NEW YORK, 20 August 2003 — Jorge Posada and Karim Garcia both homered as the New York Yankees pounded out 14 hits to hand Jose Lima his first loss of the season, downing the Kansas City Royals 11-6 in the American League on Monday.
Alfonso Soriano had a two-run single for the Yankees, who have won five straight games to open up a 5 1/2 game lead in the AL East over the idle Boston Red Sox. Nick Johnson added three hits and drove in a run for New York, while Hideki Matsui scored three runs, had two hits and one RBI. It was a costly loss for the Royals, as their AL Central lead was sliced to two games over the Chicago White Sox, who rallied to win at home against the Anaheim Angels. Jeff Weaver (7-9) allowed four runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win.
Three relievers finished up to complete the nine-hitter. Lima (7-1) allowed six runs on seven hits in just four innings en route to his first loss. Carlos Beltran homered, tripled and singled for Kansas City while driving in three runs.
White Sox 4 Angels 2
In Chicago, Frank Thomas hit his second two-run homer of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the White Sox a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Angels. Thomas hit his 29th and 30th home runs of the season to move the White Sox to within two games of Kansas City in the AL Central.
Tom Gordon (6-5) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win after Mark Buehrle allowed two runs on six hits over eight innings. Jarrod Washburn (9-12) went all the way for the Angels, allowing four runs on four hits to take the loss. Adam Riggs had two hits for Anaheim.
Rangers 4 Tigers 2 (16 innings)
In Detroit, Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the top of the 16th inning to give the Texas Rangers a 4-2 win over the Tigers. Shane Spencer also homered for Texas. Ron Mahay (2-0) tossed three shutout innings for the win, allowing one hit with seven strikeouts. R.A. Dickey pitched a scoreless 16th for his first save. Shane Halter and Brandon Inge both homered for the Tigers. Steve Sparks (0-6) allowed two runs on four hits in two innings to take the loss.
Devil Rays 7 Indians 4 (13 innings)
In Cleveland, Carl Crawford hit a two-run single in the top of the 13th inning as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays outlasted the Indians 7-4. Julio Lugo hit a pair of homers for Tampa Bay, while Marlon Anderson had two hits and drove in a run and Damian Rolls added three hits. Lance Carter (7-3) allowed one run on one hit in 3 2/3 innings to get the win.
Hampton Makes It Eight in a Row
In Atlanta, Mike Hampton pitched eight solid innings for his eighth straight victory when the Atlanta Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 in the National League on Monday. Hampton (11-5) allowed one run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks while improving his record to 8-0 in his last nine starts. He has allowed just three earned runs in his last 25 innings.
Reliever Ray King finished up with a scoreless ninth inning to complete the fourhitter as the Braves won three of four games from the Diamondbacks, who are trying to stay in the NL Wild Card hunt. Robert Fick drove in three runs for the Braves, who scored twice in the first and another two times in the third to give Hampton more than enough offensive support.
Marcus Giles and Gary Sheffield both homered for Atlanta, while Giles also scored three runs and had two hits and two RBI. Sheffield’s fifth inning homer stretched his career-high hitting streak to 22 games, the longest Atlanta streak since Marquis Grissom went 28 games in 1996. Miguel Batista (7-7) was the loser, allowing five runs on seven hits over five innings.
Mets 8 Rockies 0
In New York, Steve Trachsel retired the first 17 batters he faced before finishing with a one-hitter as the Mets won their season- high sixth straight game, blanking the Colorado Rockies 8-0.
Trachsel (12-7) gave up just a single to pitcher Tsao Chin-Hui with two outs in the sixth inning, the pitcher’s first career hit. He struck out three and walked none in pitching his second complete game and shutout this season in a 103-pitch effort. Mike Piazza and Jason Phillips both homered for the Mets, while Roger Cedeno had two hits and one RBI. Tsao (2-1) allowed seven runs on 10 hits with three walks and no strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Expos 4 Giants 0
In Montreal, Javier Vazquez pitched a three-hit shutout to lead the Expos past the San Francisco Giants 4-0. The Giants lost all seven games this season against Montreal, the first time in the franchise’s 128-year history it was swept in a season series involving more than three games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
