Baseball

Palmeiro, Orioles near goals

BALTIMORE - The only thing missing from a near-perfect weekend for the Orioles was having Rafael Palmeiro get his 3,000th hit.

That didn't matter much toPalmeiro, who took great delight in helping Baltimore charge into the All-Star break by taking three of four from the defending World Series champion Red Sox.

Palmeiro and Jay Gibbons hit home runs to back a strong pitching performance by Rodrigo Lopez, leading the Orioles to a 4-1 victory Sunday.

Palmeiro's homer off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was his third in three games. Palmeiro also hit a sacrifice fly, but his 1-for-3 afternoon left him two hits short of becoming the fourth player to have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

"The hits are going to come," he said. "The thing is, we were trying to get three out of four. I was able to contribute to that."

Led by Palmeiro, the Orioles won on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday to move within two games of first-place Boston in the East. Baltimore entered the series having lost 11 of 13. "This could have been devastating for us if we lost three out of four," Palmeiro said.

The Orioles resume play Thursday with a four-game series in Seattle, which means Palmeiro almost certainly will get his 3,000th hit on the road.

YANKEES 9, INDIANS 4: Jason Giambi hit a two-run homer, and Ruben Sierra drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single to lift host New York to its seventh win in eight games.

Randy Johnson struggled through six unremarkable innings, but the Yankees improved to a season-high six games over .500 for the third time behind Giambi's 10th homer of the season - his fifth in six games - Gary Sheffield's late three-run homer and Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook's wildness.

After the win, owner George Steinbrenner gave a hint of a smile when asked if his team is finally living up to his expectations: "Yes, the way we are playing now."

ATHLETICS 9, WHITE SOX 8 (11): Nick Swisher hit a run-scoring double in the 11th as visiting Oakland completed a three-game sweep of the team with the majors' best record. Swisher also homered, and Dan Johnson hit a home run and a two-run double for the A's, who finished the season series against Chicago with a 7-2 record and have won 13 of their past 16 overall. They also moved one game over .500 for the first time since May 1.

TWINS 3, ROYALS 2 (12): Nick Punto scored on third baseman Mark Teahen's fielding error with two outs in the top of the 12th as Minnesota overcame MikeSweeney's two home runs. Punto singled off Mike Wood and went to third when Joe Mauer singled off the glove of first baseman Matt Stairs. Torii Hunter's bat cracked, and one piece flew toward Teahen as the rookie infielder attempted to make the stop. He couldn't, and Punto came home with the decisive run.

RANGERS 9, BLUE JAYS 8: Mark Teixeira hit his AL-leading 25th homer, and Mark DeRosa had a two-run shot in a four-run eighth inning as host Texas completed a three-game sweep. DeRosa was making a rare start in place of All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano, who was in Panama to be with his wife, who is expecting the couple's third child.

MARINERS 7, ANGELS 4: Miguel Olivo and Richie Sexson hit two-run homers in a five-run fourth, and visiting Seattle completed a four-game sweep of Los Angeles. The Mariners have the third-worst record in the AL and had lost 12 of 16 entering the series. The Angels had won 13 of 16 coming in.

[Last modified July 11, 2005, 01:01:12]