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Bobby Jenks’ pitch selection got in the way of him setting a remarkable record. Jenks settled for a share of the record when Joey Gathright broke the Chicago closer’s string of 41 straight outs, and then stopped the White Sox’s worst skid in 16 years by saving a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
The Brewers held on to their big lead this time. Prince Fielder homered for the second straight day and Milwaukee beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-0 Monday night to move into a tie for the NL Central lead. “I think that’s the key for us,” Fielder said. “When we score early it helps the whole team.” Fielder drove in four runs and Bill Hall hit a three-run drive for the Brewers, who won for the second…
Rick Ankiel showed off the arm that once made him a promising pitcher. His perfect peg from left field in the first inning cut down a runner and got the St. Louis Cardinals headed toward victory Monday. Several innings later, Ankiel demonstrated the power that’s helped him make a remarkable transition with his fourth home run.
A 24-hour virus made Mark Teixeira sick to his stomach. Those pitchers he homered off felt even worse. A sapped Teixeira hit a pair of homers for the second consecutive game Monday night, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 14-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that showed what the power hitter can do on a nearly empty stomach.
Raul Ibanez is feeling great at the plate at the perfect time for the Seattle Mariners. Ibanez hit two of the team’s four home runs, and the Mariners began a challenging stretch with a 9-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. Richie Sexson and Kenji Johjima also went deep for the Mariners, who have won four straight and seven of nine to improve to a season-high 18 games over .500.
Tim Wakefield doesn’t worry about why he is successful indoors against Tampa Bay. The knuckleballer is just happy it continued Monday night. Wakefield continued his dominance over Tampa Bay, allowing four hits over seven innings as the Boston Red Sox blanked the Devil Rays 6-0 on Monday night. “The ball seems to move a little more inside,” Wakefield said.
Pedro Martinez allowed two unearned runs over five innings Monday in his most impressive outing since he began throwing after offseason shoulder surgery. With Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson and bullpen coach Guy Conti in attendance, the right-hander struck out four and walked one in a rehab start with Class-A St.
The New York Mets got Jeff Conine from the Cincinnati Reds for two minor leaguers on Monday, adding a 41-year-old player who has two World Series rings and knows how to contribute off the bench. Conine can play first base or outfield and is adept at pinch-hitting — he led the Reds with nine hits in that role.
The San Francisco Giants have finally learned how to win on the road. In Miami, at least. Bengie Molina drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with his third RBI single, and the last-place Giants overcame a four-run deficit Monday to complete a four-game sweep with an 8-7 win over the Florida Marlins.
Reliever Mike Myers and the Chicago White Sox reached agreement on a contract Monday, two weeks after the New York Yankees cut the submarining lefty. The 38-year-old Myers will get the prorated minimum salary for the rest of this season. The White Sox hold a $1.1 million option for next year with no buyout.
The Detroit Tigers will recall Joel Zumaya from his rehabilitation assignment to be active for Tuesday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians. Detroit optioned right-hander Aquilino Lopez to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, clearing room for Zumaya. The right-hander, whose fastball regularly tops 100 mph, had surgery three months ago to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger.
Johnny Damon proved he’s still got some pop in his bat, and the surging New York Yankees showed off a couple of lively young arms in their rebuilt bullpen Sunday. Damon hit a tiebreaking homer and New York got lights-out relief pitching from rookies Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramirez, sending Chien-Ming Wang and the Yankees to a 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.