AROUND THE HORN | Tuesday's other games
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox 12, Athletics 2
BOSTON -- Mark Bellhorn homered and drove in five runs, and Boston backed Curt Schilling with its top offensive performance of the year. Manny Ramirez hit his 12th homer and drove in three runs, and David Ortiz had four hits and doubled twice to increase his AL-leading total to 20. Boston sent Hudson (5-2) to his shortest outing this season, setting season highs for runs and hits (19). The AL East leaders won their fourth straight and stopped Oakland's winning streak at five. Schilling (6-3) struck out five to increase his season total to 66, passing teammate Pedro Martinez (63) for the AL lead. Schilling allowed two runs and nine hits in seven innings, walking none and lowering his ERA to 2.82.
Devil Rays 6, Twins 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Julio Lugo homered and drove in four runs to back Victor Zambrano, and Tampa Bay stretched its winning streak to five for the first time since 2000. Lugo, who leads the Devil Rays with 29 RBIs, hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and a three-run homer in the sixth. Zambrano (4-4) gave up one run and five hits in seven innings and struck out eight. He walked two, raising his major league-leading total to 46.
Yankees 11, Orioles 3
BALTIMORE -- Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitched seven innings of four-hit ball. Facing the Yankees for the first time as a rookie manager, Mazzilli watched helplessly as his former team dealt Baltimore its season-high fifth straight defeat. Lieber (4-1) allowed no earned runs, struck out two and walked one to win his third straight start. Rebounding from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, Lieber lowered his ERA from 4.40 to 3.53. Rodriguez hit his 11th homer with two on to cap a six-run sixth inning that put the Yankees up 8-0.
Royals 4, Tigers 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Second base umpire C.B. Bucknor called interference on a sliding Carlos Guillen in the ninth inning, nullifying the tying run and helping Kansas City snap a four-game losing streak. Angel Berroa hit a tiebreaking RBI triple in the seventh, connecting off Mike Maroth (4-3) after Detroit scored twice in the top of the inning to tie it at 2. Jason Grimsley (2-1) got one out for the win. Affeldt got four outs for his first save.
Rangers 7, White Sox 4
CHICAGO -- Kenny Rogers won his third straight start, tying for the major league lead with his seventh win. Rogers (7-2) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out six and walked one. The 39-year-old left-hander, off to his best starts since 1995, joined Houston's Roger Clemens, Anaheim's Jarrod Washburn and Cincinnati's Paul Wilson as the only seven-game winners in the major leagues. Francisco Cordero got four outs for his 15th save in 15 chances. Chicago's Frank Thomas hit his 427th career homer, moving past Billy Williams into sole possession of 32nd place on the career list.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Reds 5, Marlins 2
CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. glared into the Florida Marlins' dugout as he rounded the bases on his 492nd career homer, a three-run shot that sent the Reds to their seventh straight victory. Griffey sent a message to Florida manager Jack McKeon, who decided to intentionally walk Sean Casey, allowing Josh Beckett to face him with the score tied in the sixth. Griffey hit the first pitch from Beckett (4-4) deep into the seats in right field, then stared angrily at the Marlins after he rounded third. It was the third time on the home-stand that an opponent walked Casey to pitch to Griffey.
Astros 5, Cubs 0
HOUSTON -- Roy Oswalt pitched seven sharp innings for his first win in more than a month, and Houston snapped a five-game losing streak. Oswalt (3-3) allowed only three hits and struck out eight, dominating a lineup missing Sammy Sosa in the first showdown of the season between the NL Central's two preseason favorites. Lance Berkman and Orlando Palmeiro homered for Houston, which moved within a half-game of the second-place Cubs, behind surprising Cincinnati.
Mets 5, Phillies 0
NEW YORK -- Steve Trachsel pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning and New York got its fourth straight win. Mike Piazza homered off Eric Milton and drove in two runs, and Cliff Floyd added a two-run double. Trachsel (5-3) improved to 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in May. He struck out six and walked four in 6 2-3 innings. Mike Stanton and John Franco pitched 21/3 innings of hitless relief.
Expos 3, Braves 1
MONTREAL -- Tony Batista, Juan Rivera and Endy Chavez homered, and Tomo Ohka pitched seven strong innings to help Montreal end a five-game losing streak. Montreal, still an NL-worst 15-30, improved to 6-5 at Olympic Stadium. The Expos have an 8-14 home record overall, including just two wins in 11 games in Puerto Rico. The Expos broke through with a pair of solo homers off Horacio Ramirez (2-4) in the sixth.
Dodgers 5, Brewers 3
MILWAUKEE -- Alex Cora ignited one big inning with his bat and snuffed another with his glove. Cora's single sparked a four-run third inning for Los Angeles and his diving grab with the bases loaded ended Milwaukee's threat in the fifth as the Dodgers won for just the second time in 11 games. Eric Gagne pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save, his 74tth in a row but first since May 12.
Padres 11, Rockies 6
DENVER -- Jay Payton hit a two-run homer in San Diego's three-run eighth inning and drove in four runs to send Colorado to its sixth straight loss. Miguel Ojeda hit his first homer of the season and drove in three runs for San Diego, which had 16 hits. Payton finished 4-for-5 against his former team. Colorado didn't have any trouble at the plate in its fourth consecutive game without injured slugger Todd Helton (back), but continued to struggle on the mound. Joe Kennedy gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings, Jeff Fassero (0-3) gave up the go-ahead run on three two-strike hits in the seventh and Brian Fuentes was roughed up for three runs in the eighth. Scott Linebrink (2-0) allowed one hit in one inning for the win.
Giants 4, Diamondbacks 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds hit his first home run in nearly a month and Jason Schmidt (5-2) won his fifth straight decision. Edgardo Alfonzo also homered and singled twice for the Giants, who opened a six-game homestand against division rivals Arizona and Colorado by winning their season-high fourth straight. Bonds connected for his 11th home run this year and 669th of his career, hitting a 2-1 pitch from Casey Fossum (0-2) over the wall in center field, where a fan stuck his glove out trying to get the ball.
-- Associated Press