The Juice: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays stay hot in Minnesota

Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.

1. Beast-tista: There's unconscious. There's in the zone. There's white hot. And then there's Jose Bautista(notes) against the Minnesota Twins. The Toronto Blue Jays slugger blasted three more home runs — numbers 14, 15 and 16 — and knocked in four in the Jays' 11-3 win. He even had a chance for a fourth in the eighth inning, but grounded out.

Watch Bautista's home runs
Bautista has seven home runs in six games against Minnesota this season. Michael Cuddyer(notes) and Jason Kubel(notes) lead the Twins all season with four apiece.
"It's ridiculous, it feels like a dream right now," Bautista said. "Sometimes I can't really believe it myself, but I keep seeing the good pitches."
"I guess this is one of the hottest streaks I've ever had in my life. I'm seeing the ball well and connecting good. Hopefully I can keep this going for a while."
Winners of five straight, Toronto heads to Detroit on Monday night. We wish Max Scherzer(notes) the very best.
2. Red Sox regain perfect vision: After a rough 2-10 start, the Boston Red Sox evened their record at 20-20 and completed a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees with a 7-5 win on Sunday night. They did it with the long ball. Kevin Youkilis(notes) tied it with a three-run shot in the third. David Ortiz(notes) put them ahead with a solo blast in the fifth. And then Jarrod Saltalamacchia(notes) irritated the open wound with his first of the season in the eighth.
3. You know his name: Despite a warm welcome from his new teammates, Dan Uggla(notes) admitted he hasn't felt like a big part of the Atlanta Braves thanks to his early struggles. That changed on Sunday. Uggla collected two hits, scored all three Atlanta runs, and hit a tiebreaking home run off Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay(notes) to lead Atlanta to a 3-2 victory.

4. Ruffled Redbird feathers: After Aroldis Chapman(notes) (four walks, four runs) attempted to blow a seven-run ninth inning lead, Cincinnati turned to closer Francisco Cordero(notes) to stop the bleeding. He did, securing a 9-7 win and a series sweep, but not before plunking Albert Pujols(notes). That led to an interesting postgame exchange that is sure to be revisited when these teams meet again in July.

5. Better late than never: Mat Latos(notes) won for the first time in 2011 (1-5) and snapped a personal 10-game losing streak in San Diego's 8-2 win over the Rockies. As for Colorado, they dropped their fifth consecutive series — four to teams under .500 — and fell to 3-10 in May. That all but wipes away their remarkable 17-8 mark in April.

6. Surprise! Not really.: Ryan Braun(notes) cracked his 12th home run, tripled and drove in four as the Brewers dropped Pittsburgh again, 9-6. The Pirates have lost an astounding 33 of 36 in Milwaukee since 2007, and have fallen four games under .500 after climbing above the elusive mark last week. If only they could find a way to beat Milwaukee, it may be a realistic goal.

7. Surging Santos: Ninth inning stability on the South Side of Chicago? Are you serious? Apparently new closer Sergio Santos(notes) is, because the former Arizona Diamondbacks first round pick — as a shortstop — converted his fifth save in as many chances, and extended his scoreless streak in 19 innings in the White Sox 4-3 win over Oakland.

8. Burn, Turner, Burn: Hot-hitting Carlos Beltran(notes) was back in the lineup on Sunday, but the New York Mets didn't need him thanks to Justin Turner's(notes) career day. The 27-year-old rookie infielder hit his first career home run, doubled and drove in five as the Mets upended Houston, 7-4.

9. Are you free again in June?: Mother Nature wreaked havoc in the midwest, forcing postponements in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit. Fortunately all three visiting teams will make return trips later this season, which is unusual for non-divisional matchups such as Giants-Cubs and Mariners-Indians.

Anyway, the Giants will return to Wrigley Field for a day-night doubleheader on June 28. The Royals and Tigers will make up their game on September 1st at Comerica Park. Meanwhile, the Mariners and Indians are scrambling to reschedule two games after back-to-back rainouts. One will happen during their August 22-24 series, and it's looking like Seattle will have to make a one day trip back east on September 19.

