09/02/2008 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyle Overbay's two-run homer in the sixth inning put Toronto ahead for good and the Blue Jays went on to a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series.
Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer and finished with four hits, while Alex Rios ended 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI for the Blue Jays, who have won three straight games.
Joe Mauer collected two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Twins, who have alternated wins and losses over their last six games following a four-game skid. Minnesota remained tied with the White Sox atop the AL Central after Chicago lost to Cleveland on Tuesday.
Glen Perkins started for Minnesota and allowed four runs on 10 hits over five innings, but did not factor into the decision.
Trailing by one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Blue Jays came to bat against Minnesota reliever Boof Bonser (3-7), who was credited with the loss. Scott Rolen drew a leadoff walk before Overbay turned on a Bonser offering and drilled it over the wall in right field for a 6-5 Toronto advantage.
Jesse Carlson (5-1), who also tossed a perfect sixth, pitched a 1-2-3 frame in the top of the seventh in earning the win. Rios added an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth for a 7-5 Toronto advantage.
Scott Downs needed only 10 pitches in the scoreless eighth and B.J. Ryan closed it out in the ninth for his 26th save of the season.
The Twins opened the scoring in the top of the third inning. Leadoff batter Alexi Casilla singled to center and moved to third when Mauer followed with a base hit. Another single, off the bat of Justin Morneau, allowed Casilla to cross the plate. Later in the inning, with one out and runners on second and third, Toronto starting pitcher David Purcey uncorked a wild pitch and Mauer scored on the play. The three-run rally was capped via Delmon Young's RBI single.
Toronto cut its deficit to 3-1 in the home portion of the frame. Consecutive one-out singles by Bautista and Rios preceded Vernon Wells' base hit to center field that brought home Bautista.
In the top of the fourth, Minnesota made it 5-1 via an RBI single by Denard Span and a sacrifice fly from Mauer. Purcey was taken out after Span's hit, was replaced by Brian Tallet, and finished with a line of five runs allowed on seven hits in three-plus innings.
The Blue Jays began to chip away at their deficit with three runs in the fifth. Marco Scutaro drew a leadoff walk before Bautista belted a fastball over the wall in left field. Rios followed with his 11th home run of the year, but Perkins got three straight outs thereafter and the visitors held a 5-4 lead after five innings.
Game Notes
Minnesota is now 5-7 on its current 14-game road trip...Perkins had won four straight starts prior to this one...The Blue Jays have captured seven straight versus the Twins...The Jays outhit the Twins, 17-9...Attendance was 21,254.
<< Dodgers' Kershaw brought back up
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled rookie
pitcher Clayton Kershaw from Triple-A Las Vegas to start Tuesday's game
against San Diego.
The 20-year-old was optioned to Las Vegas following his last start, Thursda
<< Hamels paces Phils to shutout of Nats
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cole Hamels snapped baseball's most
shocking winning streak of the season, blanking the Nationals into the eighth
inning and keeping the Phillies close in the National League East race with a
4-0 vic
<< Jankovic, Dementieva advance to U.S. Open semis
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second seed Jelena Jankovic and fifth
seed Elena Dementieva will meet in the semifinals at the U.S. Open after both
posted victories on Tuesday.
The Serbian Jankovic, who was ranked No. 1 in the
<< Rangers C Saltalamacchia done for season
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia
is out for the rest of the season after suffering a strained muscle in his
right forearm during Monday's 12-6 loss to Seattle.
In the fifth inning, the catch
Hunter, Halos edge Tigers >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Torii Hunter went 3-for-4 with a pair of
doubles and finished with three runs driven in, to lead the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim in a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-
game se
Indians topple White Sox; AL Central tie remains >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Asdrubal Cabrera recorded three hits, two RBI
and a run scored while Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer, as the Cleveland
Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox, 9-3, at Progressive Field.
Franklin Gutierr
Nady, A-Rod help Yankees down Rays >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Mussina pitched into the seventh
inning, and Xavier Nady and Alex Rodriguez both homered as New York bested
Tampa Bay, 7-2, in the opener of a three-game set from Tropicana Field.
Rodriguez
Federer pushed to five sets; Roddick also into quarterfinals >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer needed 3 1/2 hours to
complete his five-set, fourth-round win over 23rd seed Igor Andreev of
Russia, while American Andy Roddick continued to roll in moving to the
quarter
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