Yankees stop Ponson, Orioles

El Duque became the first Yankee pitcher to start 8-0 since Bob Wickman in 1993.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Orlando Hernandez needed only an instant to recall the last time he went through a stretch in which he pitched this well.
"In Cuba," he replied in Spanish.
Hernandez pitched seven innings of five-hit ball to win his eighth straight decision, and the New York Yankees beat Sidney Ponson and the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 Saturday.
Hernandez allowed one run and two walks in becoming the first Yankees starter to open the season 8-0 since Bob Wickman in 1993. Back with a flourish after shoulder surgery forced him to miss all of last year and the first 31/2 months of this season, the right-hander never doubted he would regain his effectiveness.
Hernandez left with a 2-1 lead. The one glaring flaw in his performance was a home run by Rafael Palmeiro, only the fifth allowed by the right-hander in 20.
Derek Jeter had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the Yankees, who have won six of seven. New York started the day with a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Boston in the AL East.
NEW YORKBALTIMORE
abrhbiabrhbi
Jeter ss5221BRbrts 2b4020
ARdrgz 3b4111Newhn lf4010
Shffield rf4011Mora 3b3111
Matsui lf4000Tejada ss4000
Posada c3020RPlmo dh4131
BWllms dh4111JvLopz c4000
Olerud 1b4021Surhoff rf4000
Cairo 2b4000Gbbons 1b3000
Lofton cf3110Bigbie cf3000
Totals355105Totals33272
New York011000030--5
Baltimore000100010--2
E--Tejada (22). DP--New York 1, Baltimore 3. LOB--New York 5, Baltimore 6. 2B--Jeter (38), Sheffield (29), BWilliams (25). 3B--Lofton (7). HR--Mora (25), RPalmeiro (17).
IPHRERBBSO
New York
OHrndz W,8-0751124
Gordon111101
MRivera S,47110001
Baltimore
Ponson L,10-147105311
BRyan100011
Williams100000
Ponson pitched to 4 batters in the 8th. WP--Ponson. Umpires--Home, James Hoye; First, Ted Barrett; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Ed Rapuano. T--2:44. A--47,858.
Twins 3, Tigers 2
DETROIT -- Cristian Guzman and Shannon Stewart each homered to lead the Minnesota Twins over the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers lost their two All-Stars to right knee injuries. Shortstop Carlos Guillen sprained his knee while sliding awkwardly into third base in the fifth inning, and catcher Ivan Rodriguez left in the seventh with a bruised knee after being hit by foul tip. Guillen will have an MRI after the game. X-rays of Rodriguez's knee were negative and he is day to day.
Jacque Jones hit a go-ahead, RBI single in the seventh off AL Levine (3-3) and Minnesota, heading to its third straight AL Central title, won its fourth straight and ninth in 11 games.
Jesse Crain (2-0) got an out in the sixth and two in the seventh for the win. Joe Nathan worked the ninth for his 40th save in 44 chances.
J.C. Romero retired the only batter he faced in the seventh inning, extending his Twins-record scoreless streak to 36 innings. Romero last allowed a run on June 11.
MINNESOTADETROIT
abrhbiabrhbi
ShStwrt lf5121Hggnsn rf5000
JJones rf4011CGillen ss2020
THnter cf4020Infante 2b1000
Mrneau 1b4000IRdrgz c3010
Kubel dh3010Munson 3b1000
LFord dh1000DYong dh3010
CGzmn ss4121Monroe lf4000
Cddyer 2b4000CPena 1b3210
Ojeda 2b0000Inge 3b4010
Tiffee 3b3000JSmith 2b3002
Brders c4110Logan cf2000
Thmes ph1010
Totals36393Totals32272
Minnesota011000100--3
Detroit000101000--2
E--CGuillen (17), Monroe (9). DP--Detroit 1. LOB--Minnesota 7, Detroit 8. 2B--CPena (22). HR--ShStewart (11), CGuzman (7). SB--CGuillen (12), Logan (5). S--JSmith.
IPHRERBBSO
Minnesota
Lohse5 1-362245
Fultz1-300000
Crain W,2-0100001
Romero1-300000
JRincon100001
Nathan S,41110000
Detroit
Knotts4 2-352211
Ledezma1 1-310001
Levine L,3-3 2-331102
JWalker1 1-300001
Yan100002
Umpires--Home, Brian O'Nora; First, Mike Fichter; Second, Phil Cuzzi; Third, Rob Drake. T--2:57. A--28,931.