Tigers beat Royals 3-0 for 7th straight win

DETROIT (AP)—First, Brandon Inge(notes) caught a foul popup while falling into the crowd. Then, Casper Wells(notes) went sliding across the grass to grab a line drive in right field.

Finally, Austin Jackson(notes) topped them both, running down a deep fly ball in center before reaching out and backhanding it with his back still turned to the infield.

Brad Penny(notes) pitched eight scoreless innings for Detroit on Saturday, but he had plenty of help from his fielders as the Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0. Penny allowed five hits and no walks. He struck out only two, but the Tigers were ready when Kansas City’s hitters put the ball in play.

“We had some awesome plays today,” Penny said. “That’s probably the best defense I’ve had, personally, in one start in my career.”
Detroit has won seven straight and 10 of 11.
The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning, then made a few marvelous plays in the field to prevent a Kansas City comeback. Inge, the third baseman, caught that foul popup to end the second. Wells and Jackson made their big catches in the fourth—with a man on base.
Jackson’s catch came on a drive by Eric Hosmer(notes).
“I threw a changeup right down the middle,” Penny said. “The guy crushed it, but Austin’s great out there.”
Detroit second baseman Scott Sizemore(notes) made a diving stop to his left on a groundball in the seventh.
Penny (4-3) threw 110 pitches before giving way to Jose Valverde(notes), who struck out two in a hitless ninth, earning his 10th save. Penny has pitched at least six innings without allowing an earned run in three of his last five starts.
“He commanded the ball and threw strikes, he threw curves for strikes, he moved the ball in and out,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He didn’t make three mistakes we could crush, and their defense played great.”
Despite shutting down the Tigers after the first, Kansas City’s Jeff Francis(notes) (0-5) remains without a win since July 30. He’s allowed three or fewer earned runs six times this season.
“It wasn’t like we knocked the ball around,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “Sometimes you win with the longball and the gapper, and sometimes you win other ways. The old saying, pitching and defense, it keeps you in almost every game, and it wins you a few games, obviously, as well.”
Francis pitched all eight innings for Kansas City, allowing seven hits and a walk. He struck out four.
“Just didn’t come out of the chute with the best stuff,” Francis said. “I guess I got a wake up call.”
The Tigers scored three runs in the first on five singles. The last three hits came from Miguel Cabrera(notes), Victor Martinez(notes) and Jhonny Peralta(notes), each driving in a run.
Martinez extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Peralta added a sixth-inning double to reach 1,000 hits for his career.
The home crowd gave Peralta a standing ovation after his milestone hit, which also gave the Tigers at least one extra-base hit in all 40 games this season. Peralta now has a 10-game hitting streak.
The Tigers lost seven straight before this stretch of 10 wins in 11 games.
“I knew we were a lot better team than we were playing (like), and me personally, I pitched terribly the first few games,” Penny said. “It’s nice to get a winning streak going.”

The Juice: Verlander makes strong bid to rewrite history

Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.

1. Johnny Vander Meer still stands alone: Of all the feats accomplished in Major League Baseball, someone matching Johnny Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters ranks highly on the list of the unlikely. But that didn't stop Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander(notes) from facing the challenge head on.

"I did want to tie him tonight, maybe break it the next time," Verlander joked.

Verlander may have joked about it afterwards, but for five plus innings it seemed like a very real possibility. His stuff was every bit as good as it was last Saturday in Toronto, which allowed him to move within ten outs of joining elite company. That was when Kansas City Royals outfielder Melky Cabrera(notes) reaffirmed Vander Meer's place in history with a ringing RBI double to right field.
"He threw me a changeup," Cabrera said through a translator. "He left it up, and I was able to hit it good."
Oh, Melky, knock it off. You got lucky.
Regardless of falling short of rewriting history, Verlander still pitched a gem by anybody's standards allowing only two hits over eight innings in the Tigers 3-1 victory.


