Robinson Cano went 4-for-4 and drove in a run to back the pitching of Mike Mussina, helping the New York Yankees end the Tampa Bay Rays' six-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday.
Mussina (6-3) allowed one run and five hits over 6 1-3 innings to win his fifth consecutive decision.
Cano, who tied a career high with four hits, had a RBI single in the fourth. Bobby Abreu drove in New York’s other run off James Shields (4-3) with a two-out double in the fifth, and shortstop Derek Jeter started a nifty double play to end a Tampa Bay threat.
PHOTO: AP
Joba Chamberlain struck out the side in the eighth — and didn’t pump his fist. Mariano Rivera bounced back from allowing the winning run in an 11-inning loss the previous night with a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 11 opportunities.
Orioles 6, Red Sox 3
At Baltimore, Jay Payton hit his fourth career grand slam to back a gritty pitching effort by Daniel Cabrera, and Baltimore rallied to beat Boston.
Solo homers by Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell, and a defensive gem by Manny Ramirez — yes, Manny Ramirez — weren’t enough to prevent the Red Sox from losing their fourth straight. It was the third consecutive game in which Boston blew a three-run lead.
The Orioles trailed 3-2 before going ahead in the seventh. With two outs, Freddie Bynum was credited with an infield hit when second baseman Dustin Pedroia couldn’t make a play on a grounder.
Mariners 4, Rangers 3, 12 innings
At Arlington, Texas, Miguel Cairo had a two-out RBI single in the 12th inning, and Seattle beat Texas to avoid a sweep and keep the Rangers from reaching .500.
Wladimir Balentien led off the 12th with a single off Franklyn German (1-2), and Yuniesky Betancourt sacrificed. Balentien moved to third on a deep flyout by Ichiro Suzuki, who went 0-for-6 and ended a 13-game hitting streak. Cairo then singled up the middle.
Indians 2, Athletics 0
At Cleveland, C.C. Sabathia pitched a five-hitter and struck out 11 in Cleveland’s major league-leading seventh shutout.
Sabathia (3-5) extended the scoreless streak of Indians starters to 43 1-3 innings since Friday. He tied his season high for strikeouts, walked two and won consecutive starts for the first time this season. He has a 1.49 ERA over his past five starts.
The streak is the longest by an Indians starting staff since they tossed 47 scoreless innings in August 1948. It’s the longest by a major league team in one season since a 54-inning streak by Baltimore’s starters from Sept. 1-7, 1974, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Grady Sizemore and Ryan Garko homered off Oakland’s Joe Blanton (2-6), who lost for the fourth time in five starts.
In other games, it was:
• Blue Jays 6, Twins 5
• Royals 2, Tigers 0
• White Sox 6, Angels 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Ryan Zimmerman homered and Tim Redding pitched two-hit ball for six innings, sending the Washington Nationals to a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Jesus Flores hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the seventh off Aaron Heilman, who was booed on and off the mound by the Shea Stadium crowd. Washington added three more runs in the inning, sticking Claudio Vargas with a tough-luck loss in his Mets debut.
Brian Schneider homered and drove in two runs against his former club, but New York (20-18) dropped to a disappointing 3-3 on its seven-game homestand against last-place teams.
Redding (5-3) allowed one run and struck out four, improving to 3-0 in three road starts this season.
Braves 8, Phillies 6
At Philadelphia, Tom Glavine pitched 5 2-3 effective innings to earn his first win for Atlanta since beating the Phillies on Sept. 19, 2002.
Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson each hit solo homers and Brian McCann drove in three runs to support Glavine (1-1), who spent the previous five seasons with the New York Mets after pitching his first 16 years in Atlanta.
He allowed four runs and four hits and took a one-hitter into the sixth.
Blaine Boyer got the last four outs for his first career save. He allowed an RBI single to Jimmy Rollins in the ninth, before retiring Shane Victorino on a fly ball to the warning track with the tying run on second base to end it.
Reds 7, Marlins 6, 10 innings
At Cincinnati, Paul Janish singled home the tiebreaking, 10th-inning run in just his second big-league at-bat after Cincinnati blew a six-run lead in the ninth.
Renyel Pinto (1-2) walked two with two outs before Janish, who arrived from the minors earlier in the day, singled to right field to end it, raising his right fist in triumph. Jared Burton (2-1) pitched a perfect 10th for the win.
Dodgers 6, Brewers 4
At Milwaukee, Juan Pierre hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the ninth inning, and Los Angeles overcame a three-run deficit to beat Milwaukee and stop a season-high, six-game losing streak.
Los Angeles had been 0-18 when trailing after eight innings.
Cardinals 5, Pirates 1
At St. Louis, Todd Wellemeyer allowed two hits into the eighth inning for St. Louis, and Albert Pujols had two hits, reaching base for the 41st straight game to start the season.
Wellemeyer (4-1) allowed Luis Rivas’ single with one out in the first, then gave up only three walks before Jose Bautista singled to start the eighth.
Cubs 8, Padres 5
At Chicago, Ted Lilly struck out 11 in six innings to win his third straight start, and Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto homered to lead Chicago past San Diego.
Lilly (4-4) allowed six hits and four runs in six innings and fanned eight in the first four innings.
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