Mike Mussina won his third straight start, Alex Rodriguez got a big hit with the bases loaded and the suddenly surging New York Yankees polished off a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 6-3 victory on Sunday.
Jeromy Burnitz homered and Todd Walker drove in two runs for the slumping Cubs, who have lost four in a row and six of seven. They dropped to 0-7 at Yankee Stadium.
Mussina (8-4) gave up two runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. He walked off the mound to a standing ovation from a Father's Day sellout crowd of 55,060.
Making his sixth start of the season, Sergio Mitre (2-2) allowed six runs -- five earned -- and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. He walked four and hit Derek Jeter with a pitch.
Orioles 4, Rockies 2
At Baltimore, Rafael Palmeiro hit his 560th career home run to give Baltimore a sixth-inning lead, and the Orioles shook off manager Lee Mazzilli's first career ejection to beat Colorado.
Rookie Hayden Penn (2-0) allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings for the Orioles, who won two of three from Colorado to wrap up a 5-1 homestand.
Baltimore trailed 2-1 before Eli Marrero led off the sixth with a single off Jeff Francis (5-5) and Palmeiro lifted a 1-1 pitch into the right-field bleachers. His ninth homer of the season left him three short of tying Reggie Jackson for 10th place on the career major league list.
B.J. Ryan got three outs for his 18th save.
Red Sox 8, Pirates 0
At Boston, Matt Clement gave up three hits in seven innings, Jay Payton hit a two-run homer, and the Red Sox beat Pittsburgh.
David Ortiz hit a two-run triple, and Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar each drove in two runs as the Red Sox bounced back after being shut out at Fenway Park on Saturday for the first time since September 2003.
Clement (8-1) equaled his season high with nine strikeouts and walked one, allowing just one runner to reach third. He retired Pittsburgh in order four times.
The Red Sox took a 6-0 lead against starter Kip Wells (5-6) with a five-run third.
Nationals 8, Rangers 2
At Arlington, Texas, Travis Hughes struck out three of the five batters he faced for his first major league win, Brad Wilkerson drove in four runs and Washington avoided a three-game series sweep against Texas.
Hughes (1-0), a former Rangers farmhand, took over with two outs in the fifth after spot starter Sun-woo Kim left with a cramp in his right forearm. There was a 1-1 count on Michael Young, who then struck out against Hughes, who struck out two more batters in the sixth.
Washington never trailed after four straight singles provided a 2-0 lead in the first against C.J. Wilson (0-1), who made his first major league start and gave up three runs on nine singles over 3 2-3 innings.
Mark Teixeira hit his major league-leading 20th homer.
Cardinals 8, Devil Rays 5
At St. Petersburg, Florida, John Mabry drove in four runs and Albert Pujols had three hits and two RBIs, leading St. Louis over Tampa Bay.
Jeff Suppan (6-6) allowed five runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings for his first win in 11 career starts against the Devil Rays, helping the first-place Cardinals increase their lead in the NL Central to a season-high 9 games over the Chicago Cubs.
Mabry had a two-run double and drove in three runs off Doug Waechter (3-4), who allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings.
The victory moved St. Louis manager Tony La Russa ahead of Bucky Harris for fourth on the career wins list with 2,158.
Mariners 11, Mets 5
At Seattle, Tom Glavine lasted just 2 1-3 innings in his shortest start in two years, and Seattle completed a three-game sweep of New York.
Richie Sexson hit his 15th homer, a two-run shot in the first off Glavine (4-7), and drove in three runs. Adrian Beltre added two hits after missing the last five games with a strained left hamstring.
The Mariners had a season-high 17 hits and won for the fifth time in six games.
Glavine allowed six runs and eight hits.
Gil Meche (7-4) picked up his third win in his last four starts, surviving a four-run sixth inning by the Mets.
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