Devil Rays 8, Royals 6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays stopped the second-longest losing streak in team history at 12 games, rallying past the Kansas City Royals behind Julio Lugo.
Tampa Bay, which had not won since beating Seattle on Aug. 25, overcame deficits of 4-2 and 6-5, going ahead for good in a two-run seventh when Lugo hit his third double of the game and scored on a wild pitch by Jimmy Serrano (1-2), Aubrey Huff tripled and Jose Cruz Jr. hit his second sacrifice fly. Carl Crawford added an RBI single in the eighth off Jaime Cerda.
Rob Bell (7-8) won despite allowing two runs and four hits in three innings, and Danys Baez pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances.
Tampa Bay, which wasted leads of 2-1 and 5-4, stopped its skid three shy of the team record, set from April 25 to May 10, 2002. The Devil Rays, who won 12 in a row from June 9-22, joined the 1951 New York Giants and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers as the only major league teams with 12-game winning and losing streaks in the same year.
TAMPA BAYKANSAS CITY
abrhbiabrhbi
Crwfrd lf4121DJesus cf4110
Lugo ss5332Berroa ss4010
Baldelli cf5122Nunez rf5121
Huff 1b4120Stairs lf4111
TMrtnz 1b0000Randa 3b4010
JoCruz rf3002Pckerg dh3100
Upton dh4010Harvey 1b4021
Blum 2b5010Rlaford 2b4000
THall c4210Buck c4232
Rolls 3b3000
Cmngs ph1010
Cantu 2b0000
Totals388137Totals366115
Tampa Bay200300210--8
Kansas City112101000--6
E--Blum (9). DP--Tampa Bay 1. LOB--Tampa Bay 9, Kansas City 6. 2B--Lugo 3 (35), Nunez (6), Buck (5). 3B--Huff (2). HR--Baldelli (12), Buck (8). SB--Crawford (52), Baldelli (12), DeJesus (6), Stairs (1). SF--JoCruz 2.
IPHRERBBSO
Tampa Bay
Waechter364431
RBell W,7-8342201
Harper200001
DBaez S,26110001
Kansas City
Gobble585524
Serrano L,1-2222201
Carrasco1-311110
Cerda1 1-320011
Camp1-300001
WP--RBell 2, Gobble 2, Serrano. Umpires--Home, Paul Schrieber; First, Jerry Layne; Second, Ed Montague; Third, Jerry Meals. T--2:55. A--17,496.
Rangers 10, Blue Jays 7
ARLINGTON, Texas -- David Dellucci hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, Francisco Cordero earned his 43rd save to match a Rangers record and Texas beat the Toronto Blue Jays.
Eric Hinske and Chris Gomez each hit pinch-hit homers in the eighth as Toronto scored three times to tie it at 7.
TORONTOTEXAS
abrhbiabrhbi
Jhnson lf5110ASrano 2b4010
OHudsn 2b5122Blalock 3b5122
VWells cf4111MYong ss5120
CDlgdo 1b4110Txeira 1b2213
Rios rf4021Mench lf4220
Mnchno 3b3000Dllucci dh4211
Hinske 3b1111BJordn rf5121
Wdwrd ss3010Nix cf3100
Adams ss1110Brajas c4012
Berg dh3000
Gross ph0000
Gomez dh1112
Quiroz c4010
Totals387127Totals3610129
Toronto103000030--7
Texas30000223x--10
E--Glynn (1). DP--Texas 1. LOB--Toronto 5, Texas 10. 2B--Johnson (25), CDelgado (21), Adams (1), Mench (24). HR--OHudson (12), VWells (17), Hinske (15), Gomez (3), Teixeira (32).
IPHRERBBSO
Toronto
Glynn553332
Frederick122221
Douglass122221
Frasor L,4-6133311
Texas
Rogers694415
Francisco100002
Almanzar2-322202
Mahay W,3-0 1-311101
FCordero S,43100001
WP--Douglass, Rogers. Balk--Frasor. Umpires--Home, Angel Hernandez; First, Darren Spagnardi; Second, Mark Wegner; Third, Larry Young. T--3:02. A--40,587.