Burnett Strong Again For Blue Jays

A.J. Burnett is getting stronger as Toronto's other starters struggle to stay healthy. C.C. Sabathia has been solid all year for Cleveland and didn't waste any time getting over his worst outing

Thursday, May 17th 2007, 7:34 am

By: News On 6

A.J. Burnett is getting stronger as Toronto's other starters struggle to stay healthy. C.C. Sabathia has been solid all year for Cleveland and didn't waste any time getting over his worst outing of the season.

Burnett pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts, Troy Glaus singled home the go-ahead run and the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Wednesday night for their first three-game sweep of the season.

Burnett (4-3) walked two in his 17th career complete game and first since Sept. 2 at Boston. He also struck out 10 in his previous start, a 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay that ended Toronto's nine-game losing streak.

``That was dominating,'' Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. ``He was a little erratic early on, but then he kicked it into gear.''

Sabathia, pitching five days after allowing six runs in a loss to Oakland, went eight sharp innings and Trot Nixon drove in three runs to lead the Indians to a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

``I didn't pitch well (in Oakland),'' he said of his only loss. ``I felt a lot better tonight. I was throwing all my pitches for strikes. Hopefully, I can keep it going.''

Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman and Boston's Josh Beckett both aren't feeling so good, and will miss their next turn. Beckett, baseball's winningest pitcher at 7-0, has a torn flap of skin that hasn't completely healed. Bonderman, who had two blisters in spring training, went on the Tigers' disabled list, retroactive to May 9, with a blister.

Detroit's game at Boston was rained out.

In Chicago, the Yankees and the White Sox split a day-night doubleheader, with Chicago winning 5-3 in the opener and New York taking the second game 8-1.

In other AL games, it was: Los Angeles Angels 5, Seattle 0; Kansas City 4, Oakland 3; and Tampa Bay 11, Texas 8.

Burnett has found success at the right time for Toronto, which has seven pitchers on the disabled list, including starters Gustavo Chacin (shoulder), Roy Halladay (appendectomy), John Thomson (shoulder) and Victor Zambrano (forearm).

Burnett has won consecutive starts for the first time this year and Toronto has won five of six since ending its nine-game slide.

``He was able to throw that curveball real tight today and he kept it down,'' Baltimore outfielder Jay Gibbons said. ``It came out of his hand like a heater.''

Baltimore wasted a credible outing by Brian Burres (1-2) and lost its fifth straight, matching its longest skid of the year. The visiting Orioles managed only five runs in the series.

At Cleveland, Sabathia (6-1) allowed five hits, struck out five, walked one and hit a batter with a pitch. He retired the last 12 hitters he faced.

Carlos Silva (2-4) allowed five runs in six innings for the Twins, who have lost six of seven.

White Sox 5, Yankees 3, 1st game

Yankees 8, White Sox 1, 2nd game

Chien-Ming Wang allowed six hits and a run over seven innings and Hideki Matsui drove in four runs to help the Yankees gain a split of the day-night doubleheader.

Wang (2-3) beat Jose Contreras (3-4), who gave up five hits and four runs _ two earned _ in 6 2-3 innings.

In the first game, rookie left-hander John Danks (2-4) worked out of a couple of jams and outpitched Mike Mussina (2-2) to give the White Sox the win.

The second game was delayed at the start for one hour, 15 minutes by rain.

In the nightcap, Matsui had a two-out, two-run double in the third, an inning aided by shortstop Juan Uribe's error on Derek Jeter's grounder, making both runs unearned.

Danks (2-4) struck out a career-high seven in 6 1-3 innings. He gave up two runs and seven hits in winning his second straight start.

A.J. Pierzynski hit a tiebreaking homer to start a three-run sixth and Paul Konerko also homered for the White Sox.

Devil Rays 11, Rangers 8

At Kissimmee, Fla., Carl Crawford tripled with the bases loaded and Delmon Young drove in three runs for Tampa Bay.

Sammy Sosa hit his 597th homer in the fourth for the Rangers, who led 6-4 before the Devil Rays scored six runs in the fifth _ the last three on Crawford's third triple of the season.

Sosa's two-run shot off Casey Fossum (3-3) was his ninth of the year and extended his major league record for most ballparks homered in to 45. Victor Diaz and Mark Teixeira also homered off Fossum, who allowed six runs and nine hits in five innings.

Al Reyes pitched the ninth for the Devil Rays, picking up his 12th save in 12 opportunities.

Vicente Padilla (1-6) allowed eight runs and 12 hits in four-plus innings for Texas.

The second night of a three-game series the Devil Rays moved to Disney to step up marketing efforts in the Orlando area drew a crowd of 8,839, slightly more than the opener.

Angels 5, Mariners 0

At Seattle, John Lackey handcuffed the Mariners for six innings and combined with two relievers on a four-hitter.

Lackey (6-3) retired 14 straight batters after Ichiro Suzuki lined his first pitch into center field for a single. He allowed four hits, struck out four and issued an intentional walk. He has won four of his last five decisions.

Dustin Moseley worked two perfect innings and Scot Shields pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to finish Los Angeles' third shutout this season.

Cha Seung Baek (1-1) allowed six hits and three runs in 6 1-3 innings.

Royals 4, Athletics 3

Ryan Shealy, taken off the disabled list earlier in the day, hit a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth for visiting Kansas City.

After Esteban German drew a one-out walk, John Buck's run-scoring double tied the game. Pinch-runner Paul Phillips then scored on Shealy's second hit of the night. Shealy, who was out since May 1 with a strained left hamstring, had his rehabilitation stint cut short after the Royals lost first baseman Ross Gload to injury Monday.

Kiko Calero (0-3) entered in the ninth for the A's _ who are missing injured closer Huston Street _ and blew his second save in as many tries when he allowed the hits to Buck and Shealy.

The A's had gone ahead in the eighth on Jack Cust's seventh homer in just 10 games, a solo shot to center off Jimmy Gobble (3-1) with one out.