AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, BOSTON
Pinch-hitter Daniel Nava sliced a single down the right-field line to break an eighth-inning tie and the give injury-depleted Boston Red Sox a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Nava, a switch-hitter best known for hitting a grand slam on the first major league pitch he saw on June 12, batted for Eric Patterson when lefty Will Ohman replaced Brad Bergesen (3-5) with two outs and Boston had Marco Scutaro on second with a double.
Nava popped a 2-1 pitch down the line and Scutaro scored easily.
Tim Wakefield (3-6) allowed two runs and seven hits in eight innings for his second win in his last six decisions.
J.D. Drew hit two solo homers for the Red Sox.
Before the game, the Red Sox placed catcher Jason Varitek and reliever Manny Delcarmen on the disabled list. There are 10 Red Sox on it, including Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez.
BLUE JAYS 6, YANKEES 1, 11 INNINGS
In New York, Alex Gonzalez hit a go-ahead single in the 11th inning as Toronto beat New York to snap a five-game losing streak.
Gonzalez singled for a 2-1 lead and Dewayne Wise’s bases-loaded triple capped a five-run burst for the Blue Jays.
Lyle Overbay and John Buck opened the Toronto 11th with singles.
A sacrifice and an intentional walk loaded the bases for Gonzalez, who lined his single over leaping third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
After another out, Vernon Wells walked and Wise tripled.
The Blue Jays tied it at 1-1 in the eighth on Aaron Hill’s RBI single with two outs off Joba Chamberlain.
TIGERS 7, MARINERS 1
In Detroit, Michigan, Max Scherzer allowed three hits in a season-high eight innings as late substitute Don Kelly sparked Detroit’s offense in a win over Seattle.
Johnny Damon hit a two-run homer and the Tigers opened their homestand with a win, despite playing without star slugger Miguel Cabrera, a late scratch from the lineup because of lower back pain.
Cabrera began the day tied for the major league lead with 20 homers and 68 RBIs.
Kelly, filling in at first base for Cabrera, doubled in Detroit’s first two runs in the second and Austin Jackson followed with a two-run single. Brennan Boesch added an RBI single in the fifth to chase Mariners starter Doug Fister (3-4) and Damon hit his fourth homer of the season off Sean White in the seventh.
Friday’s other results:
• Athletics 3, Indians 0
• Twins 2, Rays 1
• White Sox 5, Rangers 3
• Royals 2, Angels 1, 10 innings
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Chris Young matched a career high with five RBIs as the Arizona Diamondbacks made Kirk Gibson a winner on his managerial debut with a 12-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
The Diamondbacks battered Hiroki Kuroda (7-6) early and had nine runs on 11 hits in the first three innings to help Edwin Jackson (6-6) through a just-good-enough outing after his 149-pitch no-hitter at Tampa Bay seven days before.
Young made sure Gibson didn’t have to sweat out his first win as coach, hitting a three-run homer in the seventh off Justin Miller to put Arizona up seven.
Miguel Montero and Mark Reynolds added two RBIs each for Arizona, who ended a seven-game losing streak to Los Angeles.
METS 5, NATIONALS 3
In Washington, Jonathon Niese pitched seven solid innings, striking out a career-high eight batters for his fifth straight win, as New York held off Washington.
The Nationals rallied for two runs in the ninth before Roger Bernadina, in a colossal base-running blunder, was picked off second base by Francisco Rodriguez for the final out.
Niese (6-2) allowed six hits as he improved to 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA in six starts since coming off the disabled list on June 5. He fanned eight in his first four innings — striking out the side in the fourth — and didn’t walk a batter. To top it off, Niese added his first career RBI on a double in a four-run fourth against Luis Atilano (6-5).
David Wright had three hits and Alex Cora a three-run triple for the Mets. Rodriguez earned his 19th save.
Josh Willingham homered for Washington.
Friday’s other results:
• Reds 12, Cubs 0
• Braves 4, Marlins 3, 11 innings
• Padres 3, Astros 0
• Pirates 2, Phillies 0
• Rockies 6, Giants 3
• Cardinals 5, Brewers 0
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