Andy Pettitte tied a career high by winning his seventh straight decision as the New York Yankees beat Baltimore 4-2 Wednesday to stop the Orioles' six-game winning streak.
"Pettitte was Pettitte," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. "Andy is one of the top pitchers in the American League and he showed why tonight."
PHOTO: AFP
Pettitte (12-6) improved to 16-4 against the Orioles and handed them their first loss since the All-Star break, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings.
"I've been able to stay healthy enough to go out there and make enough starts to win 12 every season," Pettitte said.
"It's something I'm very proud of," he said. "It's being part of a good team here."
Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui hit a go-ahead single in a three-run sixth off Rick Helling (6-7), and Raul Mondesi homered to lead off the seventh
Red Sox 10, Devil Rays 4
In Boston, Trot Nixon homered twice, including a grand slam in a seven-run seventh to lead Boston over Tampa Bay.
Nixon went 3-for-4 and tied his career high with five RBIs.
Tim Wakefield (7-5) allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings. He gave up solo homers to Travis Lee and Toby Hall in the seventh, falling behind 4-3 before Boston rallied for its fifth straight win overall and 15th and 17 games in Fenway Park.
Scott Sauerbeck, acquired from Pittsburgh on Tuesday, pitched a scoreless eighth in his Red Sox debut.
Doug Mirabelli opened the seventh with an infield hit against Travis Harper (1-6), and Johnny Damon homered over the right-field foul pole for a 5-4 lead
White Sox 7, Blue Jays 6
In Toronto, Magglio Ordonez hit a tying two-run double in the ninth inning and Toronto reliever Dan Reichert hit Paul Konerko with a pitch to score the go-ahead run.
Rick White (1-1) got the last out of the eighth, and Damaso Marte got two outs for his seventh save. Juan Acevedo (1-4) was the loser.
Rangers 12, Angels 9
In Arlington, Texas, Shane Spencer, who had been 0-for-10 since Cleveland traded him last week, hit his first homer for Texas and drove in four runs as the Rangers rallied from a 4-0, first-inning deficit.
Alex Rodriguez also homered for the Rangers, and Doug Glanville had two RBI singles among his four hits.
Erasmo Ramirez (1-0) pitched 2 2-3 shutout innings in relief for his first career victory, and Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his third save.
Edgar Renteria had three hits and drove in two runs as the St. Louis Cardinals got 17 hits in an 8-4 victory over the San Diego Padres.
"It's nice to have a game like that where you just break out," Cardinals slugger Tino Martinez said. "We've played a lot of close games, so it's nice to able to coast a little bit."
Martinez had three hits and scored three runs Wednesday, Kerry Robinson added three hits and Scott Rolen had two RBIs for St. Louis. Every hitter in the Cardinals' starting lineup had at least one hit.
"We had to do something to salvage this series," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We got some timely hits and put the ball in play enough."
San Diego's Phil Nevin returned from the 60-day disabled list and went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Brett Tomko (6-6) beat his former team despite allowing three runs and 10 hits in five innings. Tomko struck out six and walked one as he faced the Padres for the first time since they traded him to St. Louis last December.
Marlins 5, Braves 4
In Atlanta, Mike Mordecai hit his first homer in nearly two years, a 12th-inning drive that gave Florida a victory over Atlanta after the Marlins squandered a three-run lead in the ninth.
Mordecai, batting just .192, entered as a pinch-runner in the 10th inning and came through at the plate two innings later. The former Braves player hit a 3-1 pitch off Trey Hodges (3-1) that barely cleared the left-field wall.
It was Mordecai's first homer since Aug. 8, 2001, when he played for Montreal.
Mark Redman allowed four hits in 7 2-3 innings, but closer Braden Looper couldn't hold a 4-1 lead in the ninth. Nate Bump (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
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