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Boston Red Sox fight to avoid sweep

Jay Payton hit a grand slam and the Boston Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep with an ejection-filled 11-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday.

There were six ejections in the seventh inning following a sequence of inside pitches and two bench-clearing scuffles. Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella, and Devil Rays' pitchers Lance Carter and Dewon Brazelton were all thrown out, along with Boston manager Terry Francona, starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo and outfielder Trot Nixon.

Arroyo (2-0) allowed three runs and seven hits in six-plus innings. He hasn't lost in 13 starts -- including seven wins -- dating to last season.

Payton, who replaced Nixon, hit his second career grand slam during a six-run eighth.

Devil Rays starter Hideo Nomo (2-2) gave up four runs and seven hits over six innings.

Yankees 11, Rangers 1

At New York, Randy Johnson pitched eight dominant innings, Derek Jeter and Andy Phillips each homered and doubled, and the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep.

Phillips hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and drove in four runs, and Jeter finished a triple shy of the cycle and had three RBIs. A Yankees offense that mustered just 12 hits and five runs in two losses to Texas amassed 14 hits.

After giving up 16 runs -- 14 earned -- in his last three starts, Johnson (2-1) pitched like the ace the Yankees expected when they traded for him in the offseason, stopping the team's two-game skid and giving a taxed bullpen some much-needed rest.

John Thomson pitched five-hit ball for seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 to finish a three-game sweep on Sunday.

Johnny Estrada drove in two runs for the Braves, who outscored the Phillies 21-3 in the series and will take a four-game winning streak into New York for a three-game set against the Mets beginning Monday night.

The Phillies have lost five of six to fall into last place in the NL East.

Thomson (2-2) struck out eight and walked two, ending his two-game skid. Chris Reitsma worked a hitless eighth and Dan Kolb finished the six-hitter.

Andruw Jones and Raul Mondesi each hit an RBI single.

Vicente Padilla (0-2) struggled in his second straight rocky start since opening the season on the disabled list.
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