AROUND THE HORN Friday's other games
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Blue Jays 6, Yankees 2
NEW YORK -- Kelvim Escobar outpitched Mike Mussina (7-3) and the Toronto Blue Jays sent the banged-up New York Yankees to yet another home loss. New York has lost five in a row at Yankee Stadium, its longest skid since the middle of the 2000 season. The Yankees' ninth defeat in 10 home games dropped them out of the AL East lead for the first time this year. They trail Boston by a half-game. The game began about a half-hour late because of rain, and the crowd of 34,134 had little to cheer about after Jason Giambi's RBI double in the first inning. Escobar (2-1) and the Blue Jays' bullpen kept the fans quiet on a chilly, damp night. The Yankees played without two of their top hitters. All-Star center fielder Bernie Williams was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of torn cartilage in his left knee -- he's expected to miss four-to-six weeks -- and shortstop Derek Jeter was scratched right before gametime with mild stiffness in his left hamstring.
Tigers 3, White Sox 2
CHICAGO -- Mike Maroth won for the first time in 10 decisions this season, pitching seven strong innings for Detroit. Maroth (1-9) gave up three hits, two walks and struck out three to snap an 11-game losing streak. He won for the first time since Sept. 16, 2002, against Kansas City. Dmitri Young hit an RBI double off Kelly Wunsch to score Ramon Santiago with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Santiago reached against Tom Gordon (2-4) on a throwing error by third baseman Joe Crede. Chris Spurling pitched two scoreless innings for his second save.
Rangers 5, Orioles 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rafael Palmeiro homered and drove in three runs to lead Texas to its season-high seventh straight win. Palmeiro hit a two-run blast in the first and added an RBI single off Pat Hentgen (1-1) in the fifth that put Texas ahead 4-3. It was Palmeiro's first homer since hitting his 500th on May 11, a span of 27 at-bats.
Ismael Valdes (4-2) gave up three run in six innings for the win and Ugueth Urbina pitched the ninth for his 16th save.
Athletics 4, Royals 1
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Mark Mulder fell one out short of his third shutout of the season, pitching an eight-hitter to lead Oakland over Kansas City. Mulder held the Royals scoreless until Brent Mayne's RBI groundout with one out in the ninth inning before finishing his major league-leading fifth complete game. Mulder (7-2) walked two and struck out six to move into a tie for the most wins in the majors. He made quick work of the opposition once again, needing only 2 hours, 5 minutes for the game. His last seven starts have all taken less than 2:30. Eric Byrnes went 2-for-3 with a walk to increase his career-best hitting streak to 14 games, and Eric Chavez homered for Oakland.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Astros 7, Cubs 5
HOUSTON -- Jose Vizcaino hit a three-run homer off Mark Prior in a six-run first inning to lead Houston. The Astros won for the 11th time in 14 home games and moved within a half-game of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. Chicago has lost five of seven. Prior (5-2), trying to win his fourth straight decision, also allowed a two-run single by Orlando Merced in the first, and another run scored on an RBI grounder by Jeff Kent. Vizcaino's first homer of the year capped the outburst, the worst inning of Prior's two-year career.
Marlins 8, Reds
CINCINNATI -- Jeff Austin let the first seven Marlins reach base, setting up a five-run rally. Austin's quick meltdown allowed the Marlins to end a six-game losing streak. Ivan Rodriguez, who missed the last three games because of an illness in the family, hit an RBI double on the first strike he got from Austin. After another walk, Derrek Lee and Juan Encarnacion followed with singles
Phillies 4, Expos 2
MONTREAL -- Kevin Millwood won his fifth straight decision, and Bobby Abreu and Placido Polanco homered to lead Philadelphia. Millwood (7-1) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings as Philadelphia ended Montreal's three-game winning streak. It was the ninth time Millwood has allowed two runs or fewer in 11 starts this season. Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 13th save, becoming the 10th pitcher to record 100 saves for two teams. Mesa also had 104 saves with Cleveland from 1992-98. The Phillies improved to 27-21 to move within three games of the second place Expos in the NL East.
Mets 6, Braves 5
ATLANTA -- Jeromy Burnitz hit a grand slam in his first game back from the disabled list, and defensive replacement Tsuyoshi Shinjo threw out Chipper Jones at the plate for the final out to preserve New York's victory. Armando Benitez walked two batters with two outs in the ninth, and Julio Franco grounded a single to center. Shinjo, who entered in the eighth as the Mets shuffled their outfield, charged hard and made a perfect, one-hop throw home. Catcher Vance Wilson tagged a sliding Jones and pumped his fist as he jumped to his feet. Roger Cedeno and Wilson added two hits apiece for the Mets, who have won five of six after a four-game losing streak. Steve Trachsel (3-2) won his third straight start.
Dodgers 6, Brewers 4
MILWAUKEE -- Shawn Green hit a go-ahead three-run homer exactly one year after his four-home run game at Miller Park as Los Angeles beat Milwaukee for its eighth-straight victory.
-- Associated Press