Texas slugger Hank Blalock hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning to lead the Rangers to an 8-7 win Sunday over the Los Angeles Angels in a key Major League Baseball contest.
Blalock's fifth career bases-loaded home run gave the Rangers an 8-5 lead. The American League West division-leading Angels pulled to within a run of tying the game in the ninth inning, and had the bases loaded when Garret Anderson struck out looking to end the game.
In other American League contests, Oakland's Jack Hannahan blooped a game-ending single in the 10th inning to lift the Athletics to an 8-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. The Boston Red Sox tripped up the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2. The Chicago White Sox snapped Cleveland's eight-game winning streak, beating the Indians, 8-0. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays surprised the New York Yankees, 8-2. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Seattle Mariners, 6-4. And the Kansas City Royals vanquished the Minnesota Twins, 8-1.
In the National League, The East division-leading New York Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves, hanging on to a 3-2 victory. The Los Angeles Dodgers shut down the San Diego Padres, 5-0. The Colorado Rockies edged the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3. The Florida Marlins tied a team record with five home runs in their 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Chicago Cubs rallied to eke out a 6-5 win over the Houston Astros. Milwaukee's Prince Fielder hit his National League-leading 40th home run to lead the Brewers to a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The St. Louis Cardinals got by the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2. And Washington's star third-baseman Ryan Zimmerman drove in the game-ending run in the ninth inning, to give the Nationals a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
