Rays one win from first playoff berth
Associated Press
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One more win and the Tampa Bay Rays are in.
The AL East leaders closed in on a playoff berth last night, beating the Minnesota Twins, 11-1, behind Carlos Pena's homer and four RBIs — with help from the first reversal produced by baseball's instant replay system.
The Rays, who had never won more than 70 games in a season before this year, retained a 1 1/2-game lead in the division over Boston and moved within a victory of clinching at least a wild-card spot.
They can earn the first postseason berth in their 11 seasons by winning one of two remaining games in this series against Minnesota, which fell 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
Tampa Bay also can wrap up a spot if the White Sox and New York Yankees lose at least once this weekend.
"It's very exciting to be in this position, and to move on to the postseason would be great. But that's just one of the goals. It's also to win the division and to get the best record in the league," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Edwin Jackson (12-11) allowed one run and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings.
Pena's drive to right field off Boof Bonser appeared to be touched by a fan before bouncing off the top of the fence. First base umpire Mike DiMuro signaled fan interference, and Pena stopped at second base for a two-run double.
The umpires huddled immediately and decided to look at the video for the third test of the system since Aug. 28, when baseball allowed umpires to begin using it to determine boundary calls.
They returned to the field after a delay of 4 minutes, 10 seconds, and crew chief Gerry Davis signaled home run, giving Pena a three-run shot that made it 9-0.
INDIANS 6, TIGERS 5
Jamey Carroll hit a game-winning single with one out in the ninth give host Cleveland a fight-filled victory. Miguel Cabrera's second homer gave Detroit a 4-2 lead in the seventh. One out later, the Indians' Fausto Carmona hit Gary Sheffield in the left arm with a pitch. After Carmona threw to first on a pickoff attempt, Sheffield motioned and yelled at him. Carmona took a step toward first, yelled, and Sheffield charged at him.
YANKEES 3, ORIOLES 2
Brett Gardner made his bid for the last great catch at Yankee Stadium. The rookie center fielder robbed Luke Scott with a terrific grab and doubled in a run, sparking New York to a victory over Baltimore in the opener of the final series at the 85-year-old ballpark. Robinson Cano hit a solo homer for the Yankees.
ATHLETICS 2, MARINERS 0
Travis Buck homered, Dana Eveland pitched seven strong innings and host Oakland beat Seattle. Eveland (9-8) scattered seven hits and had seven strikeouts. Oakland's Jack Cust struck out for the 186th time this season to tie the AL record (Milwaukee's Rob Deer in 1987).
ANGELS 15, RANGERS 13
Torii Hunter homered and drove in four runs, Kendry Morales and Mike Napoli hit back-to-back homers and visiting Los Angeles had a season-high 22 hits. Los Angeles led 7-0 until the Rangers scored nine runs on nine hits in the bottom of the third.
RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 3
Jason Varitek drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and visiting Boston beat Toronto. Boston opened a 7 1/2-game lead in the wild-card race over Minnesota and the Yankees.
WHITE SOX 9, ROYALS 4
Alexei Ramirez hit a grand slam, Dewayne Wise homered twice and Mark Buehrle pitched six effective innings for visiting Chicago. Buehrle (14-11) gave up three runs and six hits.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PADRES 11, NATIONALS 6
Chase Headley had four hits, including a tie-breaking triple that keyed a five-run 14th inning, and visiting San Diego beat Washington. Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the 14th and was hit by a pitch by Levale Speigner (0-1). Headley tripled off the right field wall to score Kouzmanoff.
CARDINALS 12, CUBS 6
Adam Kennedy capped a five-run first inning with a grand slam, and host St. Louis beat Carlos Zambrano and Chicago. Chicago clinched at least a tie for the division when Milwaukee lost to Cincinnati. After pitching a no-hitter Sunday against Houston in Milwaukee, Zambrano (14-6) allowed eight runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings.
METS 9, BRAVES 5
Daniel Murphy delivered a tiebreaking double in the eighth and visiting New York regained first place in the NL East. Jose Reyes hit a leadoff homer to help the Mets move a half-game in front of Philadelphia, which lost at Florida.
MARLINS 14, PHILLIES 8
Rookie Cameron Maybin had four hits for the second straight game and tied a franchise record by reaching base in 10 consecutive plate appearances for host Florida. Maybin singled in his first four at-bats to hike his average to .900 (9 for 10).
REDS 11, BREWERS 2
Joey Votto and Jay Bruce both hit two homers and host Cincinnati hit seven overall against Milwaukee. Ramon Ramirez (1-0) went six innings for his first victory in the majors.
ROCKIES 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2
Jorge De La Rosa threw six solid innings, and Chris Iannetta and Clint Barmes homered for host Colorado. De La Rosa (9-8) struck out six, walked three and allowed three hits.
ASTROS 5, PIRATES 1
Randy Wolf allowed three hits and one run in seven innings, and Hunter Pence had three RBIs to help visiting Houston snap a five-game losing streak. Wolf (11-12) struck out seven.
GIANTS 7, DODGERS 1
Barry Zito took a shutout into the eighth inning for visiting San Francisco. Zito (10-16) allowed one run and six hits in 7 2/3 innings. Bengie Molina had three hits and four RBIs for San Francisco.
NOTES
Blue Jays: Toronto right-hander Shaun Marcum needs ligament replacement surgery in his right elbow, and is expected to miss the entire 2009 season. Marcum is 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 25 starts.
Red Sox: Third baseman Mike Lowell is expected to miss Boston's weekend series against Toronto because of a sore hip.