In the End, It’s Still Blue Jays Over Orioles

Nine pitches into the game, it wasn’t looking good for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jesus Tavarez led off with a home run for Baltimore. Two batters later, Blue Jay starter Chris Carpenter was hit in the hand by a line drive and had to leave.

Still, the Blue Jays won, 9-8, Saturday at Toronto.

Carlos Delgado drove in three runs and Mike Stanley and Alex Gonzalez hit two-run home runs. Mark Dalesandro also homered for Toronto. Joe Carter and Rafael Palmeiro also homered for the Orioles.

Two outs after Tavarez’s homer, Rafael Palmeiro lined a ball off the pitching hand of Carpenter. The right-hander left the game and was taken to a hospital, where X-rays were negative.

“It swelled up bad and bruised real bad at first. But what it looks like now is nothing what it looked like when it first happened,” Carpenter said.

“We played a good game. Our offense got some big hits and we scored some big runs and [Robert] Person did a great job of coming in after me on such short notice.”

Person (2-0) relieved and was the winner, giving up four earned runs on five hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.

The Orioles also suffered a pitching loss when starter Doug Drabek departed after only 12 hitters because of a strained muscle on the right side of his chest. Unable to get more than six outs, Drabek left behind two runners and a 3-1 deficit.

Randy Myers, pitching against the Orioles for the first time since leaving them as a free agent in the off-season, worked the ninth inning for his 17th save in 19 chances.

Chicago 3, Minnesota 2--Mike Sirotka rebounded from his worst start of the season with a three-hit effort through 8 1/3 innings, and Frank Thomas hit a solo homer to help the White Sox win at Minneapolis.

Sirotka gave up eight runs on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings in his last outing, a 13-7 loss to the Cubs on Sunday.

Sirotka (7-6), who had won only once since May 8, struck out three and walked two as the White Sox ended Minnesota’s three-game winning streak.

He left after giving up a one-out triple to Pat Meares in the ninth. Paul Molitor hit a sacrifice fly off reliever Matt Karchner, who finished for his seventh save.

Bob Tewksbury (3-8) gave up three runs on nine hits through six-plus innings in his second start since a stint on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right shoulder.

Detroit 7, Kansas City 1--Justin Thompson pitched a five-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, and Luis Gonzalez drove in three runs as the Tigers won at Kansas City.

Thompson (5-6) struck out five and walked three. In his previous outing, he pitched a three-hitter Sunday to win at Milwaukee, 4-1.

Rookie designated hitter Frank Catalanotto added two runs batted in for the Tigers. Joe Randa and Bobby Higginson homered on consecutive pitches in the ninth.

Catalanotto’s two-run single off Pat Rapp (5-6) capped the Tigers’ three-run third inning and put Detroit ahead, 4-1.

Tampa Bay at Boston--The game was postponed because of rain. Makeup dates were not announced.

Cleveland at New York--The game was postponed because of wet grounds. It was the second consecutive postponement and makeup dates were not announced.