2. Baseball's real lost art: The straight steal of home. Legends like Jackie Robinson and Ty Cobb made it look routine in their day, but it's something you rarely see attempted in the modern era of baseball. When it does happen, it's worth talking about.
And that's why we're talking about Oakland's Coco Crisp(notes). Crisp made a mad dash for home in the 8th inning with his A's down one. But the White Sox battery of Matt Thornton(notes) and A.J. Pierzynski(notes) shut it down, with A.J. applying the tag just as Crisp's hand arrived at the plate. That allowed Chicago to escape with a 4-3 triumph.


3. Electric slide: Speaking of heart-stopping plays at the plate, Omar Infante(notes) pulled off one of the prettiest slides you'll see to score the deciding run in the Marlins 6-5 win over the Nationals.
Watch Infante's incredible slide
But that slide would have never happened if not for an incredible diving catch by Washington's Roger Bernadina(notes) that robbed Mike Stanton(notes) of hero status and kept the game even at four.


4. Vottomatic: If you give Joey Votto(notes) an opportunity to ruin your day, chances are he's going to ruin your day. That's exactly what the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen did — blowing a 5-2 seventh inning lead — and the reigning National League MVP sentenced them to a sleepless night with a walk-off RBI single in the 10th. Reds win it 6-5.


5. Hey John Krasinski, don't answer the door: In front of the first Yankee Stadium sellout since opening day, Red Sox sluggers Adrian Gonzalez(notes) and Kevin Youkilis(notes) each went yard — Gonzalez for the fourth time in three games — and Clay Buchholz(notes) won this third consecutive start as Boston claimed a 5-4 win over the Yankees.


6. Starlin's lucky number: Wearing the number thirteen proudly on his back, Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro(notes) clearly doesn't suffer from triskaidekaphobia. He's also not intimidated by Giants pitching, which he proved by collecting three hits, knocking in two and scoring twice in the Cubs 11-4 romp over San Francisco.


7. Pronk to the rescue: Homerless since April 17th, Cleveland's Travis Hafner(notes) finally connected for a two-out, two-run walk-off homer off Seattle Mariners closer Brandon League(notes) to give his Indians an exhilarating 5-4 victory. Of course he did.


8. Not so Beachy: Altanta's Brandon Beachy(notes) was victimized by a Ryan Howard(notes) three-run homer in the first, and then left the game in the third with a strained oblique. Though his teammates got him off the hook by the middle innings, late run scoring singles by Shane Victorino(notes) and Raul Ibanez(notes) helped the Phillies upend the Braves 5-4.


9. Blister be Ogando: A blister on his right index finger is the only thing that could stop Texas Rangers starter Alexi Ogando(notes). Now that he's past that, Ogando returned to the mound and returned to his winning ways (4-0), out dueling the Angels Jeff Weaver(notes) in a Rangers 4-1 victory.

Bronx Zoo: Posada and Yankees in messy spat

NEW YORK (AP)—Jorge Posada(notes) says his back got stiff and he needed a night off to clear his head.
What is most certainly unclear, however, is where he stands with the New York Yankees right now.
Posada asked to be taken out of the lineup Saturday against rival Boston after the slumping designated hitter was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order.
Hitting .165 this season, Posada was in the original lineup posted by manager Joe Girardi and said he understood why he was bumped to the bottom of the order for the first time in 12 years.

But at 6 p.m., Posada went into Girardi’s office and requested that he be removed. Without the five-time All-Star, the Yankees were beaten 6-0 by Josh Beckett(notes) and the Red Sox for their fourth straight loss.

