Randy Johnson won despite lasting only five innings, and the New York Yankees got home runs from Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon to polish off a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 9-3 victory on Thursday.
Bernie Williams, who finished with three hits, and Robinson Cano each had an RBI single off Denny Bautista (0-1) for the Yankees, who have won 14 straight home games against Kansas City since August 2002.
The loss matched the Royals' record for consecutive defeats in an opposing ballpark, set at Detroit's Tiger Stadium from August 1987 to May 1990.
Johnson (2-1) was pulled after 87 pitches. The Big Unit has 16 strikeouts and no walks in three solid starts this year. He had never gone two starts into a season without walking a batter.
He cruised into the fifth inning with a 4-0 lead, but with two outs, the Royals strung together three hits. Shane Costa poked an 0-2 pitch to left-center for an RBI single. Johnson retired Tony Graffanino to end the inning, and never came out for the sixth. Scott Proctor worked 1 1-3 scoreless innings, and Mike Myers fanned Costa with two on to end the seventh.
Graffanino homered against Tanyon Sturtze leading off the eighth, cutting it to 4-2.
White Sox 13, Tigers 9
At Detroit, Jim Thome homered in his fourth straight game to lead Chicago.
Tadahito Iguchi also homered and drove in three runs and Alex Cintron had a pair of RBI triples for the White Sox, who have won four straight. Chicago swept the three-game series and is 10-2 at Comerica Park since the start of last season.
Despite three hits, including a homer, from red-hot Chris Shelton, Detroit fell to 5-4 after winning its first five games. Shelton is hitting.514 with a 1.297 slugging percentage.
Jon Garland (1-1) got the win despite allowing seven runs and 13 hits, tying a career high, in five innings.
Justin Verlander (1-1) gave up seven runs and seven hits in just 2 2-3 innings in the loss.
Mariners 9, Indians 5
At Cleveland, Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners turned a rash of wildness by the Cleveland Indian relievers into a 9-5 comeback win.
The Indians led 5-3 after five innings but three Seattle relievers combined to throw 4 1-3 shutout innings, allowing five hits and no walks. The Mariners won the final two games of the three-game series at Jacobs Field.
Cleveland reliever Rafael Betancourt got out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the sixth by striking out Jeremy Reed to preserve the Indians' two-run lead.
Jose Lopez hit a two-run homer off the right-hander with one out in the seventh to tie it at 5-5.
Left-hander Scott Sauerbeck (0-1) then yielded a sharp single to Raul Ibanez and was replaced by Guillermo Mota. Richie Sexson greeted him with a double to left, sending Ibanez to third. Adrian Beltre was intentionally walked to load the bases, but Mota also walked Carl Everett to make it 6-5.
Kenji Johjima followed with a bouncer to third baseman Aaron Boone, whose throw home pulled catcher Victor Martinez off the plate. Sexson scored to give the Mariners a two-run lead.
Johjima added a two-run double in the ninth off Fernando Cabrera to make it 9-5. Reed then lined a ball off Cabrera's right ankle. The right-hander made the play for the out, but left the game and was replaced by Danny Graves.
Johjima played with a sore right hand, hurt Wednesday night when he hit it on Michaels' bat while following through on a throw back to the pitcher.
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