AL roundup: Teagarden, Padilla help push Rangers past Twins
MINNEAPOLIS -- Taylor Teagarden broke up Scott Baker's perfect-game bid with a sixth-inning home run for his first career hit, and Vicente Padilla pitched the Texas Rangers past the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on Sunday.
The Rangers denied the Twins their fourth series sweep over the past month, handing them just their eighth defeat in the last 31 games. Baker (6-3) took a hard-luck loss, his first in six starts.
Padilla (11-5), activated from the disabled list before the game, gave up three hits in seven innings. He threw just 80 pitches, and though Rangers manager Ron Washington said before the game that Padilla wasn't on a pitch count, he was relieved by Eddie Guardado to start the eighth.
C.J. Wilson pitched the ninth for his 23rd save, and 15th straight.
Joe Mauer walked with two outs in the ninth and advanced to third on a wild pitch that Teagarden had trouble finding, but Justin Morneau grounded out to end the game.
Baker retired the first 17 Rangers who came to bat and by the time Teagarden stepped to the plate in the sixth, the crowd of 36,029 had begun to catch on. Baker received ovations before all three of his two-out, two-strike pitches to the rookie. Full story
Tigers 5, Orioles 1
BALTIMORE -- Justin Verlander came within an out of completing a three-hitter, Magglio Ordonez and Marcus Thames hit solo homers, and the Detroit Tigers handed the Baltimore Orioles their 15th consecutive Sunday loss.
Ryan Raburn had two RBI for the Tigers, who gained a split of the four-game series to move back to .500 (49-49).
Verlander (8-9) was replaced by Todd Jones after allowing his second walk of the ninth inning. Jones then walked Aubrey Huff before retiring Kevin Millar on a grounder to end it.
Verlander retired 16 consecutive batters between a second-inning double by Luke Scott and a seventh-inning double by Millar. The only other hit against the right-hander was an eighth-inning single by Guillermo Quiroz.
Blue Jays 9, Rays 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Alex Rios and Marco Scutaro homered and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep with a victory over the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Scutaro hit a three-run homer off Edwin Jackson (5-7) during the fifth to put the Blue Jays ahead 6-4. Rios had a two-run homer in the third and added a run-scoring double during a three-run seventh that extended Toronto's lead to 9-4.
Reliever Shawn Camp (3-1) threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win. The Blue Jays won for just the fourth time in their last 17 road games.
Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena had solo homers for the Rays, who dropped to 38-15 at home this season. Tampa Bay took two of three in the weekend series, but has lost eight of 10 overall.
Indians 6, Mariners 2
SEATTLE -- Cliff Lee followed up his All-Star start with his second complete game of the season, scattering 11 hits Sunday in the Cleveland Indians' victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Lee became the American League's first 13-game winner and Kelly Shoppach ended an 0-for-13 funk with a decisive, three-run homer off injured starter Carlos Silva in the fourth.
Shoppach tied a career high with four RBI, helping Cleveland to its second consecutive win following 10 straight road defeats -- its longest such skid since 1991.
Seattle flopped to 22 games below .500 at the bottom of the AL West.