And afterward, the 39-year-old Posada said he feels “a little bit” disrespected by the team.
“I told him I couldn’t play today, and that I needed time to clear my head, and that was it. My back stiffened up a bit. I was taking a lot of groundballs at first base and working out, and it stiffened up,” Posada said. “I wasn’t 100 percent to play the game. I mean, nothing serious.”
That’s where it gets messy, though.
Posada never mentioned to Girardi or general manager Brian Cashman that his back was bothering him. And the Yankees weren’t pleased that he wasn’t playing.
A person familiar with the discussion between Posada and the team told The Associated Press that he “refused” to play. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was still not settled.
The person said the Yankees have been in contact with the commissioner’s office about possible recourse. The Yankees could fine Posada one day’s pay— that would be $71,978 on his $13.1 million salary. If a player declines to play two days in a row, he could be put on the restricted list.
“If he feels good tomorrow, and Joe Girardi has him in the lineup and he’s batting ninth, he’s playing,” said one of Posada’s agents, Sam Levinson. “Where he hits in the lineup is irrelevant. This is about his back, not about where he’s hitting.”
Girardi wouldn’t comment on whether Posada might play in the series finale Sunday night.
“His struggles have been tough on him,” said Girardi, ejected by plate umpire Mike Winters for arguing balls and strikes following Adrian Gonzalez’s(notes) three-run homer off CC Sabathia(notes) in the seventh inning. “I hope for his sake we get through this and we can move forward.”
About 40 minutes before gametime, the Yankees announced that Posada had been scratched from the lineup and replaced by Andruw Jones(notes) at DH, but the team initially provided no explanation.
With speculation swirling, Cashman met with reporters in a workroom behind the press box during the third inning to give an update. In an unusual scene, the GM said Posada is not injured, but wouldn’t comment on whether he had been insubordinate.
That irritated Posada.
“I don’t know why he made a statement during the game. I don’t understand that. That’s the way he works now, I guess,” Posada said. “I think we should have waited for the game to be over to talk to whoever. … You don’t do that. You’re not supposed to do that.”
On a bizarre night in the Bronx, Posada’s wife even chimed in during the game, tweeting that her husband had back stiffness and “loves being a Yankee” more than anything.
“He’s trying his best to help his team win. Today, due to back stiffness he wasn’t able to do that,” she wrote.
Before batting practice, Posada insisted he was OK with hitting ninth. He said he put himself in this position and he understood Girardi’s decision.
Posada was on the Yankees bench during the game, wearing a cap and sweat shirt.
Slumping all season in his new role as DH, Posada has six homers and 15 RBIs. His batting average is the lowest for any player currently in the majors with at least 100 at-bats, and he hasn’t homered since April 23.
With the Yankees struggling to get big hits lately, Girardi said it was time to make a lineup switch. He moved scuffling Nick Swisher(notes) down to eighth in the order and put Posada in the No. 9 hole.
“It’s all right. Just move some people around, get a W or two and get rolling again,” Posada said, adding that Girardi informed him of the lineup decision earlier in the day.
It was Posada who gradually supplanted Girardi as New York’s primary catcher in the late 1990s. The last time Posada hit ninth was exactly 12 years ago, on May 14, 1999, against the Chicago White Sox.
“The only way I’m coming out of hitting ninth is just producing, and that’s the bottom line,” Posada said before BP. “I put myself in this spot. It’s not like I want to hit ninth and it’s not like I want to hit a hundred and whatever I’m hitting. Just a matter of really coming out of it.
“We’re going through a little funk right now and it’s a matter of really producing.”
A proud and respected veteran who has helped New York win five World Series titles, Posada does have four hits in his last 12 at-bats.
Posada has caught at least one game for New York in each of the past 16 seasons and is one of only six major league catchers to hit 20 homers eight times, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
He lost his job behind the plate, however, relegated to DH duty this season. The switch-hitter is 0 for 24 against left-handed pitchers, and Girardi wouldn’t commit to staying with Posada against southpaws.

