, I’ve been in this 10 years,” Riggleman said. “Maybe I’ll never get another opportunity, but I promise you I’ll never do it on a one-year deal again. … You don’t bring people in on a one-year deal. I’m sure they will never do it here. When they get the guy they want, it won’t be on a one-year deal.”

Riggleman is the second manager in the majors to resign this week. Florida Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez quit Sunday, but his team was struggling and in last place in the NL East.

“I know I’m not Casey Stengel, but I do feel like I know what I’m doing,” Riggleman said.

Riggleman also didn’t care for Rizzo’s thoughts about waiting for the right time.

“Timing? Come on,” Riggleman said. “That’s like I’m not going to get married until I have a steady job. You’ll never get married. You make the decision you feel is right and Mike felt the decision was to not move forward with me.”

The players had no idea this was coming. They found out when Rizzo informed them in the clubhouse after the 1-0 win over the Mariners. All expressed varying degrees of surprise and disappointment, although Jayson Werth(notes) tried to make it sound as if it didn’t matter.

“It’s not going to change anything in here,” Werth said. “We’re the ones that have been making the pitches and hitting the balls and winning the ballgames, so we’re going to keep going.”

The rest of baseball was just as shocked.

“He was going to be one of my coaches for the All-Star game. I guess I have to pick another one,” San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I feel awful for Jimmy. I knew how hard he worked over there.”

The 58-year-old Riggleman previously managed San Diego, the Chicago Cubs and Seattle, spending parts of 12 seasons in the dugout overall. He has a career 662-824 record, including 140-172 with the Nationals. Riggleman guided the Cubs to the 1998 NL wild-card spot and was let go after the next year.

Riggleman later was the bench coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle. He took over as the Mariners’ manager midway through the 2008 season but was not retained when the season ended.

Riggleman became the Nationals’ bench coach in 2009. Still harboring hope of managing again, he even considered going to Japan if a job opened there. Instead, he got a spot in the majors with Washington when he replaced Acta.

Born and raised in Rockville, Md., a short drive from Nationals Park, he maintained his local roots. Unable to attend his high school reunion because Washington was playing, he instead invited his classmates to meet him the same weekend at a home game.

Riggleman was a minor league infielder and later a manager in the St. Louis system. He became a manager for the first time in the big leagues with the Padres late in the 1992 season and was considered part of the modern-breed of skippers, putting an emphasis on communicating with his players and increased use of statistics.

He said Thursday he was fully aware that he was leaving one of the precious few 30 managerial jobs in the majors, but for him it was a matter of principle.

“It’s about me,” Riggleman said. “It’s about looking in the mirror and feeling like I’ve got to answer to myself. In today’s world in major sports, it’s not a good environment to work when the manager or head coach in football or whatever is on a short leash. Too many negatives can come out of it. You’re walking on egg shells too often. You can’t think out of the box as much. I thought after 10 years I’d earned the right to have a little bit longer leash.”

AP freelancer writer Rick Eymer in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

The Florida Marlins’ new 80-year-old manager still has the winning touch. McKeon earned his first victory since coming out of retirement when Florida broke an 11-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Tuesday night.

“We’re a summer team,” McKeon said. “Today is the first day of the summer. We like to play much better baseball in the summer than we do in the spring. So watch out from now on because summer’s here, and we’re here.”

Javier Vazquez(notes) and five relievers gave up 13 hits and the Angels had at least one hit in every inning, but they went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

Gaby Sanchez(notes) hit his 13th home run and Hanley Ramirez(notes) had his first multi-hit game since May 21 for the Marlins, who improved to 2-19 in June. They are 1-1 since McKeon took over Monday as interim manager for the rest of the season.

“Every high point, you look over and he’s jumping up and down like a little kid,” catcher John Buck(notes) said. “He was taking off your hand when he was giving a high five. I don’t know if he’s your regular 80-year-old. He’s full of energy.”

He’s shaking things up, too.

Ramirez, inserted into the cleanup spot for the first time in his career by the new manager, went 2 for 4 to hike his average to .206 and scored twice.

“I enjoyed the game,” Ramirez said. “I hadn’t been doing that. I was thinking too much. I just went out there and played hard and had fun, like I used to.”

Anxious to end the losing streak, McKeon managed as if it was the World Series. When reliever Randy Choate(notes) walked the leadoff batter in the eighth and went to 2-1 on the next hitter, McKeon gave him a quick hook.

“He had seen enough,” Buck said. “That’s what we needed—go against the grain a little bit.”

Burke Badenhop(notes) came on, and after giving up a single, he retired the next three batters to preserve a 3-0 lead.

The Angels finally scored with two outs in the ninth on Torii Hunter’s(notes) fourth hit, an RBI single. Another run scored on an error before Leo Nunez(notes) came on and struck out Russell Branyan(notes) with two on for his 20th save in 23 chances— but his first since May 31.

Mike Stanton(notes), back in the lineup after missing three games with a right eye infection, had three hits and two RBIs. And for a change, the breaks went the Marlins’ way.

They totaled three infield hits, while the Angels hit into two double plays, including one when reliever Edward Mujica(notes) snared Hunter’s liner and then doubled a runner off second.

Vazquez (4-7) went 5 1-3 innings and allowed 10 hits but no runs to lower his ERA to 6.37, still the highest in the majors. The right-hander had been 0-3 in his past five starts.

“We have a good team,” Vazquez said. “We just have to keep believing we do.”

The Angels stranded 13 runners, and at least one in every inning.

“We didn’t come through in the clutch situations,” Hunter said. “That’s why we lost. We got hits but not at the right moment.”

Ervin Santana(notes) (3-8) of the Angels was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth trailing 2-0. He fell to 0-4 in his past five starts.

Sanchez homered with two outs in the first. Omar Infante(notes) made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly in the second, and he added an RBI single in the eighth.

Stanton doubled home Ramirez in the sixth and singled him home in the eighth. Soon the Marlins were piling onto the field for their first postgame celebration since June 10, with McKeon an enthusiastic participant.

“He would be the oldest high five I’ve ever had, for sure,” third baseman Greg Dobbs(notes) said. “He still has a little strength in those paws, though. He’ll be fine giving high fives the rest of the season. He won’t develop carpal tunnel or anything.”

Notes: U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., planned to place a congratulatory statement in the Congressional Record recognizing McKeon for taking the job at the age of 80. McKeon lives in North Carolina. … McKeon, fondly remembered for leading the Marlins to the 2003 World Series championship, received a big ovation when he visited the mound in the sixth. … The Angels’ Alberto Callaspo(notes) singled in the eighth to end an 0-for-21 slump. … Santana reached in the second on an infield single, his first hit since 2007.

The team announced the results of an MRI and CT scan Monday, a day after Pujols was injured during a home game against Kansas City. The team said Pujols has a non-displaced fracture of his left radius and his arm is in a splint.

Pujols was hurt on a play at first base in the sixth inning. He was fielding a long throw and Kansas City’s Wilson Betemit(notes) collided with his glove hand as Pujols was pulled toward home.

The Cards’ three-time MVP went down to the ground in pain. Pujols is hitting .279 this year, starting to heat up after a slow start.

The team says his left shoulder was sore, but no structural damage was found.

By David Brown

Remember the ceremonial first pitch that pop diva Mariah Carey reluctantly threw at a Japanese game back in 2008? It landed hilariously short of the target and we all laughed and laughed. (Nice outfit, though.)

Well, young Washington Wizards star John Wall must have been studying the Mariah footage, because he unleashed a first pitch Friday night before the Washington Nationals game that looked remarkably similar.

In a pre-pitch interview, Wall admitted he was nervous, not wanting to embarrass himself like onetime Wizards player Caron Butler apparently had in a similar situation:

"Yes, there are a lot of nerves to throw it in the dirt. That's something I don't want to do. They've been joking on me about when Caron came here and he had to come back and redeem himself the next year. I'm gonna try to get it [home] on the first try."

And then, with video courtesy CSN Washington, this happened:

Because he is an NBA player — and thank God for that — Wall's throw is worse than Carey's in context. It might not be as bad as the one uncorked by Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory in 2007, though. Still, as with a pop singer, a mayor does not necessarily an athlete make.

Check out Wall's pitch from other angles, courtesy Nats Enquirer. Thank goodness designated guinea pig Drew Storen(notes) saved one of those kids behind home plate from permanent damage. That's what a good stopper does.

Wall is obviously going to have to keep working on his fastball and try again next season. If he dares.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

He played for the first time since April 12, the leg problems finally behind him. Greeted with a standing ovation before his first at-bat, Mauer hit an RBI single, though he later grounded into a double play and left five men on base.

“That really meant a lot to me. I was trying to concentrate so hard on the at-bat and all that, but it meant a lot,” Mauer said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get back here, and to get that support, it was awesome.”

The Twins have won 12 of their past 14 games.

Brian Duensing(notes) (4-6) picked up the victory with six effective if inefficient innings, and the Padres lost for the sixth time in seven games despite a 4 for 5 performance by Chase Headley(notes). He drove in two runs, and Ryan Ludwick(notes) hit a three-run homer in the seventh.

Clayton Richard(notes) (2-9) lost his fifth straight decision, a career-long streak. He gave up five runs in the first inning.

Glen Perkins(notes), making his first appearance for the Twins since May 21, struck out two in a scoreless eighth. Matt Capps(notes) followed with a perfect ninth for his 10th save, in 15 attempts this season.

Mauer, the three-time American League batting champion and ever the patient hitter, predictably took the first pitch he saw from Richard. He drove in the game’s first run with a bouncer up the middle and scored on Michael Cuddyer’s(notes) broken-bat bloop ground-rule double, before a walk by Delmon Young(notes) and the big hit by Valencia gave the Twins a 5-0 advantage.

That hit raised Mauer’s batting average 22 points, a strange sight for a June night.

“When you put yourself in a big hole early, it’s tough to come all the way back,” Headley said.

The last-place Padres had two errors, a wild pitch and a passed ball in that ugly half-inning, but Richard recovered enough to work two batters into the sixth. Pat Neshek(notes), the native of nearby Brooklyn Park, a few miles from Target Field, relieved Richard with two on and none out and finished the frame unscathed by retiring Mauer on a routine fly to left with the bases loaded.

Ben Revere(notes) stretched the lead to 6-1 with an RBI single in the fourth after providing a big play an inning earlier in center field. Revere lunged forward and nearly made a diving catch of Chris Denorfia’s(notes) sinking liner, an effort so intense he broke his belt. He smiled as he jogged to fetch a new belt from the bat boy, and the fans cheered and laughed.

Duensing sweated through the fifth, giving up an RBI double to Headley. The left-hander finished with 106 pitches, seven hits, one walk, five strikeouts and a 6-2 lead. But after a pair of two-out singles against Alex Burnett(notes) in the seventh, Ludwick launched a first-pitch fastball into the second deck to pull the Padres within one, his first home run in a month.

Though Richard was already out of the game, this was unfamiliar support for the struggling left-hander. The Padres scored only five runs—total—in his past five starts. The former Chicago White Sox prospect, who came to the Padres in the Jake Peavy(notes) trade two years ago, has a 6.33 ERA on the road.

“I’m sure he’d like to have the at-bat to Valencia back,” Padres manager Bud Black said, adding: “But he hung in there without his best stuff.”

The Twins would like to have the first two months of the season back, but they’ve been slowly returning to full strength and quickly catching up in the division race.

“Everything’s kind of coming around where we’re getting things done when we need to,” Duensing said. “That’s what we needed all season, and hopefully we’ll keep it together. Everyone in the lineup is contributing, and everyone defensively is contributing also. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

Notes: Twins SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka(notes) made his fourth error of the season. He’s played in only eight games. … Neshek was cheered when he reached the mound. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said afterward. … Said Valencia: “I feel like I’m hitting. 300, you know? It’s unfortunate, because it isn’t showing up. The reality is I’m hitting .216, and those lineouts are just outs.”

Carla Snyder and the scooter-riding man, Subhash Arjanbhi Modhwadia, nearly collided Wednesday. The 44-year-old Modhwadia followed her to a gas station, kicked the vehicle and swung at Carla Snyder, police said. He also ripped a mirror off the car.

A passer-by and an off-duty police officer subdued him. Modhwadia bit the bystander and threw punches with keys between his fingers, police said. Snyders’ two children also were in the car.

Modhwadia is being held on $25,000 bail.

The Pirates said the team is “grateful for those bystanders who stepped up to assist Chris to ensure no physical harm was done to his wife and children.”

Carlos Ruiz’s(notes) RBI single to center with two outs in the 10th inning gave Philadelphia a 5-4 comeback victory over the Marlins in the nightcap Wednesday.

“It was a special moment,” Ruiz said.

In the opener, Kyle Kendrick(notes) pitched more like Halladay usually does, allowing one run and five hits over seven innings to lead the Phillies to an 8-1 victory.

In the nightcap, Halladay allowed four runs on six hits and seven innings and appeared headed for the loss, but Philadelphia scored twice in the ninth to send it to extra innings before Ruiz’s game-winner gave the Phillies six straight wins and nine in 11 games.

“Things happen for you when you’re going good,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “Things definitely work in your favor and they go for you.”

On the other hand, the Marlins continued their stunning slide, losing their sixth straight and 16th of 18. Florida has gone from two games back to 10 1/2 of the NL-East leading Phillies in 11 days.

“Up 4-2 in the ninth, you’ve got to get the win,” Florida’s Logan Morrison(notes) said. “Good teams find a way and we’re not a good team right now.”

Ryan Howard(notes) was hit by reliever Mike Dunn’s(notes) first pitch of the 10th. Two outs later, Domonic Brown(notes) walked and Ruiz laced an 0-1 fastball from Dunn (4-5) past diving shortstop Hanley Ramirez(notes) to score Howard.

“(Ruiz) gets big hits because he can catch up to a good fastball,” Manuel said. “When they try to throw the ball by him or challenge him, his swing is compact and short.”

Ruiz is mostly known for his work behind the plate, and Halladay was glad his catcher got a chance to steal the spotlight.

“He does so much behind the plate and often doesn’t get a lot of credit,” Halladay said. “For him to have a game-changing moment like that you like to see it. He certainly deserves it.”

Added Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez: “We were one out away. We got to Halladay and scored four runs, but we couldn’t close out the game.”

In the opener, Jimmy Rollins(notes) hit a three-run homer and Wilson Valdez(notes) had a three-RBI triple for Philadelphia. Kendrick (4-4) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings.

The Phillies trailed 4-2 entering the ninth in the nightcap, but scored two runs off closer Leo Nunez(notes), who blew his third save in 22 chances. Ruiz singled to right with one out. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload(notes) moved Ruiz to second with a single to center, and Gload was replaced by pinch-runner Michael Martinez(notes). Both runners advanced on Rollins’ hard groundout that ricocheted off Nunez’s leg.

Shane Victorino(notes) then lined a 2-1 pitch to center to tie the game at 4. Victorino stole second and went to third on catcher John Buck’s(notes) throwing error, but Chase Utley(notes) flied out to left to send the game into extra innings.

“We had the right guys in the there, but they won the game,” Rodriguez said.

Ryan Madson(notes) (3-1) pitched a scoreless 10th for the Phillies. The Marlins had two on with two outs in the 10th, but Madson struck out Mike Stanton(notes).

It looked as if the Marlins were going to snap the skid, as Anibal Sanchez(notes) outpitched Halladay and Gaby Sanchez(notes) homered to stake Florida to the two-run lead entering the ninth. The Marlins finished with six hits, but didn’t have any over the last six innings.

Anibal Sanchez threw seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits while striking out six and walking three.

“We wasted a great outing by Anibal,” Rodriguez said.

Sanchez, who has the Marlins’ only two wins in the last 18 games, requested to pitch against Halladay and retired his final eight batters and threw a season-high 125 pitches.

“Anibal was great and it was wasted,” Morrison said. “It’s frustrating.”

Halladay had won four straight decisions and was looking to become the first pitcher in the majors with 10 wins, but he gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. It was just the third time in 15 starts he has allowed four or more earned runs.

The right-hander had eight strikeouts, upping his league-leading total to 114, and has gone at least seven innings in 13 of 15 starts.

He watched the comeback from the trainer’s room.

“It was huge,” Halladay said. “Anytime you do that, there’s going to be a certain amount of confidence that goes with it.”

Kendrick has mostly been used as a starter since his rookie year in 2007. He spent most of 2009 in the minors, bounced back to win 11 games in 31 starts a year ago, then was bumped to long relief at the start of this season.

Filling in for injured right-hander Joe Blanton(notes), Kendrick had his sharpest outing of the season.

“He draws a lot of criticism at times, but he’s been a winner,” Manuel said.

Rollins and Valdez had their big hits in a six-run third inning against Marlins starter Elih Villanueva(notes) (0-1). Villanueva threw 92 pitches and lasted three innings in his major league debut for the Marlins. After the game, the Marlins optioned Villanueva to Triple-A New Orleans.

Rollins went deep for the second straight game and had four RBIs.

Kendrick, who was bounced to the pen earlier this year, pitched more than five innings for the first time this season. He allowed Morrison’s two-out solo homer in the first, then retired 14 of 15 in one stretch. He allowed four singles and walked none after the homer.

Notes: The Marlins called up INF Jose Lopez(notes) from New Orleans, and he started at second base in the nightcap. … Phillies LHP Cole Hamels(notes) brushed off reporters a day after he left his start with tightness in the middle of his back. “I’m not injured. I’ll talk to you guys in five days,” he said. … The Marlins optioned INF Ozzie Martinez(notes) to New Orleans and purchased Villanueva’s contract. To make room for Villanueva, the Marlins transferred RHP Josh Johnson(notes) to the 60-day DL. … Marlins RHP Edward Mujica(notes) left in the seventh with a sprained right wrist and will miss 2-to-3 days, Rodriguez said.

By David Brown

Minnesota Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano(notes) dazzled and dominated the Texas Rangers for seven innings Sunday, his only baserunner having reached on an error. He needed only six more outs to complete a personal masterpiece — and his second no-hitter this season.

And then came "The Wait."

The Twins, who have one of the worst offenses in the major leagues (only four teams have scored fewer runs) picked the bottom of the seventh to wake up their bats, building on a one-run lead by scoring five times.

And they took forever to do it.

Between the offensive outburst and a slow pitching change prompted by an injury, the half-inning lasted 29 minutes. (Each half-inning in the game averaged about eight minutes, reports Jordan Schelling of MLB.com.) So, Liriano could do nothing but try and sit tight.

And think.

