Aaron Small replaced injured Mike Mussina and pitched his first career shutout, and Jason Giambi hit a three-run homer to help the New York Yankees move back into a tie for the American League wild-card lead with a 7-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.
"He's become someone you rely on," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We started the season with the starters we had and we certainly didn't foresee this. You have some bad surprises with the injuries, and you can have some good ones like this."
Hideki Matsui drove in New York's first two runs without a hit to reach 100 RBIs, and Alex Rodriguez added a two-run single in a six-run seventh inning.
PHOTO: AP
Small (6-0) struck out three, walked two and didn't allow a runner to reach third base. After going nine years between starts in Major League Baseball, Small is 4-0 in five starts this season.
"It really hasn't sunk in yet," Small said. "To do it at this level, with this team, in this kind of race we're in. I'm just glad I could help this team. They gave me an opportunity. They had the faith to bring me up here."
Red Sox 7, Orioles 6
PHOTO: EPA
In Boston, Kevin Millar and David Ortiz homered as Boston's bats recovered following a rare off night to edge Baltimore.
Matt Clement (13-3) allowed four runs -- two earned -- and six hits in eight inning as Boston won for the sixth time in seven games and maintained a 3 1/2-game lead over the second-place Yankees in the AL East. Before Friday's 7-3 loss, the Red Sox had scored seven or more runs in 14 consecutive home games, an AL record.
After shortstop Edgar Renteria booted a potential double-play grounder by Luis Matos for an error in the ninth, Baltimore closed on Brian Roberts' RBI double and Melvin Mora's sacrifice fly. With runners at the corners, Mike Timlin retired Miguel Tejada on a flyout for his sixth save.
Erik Bedard (6-6) gave up six runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings for the Orioles, who had won three straight.
White Sox 6, Tigers 2
In Chicago, Tadahito Iguchi fell a home run short of the cycle, Aaron Rowand and Jermaine Dye hit back-to-back solo shots as Chicago won its third straight. Detroit has lost eight of 10.
Mark Buehrle (15-7) scattered nine hits, struck out eight and did not walk a batter in seven innings.
Aaron Rowand broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run triple in the third and hit a solo homer in the seventh. Dye followed Rowand's homer with his 27th home run.
Nate Robertson (6-12) allowed six runs and 12 hits in 6 1-3 innings, dropping to 1-5 in his last eight starts.
Mariners 6, Angels 3
In Anaheim, California, Ichiro Suzuki drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning with his third hit and Raul Ibanez had three RBIs as Seattle ended Los Angeles' three-game winning streak.
The Mariners scored four times in the ninth. Suzuki singled off Scot Shields (8-10), snapping a 2-all tie. Pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs had a run-scoring double and Ibanez added a two-run single to give Seattle a 6-2 lead.
J.J. Putz (5-5) got the win. Eddie Guardado allowed Vladimir Guerrero's RBI double in the ninth before finishing it.
The Angels remained tied for first place in the AL West with Oakland.
Los Angeles lefty Jarrod Washburn gave up one run and three hits in seven innings.
Carlos Zambrano beat the Pittsburgh Pirates for the seventh consecutive time over two seasons, helping himself and the Chicago Cubs with two hits in a 9-5 victory Saturday.
Pitching 7 2-3 innings, Zambrano (12-5) won his fourth decision in a row overall, though he failed for the first time in 13 starts to allow three or fewer runs. He gave up five runs and five hits, striking out nine and walking four.
"That was fun," Zambrano said. "I wasn't playing like we were trying to win the world championship or the World Cup ... just take it easy."
The Pirates are two losses from a 13th consecutive losing season in Major League Baseball. Chicago is 10-3 against Pittsburgh this year and 23-8 over the last two seasons.
"We're making progress," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "Is it showing up in the standings? No, but it's not like we're not making progress."
Cardinals 4, Astros 2
In Houston, Chris Carpenter became baseball's first 20-game winner this season, and St. Louis took advantage of Roger Clemens' injury to beat Houston.
Clemens came out after five innings because of a strained left hamstring, leaving him without a decision in a marquee matchup of National League Cy Young pitching award candidates.
Carpenter (20-4) won his 12th straight decision over 15 starts, pitching his major league-leading seventh complete game.
The right-hander allowed eight hits in his 20th career complete game. It was his fourth victory this season over Houston, which has managed only three runs off him in 33 innings. He struck out eight and walked two.
It also was Carpenter's 10th straight road victory, the first NL pitcher to accomplish that since Bob Gibson won 12 in a row in 1970.
Rockies 11, Dodgers 1
In Denver, Kim Byung-hyun won consecutive starts for only the second time in his major league career, and Brad Hawpe hit a three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning to lead Colorado over Los Angeles.
Coming off a 2-1 win at San Francisco, Kim (5-10) allowed one run and five hits in six innings. The only other time he won consecutive starts was in his 2003 finale and 2004 opener, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He has allowed two earned runs in his last three starts.
Hawpe, activated Friday after a stint on the disabled list caused by a strained left hamstring, had a career-high four RBIs. Garrett Atkins had three hits, including a home run.
D.J. Houlton (5-8) gave up six runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings, dropping to 1-6 with a 5.34 ERA in his last nine starts. Los Angeles fell seven games behind NL West-leading San Diego.
Yuliesky Gourriel hit two home runs Saturday as eight-time defending champion Cuba beat South-Africa 12-2 in its Baseball World Cup opener.
In Haarlem, Gourriel hit a two-run homer in the first inning and another two-run shot in the seventh.
South Africa scored its only runs in the bottom of the third on a homer by Marvin Jonathan and an RBI single by Nicholas Dempsey.
In other Group A games, Panama beat South-Korea 5-3, China edged Brazil 6-5 in 15 innings, and the Netherlands -- backed by a sixth-innning grand slam from Raily Legito -- routed Sweden 18-0 for its second consecutive victory.
In Group B, Taiwan beat the Czech Republic 10-1, Australia edged Puerto Rico 4-2, and Japan defeated Spain 9-2.
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