Gonzalez, Beckett lead Red Sox over reeling Yanks

NEW YORK (AP)—When the bright lights come on, Josh Beckett(notes) knows how to respond.
Beckett shut down the skidding New York Yankees for the second time this season and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) homered for the fourth consecutive game, sending the Boston Red Sox to a 6-0 victory Saturday on a bizarre night in the Bronx.

“That’s probably the best cutter I’ve seen him have in a while. Changeup— he used all his pitches,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. We always have. He worked hard and said last year he was going to come back with a vengeance, and I think he has.”

The night took a strange turn when longtime star Jorge Posada(notes) asked to be taken out of the New York lineup after the slumping designated hitter was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order.

Posada, hitting .165 this season, was in the original lineup posted by manager Joe Girardi, who was ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire Mike Winters following Gonzalez’s three-run shot. But Posada went into Girardi’s office at 6 p.m. and requested that he be removed.
During the game, Posada’s wife tweeted that he had a stiff back, and the five-time All-Star said afterward that indeed, his back got stiff, and he needed a night off to clear his head.
“It’s hard when you get older in this game,” Girardi said. “I just sense that he was frustrated.”
But a person familiar with the discussion between Posada and the team told The Associated Press that he “refused” to play. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was still not settled.
The person said the Yankees have been in contact with the commissioner’s office about possible recourse. The Yankees could fine Posada one day’s pay— that would be $71,978 of his $13.1 million salary. If a player declines to play two days in a row, he could be put on the restricted list.
“Want me to tell you what I think? (The Yankees are) doing that guy wrong,” Boston slugger David Ortiz(notes) said. “You know why? Because that guy is legendary.”
Andruw Jones(notes) took over at DH, and Posada was on the Yankees bench during the game, wearing a cap and sweat shirt.
His teammates weren’t much more productive, managing only four singles and two walks against Beckett (3-1) while dropping their fourth straight. It is New York’s longest skid since losing four in a row Sept. 22-25.
The Yankees, who have dropped eight of 11 overall, fell to 1-4 against their longtime rivals this year.
“We’re just in a rut. There’s really no reason to overanalyze it or hang our heads too much,” Mark Teixeira(notes) said.
Beckett struck out nine in six innings to win another marquee matchup with CC Sabathia(notes) (3-3). Last month at Fenway Park, also on national television, the right-hander struck out 10 while yielding just two singles and a walk in eight dominant innings for a 4-0 win over Sabathia and the Yankees.
Beckett faced the Yankees five times last year, going 1-2 with a 10.04 ERA.
“He was pretty on today. It was going to be pretty tough to scratch any runs across the board against him,” Teixeira said.
Beckett gave up singles to his first two batters, then set down Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez(notes) and Robinson Cano(notes) in order—two on strikeouts.
Beckett escaped more trouble in the third and fifth, then handed a 6-0 lead to the bullpen. Matt Albers(notes) and Rich Hill(notes) completed the seven-hitter.
“I just had to make pitches when I did,” Beckett said.
Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) hit a two-run double in the fifth and Jason Varitek(notes) added an RBI single in the seventh. Gonzalez chased Sabathia with a drive to right-center, his fifth homer in four games.
“He amazes me,” Francona said. “He’s really good, he’s intelligent and he knows what he’s doing.”
It also was Gonzalez’s first extra-base hit in 51 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season, his first with Boston.
NOTES: Teixeira was hitless in 30 straight at-bats against Boston dating to last year before an eighth-inning single, according to STATS LLC. … The sellout crowd of 48,790 was New York’s largest of the season. … New York has lost consecutive series at home for the second time at the new Yankee Stadium. The other time was May 2009, against Boston and Tampa Bay. … Yankees RHP Carlos Silva(notes) allowed one run, three hits and struck out six in his first start at Double-A Trenton. He was released by the Chicago Cubs during spring training and agreed to a minor league contract with New York on April 9. … With strong career numbers against Sabathia, Mike Cameron(notes) started in RF for Boston, giving J.D. Drew(notes) a rest.

