MLB ROUNDUP \ Tuesday's other games

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox 1, Royals 0
BOSTON -- Rookie Jon Lester allowed one hit in eight innings and Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth. Lester (5-0) gave up just Mark Teahen's clean single to center field in the second and four walks in his eighth major league start. The left-hander struck out four and allowed only five balls to leave the infield. Papelbon retired the Royals in order in the ninth for his 28th save in 31 opportunities. Brandon Duckworth (1-3) also pitched very well, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. But the Royals still suffered their seventh loss in eight games. Boston scored in the fifth on a double by Jason Varitek and an RBI single by Alex Gonzalez.
White Sox 7, Tigers 1
DETROIT -- Paul Konerko hit two home runs, and Jon Garland pitched seven strong innings to lead Chicago over Detroit. Chicago broke open the first of a three-game series with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh -- with Konerko homering in each inning -- giving Garland more than enough run support. Garland (9-3) allowed one run, six hits and one walk while striking out five to win his fifth straight decision. The White Sox had lost five of six. Nate Robertson (8-6) allowed six runs, nine hits and one walk over 62/3 innings to lose his third straight start.
Rangers 5, Blue Jays 2
TORONTO -- Hank Blalock hit a go-ahead single in a five-run eighth inning and Texas rallied to beat Toronto. Texas scored just four runs in the previous four games, but they came back from a 2-0 deficit by sending 10 batters to the plate in the eighth. Mark Teixeira hit a two-out RBI single off Scott Schoeneweis (2-1) and Blalock followed with a two-run single to center, also off Schoeneweis. Brad Wilkerson added a two-run single off Vinnie Chulk to make it 5-2. Vicente Padilla (10-5) won his fourth straight start, allowing two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked one. Akinori Otsuka pitched the ninth for his 19th save.
Twins 8, Devil Rays 1
MINNEAPOLIS -- Francisco Liriano topped fellow young gun Scott Kazmir, allowing three hits over 82/3 innings. Liriano (11-2) struck out seven to bounce back from his worst start of the season, while Kazmir (10-7) showed plenty of rust in his first start in nine days. Liriano was going for his first career complete game but Tomas Perez reached on an error to start the ninth and Rocco Baldelli's run-scoring single chased Liriano with two outs. Kyle Lohse struck out Jorge Cantu for the final out. Kazmir gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings, including a towering home run to Justin Morneau in the fourth. The All-Star left-hander was scratched from his start on Saturday because of a stiff neck.
Athletics 5, Orioles 4
BALTIMORE -- Bobby Crosby and Mark Ellis hit consecutive homers, and Oakland scored two runs without a hit in the fourth inning to take the lead for good. Oakland managed only five hits, two after the third inning. But the A's took advantage of a throwing error by reliever Eddy Rodriguez to win their AL-high 19th one-run game, including 11 of 12. Kevin Millar homered for the Orioles.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Mets 8, Reds 3
CINCINNATI -- Carlos Beltran hit the last of New York's three homers, a seventh-inning grand slam off Eric Milton. Xavier Nady and Jose Valentin also hit solo homers that helped right-hander Mike Pelfrey improve to 2-0 after two major league starts. The 22-year-old rookie gave up seven singles and a pair of runs in six innings. Beltran's grand slam off Milton (6-5) was the sixth of his career and his second in two games. He and Cliff Floyd connected Sunday during a club-record 11-run sixth inning at Chicago.
Nationals 7, Marlins 6
MIAMI -- Alex Escobar's RBI single in the ninth inning capped Washington's rally from a four-run deficit. Escobar's single with two outs off Logan Kensing (1-3) drove in Ryan Zimmerman, who had doubled to extend his hitting streak to a rookie franchise-record 17 games. Mike Stanton (3-5) was the winner with one scoreless inning in relief. Chad Cordero earned his 14th save by striking out Jeremy Hermida with the bases loaded. Johnson had three hits and three RBIs for the Nationals, who won for only the third time in 15 road games. Alfonso Soriano opened the game with a home run for Washington. Hanley Ramirez's leadoff home run in the bottom of the first made it the 28th time in major league history both teams hit leadoff homers.
Braves 14, Cardinals 5
ST. LOUIS -- Andruw Jones was 5-for-5 with two homers and matched his career high with six RBIs, helping Atlanta become the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games. Adam LaRoche, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann also homered for the Braves, who have scored 65 runs during their offensive explosion that includes two 15-run games. The last time the franchise reached double figures in five straight games was in 1897, when it was called the Boston Beaneaters. Chipper Jones was 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, all but four multi-hit efforts. Jason Marquis (11-7) allowed 12 runs and 14 hits in five innings. Tim Hudson (7-8), starting on three days' rest for only the second time in his career, won for the first time in seven starts.
Cubs 4, Astros 2
CHICAGO -- Phil Nevin hit a three-run homer, and rookie Carlos Marmol allowed one run in six innings to lead Chicago over Houston. Marmol (3-3) gave up four hits, walked six and struck out six. Ryan Dempster pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 15th save in 20 opportunities. Chris Burke homered for the Astros, who have lost six of eight. Roy Oswalt (6-7) has gone six straight starts without a win and has lost his last four decisions. Burke homered off reliever Scott Williamson in the seventh.
Associated Press