Cool Giambi Puts Yankees Over Top

Jason Giambi strolled up to the plate in the top of the ninth inning, calmly looking at Keith Foulke.

One pitch went by and then another as Giambi waited for a ball he liked. When he finally got one, the ball was out of the park and the game was all but over.

Giambi’s second homer of the game capped a five-run rally in the ninth inning against Foulke, giving the New York Yankees a 6-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night at Chicago.

“It’s gotten better and better every game, and now I feel real comfortable at the plate,” said Giambi, who has found his groove after signing a $120-million contract with the Yankees in the off-season.

The Yankees won their fifth in a row and completed their first three-game sweep at Chicago since May 1986. It was their second comeback victory in as many days.

The game was billed as a pitchers’ duel between New York’s Roger Clemens and Mark Buehrle, who was trying for an AL-leading ninth victory. Clemens, who did not get a decision, struck out 11 for the 100th double-digit strikeout game of his career and Buehrle came within two outs of the victory.

But Foulke (0-3) blew his first save at Comiskey Park since September 2000.

Seattle 5, Tampa Bay 2--Chris Snelling hit his first major league home run, a two-run drive against Tanyon Sturtze (0-6) in the fifth inning, to support right-hander Freddy Garcia (6-4) at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Garcia, 50-23 lifetime, improved to 6-0 against Tampa Bay and became the fourth-fastest active pitcher to win 50 games by limiting the Devil Rays to five hits in 71/3 innings. Among active pitchers, only Tim Hudson, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina reached 50 wins in fewer decisions.

Boston 7, Toronto 4--Brian Daubach hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning at Toronto and the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays.

Lou Merloni’s homer in the seventh tied the score for the Red Sox, who are 20-4 on the road, the best start away from home in the majors since Detroit had the same mark in 1984.

John Burkett improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1993, giving up four runs and seven hits in 62/3 innings.

Baltimore 10, Oakland 5--Jeff Conine hit two homers and drove in five runs at Baltimore and the Orioles ended Oakland’s four-game winning streak.

There were seven home runs, six coming in two half-innings. Scott Hatteberg, Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez connected in the Oakland third before Conine, Tony Batista and Marty Cordova answered in the bottom of the fourth.

It was the 18th two-homer game for Conine, who tied a career high with five runs batted in.

Texas 9, Minnesota 8--Todd Greene hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning against J.C. Romero (3-1) and the Rangers ended a five-game losing streak.

Romero had not given up a run in his previous 14 appearances and had given up only one run in 291/3 innings (0.31 earned-run average) this season. He was the sixth Minnesota pitcher.

Detroit 9, Cleveland 5--Damian Jackson’s three-run double highlighted Detroit’s eight-run seventh inning at Cleveland just before thunderstorms arrived.

Trailing, 5-1, the Tigers got seven hits--a homer, three doubles and three singles--two walks and a sacrifice fly against reliever David Riske (0-2) and two other pitchers in the seventh.

Jacob Cruz homered and Robert Fick doubled twice in Detroit’s biggest inning this season, shortly before severe thunderstorms lit up and shook Jacobs Field and caused a 1-hour 41-minute rain delay in the bottom of the eighth.