AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, BOSTON
Josh Beckett allowed a run in six strong innings as the Boston Red Sox won their 12th straight home game to take the American League East lead from Tampa Bay with a 5-1 win over the Rays on Wednesday.
Beckett (6-4) left after throwing 92 pitches, allowing seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
J.D. Drew, batting third in place of the injured David Ortiz, continued his surge with an RBI double, a single and two runs.
Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson’s struggles at Fenway Park continued as he left after five innings trailing 4-1. Jackson (3-5) is 0-3 in his career there, allowing 20 earned runs in 22 innings.
INDIANS 15, RANGERS 9
At Arlington, Texas, Ryan Garko drove in a career-high six runs and had four hits and David Dellucci hit a three-run homer for Cleveland against Texas.
YANKEES 5, BLUE JAYS 1
At New York, Mike Mussina tied for the AL lead in wins and Derek Jeter passed Mickey Mantle on the New York career hits list.
Wilson Betemit homered off Jesse Litsch (7-2) and the Yankees snapped a three-game skid.
Mussina (9-4) pitched six strong innings and Jeter, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui hit RBI singles to back him.
Jeter’s single put New York ahead and gave him 2,416 hits, good for third place on the franchise list behind Lou Gehrig (2,721) and Babe Ruth (2,518).
WHITE SOX 6, ROYALS 4, 15 INNINGS
At Chicago, Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer to win it for Chicago.
In other games it was:
• Athletics 10, Tigers 2
• Angels 5, Mariners 4
• Twins 7, Orioles 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHILADELPHIA
Joey Votto’s two-out RBI double in the seventh inning spoiled Brett Myers’ bid for a no-hitter as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 in the National League on Wednesday.
Ken Griffey Jr, one home run shy of 600, wasn’t in the Reds’ lineup for the third consecutive game because of general soreness.
For the second straight game, he walked as a pinch hitter in the eighth.
Impressive Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez (8-2) allowed two hits, struck out eight, walked two and hit two batters in seven innings, lowering his ERA to a major league best 1.32.
Myers (3-7) retired the first 13 batters before he walked Adam Dunn with one out in the fifth. He gave up one run, one hit and walked a season-high six in seven-and-one-third innings, striking out eight.
In other games it was:
• Pirates 5, Astros 2
• Brewers 10, Diamondbacks 1
• Marlins 6, Braves 4
• Rockies 2, Dodgers 1
• Mets 5, Giants 3
• Padres 2, Cubs 1
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