Cleveland, OH (Best E Casino) - Ryan Garko went 4-for-4 and drove in five runs to carry the
Cleveland Indians to their sixth straight win, 10-5, over Detroit, completing a weekend sweep of the Tigers. Victor Martinez had a pair of hits, recorded an RBI and scored three times in the 2008 home finale for the Indians, who beat the Tigers for a seventh straight time. Scott Lewis (3-0) allowed eight hits and three runs over five innings to win for the third time in as many major league starts. Lewis, selected in the third round of the 2004 draft out of the Ohio State, also had six strikeouts and three walks. The victory allowed the Indians to move above .500 (78-77) for the first time since May 17 (22-21). Dontrelle Willis (0-2) was blistered for five hits and six runs over 2 1/3 innings. The lefty also walked six batters, as the Tigers lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
Final Score: Boston 3, Toronto 0
Toronto, ON (Best E Casino) - David Ortiz belted a two-run homer and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched seven shutout innings, as the Boston Red Sox crept closer to a playoff berth with a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the finale of a three-game set from the Rogers Centre. Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-4 with a triple, two doubles and a pair of runs scored for Boston, which ensured no worse than a playoff for a wild card berth with just its second win in five games. The New York Yankees beat Baltimore on Sunday, to keep alive the possibility that the Yankees and Red Sox would be tied for the wild card spot at season's end. Boston, however, can wrap up its fifth postseason appearance in six years with a win against Cleveland on Monday. The Red Sox also moved within 1 1/2 games of Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East after the Rays lost at home to Minnesota, 4-1, Sunday afternoon. Matsuzaka (18-2) surrendered just two hits with two walks and had six strikeouts to win consecutive starts for the first time since August 14-19. Vernon Wells had two hits for the Blue Jays, who lost for the second time in five games. Scott Richmond (0-3), in his fourth major league start for Toronto and first since August 10, took the loss. He was charged with three runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts in five innings.
Final Score: Minnesota 4, Tampa Bay 1
St. Petersburg, FL (Best E Casino) - Francisco Liriano hurled seven solid innings as Minnesota topped Tampa Bay, 4-1, in the finale of a four-game series at Tropicana Field. Liriano (6-3) allowed just one run on five hits while walking four and fanning seven for the Twins, who won for just the second time in eight games and remained 2 1/2 games behind Chicago in the AL Central. The White Sox blanked Kansas City, 3-0, on Sunday. Minnesota welcomes Chicago to the Metrodome in Minneapolis for three games starting Monday. Joe Mauer finished 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and a run scored for Minnesota, while Mike Redmond, Adam Everett and Carlos Gomez each drove in a run. Carlos Pena had the only RBI for the Rays, who clinched a postseason berth for the first time in franchise history by beating the Twins on Saturday but saw their lead in the AL East shrink to 1 1/2 games after second-place Boston beat Toronto, 3-0, on Sunday. Tampa Bay's magic number for clinching the division remains at seven.
Final Score: Chicago 3, Kansas City 0
Kansas City, MO (Best E Casino) - Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer and John Danks scattered four hits over seven-plus scoreless innings as Chicago topped Kansas City, 3-0, in the finale of a three-game series from Kauffman Stadium. Danks (11-8) fanned three and walked one to record his first win since August 16. Jim Thome knocked in the other run for the White Sox, who maintained a 2 1/2 game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central. The Twins topped Tampa Bay, 4-1, earlier Sunday. Alex Gordon doubled for the Royals, who lost two of three in the series. KC starter Brandon Duckworth (3-2) took the loss, tagged for five hits and three runs over six-plus innings while walking one and striking out three.
Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 7, Texas 3
Arlington, TX (Best E Casino) - John Lackey hurled six brilliant innings, and Sean Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira both homered as the LA Angels of Anaheim finished a three-game sweep of Texas with a 7-3 win. Lackey (12-4) allowed just two hits while walking three and fanning a career-high 12 for the AL West champion Angels, who have won four straight games and nine of their last 11 contests. Rodriguez had a three-run homer while Teixeira added a two-run shot for Los Angeles. Lackey, who didn't allow a hit over the first 4 1/3 innings of the game until Hank Blalock doubled, had lost his previous two decisions and had a 6.75 ERA in his last three starts. Blalock's three-run homer in the ninth was the Rangers' only offense on the day. Scott Feldman (5-8) surrendered six runs on eight hits in six innings en route to the loss.
Final Score: Oakland 5, Seattle 3
Oakland, CA (Best E Casino) - Jack Cust's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning was the difference as the Oakland Athletics edged Seattle, 5-3, to complete the three-game sweep of the Mariners. Aaron Cunningham had a pinch-hit, two-run double for Oakland, which recorded its first sweep in 27 series. The A's have won seven of their last eight overall. Sean Gallagher started for Oakland and allowed three runs on four hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings, but didn't factor into the decision. Brad Ziegler (3-0) took the win after tossing a perfect eighth inning. Ichiro Suzuki and Jeremy Reed each finished with a hit and a run batted in for the Mariners, whose losing streak reached 11 games. Brandon Morrow gave up three runs on two hits and five walks in a 6 1/3-inning start for Seattle, while Miguel Batista (4-14) got the loss after allowing two runs in 1 1/3 frames.
Final Score: New York 7, Baltimore 3
Bronx, NY (Best E Casino) - The New York Yankees closed out their residence at iconic Yankee Stadium with one final victory, a 7-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Since christening the stadium on Opening Day, April 18, 1923 with a 4-1 triumph over Boston, New York went on to win 4,133 games at Yankee Stadium. New York lost 2,430 games at the storied venue and posted 17 ties. New York finished its final homestand there with an 8-2 record and three- game sweep of the Orioles. Andy Pettitte (14-14) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in five-plus innings to get the win, his 95th at the stadium. Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer, while Jose Molina hit the final home run at Yankee Stadium, a two-run shot. Derek Jeter went 0-for-5 in the game, but will go down as the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium with 1,274. Mariano Rivera, the stadium's all-time saves leader with 230, entered for one final inning to preserve the win. Chris Waters (3-4) took the loss after allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings for Baltimore, which has lost five in a row.