Mariners earn big win over Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki had 3 hits to equal another record, Felix Hernandez outpitched a gimpy Roger Clemens and the Seattle Mariners beat the host New York Yankees 7-1 Monday in the opener of a crucial series.
The Mariners trimmed the Yankees' wild-card lead to 1 game, winning for the first time since they beat Texas 4-2 on Aug. 24. The Yankees have lost three of their last four.
Suzuki homered in the third inning to reach 200 hits for the seventh consecutive season, tying the AL mark. He also singled twice against Clemens (6-6).
The major league record for consecutive 200-hit seasons is eight by Willie Keeler (1894-01). Suzuki matched the AL mark held by Wade Boggs (1983-89).
Hernandez (11-7) allowed 5 hits over 7 innings in his first start in the Bronx.
Red Sox 13, Blue Jays 10: The Red Sox survived another shaky outing by Daisuke Matsuzaka, who nearly gave away a 9-run lead, but Mike Lowell hit a 3-run homer and drove in 4 runs as host Boston beat Toronto.
Boston, which opened a 7-game lead over the second-place Yankees, was ahead 10-1 before Toronto scored 8 runs in the sixth and knocked out Matsuzaka (14-11), who had lost his previous 3 starts. The Japanese star has allowed 20 runs in his last 23¿ innings and gave up 7 runs and 10 hits in 5½ innings against the Blue Jays.
Lowell went 3-for-4 with a 3-run homer, 2 singles, and an intentional walk, increasing his hitting streak to 16 games.
Indians 5, Twins 0: C.C. Sabathia (16-7) threw 8 shutout innings to lead Cleveland past host Minnesota and extend its lead over the defending division champion to 10½ games.
Devil Rays 9, Orioles 7: Carlos Pena hit his team-record 35th homer, a tiebreaking 2-run drive in a 3-run seventh inning that helped host Tampa Bay beat Baltimore.
National League
Padres 10, D'backs 2: Greg Maddux (11-9) won for the first time in Phoenix, and San Diego took a 1-game lead in the NL West over the Diamondbacks.
Maddux extended his streak without a walk to 49½ innings over 7 starts, and Brian Giles hit 2 of the Padres' 5 home runs.
Braves 5, Phillies 1: Lance Cormier did not give up a home run for the first time in 7 starts, and Brian McCann hit a 2-run double in a 3-run fourth inning that lifted host Atlanta past Philadelphia.
Rockies 7, Giants 4: Chris Iannetta's 2-run triple highlighted a 7-run third inning, and host Colorado opened a crucial six-game homestand with a win over San Francisco.
Nationals 6, Marlins 3: Jason Bergmann struck out nine, and Wily Mo Pena homered to lead host Washington over Florida.