He wasn't as sharp when he returned to the mound nearly a half-hour later. Adrian Beltre(notes) lined a 3-1 pitch to center for a single to lead off the eighth, ending Liriano's bid for a second no-no.

"It didn't bother me physically, but I started thinking too much about that no-hitter," Liriano said [...]. "I tried to overthrow that inning and was trying to be too perfect. And I then [gave up] a hit when I got behind in the count."

Two batters later, the shutout was over, too. Liriano limited the damage there and the Twins went on to win 6-1. But history had been unraveled in the half-inning before.

Danny Valencia(notes), did you really have to knock Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison(notes) out of the game by hitting a line drive off his arm? Ben Revere(notes) — you prolonged the inning by hustling to first base on a dropped-third strike. We already know you're fast.

And Michael Cuddyer(notes) — you're a thoughtful person — was it really necessary to hit a three-run homer? Think about how much time it takes to round the bases. What about a quick pop out? Save it for Scott Baker(notes) and Carl Pavano(notes), man.

Did any of you Twinkies think about your pitcher's no-hitter as you were taking all day to score those runs? 

"[Heck] no. No, you score as many runs as you can, especially against a team like that," Cuddyer said. "First and foremost you want to win. Obviously everyone wanted to see a no-hitter, everybody wanted to have that happen, but bottom line is, you want to win the game."

Cuddyer (slapping hands with Revere in the photo) is right, of course. But you can't tell me most Twins fans weren't thinking likewise about Liriano wasting away on the bench as his teammates awoke from their offensive slumber. The Twins manager sure considered it.

"It's almost like a rain delay there when you're at 70-something pitches and you have to sit out for 30 minutes," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "We kept telling him he had to get up and move around. And not only did he have 70 pitches, he had a no-hitter, too.

"So we told him to move around, because it was a long inning. So we were worried when he went out there. His first few warmup pitches weren't pretty. And his first few pitches were rushed out there."

Here's why it's too bad: Liriano, you might recall, received criticism for how he pitched during his no-hitter against the White Sox on May 3. Let's just say the first no-no of the major league season wasn't aesthetically pleasing.

Liriano came into that game with a 9.13 ERA and was perhaps on the verge of losing his spot in the rotation. He walked six, throwing 66 of 123 pitches for strikes, and struck out two batters. It was a no-hitter in name only.

Against the Rangers, Liriano was the force the Twins have been hoping for. Needing only 64 pitches to retire the first 18 batters, he was executing his "no-hitter stuff" to perfection.

"I felt better today. Way better," Liriano said, comparing this to his no-hitter.

And then, like they have all season, the Twins offense let him down. In a way.

So, while he didn't get no-no No. 2, Liriano did show that he obviously is worthy of being on the list of guys who have no-hitters. And, if the Twins can't get back into the AL Central race, he increased his trade value by a factor of 10.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

David Ortiz(notes) hit a three-run homer, Jason Varitek(notes) homered and drove in four runs, and the sleep-deprived Red Sox beat Toronto 16-4 Saturday for their season-high eighth straight win.

The offensive outburst came in a day game following a night game Friday. The Red Sox arrived in Toronto early Friday morning after their matchup against the Yankees was delayed nearly 3 1/2 hours Thursday night.

“This team’s tired though, too,” Varitek said. “There’s a point some of those later (at-bats) it’s a grind, we’re still playing catch up.”

John Lackey(notes) (4-5) made up for a terrible first start in Toronto this season. He delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list with a strained elbow after giving up nine runs in 6 2-3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11.

“I felt good, I felt like it was a step forward, still building some arm strength,” Lackey said. “I thought the guys swung the bats pretty good, made it pretty easy on me.”

The right-hander was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks while having to wait through two innings in which the Red Sox batted around.

“I’ll sit there all day if they want to keep swinging like that. That’s fine,” he said. “That’s not something I’m ever going to complain about, for sure.”

Boston manager Terry Francona was pleased with Lackey’s performance that included a season-high eight strikeouts.

“He had some depth to his pitches,” Francona said. “You don’t ever hear me sit here and worry about strikeouts, I care about them getting out. But I thought the swings and misses were good.

Dustin Pedroia(notes) drove in three runs and had three hits, and Marco Scutaro(notes) had four hits while scoring three times.

“When everybody’s hitting, it’s kind of contagious,” said Scutaro.

Every Boston starter drove in at least one run as the Blue Jays allowed their most runs in a game this season.

Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy(notes) pitched the ninth inning. McCoy, who had started at second base in place of Aaron Hill(notes), pitched a perfect inning.

“You just try not to do too much and kind of stay within yourself and throwing softly is more effective against big-league hitters who are used to seeing 90 (mph) and I’m throwing 72, 73, hitters get themselves out usually,” McCoy said. “I threw a couple of sliders just to mix it up and get them out front a little bit. … It’s pretty exciting, except for the loss.”

Varitek ended a horrible afternoon for Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow(notes) (2-4) with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that made it 9-2.

Morrow gave up a career-worst nine earned runs, 10 hits and three walks in just 4 1-3 innings, the 26-year-old’s shortest outing of the season.

Blue Jays trainers checked on Morrow in the top of the second after he was hit on the back of his right leg by a line drive off the bat of ex-Blue Jay Scutaro.

Reliever Jason Frasor(notes) took over with one out in the fifth but fared little better.

He surrendered a hit and a walk before Ortiz hit his 16th homer of the season that stretched Boston’s lead to 12-2.

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as five straight Red Sox reached with one out, batting around for the first time.

Back-to-back singles by Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) and Pedroia set up Adrian Gonzalez(notes), who roped a run-scoring double.

The hit gave the first baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games, extending a new career high he set on Friday when Boston won the series opener 5-1.

Morrow then loaded the bases by intentionally walking Ortiz—after a first-inning single he was 5 for 8 in his career against the right-hander—to face Jed Lowrie(notes), who had never faced Morrow before popping up to end the first.

The move backfired. Morrow hit Lowrie with a pitch to force in a run that made it 2-0.

Carl Crawford(notes) hit a sacrifice fly to left before Scutaro hit an RBI single up the middle.

Pedroia had a one-out RBI double in the fourth and two-run double in the eighth. Rajai Davis(notes) snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double that cut Boston’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

Edwin Encarnacion’s(notes) second home run of the season, a two-run shot off Lackey in the sixth, scored Toronto’s only other runs.

NOTES: Francona said that with a scheduled off day on Monday, he rested Kevin Youkilis(notes) Saturday so the third baseman could have extra rest. “He’s just a little beat up, day game after a night game,” Francona said. Shortstop Yunel Escobar(notes) returned to Toronto’s lineup after missing two games because of soreness in his left quadriceps. Saturday’s announced crowd of 39,437 marked the first time Toronto drew more than 30,000 since their season-opening series against Minnesota. Ellsbury’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games. … AL home run leader Jose Bautista(notes) failed to homer for a 13th straight game, equaling his longest drought since a 13-game run in June of 2010. Last year’s major league-leader with 54 home runs has also gone 11 games without an extra-base hit. McCoy became the fifth position player in Blue Jays franchise history to pitch in a game, the first since Frank Menechino on Aug. 28, 2004. Varitek, 39, had his first four-RBI game since April 26, 2010, in a 13-12 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez(notes) dislocated his shoulder in the Giants’ 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night and will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury and how long he’ll be out.

With catcher Buster Posey(notes) already out for the season and Pablo Sandoval(notes) still on the disabled list, the loss of Sanchez counts as a major blow.

“We have to keep fighting and moving forward,” said Andres Torres(notes), who scored the winning run on pinch-hitter Nate Schierholtz’s(notes) two-out single in the ninth. “That’s how we did it last year, too. Freddy’s a big part of us but we have to move on.”

Sanchez made a backhand grab of Brandon Phillips’(notes) sharp grounder up the middle in the fifth but used his right hand to brace himself as he slid on the edge of the outfield grass. Sanchez, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder in December, sat on his knees and flicked the ball away with his glove hand as manager Bruce Bochy and assistant athletic trainer Mark Gruesbeck rushed out from the dugout.

Sanchez was later helped up and walked off the field but with his right arm held up by Gruesbeck. Bochy said Sanchez will undergo an MRI test soon.

“I can’t tell you how long or how serious (it is),” Bochy said. “That’s a lot, what we’re taking right now. They’ll keep grinding and moving forward. There’s not much else you can do. We feel horrible for Freddy, a great player we’ll certainly miss, but we’ll move on.”

News of Sanchez’s injury put a downer on what was an otherwise feel-good night for San Francisco, tied Kansas City for most walkoff wins in the majors this season.

Torres, who entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh, started the ninth with a walk against Jose Arredondo(notes) (0-1). After an intentional walk to Miguel Tejada(notes), Bill Bray(notes) came on to strike out rookie Brandon Crawford(notes). Manager Dusty Baker then brought in Logan Ondrusek(notes), who walked Cody Ross(notes) before Schierholtz hit for Brian Wilson(notes) (5-1).

“Walks late in the game will certainly haunt you,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “That was a tough loss. We have had quite a few of those.”

With his team slumping at the plate, Bochy juggled his lineup and moved Ross into the cleanup spot while dropping Aubrey Huff(notes) to the No. 6 slot.

The changes provided an early spark and San Francisco kept it close until Schierholtz came up with his clutch hit.

“They don’t make excuses,” Bochy said. “It’s somebody different every day it seems like. They don’t dwell on what’s happened.”

San Francisco, held to five hits or fewer in four of its previous six games, had five in the first three innings against Travis Wood(notes).

Tejada hit a ground-rule double in the first and scored when Ross lined a single to left. Ross was thrown out at second on the play but after Tejada crossed the plate.

Cincinnati scored in the fourth and fifth to take the lead. Scott Rolen(notes) started the fourth with a triple off Ryan Vogelsong(notes) and scored on Ryan Hanigan’s(notes) single. Chris Heisey(notes) drove in Phillips with a grounder in the fifth.

That ended Vogelsong’s six-game streak of allowing one run or less. The right-hander, who was the first Giants pitcher to have such a streak since Matt Cain(notes) in 2006, left after six innings with six strikeouts and three walks.

The fifth was a rough inning all around for San Francisco.

Tejada tied it with a two-out double in the fifth and San Francisco had runners in scoring position in the sixth and eighth but failed to score.

Wood, who allowed eight runs and a career-high five walks last Sunday, was crisper in his first career start against the Giants. The left-hander gave up 10 hits and walked three over eight innings in his sixth no-decision of the season.

Wilson struck out one and allowed a hit in the ninth inning while picking up the win.

NOTES: San Francisco LHP Barry Zito(notes) will make his second rehab start Saturday against Class-A Modesto, and the team is hoping he can throw around 100 pitches. … 3B Pablo Sandoval, expected to come off the disabled list and rejoin the Giants next week in Arizona, had two hits and two RBIs for Triple-A Fresno. … Reds LHP Aroldis Chapman(notes) (shoulder inflammation) allowed two earned runs in 1 2-3 innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Louisville. … Reds RHP Homer Bailey(notes) (sprained right shoulder) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday.

Cueto got two of his season-high eight strikeouts with a runner on third base and less than two outs and threw seven scoreless innings to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.

“He threw an outstanding ballgame,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He got out of trouble twice with a runner on third. That’s big to do that with strikeouts. He’s turning into that kind of pitcher.”

Jonny Gomes(notes) had three hits and an RBI, Brandon Phillips(notes) also drove in a run and the Reds as the Reds opened their seven-game West Coast swing with a win.

But the key was Cueto (3-2), who allowed just four hits and struck out eight — including the side in order in the third inning—in a dominating performance that ended a four-start winless streak.

“Johnny Cueto has been lights out this year,” Phillips said. “I wish his record was better than what it was. We just haven’t given him many runs lately. We did a better job today. … He’s becoming one of the best pitchers in the league.”

Nick Masset(notes) pitched a scoreless eighth and Francisco Cordero(notes) finished the four-hitter for his 12th save in 14 chances.

Miguel Tejada(notes) doubled twice, but the Giants managed just two other hits and were shut out for the sixth time this season. San Francisco has been held to one run or fewer in 15 of 63 games this season.

The Giants had a few chances to score in this game, twice getting a runner to third base with one out to no avail. With runners on first and third and one out in the fourth, Cueto struck out Cody Ross(notes) and got Brandon Crawford(notes) to fly out.

Then in the sixth, Tejada hit a leadoff double and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by No. 3 hitter Freddy Sanchez(notes). The move didn’t pay off when Cueto struck out Aubrey Huff(notes) on a pitch in the dirt and got Nate Schierholtz(notes) to ground out.

That’s been a pattern for the Giants, who have scored the fewest runs in the majors this season. The Giants are hitting just .190 in their last six games— being held to five hits or fewer four times.

“We just have to get this figured out,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s gone on longer than even I thought it would. We just need to get a couple of guys hot and right now we’re having a tough time doing that.”

Cueto needed to be that stingy on a night when the Reds’ high-scoring offense managed little against Madison Bumgarner(notes) (2-8). Cincinnati’s only run off Bumgarner came when Scott Rolen(notes) hit a two-out double in the fourth and scored on Gomes’ single.

The Reds had a chance to add on in the seventh when Gomes reached on a fly ball that fell between Huff, Sanchez and Schierholtz near the right-field line and Edgar Renteria(notes) reached on a bunt single. But Ramon Hernandez(notes) hit into a double play and Cueto flied out to center to end that threat.

Bumgarner allowed one run and eight hits in seven innings, striking out seven in his ninth straight quality start. But for the seventh time in his eight losses this season, the Giants were held to one or fewer runs as he was once again done in by bad luck.

“We have a good team and they all support me so I’m not going to worry about it,” Bumgarner said. “I don’t expect them to apologize. Hitting is the hardest thing to do. I think we’ll be fine. We’re still in it. It’s not like we’re out of it.”

Cincinnati added an unearned run in the eighth off Santiago Casilla(notes) when Joey Votto(notes) doubled with two outs, followed by an intentional walk to Jay Bruce(notes) and a walk to Scott Rolen. With Gomes at the plate, a pitch got past Eli Whiteside(notes) for a passed ball, allowing Votto to score the second run.

Phillips added an RBI single in the ninth for the Reds.

Before the game, Renteria was presented his 2010 World Series ring in an on-field ceremony. Renteria was the World Series MVP for the Giants last season before the team decided not to bring him back this year. He went 1 for 4.

“It was great,” Baker said. “They loved it, he loved it, the fans loved it. It was a very classy thing.”

Notes: Rolen returned to the lineup for the Reds after missing the previous three games with a throat illness. … Bumgarner has one win in 15 career home starts for the Giants. … Whiteside threw out Phillips trying to steal second to end the first inning for just the third caught stealing in the last 23 attempts by Giants catchers.

Yup, beating up on the New York Yankees is becoming routine for the Red Sox.

Ortiz hit one of three Boston homers to back a tireless Tim Wakefield(notes) and the Red Sox extended their domination of the Yankees this season, defeating New York 11-6 on Wednesday night to take over first place in the AL East.

Hey David, what did you hit?

“A bomb,” he said, drawing laughs.

Carl Crawford(notes) and J.D. Drew(notes) also connected, both in the ninth inning to break the game open for a second time. Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) had three hits and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) added two RBIs.

Facing his most familiar foe in Wakefield, Derek Jeter(notes) finished 1 for 5 to move within 11 hits of 3,000. He had a run-scoring double but also grounded into a rally-killing double play.

Alex Rodriguez(notes) homered but A.J. Burnett(notes) (6-4) came up small in a big game for the banged-up Yankees, who have lost seven of eight meetings with their longtime rivals this season—including all five at home.

The last time the Red Sox won their first five road games against the Yankees in a season was 1912, on the way to a World Series title.

“We play these guys so much. If you don’t play well they’re going to beat you,” Jeter said. “They’ve outplayed us. They have a good team. The bottom line is they can hit and they can pitch. They can do a little bit of everything.”

Boston goes for its second sweep at Yankee Stadium in a month Thursday night when right-hander Josh Beckett(notes) faces fellow ace CC Sabathia(notes) in their latest marquee matchup. Beckett has beaten Sabathia and the Yankees twice in two spotless starts this season, striking out 19 over 14 shutout innings.

Boston scored three runs in the first for the second consecutive night, including a two-run shot by Ortiz.

The reigning AL player of the week, who has four homers in his last eight games, hit a two-run drive in Tuesday’s victory and punctuated it with a cocky flip of his bat followed by a silky pirouette before starting toward first base.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he “didn’t really care for it,” and Ortiz said it was simply “Papi style.”

That home run came one pitch after rookie Hector Noesi(notes) backed Ortiz off the plate, but the Yankees never brushed him back Wednesday.

Ortiz said he wasn’t concerned about New York throwing at him in retaliation.

“Why should I?” he said. “I don’t care about what Joe Girardi said. I come to play the game every day. That’s about it. I’m done with that.

“We cross that line, we take it like a man. That’s it.”

And there was a reason he played it cool when he connected Wednesday.

“I don’t want to be national news tomorrow,” Ortiz said. “I don’t want to have you guys asking me the same questions. I’ve got almost 370 bombs in the big leagues. Everybody wants to make a big deal because I bat-flip one of them.”

The Red Sox have won five straight overall after losing four in a row. Boston has 18 wins in 24 games, starting the surge with a three-game sweep in the Bronx from May 13-15.

Wakefield (3-1) was relieved in the sixth by ex-Yankee Alfredo Aceves(notes), who went the rest of the way for his first save of the season.

Jeter was 1 for 3 against Wakefield, giving him 32 career hits off the 44-year-old knuckleballer, his most against any pitcher. The two have squared off in 118 plate appearances, the most common matchup among active players in majors.

“It’s the same as anybody else,” Wakefield said. “I approached him the same way as the last 16 years.”

Fill-in catcher Francisco Cervelli(notes) had three hits and two RBIs for the Yankees.

New York tried to rally in the sixth, scoring once and sending up Jeter with the bases loaded. But with sweat dripping from the bill of his cap, Aceves got Jeter to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Just before that, speedy Brett Gardner(notes) failed to break from third on a pitch that went to the backstop. He said he thought the ball hit Jeter.

“It’s not a good read,” Girardi said. “It changes the complexion of the game a lot. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but he didn’t read it and it ended up hurting us.”

Making his first start at the new Yankee Stadium on a 90-degree night, Wakefield was handed a 7-0 lead by the fourth. He floated 66 mph knuckleballs toward the plate and held New York in check long enough to earn his 196th career win.

