In major-league baseball, Mark Loretta hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 7-6 home win over the Seattle Mariners.
Boston's David Ortiz hit his fifth and sixth home runs of the season, and Trot Nixon doubled twice and singled for the Red Sox.
In Detroit, the Cleveland Indians crushed the Tigers, 10-2. Cleveland's Paul Byrd pitched seven solid innings and Casey Blake hit a home run that sparked a six-run third inning. The Indians won without manager Eric Wedhe, who was in Cleveland for the birth of his first child earlier in the day. The Tigers' Nate Robertson gave up seven runs and eight hits.
In the other American League games, the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels, 4-2, and Chicago White Sox shut out the Kansas City Royals, 9-0. Jose Contreras and two relievers together allowed just one hit as last year's World Series champions sent the Royals to their eighth straight loss. Contreras walked one and struck out six in seven strong innings.
In the National League, Pedro Martinez became the seventh active pitcher with 200 victories as his New York Mets edged the Atlanta Braves, 4-3.
At Cincinnati, the Reds' Adam Dunn hit his eighth homer and Brabdon Claussen pitched seven shutout innings in a 9-1 breeze past the Florida Marlins.
The San Diego Padres' Chris Young pitched seven strong innings and added an RBI double and Josh Barfield hit his first career homer in a 5-2 win over the Rockies in Denver.
In Houston, the Astros earned a come-from-behind, 8-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers with a five-run, seventh-inning rally. And the St. Louis Cardinals' 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates was highlighted by Albert Pujols' first-inning home run. Pujols won Sunday's game against Pittsburgh with three homers, and his two-run blast Monday tied a major-league record: four home runs in four consecutive at-bats.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, and AP.