Shields' 1-hitter Boosts Rays Past Angels

Right-hander retires 18 of the last 19 and Matthews drives home pair

(NEWSER) - Jon Garland pitched three-hit ball for eight innings, Gary Matthews Jr. drove in two runs and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 today with slumping slugger Vladimir Guerrero on the bench. Only four Orioles reached base against Garland (4-3), who retired 18 of his last 19 batters. It was the first time he got through the seventh since his Angels debut on April 1. More»

Both win easily, with Tampa star a unanimous choice in AL

(NEWSER) - Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto and Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria were named the rookies of the year today in the National and American leagues, respectively. Soto, 25, was voted an All-Star Game starter and finished the season with a .285 batting average, 23 home runs, and 86 RBI, the Tribune reports. He easily beat out Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto. More»

Tampa Bay sweeps weekend series against Angels

(NEWSER) - Carl Crawford hit a three-run homer and Cliff Floyd added a pair of run-scoring singles, helping the Tampa Bay Rays win 8-5 over the Los Angeles Angels today. Santana departed with a 5-4 lead with one runner on and two outs in the sixth inning, but the game shifted when Justin Speier (0-3) entered and gave up a double to Akinori Iwamura and Crawford's homer. More»

(NEWSER) - Scott Kazmir pitched six scoreless innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-0 tonight to hand Joe Saunders his first loss of the season. Kazmir (1-1) held the Angels to a single and two doubles in his second start of the year. Evan Longoria drove in the only run off Saunders (6-1). More»

Tampa Bay beats Toronto for sixth time in seven games

(NEWSER) - Dioner Navarro hit a grand slam in the 13th inning after Carl Crawford drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 in 13 innings last night. Facing Toronto's seventh pitcher, Shawn Camp (0-1), Jason Bartlett singled off the glove of second baseman Aaron Hill to begin the inning. More»