Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
NEW YORK - Somehow, the team with the worst pitching in the majors made the Yankees look absolutely pitiful at the plate.
Ismael Valdes came off the disabled list and combined with three relievers to silence the Yankees, and the Rangers took advantage of two tough errors to win 5-2 Saturday.
Rangers pitchers retired the last 16 batters, and that was a real surprise. Texas began the day with the highest ERA in baseball and had allowed the most runs and hits in the AL.
"This is exactly what we needed," said Francisco Cordero, who struck out the side in the eighth.
Manager Buck Showalter's last-place team sent his former club to its third straight series loss. The Yankees had not dropped three series in a row since May 11-20, 1999. The first-place Yankees lost for the fifth time in six games.
"We're about as flat as a pancake," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
Valdes had been sidelined since April 19 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.
Other than allowing a two-run homer to Robin Ventura, Valdes was sharp. He gave up five hits in five innings and left with a 5-2 lead.
ANGELS 6, RED SOX 2: Troy Glaus hit a two-run homer in the eighth as visiting Anaheim came from behind to beat Boston.
Jarrod Washburn allowed one earned run and seven hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out three. Brendan Donnelly pitched 11/3 scoreless innings to protect his perfect ERA before Troy Percival got the last two outs for his seventh save.
Derek Lowe left with a 2-1 lead after after Tim Salmon's one-out single in the eighth. Mike Timlin got Garret Anderson to ground out before Glaus hit a shot off a billboard above the Green Monster.
Anaheim scored three in the ninth after a gaffe by rightfielder Trot Nixon. With one out and runners on first and second, David Eckstein flied out to Nixon, who flipped the ball into the stands.
TWINS 3, WHITE SOX 1: Joe Mays took a shutout into the seventh to beat visiting Chicago for the eighth time in 10 career decisions.
Torii Hunter helped preserve the lead by robbing Carlos Lee of a potential home run in the seventh. After Magglio Ordonez's infield single leading off, Lee hit a drive to center. Hunter ran back to the fence, leaped and backhanded the ball about 4 feet above the 7-foot fence.
Mays allowed one run and seven hits in 62/3 innings.
MARINERS 6, TIGERS 3: Bret Boone homered twice and drove in four runs to back Jamie Moyer for visiting Seattle.
Both of Boone's homers cleared Comerica Park's new fence in left and fell short of the old one. He became the first player to hit two over the new fence in the same game. Ichiro Suzuki added three hits, including a homer.
Moyer gave up three runs and 10 hits in 62/3 innings, striking out a season-high eight. Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Kazuhiro Sasaki finished, with Sasaki pitching a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
INDIANS 4, ATHLETICS 2: Matt Lawton singled in the winning run and Omar Vizquel squeezed in another run in the eighth for host Cleveland on Omar Vizquel Rubber Duck Night.
Lawton, in a season-long slump, hit a one-out single to right off former Indians reliever Ricardo Rincon to score pinch-hitter Brandon Phillips. Lawton's hit scooted under rightfielder Terrence Long's glove, allowing Lawton to go to third. Vizquel followed with his squeeze to make it 4-2.
Terry Mulholland got the win despite giving up Erubiel Durazo's tying home run in the eighth.
BLUE JAYS 7, ROYALS 4: Frank Catalanotto hit a tiebreaking bases-loaded triple off Jason Grimsley with two outs in the eighth for visiting Toronto.
Kansas City has lost four of its past five games and is 8-14 after a 16-3 start. The Royals have held at least a share of the first place since opening day, but their Central lead was cut to a half-game.