Scores & Schedule: May 13

  
 National League     American League 


   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 San Francisco  1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 4 9 0
  
 Chi Cubs  0 3 0 0 0 0 5 3 X 11 14 0



WP: R. Dempster (2-4)
LP: M. Bumgarner (0-6) 


HR: SF - C. Ross (2) 


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   Final 11   2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  R  H  E 

 Florida  0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 12 0
  
 Washington  0 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 12 0



WP: E. Mujica (4-1) S: L. Nunez (13)
LP: B. Broderick (0-1) 


HR: FLA - G. Sanchez (7), J. Buck (5), L. Morrison (5), M. Stanton (6), WAS - L. Nix (5) 


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   Final 10   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  R  H  E 

 St. Louis  0 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 9 0
  
 Cincinnati  0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 6 13 1



WP: F. Cordero (3-1)
LP: J. Motte (1-1) 


  


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Philadelphia  3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 5 10 2
  
 Atlanta  1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4 10 0



WP: A. Bastardo (2-0) S: R. Madson (6)
LP: E. O'Flaherty (1-2) 


HR: PHI - R. Howard (9) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 NY Mets  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 6 8 1
  
 Houston  0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 9 0



WP: P. Misch (1-0) S: F. Rodriguez (11)
LP: J. Fulchino (0-1) 


HR: NYM - D. Wright (6), J. Bay (2), F. Martinez (1) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Pittsburgh  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 1
  
 Milwaukee  0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 X 5 9 0



WP: Y. Gallardo (4-2) S: J. Axford (8)
LP: J. McDonald (2-3) 


HR: PIT - R. Cedeno (1), MIL - J. Lucroy (2) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 San Diego  0 1 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 7 11 2
  
 Colorado  3 2 0 1 2 1 0 3 X 12 16 0



WP: J. De La Rosa (5-1)
LP: D. Moseley (1-5) 


HR: SD - C. Maybin 2 (5), COL - T. Tulowitzki (10) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Arizona  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 7 1
  
 LA Dodgers  0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 X 4 8 0



WP: C. Kershaw (5-3) S: K. Jansen (1)
LP: J. Saunders (0-5) 


HR: LAD - R. Barajas (7) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Seattle  0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 4 6 0
  
 Cleveland  1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 7 0



WP: T. Sipp (2-0)
LP: B. League (0-4) 


HR: SEA - J. Smoak (6), C. Peguero (1), CLE - M. Brantley (3), S. Choo (5), T. Hafner (5) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Boston  0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 5 9 1
  
 NY Yankees  0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 4 8 0



WP: C. Buchholz (4-3) S: J. Papelbon (6)
LP: B. Colon (2-2) 


HR: BOS - A. Gonzalez (8), K. Youkilis (6), NYY - R. Martin (7) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Kansas City  0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0
  
 Detroit  1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 X 3 7 0



WP: J. Verlander (4-3) S: J. Valverde (9)
LP: L. Hochevar (3-4) 


HR: DET - A. Jackson (3), J. Peralta (5) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Baltimore  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
  
 Tampa Bay  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 3 7 0



WP: J. Hellickson (4-2)
LP: J. Guthrie (1-6) 


HR: TB - J. Damon (6), M. Joyce (5) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 LA Angels  0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
  
 Texas  1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 X 4 7 0



WP: A. Ogando (4-0) S: N. Feliz (7)
LP: J. Weaver (6-3) 


HR: LAA - E. Aybar (1), TEX - E. Andrus (2), A. Beltre (9) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Toronto  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 13 0
  
 Minnesota  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0



WP: R. Romero (3-4) S: F. Francisco (3)
LP: A. Burnett (0-2) 


HR: TOR - J. Bautista (12) 


Box Score - Recap    





   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Chi White Sox  0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 0
  
 Oakland  0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 6 1



WP: P. Humber (3-3) S: S. Santos (4)
LP: B. McCarthy (1-4) 


  


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Buchholz leads Red Sox over Yankees 5-4

NEW YORK (AP)—Whether New York and Boston are fighting for first place or scuffling, as they are this year, Clay Buchholz(notes) knows he’s in for a battle at Yankee Stadium.
“It’s the toughest place mentally to pitch,” he said. “They all hate us.”

