Magglio Ordonez and the Tigers staved off elimination with an 8-0 win over the Twins. Ordonez’s double in the three-run sixth gave the team 2,550 total bases, a franchise best. His 28th homer — a 437-foot shot in the seventh — gave him a career-high 136 RBIs.
Manny Ramirez returned to the Red Sox’s lineup after a 24-game absence (strained muscle in side) and batted second. He singled and scored Boston’s first run in the first, then walked to start a two-run fifth in a 7-3 victory over the A’s.
The Nationals’ Jon Rauch pitched the final two-thirds of an inning to earn the save in a 10-9 win over the Mets. He came on after Jesus Colome and closer Chad Cordero combined to give up six runs in the ninth. The Mets needed the furious rally after …
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… Tom Glavine pitched poorly. Glavine gave up homers to Austin Kearns, Tony Batista and Justin Maxwell while falling behind 6-2. The Mets are 1-4 in the last five meetings, allowing 48 runs against the team that began the day with the fewest runs in the majors.
Up 5-0 in the sixth with a chance to clinch a playoff spot thanks to an Alex Rodriguez grand slam that gave him 151 RBIs, the Yankees’ bullpen gave up all seven runs in a 7-6 loss to the Devil Rays. Jeff Karstens was the final victim, yielding Dioner Navarro’s walkoff blast.
Geoff Geary came on for the Phillies in the sixth inning in relief of Jamie Moyer, and Matt Diaz promptly lined his first pitch for an RBI single to give the Braves a 6-5 lead. Edgar Renteria added a two-run single off Geary to make it 8-5 in a 10-6 Braves victory.
