Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Russell Martin crushed a game-winning home run in
the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the New York Yankees to a 2-1 victory
over the Oakland Athletics in the opener of a crucial three-game set at Yankee
Stadium. New York held a 1-0 lead entering the ninth, but closer Rafael
Soriano gave up a one-out, pinch-hit blast to Brandon Moss to send the game to
extra innings. David Robertson (2-7) then retired the A's in order in the top
of the 10th before Martin jumped on the second pitch in the bottom half and
launched it into the left-field seats to send the Yankees to their sixth
straight victory. Sean Doolittle (1-1) was tagged with the loss after giving
up Martin's solo shot, as Oakland lost for the fourth time in their last five
games. The Yankees remain one game ahead of Baltimore atop the AL East after
the O's downed Tampa Bay on Friday. The A's dropped one game behind the
Orioles for the first AL wild card slot, but hold a four-game lead over the
Angels for the final playoff spot in the AL.
Final Score: Baltimore 4, Boston 2
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Twenty-one proved to be the Baltimore Orioles'
lucky number against nemesis Jon Lester. Matt Wieters drove in three runs and
the Orioles posted a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, pinning a
loss on Lester for the first time in 21 career starts. Rookie Miguel Gonzalez
(7-4) gave up two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings for Baltimore, which
remained one game behind New York in the AL East but moved one game ahead of
Oakland for the top wild card spot. The Yankees beat the Athletics in extras
on Friday. Darren O'Day pitched a 1 2/3 flawless innings in relief of
Gonzalez, while Jim Johnson worked the ninth for his 46th save, a new Orioles'
single-season record. Lester (9-13) allowed four runs on eight hits and walked
three in seven frames. He entered the series-opener 14-0 with a 2.49 ERA
against the Orioles.
Final Score: Tampa Bay 12, Toronto 1
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Luke Scott smacked a pair of two-run
doubles and James Shields fired seven shutout innings in the Tampa Bay Rays'
12-1 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game set. Shields
(15-9) fanned nine and scattered six hits while walking one for the Rays, who
have won three straight and sit 4 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles and
Oakland Athletics for the two AL wild card spots. Jose Molina smacked a two-
run homer and drove in three and Ben Zobrist added a solo shot and two runs
scored in the win. Carlos Villanueva (7-6) surrendered seven runs on eight
hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings for Toronto, which has dropped eight of
its last 10 contests.
Minnesota at Detroit, postponed
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Friday's game between the Minnesota Twins and
Detroit Tigers has been postponed due to inclement weather. The contest will
be made up Sunday as part of a day-night doubleheader with a start time of
7:05 pm (ET).
The Sports Network