Davies throttles White Sox in KC win

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 21, 2008

Tampa Bay Rays clinch first playoff berth

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays kept things simple, clinching the first playoff berth in franchise history on their own.

Carlos Pena hit a two-run double and Scott Kazmir rebounded from the worst start of his career to pitch six scoreless innings Saturday, helping the AL East leaders wrap up at least a wild-card spot with a 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Cliff Floyd and Fernando Perez capped the biggest win in the club's 11 seasons with solo home runs. The Rays also extended their lead in the division to 2 1/2 games over Boston, which lost 6-3 at Toronto.

The crowd of 36,048 that packed Tropicana Field stood for entire ninth inning, chanting "Let's Go Rays" and clanging cowbells. The Twins delayed the celebration by scoring twice, but the party was on once third baseman Evan Longoria chased down Joe Mauer's foul pop for the final out.

BLUE JAYS 6, RED SOX 3 -- At Toronto, Roy Halladay worked six innings to earn his 19th win, Scott Rolen homered and the Blue Jays kept their faint playoff hopes alive.

Toronto pulled within 7 1/2 games of Boston in the wild-card race. The Blue Jays have seven games remaining, and the Red Sox have eight.

YANKEES 1, ORIOLES 0 -- At New York, Robinson Cano hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Yankees staved off postseason elimination.

Playing what is likely to be the penultimate game at Yankee Stadium, New York got a perfect inning from Mariano Rivera (6-5).

ATHLETICS 8, MARINERS 7 -- At Oakland, Calif., Daric Barton hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning and the Athletics handed the Mariners their season-worst 10th straight loss.

INDIANS 6, TIGERS 3 -- At Cleveland, Shin-Soo Choo continued his hot September and Jeremy Sowers pitched six strong innings.

With the exception of one hit batter that didn't cause an incident, all was quiet one night after the teams were involved in a bench-clearing brawl Friday.

National League

CUBS 5, CARDINALS 4 -- The Cubbies are in. Now, how far can they go?

At Chicago, the Cubs clinched their second straight NL Central title, winning behind Ted Lilly's seven innings at rocking Wrigley Field.

The 41,597 fans jammed into the old neighborhood ballpark were ready to party as they watched the Cubs earn back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since they participated in three straight World Series from 1906-08.

Lilly (16-9) was sailing along with a 5-0 lead when the Cardinals scored four runs with two out in the sixth, including a three-run homer by Troy Glaus.

REDS 4, BREWERS 3 -- At Cincinnati, not even prized acquisition CC Sabathia could keep Milwaukee in contention for the NL Central title.

Pitcher Micah Owings had a pinch-hit single off Sabathia with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and Cincinnati held on for the win.

PHILLIES 3, MARLINS 2 -- At Miami, the game was as tight as the NL East standings, and at the end of the night, the Philadelphia Phillies led both.

Philadelphia went ahead, fell behind, rallied and held on, escaping threats in the final three innings to reclaim first place.

The Phillies' win left them with a half-game lead over the New York Mets.

BRAVES 4, METS 2 -- At Atlanta, Pedro Martinez got off to a slow start and the New York Mets never recovered.

Kelly Johnson hit an RBI double off Martinez in Atlanta's three- run first inning, rookie Josh Anderson had three hits.

PIRATES 6, ASTROS 4 -- At Pittsburgh, Ryan Doumit drove in three runs with a pair of triples in the first two innings and the Pirates built a five-run lead in the first inning before holding on.

PADRES 6, NATIONALS 1 -- At Washington, Chris Young allowed just two hits in seven innings and hit the first home run of his career.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, ROCKIES 3 -- At Denver, Stephen Drew hit a two- out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth and the Diamondbacks ended their 11-game road losing streak.

The win temporarily moved the Diamondbacks within three games of the Dodgers in the NL West.

The Associated PressSheffield still angry

Gary Sheffield was still angry a day after he was involved in a brawl with the Cleveland Indians.

The Detroit Tigers designated hitter was hit by a pitch from Fausto Carmona in the seventh inning Friday night, an incident that led to a bench-clearing brawl. Sheffield and Carmona were ejected, as was Indians catcher Victor Martinez and Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco.

Sheffield said Friday night he wouldn't forget the actions of several Indians players during the brawl. He was still unhappy before Saturday's game and directed most of his comments at Martinez, who was pointing at the Tigers veteran while being dragged away from the fight.

ANDY PETTITTE will get the ball tonight against Baltimore in a game dripping with nostalgia.

Barring an incredible charge to the postseason, New York will be playing its final game at the 85-year-old ballpark before a sellout crowd and a national television audience. The Yankees are on target to move next season into a $1.3 billion palace rising across the street.