American LeagueThe Boston Bombers had all the answers for their struggling rivals from The Bronx.
Bill Mueller, David Ortiz and Nomar Garciaparra homered as the Red Sox rallied from two deficits to beat New York 10-5 Friday night and cut the Yankees' American League East lead to 3 1/2 games.
Boston, the best hitting team in baseball, roughed up Jose Contreras (4-2) and responded immediately to New York's two big innings.
PHOTO: AP
The Red Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the first after the Yankees got two in the top half. In the fourth, Boston scored four to go ahead 7-5 after New York scored three.
Boston had at least 10 hits for the ninth straight game and did it without slugger Manny Ramirez, who was sidelined with a high fever.
All that offense made a winner of Derek Lowe (14-6), who lasted six innings. Mike Timlin, Scott Sauerbeck and Scott Williamson each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Mueller went 3-for-5 with four RBIs. The Red Sox had 14 hits. Pedro Martinez (10-3) pitches for Boston against Andy Pettitte (16-7) in a marquee matchup Saturday.
Angels 10, Royals 3
In Kansas City, Missouri, Bengie Molina had three hits and a career-high five RBIs and Jarrod Washburn took a two-hitter into the seventh inning, leading Anaheim over Kansas City.
Molina hit a three-run homer off rookie Jimmy Gobble (2-3). Eric Owens had three RBIs and Scott Spiezio two for the Angels, who snapped Kansas City's three-game winning streak. The Royals remained in a virtual tie with Chicago for the AL Central lead.
Washburn (10-12) retired his first 12 batters. He went 6 2-3 innings and was charged with one run on five hits.
Tigers 8, White Sox 4
In Detroit, Bobby Higginson hit a three-run homer and Nate Robinson earned his first major league win as Detroit avoided its 100th loss of the season with a victory over Chicago.
Detroit is 34-99 and must sweep the three-game series to avoid joining the 1962 New York Mets as the only teams in the modern era to lose 100 before September.
Robertson (1-0) won in his fourth big league start. He allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks in five innings.
Mark Buehrle (11-13) allowed eight runs and 10 hits in five innings. It's the third time this season he's given up at least eight runs.
Twins 8, Rangers 5
In Texas, Doug Mientkiewicz had four hits, Shannon Stewart drove in two runs and Minnesota rallied past Texas. Matthew LeCroy homered for the Twins, who moved within a half-game of first place in the AL Central. Minnesota took advantage of three walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter in a three-run eighth inning.
Rookie Laynce Nix had a three-run homer for the Rangers, who have lost seven of eight. They also learned before the game that slugger Juan Gonzalez probably won't play again this season because of a lingering right calf injury.
Rangers starter John Thomson (12-11) allowed six runs and eight hits over 7 2-3 innings.
Rookie Grant Balfour (1-0) threw two shutout innings of relief for his first major league decision. Eddie Guardado got his 30th save in 33 opportunities.
Mariners 3, Orioles 2
In Seattle, John Olerud's two-run single capped a three-run rally in the ninth inning and gave Seattle a victory over Baltimore.
The Mariners won for only the second time in 10 games and remained a half-game behind Boston in the wild-card chase.
Baltimore rookie Eric DuBose took a one-hit shutout into the ninth but gave up a leadoff single to Ichiro Suzuki and walked Mike Cameron. Edgar Martinez singled off reliever Jorge Julio (0-6), scoring Suzuki.
With the bases loaded one out later, Olerud came to the plate against lefty B.J. Ryan and hit a grounder at second baseman Brian Roberts that rolled past for the winning hit.
Rafael Soriano (3-0) pitched 1 2-3 hitless innings for the win. Jay Gibbons and Tony Batista homered to give Baltimore a 2-0 lead.National League
Kevin Millwood pitched eight impressive innings and the Phillies ended their season-high six-game losing streak, defeating the New York Mets 7-0 Friday night.
Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer for Philadelphia, which had started out 1-9 on its 13-game road trip.
Millwood (13-9) blanked the Mets on three hits. He struck out four and walked one. Millwood allowed singles to Timo Perez in the first inning, rookie Jose Reyes in the sixth and Ty Wigginton in the seventh. Rheal Cormier pitched the ninth and completed the combined three-hitter.
Burrell once again victimized the Mets, homering against them for the 20th time in his career. In four years in the majors, Burrell has homered off the Mets far more than anyone else.
Cubs 4, Brewers 2
In Chicago, Matt Clement scattered seven hits and Chicago ended Milwaukee's 10-game winning streak.
Wes Helms hit a solo homer, but it wasn't enough for the Brewers. The 10-game streak was their longest since moving to the National League in 1998.
Damian Miller homered and Sammy Sosa, Eric Karros and Ramon Martinez also drove in runs for the Cubs.
Clement (12-11) allowed one earned run. He struck out six, walked none and retired 10 straight at one point.
The victory put an end to another Brewers streak, too, as Ben Sheets (10-11) lost to the Cubs for the first time. The right-hander was 6-0 in his first eight career starts against Chicago, including a 3-0 record at Wrigley Field.
Sheets lost his fourth straight decision. He gave up three runs and 11 hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking one.
Pirates 6, Braves 5
In Pittsburgh, Jose Hernandez's bases-loaded single with two outs in the ninth rallied Pittsburgh past Atlanta for its season high-tying fourth straight victory.
The Braves had tied it at 5 in the top of the ninth on Chipper Jones' RBI single off Julian Tavarez (3-3), who pitched the final three innings.
Will Cunnane (0-1), the Braves' fourth pitcher, came on to walk Jack Wilson to start the ninth and Carlos Rivera, hitless in his previous 11 at-bats, singled with one out. After Reggie Sanders was intentionally walked to load the bases, Jason Bay flied out to short left as the runners held.
Hernandez then singled up the middle to win it.
Dodgers 6, Rockies 4
In Los Angeles, Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking homer after Ron Coomer evened the score with a solo shot, giving Los Angeles a victory over Colorado.
The Dodgers overcame a pair of two-run homers by Jay Payton and remained 1 1/2 games back in the NL wild-card race.
Kevin Brown (13-7) struck out nine over seven innings and allowed four runs on just three hits. He entered with a major league-leading 2.15 ERA.
Paul Quantrill pitched a scoreless eighth and Eric Gagne got three outs for his 45th save without a miss this year and 53rd over two seasons -- one short of the major league record set by Boston's Tom Gordon from 1998-1999.
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