NEW YORK, 10 June 2006 — Curt Schilling hurled eight solid innings to help the Boston Red Sox rout the New York Yankees 9-3 on Thursday, while Jason Varitek led the attack with a three-run homer for the visitors.
Schilling (9-2) surrendered just four hits — three of them solo home runs — in becoming the American League’s first nine-game winner of the season while helping the Red Sox avoid a series sweep at the hands of their arch-rivals.
“The mark of a good pitcher is giving up home runs without any men on base,” Yankees manager Joe Torre told MLB.com. “A lot of great pitchers over the years have done that.
Schilling is a competitor. He’s not going to give in. “He’s not going to beat himself by walking people.
“He’s going to make you hit it, and if you do damage, you’re going to do it with nobody on.” With the Yankees clinging to a 2-1 lead, Boston broke open the tight contest with three runs in the sixth, then put it out of reach with a five-run burst in the seventh highlighted by Varitek’s blast.
Varitek finished the evening with three hits, four RBI and two runs scored, while Coco Crisp also drove in a pair of runs and scored once. Jaret Wright (3-4) was tagged with the loss, yielding four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings.
The defeat capped off a bad day for the Yankees, who learned earlier that slugger Gary Sheffield would undergo surgery on his injured left wrist and could be out of action until September. The Yankees also played without all-star shortstop Derek Jeter, who missed his third straight game with a sore right thumb.
“A lot of people have counted us out because we lost some key guys, but we’re battling, and that’s what we have to do as a team,” Yankee outfielder Johnny Damon said.
“We go out there and battle. “We’re in first place right now; we feel like we can continue our winning ways.” In Chicago, Kenny Rogers overcame a stuttering start to toss seven strong innings, sitting down the final 17 straight batters he faced, as Detroit Tigers rolled past the Chicago White Sox 6-2.
After giving up a first inning two-run homer to Paul Konerko, Rogers (8-3) settled down to register his first decision in four starts.
The runs were the only ones Rogers would allow, the lefthander scattering six hits while striking out five without a walk in seven innings of work.
Placido Polanco pulled the Tigers level when he answered Konerko’s two-run homer with a two-run blast in the third.
Detroit then took control with a four-run sixth-inning burst keyed by a two-run shot from Marcus Thames. Omar Infante and Carlos Guillen also each contributed an RBI to the win.
In Kansas City, the Royals spotted the Texas Rangers a seven run lead then roared back to win a wild 16-12 slugfest. Matt Stairs slammed a three-run homer David DeJesus had four RBI and scored three runs as the Royals fell behind 11-4 after three innings then rallied to claim an improbable victory that ended a three-game losing streak.
Doug Mientkiewicz also drove in three-runs while Reggie Sanders scored three times in the win. Ian Kinsler had four RBI in the loss for the Rangers.
Sizzling Reds Dump Cubs 7-1
Bronson Arroyo tossed seven sharp innings and Brandon Phillips, David Ross and Ryan Freel belted home runs as the surging Cincinnati Reds pounded the Chicago Cubs 7-1 in National League play on Thursday.
Arroyo (8-2) was masterful, allowing one run on five hits and striking out three as the Reds extended their win streak to a season high eight games and nosed a half-game ahead of the idle St. Louis Cardinals in the NL central.
“Sometimes, it just seems so easy,” Arroyo, told MLB.com reflecting on his days with the Boston Red Sox. “Right now, it feels very similar to how we felt in the (2004)World Series against the Cardinals.
The Cubs opened the scoring on a first-inning solo home run from Tony Womack but that would be the only time Chicago led.
Cincinnati replied with an RBI double from Rich Aurilia in the bottom of the inning, then scored another run in the third before breaking open the tight contest with a three-run burst in the fifth highlighted by a two-run blast from Phillips and solo shot by Ross.
Glendon Rusch (2-6) absorbed the loss, tagged for five runs on seven hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work.
In Houston, Lance Berkman smacked a pair of home runs and Mike Lamb also homered as the Astros eased past the Atlanta Braves 7-4 for their third straight victory.
Andy Pettitte (5-7) provided Houston with a solid effort on the mound, surrendering just two runs on eight hits while striking out eight and walking three in six innings of work.
Chipper Jones had a two-run homer and Jeff Francouer added a solo shot for the slumping Braves, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games.
In Phoenix, Orlando Hernandez pitched a three-hit shutout masterpiece against his former team to lead the New York Mets to 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Hernandez (4-5) was brilliant, surrendering just one run on three hits while striking out three and walking a pair to record his first complete game since September 2000.
Carlos Beltran slammed a two-run homer, his 15th of the season and Endy Chavez had three RBIs to support El Duque’s gem.
