Rockies Erupt In 8th – MLB Roundup

UNDATED (AP) — David Ortiz allowed the Boston Red Sox to take the rubber match of their three-game series with Texas Wednesday afternoon. Ortiz smacked a three-run homer that wrapped around the Pesky Pole in right field during the bottom of the eighth, giving Boston a 4-2 win over the Rangers.

Jake Peavy had a two-hit shutout until Mitch Moreland homered leading off the seventh. Alex Rios put Texas ahead with a sacrifice fly, but the Red Sox pulled out the victory on Big Papi's second hit of the day.

In other MLB action:

— Nick Markakis had an RBI single while Baltimore scored twice in the ninth to beat the New York Yankees 5-4. Jonathan Schoop (skohp) hit a three-run homer off Masahiro Tanaka (mah-sah-HEER'-oh tah-NAH'-kah) in the second inning of his first start at Yankee Stadium, but Carlos Beltran and Kelly Johnson connected against Miguel Gonzalez in the bottom of the inning.

— Toronto was a 7-3 winner over Houston behind Brandon Morrow, who allowed three runs in six innings for his first victory in almost 11 months. Brett Lawrie hit a two-run homer as the Blue Jays dealt the Astros their sixth loss in seven games following a 2-0 start.

— Alex Gordon hit a three-run homer and matched a career high with four RBIs in Kansas City's 7-3 spanking of Tampa Bay. Jeremy Guthrie held the Rays to a run and four hits over seven innings, blanking Tampa Bay after Desmond Jennings homered in the fourth.

— Oakland's bullpen blew a 4-2 lead in the ninth before Derek Norris hit a three-run homer in the 11th to give the A's a 7-4 triumph at Minnesota. Brandon Moss drove in a pair with a single during the Athletics' four-run first.

— Garrett Richards and two relievers combined on one-hitter as the Angels blanked the Mariners 2-0. Albert Pujols provided the offense by homering for the second straight game.

— Victor Martinez hit a leadoff home run in the 10th inning, his second clutch hit against Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen in two games, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Dodgers 7-6 after Joe Nathan blew a three-run lead in the ninth. Joba Chamberlain gave up a single to Hanley Ramirez to open the 10th. But left-hander Ian Krol struck out Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier, and Al Albuquerque retired Matt Kemp on a grounder to get his first major league save.

— The Indians and Padres split a doubleheader in Cleveland. Zach McAllister pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and Jason Kipnis hit a two-run homer as the Indians beat the Padres 2-0 in the opener. San Diego took the second game 2-1 as Robbie Erlin allowed one run in six innings and Chase Headley singled home the tiebreaking run.

— Billy Hamilton had three hits and had two stolen bases in Cincinnati's 4-0 shutout of St. Louis. Devin Mesoraco (mehz-uh-RAH'-koh) hit a two-run home run to back Mike Leake, who was tagged for just four hits in eight innings.

— Ryan Braun followed his three-homer game on Tuesday by lacing a two-run triple to give Milwaukee a 7-4 lead in a 9-4 rout of the Phillies in Philadelphia. Carlos Gomez and Mark Reynolds homered in the Brewers' fifth consecutive win.

— Pittsburgh banged out five solo homers and still lost 7-5 to the Cubs in Chicago. Anthony Rizzo had four hits to back Jason Hammel, who allowed three round-trippers but no other hits over seven innings.

— Washington pulled out a 10-7 win over Miami on Jayson Werth's grand slam in the bottom of the eighth. Bryce Harper smacked a three-run homer after the Marlins grabbed a 5-0 lead.

— Ervin Santana was terrific in the Braves' 4-3 win over the New York Mets, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out six in eight innings. Justin Heyward went 3-for-4 with a leadoff homer, two RBIs and two runs scored to help Santana win his Atlanta debut.

— The Colorado Rockies erupted for six runs in the eighth inning to beat the Chicago White Sox 10-4 in the rubber match of the three-game series. D.J. LeMahieu's (lah-MAY'-hyoo) two-run single broke a tie in the eighth, two innings after he knotted the score with an RBI double.

UNDATED (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be out 6 to 8 weeks after tearing a ligament in his left thumb during Tuesday's game against Seattle.

The 2010 AL MVP was injured during a headfirst slide into first base in the seventh inning. Hamilton was placed on the disabled list and could require surgery.

Checking out other major league news on Wednesday:

— Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was back in the starting lineup against Miami after working on a lower throwing motion to try to help his sore right shoulder. Zimmerman hadn't played in the field since Saturday, when a throwing error led to a pair of unearned runs in a loss to Atlanta.

— Royals manager Ned Yost says he hopes to have second baseman Omar Infante (in-fahn-TAY') back in the lineup this weekend. Infante suffered a sprained jaw and needed six stitches to close a cut when he was hit by a pitch earlier in the week by Tampa's Heath Bell.

— Mariners left-hander James Paxton has landed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle on the left side of his back.