The oldest active player in the majors, Wakefield even had enough in the tank to outrace Gardner to first base on a grounder in the fourth.

Wakefield tripped over the head of Gardner, who dived headfirst into the bag, and tumbled to the turf. But the paunchy right-hander caught his breath, got back up and lasted 5 1-3 innings. When he was lifted, Ortiz was waiting with a hug at the top of the dugout steps.

“I thought we were going to have to need a wheelbarrow to get him off the field,” manager Terry Francona said. “But that just shows his professionalism. He’s always been a guy that covers first. That’s why he’s still pitching.”

Rodriguez’s 624th homer cut it to 7-1 in the fourth and gave him 1,865 RBIs, passing Hall of Famer Mel Ott for ninth on the career list.

NOTES: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia(notes) is headed back to Boston on Thursday to have his sore right knee checked out by the team doctor. … Jeter whiffed in the third, snapping a career-long stretch of 58 plate appearances without a strikeout. … Yankees C Russell Martin(notes) (back) sat out and reliever Joba Chamberlain(notes) (elbow) was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Jakubauskas pitched five scoreless innings, J.J. Hardy(notes), Luke Scott(notes) and Adam Jones(notes) hit solo homers, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Oakland 4-0 Tuesday night to stretch the Athletics’ losing streak to a season-high eight games.

Jakubauskas (1-0) came into the game with a 6.39 ERA over five appearances, all in relief. He was pressed into duty because the Orioles are carrying only four starters and were playing for a fifth straight day.

The last time Jakubauskas started a game was on April 24, 2010, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In that game, the right-hander was struck in the head by a liner off the bat of Lance Berkman(notes) in the first inning and carted off the field.

Against Oakland, Jakubauskas had a two-hit shutout in the fifth inning when Cliff Pennington(notes) smacked a line drive that hit the pitcher above his left ankle.

“There were some choice words that went through my mind after it happened, but I tried to keep those as quiet as I could,” Jakubauskas said. “It was more of just, ‘I can’t believe this. Really? Again I get hit?”’

After consulting with trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter, Jakubauskas took a few warmup tosses and finished his outing by retiring Jemile Weeks(notes) for the third out.

It was enough to get him his first win in the majors since 2009 with Seattle.

“I knew what it was: spot start, go out, try and get five or six innings, save the ‘pen so we don’t have to use (Alfredo) Simon or anyone else for too long. Luckily, it went that way,” Jakubauskas said.

He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four.

“It definitely felt good to get back out, start a game and let it be mine from minute one,” he said.

Jones had three hits for the Orioles, who will try to complete a three-game sweep Wednesday night. Baltimore had lost eight straight series to Oakland since July 2007.

Hardy and Scott connected against Guillermo Moscoso(notes) (2-2), and Jones made it 3-0 in the sixth with a drive off Michael Wuertz(notes). Mark Reynolds(notes) added an RBI double in the seventh against Craig Breslow(notes).

The eight-game slide is Oakland’s longest since an identical skid from Sept. 27, 2009, to April 5, 2010. The A’s are 5-15 since May 17.

Oakland didn’t get more than one hit in an inning, and seemingly every time the A’s made good contact, the ball went right at an Oriole.

“It seems like it’s been happening like that all year—especially the last couple of weeks,” center fielder Ryan Sweeney(notes) said. “We’re having good at-bats but can’t put anything together and hit it right at somebody.”

Making his major league debut, Weeks went 0 for 4 in the leadoff spot. Weeks, the 12th overall pick in the 2008 draft, had his contract purchased from Triple-A Sacramento before the game. The second baseman is the younger brother of Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks(notes).

After Jakubauskas left, Clay Rapada(notes) retired two batters in the sixth, Jeremy Accardo(notes) worked 2 1-3 innings and Koji Uehara(notes) got the final three outs to complete the five-hitter.

Before the game, the Orioles learned that it will be at least two more weeks before leadoff hitter Brian Roberts(notes) can resume baseball-related activities. Roberts received the news in a consultation with concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins in Pittsburgh.

Robert Andino(notes) and Felix Pie(notes) had been used atop the order in Roberts’ absence, but Showalter decided to use Hardy “out of necessity.”

The move paid immediate dividends. After a first-pitch strike, Hardy hit his first career leadoff homer, a drive to left that provided Baltimore with a lead it would not relinquish.

Scott hit his seventh homer of the season—the first since May 3—leading off the fifth. The drive traveled an estimated 418 feet and landed on Eutaw Street beyond the 25-foot wall in right field.

Moscoso allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. Coming into the game, he had not given up a home run this season over 14 innings.

“He threw great tonight,” Sweeney said. “We just didn’t score any runs for him.”

NOTES: The A’s placed LHP Brett Anderson(notes) (sore elbow) and 2B Mark Ellis(notes) (strained right hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list. … Actor Ed Harris threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … Eight of Baltimore’s last 10 home runs have been solo shots.

Boesch had two of Detroit’s four home runs while setting career highs with five hits and five RBIs in a 13-7 win Monday night.

“He had a huge, huge night and good for him. He’s getting better all the time, starting to relax a little bit more,” manager Jim Leyland said. “He’s so hard on himself and we’re trying to eliminate that, get him to be not quite so hard on himself.”

The Tigers won for the seventh time in eight games. They set season highs for runs and hits (18) to back up Max Scherzer(notes), who pitched just long enough for his first win in nearly a month.

All of Detroit’s homers came off Colby Lewis(notes) (5-6), who gave up nine runs in 3 1-3 innings only five days after pitching eight scoreless innings at Tampa Bay to start a five-game winning streak for the Rangers.

When Boesch pulled a pitch into the second deck of seats in right field in the first, Detroit had a 3-0 lead before Lewis had even retired a batter. Austin Jackson(notes), who grew up in nearby Denton, led off the game with a single before Don Kelly(notes) walked.

Boesch led off the third with his seventh homer for his first career multihomer game. It was also the first of three homers in the inning for the Tigers.

After hitting only .196 with seven extra-base hits his previous 28 games, Boesch also singled and scored in the fourth, added an RBI double in the sixth and singled in the ninth.

“I’ve been swinging the bat well. You just keep grinding and you know that eventually balls are going to find seats and find holes,” Boesch said. “It’s hard to be easy on yourself when you have expectations. It’s something I’ll probably fight for the rest of my career. It’s a daily thing where you remind yourself that this game isn’t easy, but you also expect to do your job and perform.”

Scherzer (7-2) hadn’t won since May 9 at Toronto, when the right-hander won his sixth consecutive decision to open the season. He gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings.

“I didn’t have good rhythm the first few innings. I didn’t have fastball command,” he said. “It’s frustrating me. I want to be pitching well, pitching deep in games.”

Since his previous win, Scherzer had gone 0-2 in four starts. He gave up seven runs in each of his last two, including a no-decision against Minnesota last Tuesday. He struck out four and walked one against Texas while throwing 65 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

“Right now for whatever reason, he can’t find his slider consistently,” Leyland said. “We have to look into this, see what’s going on, and get it straightened out.”

Andy Dirks(notes) hit a two-run homer for Detroit in the third before Alex Avila(notes) had a solo shot that made it 7-0.

Nelson Cruz(notes) extended his hitting streak to 10 games for Texas with a pair of two-run homers, giving him 14 for the season. His homer in the fourth got Texas within 9-4. He went deep again in the eighth—a 459-foot blast to left-center, the fourth-longest ever at Rangers Ballpark—for his seventh career multihomer game.

Lewis was gone after Miguel Cabrera’s(notes) RBI double in the fourth, Detroit’s third consecutive hit, made it 8-2. Victor Martinez(notes) greeted reliever Michael Kirkman(notes) with a sacrifice fly when Endy Chavez(notes) made a running catch in the right-center gap to likely prevent more runs.

“He got a lot of balls up, and the left-handers didn’t miss it,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “Just one of those nights. Get a shower, let it go, come back tomorrow try to even up the series and move on from there.”

Rangers leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler(notes) snapped an 0-for-20 slide with an RBI triple in the third, then added a run-scoring double in the fourth.

While playing second base in the ninth, Kinsler collided with Ryan Raburn(notes) while trying to field a grounder. Umpire Ed Rapuano immediately signaled that Raburn was safe after Kinsler ran into the baserunner. Jackson was credited with a single on the play, his third hit of the game.

“Probably my fault,” Kinsler said. “The ball passed him, and I had the opportunity to get the ball before he hit me. It was the right call.”

NOTES: Lewis gave up four homers only one other time, in 4 1-3 innings at the New York Yankees in August 2003. His career high for runs allowed is 10, in 3 1-3 innings at Minnesota four years ago. … Kirkman, who gave up two runs in 3 1-3 innings, had his glove knocked off his hand by Martinez’s comebacker in the sixth. Kirkman scrambled barehanded to get the ball behind the mound and complete the out. … Sitting in the owners box near the Rangers dugout were former president George W. Bush and Pulitzer Prize winner George Will. … Tigers RHP Phil Coke(notes) (right bone bruise) is expected to be activated from the 15-day DL to start Wednesday’s series finale at Texas. … Detroit OF-DH Magglio Ordonez(notes) (right ankle weakness) continues his rehab assignment with Toledo, with no timetable for him to be brought off the 15-day DL by the Tigers.

Halladay pitched seven effective innings and the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a season-high four-game skid, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 on Sunday to avoid a sweep.

Neil Walker(notes) hit a two-run homer in the first inning, one of six Pittsburgh hits off Halladay (8-3), who had six strikeouts and one walk in tying for the most wins in the majors.

“I’ve always said I’d rather keep winning streaks going, but I think you’re just trying to do the best job you can, regardless,” Halladay said.

“I just go out and try to make pitches and give us the best chance to win it.”

Ryan Howard(notes) had three RBIs, Chase Utley(notes) was on base four times and Placido Polanco(notes) had two hits and scored twice for Philadelphia.

Playing without leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins(notes) (bruised knee), the struggling Phillies offense—seven runs in the previous four games—had 14 hits and was aided by seven walks, two hit batters, two wild pitches and a passed ball.

Halladay did part at the plate and on the basepaths with a single and a walk and by scoring from second on a single by Polanco in the sixth.

“He did it all today,” Howard said.

“To be able to lean on Roy, and for him to be able to go out there and do what he did and compete—not only that, but he (got on base and) he kind of rallied the troops, running the bases, scoring on base hit.”

The Phillies had only one hit during the fourth and fifth innings when they scored their first three runs. But they banged out 11 hits over the final four innings.

Halladay avoided the distinction of allowing 10 or more hits for three consecutive starts for the first time in his career.

“Not to take away anything from (the Pirates); obviously they’ve been playing pretty well lately,” Halladay said. “But I think we feel like these are games we need to win, and at some point you kind of get over that and get things rolling. I’m sure this is a lot of weight off of everybody.”

With two outs in the sixth of what was then a two-run game, Brandon Wood(notes) and pinch-hitter Matt Diaz(notes) singled off Halladay. Pinch-hitter Jose Tabata(notes) then sharply lined the first pitch he saw toward right, but second baseman Utley extended for a spectacular diving catch to end the inning.

Raul Ibanez(notes) earned his 1,000th career RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and the Phillies scored twice in the fifth after James McDonald(notes) was pulled upon throwing 12 consecutive balls to load the bases with nobody out.

“I lost command of all my pitches, lost all control of them,” McDonald said. “It just happened all of a sudden.”

McDonald (3-4) came in having allowed only four runs in his previous three starts but had control issues, walking five, hitting a batter and throwing two wild pitches in four-plus innings.

Walker sent a high cutter from Halladay to right-center for his eighth homer of the season, giving him a team-high 39 RBIs—most among National League second basemen.

But that would be all the runs Halladay would permit.

“He’s the best pitcher in baseball,” Walker said. “A guy like that doesn’t get rattled easily. You don’t see many pitches over the heart of the plate when a guy like that is on mound.”

Pittsburgh added a run in the eighth off Jose Contreras(notes) to pull within 5-3, but Antonio Bastardo(notes) struck out Garrett Jones(notes) with two on to end the inning.

Polanco and Shane Victorino(notes) had RBI singles for the Phillies, who completed a 4-5 road trip.

“After today,” said Howard, “the last four days don’t matter anymore.”

Notes: The Pirates’ average attendance entering the series was 18,765, but an average of nearly twice that (108,807 total) showed up for the three games against the Phillies—the fourth-largest three-game series in PNC Park history. The crowds were aided by several thousand Philadelphia fans. … Pittsburgh (28-30) missed a chance to move to .500 this late in the season for the first time in six years. … The Phillies had a sure run taken away in the fourth when a ball hit by Domonic Brown(notes) struck umpire Chad Fairchild and, by rule, Howard was not permitted to advance from third.

Sabathia came within one out of his second complete game in three starts, Alex Rodriguez(notes) hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and Robinson Cano(notes) also went deep, leading the Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.

“My changeup was really what kept me in the game,” Sabathia said. “The only reason why I pitched eight innings tonight was because they were being aggressive early in the counts and I was able to get some swings on 1-0 and 0-1, which kept the pitch count down. I was able to get some weak fly balls and ground balls with that pitch. A couple of years ago, I probably would have been in trouble.”

Sabathia (7-3) allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits. The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner has won his last four starts and gone at least eight innings in all four, his longest career streak in that department.

“You try to go out and give those guys in the bullpen as much rest as possible,” Sabathia said. “Our job as starters is to go deep in the game and keep those guys fresh, because they’re going to be a big part of our winning down the stretch.”

Sabathia is 7-2 since April 23 after going 0-1 in his first four outings.

“CC’s amazing. He’s been a life-saver here for the last three years and an immovable rock,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a guy who starts winning streaks for us and stops losing streaks. He did that last Sunday, and hopefully today was another example if it.”

Rookie Peter Bourjos(notes) chased Sabathia with a two-out RBI single in the ninth on the left-hander’s 107th pitch, and Mariano Rivera(notes) retired Erick Aybar(notes) on a first-pitch popup to shortstop for his 15th save in 18 chances. It was Rivera’s 1,003rd appearance, overtaking former Yankees Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage for 14th place on the career list.

Rodriguez snapped a 1-all tie in the sixth with his 10th homer of the season and No. 623 for his career, driving Ervin Santana’s(notes) 1-1 pitch into the rock pile in left-center field after a leadoff walk to Curtis Granderson(notes). The two RBIs increased A-Rod’s total to 1,864, tying Mel Ott for ninth place. Next up is Willie Mays at 1,903.

“I don’t really think about that too much right now,” Rodriguez said. “Once I’m done playing, I’ll be able to take a deep breath and think about all those things and appreciate them. But right now, we’re fighting for our lives with every pitch.”

Santana (3-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings. The right-hander was moved up a day in the rotation after Dan Haren(notes) was scratched because of stiffness in his lower back.

Santana is 1-4 in his last seven starts against the Yankees after winning his first four.

Cano opened the scoring in the fourth with his 12th homer, driving a 3-2 slider into the lower seats in the right-field corner. Torii Hunter(notes), a nine-time Gold Glove winner, made a valiant attempt to catch the ball and went headfirst into the first row but emerged unscathed.

“There’s a tall wall, then there’s a short wall. Out of my peripheral vision I saw the tall wall and I thought I was there,” Hunter said. “I got close to catching it, but the short wall stopped me a little bit and tilted me over. It went out of my reach.

“I hit some guy. His friends were yelling: `Get off my friend.’ It was a Yankee fan.”

Cano was optimistic, then became concerned when he saw Hunter closing in on the ball.

“I think if he caught that one, I would have run to right field,” Cano said with a grin. “It’s the kind of thing where you say `Go, go go, go,’ then you see him jumping and you say `Oh, no.”’

Derek Jeter(notes) was 1 for 3 with a walk, leaving him with 2,985 hits—tied with Sam Rice for 28th.

The Angels scored an unearned run in the fourth after Jeter committed his fourth error of the season, just two fewer than he had all of last year.

The five-time Gold Glove shortstop booted a grounder toward the middle by Howie Kendrick(notes) following a leadoff double by Alberto Callaspo(notes), who scored on Jeff Mathis’(notes) sacrifice fly.

NOTES: Kendrick was reinstated from the disabled list after missing 14 games because of a right hamstring strain. He went 0 for 3 after getting hit by a pitch his first time up. OF Reggie Willits(notes) was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. … A ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Dean Chance, who was the Angels’ first Cy Young Award winner in 1964. In five starts against the Yankees that season, he was 4-0 with a 0.18 ERA, four complete games and three shutouts. The Angels’ only other Cy Young winner—Bartolo Colon(notes)—will face his former team in Sunday’s series finale just five days after pitching his first shutout since July 5, 2006.

After Pujols hit his second homer of the game with two outs in the 12th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-4 victory on Saturday, Cubs manager Mike Quade second-guessed his decision to pitch to the three-time NL MVP.

“I’m not in the habit of walking people with two out and nobody on,” Quade said. “I understand how good this guy is, so we’ll have to rethink that a little bit.

“You figure you can keep him in the ballpark, you take your chances, and we couldn’t,” he said.

Pujols hit the ninth game-ending homer of his career and first since Aug. 16, 2009, against the Padres on a 2-1 pitch from Jeff Samardzija(notes) (3-2) as the Cardinals prevailed in 95-degree heat. He has 41 career multihomer games, two of them this season, and has homered three times the last two games to emerge from a power funk.

“You can do a lot of good things in two months and you can struggle in two months,” Pujols said. “Hopefully, it’s my time now.”

St. Louis relievers retired 17 in a row to end it, with Eduardo Sanchez(notes) (2-1) striking out two in two perfect innings. The Cubs have lost eight of 10 and didn’t get a hit after Carlos Pena’s infield single with one out in the seventh.

This was only Pujols’ second game with multiple extra-base hits of the season, and he drove in four runs. Pujols hit a two-run shot off Randy Wells(notes) in the fourth and his RBI double chased Wells in a two-run sixth that tied it.

“Greatness all over,” manager Tony La Russa said. “I don’t know how Albert does it.”

Pena hit a two-run homer in the Cubs’ four-run sixth against Kyle Lohse(notes). Kosuke Fukudome(notes) had three hits, two of them doubles, with an RBI.

St. Louis had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth before the Cubs went to Carlos Marmol(notes), who struck out Lance Berkman(notes) and got Tony Cruz(notes) on a flyout. Pujols, who led the National League with 38, 44 and 34 intentional walks the last three seasons, drew only his fourth this year in the ninth.

Marmol worked around a hit batsman and infield hit in the 11th and has thrown 25 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road, a franchise best for Cubs relievers, according to information provided by the Cubs from the Elias Sports Bureau.

