MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP Wednesday's other games
INTERLEAGUE
Yankees 4, Braves 3
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez turned boos to cheers with a two-run homer in the 12th inning, rallying the Yankees. After Marcus Giles put Atlanta ahead with a solo shot in the top half, Rodriguez finally delivered the big hit those demanding Yankees fans have been clamoring for all month. Jorge Sosa (2-10) walked Jason Giambi with one out. Rodriguez, mired in a 2-for-20 slump, then drove a 3-1 pitch far beyond the left-field fence for his 16th home run. The 2005 AL MVP clapped his hands and blew a kiss to the sky on his way to first, then tossed his helmet high in the air as he neared the plate for a warm greeting from teammates. Ron Villone (1-1) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 12th to keep New York within one. Jason Giambi hit his 23rd homer for the Yankees, and Rodriguez finished with three RBIs. The struggling Braves dropped two of three in the series to fall to 5-21 in June. What began as a tense pitchers' duel between Atlanta's John Smoltz and New York's Chien-Ming Wang turned into a battle of the bullpens -- a weakness all season for the Braves.
Twins 6, Dodgers 3
MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana pitched seven shutout innings and Torii Hunter hit a grand slam to lead Minnesota past Los Angeles for its seventh straight victory. Joe Mauer went 2-for-3 with a walk to improve his major league-best batting average to .392. The 23-year-old catcher, Minnesota's designated hitter Wednesday, went 11-for-13 in the three-game series and had hits in eight consecutive at-bats before grounding out in the second inning. He is batting .484 (46-for-95) in June. Santana (9-4) allowed two hits and struck out nine to increase his big league-leading total to 124. The left-hander finished June 5-0 in six starts with a 1.05 ERA. Joe Nathan struck out all three batters in the ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.
Tigers 5, Astros 0
DETROIT -- Justin Verlander pitched three-hit ball for eight innings and surging Detroit took advantage of several defensive miscues by Houston. The Tigers, who own the best record in baseball, have won six straight and 17 of their last 20 games. Houston has lost six of seven, its worst slump since dropping six in a row from May 5-10. Verlander (10-4) struck out seven and walked none, winning his third straight start. The rookie has lost only one of his last 10 starts. Andy Pettitte (6-9) yielded five runs -- two earned -- and 10 hits in 6 1-3 innings for Houston.
Orioles 7-12, Phillies 4-5
BALTIMORE -- Ramon Hernandez homered and drove in four runs to key a 20-hit outburst that helped Kris Benson earn his ninth win and Orioles earned a doubleheader sweep. In the first game, Erik Bedard allowed five hits over seven shutout innings, leading the Orioles to a 7-4 victory. Hernandez also homered in the opener and totaled six RBIs for the day. His three-run shot in the second game highlighted a four-run fourth that put Baltimore up 9-3. Ryan Howard hit two homers to take the major league lead with 27, and Chase Utley and David Dellucci also connected in the second game for the fading Phillies, who have lost seven straight and 15 of 18.
Red Sox 10, Mets 2
BOSTON -- Pedro Martinez got a standing ovation in his return to Fenway Park and left early after his worst performance with the New York Mets. He allowed eight runs in three innings. The Red Sox extended their winning streak to 11 games, all against NL teams and their longest in 11 years, behind another brilliant outing by their newest pitching star. Josh Beckett yielded two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 7 2/3 innings, five days after retiring his first 16 batters in a 10-2 win over Philadelphia.
Devil Rays 3, Marlins 1
MIAMI -- Casey Fossum pitched five strong innings to help Tampa Bay end the Marlins' eight-game home winning streak. Fossum (3-3) allowed one run and three hits. He walked five and struck out two to beat Florida for the first time. Brian Meadows pitched the ninth for his third save. Scott Olsen (6-4) gave up four hits and two runs in six innings. He walked three and struck out four in an unsuccessful bid to win his fifth consecutive decision. The Marlins had won Olsen's last six starts. Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the seventh on Jorge Cantu's RBI single off reliever Matt Herges. Julio Lugo was 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs.
Reds 7, Royals 2
CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. hit the last of Cincinnati's four homers, and Aaron Harang shut down a Kansas City offense that had been on a surge. The Reds hit their first three homers off Scott Elarton (3-9) during a five-run third inning that set the tone and helped Cincinnati snap a four-game losing streak at home. The Reds are 18-20 at Great American Ball Park. Griffey led off the seventh inning with the 551st of his career against Andrew Sisco, his third straight game with a homer. Griffey remains in 11th place on the career list, a dozen behind Reggie Jackson. It was Griffey's 153rd homer since he rejoined his hometown team in 2000, moving him ahead of Pete Rose and Joe Morgan into sole possession of 12th place on the franchise list. Harang (9-5) matched Bronson Arroyo for the staff lead in victories by dominating for the second straight start.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cubs 6, Brewers 3
CHICAGO -- Derrek Lee homered for the first time in almost three months and Ronny Cedeno blooped a go-ahead double during a five-run eighth inning that rallied the Cubs, ending a five-game losing streak. Lee, who came off the disabled list Sunday after missing 59 games with a broken wrist, hit his first homer since April 8, a two-run shot off Dan Kolb (2-2) that tied the score and started the comeback. Chicago had dropped nine straight at Wrigley Field. Milwaukee took a 3-1 lead in the eighth on Bill Hall's two-run homer off Bob Howry (3-2). Ryan Dempster, who blew a save Tuesday night, pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save in 16 chances. Cubs rookie Carlos Marmol allowed just one hit in the first six innings and took a 1-0 lead into the seventh on Juan Pierre's first homer in 643 at-bats since July 7, 2005.
Associated Press