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Halladay leads the league after win

Red Sox second baseman Todd Walker throws to first base too late to get Bret Boone of the Mariners out on a hit in the sixth inning at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday. PHOTO: REUTERS

American League

Roy Halladay won his American League-leading 17th game as the Toronto Blue Jays beat Barry Zito and the Oakland Athletics 6-3 Friday night.

Oakland manager Ken Macha held a team meeting before the game to tell his players that ace Mark Mulder has a stress fracture in his right hip, a startling injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of the season.

Halladay (17-5) outpitched Zito, allowing three runs on eight hits, striking out eight and walking none in six innings. He is tied with Atlanta's Russ Ortiz for the major league lead in wins.

Zito (10-11) gave up five runs on six hits and three walks in 5 1-3 innings.

Aquilino Lopez came on with a runner on first in the ninth and got two outs for his sixth save.

Royals 3, Twins 2

In Minneapolis, Darrell May pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Kansas City threw out two runners at home and the Royals evened an important intradivision series with a victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki looks down the third base line as he runs the bases against Bostonat Fenway Park, Friday. PHOTO: AP

Joe Randa went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Kansas City, which ended a four-game losing streak.

Brent Mayne and Raul Ibanez also drove in runs for Kansas City, which passed the Twins in the AL Central race. The Chicago White Sox lead the Royals by one game and the Twins by 1 1/2.

May (7-6), who beat the Twins last Sunday, is responsible for Kansas City's only two quality starts in its last eight games.

Twins starter Kyle Lohse (10-10) completed 6 1-3 innings -- allowing seven hits, three runs and a walk while striking out three.

Red Sox 6, Mariners 4

In Boston, Jeff Suppan allowed two runs over 6 2-3 innings and Manny Ramirez homered for the second straight game to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners.

Suppan (1-1), who had allowed 16 earned runs in 16 1-3 innings since coming to Boston on July 31, gave up six hits.

With their second straight win, the Red Sox tied the Oakland Athletics in the wild-card race.

Byung-Hyun Kim pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 12 opportunities.

Joel Pineiro (13-9) is winless in August after pitching 19 2-3 scoreless innings to close out July.

Orioles 4, Yankees 3

In New York, Pat Hentgen pitched into the eighth inning, and Brook Fordyce homered and drove in two runs as the Baltimore Orioles ended the New York Yankees' seven-game winning streak.

Deivi Cruz hit a tiebreaking double with two outs in the sixth off David Wells (12-4), sending the Orioles to their third straight win following an eight-game skid.

During the game, New York traded seldom-used lefty Sterling Hitchcock to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league pitchers Justin Pope and Ben Julianel.

Hentgen (5-6) gave up three runs and six hits in 7 2-3 innings.

Orioles closer Jorge Julio entered with one out in the ninth, then loaded the bases before being lifted with two outs. Left-hander Buddy Groom earned his first save of the season, needing just one pitch to get pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra to fly to right.

White Sox 7, Rangers 1

In Chicago, Jose Valentin hit two homers and Frank Thomas and Carl Everett hit one each Friday night as the Chicago White Sox won their fifth straight, beating the Texas Rangers.

Valentin hit a three-run homer in the second and added a solo shot in the eighth, giving him 21 for the season.

Neal Cotts (1-0) got his first major league win, outpitching fellow rookie Juan Dominguez (0-2). Cotts lasted five-plus innings, allowing five hits and a run with five walks.

National League

Carlos Zambrano lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning on an extremely close play in pitching the Chicago Cubs past the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 Friday night. Sammy Sosa homered twice and Curt Schilling (7-7) struck out 14 in eight innings. But Zambrano got all the attention as he tried to make history.

Arizona had not come close to a hit until Shea Hillenbrand topped a ball down the line in the eighth. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez charged, gloved it and made a throw that first baseman Randall Simon stretched to catch.

First-base umpire Bill Miller called Hillenbrand safe. A TV replay, however, appeared to show Hillenbrand was out.

Zambrano (12-9) finished with a three-hitter.

Sosa extended his streak of 30-homer seasons to nine, the sixth-longest in major league history.

Phillies 9, Cardinals 4

In St. Louis, Jim Thome punished St. Louis pitching again with two home runs, and Philadelphia ended Albert Pujols' 30-game hitting streak.

Pat Burrell also homered twice for the Phillies, giving him 101 for his career. The Phillies ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Cardinals for the seventh consecutive time.

Earlier Friday, the Cardinals added pitching for the stretch run, acquiring left-hander Sterling Hitchcock from the New York Yankees for two prospects and right-hander Mike DeJean from the Milwaukee Brewers for two players to be named. Hitchcock, who was squeezed out of the Yankees' rotation, will be a starter for the Cardinals.

Mike Matheny had two hits and two RBIs and rookie Dan Haren had a strong outing for the Cardinals, allowing two runs in six innings.

Thome's two-run shot on a full-count pitch from Steve Kline (4-5) with one out in the eighth put the Phillies ahead 5-4. He also connected off Haren in the fourth, his 37th.

Reds 4, Astros 3

In Houston, Juan Castro hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the seventh inning as Cincinnati beat Houston and snapped Wade Miller's six-game winning streak against the Reds.

Miller (10-11) entered the game 6-0 in 11 career starts against Cincinnati. He went seven innings and allowed five hits, three runs while striking out seven and not walking a batter. Barry Larkin injured his left ring finger on a swing in the third inning and might have ligament damage. He was taken to a hospital for X-rays. Larkin will return to Cincinnati for a consultation with team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek.

Etherton (1-1) won his first major league start since Aug. 4, 2000, when he pitched for Anaheim. He went six innings, allowed five hits two earned runs and he struck out four and walked two. Etherton also got his first major league hit.

Brewers 3, Pirates 2

In Milwaukee, Wayne Franklin pitched no-hit ball into the seventh inning and Scott Podsednik hit a pair of home runs as Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh and matched a season-high with their fourth straight win.

Franklin (9-10) did not give up a hit until Craig Wilson's solo homer into the left-field stands with one out in the seventh. He also gave up an infield single to Jack Wilson in the seventh and was replaced to open the eighth after throwing 109 pitches.

He finished up allowing one run on two hits, two walks, two hit batters and seven strikeouts in seven innings. Luis Vizcaino, Glendon Rusch and Dan Kolb combined to give up two hits in two innings of relief. Kolb pitched the ninth for his 11th save.

Kip Wells (5-7) went five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six.
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