Boston snaps Twins' win streak

Kansas City beat Baltimore to snap a four-game losing skid.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS -- Manny Ramirez had three hits and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning with smart baserunning as the Boston Red Sox defeated Minnesota 6-5 Saturday night, ending the Twins' five-game winning streak.
Matthew LeCroy homered twice for the Twins.
With the score tied at 4, Boston loaded the bases off Juan Rincon (1-1) with one out in the eighth. Jeremy Giambi hit a short fly ball to center fielder Torii Hunter, who made a strong throw home to keep Ramirez on third.
But when the ball short-hopped catcher A.J. Pierzynski and rolled toward the mound, Ramirez raced home to put Boston ahead. Hunter was charged with an error on the play.
The Red Sox added a run in the ninth on Nomar Garciaparra's sacrifice fly.
Tim Wakefield (4-1) allowed seven hits and four runs in seven innings, while striking out six and walking two.
Brandon Lyon pitched the ninth for his fourth save in as many chances. He gave up an RBI single to Corey Koskie.
Todd Walker homered for Boston. LeCroy had the third two-homer game of his career.
BOSTONMINNESOTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Damon cf4110Mohr lf5130
TWalkr 2b5122CGzmn ss5011
Grcprr ss4111Koskie 3b4111
MRmrz lf5130LeCroy dh5223
Millar rf3011THnter cf4000
DJcksn rf0000Kielty rf2000
DOrtiz 1b4010JJones lf1010
Mueller 3b0000Sears 1b4000
Hlnbrn 3b3110Przyns c4020
JeGmbi dh4010Hcking 2b3000
Mrbelli c3111Mntkw ph1110
Varitek c1000
Totals366125Totals385115
Boston200000211--6
Minnesota200001101--5
E--THunter (2). DP--Minnesota 1. LOB--Boston 7, Minnesota 8. 2B--Damon (11), Garciaparra (9), MRamirez (11), Hillenbrand (15), Mirabelli (2), Mientkiewicz (7). 3B--CGuzman (5). HR--TWalker (3), LeCroy 2 (5). SB--DJackson (8), JJones (6). SF--Garciaparra, Millar.
IPHRERBBSO
Boston
Wakefield W,4-1774426
Timlin2-310000
Embree1-300000
Lyon S,4131101
Minnesota
Rogers6 1-384414
Romero2-310001
Rincon L,1-1232110
Umpires--Home, Ted Barrett; First, C.B. Bucknor; Second, Tony Randazzo; Third, Tim McClelland. T--2:40. A--26,346.
Royals 8, Orioles 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Rookie Ken Harvey hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals snapped a four-game losing streak. They had dropped 10 of 14.
Harvey connected off reliever Buddy Groom (1-2) for his fifth home run. Harvey has seven game-tying or go-ahead hits in his past 18 games.
Mike DiFelice, who is 8-for-15 with runners in scoring position, hit a two-run double in the fourth-run Kansas City eighth.
Rookie D.J. Carrasco (2-1) worked two hitless innings.
Royals second baseman Carlos Febles was hit in the right hand by a pitch from Jason Johnson while trying to bunt in the fifth and was taken to a hospital for X-rays.
Jay Gibbons, who homered and had two doubles in going 5-for-9 against the Royals in a doubleheader sweep Friday, hit a two-run homer for a 4-1 lead in the sixth.
Chris George did not allow the Orioles a hit until Deivi Cruz's one-out single in the fifth.
Geronimo Gil doubled home Cruz and later scored on Jerry Hairston's sacrifice fly.
Johnson lowered his ERA to 2.21, third best in the AL, holding the Royals to one run and five hits for five innings.
BALTIMOREKANSAS CITY
abrhbiabrhbi
Hrst Jr 2b4001Rlaford dh4031
Mora lf3020Randa 3b5012
Segui dh5000Beltran cf4010
Conine 1b4110Ibanez lf4110
Gbbons rf3112Harvey 1b4112
JLeon 3b4000DBrwn rf3120
Mathws cf3000Berroa ss3210
DCruz ss3110Febles 2b1000
Bigbie ph1010MLopez 2b3220
GGil c3111DFelice c4123
Totals33474Totals358148
Baltimore000022000--4
Kansas City00001034x--8
DP--Baltimore 2, Kansas City 1. LOB--Baltimore 8, Kansas City 6. 2B--GGil (2), Randa (9), Ibanez (9), MLopez (3), DiFelice (2). HR--Gibbons (6), Harvey (5). SB--Berroa (1). SF--Hairston Jr..
IPHRERBBSO
Baltimore
JJohnson551113
BRyan1 1-333301
Ligtenberg2-310000
Groom L,1-2033300
Bauer121110
Kansas City
George654433
Carrasco W,2-1200012
MacDougal120001
Groom pitched to 3 batters in the 8th. HBP--by BRyan (DBrown), by George (Mora). WP--George, Carrasco. Balk--George. Umpires--Home, Paul Emmel; First, Joe West; Second, Jeff Kellogg; Third, Bill Miller. T--2:57. A--25,930.