American LeagueRoger Clemens got his 305th win, and Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera homered as the New York Yankees stretched their winning streak to seven games by holding off the Kansas City Royals 8-7 Wednesday.
New York completed a three-game sweep and improved to 10-0 at home against the AL Central. Kansas City has lost six of eight.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Clemens (12-7) allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings, tying Eddie Plank for 18th on the career victory list. New York quickly overcame a 2-0 deficit against Jimmy Gobble (2-2), making his fourth major league start.
Kansas City scored four runs in the ninth but fell short partly because of a baserunning blunder.
After Angel Berroa's RBI single in the ninth off Sterling Hitchcock, Mariano Rivera relieved and eventually got two outs for his 27th save in 33 chances.
"He is the elite," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "Whatever year it is, '98, '99, 2000, I'm no different in my feeling and confidence in him."
The inning's second out came when Raul Ibanez singled to right and Mike Sweeney was held up at third. Carlos Beltran took too wide a turn at second and was thrown out by Juan Rivera.
Joe Randa followed with a single for Kansas City's seventh straight hit, pulling the Royals within one, but Desi Relaford struck out on three pitches to end it.
Blue Jays 5, Mariners 2
In Toronto, Josh Towers pitched his first complete game in over two years, and Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer to give him 100 RBIs for the second straight season as Toronto ended a three-game losing streak with a victory over Seattle.
Towers (3-1) won his second straight start, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on six hits. He struck out three and walked none.
Down 2-0, the Blue Jays rallied off starter Gil Meche (13-9) for a four-run fifth highlighted by Wells' 30th homer.
Orioles 9, Devil Rays 5
In Baltimore, Damian Moss earned his first AL win and Jay Gibbons homered and drove in four runs as Baltimore ended an eight-game losing streak by defeating Tampa Bay.
Larry Bigbie also homered for Baltimore, and Jeff Conine returned from a 10-game absence and went 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs and three runs scored. The Orioles were 1-9 without their cleanup hitter, who was sidelined with bursitis in his right arm.
Moss (1-1), obtained in the July 31 trade that sent Sidney Ponson to the San Francisco Giants, allowed three runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings.
Tampa Bay starter Victor Zambrano (9-7) gave up eight runs -- six earned -- and four hits. He walked six and hit a batter in 3 2-3 innings.
Twins 4, Indians 3
In Cleveland, Torii Hunter scored on a sacrifice fly that barely reached the outfield grass in the seventh inning as Minnesota grabbed a win over Cleveland.
Hunter's daring dash helped the Twins move within one-half game of first-place Kansas City in the AL Central.
In the seventh inning, Hunter and A.J. Pierzynski singled off Brian Anderson (9-10) and Dustan Mohr sacrificed. With the infield in, Cristian Guzman hit a popup to the shortstop side of second that was caught by second baseman John McDonald.
Hunter immediately broke for the plate and scored, although catcher Tim Laker argued the call.
Laker was ejected, and as he was being escorted back to the dugout by manager Eric Wedge, Cleveland's catcher tossed his mask, glove and the ball.
White Sox 5, Angels 3
In Chicago, Esteban Loaiza won his 16th game as Chicago moved into a tie for AL Central lead by beating Anaheim.
Jose Valentin, Magglio Ordonez and Carl Everett homered as the White Sox completed a three-game sweep and tied Kansas City, which lost 8-7 to the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Minnesota, which beat Cleveland 4-3, trails by one-half game.
Loaiza (16-6) matched Toronto's Roy Halladay for the AL lead in wins and is one behind major league leader Russ Ortiz of Atlanta. He allowed 10 hits in six-plus innings -- including Adam Riggs' second homer in two nights. He struck out nine and improved to 5-1 since the All-Star break.
Roberto Alomar went 4-for-5 -- all infield hits -- for the White Sox.
Chone Figgins, the Angels' leadoff hitter, also had four hits -- a career high.
National League
Reggie Sanders became the first player to homer twice in an inning this season, the second one a grand slam that capped a 10-run fifth, as the Pittsburgh Pirates tied a team record with seven home runs in a 14-0 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
"It wasn't much of a contest," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I guess it was no contest."
The Pirates were victimized by the Cardinals' 10-run eighth inning in a 13-5 loss on Tuesday. They made sure this game was out of reach in the fifth, which ended with Pittsburgh leading 13-0.
"It's nice to be on the giving end and not the receiving end, that's for sure," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said.
Jeff D'Amico (8-12) threw a three-hitter for his fifth career complete game.
Jason Kendall and Brian Giles homered in a span of three pitches to start the fifth and knock Garrett Stephenson (7-12) out. Pittsburgh also got a pair of homers from Rob Mackowiak, breaking the Busch Stadium record of six set by the Cardinals on April 9, 2000, against the Brewers.
The only other time the Pirates hit seven homers came against the Cardinals on Aug. 16, 1947, at Pittsburgh.
Cubs 6, Astros 0
In Houston, Mark Prior took a no-hitter into the sixth inning as Chicago moved within a half-game of Houston in the National League Central.
Prior (12-5) allowed four hits and struck out nine in seven shutout innings as the Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak. He had a no-hitter until Adam Everett led off the sixth with a double.
The win was Prior's fourth straight since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 4 with a bruised right shoulder. He's allowed just two earned runs in 31 innings for a 0.58 ERA, with 29 strikeouts and three walks in those four starts.
Rockies 9, Marlins 3
In Denver, Preston Wilson, Chris Stynes and Ronnie Belliard each drove in two runs, and Cory Vance earned his first major league victory as Colorado beat Florida.
Vance, recalled from minor league team Colorado Springs on Tuesday, entered in the first inning when starter Darren Oliver bruised his left foot after taking a liner off the bat of Luis Castillo. Vance (1-0) went 5 1-3 innings, allowing four hits and one run. He benefited from double plays in the third and fourth innings.
Stynes and Juan Uribe each had three hits for Colorado. Wilson boosted his major league-leading RBI total to 119.
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