Hamilton hits 35th in losing cause…Lincecum loses 14th
UNDATED (AP) – The Minnesota Twins surprised the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 6-5 to end a five-game losing streak. The Twins limped home from a 10-game road trip with a 2-8 mark.
Ben Revere had four hits and Cole De Vries won for the first time in nearly two months as the Twins avoided getting swept in the four-game series.
Josh Hamilton hit his 35th homer for Texas and drove in four runs, giving him a major league-leading 111 RBIs.
Also in the AL:
– Prince Fielder and Delmon Young homered on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning while helping Detroit to a 5-2 win and series victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Max Scherzer gave up one run and struck out nine over seven innings while improving to 14-6.
– The East-leading Yankees picked up a series win in Cleveland with a 4-2 victory over the stumbling Indians. New York’s Curtis Granderson hit his 33rd homer of the season and 200th of his career. The Bronx Bombers extend their division lead over idle Tampa Bay to four games. Cleveland has lost nine of 10 and is 5-23 since July 26.
– The revamped Red Sox bounced back from a nine-player trade and a 12-inning loss to the Royals on Saturday night by beating Kansas City 8-6. James Loney went 1 for 5 with an RBI in his Boston debut. New teammate Pedro Ciriaco had three hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. The Red Sox win for just the fourth time in 12 games.
– Backup catcher Tyler Flowers hit a go-ahead homer just before the final downpour and the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in a rain-shortened game for their sixth straight victory.
– The series finale between the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays was postponed because of rain in Baltimore and will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader on Sept. 24. The playoff-hopeful O’s were seeking a three-game sweep against the sagging Blue Jays, who have lost seven straight.
In NL play:
-Atlanta bopped San Francisco 7-1 in the Sunday night game. Tim Hudson won his 13th game while Tim Lincecum lost his 14th. The win moves the Braves within four and a-half games of NL East-leading Washington. The Giants stay two back of the Dodgers in the West. Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back homers in the ninth.
– The major league leaders’ losing streak has stretched to four games. Philadelphia’s winning streak grows to four with a 4-1 victory that completes a series sweep of the visiting Washington Nationals. Phillies lefty Cliff Lee tossed seven sharp innings to earn his first home win in nearly a year. Jimmy Rollins and Laynce Nix homered in support.
– Rob Brantly gave Miami the lead for good with his first major league home run, and the Marlins also got long balls from Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes and Carlos Lee to beat the revamped Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2. New Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez went two-for-four with an RBI in his second game at Chavez Ravine.
– The St. Louis Cardinals beat Central Division leader Cincinnati 8-2 to keep hold of the second NL wild card. The Cardinals began the day a half-game better than the L.A. Dodgers. Redbirds left fielder Matt Holliday went 4 for 5 with four RBIs and first baseman Allen Craig went 3 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs.
– The Pirates fall two games behind St. Louis in the race for the NL’s second wild card after getting shutout 7-zip by the visiting Brewers. Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Gomez went deep for Milwaukee. Pittsburgh starter Erik Bedard suffered his major league-leading 14th loss.
– Ike Davis hit his second homer of the day with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the New York Mets past the Houston Astros 2-1.
– Edinson Volquez pitched seven effective innings and the San Diego Padres extended their winning streak to a season-high seven games with a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Scully will be in the booth again next season
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Vin Scully is sticking around another season to broadcast Los Angeles Dodgers games.
The 84-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster will return for a record 64th season in 2013. Scully will call all Dodgers home and road games in California and Arizona.
Scully says the team’s new ownership has revitalized him, along with the city, the team and the fans.
T.O. back in unemployment line…Bills eyeing QB Jackson
UNDATED (AP) – If Terrell Owens is going to make an NFL comeback it won’t be in Seattle. The 38-year-old wide receiver was cut by the Seahawks as NFL teams are reducing rosters from 90 to 75 players.
After sitting out last season, Owens signed a one-year deal with Seattle earlier this month, just days before the club’s first preseason game.
He played the second and third preseason games but caught only one pass.
Owens has started 201 of the 219 regular-season NFL games he’s played. He has 1,078 receptions for 15,934 yards. Owens’ 153 touchdowns are second most in league history.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
– The Buffalo Bills have tentatively agreed to acquire quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. That could be bad news for the Bills current backup, Vince Young. Ryan Fitzpatrick is Buffalo’s starting QB. The Bills are averaging under 10 points a game during their 0-3 preseason.
– The Ravens have released 2010 Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff, preferring to go into the season with Justin Tucker in that role. The rookie has made good on all five of the preseason field goal attempts, including two kicks from at least 50 yards. Cundiff went 1 for 6 from 50 yards and beyond last year.
– Texans coach Gary Kubiak says rookie kicker Randy Bullock will go on the season-ending injured reserve list after tearing a muscle near his groin. The fifth-round draft pick out of Texas A&M was competing with veteran Shayne Graham. Bullock was 3 for 4 on field goals and Graham has gone 5 for 5 in the preseason.
– The Colts may have plugged their biggest hole on defense by trading two undisclosed draft picks to Miami for cornerback Vontae Davis. Indy was desperately looking for a second cornerback to start opposite veteran Jerraud Powers.
Watney gets timely victory
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) – Nick Watney shot a 2-under-par 69 in the final round to win The Barclays by 3 shots over Brandt Snedecker, who got to 7-under with a 1-under 70. Watney salvages a dismal season with the victory that assures him a shot at the $10 million top prize at next month’s Tour Championship. It also puts him in the conversation as a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Watney began the final day of the first FedEx Cup playoff tournament in second place, two shots behind Sergio Garcia. But the Spaniard collapsed with a 4-over 75 and finished in a tie for third with Dustin Johnson, four shots off the pace. Johnson shot 68.
The top 100 in the standings move on to next week’s playoff tournament outside of Boston.
Ko earns a spot in the record books
COQUITLAM, British Columbia (AP) – U.S. Women’s Amateur titleholder Lydia Ko won the Canadian Open by three strokes to become the youngest champion in LPGA Tour history.
The 15-year-old South-Korea-born New Zealander brought a one-shot lead into final round play before carding a 5-under 67 that got her to minus-13 for the tournament.
Ko broke the age record of 16 set by Lexi Thompson last September and is the first amateur winner since JoAnne Carner in 1969.
Championship banner headed across the Pacific
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) – A team from Tokyo clobbered the club from Goodlettsville, Tenn., 12-2 in the championship game of the Little League World Series. The contest was halted in the fifth inning by the 10-run rule.
Noriatsu Osaka hit three homers and tripled, and Japan limited Tennessee’s potent lineup to two hits.
In the third-place game, Bradley Smith had three RBIs and Logan Douglas struck out six in five innings of relief to lift Petaluma, Calif., past a team from Panama, 12-4.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 5, L.A. Angels 2
N.Y. Yankees 4, Cleveland 2
Boston 8, Kansas City 6
Toronto at Baltimore, ppd., rain
Chicago White Sox 4, Seattle 3, 7 innings
Minnesota 6, Texas 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
N.Y. Mets 2, Houston 1
St. Louis 8, Cincinnati 2
Milwaukee 7, Pittsburgh 0
Philadelphia 4, Washington 1
Chicago Cubs 5, Colorado 0, 8 innings
Miami 6, L.A. Dodgers 2
San Diego 5, Arizona 4
Atlanta 7, San Francisco 1
