SEATTLE – Gil Meche became Seattle’s first 10-game winner in two seasons and Miguel Olivo hit a solo home run as the Mariners beat the mistake-prone Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Sunday.
Seattle blew it open with a five-run sixth inning, highlighted by Mike Morse’s two-run bloop single with two outs and the bases loaded. Richie Sexson also had an RBI single in that inning and added an RBI sacrifice fly in the seventh.
The Mariners sent 17 batters to the plate through the first five innings, then 18 over the next two in earning a split of the four-game series.
Meche (10-6) won for the fifth time in his last seven starts to rekindle memories of 2003, when he won 15 games. He worked 6 2-3 innings, allowing one run and five hits with one strikeout and four walks.
Two days after collecting his 3,000th career hit, Rafael Palmeiro led off the second with his 567th career home run, tying Al Simmons for No. 15 all-time with 1,827 RBIs. It was Palmeiro’s 52nd homer against Seattle, more than any other hitter.
Angels 2, Twins 1
MINNEAPOLIS – John Lackey tied a career high with 10 strikeouts and Jeff DaVanon homered to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Lackey (7-4) scattered five hits over seven innings and allowed just the one unearned run in a dominant performance to win for the first time in four starts.
Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances.
The Angels are hoping it’s a sign of things to come from Lackey, who was 5-1 with a 2.56 ERA in his first 12 starts of the season, but had gone 0-2 with a 7.86 ERA in his three starts prior to Sunday.
While not as overpowering, Twins starter Joe Mays (5-4) was nearly as effective coming off his worst start of the season. He gave up four runs and nine hits in just two innings of a no-decision against Kansas City.
He was much better Sunday, giving up two runs and just two hits in seven innings while striking out a season-high six.
Mays made just one mistake in the second inning, but with Lackey regaining his form, it was one mistake too many, and the Twins lost for the sevent
Devil Rays 5, Blue Jays 4
TORONTO – Jorge Cantu hit a go-ahead double in the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Down 4-1 in the eighth, the Devil Rays rallied with three runs on Aubrey Huff’s RBI grounder off Scott Schoeneweis and Toby Hall’s two-run double down the left-field line off Miguel Batista (4-3).
Jonny Gomes scored the tying run after plate umpire John Hirschbeck ruled Gomes beat catcher Gregg Zaun’s tag. An incensed Zaun slammed his mask to the turf, prompting his ejection. Toronto manager John Gibbons ran from he dugout, threw his hat to the turf and was also ejected.
It’s Zaun’s second ejection this season and Gibbons’ fifth.
Tampa Bay’s Julio Lugo turned a single into double with aggressive baserunning in the ninth before Cantu doubled off the center field wall off Batista to give Tampa Bay the lead.
Athletics 5, Rangers 4
OAKLAND, Calif. – Bobby Kielty led off the 14th inning with a homer, sending the streaking Oakland Athletics to a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Oakland tied it on pinch-hitter Adam Melhuse’s one-out RBI double in the ninth off Francisco Cordero, who blew his fifth save. Both teams repeatedly threatened to score in the extra innings, but every rally ended without a run.
Kielty, who entered the game as a pinch-runner in the ninth, finally did it with a long shot to right off Kameron Loe (3-2), ending both teams’ longest game of the season.
It was the second game-ending homer of Kielty’s career. He also did it June 1 of last season against Chicago.
Royals 5, Tigers 0
DETROIT – Runelvys Hernandez allowed two hits through five innings before he was ejected after triggering a bench-clearing brawl in the sixth, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 5-0 on Sunday.
Three relievers finished the six-hitter for the Royals, who had three players and manager Buddy Bell ejected in the melee that started after Hernandez beaned Detroit’s Carlos Guillen in the helmet, his third hit batter of the game.
Mike Sweeney hit a two-run homer and Mark Teahen added a solo shot.
The Royals led 4-0 when Hernandez (7-9) threw a low and inside pitch that Guillen thought hit him. Guillen argued with plate umpire Marty Foster, and Detroit manager Alan Trammell came out to plead the case. The next pitch hit Guillen in the helmet.
White Sox 4, Indians 0
CLEVELAND – Jon Garland pitched six effective innings and became the AL’s first 14-game winner as the Chicago White Sox completed their first four-game sweep in Cleveland in 42 years with a 4-0 win over the Indians on Sunday.
Tadahito Iguchi and A.J. Pierzynski hit home runs for Chicago, which improved to 30-5 against the AL Central and swept a four-game set in Cleveland for the first time since Aug. 27-29, 1963.
Garland (14-4) allowed seven hits and two walks to win for the second time in four starts. He struck out two.
Neal Cotts and Cliff Politte completed the eight-hitter.
Chicago’s previous three starters – Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, and Mark Buehrle – had each worked seven innings. Overall, the foursome combined for a 1.00 ERA, allowing three runs in 27 innings
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