MLB ROUNDUP | Friday's other games

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox 4, Rangers 3
BOSTON -- Jonathon Papelbon recovered from his first blown save of the season to get the win and Trot Nixon went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer for Boston. Mike Lowell's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth gave the Red Sox the lead after Papelbon (1-1) allowed the Rangers to tie it in the top of the inning. It was the rookie's first blown save after recording 20 in a row since taking over the closer's role. Coco Crisp went 3-for-4 with a double for the Red Sox, who played their first home game this month. Boston went 4-5 on its recent road trip. Michael Young hit a two-run homer for the AL West-leading Rangers. Francisco Cordero (5-4) took the loss for Texas.
Royals 4, Devil Rays 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mark Redman pitched eight strong innings and Reggie Sanders hit a tie-breaking two-run double in the eighth inning to lift the Royals over Tampa Bay. Redman (2-4) scattered nine hits in the first three innings before retiring the last 13 batters he faced.
Blue Jays 10, Tigers 5
TORONTO -- Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead, two-run double as part of an eight-run eighth inning and the Blue Jays rallied past the Tigers. Down 5-2 in the eighth, Toronto sent 12 batters to the plate. Pinch-hitter Shea Hillenbrand led off the inning with a homer off Francisco Rodney. Aaron Hill followed with a single and Rodney walked Alex Rios before Reed Johnson loaded the bases with a single off Todd Jones (0-4). Frank Catalanotto tied it with a two-run single past diving second baseman Placido Polanco, and Wells followed with his double in the gap in right-center. After Troy Glaus chased Jones with an RBI single, Lyle Overbay's run-scoring double and Gregg Zaun's sacrifice fly off Bobby Seay gave Toronto a 10-5 lead.
Athletics 6, Yankees 5
NEW YORK -- Frank Thomas hit one of Oakland's three homers off a struggling Randy Johnson, and the Athletics held off the Yankees after a long rain delay. Bobby Kielty and light-hitting Antonio Perez also connected, sending the A's to their seventh victory in nine games. Mike Rouse had three hits, a stolen base and scored twice in his major league debut as Oakland roughed up Johnson (7-5) with a depleted lineup that was missing injured infielders Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby. Dan Haren (5-5) beat The Big Unit at Yankee Stadium for the second time in less than a month, improving to 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA in five career starts against New York. Jason Giambi hit a three-run homer and Derek Jeter (thumb) returned to the lineup as the designated hitter for the Yankees.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cubs 6, Reds 5
CINCINNATI -- Greg Maddux got another milestone victory for the Cubs. Henry Blanco had three RBIs for the Cubs, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Maddux (7-5), who has beaten the Reds three times this season, gave up four hits, including solo homers by Adam Dunn and Scott Hatteberg, in 51/3 innings. Maddux's 325th career win broke a tie with Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton for 13th on the career list. Eddie Plank is next on the list, one victory ahead.
Astros 7, Braves 2
HOUSTON -- Mike Lamb homered for the second straight game and rookie Fernando Nieve shut down Atlanta after a shaky first inning. Preston Wilson had a two-run double and Craig Biggio also homered for Houston, which has won four straight after a five-game losing streak. Braves starter Jorge Sosa (1-8) lasted only 42/3 innings as Atlanta lost for the 10th time in 12 games. Nieve (2-3) allowed five hits and had a career-high nine strikeouts in 71/3 innings. Chad Qualls finished the eighth for Nieve and Russ Springer pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save. Chipper Jones singled sharply in the first and Andruw Jones homered on the first pitch he saw for a 2-0 lead. The Astros answered in the bottom of the inning on solo homers by Biggio and Lamb.
Cardinals 10, Brewers 6
MILWAUKEE -- Scott Spiezio drove in three runs in a six-run fourth inning and St. Louis overcame a 6-0 deficit to snap a three-game losing streak. David Eckstein had three hits and drove in two runs and So Taguchi knocked in two runs for the Cardinals, who had 12 hits. After starter Jorge De La Rosa walked the bases loaded to start the fourth, Joe Winkelsas (0-1) took over. The Cardinals scored single runs on Eckstein's single, Taguchi's walk with the bases loaded and Scott Rolen's groundout. After a walk loaded the bases, Spiezio doubled in three runs to match his career high for a game. Winkelsas allowed three runs, two hits and two walks in one inning. Josh Hancock (2-2) picked up the victory with two perfect innings of relief. Jason Inringhausen got the final four outs for his 19th save.
Dodgers 3, Rockies 0
DENVER -- Brad Penny pitched 81/3 innings for Los Angeles in the fifth shutout at Coors Field this season. Penny (7-1) gave up five hits and didn't allow a runner to get past second base until the seventh inning. He struck out five and walked two. He left the game after giving up a single to Cory Sullivan with one out in the ninth. Takashi Saito got the final two outs for his third save. Byung-Hyun Kim (3-4) gave up three runs and eight hits in 62/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three. Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the third on an RBI triple by Russell Martin and a run-scoring single by Penny. Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the fifth.
Associated Press
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