Kyle Lohse gave up a season-high 11 hits and four runs, all in the sixth to match a season worst, and failed to last at least six innings for the first time in his 12 starts this season. He’s 1-4 with a 6.51 ERA in 11 starts against the Cubs.

Pena’s two-run homer was one of three extra-base hits in the sixth that erased a 2-0 deficit, with Tony Campana(notes) and Kosuke Fukudome also driving in a run apiece.

Pujols’ RBI double cut the deficit to one and chased Wells. Berkman singled on an 0-2 count against Sean Marshall(notes), who had held opponents to 3 for 21 with runners in scoring position, to tie it.

“The double in the sixth, I got beat with my fourth best pitch,” Wells said. “That was not a good pitch and probably not a good decision to throw it. I left it out there and he does what he does with it.”

Like Lohse, Wells gave up four runs and lasted 5 2-3 innings, but the Cardinals needed only three hits. In two starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list from a forearm injury, Wells has allowed nine runs in 9 2-3 innings.

Wells had won his previous two starts against St. Louis, both last season, allowing one run in 15 innings.

Cardinals leadoff man Ryan Theriot(notes) singled in the sixth and walked and has hit in a career-high 18 games, also the longest active streak in the majors.

Notes: Quade said 3B Aramis Ramirez(notes), who has missed three starts with a cut on his lip after getting struck in the face diving for a grounder, could return to the lineup Sunday. … RHP Matt Garza(notes) (elbow) is set to return from the DL on Monday and start at Cincinnati and Quade said RHP Rodrigo Lopez(notes) could start Tuesday. … 3B Matt Carpenter made the defensive stop of the game in his major league debut, diving to his right to rob Darwin Barney(notes) of a hit in the third, and doubled for his first hit in the ninth. … Attendance of 43,195 was the Cardinals’ third sellout of the season. … Theriot’s hitting streak is the Cardinals’ longest since Juan Encarnacion and So Taguchi(notes) also hit in 18 straight in 2007. He has 20 RBIs without a homer, the most since Willie McGee had 20 in 1999. … Kerry Wood(notes) gave up a double and hit a batter in a season-high two innings with two strikeouts. It was his only his second outing over one inning. … Warren Brusstar (1983) and Lee Smith (1982-83) each worked 23 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road for Chicago.

The Rangers’ 11-2 win over the Cleveland Indians was a team effort from top to bottom.

Alexi Ogando(notes) won his sixth game without a loss and Josh Hamilton(notes) and Nelson Cruz(notes) homered in a five-run seventh inning, sparking the Rangers to their ninth win in 12 games. The defending AL champions, who pounded out 19 hits, are 14-8 since May 10.

“I like what Ogando did,” Washington said. “I like what our offense did. We had balance throughout the lineup and we made all the defensive plays.”

The victory continued the Rangers’ dominance of the Indians over the last three seasons. Texas has beaten Cleveland 14 times in the last 17 games between the teams and has won nine of 10 at Progressive Field, including the first two games of this series.

“It’s one of those baseball things,” Washington said. “The past couple of years they’ve been young. Now those kids are becoming stars. The past two nights we’ve played some good baseball. I just hope we can continue it because at any moment they can rise up.”

The Indians have the best record in the American League, but are 13-14 since May 3 and have lost four straight at home. Despite the fact his team has lost seven of 10, Indians manager Manny Acta isn’t ready to panic.

“I feel good,” he said. “We’re going through a rough spot like everybody else. I’m very thankful we still haven’t gone through one of those long stretches like everyone else, and we want to keep it that way.”

Ogando (6-0) held the Indians to one run and four hits in eight innings. He has allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts while pitching at least six innings in each outing. Washington gave his endorsement for the right-hander to be in next month’s All-Star game. Considering Washington will manage the American League team, one has to like Ogando’s chances.

“To be there would be a dream,” said Ogando. “It makes me feel good for my manager to say that.”

Texas took a 2-1 lead into the seventh before putting the game away with home runs off reliever Tony Sipp(notes). Hamilton hit a three-run drive on an 0-2 pitch. After Adrian Beltre’s(notes) flyball fell between outfielders Michael Brantley(notes) and Shin-Soo Choo(notes) for a double, Cruz homered on Sipp’s next pitch.

The Rangers have managed to stay in first place in the AL West despite the fact Hamilton and Cruz have both missed time with injuries. Texas is 17-5 in games that both have played.

“I don’t know if it takes pressure off guys,” said Hamilton, the AL MVP. “It seems to flow a little better.”

Elvis Andrus(notes), who had four hits, added a three-run double in the eighth.

Justin Masterson(notes) (5-4) allowed four runs in 6 1-3 innings, dropping his fourth straight decision. He hasn’t won since April 26.

Cleveland’s best chance against Ogando came in the sixth when singles by Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera(notes) put runners at first and third to start the inning. Ogando then got Choo to hit into a double play, with Brantley scoring, and struck out Carlos Santana(notes) to end the inning.

Cabrera hit a solo home run in the ninth.

Endy Chavez(notes), who was 4 for 4 on Thursday, had an RBI double in the second while Michael Young(notes) drove in a third-inning run with a fielder’s choice.

Masterson retired the first batter in the seventh, but was removed after Ian Kinsler(notes) walked and Andrus singled. Sipp was called on to face Hamilton, who was batting .179 against left-handers, but that strategy failed. Hamilton’s line drive cleared the wall in right near the Rangers’ bullpen.

“He missed his spot,” Hamilton said. “He was trying to go away with his fastball. He got it up and in.”

Following Beltre’s gift double, Cruz drove his home run deep into the seats in right-center.

Cleveland third baseman Jack Hannahan(notes) was a late scratch from the lineup because of a sore left hamstring. He was replaced by Adam Everett(notes).

NOTES: OF Julio Borbon(notes) was activated from the disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Round Rock. He had been out since mid-May with a strained hamstring. … The Rangers’ 7-4 victory on Thursday was the first time they have rallied from a three-run deficit to win a game this season. … RHP Alex White(notes) (sore middle finger) has been sent to extended spring training to begin a rehab program. He’s expected to miss about 10 more weeks. … 1B Nick Johnson(notes), signed by the Indians to a minor league contract in February, has been activated from extended spring training and joined Double-A Akron. Johnson had wrist surgery last season.

Aubrey Huff(notes) hit three home runs and matched his career best with six RBIs, and the San Francisco Giants hammered a pair of rookie pitchers making their major league debut in a 12-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

“It’s a tremendous day,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s a day he’ll never forget and a big day for us.”

Huff, who entered batting .219, hit two-run homers in the fourth and ninth innings and a solo shot in the seventh for his first three-homer game. He also had an RBI single in the sixth. Huff raised his average 14 points while leading the surge for the Giants, who set a season high for runs.

“When Huffie gets going, he can carry the team. He did it last year,” said Freddy Sanchez(notes), who had a homer and four RBIs. “He’s getting that confidence back and his swing is back.

“I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he’s getting it going and we’re getting going.”

Huff has four homers and seven RBIs the last two games after totaling four RBIs the previous 16 games.

Colby Rasmus(notes) hit his second career grand slam and had a career-best six RBIs to help make it a contest for the Cardinals, who dropped three of four at home to the Giants for the first time since June 30-July 3, 2003. Albert Pujols(notes) had two hits, a steal and scored twice.

“He’s got a ton of talent,” manager Tony La Russa said of Rasmus. “The more at-bats, the more consistent he’ll be.”

But Rasmus misplayed a leadoff double by pitcher Jonathan Sanchez(notes) to open the Giants’ three-run sixth, drifting to his right on a ball in the gap that bounced off the warning track and into the stands.

“I kind of gave up on it there a little bit,” Rasmus said. “I ain’t going to blame it on anything, I just missed the play.”

The NL Central-leading Cardinals had been 13-1-1 in their previous 15 series since dropping two of three at San Francisco from April 8-10, leaving town with a 3-6 record.

Triple-A callup Lance Lynn(notes) (0-1) needed 56 pitches to get through five innings while working on three days’ rest, but retired only one of four hitters to start the Giants’ sixth. Double-A reinforcement Mikail Cleto hit 98 mph several times on the stadium radar gun in the seventh but walked the first two hitters and surrendered back-to-back homers to Freddy Sanchez and Huff in a five-run inning that made it 10-3.

“There wasn’t anything in Lynn’s stuff to say he was pitching on short rest,” La Russa said. “I mean, the situation was difficult. It would be difficult for anybody who would have pitched in the big leagues.”

Lynn said he wasn’t tired, just made some poor pitches starting with Jonathan Sanchez’s leadoff double.

“I felt good,” Lynn said. “I need to keep pushing and fighting to get deeper into games.”

La Russa slotted Lynn ahead of Jaime Garcia(notes) in the rotation, giving the left-hander an extra day to get over a poor outing in which he surrendered 12 runs in 3 1-3 innings in Colorado. The move also set up Garcia, Kyle Lohse(notes) and Chris Carpenter(notes) to face the Cubs in a weekend series starting Friday, but left the Cardinals short in the finale against the Giants.

La Russa was out to the mound for a pep talk with Cleto before Huff finished rounding the bases on his seventh homer of the season.

Jonathan Sanchez (4-3) allowed three runs in 5 1-3 innings, surviving a season-high six walks. Freddy Sanchez had a season high for RBIs with a three-run homer in the seventh and a run-scoring groundout in the sixth.

The Giants entered the night with the second-lowest run total in the National League and are minus two big bats with catcher Buster Posey(notes) out for the season and Pablo Sandoval(notes) about to begin a rehab assignment from wrist surgery.

“Our numbers were so low it was a matter of time before these guys would get it going,” Bochy said. “We’re getting more consistent quality ABs, and I’m a firm believer that the more opportunities you create, the more times you’re going to score.”

Rasmus’ two-run triple put the Cardinals ahead 3-0 in the third, and his grand slam came in the seventh against Guillermo Mota(notes), who has allowed at least one run in his last five appearances with a total of eight runs given up. Hitters are 11 for 23 against him during that stretch.

NOTES: Cardinals shortstop Ryan Theriot(notes) singled in the second and has a career-best, 16-game hitting streak, the longest current run in the majors. … Bochy doesn’t think injured 2B Mark DeRosa(notes) (wrist) is close to returning, adding, “He says he doesn’t feel anything, which shocks me.” … Huff has 13 career multihomer games. … Bochy said rookie first baseman Brandon Belt(notes) (wrist), who missed two games after being hit by a pitch on Tuesday, will take swings Friday and could return to the lineup then.

He gave them two: an expected one from his arm, an unexpected one with his bat.

Sanchez ended a marvelous May by pitching eight effective innings and drove in two runs on chopping groundouts, helping the Marlins snap Arizona’s seven-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

“He’s been very consistent through the whole season so far and he did today what he’s been doing lately,” Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said.

Florida needed it.

After opening its seven-game road trip with a three-game sweep at San Francisco, the Marlins had lost three of four, including consecutive lopsided losses to the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks.

Sanchez did his part, allowing two runs and six hits while striking out eight to win his fifth straight decision. Logan Morrison(notes) and Gaby Sanchez(notes) hit solo homers and the Marlins took advantage of a shaky Ian Kennedy(notes) (6-2) to make the most of their seven hits.

Leo Nunez(notes) cleaned it all up, working a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 20 chances, helping Florida bounce back from a 15-4 loss in the series opener Monday night.

“It’s just a good feeling to get a win after those last two,” said Morrison, who has reached safely in all 32 games he’s played this season, the longest active streak in the majors.

Arizona ended its magnificent May with a dud.

Kennedy had trouble locating his pitches in one of his shortest outings of the season and the offense had trouble locating Sanchez’s changeup all night, leading to the Diamondbacks’ third loss in 18 games. Justin Upton(notes) and Kelly Johnson(notes) hit solo homers, but Arizona had just four other hits after getting 19 the night before.

“We really had only two opportunities against him,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said of Sanchez. “He dealt with those situations really well.”

Arizona had five homers while just missing the nine-inning team record for hits in the series opener. This one didn’t figure to be as explosive. Not with Sanchez and Kennedy on the mound.

Sanchez was coming off his second complete game of the season, a five-hit shutout over San Francisco on Thursday to win his fourth straight decision.

Kennedy wasn’t bad his last time out, either, holding Colorado to a run over eight innings on Wednesday in his fifth straight win.

Sanchez got off to a rocky start, giving up Upton’s long solo homer in the first on an 0-1 pitch, then settled into a rhythm. He struck out the side in the fourth inning, then worked through a little traffic in the sixth and seventh before giving up Johnson’s 10th homer in the eighth.

That part the Marlins could see coming.

The surprise came from Sanchez’s bat.

A .079 hitter with four career RBIs, he drove in runs in the fourth and sixth innings. OK, so maybe they were high-bouncing choppers that led to easy outs, but he got the ball in play and the runs across the plate.

“When I’m hitting, I just try to hit the ball, put the ball in play,” Sanchez said. “Because something could happen if I put the ball in play.”

Kennedy was offkilter after cruising through the first inning, stranding runners in scoring position over the next two innings before really getting into trouble in the fourth.

The right-hander was knocked for two hits to open, then walked consecutive hitters to give Florida a run. Sanchez made it 2-1 with a groundout off the plate and Chris Coghlan(notes) was hit on the foot to load the bases, but Kennedy ended the inning by getting Omar Infante(notes) to ground out.

Kennedy’s trouble didn’t end there, though.

Morrison led off the fifth with his seventh homer, hitting a 1-2 fastball that was a little too close to the plate over the wall in center to make it 3-1.

Kennedy lasted five innings, giving up three runs and five hits, with three walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches.

“I feel like it was me that beat myself,” Kennedy said after his shortest outing since lasting three innings in a loss to St. Louis on April 13. “I minimized the damage in those situations, but I want to go deeper in the game. It is frustrating when it is me that does it.”

But Arizona’s problems didn’t end with him leaving.

Sanchez drove in another run on another chopping groundout in the sixth inning after Emilio Bonifacio(notes) singled and went from first to third on pitcher Esmerling Vasquez’s(notes) throwing error during a pickoff attempt.

Gaby Sanchez made it 5-1 with a solo homer off Aaron Heilman(notes) in the seventh, his ninth.

Notes: Hanley Ramirez(notes), Florida’s three-time All-Star shortstop, missed his second straight game after experiencing stiffness in his lower back against Los Angeles on Sunday. … Johnson is 13 for 31 during a seven-game hitting streak, including nine extra-base hits.

Kershaw pitched a two-hitter for his second shutout and complete game in the majors, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Marlins 8-0 on Sunday.

“I just pounded the strike zone and made them try to beat me instead of beating myself,” Kershaw said. “My slider had pretty good bite early in the game, and then it flattened out a little bit. But I was at least showing them another pitch—and as a result, they were putting the ball in play a little more and not striking out as much. But outs are outs, so I’ll take them.”

Kershaw (6-3) threw 116 pitches, striking out 10 and walking one in his 95th career start. The only hits off the 23-year-old left-hander were a leadoff single in the second by Omar Infante(notes) and a wind-blown double by Logan Morrison(notes) leading off the seventh.

“He was hitting both sides of the plate and throwing inside on lefties, which you don’t see that much from a lefty,” said Wes Helms(notes), who replaced Hanley Ramirez(notes) in the second inning after the All-Star shortstop’s lower back stiffened up. “Kershaw just commanded all of his pitches today, and he had above-average stuff. He knows how to bury his curve ball and his slider. He’s not going to leave it over the middle of the plate. I mean, you get geared up for that heater, and his slider’s hard enough that you can’t hold up when it’s in the dirt.”

Kershaw is 6-0 with a 0.73 ERA in the seven starts in which he has allowed fewer than three earned runs, and 0-3 with a 5.76 ERA in the five starts in which he has allowed three or more earned runs.

“Today he was dominant,” Helms added. “He’s one of those guys you enjoy watching pitch because he knows what he’s doing. He’s got all the pitches. He’s got a great curve ball, changeup and slider, and he was throwing 93-95 miles an hour. So you can’t sit on any of his other three pitches, or else the fastball is going to get by you.”

Kershaw’s other shutout was on Sept. 14, 2010, when he pitched a four-hitter at San Francisco. Two seasons ago, he held the Marlins hitless through seven innings at Miami before Cody Ross(notes) led off the eighth with a double.

“It’s a lot different team now,” Kershaw said. “They’ve got a lot of young guys that I played against in the minor leagues, and they’re swinging the bat really well this year. They got me a little bit in Florida last month, so I just wanted to come back out and attack them—especially with a big lead. It always feels better to have eight runs on the board.”

Kershaw had two hits and an RBI. Rafael Furcal(notes) hit his first home run of the season and drove in three runs, helping lead a 17-hit attack by a sporadic offense that had produced fewer than three runs in 23 of the team’s first 53 games.

Ricky Nolasco(notes) (4-1) surrendered eight runs and 15 hits over five innings in his second career start at Dodger Stadium. The right-hander, who was born in nearby Corona, is 0-2 with a 7.33 ERA in his four career starts against Los Angeles.

“It just wasn’t my day, obviously,” said Nolasco, in the first year of a three-year, $2.65 million contract after averaging 14 victories over the previous three seasons. “They have a really good lineup over there. I fell behind some hitters and they made me pay for my mistakes. Even when I was ahead of guys, I couldn’t put them away. You just have to shake it off.”

The Dodgers were leading 4-0 in the fourth when manager Don Mattingly and center fielder Matt Kemp(notes) were ejected seconds apart after a delayed argument over balls and strikes.

Kemp, the Dodgers’ cleanup hitter, came up with the bases loaded after a one-out intentional walk to Andre Ethier(notes). He fell behind 0-2 on a borderline pitch, then grounded into an inning-ending double play on Nolasco’s next delivery. As he crossed the third base line to retrieve his glove, Kemp turned his head to say something to plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected before he got to the dugout.

Kemp then tried to get at Kulpa before he was restrained by teammate Dioner Navarro(notes). Mattingly took up the argument and also was banished, but kept jawing with Kulpa in an animated manner before play finally resumed. The ejection was Mattingly’s second of the season and first before the home crowd. The other was on May 9 at Pittsburgh.

Kershaw triggered a four-run third with the first of his two singles and scored when Furcal drove a 1-0 pitch into the right field bullpen for his first homer since his solo shot off Giants ace Tim Lincecum(notes) on July 30, 20010, at San Francisco. Jay Gibbons(notes) and Navarro capped the rally with RBI singles.

