Yankees pull within 2 games of Red Sox
A day after the New York Yankees clinched a playoff berth, Phil Hughes kept alive New York's slim hopes in the AL East.
The rookie right-hander allowed 4 hits in 7 innings, and Jose Molina delivered a 2-run single Thursday night to lead the Yankees over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3-1 at St. Petersburg, Fla.
New York, which rested Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and four other regulars, closed within 2 games of first-place Boston with three games to play. The Yankees finish the regular season with a weekend series at Baltimore before opening the playoffs, likely at Cleveland.
Joba Chamberlain pitched on consecutive days for the first time, striking out B.J. Upton to escape a jam with runners at first and second in the eighth inning. The Yankees have brought the rookie along slowly, but Joba Rules have been eased during the past week, putting him in position where he can be used relatively freely in the postseason.
Chamberlain has allowed just 1 earned run in 23¿ innings, a 0.38 ERA, since joining the Yankees in early August and has struck out 34.
Jose Veras pitched the ninth, completing a 6-hitter for his second career save.
Hughes (5-3) walked two and struck out five. He yielded Carlos Pena's 44th homer in the fourth, as well as singles to Delmon Young, Josh Wilson and Akinori Iwamura.
Tampa Bay wasted a good performance by Scott Kazmir, who allowed 1 run and 3 hits in 6 innings. The 23-year-old left-hander struck out 10 to pass Johan Santana for the major-league strikeouts lead with 239.
Kazmir limited the Yankees to Bronson Sardinha's third-inning, infield single -- the rookie's first major-league hit -- until another rookie, Alberto Gonzalez, lined a single to left field with one out in the sixth. Johnny Damon followed with a RBI double that made it 1-1. Damon went 10-for-15 in the series and raised his average to .269 -- his highest since late May.
New York went ahead in the seventh against Jon Switzer (0-2). Shelly Duncan singled and Robinson Cano doubled before Molina's grounder through a drawn-in infield put New York ahead 3-1.
Minnesota 5, Boston 4: Michael Cuddyer and Garrett Jones homered off 20-game winner Josh Beckett in his last start before the playoffs, leading Minnesota over host Boston to prevent the Red Sox from closing in on an AL East title.
Boston has already clinched a playoff berth, but it needs 2 more wins -- or Yankees losses -- to clinch its first AL East title since 1995. The Red Sox had their first chance to wrap up the division Thursday night.
David Ortiz was 4-for-4 with his 34th homer and his 51st double. He walked in the ninth to reach safely in his eighth consecutive at-bat.
Beckett (20-7) allowed 5 runs and 10 hits in 6 innings, striking out six. But he also had a throwing error on a foolhardy cutoff of a throw to the plate in the fifth when Torii Hunter singled to score Nick Punto to make it 4-2.
Boof Bonser (8-12) allowed 3 runs and 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out two in 5 innings. Joe Nathan got four outs for his 36th save.