In the first game between the rivals in New York this season, Buchholz won his third straight start and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) and Kevin Youkilis(notes) homered to lead the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory Friday night.

Just 1-3 with a 6.25 ERA in six starts against the Yankees coming in, Buchholz (4-3) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked one.

“He threw hard and down with movement, and then he started using his changeup and breaking ball,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “His fastball had so much depth to it.”

Boston (18-20) stopped a two-game skid and remained five games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay. The Yankees, who dropped to 1-3 against the Red Sox on Friday the 13th, lost their third straight home game for the first time since Sept. 22-25 and dropped two games behind the Rays.

“They always seem to come out of their struggles whenever we come here or they come to Fenway,” Buchholz said.

A crowd of 48,254 filled the ballpark for the first sellout since opening day. It was the first Friday the 13th game between the rivals in a decade—and the first between them in New York in 20 years.

Gonzalez homered into the right-field second deck leading off a two-run fourth against Bartolo Colon(notes) (2-2), his fourth homer in three games, and he put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly off Chamberlain. Youkilis reached out for a 98 mph fastball and powered it over the right-field scoreboard for a two-run homer.

“I was very fortunate we’re not playing at Fenway Park and are in Yankee Stadium,” Youkilis said. “That’s the good thing being here. The ball goes out to right field where it’s an out probably at Fenway Park, how deep it is.”

Chamberlain had not allowed a run in his previous six appearances.

“I knew it wasn’t a good pitch as soon as I let it go,” he said.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia(notes) had singled leading off the seventh, chasing Colon after 103 pitches. Speedy Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) bounced to shortstop against Chamberlain, but the Yankees could only get the force at second. Dustin Pedroia(notes) then executed a perfect hit-and-run single past the space Cano vacated to cover the second-base bag, putting runners at the corners for Gonzalez, who hit a sacrifice fly to the left-field warning track.

In Colon’s first start since an orthopedic surgeon said he injected stem cells into the pitcher’s right shoulder and elbow last year, he gave up three runs—two earned—five hits and three walks in six-plus innings.

Youkilis also scored in the fourth on Carl Crawford’s(notes) groundout after reaching when Russell Martin(notes) allowed a third strike to get by him for a passed ball.

Martin tied the score with a two-run homer in the fifth. Martin and Youkilis and Martin each ended 45 at-bat homerless streaks.

Daniel Bard(notes) allowed Curtis Granderson’s(notes) leadoff triple to the base of the left-field wall in the eighth, then threw a run-scoring wild pitch that made it 5-3. Alex Rodriguez(notes) walked, Bard hit Robinson Cano(notes) on the left foot with a pitch, and the runners advanced on a double steal. In the key sequence of the night, Bard struck out Nick Swisher(notes) with a 99 mph fastball and induced an inning-ending grounder to second by Jorge Posada(notes) on a 101 mph pitch.

Jonathan Papelbon(notes) finished for his sixth save in seven chances, ending career-high stretches of six games and 20 days without one. He allowed Granderson’s two-out RBI single before getting Mark Teixeira(notes) to pop out with the tying run on base.

“We had our shot,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We didn’t get it done.”
NOTES: Buchholz made a diving stab on Brett Gardner’s(notes) one-hopper between the mound and first in the third inning, then had a nifty backhand toss to first to beat the batter. … A disputed call by Mike Everitt allowed Gardner to advance to second in the fifth—the second-base ump ruled Pedroia’s foot came off the bag as he stretched to reach Derek Jeter’s(notes) hit-and-run grounder to the shortstop side of the bag. But Buchholz retired Granderson and Teixeira.