AL Capsules: Blue Jays win but lose pitcher J.A. Happ to scary injury
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was hit in the head by a line drive and taken off the field on a stretcher during Toronto's 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
In a frightening scene at Tropicana Field, Desmond Jennings' second-inning liner caromed squarely off the left side of Happ's head with a loud "thwack!" that could be heard up in the press box.
The ball went all the way into the bullpen in foul territory halfway down the right-field line. Happ dropped face down at the front of the mound, holding his head with his glove and bare hand.
The pitcher was taken to a hospital for tests but the Blue Jays had no update on his condition immediately after the game, manager John Gibbons said.
TWINS 6, RED SOX 1
BOSTON (AP) — Scott Diamond allowed three hits in seven innings and Ryan Doumit hit his first homer of the season in Minnesota's victory over Boston.
Diamond (3-2) gave up a single in each of the first three innings, didn't allow a runner past first base and retired the last 15 batters he faced. He struck out two and walked none.
David Ortiz went 1 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 27 games, a run that began before he sustained a season-ending injury in August. He has at least one hit in all 15 games he's played this season.
Ryan Dempster (2-3) pitched well for Boston and left trailing 2-0 in the top of the eighth after third baseman Pedro Ciriaco made errors on the first two batters, putting runners at first and third. That led to four runs, three of them unearned, as the Twins took a 6-0 lead.
ASTROS 7, ANGELS 6
HOUSTON (AP) — Chris Carter's three-run homer put Houston ahead in the third, and Astros held on to end a six-game skid.
The road woes continued for the Angels, who have dropped eight of their past 10 away from Anaheim.
Jose Altuve also homered for Houston, and the Astros took advantage of three errors by catcher Hank Conger to score five unearned runs.
Houston's Jordan Lyles (1-0) allowed four hits and three runs with six strikeouts in five innings in his second start of the season.
C.J. Wilson (3-1) allowed seven runs — two earned — and seven hits and tied a career high with 12 strikeouts.
Mark Trumbo hit his ninth home run for Los Angeles, a three-run shot in the first inning.
INDIANS 1, ATHLETICS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Zach McAllister and two relievers combined on a shutout and Cleveland scored an unearned run in the fifth inning for their eighth win in nine games.
McAllister, Rich Hill and Chris Perez limited the highest-scoring offence in the majors to six hits and did not allow a runner to reach second base.
McAllister (3-3) struck out four and walked one in 7 2-3 innings. Perez pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Tommy Milone (3-4), who lost a career-worst fourth straight start, was done in by shoddy defence and no run support.
ORIOLES 4, ROYALS 3
BALTIMORE (AP) — Matt Wieters drove in three runs, including the tiebreaker in the eighth inning, and Baltimore rallied to beat Kansas City on a soggy night at Camden Yards.
After blowing a three-run lead, the Orioles went back on top in the eighth. Adam Jones drew a leadoff walk from Tim Collins (1-1) and advanced when Luke Hochevar threw wildly to first base on a pickoff attempt. Wieters then lofted an opposite-field fly to left that landed just inside the foul line for a double.
Tommy Hunter (2-1) worked 1 1-3 innings of relief and Jim Johnson got three straight outs for his 12th save.
It was the fourth win in five games for the Orioles, who moved within a game of first-place Boston in the AL East.