The Dodgers tacked on four more in the sixth. Kershaw drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice grounder, Furcal followed with an RBI single and Casey Blake(notes) added a two-run single.

Notes: Kershaw’s six hits this season are a career high. He entered the game with a lifetime batting average of .092 (14 for 153) The Dodgers placed RHP Kenley Jansen(notes) on the 15-day disabled list because of bursitis in his shoulder, which was revealed in an MRI. RHP Travis Schlichting(notes) was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for RHP John Lindblom, who joined the big club after his contract was purchased from Double-A Chattanooga. … Morrison has reached base either on a hit or a walk in all 30 games he has played this season—the longest current streak in the majors. He had a 42-game streak last year as a rookie. … The Marlins haven’t homered in five straight games, their longest drought of the season.

Patterson hit a game-ending homer in the 14th inning, Jose Bautista(notes) connected for his major league-leading 20th home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Chicago 9-8 on Saturday.

“I was happy,” Patterson said. “I was getting tired. Everybody was hungry, our food was getting cold.”

Cold or not, that dinner of pizza and chicken still tasted plenty good to Patterson, who tied a career high with five hits.

Patterson led off the 14th with a low drive to right off Gavin Floyd(notes) (5-5), his third homer of the season. It was the fourth game-winning drive of his career.

“I didn’t know at first (that it was gone),” Patterson said. “A couple of steps out of the batter’s box I knew it had a good chance.”

Floyd started and went seven innings for Chicago in Wednesday’s loss at Texas. He came out of the bullpen in the 13th, his first relief appearance since Aug. 24, 2007, against Boston.

“We should have won the game before Gavin was on the mound,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “That’s not Gavin’s fault.”

Blue Jays left-hander Luis Perez(notes) (1-0) pitched 3 2-3 shutout innings for his first career win. Toronto won back-to-back games for the first time since a season-high six-game winning streak from May 10-16.

“They brought a kid in that we didn’t have much on,” Chicago’s Adam Dunn(notes) said. “We had no video on him, we had really nothing on him. The kid came in and shut us down.”

Brent Lillibridge(notes) homered for the White Sox, who lost two in a row for the first time since a three-game losing streak from May 3-6.

After his team came back from two runs down through seven to tie it in the ninth, Guillen was steamed after his White Sox squandered several chances in extra innings. Chicago put the go-ahead run at third base with one out in the 11th but couldn’t score, leading their manager to go on a profane tirade after the game.

“Before the ninth, everything was good. After the ninth, it was very, very bad,” Guillen said.

Chicago left 10 men on base, including four in extra innings, and went 5 for 18 with runners in scoring position, leaving Guillen at loose ends.

“I feel like I’m in September right now,” the manager said. “If you ask all my coaches, they feel the same way. And we’re not even in June yet.”

Dunn, who went 1 for 7 and popped out in the 11th with men at the corners, didn’t fault his fiery manager for showing some emotion.

“He’s still like a player,” Dunn said. “He feels exactly the way we feel when we lose. I don’t have a problem with it at all. If he’s not frustrated then he needs to be doing something else because this is awful.”

Juan Rivera’s(notes) bases-loaded double in the seventh gave the Blue Jays an 8-6 lead, but their struggling bullpen couldn’t hold on.

Lillibridge tripled and scored on a passed ball in the eighth before the White Sox tied it against Frank Francisco(notes) in the ninth. Alexei Ramirez(notes) hit a one-out double down the right field line and, after Dunn struck out, Paul Konerko(notes) drove in Ramirez with a bloop double to right that dropped in just in front of a sliding Bautista.

The blown save was the third of the season for Francisco, who has lost twice and has two blown saves in his past four games.

Toronto put runners at second and third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth but Rivera grounded out to pitcher Chris Sale(notes) to send the game to extra innings.

The Blue Jays led 3-0 just three batters into the bottom of the first. Yunel Escobar(notes) walked, Patterson singled and Bautista lined a three-run homer to left-center.

Bautista reached the 20-homer mark in his 44th game, the fastest in Blue Jays history. George Bell needed 53 games to hit 20 homers in his 1987 MVP season.

No one has reached 20 homers more quickly than Barry Bonds. He did it in 39 games in 2001, when he hit an major league-record 73 home runs.

Lillibridge closed the gap with a two-run drive to left in the second, his fifth, but Toronto pulled ahead again by scoring twice in the third on Aaron Hill’s(notes) two-run double.

Chicago took the lead with a three-run fifth, which began when Juan Pierre(notes) reached on Hill’s fielding error. Ramirez grounded out before Dunn laced an RBI single to center. Konerko doubled Dunn to third and A.J. Pierzynski(notes) followed with a two-run double to right.

Making his second start in place of injured right-hander Jesse Litsch(notes), Carlos Villanueva(notes) allowed six runs, five earned, and eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Seeking to win consecutive starts for the first time since April 2 and 7, Chicago’s Edwin Jackson(notes) ended up with a no-decision, allowing six runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven.

NOTES: White Sox INF Gordon Beckham(notes) has a black eye but no broken bones or damaged vision after being hit under the left eye by a throw from the outfield Friday. Beckham said he hopes to return to the lineup by Monday. … Chicago INF Omar Vizquel(notes) took over at first base in the 11th, his first career appearance at the position. Vizquel, who debuted in 1989, has played in 2,784 games. … Pierre went 0 for 6, ending his hitting streak at 12 games. … Litsch (shoulder) has been told not to throw at all for seven days after visiting doctors in Florida on Friday.

Correia pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning before the Pittsburgh Pirates held on to beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Friday.

Correia (7-4) limited Chicago to four singles and a pair of walks in 7 1-3 innings. He moved into a tie with Boston’s Jon Lester(notes) for the major league lead in wins, and has six of the Pirates’ 14 victories away from PNC Park this season.

“You throw half your games on the road your whole career, so it really doesn’t effect me at all,” Correia said. “Every place is a little different.”

Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen(notes) remained a thorn in the Cubs’ side with two singles, a walk, an RBI and two stolen bases. He’s reached base in 19 straight games against the Cubs.

Doug Davis(notes) (0-3) walked six batters and hit another during 4 2-3 innings in his 300th career appearance. The Cubs committed a pair of errors in the second that led to two unearned runs, and Davis allowed four in all.

“I’m not going to make any excuses for walking six people. That’s for sure,” Davis said. “I’ve been around long enough to know that walking that many guys against any team is going to come back to haunt you.”

Alfonso Soriano(notes) hit his 12th homer of the season, two-run shot off reliever Joe Beimel(notes) in the ninth, but Pittsburgh closer Joel Hanrahan(notes) came on to strike out three straight batters to remain perfect in 14 save chances this season.

“That’s as sharp a slider as (Hanrahan) has had all season, as well as with the velocity of the fastball,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

The Cubs got two singles and a walk from Carlos Pena, but not much else. Pena has reached base in 20 of his last 21 games.

Chicago loaded the bases in the eighth. After Correia allowed a single to Koyie Hill(notes) and walked Kosuke Fukudome(notes), he was replaced by reliever Jose Veras(notes). He got Darwin Barney(notes) on a shallow fly to center, but walked Starlin Castro(notes) to load the bases.

Veras got cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez(notes) on a pop fly to second to end the inning.

The Pirates improved to 14-12 on the road this season. Last season, they went 17-64 away from home, eight games worse than any other team in baseball.

Davis’s wildness didn’t help the Cubs, nor did their continuing defensive problems, which led to two unearned runs for the Pirates in the second.

After the first two batters reached, Ronny Cedeno’s(notes) sacrifice bunt was mishandled by Davis, loading the bases. Ramirez then bobbled Correia’s grounder to third, scoring Chris Snyder(notes) with the game’s first run. The second scored on Steve Pearce’s(notes) sacrifice fly.

“When a guy puts himself in that situation, the best thing you can do is wait him out,” said Snyder, who caught Davis 61 times when both players were with Arizona from 2007-09. “Wait for the pitch. That’s what we did.”

It was the second straight game the Cubs have committed two errors in an inning, and the sixth time this season. They also dropped into last in the NL in fielding percentage.

“We couldn’t make two plays and they scratch for two,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “All of a sudden it’s a different ballgame. A clean game defensively puts us in the thing.”

The Pirates added two more runs against Davis in the fourth on three walks, a hit batter and an infield single. McCutchen drew a bases loaded walk to score Cedeno, and Neil Walker’s(notes) infield hit brought home Jose Tabata(notes).

Davis was finally pulled after walking Correia with two outs in the fifth. He had burned through 111 pitches by that point.

Correia also beat the Cubs at Wrigley on April 1, the opening game for both teams. The Pirates have won three of their four games in Chicago this season, and have beaten the Cubs in 15 of their last 21 meetings.

“I’ve been thoroughly impressed with (Correia’s) preparation and the way he goes about his business,” Hurdle said. “He makes pitches and gets us deep in ballgames.”

NOTES: The Cubs activated Rodrigo Lopez(notes), acquired from Atlanta in a minor-league trade on Thursday. He was 6-1 this season for Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Cubs designated Coello for assignment. Justin Berg(notes), who threw 12 straight balls to the three batters he faced in his last outing, was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. … Carlos Zambrano(notes) said the stiff neck he had checked out after Thursday’s win over the Mets is getting better. He thinks the problem started because of the way he positions his head on the pillow while he watches TV at home. … Hurdle said 3B Pedro Alvarez(notes) will be able hit while he rehabs from a right quad strain. Alvarez won’t be allowed to run the bases or play in the field. … The game-time temperature at Wrigley Field was 48 degrees, the fourth straight game on the Cubs’ current home stand that it’s been below 50 degrees. It’s been below 50 in 15 of their first 25 home games.

The Dane has been No. 1 in the WTA rankings for almost the entire season but never really challenged her Slovak opponent on Court Suzanne Lenglen, having her serve broken five times.

Following No. 2 Kim Clijsters’ loss on Thursday, it is the first time in the Open era that the top two seeded women failed to make the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament.

Sam Stosur, last year’s French Open runner-up, was also eliminated, but 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone advanced to the fourth round. On the men’s side, 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer had 10 aces and only 20 unforced errors in a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 29 Janko Tipsarevic.

Later Friday, Novak Djokovic is scheduled to put his perfect season on the line against 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.

Wozniacki came into the French Open after winning the clay-court title at the Brussels Open. During the final, she called for a trainer and had her left thigh bandaged.

Although she played the first two rounds at Roland Garros with the same thigh bandaged, she was not wearing any protection on her leg Friday.

Hantuchova beat a current No. 1 player for the first time in her career after six previous losses, including one against Wozniacki this season.

Federer, who won the French Open two years ago to complete a career Grand Slam, again had his serve working, landing 67 percent of his first serves and winning 84 percent of those points.

“So far in this tournament, I’ve been doing good job, but it’s really only at the end of the tournament where I would think it really matters how I did,” Federer said. “Right now it’s important to keep that up and do that against the best players out there.”

Seventh-seeded David Ferrer also won, beating No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.

Stosur was knocked out by Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. The eighth-seeded Australian struggled early but easily won the second set to take back control. The 51st-ranked Dulko then put herself back in the match by breaking to take a 4-2 lead in the third. She then held twice to advance.

“I was trying to be very aggressive, and I did it very well,” Dulko said. “And I think after I have a few ups and downs, and I was lucky to play very good tennis at the end of the match.”

Stosur, who also reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2009, had 35 unforced errors in the match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“She seemed to be out ahead a little bit better and really kind of be the one dictating the points, which, for me, I’m usually the one able to do that,” Stosur said. “Pretty much right from the first game she kind of set that tone, and it was very difficult for me to turn that around.”

Dulko matched her best Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round. She also won three matches at the 2006 French Open and the 2009 U.S. Open.

The Netherlands' Aranxta Rus, right, kisses Kim Clijsters after winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
(AP)

Schiavone was broken at the beginning of her match, but then won five straight games to take the first set and eventually the match when opponent Peng Shuai of China retired while trailing 6-3, 1-2.

Peng called for a doctor after the first game of the second set and had her blood pressure checked. She looked exhausted in her chair and then started to cry but broke for a 2-0 lead.

Schiavone won the next game before her opponent quit.

“I’ve been just sick for three or four days,” Peng said, adding that she has had a fever. “So it’s tough for me to play. I was really tired. I was really sick so my body could not really handle that.”

Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 French Open champion, advanced by beating Rebecca Marino of Canada 6-0, 6-4. And 10th-seeded Jelena Jankovic reached the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States.

Late. Really, really late.

Valdez shifted over from second base and wound up as the winning pitcher early Thursday when the Philadelphia Phillies needed 19 innings to outlast the Cincinnati Reds 5-4.

In front of a dwindling crowd at Citizens Bank Park, Raul Ibanez(notes) hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to decide the longest major league game of the season. It ended at 1:19 a.m. local time after 6 hours, 11 minutes.

Shaving cream nestled in his beard and dripping off his ear in the locker room, Valdez wanted to keep pitching.

“I can go for three more, four more (innings). Whatever,” he said.

Who knows? The Phillies might need him on short notice

Not much time for rest, either. The teams were set to play again Thursday at 1:05 p.m.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel strolled through the clubhouse after 1:30 a.m. wishing everyone a good morning.

He had every reason to smile because of Valdez.

Valdez threw a hitless 19th inning in his first professional pitching appearance. Phillies fans stood and chanted “Let’s go, Wilson!” when the 33-year-old Valdez shifted from second to the mound.

The first batter he faced was Joey Votto(notes), and the reigning NL MVP flied out to deep center field.

Valdez acted like a seasoned closer. He hit 90 mph on a fastball to Votto. He shook off catcher Dane Sardinha(notes). And he showed no fear.

“If he hits a home run, they’re not going to say anything to me,” said Valdez, laughing.

Not bad for a journeyman infielder who became the first position player to earn a win since Colorado catcher Brent Mayne on Aug. 22, 2000, according to STATS LLC. Mayne went one inning in a 7-6 victory over Atlanta in 12 innings.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard(notes) put his mitt over his face to hide his smile when Valdez shook off his catcher.

“I was like, ‘What is he going to throw? What does he have?”’ Howard said. “It was funny, but he got it done.”

Some fans, young and old, already were asleep in the stands as the game played on. But plenty of the die-hards who stuck around made it a lively atmosphere, especially when Valdez took over as Philadelphia’s ninth pitcher.

Valdez threw one pitch to the backstop and hit Scott Rolen(notes). But the Phillies’ newest right-hander then retired Jay Bruce(notes) on a fly ball and got Reds reliever Carlos Fisher(notes) (0-1) on a popup.

“If it’s anything like how he throws balls to me, it’s going to be nasty up there,” Howard said. “He throws a lot of sinkers.”

Fisher, the Reds’ seventh pitcher, worked 5 2-3 innings and gave up one run and four hits. The Phillies used 21 players overall, the Reds 20.

Fisher finally wore down when Jimmy Rollins(notes) singled to open the 19th, Domonic Brown(notes) walked and Placido Polanco(notes) sacrificed. Thousands of fans derisively chanted “Fisher! Fisher!” before he intentionally walked Howard to load the bases. Ibanez had been 1 for 8 on the night when he hit a fly to deep center to win it.

“The fans were great to get on him like that,” Howard said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

The Reds used seven pitchers and the Phillies nine. The Reds had 15 hits to Philadelphia’s 13.

Some of the box score numbers were rough. Reds third baseman Scott Rolen was 0 for 7 and Phillies infielder Placido Polanco was 1 for 8.

Bruce homered in the 10th for the Reds, then Howard went deep and tied it in the bottom half. They ended up playing the longest game in the eight-season history of the ballpark.

By the time it was over, the Reds and Phillies still had a long way to go to match the latest-ending game in the big leagues this year. It was 2:45 a.m. at Fenway Park when the Los Angeles Angels beat Boston in the 13th inning of a rain-delayed game earlier this month.

The Phillies still had a couple innings left to match the longest game in team history: a 2-1 loss to Chicago in 21 innings on July 17, 1918. The Reds lost to San Francisco 1-0 in 21 innings on Sept. 1, 1967, in the longest game in their history.

Phillies reliever Danys Baez(notes) threw 73 pitches and tossed one-hit ball over five scoreless innings. He led off the 16th using a bat that hardly looked game used, drawing chuckles from Phillies star Shane Victorino(notes) and Manuel in the dugout.

Baez was confused. He grabbed the wrong helmet and forgot to stick pine tar on the bat.

“My arm feels good now,” Baez said. “I don’t know about tomorrow.”

Today is tomorrow.

“Well, in six hours.”

The Phillies squandered a chance to win it in the 18th when Valdez was stranded on second after a two-out double. Fisher retired Michael Martinez(notes) on a liner to left.

Bruce hit a shot off Antonio Bastardo(notes) over the scoreboard into the front row of the right-field seats for his 13th homer of the year to put the Reds ahead in the 10th.

Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth to lead the Reds to a 6-3 win on Tuesday. He hit a three-run homer against the Phillies on Monday to give him nine RBIs in the series.

It was no consolation.

“It’s definitely the strangest game I’ve ever been a part of,” Bruce said. “All that effort and time and you lose. It’s tough.”

Howard tagged Francisco Cordero(notes) for his 11th homer to make it 4-all.

“One of the biggest downers in baseball is the late-inning blown save,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said before the game.

And this one?

“A real tough one to lose,” Baker said.

Notes: The Phillies should decide Thursday if RHP Jose Contreras(notes) is ready to come off the disabled list. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run this season. … Phillies RHP Joe Blanton(notes) visited renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his injured elbow. Blanton will start a throwing program in three to four weeks.

Brown replaces Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, who retired after the Lakers were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. Brown previously coached the Cleveland Cavaliers before he was fired in the summer of 2010. He went 272-138 in five seasons in Cleveland.

Lakers vice president Jim Buss conducted the search, with his father, Jerry, and general manager Mitch Kupchak assisting the owner’s son, sources said.

Los Angeles had considered longtime assistant Brian Shaw and Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman, but the focus narrowed to Brown, who spent this season as an NBA analyst for ESPN.

The Lakers and Brown’s representation spent Tuesday discussing salary and length of contract before agreeing to terms on Wednesday.

A close league friend of Brown’s told Yahoo! Sports, “He really wants this [the Lakers job] to happen.”

The Golden State Warriors also had Brown atop the list to fill their vacancy for several weeks.

Brown led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals, and won the Coach of the Year award in 2009. His Cavaliers teams were among the best defensive units in the league, which Lakers management seems determined to find in a replacement for Jackson. Nevertheless, there were often criticisms of Brown’s offensive system. Brown had an up-and-down relationship with LeBron James, who appeared to lose faith in Brown near the end of their tenure together.

