Angels Survive No-Hit Bid, Win
American League
Garret Anderson’s leadoff double broke up Tim Belcher’s no-hitter in the seventh inning and drove in the winning run in the eighth as Anaheim defeated visiting Kansas City 3-2 Sunday.
Anderson’s sacrifice fly scored Luis Alicea with the winning run for the Angels.
Mike James (5-5) got the victory, with one strikeout in eighth. Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his 25th save.
Jack Howell followed Anderson’s double in the seventh with a homer to right, his 11th of the season, to tie the game 2-2.
That chased a tiring Belcher, who gave up two runs on two hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander walked five and struck out four on 108 pitches, his longest pitch count since the All-Star break.
Belcher, who’d never brought a no-hitter into the seventh in his 10-year career, has struggled recently, with no-decisions in two previous starts. The 35-year-old had gone seven innings just twice in his last eight starts.
Yankees 8, Orioles 2 Baltimore
Bernie Williams had three hits and three RBIs as New York denied Baltimore a chance to become the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff berth.
The Orioles’ magic number to gain at least a wild-card spot remained at one, and their magic number to win the A.L. East title stayed at 10.
New York was 0-7 against the Orioles before winning last Sunday at home and taking three of four at Camden Yards.
Tino Martinez drove in three runs and Chad Curtis homered for the Yankees, whose playoff magic number fell to seven.
Dwight Gooden (8-4) overcame a rocky start to improve to 3-0 in his last six starts. He allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings, striking out five and walking three.
Tigers 6, Athletics 5 Oakland, Calif.
Scott Sanders won consecutive starts for the first time this season, and Bob Hamelin and Tony Clark homered for Detroit.
Sanders (6-12), obtained from Seattle in a July 18 trade, allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 innings, struck out four and walked none.
Todd Jones pitched the ninth to convert his 21st consecutive save chance, giving him 29 in 33 opportunities this season.
Twins 11, Rangers 1 Arlington, Texas
Todd Walker hit a three-run homer that highlighted a six-run first inning for Minnesota.
Bobby Witt (11-11) retired only one batter, matching his shortest outing in a career spanning 336 starts. He allowed six runs and six hits.
Backed by a big early lead, rookie Dan Serafini (2-0) pitched seven scoreless innings in his second major league start. Rookie David Ortiz hit his first career homer and Marty Cordova had three of Minnesota’s 21 hits.
Indians 8, White Sox 3 Chicago
Sandy Alomar hit a bases-loaded single to key a bizarre seven-run eighth inning as Cleveland rallied to beat Chicago.
Jaime Navarro had allowed just two hits in 6-1/3 innings and the White Sox had a 2-0 lead entering the eighth when Sox manager Terry Bevington began switching pitchers - using five of them, including Keith Foulke, who apparently had not warmed up in the bullpen.
Red Sox 2, Brewers 1 Milwaukee
Rookie Nomar Garciaparra hit his 29th homer and Butch Henry pitched seven solid innings for Boston.
Henry (7-2) allowed six hits in seven inning to beat Milwaukee for the second time in seven days.
Clearing the bases
Brewers pitchers have surrendered 15 home runs in the last five games against Boston, including six on Sept. 7. … Chicago tied a major league record by using nine pitchers in the nine-inning game.