AL: Baltimore's big comeback keeps New York slumping
By Associated Press
Published April 17, 2005
BALTIMORE - Brian Roberts's three-run homer capped a five-run seventh and help the Orioles beat the Yankees 7-6 on Saturday.
Roberts went 2-for-4 with two walks to raise his batting average to .444. The 5-foot-9 second baseman has five homer, matching his career high.
"It's something that won't last, I'm sure. But crazy things happen in this game every year," Roberts said. "It's one of those fluke things, I guess."
The Orioles trailed 6-2 before sending eight batters to the plate in the seventh. After Javy Lopez and Jay Gibbons hit run-scoring singles off Tanyon Sturtze, Roberts sent a 2-and-1 pitch from Tom Gordon over the rightfield scoreboard.
B.J. Ryan got four outs for his second save, including striking out Hideki Matsui on a 3-and-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth.
Gary Sheffield homered, drove in three runs and scored twice for the Yankees, who have lost three in a row and five of six. And at 4-7, New York is off to its worst start in 14 years.
Miguel Tejada singled in a run, becoming the first Oriole with an RBI in eight consecutive games since Rafael Palmeiro in August 1996.
Blue Jays outfielder hit by three pitches in victory
ARLINGTON, Texas - Reed Johnson was hit by a record-tying three pitches, two with the bases loaded, and rookie Gustavo Chacin allowed two hits in eight innings in Toronto's 8-0 win over Texas.
Johnson tied the major-league mark, last set by current teammate Corey Koskie on July27, 2004, while he was with the Twins.
Chacin walked two and hit a batter in his fifth start for the Blue Jays, who have won six of eight.
Toronto made it 4-0 with a three-run sixth. Orlando Hudson, who had two hits in his previous 19 at-bats, singled with the bases loaded to make it 3-0. Toronto loaded the bases again, and Kenny Rogers hit Johnson, who also was hit in the third.
Carlos Almanzar hit Johnson in the eighth to make it 5-0. An out later, Koskie's two-run single made it 7-0.
WHITE SOX 2, MARINERS 1: Mark Buehrle pitched a three-hitter and struck out 12 and Paul Konerko hit two home runs for host Chicago. Buehrle outdueled Ryan Franklin, who allowed four hits in also throwing a complete game.
Ichiro Suzuki had all three Seattle hits, including a triple in the ninth that led to a run. Konerko's first homer came in the second and landed halfway up the leftfield bleachers. He led off the seventh with another homer to left for his 12th multihomer game of his career.
TWINS 6, INDIANS 4: Lew Ford and Torii Hunter hit three-run homers for visiting Minnesota. Dave Gassner, called up when Carlos Silva went on the disabled list, went six innings to become the first Twin to win his major-league debut since Eric Milton on April5, 1998.
With two outs in the sixth, Hunter singled and took third on Jacque Jones' double off the leftfield wall. Ford, a .338 (26-for-77) career hitter against Cleveland, then homered for a 3-2 lead. Joe Mauer and Terry Tiffee singled in the eighth before Hunter's homer made it 6-2.
TIGERS 7, ROYALS 1: Six days after giving up six runs in the first against Cleveland, Jeremy Bonderman allowed one run on six hits in eight innings for visiting Detroit.
Detroit sealed it with four in the ninth. Craig Monroe, who led off the seventh with a double and scored, walked. Marcus Thames and Vance Wilson singled to score Monroe.
An out later, Brandon Inge's triple scored two. Carlos Guillen, 1-for-11 during the first three games of an eight-game road trip, then singled.