Brown takes over a Lakers team that had reached the NBA Finals three consecutive years – winning titles in 2009 and ’10 – before being swept by the Mavericks in this season’s second round.

Quentin had his first three-homer game and the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 8-6 on Tuesday night in a game that was halted for nearly three hours by heavy rain and hail that sent fans scurrying for cover throughout the ballpark.

Fans were moved from the upper deck to the lower seating bowl and then told to take cover in tunnels beneath the ballpark as a storm approached that halted play in the fourth inning.

The game finally resumed after a delay of 2 hours, 58 minutes, and few fans were left when the final out was recorded at 1:27 a.m. local time.

Slumping Adam Dunn(notes) hit a tiebreaking shot for the White Sox, but Quentin made the difference with his five RBIs.

Nobody knew for sure when or if the game would resume. The White Sox kept their concentration and won for the sixth time in eight games.

“People just want to talk about the rain delay,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. “That’s the kind of game when your players could just say ‘Whatever.’ You have to keep focused. It was a great battle. … Carlos had a huge day.”

Quentin became the fifth major league player in 13 days to homer three times in a game, joining Carlos Beltran(notes), Jose Bautista(notes), Jason Giambi(notes) and Corey Hart(notes), who did it Monday night.

Umpires suspended play at 8:23 p.m. before the storm actually hit to allow the infield to be covered by the tarp. Rain began falling about 10 minutes later, and hail followed accompanied by winds gusting to more than 60 mph.

Fans were at first evacuated from the upper deck to the lower seating bowl. Later, they were moved from the stadium concourse as a precaution against the hail and potential tornadoes, retreating to the tunnels beneath the ballpark.

No tornadoes were reported near Rangers Ballpark, and stadium operations director Rob Matwick said fans were “as safe as they can be” under the conditions.

The game resumed in the bottom of the fourth with the White Sox ahead 4-2.

Texas tied it at 4 with a two-run fifth on Elvis Andrus’(notes) RBI double and Michael Young’s(notes) sacrifice fly.

Dunn was in a 3-for-33 slide when his leadoff homer in the sixth off Brett Tomko(notes) (0-1) put Chicago back in front. Brent Morel’s(notes) RBI single later in the inning made it 6-4.

Mitch Moreland’s(notes) run-scoring single in the sixth off Chris Sale(notes) pulled the Rangers to 6-5, but Dunn’s RBI double in the seventh restored Chicago’s two-run pad.

Moreland scored from third on Andrus’ double-play grounder in the eighth to close the gap to 7-6, but Quentin’s third homer with nobody on in the ninth off Dave Bush(notes) made it 8-6.

“It was long, obviously,” Young said. “It would have been fine if we’d gotten a ‘W.’ But their bullpen did a good job and Quentin had a big night.”

The teams had a short turnaround before Wednesday’s series finale scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

“Go back to the house, get some sleep and come back ready to play,” Young said.

Tony Pena(notes) (1-1) allowed two runs and three hits in one inning but earned the win.

Sergio Santos(notes), the seventh Chicago pitcher, got four outs for his seventh save in eight chances.

“It felt a little like spring training where you all get one inning,” Santos said. “You all know you’ll get a chance to pitch. It made us feel like a team. You went out and did your job, now I have to do mine.”

Quentin pulled a two-out solo shot into the left-field seats in the first to give the White Sox the lead.

Chicago starter Jake Peavy(notes) issued his first walk of the season in his third outing when Ian Kinsler(notes) drew a base on balls leading off the game. Kinsler advanced to second on a groundout and scored on Josh Hamilton’s(notes) single.

In the third, Quentin hit a high drive into the right-field stands off Derek Holland(notes) for a 4-1 advantage, marking Quentin’s 12th career multihomer game.

“That ball was hit pretty good,” Guillen said. “When Carlos hits the ball, he can hit it a long way. You only see a home run like that one to the opposite field from Josh Hamilton or (Adam) Dunn or (Jim) Thome.”

Young’s sacrifice fly in the third pulled Texas within 4-2.

When play got back under way, both starters were done for the night.

Peavy, who allowed two runs and five hits in three innings, was replaced by Will Ohman(notes).

Tomko came in for Holland, who gave up four runs and four hits in four innings.

NOTES: Rangers RHP Brandon Webb(notes) allowed four runs—one earned—and six hits during a 79-pitch outing in extended spring training in Arizona. Webb struck out five, hit two batters with pitches, and didn’t issue a walk. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner is on the 60-day disabled list recovering from right rotator cuff surgery, with no timetable for his debut with the Rangers. … The wind was blowing so hard in the bottom of the third that White Sox CF Alex Rios(notes) raced in to catch Nelson Cruz’s(notes) flyball after Rios initially took a few steps back on the drive. … Rangers 35-year-old RHP Yoshinori Tateyama(notes) made his major league debut, becoming the fourth Japanese native to pitch for Texas. Tateyama got two outs in the seventh, allowing one hit and one run. … Hamilton, in his second game since missing 36 with a broken bone in his right shoulder sustained on a headfirst slide, slid headfirst into first on an infield single in the eighth. Hamilton then dove headfirst into second on a stolen base, and into third on a wild pitch before he was stranded there. “Josh is fine,” said a supportive Rangers manager Ron Washington. “He’s just playing baseball. It’s his instincts. I don’t expect him to change.”

The big boppers wasted no time getting back in the swing of things after being activated from the disabled list Monday, each hitting home runs in a 4-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Hamilton and Cruz were in the Rangers’ lineup together for the first time since April 12, when Hamilton broke a bone in his upper right arm trying to score with a headfirst slide.

“I think this is pretty much our first crack at really having our team, really a chance to build some momentum offensively,” Michael Young(notes) said before the game. “Something we’ve been looking for for a long time, so hopefully we can get going now.”

Hamilton got a standing ovation when he was introduced. He batted third as the designated hitter in the series opener against the Chicago White Sox. He then hit a liner over the right-field wall off John Danks(notes) for his first homer of the season, and added a double in the eighth.

Cruz, hitting sixth and playing left field, also got a nice response from fans before leading off the second with a grounder to shortstop. He hit a two-run homer in the sixth.

Their return was a welcome boost for the AL West-leading Rangers, who had lost three of their past four games. They scored a total of five runs in that span.

Hamilton and Cruz wrapped up their minor league rehab assignments with three games last weekend at Triple-A Round Rock after starting last week at Double-A Frisco.

Cruz was 7 of 22 overall in six rehab games with home runs in each of his three games for Round Rock. Hamilton homered twice in his five minor league games as the DH.

Cruz hadn’t played for the Rangers since coming out early from a game May 3 at Seattle with a strained right quadriceps.

Texas also recalled right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama(notes) from Triple-A Round Rock. The 35-year-old reliever from Japan was looking to make his major league debut. He had a 2.14 ERA in 14 appearances at Triple-A with 26 strikeouts and four walks in 21 innings.

To make room on their 25-man roster, the Rangers optioned first baseman Chris Davis(notes), rookie right-hander Cody Eppley(notes) and catcher Taylor Teagarden(notes) to Round Rock.

The Rangers were 9-1 before Hamilton got hurt in Detroit. They went 15-22 without him, including losing the game when he got hurt in the first inning. He returned with Texas holding a half-game division lead over the Los Angeles Angels.

When Hamilton got hurt, the Rangers expected him to be out six to eight weeks. His return came one day short of six weeks and on the same night of a promotional giveaway at Rangers Ballpark recognizing his 2010 MVP season.

“Yeah, just in time for Hamilton figurine night,” he said. “It looked kind of terrible—they keep hiding my face.”

The figurines feature Hamilton making a catch with his arm extended in front of him.

Texas averaged just more than three runs per game in the 17 games Hamilton and Cruz were both on the DL. The Rangers were held to two runs or less eight times.

“It’s obviously a little bit easier when you’ve got two guys like that in the lineup,” Ian Kinsler(notes) said. “We just need to continue to play well, and hopefully this will give a little shot in the arm.”

Before getting hurt, Hamilton was hitting .333 in 11 games. Cruz was hitting .219 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in his first 30 games with Texas.

Last year, Hamilton hit a major league-leading .359 with 32 homers and 100 RBIs despite missing most of the final month of the regular season with broken ribs. He rolled his ankle and stumbled into the wall after making a catch on the warning track in Minnesota.

There were two stints on the disabled list in 2009 after separate wall-crashing catches.

Hamilton will DH for a few games with the Rangers before returning to the outfield. He said he will continue to play hard and try to be smart.

“I did that last year, and I mean, I’m going to answer these questions the rest of my career until I get 40 pounds heavier and can’t run at all, and only swing. … I know how to play one way,” he said. “When you’re in action, you’re in the midst of doing something you need to do to help the team win, all that goes out the window and you just think about doing that.

“The season is getting later. I’d like to stay in there for the rest of the year, but I can’t say I will be,” he said. “A play might come up where I go after it hard like I normally do and something might happen. I can’t not play hard.”

Danny Espinosa(notes) homered and drove in five runs, Jayson Werth(notes) hit two homers and had four RBIs, and the Nationals had their biggest offensive outing since moving to Washington in a 17-5 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

“We’ve played good baseball. We just haven’t really had too many offensive nights,” Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said. “So hopefully this will be the start of something.”

If so, Washington certainly got a lot of players involved. Roger Bernadina(notes), Wilson Ramos(notes) and Laynce Nix(notes) also homered to back a season-high, 19-hit attack. The six homers also set a Nationals record.

“Hopefully, we can build on this and keep it going,” Werth said. “Hopefully, this will break us out of what we’ve been in. We’re a lot better team than our record indicates. We have a great lineup and we’re going to wind up hitting.”

Henry Rodriguez(notes) (1-0) worked three scoreless innings for the victory.

The Expos became the Nationals in 2005, after the franchise moved to Washington from Montreal. The Expos’ record for runs in a game was 21 at Colorado on April 28, 1996, and their most homers was eight at Atlanta on July 30, 1978.

Espinosa, who entered with a .194 batting average, hit a three-run homer in the second, an RBI triple in the fourth and singled in a run in the fifth. He finished 3 for 4 to raise his average to .209, but fell a double shy of becoming the third Nationals player to hit for the cycle.

“My timing was better,” Espinosa said. “Previously, I’ve been late to everything. It’s all timing. I’ve been working real hard at that. Tonight, I got my foot down and my swing was shorter.”

The Orioles lost their fourth straight, and have allowed 30 runs in their last two games and 42 during the skid.

Asked why the slumping Nationals were able to batter Baltimore pitching, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said: “They’re major league hitters who are capable of better, just like our guys are. I think it was probably a given they were going to hit better as the season progresses. It’s just unfortunate it was against us tonight.”

It didn’t take long for Washington to get to starter Jake Arrieta(notes) (5-2), who walked the first two batters in the second inning before Espinosa homered to right-center off a 2-2 sinker.

The Orioles rallied with two outs in the third to tie the game. Nick Markakis(notes) dribbled an infield single, went to third on Vladimir Guerrero’s(notes) single to center and both runners scored when Matt Wieters’(notes) drive to center glanced off the glove of a backpedaling Bernadina at the center-field warning track for a gift double. Luke Scott(notes) then singled home Wieters.

Washington went up 6-3 in the fourth. Ramos was hit by a pitch and Espinosa hit a tiebreaking triple off the center-field wall. Jerry Hairston Jr.(notes) then singled threw a drawn-in infield to score Espinosa.

Arrieta allowed six runs on six hits, walked three and struck out three.

“Just things, collectively, aren’t going very well,” Arrieta said. “I’ll take the blame for it. I didn’t set the tone like I should have. I feel like I could have figured it out, but I guess it’s part of the continued learning process on a day where you’re not feeling very good at all, you still got to be able to find some way to limit some damage. I wasn’t able to do that.”

Nationals starter Jason Marquis(notes) walked Mark Reynolds(notes) leading off the third and Ryan Adams singled for his first major league hit. Felix Pie’s(notes) double to center scored Reynolds, but Pie was tagged out between second and third, and Adam Jones(notes) followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 6-5.

In the fifth, Ramos tripled in a run and scored on Espinosa’s RBI single before Bernadina and Werth hit two-run homers to make it 12-5. Bernadina’s drive to center glanced off a leaping Adam Jones’ glove and into the Orioles bullpen.

Marquis worked four innings, yielding five runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out two.

Notes: Washington’s previous best of 15 runs in a game was done twice: July 20, 2008, at Atlanta and Aug. 25, 2009, at the Chicago Cubs. … Before the game, the Orioles selected Adams’ contract from Triple-A Norfolk and recalled OF Nolan Reimold(notes) from the same club. LHP Troy Patton(notes) was designated for assignment by Baltimore. … Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said 3B Ryan Zimmerman(notes), on the 15-day disabled list following May 3 surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, would report to the team’s Viera, Fla., headquarters to begin a rehabilitation program “in the very near future.” … Washington bullpen coach Jim Lett was a minor league roommate of professional wrestler Randy “Macho Man” Savage, who died in an automobile accident in Tampa on Friday morning. The two played at Single-A Tampa, the Reds’ Florida State League affiliate, in 1974. Savage, then known as Randy Poffo, hit .232 with nine homers and 66 RBIs in his final minor league season. … Brad Wilkerson (2005) and Cristian Guzman(notes) (2008) are the only Nationals players to hit for the cycle.

Giambi became the second-oldest player to hit three homers in a game and tied his career high with seven RBIs, leading the Colorado Rockies past the Philadelphia Phillies 7-1 Thursday night.

“It’s nice to contribute and get an opportunity to play,” said Giambi, who started at first base because Todd Helton(notes) had a stiff back. “It’s exciting, something you dream about.”

Jhoulys Chacin(notes) was the beneficiary of Giambi’s turn-back-the-clock power display. Chacin (5-2) allowed one run and four hits, striking out a season-high nine in seven innings.

Making a rare start, Giambi went deep in his first three at-bats. The 40-year-old former AL MVP entered 3 for 26 (.115) this season with one home run and four RBIs.

“Those were dynamic swings, the type of swings he’s taken as a regular player where anytime that bat is moving forward it’s dangerous if the ball gets centered,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.

With two chances to match the major league record of four homers in a game, Giambi struck out looking against Scott Mathieson(notes) in the sixth and went down swinging against J.C. Romero(notes) in the ninth.

“I was up there letting it fly, giving it some whacks,” Giambi said.

Stan Musial is the oldest player to connect three times in a game. He was 41 when he did it against the New York Mets on July 8, 1962.

Giambi hit a three-run drive into the second deck in right field in the first inning off Kyle Kendrick(notes) (3-3). He lined a two-run shot to right off Kendrick in the third. Giambi hit another two-run shot to right off Danys Baez(notes) in the fifth.

It was the third time in eight days that a big league player hit three homers in a game. Carlos Beltran(notes) did it for the New York Mets last Thursday and Toronto slugger Jose Bautista(notes) accomplished the feat Sunday.

Giambi is the 12th Rockies player to homer three times in a game. Larry Walker was the last to do it on June 25, 2004, at Cleveland. Giambi has 419 career homers and 39 multihomer games.

Kendrick started in place of Joe Blanton(notes), who was scratched minutes before the game because of soreness in his right elbow. He allowed five runs and seven hits in three innings.

“Giambi did most of the hitting. He did him in,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

When Giambi connected in the first to give the Rockies a 3-0 lead, the game was pretty much over. The NL East-leading Phillies have slumped terribly on offense. They have 10 runs and 28 hits in their last six games, going 1-5.

Giambi struck out against closer Ryan Madson(notes) with the tying run on second base to end Wednesday night’s 2-1 loss. But he looked like his old self in this one.

Before the game, Giambi made an adjustment with his stance and stood more upright.

“I just needed to get some at-bats,” he said.

Giambi was the 2000 AL MVP with Oakland when he hit .333 with 43 homers and 137 RBIs. He hit 41 homers twice with the New York Yankees, and had 32 in his last season as a full-time starter in 2008. He’s been a role player the last 2 1/2 years.

During the Barry Bonds trial this year, Giambi publicly admitted that he previously used steroids.

On a night when it rained steadily early in the game, the highlight for Phillies fans came when pitcher Cliff Lee(notes) batted for Kendrick in the third. Lee got a loud ovation from the fans who remained in their seats. He was even cheered as walked back to the dugout after striking out.

Lee, off to a subpar 2-4 start, is the fan favorite on a team filled with players who’ve accomplished more in Philadelphia.

The Phillies got their only run when Raul Ibanez(notes) hit a ground-rule double in the fourth.

NOTES: Rockies LF Carlos Gonzalez(notes) left in the third with tightness in his left groin. … Giambi’s last multihomer game was with Oakland against Toronto on May 9, 2009. … Rockies C Chris Iannetta(notes) was 0 for 5 with four strikeouts. … Phillies CF Shane Victorino(notes) (right hamstring) missed his fourth straight start. He had an MRI before the game, but didn’t know the results. He’s likely heading to the disabled list. … A crowd of 45,425 was the 158th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. … Blanton has already been sidelined this season with elbow problems, and is likely going back on the DL. … The Phillies have gone down 1-2-3 in 13 of their last 29 innings. They’ve scored more than three runs just six times in May and are 8-9 this month. … Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard(notes) is hitless in his last 20 at-bats.

Choi says that while winning The Players was a defining point in his career, those affected by the tornados are going through a low point. He wants the victims to know that their troubles are not being ignored.

The South Korean won The Players in a sudden-death playoff over David Toms for his eighth career victory on the U.S. PGA Tour. He earned $1.71 million.

Choi often will give a percentage of his earnings from a U.S. PGA Tour event to a local church in the area. This time, he is giving his money to tornado victims through his K.J. Choi Foundation, which he started four years ago to help unprivileged children around the world.

Chief neurosurgeon Dr. Geoff Manley said Wednesday that 42-year-old Bryan Stow has been weaned off of one of five anti-seizure medications since arriving Monday from a Los Angeles hospital.

He says Stow’s brain also showed no seizure activity during 30 hours of continuous monitoring.

Manley says these developments are positive but he could not predict Stow’s chances for recovery.

He says the short-term goal is to remove Stow from the remaining medications to better assess damage to his brain.

Stow was targeted by two drunken Dodger fans while wearing a Giants jersey at the game March 31. No one has been arrested in the attack.

And, finally, one decisive swing.

