Dodgers Defeat Brewers With Six Run 7th Inning

Devil Rays beat Yankees to take lead in American League East.

The Devil Rays claimed a 5-2 victory Friday against the Yankees, with starter Scott Kasmir on the mound at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay, with an 8-2 record in the last ten games, has 24 wins and 17 defeats for the season, leading 2nd place Boston by one game. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees suffered its 22nd defeat, dropping to last place in the division.

Kasmir gave up three hits and three walks while striking out three batters for the Devil Rays. His brilliant performance came on the heels of signing a three-year contract extension worth $38.5 million with Tampa Bay the previous day.

Kasmir (2-1) lowered his ERA from 2.70 to 1.69.

Akinori Iwamura of Japan hit a solo homerun in the first inning and scored his second run in the third thanks to a Carl Crawford sacrifice fly. In the fourth inning, Shawn Riggans hit a two-run homerun and in the fifth, B.J. Upton also chipped in an RBI for the 5-0 win.

The day’s homerun hitters, Iwamura and Riggans were both two-for-three at the plate.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers for the second straight time thanks to the long ball.

The Dodgers won 7-2 in an away game with three home runs in the seventh inning.

Andruw Jones hit the first home run, a solo shot in the seventh inning to break up a scoreless tie, and Jeff Kent hit another solo homerun in the same inning, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. James Loney and Russell Martin also added RBIs. Then, Luis Maza and Gary Bennett hit home runs boosting the team to a 6-0 lead. LA’s Chad Billingsley gave up just three hits and walked four in seven innings, while striking out one. He improved his record to three wins and five losses for the season.

hic@donga.com