American LeagueDerek Jeter homered and drove in three runs, Mike Mussina had another strong outing and the New York Yankees got off to a much better start against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays this season with a 9-1 victory on Tuesday.
Jason Giambi also knocked in three runs to give him eight RBIs in two games. Jeter finished with three hits and scored three runs. He has 16 hits in his last 30 at-bats.
Mussina (3-1) beat 22-year-old lefty Scott Kazmir (2-2) and shut down a depleted lineup missing Carl Crawford, Jorge Cantu, Aubrey Huff and Julio Lugo. The Devil Rays, swept in Texas last weekend, have dropped four straight.
Tampa Bay won the season series a year ago, going 11-8 against New York -- including 6-3 at Yankee Stadium after finishing 0-10 in the Bronx in 2004. The Devil Rays were the first team since Detroit in 1974 to finish last and beat New York 11 times.
But the Yankees had an easy time in the first of 18 meetings this year. They have outscored their opponents 22-3 in winning three in a row, and New York pitchers have allowed only one run in four of their past five games.
Mussina yielded only a solo homer to Yankees nemesis Jonny Gomes in six-plus innings. The right-hander allowed four hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter for his fifth solid outing in five starts this season.
White Sox 13, Mariners 3
At Seattle, Jermaine Dye hit two home runs and Tadahito Iguchi had a career-high four RBIs to lead Chicago.
Iguchi, Paul Konerko and Joe Crede homered to help the White Sox to their biggest victory margin since a 12-2 win over the Chicago Cubs last June 24. The offense supported Javier Vazquez (2-1), who allowed two runs and four hits in six-plus innings.
Seattle's Joel Pineiro (2-2) gave up five runs and six hits in four innings, boosting his ERA from 3.96 to 4.97. The Mariners had not lost by 10 or more runs since the Boston Red Sox beat them 13-2 on Sept. 11, 2004.
Red Sox 8, Indians 6
At Cleveland, Manny Ramirez followed an intentional walk to David Ortiz with a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning as Boston beat Cleveland.
The score was 5-5 when Kevin Youkilis singled off Guillermo Mota (0-1) with one out in the eighth and stole second. Mark Loretta popped out and Cleveland decided to walk Ortiz, who hit his ninth homer of the year an inning earlier.
Ramirez hit a 1-0 pitch for his third home of the season and 438th of his career, tying Andre Dawson for 32nd on the career list.
Boston's Curt Schilling failed in his quest to win his first five starts in a season for the first time in his 19-year career. He led 5-4 until Casey Blake doubled to open the seventh and scored on a single by Grady Sizemore.
Keith Foulke (1-1) was the winner.
Ben Broussard homered for the Indians.
National League
At St. Louis, Juan Encarnacion homered, tripled and doubled, driving in four runs as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3.
Jeff Suppan, a 16-game winner last year, won for the first time in four starts this season. Suppan (1-2) allowed three unearned runs and four hits in seven innings on a cold night.
Jason Isringhausen worked the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances, completing a four-hitter.
Pittsburgh has lost six in a row, getting outscored 30-9, and is an NL-worst 5-17. Victor Santos (1-4) gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings.
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