Bobby Abreu(notes) hit a two-run, two-out single off first-time reliever Daisuke Matsuzaka(notes) in the 13th and the Los Angeles Angels closed out a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox at 2:45 a.m. on the East Coast on Thursday.

“It was a game where there could have been some letdown,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, “but the guys hung in there and came out in the end.”

Boston, hitless for the first 6 1-3 innings, tied the score with two runs in the ninth inning and nearly won it in the 12th against Trevor Bell(notes) (1-0), but Marco Scutaro(notes) was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on Kevin Youkilis’(notes) double high off the wall in left.

“I thought that was the ball game,” Bell said. “I started to walk off the field.”

Daniel Bard(notes), who pitched the 11th and 12th for Boston, was ready to jump on it.

“When I saw the ball by Youkilis off the wall, I was on the top step ready to celebrate,” he said. “It took a perfect relay to get him. … They’re aggressive mistakes. I’d rather see that than the other way around.”

Youkilis advanced on Darnell McDonald’s(notes) infield single, but Jed Lowrie(notes) grounded out.

Running out of pitchers, Boston manager Terry Francona turned to Matsuzaka (2-3) as his seventh reliever of the night—and morning. Matsuzaka, who has started 103 games in five seasons with the Red Sox, surrendered a leadoff single to Howie Kendrick(notes). Vernon Wells(notes) flied out and Jeff Mathis(notes) popped up, but Peter Bourjos(notes) singled and Erick Aybar(notes) walked to load the bases.

“It took a lot of guts on his part,” Bard said of Matsuzaka. “He took one for the team.”

Abreu, who had been 0 for 6 with two strikeouts, then lined his single to right-center field.

“Bobby actually hit the ball pretty well,” Scioscia said. “He didn’t have a lot to show for it.”

His hit, though, gave the Angels their first win over the Red Sox in seven games this season and kept them tied for first in the AL West with the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox missed a chance to reach .500 for the first time this year as their winning streak ended at three games.

The game had been interrupted by a steady rain after Josh Beckett(notes) struck out Kendrick leading off the fifth, and Beckett didn’t return after the delay.

Los Angeles starter Ervin Santana(notes) was dominant for four innings, striking out seven and issuing one walk.

“I was really in command of all of my pitches,” he said. “No matter what time it is, we stayed together. At the end, we got it.”

Rich Thompson(notes) replaced him when the game resumed and pitched 1 2-3 hitless innings before Scott Downs(notes) retired the last batter in the sixth. Downs also got the first out in the seventh before Lowrie got Boston’s first hit on a clean single to right.

The difficulty of rescheduling the game—the series finale is Thursday afternoon and the teams had no common off day—led to the unusually long rain delay.

“Sitting around’s the worst part for everyone,” said Jason Varitek(notes), who caught all 13 innings for Boston. “It is late. Both teams grinded a lot tonight.”

In the bottom of the seventh, a cleanup crew was at work in the mostly empty bleachers. And by the end, only a few thousand spectators remained.

Adrian Gonzalez(notes) hit an RBI single in the eighth and Boston added two more in the ninth to tie it at 3.

Then Bell, who was called up April 22, allowed four hits and one walk with three strikeouts in four innings.

“He was strectched out to 100 pitches a few weeks ago in the minors,” Scioscia said.

Wells, batting .176 mostly from the fifth spot in the lineup, hit seventh for the first time in his career and connected for a two-run drive in the seventh inning. Wells’ third homer of the season scored Kendrick, who reached on a leadoff double.

Aybar added a sacrifice fly in the ninth, but Boston rallied in the bottom half.

Lowrie led off with a walk and took second on Mike Cameron’s(notes) single. Jordan Walden’s(notes) wild pitch sent Lowrie to third and when catcher Hank Conger(notes) threw wildly to try to get him, Lowrie scored. But the ball bounced and stayed in the infield when it hit third-base umpire John Hirschbeck, allowing Aybar to field it and throw Cameron out at third.

Carl Crawford(notes) then doubled, and, after Varitek struck out, Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) lined a full-count pitch to right field for the tying single.

NOTES: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia(notes) went 0 for 6 with four strikeouts. … Before the game, Scioscia said, “We’re still trying to get different dimensions of our lineup. We’re still waiting for Vernon to get going.” … Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 12 games and Gonzalez stretched his to 11. … Boston DH David Ortiz(notes) fouled a ball off his right foot in the second but stayed in the game and struck out.

A year ago he appeared to have found his way back, winning 14 games and the AL Comeback Player award. But when 2011 started, he was having problems again with control and was 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA. His spot in the rotation was in jeopardy.

Then the left-hander took the mound on a cold Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox and pitched the game of his life, a no-hitter. Now the question: Can he carry that type of effective pitching into the rest of the season?

“You know what? It’s just been a struggle and obviously in the game when you struggle, you put a lot of pressure on yourself,” Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said Wednesday.

“He’s been doing that, out in games, overthrowing and trying to do a little much to get it going. Last night by no means did he have his greatest stuff, but I think he had great results with it and with that hopefully will build some confidence with him.”

Liriano walked six and got some strong defense behind him, including one nice play by third baseman Danny Valencia(notes), who went into foul territory in the seventh to grab Carlos Quentin’s(notes) hard hopper and throw him out. Denard Span(notes) made a nice running catch of Quentin’s drive to left center in the fourth. And then in the ninth, with the tension building, first baseman Justin Morneau(notes) made a beautiful scoop of a low throw from shortstop Matt Tolbert(notes) to retire Brent Morel(notes).

Tolbert then snagged Adam Dunn’s(notes) liner to end the game.

Liriano showed up at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday morning, a little more than 12 hours after completing his 2-hour, 9-minute masterpiece—the first complete game and shutout of his pro career that began back in 2001.

He was weary. And he was the talk of the Dominican Republic.

“Yeah, I got like 55 text messages and a lot of phone calls from family back home. They were pretty happy back home,” Liriano said. “My brothers and sisters and all my friends and cousins. They called until about four in the morning.

“I didn’t sleep at all. Too many phone calls,” he said. “Thinking a lot of stuff, you know. How the game went and everything. Thinking about a lot of stuff.”

Liriano was acquired in a 2003 trade with the San Francisco Giants that also brought Joe Nathan(notes) to Minnesota in exchange for A.J. Pierzynski(notes), now the White Sox catcher.

He burst onto the scene in 2006, going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and dominating overmatched hitters with an untouchable slider. But the violent delivery caused him to develop arm problems toward the end of the season and resulted in Tommy John surgery that November.

His road back has been long and difficult. Liriano missed all of 2007, spent a good portion of the following season in the minors and then struggled to regain his form over the next two years, leading some to wonder if the power lefty would ever make it all the way back.

He went just 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA in 2009.

Liriano started last season as the Twins’ fifth starter, but a strong season of winter ball in the Dominican Republic buoyed his confidence, and he steadily worked his way to the top of the rotation as the season wore on. He won 14 games and fanned 201 batters, fifth best in the American League, while pitching a career-high 191 2-3 innings.

The Twins did not pursue any frontline starters over the offseason, hoping that Liriano could finally be the stopper they have lacked since trading Johan Santana(notes) to the New York Mets.

Liriano irked manager Ron Gardenhire and Anderson in February when he showed up to spring training a little out of shape—and told the Twins brass he had not been doing the exercises they instructed him to do to keep his arm strong through the winter.

He was limited in spring because of the soreness as he worked his way back into shape, and then got off to a terrible start in 2011.

Now, all is forgiven.

“It was a big pick-us-up that everyone gets to enjoy in this clubhouse. I’m really happy for the young man,” Gardenhire said. “He’s worked so hard and takes the game so personal. He feels terrible when he doesn’t get the job done out there on the mound, so it’s good to see him with a big smile on his face and the guys slapping him on the back and beating him around after a win.

It’s exciting for us all, we needed a win,” Gardenhire said. “We’d lost six in a row. To get a no-hitter on top is a big bonus.”

Gardenhire isn’t sure when Liriano will make his next start. It could come Monday at Fenway Park or Tuesday before the home crowd at Target Field against Detroit.

Liriano threw 123 pitches and only 66 of them for strikes Thursday night

“I’m not that sore today. If they give me the extra day that will be fine for me,” Liriano said. “I was getting a little tired but not that bad.”

Anderson said his job had been to keep Liriano upbeat during his poor start. Now he wants to make sure his lefty stays on an even keel, moving ahead without changing what he accomplished Tuesday night. Cutting down on the walks will be one point of emphasis—he has 24 in 32 2-3 innings.

“The pitching coach’s job is not just mechanics and game plans and what nots,” Anderson said. “It’s to keep your mental part of it. My biggest things with him was trying to keep him confident. Now probably my biggest things is to keep him right where he should be.”

AP Baseball Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Andre Ethier(notes) is now halfway to Joltin’ Joe.

The Dodgers’ All-Star right fielder extended his hitting streak to 28 games with an infield RBI single that capped a three-run fifth inning, and Clayton Kershaw(notes) pitched seven strong innings in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

“Only halfway? It’s nothing to get too caught up in or excited about right now,” Ethier said with a grin. “There’s still a long way to go. I’m more happy about Kershaw getting back on track and us bouncing back after two tough losses to San Diego.”

Ethier, who kept his streak alive with a grounder to deep shortstop that Starlin Castro(notes) couldn’t make a play on, is three games shy of the Dodgers franchise record that Willie Davis set in 1969.

“It’s neat to be a part of this and keep it going, but I’m not going up there every at-bat just to extend the streak. I want to get my knocks and do my damage offensively,” Ethier said. “I mean, if the streak wasn’t going on, I’d be just as (upset) if I got out no matter what the situation was.”

Ethier is batting .393 during his streak with three homers and 17 RBIs, a stretch in which the Dodgers have gone 13-15. Davis’ streak included all 28 games he played in August and his first three games in September. He batted .435 during that stretch with one homer and 23 RBIs, while the Dodgers went 13-18.

Kershaw (3-3) allowed two runs and eight hits, including Alfonso Soriano’s(notes) major league-leading 11th homer leading off the seventh. The 23-year-old left-hander struck out four and did not walk a batter for the first time in seven starts this season.

“It was more of a testament to their aggressiveness,” Kershaw said. “I mean, it’s good not to walk anybody and make them beat you, especially with a lead. Tonight was a battle. I didn’t really have anything to put guys away with. It wasn’t great, but I got the job done. And we got some runs early, which was nice.”

Vicente Padilla(notes) pitched a perfect eighth and Jonathan Broxton(notes) did likewise in the ninth for his sixth save in seven attempts.

James Russell(notes) (1-4) gave up five runs and six hits over 4 2-3 innings in his fourth major league start, dropping the Cubs’ record to 0-10 when their starters fail to reach the sixth. The left-hander, inserted into the rotation because of an injury to No. 5 starter Andrew Cashner(notes), is 0-4 with a 10.05 ERA in that role.

One consolation for Russell: He got his first big league hit with a single in the second inning.

“We’re pitching guys that are stretched out and are giving us everything they’ve got,” manager Mike Quade said. “I mean, I didn’t look at Russell as a starter, but he’s starting for us and he’s taken that role and done the best he can with it. He’s gotten better, and I think his approach tonight was better. So we’ll see what happens down the road, as far as Russell’s concerned. But at this point, he’s done a nice job.”

The Cubs opened the scoring in the first against Kershaw with a two-out RBI double by Geovany Soto(notes) after the team went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position during Sunday’s 4-3 loss at Arizona.

Until then, the Dodgers were the only team in the majors that hadn’t allowed a first-inning run at home.

The Dodgers pulled ahead with two runs in the second. Matt Kemp(notes) singled, stole second and came home when Juan Uribe(notes) got the green light from rookie manager Don Mattingly on a 3-0 pitch and doubled over the head of right fielder Reed Johnson(notes). Rookie Ivan DeJesus Jr., whose father played shortstop for the Cubs and Dodgers and is now Chicago’s third base coach, drove in Uribe with a single inside first base.

The Dodgers didn’t get another hit until the fifth, when Rod Barajas(notes) led off with a double and rookie Jerry Sands(notes) hit a two-run double. Ethier chased Russell with his RBI single.

NOTES: Sunday night’s spontaneous chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” by fans at the Mets-Phillies game after they got word of Osama bin Laden’s death brought back poignant memories for Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday. He elicited a similar reaction from the Dodger Stadium crowd in 1976, when it burst into a chorus of “God Bless America” right after he snatched a flag away from two protesters who attempted to set fire to it in the outfield while he was playing for the Cubs. “I did not have the game on last night, but I saw the replay of what the people did and I got chills watching it—not as a flashback on what I did, but because of what we’re doing right now as a country,” said Monday, who spent six years in the Marine Corps reserves. “On 9/11, we got really close. And to see the reaction of what took place last night (everywhere in the country), and then to see it carry over to today does not surprise me at all. I’m glad we’re coming together as one again.” … Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster(notes), who turns 34 on Tuesday, will be pitching on his birthday for the first time in 14 big league seasons when he opposes RHP Chad Billingsley(notes). Dempster is 7-3 with a 2.81 career ERA against the Dodgers in 23 appearances, including 13 starts.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another and now their early season rut has made history of sorts. A 6-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night left the White Sox with a 10-18 mark in April—the most losses in franchise history for the opening month.

“The league is not going to be feeling sorry for us or wait for us or nothing. We are going to have to play and play through it and start winning some ball games,” acting manager Joey Cora said.

Chicago lost for the 14th time in 17 games and second straight under Cora. Cora filled in again as Guillen completed a two-game suspension for remarks he made about an umpire on Twitter after he ejected from a game at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.

Humber, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his previous start against the Yankees, allowed only two runs and three hits in seven innings.

One of those hits was a homer to No. 9 batter Robert Andino(notes) and another run scored on a wild pitch that eluded catcher A.J. Pierzynski(notes), who had trouble behind the plate.

“Our job is to go out there and go deep in the ball game and keep us close and give our offense a chance,” Humber said. “Right now we’re not scoring a whole lot of runs, but I think that is going to turn around, I really do. I’ve got all the faith in the world in these guys. … Hopefully it turns around for us pretty quick.”

Andino led off the third with his first homer of the season—and seventh in parts of seven major league seasons—to put Baltimore up 2-0. The Orioles took an early lead when Brian Roberts(notes) doubled to lead off the game, went to third on a fly ball and scored on Humber’s wild pitch, a low delivery that eluded Pierzynski.

“I wish I could take one pitch back, the one to Andino,” Humber said. “Other than that pitch and not being there to cover home in the first inning that kinda of bit us there. Other than that I threw the ball pretty well.”

Chicago had the bases loaded with no outs in the sixth but scored just one run on a sacrifice fly as reliever Mike Gonzalez struck out Adam Dunn(notes) and Pierzynski.

Andino also snuffed out a Chicago rally in the fourth when the White Sox had first and second and no outs. He made a diving stop on Alex Rios’(notes) grounder behind the bag and started a double play with a nice flip to Roberts.

“It seems like we’re one hit away, one play away in some of these games and that’s how it is early in a season sometimes,” said Paul Konerko(notes), adding that the White Sox also started slowly last season. Then they went on a 26-5 tear.

Leading 2-1, the Orioles tacked on four runs in the eighth, an inning featuring a passed ball and error on Chicago catcher Pierzynski, some daring baserunning by Andino and a two-run single by Vladimir Guerrero(notes).

Andino singled in the eighth off Matt Thornton(notes) and stole second. When Roberts struck out, the ball got by Pierzynski, who retrieved it and threw low to Dunn at first. Dunn caught the one-hop throw but his relay to the plate was too late to get Andino, who scored all the way from second.

“Usually A.J. is very good at that,” Cora said. “Once in a while it’s going to happen. It just happened. We had a tough time today.”

Nick Markakis(notes) followed with a single and Derrek Lee(notes) walked to load the bases before Guerrero delivered a two-run single past third. Luke Scott’s(notes) sacrifice fly made it 6-1 and the struggling Thornton—who was supposed to be the closer before blowing four early save chances—was booed as he left the mound.

Rios hit his first homer of the season in the ninth to make it 6-2.

NOTES: Guillen said he watched Friday night’s 10-4 loss on TV. He said that more difficult than from the dugout because he has to watch replays and can still hear the booing. He said he was in the parking lot and then went home Friday night. “It was painful to watch as a fan,” he said. … Dunn, who underwent an appendectomy and was 7 for 61 over his previous 17 games, got his first start at first base for the White Sox after serving for 20 games as a DH. He went 1 for 4 Saturday night. … RHP Jake Peavy(notes) (shoulder) is scheduled to make his next rehab start on May 5 for the White Sox’s Triple-A Charlotte team and throw 100 pitches.

McDowell also is accused of using a baseball bat to threaten a fan objecting to his actions.

The former major league reliever apologized in a statement, but the team barred him from the bench heading into a three-game series against St. Louis.

General manager Frank Wren said he hopes to have the investigation wrapped up by end of the weekend, and added that any punishment would be coordinated with Major League Baseball.

The de facto suspension of McDowell came hours after the team announced it was looking into the arrest Thursday night of starting pitcher Derek Lowe(notes) on drunken-driving charges, a double dose of trouble for a team that has always prided itself on avoiding off-the-field incidents.

Wren addressed that very issue in a closed team meeting Friday, shortly before the Braves went out for batting practice.

“We have a long-standing reputation in this community and in Major League Baseball that we’re very proud of,” Wren said. “Unfortunately, mistakes have been made, and we’ll deal with them at the appropriate time after careful consideration of all the facts.

“Everyone,” he added, “is very mindful of the position we have and, going forward, being more diligent in making sure we uphold that reputation we’re so proud of.”

While Wren wouldn’t discuss possible sanctions, manager Fredi Gonzalez said he doesn’t expect the incident to cost McDowell his job.

“In my opinion, it shouldn’t. It really shouldn’t,” Gonzalez said. “I’m sure there’s some hoops he’s going to go through, some apologizing, which he should have to go through. But for a person to lose their job, I wouldn’t think so. I hope it doesn’t.”

The altercation at AT&T Park in San Francisco took place last Saturday during pregame batting practice. Justin Quinn was in the stands with his wife and 9-year-old twin daughters when he noticed McDowell hectoring three men and asking them, “Are you guys a homo couple or a threesome?”

After the coach made crude sexual gestures with his hips and a bat, Quinn said he shouted, “Hey there are kids out here.” According to Quinn, McDowell said kids don’t belong at a baseball park, picked up a bat, walked up to Quinn and asked him, “How much are your teeth worth?”

Quinn said he felt threatened and was unsure whether McDowell intended to hit him.

