American League
Johnny Damon drew three of Boston's 12 walks, including two with the bases loaded, and the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 7-4 Friday night despite getting just five hits.
Jeff Suppan (2-2) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks, striking out two in six innings. South Korea's Kim Byung-hyun pitched the ninth for his 13th save.
PHOTO: AP
"That's why this offense is so good," said Todd Walker, who had two hits but was the only player in the Red Sox lineup without a walk. "We've got a good contingent of guys who are aggressive, and guys who can be patient."
Dan Wright (1-6) lasted just one-plus inning for Chicago, giving up four runs -- three earned -- on two hits and five walks.
The Red Sox still trail the American League East-leading Yankees by four games. The White Sox remained tied with Minnesota for first place in the AL Central.
"That's the best thing to come out of tonight," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said. "We needed a little help tonight."
Carl Everett was 2-for-4 with a homer and a double for the White Sox, and Jose Valentin also homered.
Indians 4, Twins 3
In Cleveland, C.C. Sabathia matched his win total of last season, and Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run homer to lead Cleveland over Minnesota.
Sabathia (13-8) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 in innings. David Riske gave up an RBI single to Shannon Stewart in the ninth before getting his seventh save.
The Twins got a two-run homer from Torii Hunter. He also saved two runs, robbing Casey Blake of a two-run shot in the seventh with a leaping catch against the wall in center.
Peralta's fourth homer in the fifth gave the Indians a 3-2 lead against Kenny Rogers (11-8).
Yankees 10, Devil Rays 4
In New York, Jason Giambi emerged from his slump with four hits and a homer, and Aaron Boone hit a three-run shot as New York won its sixth straight by beating Tampa Bay.
Boone drove in four runs and had his first three-hit game since July 27, when he was with Cincinnati. Juan Rivera had two run-scoring doubles, and Nick Johnson added three hits and an RBI for the Yankees, who had 17 hits.
David Wells (14-6) pitched seven innings for his 199th win and improved to 8-1 career against the Devil Rays. New York has won its first five in a stretch of 15 games against losing teams.
Victor Zambrano (10-9) gave up 11 hits and seven runs in 4 1-3 innings.
Tigers 3, Royals 0
In Detroit, Mike Maroth won for the first time since Aug. 2, and Detroit beat Kansas City for its fifth shutout this season.
Warren Morris homered and drove in two runs for the Tigers, who stopped a six-game losing streak.
Kansas City, struggling to stay in the AL Central race, lost for the ninth time in 13 games. The Royals are 3 1/2 games back of Chicago and Minnesota.
Maroth (7-20) allowed five hits in six-plus innings. He had been 0-5 in six starts since beating Minnesota in his first start of August. On Sept. 5, he became the first 20-game loser in the majors since Oakland's Brian Kingman in 1980.
Matt Anderson, Jamie Walker and Fernando Rodney finished the six-hitter, with Rodney getting four outs for his second career save.
The Tigers need five or more wins in their last 16 games to avoid matching the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a season since 1900.
Paul Abbott (1-1) gave up three runs in six innings.
Athletics 9, Rangers 3
In Arlington, Texas, Erubiel Durazo's go-ahead, two-run single keyed a five-run seventh inning as Oakland rallied from three runs down to beat Texas.
Rangers starter Ryan Drese took a 3-1 lead into the seventh and Texas seemed on the verge of finally beating Barry Zito.
Drese (2-3) allowed four runs and four hits over 6 1-3 innings.
Zito (12-12) improved to 10-0 in 16 career starts against the Rangers. He has won five of his last seven starts.
Keith Foulke got four outs for his 41st save in 46 chances, sending the Rangers to their seventh defeat in eight games.
The Athletics won their fourth straight.
Juan Pierre singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, and the Florida Marlins overcame a three-run deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 Friday night.
National LeagueFlorida increased its wild-card lead to 1 1/2 games over Philadelphia, which lost 8-4 at Pittsburgh.
"It's quite a roll," said Braden Looper, who pitched a perfect ninth for the victory. "Hopefully, it's a team of destiny, because it's a lot of fun."
Looper (6-3) got the win in relief of Brad Penny, who gave up three runs before departing in the first with a hyperextended pitching elbow. Florida scored twice in the eighth against Jaret Wright to tie the game, then won against Ray King (3-3).
Florida, which has 82 wins, is assured of the second winning season in the 11-season history of the franchise. The only other time they finished above .500 was in 1997, when the Marlins won the World Series.
"What a comeback," manager Jack McKeon said. "These guys are exciting and fun to be around. They never quit."
Cubs 7, Reds 6
In Chicago, pinch-hitter Tom Goodwin hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh off John Riedling as Chicago rallied from a 6-5 deficit after wasting a five-run lead. The Cubs began the day one game behind NL Central-leading Houston.
Cincinnati scored five times in the seventh against Mark Guthrie and Antonio Alfonseca (2-1).
But after a 49-minute rain delay with one out in the bottom half, the Cubs came out energized against Scott Randall (2-2). Joe Borowski got his 27th save.
Dodgers 6, Padres 0
In Los Angeles, Wilson Alvarez threw a four-hitter for his first shutout in six years, and Adrian Beltre hit a pair of solo homers as Los Angeles beat San Diego.
Shawn Green added a solo shot for the Dodgers, who remained 3 1/2 games behind Florida, the NL wild-card leader.
Beltre, who hit a pair of homers at Colorado last Friday, homered off Kevin Jarvis (4-8) in the second inning and Brandon Villafuerte in the eighth, giving him 20 this season. Green connected off Jarvis in the first inning.
Alvarez, a 33-year-old left-hander enjoying a resurgence with the Dodgers, struck out seven and walked one in his fifth career shutout. Alvarez (5-1) has won his last four decisions and allowed only six earned runs in his past seven starts.
Rockies 8, Diamondbacks 2
In Phoenix, Preston Wilson homered twice and drove in five runs as Colorado beat Arizona.
Wilson raised his major league-leading RBI total to 134 with a two-run double in the ninth. He has 34 homers.
Alex Cintron hit his 12th homer for the Diamondbacks, who fell 7 1/2 games behind Florida in the NL wild-card race with 14 to play.
Wilson's second homer chased Arizona starter Elmer Dessens (7-8), who allowed five runs on nine hits in five-plus innings.
Converted reliever Jose Jimenez (2-8) allowed one run on eight hits over 5 2-3 innings for his first win as a starter since July 5, 1999.
For the results of other MLB games, see the Scoreboard on p19.
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