Ordonez caps Tigers' ninth-inning comeback
Magglio Ordonez drove in Placido Polanco to cap a 4-run rally in the ninth, spoiling a dazzling performance by Roy Halladay and helping the Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 on Monday night in Detroit.
Halladay was one out away from his eighth complete game when he gave up a pair of singles to Sean Casey and Brandon Inge. After manager John Gibbons pulled the durable right-hander for Casey Janssen, Curtis Granderson hit a 2-run single to make it 4-3.
Polanco followed with a single, and Gary Sheffield walked to load the bases for Ordonez, who collected his fourth hit of the night with a sharp liner to right field.
The Tigers have won four of five to climb within 4 games of idle New York in the AL wild-card race.
Yorman Bazardo (1-1), making seventh appearance this season, worked the ninth for his first career win.
Halladay gave up 3 runs and 11 hits in 8¿ innings but missed out on a chance to improve to 12-2 against the Tigers. He has lasted at least 8 innings in his last 6 starts, only one of them a win.
Twins 4, Royals 2: Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau each drove in a pair of runs, and Boof Bonser (7-12) picked up just his second victory in three months as Minnesota beat host Kansas City. Bonser, who was 1-10 in his past 15 starts, held the Royals to 2 runs and 5 hits in 5 innings, striking out six and walking four with a hit batter.
Devil Rays 1, Red Sox 0: Scott Kazmir struck out 10 and allowed just two runners to reach second base in seven innings as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox 1-0 on Monday night.
Josh Wilson's sacrifice fly in the fifth drove in the run for the Devil Rays, who are 13-4 in their last 17 games but are in last place in the AL East. Boston is 7-3 in its last 10 games, but its lead in the division dropped to 5 games over the New York Yankees, who were idle.
National League
Mets 3, Braves 2: David Wright hit a 2-run homer, and Oliver Perez tossed another gem against Atlanta, leading host New York Mets to a victory.
Perez outpitched an effective Tim Hudson, who used his top-notch sinker to induce a steady stream of easy grounders. But slumping leadoff batter Jose Reyes scampered around the bases twice, and Wright delivered the big blow, sendin the Mets to their fourth straight win and ninth in 10 games.
Phillies 6, Rockies 5 (10): Ryan Howard doubled home the winning run in the 10th inning after Pat Burrell tied the game with a dramatic homer in the seventh, leading host Philadelphia over Colorado.
The Rockies and Phillies are jostling in the NL wild-card standings, and Philadelphia took the first game of the four-game series to close within 1½ games of the idle wild card-leading Padres. The Rockies are 3½ games behind.
Nationals 5, Marlins 4: Wily Mo Pena homered twice, and Shawn Hill (4-3) pitched 6 solid innings, leading Washington over host Florida.
Pena has hit 7 home runs since Boston traded him to Washington on Aug. 17. He had only 5 homers before the deal. Dan Uggla and Mike Jacobs homered for Florida, which has lost three in a row and six of seven.