“My kids are in panic mode … they’re like grabbing onto me,” Quinn said Wednesday during a news conference at the office of prominent Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred. “I’m talking to him, trying to calm him down and the kids are screaming.”

Some parents who were in the stands with their children began to boo at McDowell and came down to retrieve their kids. Quinn said that eventually McDowell walked away.

“I am deeply sorry that I responded to the heckling fans in San Francisco,” McDowell said in a statement, his only public comment on the matter. “I apologize to everyone for my actions.”

Allred said Friday she was “very pleased” by the Braves’ action, adding that she spoke with baseball commissioner Bud Selig about the incident earlier in the day.

“I have been contacted by other fans who allege that they witnessed the incidents in question and who state that they corroborate the conduct which we allege,” Allred said in an email. “We are providing all relevant evidence to the commissioner for his investigation. We appreciate the fact that the commissioner has indicated to me that the alleged behavior, if verified, would be completely unacceptable and that appropriate action will be taken at the conclusion of the investigation. We look forward to the results.”

Selig already called the allegations “very troubling” and said he would await the results of the team’s investigation.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called on the Braves and Major League Baseball to take “real disciplinary action and send the message that anti-gay slurs have no place in sports.”

“Professional sporting events should be an environment that all fans and families can enjoy, not a place where children are exposed to violent threats and discriminatory language,” said the alliance’s president, Jarrett Barrios.

The Braves’ minor league pitching coordinator, Dave Wallace, will take over for McDowell during the investigation.

McDowell was a star reliever with the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, playing a key role on New York’s World Series-winning club in 1986. He has been Atlanta’s pitching coach since 2005, earning praise for his work in developing young hurlers Tommy Hanson(notes) and Jair Jurrjens(notes).

“He’s the most consistent guy I’ve ever been around,” Gonzalez said. “A solid, solid, solid person.”

Manager Charlie Manuel said Oswalt said nothing about being injured. Still, Manuel said, his ace right-hander “wasn’t right.”

That was obvious.

Daniel Hudson(notes) doubled in two runs to help earn his first victory of the season and the Arizona Diamondbacks ended Oswalt’s string of 10 consecutive winning decisions by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 on Tuesday night.

Oswalt (3-1) allowed five runs on six hits with no strikeouts and one walk. He threw 57 pitches, 36 strikes.

“His stuff wasn’t good,” Manuel said. “His stuff wasn’t crisp and his velocity was down. I figured there was no sense in leaving him out there.”

Manuel said Oswalt didn’t say anything about an injury. Still, the manager said he was a “little concerned.”

“We will see what happens,” Manuel said. “He wasn’t right.”

The right-hander had given up five runs in 24 innings in his first four starts this season and had not been the losing pitcher since a July 30, 2010, outing at Washington.

Catcher Brian Schneider(notes) said Oswalt’s bullpen session was great and there was no indication anything was physically wrong.

“The Roy we have seen the last couple of outings, all the changes were down,” Schneider said. “He had a lot of swings and misses. Guys were chasing with two strikes. Tonight they were still at it but up in the zone was where they put the ball in play. They found a lot of holes tonight.”

Hudson (1-4) scattered 10 hits in six innings, giving up two runs, striking out six with no walks. His two-run double off Oswalt in Arizona’s three-run second inning put the Diamondbacks ahead for good.

Hudson allowed a first-inning run but, with runners at second and third and one out, struck out Matt Francisco and got Raul Ibanez(notes) to fly out deep to left.

“It’s definitely huge the way I’ve been struggling to get out of a jam like that,” Hudson said. “It really kind of got my confidence and said `We can do better than this.”’

The win over Oswalt followed the Diamondbacks’ 4-0 victory over the Phillies’ Cliff Lee(notes) in the series opener on Monday. Arizona goes for its first sweep of the season when the Diamondbacks face Cole Hamels(notes) in a Wednesday afternoon game.

“We need to go on a run,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. “That’s what good teams do.”

The Phillies, winners of five in a row coming into Arizona, stranded 10 in losing their second series of the season.

“We left guys on base all night,” Manuel said. “We did have better swings and we hit some balls hard tonight but we stranded 10 runners. We had chances there but we didn’t get the job done. It is improvement from previous nights, yes. We haven’t been getting that many guys on base and we haven’t been scoring four or five runs. We will, we have been there before.”

Francisco’s two-run home run off David Hernandez(notes) in the ninth marked the first time in 14 games the Phillies had topped four runs.

Ryan Roberts(notes) drove in two runs with an RBI single off Oswalt in the third and a solo homer off the left field foul pole against reliever Mike Zagurski(notes) in the sixth. He also made an outstanding over-the-rail catch of a foul ball to end the third.

Kelly Johnson(notes) singled twice, stole second twice and scored two times for the Diamondbacks, who had five players with at least one RBI.

The bottom of the order did the damage for Arizona in the second after the Phillies had jumped ahead 1-0.

With two outs and a runner at first, Juan Miranda(notes) drew a walk, then Gerardo Parra(notes) singled to left to bring in the tying run. Hudson doubled to deep right-center—perhaps the hardest-hit ball off Oswalt on a night of soft singles—to bring in both runners and give the Diamondbacks a 3-1 lead.

It was the 24-year-old Hudson’s fourth hit, first for extra bases, in seven at-bats this season.

Shane Victorino(notes), who tripled to lead off the game, started Philadelphia’s third with a single. After Placido Polanco(notes) grounded into a fielder’s choice, Jimmy Rollins(notes) and Ryan Howard(notes) singled, the second bringing in a run to cut it to 3-2. Ben Francisco(notes) popped out, then the third baseman Roberts made a standout over-the-rail catch of Raul Ibanez’s foul ball to end the inning.

In Arizona’s third, Johnson led off with a single, stole second and took third on Justin Upton’s’(notes) groundout. Drew brought him home with an RBI single, went to second on Miguel Montero’s(notes) groundout, then scored when Roberts singled to put Arizona up 5-2.

Diamondbacks’ relievers loaded the bases on walks with two outs in the Philadelphia seventh before Esmerling Vasquez(notes) came on to get pinch-hitter John Mayberry(notes) to fly out to right. Johnson singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch with two outs in the seventh, then scored when Upton singled to make it 7-3.

NOTES: Hudson has allowed 10 first-inning runs in his five starts. … Philadelphia remains two shy of its franchise record for most wins in April (17). … Arizona closer J.J. Putz’s(notes) wife gave birth to the couple’s fourth child, daughter Addison Elizabeth, at 3:47 p.m. Tuesday. … Johnson stole two bases in a game for the fourth time in his career.

He just wasn’t missing.

Weaver scattered seven hits, but won for the sixth straight start this season, and the Angels snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over Gio Gonzalez(notes) and the Athletics on Monday night.

“Coming into the game, you know that Oakland’s hitters are kind of patient, for the most part,” Weaver said. “But they came in and took some early hacks— which was kind of surprising. So I had to throw some off-speed stuff early. What you want to do is get ahead with first-pitch strikes. My location is a lot better and I’m feeling real good out there mechanically.”

Weaver, last year’s major league strikeout leader, threw first-pitch strikes to each of his first 15 batters and finished with 10 Ks. He walked one and allowed only one runner as far as third base, lowering his ERA to a major league-best 0.99 and overtaking Josh Johnson’s(notes) 1.06 mark with Florida.

Weaver threw 114 pitches while sending Oakland to its third shutout loss in five games. It was his third shutout and fourth complete game in 150 career starts.

The Angels were coming off a four-game sweep by Boston in which they were beaten 5-0 and 7-0 in the last two games.

“Obviously, we didn’t do what we wanted to do against Boston, but our boys came to play tonight and were able to get me a couple of runs early off a great pitcher,” Weaver said. “It wasn’t just me. The guys played great defense behind me.”

The right-hander, who had won only one of his previous 11 starts against the A’s, beat Texas 4-1 with a six-hitter last Wednesday. He didn’t get his sixth victory last season until June 13, and it took him 14 starts to do it.

“He did a good job of keeping us off-balance,” Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki(notes) said. “We got our hits, but when he needed to make a pitch, he made a pitch. And he mixes it up. When you’re sitting on an off-speed pitch, he throws a fastball. He throws everything, and he throws it for strikes.”

Weaver got his 70th career victory, reaching that total with a better winning percentage (.642) than anyone in the franchise’s 51-year history. The previous best was .588, by Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana.

Weaver began his big league career in 2006 by going 9-0 in his first 12 starts after he was promoted from the minors two months into the season. He is the first pitcher in the majors with six victories in his team’s first 23 games since Randy Johnson(notes) did it with the 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks.

“Obviously, the run support really wasn’t there too much last year, but I still wanted to compete and give us a chance to win,” Weaver said. “But those guys have been helping me out a lot so far, and that’s definitely contributed to my success so far. Anytime you get five runs midway through the game, it takes a lot of pressure off your shoulders and you can go out there and attack the hitters.”

Gonzalez (2-2) was charged with five runs—four earned—and eight hits in five innings while striking out five. It was only the second time in the left-hander’s last 20 starts that he didn’t pitch at least six innings. The A’s have totaled four runs in his last four outings, including a 1-0 win at Minnesota.

“Our whole pitching staff as a whole, they don’t worry about who they’re going up against,” Suzuki said. “Maybe it comes into play, but when they go out there, their mindset is to keep the team in the ballgame and give us a chance to win. Gio got his ground balls, but they hit some balls hard and strung some hits together. Gio’s tough to hit against, so when a team scores runs off him, it’s a credit to them.”

The Angels took the lead in the second inning on a two-run single by Howie Kendrick(notes) that ended their string of 24 consecutive scoreless innings against opposing starters.

“Gio’s been a guy who doesn’t really give up a lot of runs, like Weaver,” Kendrick said. “He was trying to attack the zone tonight and we just came out aggressive as a team. The last series against Boston we weren’t as aggressive as we could be, but tonight we were against a good pitcher and it worked out for us.”

The Angels were shut out in three straight contests only once in franchise history. That was in June 1978, when Jon Matlack and Doc Medich of the Texas Rangers and Rich Gale of the Kansas City Royals all pitched complete games against them.

Notes: Oakland LF Josh Willingham(notes) left the game in the sixth because of tightness in the left side of his upper back. … Oakland LHP Brian Fuentes(notes) returned to Anaheim for the first time since the Angels traded their former closer to Minnesota last August. The four-time All-Star, who led the majors with a career-best 48 saves for the Halos in 2009, has six saves in seven chances with Oakland while filling in for injured closer Andrew Bailey(notes).

Even so, Will Venable’s(notes) RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday merely denied the Philadelphia Phillies and their sensational pitching staff a third shutout during the course of a four-game sweep.

Halladay tied his career high with 14 strikeouts and the Phillies beat the Padres 3-1 for their fifth straight win.

Halladay (3-1) took a two-hitter into the ninth before allowing three singles, including Venable’s run-scoring base hit. Antonio Bastardo(notes) came on with runners on first and third and got pinch-hitter Nick Hundley(notes) to fly out to left on his first pitch for his first save.

“I felt good,” Halladay said. “Even at the end I felt good. It was one of those days where, especially through the middle innings, there weren’t a lot of high-stress pitches, and I think that plays a part into it, especially being able to throw more pitches. If you’re doing it with the bases loaded every inning, it takes a different toll.”

Halladay’s 130 pitches were the most in the majors this year.

Halladay was so dominant, mostly with his changeup and curveball, that San Diego didn’t get a baserunner past first base until the ninth. He allowed only five singles while walking one. Halladay, who struck out at least 10 for the 12th time in his career, fanned six straight at one point. He struck out everyone in the lineup except pitcher Wade LeBlanc(notes).

Halladay retired 16 in a row until the ninth.

“He’s one of the best in all of baseball,” San Diego manager Bud Black said. “He was on today. We got to him but it was a little bit too late.”

Halladay also struck out 14 on June 2, 2009, against the Angels.

Cameron Maybin(notes) singled leading off the Padres’ ninth and was erased at second on Jason Bartlett’s(notes) dribbler. Chase Headley’s(notes) single to left-center moved Maybin to third and he scored on Venable’s hit.

“They were just balls over the middle of the plate,” Halladay said. “I think especially Maybin, I thought he went up looking first-pitch ambush and he got a pitch he could handle. The last one was more a mistake on my part leaving the ball over the plate. If you go with something soft there or something down in the zone, we’re OK.”

Said Headley: “You certainly don’t want to put yourself in a position to salvage a game against a guy like him. If he’s not the No. 1 guy in baseball, he’s close.”

On Thursday night, Roy Oswalt(notes) and three relievers combined for a four-hit, 3-0 win. On Friday night, Cole Hamels(notes) held his hometown Padres to four hits in eight innings in a 2-0 win.

San Diego did manage to score on Saturday night, but lost 4-2 to Joe Blanton(notes).

Shane Victorino(notes) hit an inside-the-park home run leading off the seventh inning when his drive into the gap in right-center came off Venable’s glove as his arm hit the ground while trying to make a diving catch. The ball rolled into center as Victorino rounded the bases and came in with a headfirst slide. It was the first of his career.

“I saw the ball go in the gap and I thought Venable had a good chance to catch the ball,” Victorino said. “I saw him dive for the ball. At first I thought he caught it and then I located where the ball was. The whole time I was running hard and Juan Samuel kept sending me and I kept going.”

The Phillies have won 11 straight at Petco Park, and 15 of 16, since the 2008 season.

The Phillies opened the sixth inning with four straight hits to score two runs before LeBlanc limited the damage. Jimmy Rollins(notes) and Ryan Howard(notes) singled, Ben Francisco(notes) had an RBI single to left and John Mayberry(notes) Jr. an RBI double to left. After Carlos Ruiz(notes) was intentionally walked to load the bases, Francisco was forced at home and Halladay hit into an inning-ending double play.

LeBlanc (0-1), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Tucson to make the start, allowed three runs and nine hits in eight innings, walked four and struck out two.

NOTES: Victorino’s inside-the-park HR was the first for the Phillies since Chase Utley(notes) did it on July 9, 2009, against Cincinnati. It was the first against San Diego since Colorado’s Garrett Atkins(notes) on Sept. 23, 2007. That homer came about when left fielder Milton Bradley(notes) stepped on center fielder Mike Cameron’s(notes) right hand while the two pursued the ball. … The Padres made room for LeBlanc by optioning reliever Pat Neshek(notes) to Triple-A Tucson. Manager Bud Black said the Padres will likely need to make another move to bring a reliever back up.

Rodriguez hit a milestone grand slam and drove in six runs, CC Sabathia(notes) earned his first win of the season and the New York Yankees pounded the Baltimore Orioles 15-3 on Saturday night.

Rodriguez connected with the bases full against Josh Rupe(notes) in a seven-run eighth inning. It was his 22nd career slam, pushing him past Manny Ramirez(notes) into second place on the career list behind only Lou Gehrig (23).

“It’s definitely exciting. I appreciate the moment,” Rodriguez said. “I think I’ve grown and matured to a level now where I can appreciate it some and not just brush it off like I did in the past.”

The six RBIs also lifted Rodriguez past Carl Yastrzemski into 10th place on the career RBI list (1,847), according to Elias Sports Bureau.

“Without question, I’m going to appreciate (the accomplishments) a lot more once I’m done playing,” he said. “But overall, I played with a lot of great players. Numbers like RBIs and wins and championships, you need 25 guys, 24 other guys helping you.”

A-Rod had plenty of help in this blowout. Russell Martin(notes) homered twice, and Jorge Posada(notes) and Brett Gardner(notes) also connected for the Yankees, who lead the majors with 35 home runs.

Sabathia (1-1) allowed three runs and six hits in eight innings, striking out seven and walking one. The performance came one night after his scheduled start was postponed by a rainout.

“Maybe that extra day did help him,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I saw him (Friday) and he looked OK, but you know he had a low-grade fever and wasn’t feeling great.”

Sabathia came in with a 2.52 ERA, but was winless after four starts for only the third time in his career.

The left-hander’s elusive first victory of the year came against a team he has dominated for years. In 21 starts against Baltimore, he’s 15-2 with a 2.89 ERA.

What’s up with that?

“I have no idea because the lineup is always different,” Sabathia said. “It’s just one of those things, one of those parks.”

But the story was Rodriguez, whose ability to repeatedly come up with a clutch hit is probably no accident.

“It credits the amount of work he’s been able to do, and how gifted and talented he is when you get guys on,” teammate Curtis Granderson(notes) said. “The guy never cracks and just takes advantage of all the opportunities.”

Adam Jones(notes) homered for the Orioles, who have lost 27 of their last 34 games against New York.

Brad Bergesen(notes) (0-3) gave up six runs and eight hits in six innings. He’s 0-3 with a 7.29 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.

“It’s a great hitting lineup, and a couple pitches really hurt me,” Bergesen said. “This lineup, you’re not going to get away with a whole lot and it was evident tonight.”

Four of the first five New York batters reached base in a three-run first inning. After Derek Jeter(notes) singled and took third on Mark Teixeira’s(notes) double, Rodriguez hit a two-run double and Robinson Cano(notes) capped the uprising with an RBI single.

After one turn through the lineup, the Yankees produced three runs on five hits. Baltimore, in contrast, went 0 for 9 with three strikeouts.

Sabathia retired the first 11 batters before Derrek Lee(notes) singled with two outs in the fourth.

Bergesen rebounded from his shaky start to pitch well through the fifth inning, but in the sixth he gave up a single to Cano and walked Nick Swisher(notes) before Martin homered.

Jones hit a three-run drive in the seventh, but New York pulled away in the eighth against three Baltimore relievers. Posada hit a two-run shot off Jason Berken(notes) and Martin immediately followed with his sixth home run of the season. Then, after the Yankees loaded the bases against Jeremy Accardo(notes), Rodriguez hit a 2-0 pitch into the left field seats.

Before that outburst, New York was the only team in the majors that had not scored at least four runs in an inning.

After Rupe hit Martin in the back with a pitch in the ninth, Gardner hit his first homer of the season.

Rupe said the brushback pitch was completely accidental.

“I had no intent to hit him. I looked at the video and it didn’t look good,” the pitcher said. “But there’s no way that I would intentionally go at somebody’s head or go way up there. I know how to hit a guy when the situation calls for it and that wasn’t it. No, I wouldn’t do it.”

Notes: Cano extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He’s 19 for 49 (.388) during that span. … Brian Roberts(notes) has hit in 10 straight for Baltimore. … Jeter (2 for 17), Gardner (0 for 16) and Posada (2 for 20) ended prolonged slumps.