MLB ROUNDUP | Tuesday’s other games

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Red Sox 7, A’s 3

BOSTON — Manny Ramirez returned to the Boston lineup and went 1-for-2 with a walk as the Red Sox cut their magic number to clinch the AL East title to four. After being sidelined for 24 games by a strained muscle in his left side, Ramirez singled and scored Boston’s first run in the first inning, then walked to start a two-run fifth. Curt Schilling also had plenty of rest and it paid off with his first win since Aug. 24. Pitching for the first time in nine days so manager Terry Francona could arrange his rotation for the playoffs, Schilling (9-8) allowed one run and six hits and left after six innings with a 3-1 lead. The only run Schilling allowed was Daric Barton’s third homer of the season in the first. The Red Sox scored three runs in the eighth on Bobby Kielty’s sacrifice fly and David Ortiz’s two-run homer, his 33rd.

Devil Rays 7, Yankees 6, 10 innings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hold the champagne. Another big home run by Alex Rodriguez wasn’t enough to help the Yankees clinch a 13th straight playoff appearance. Jorge Velandia hit a grand slam for his first career homer and Dioner Navarro added a solo shot in the 10th inning to lead the Devil Rays.

Tigers 8, Twins 0

DETROIT — Magglio Ordonez homered and doubled and Yorman Bazardo threw seven innings for Detroit. Ordonez’s double in the three-run sixth marked the Tigers’ 2,550th total base, surpassing the previous franchise record set by the 1987 team that went to the AL championship series. His 28th homer gave him a career-high 136 RBIs and put Detroit ahead 6-0 in the seventh. Curtis Granderson hit his major league-leading 23rd triple, the most by a Tigers player since Ty Cobb had 24 in 1917. Bazardo (2-1) gave up six hits and three walks in his second major league start. The Twins were shut out for the 14th time, most in the majors. Matt Garza (4-7) gave four runs and nine hits in 51⁄3 innings.

Blue Jays 11, Orioles 4

BALTIMORE — Frank Thomas went 4-for-4, including his 513th home run, and drove in three runs to lead Toronto. Thomas gave the Blue Jays a 6-0 lead in the third inning with a three-run drive off Brian Burres. The 39-year-old designated hitter scored three runs, and his four hits matched a season high. Aaron Hill hit his 17th homer for the Blue Jays, matching Roberto Alomar’s 1993 club record for a second baseman. A.J. Burnett (10-7) gave up four runs and 10 hits in 62⁄3 innings. He is 5-0 in six career starts against Baltimore. Miguel Tejada had three hits for the Orioles, who have yielded at least 10 runs in 17 games this season — including nine of the last 34. Burres (6-7) allowed seven runs and eight hits in 31⁄3 innings.

Rangers 3, Angels 1

ARLINGTON, Texas — Hank Blalock singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Angels in a setback for the AL West champions’ hopes to get home-field advantage in the playoffs. Texas, coming off an 8-7 win over the Angels on Monday, trailed 1-0 when Ian Kinsler led off the sixth with his third single of the game. Kinsler advanced on a fielder’s choice, took third on Marlon Byrd’s infield hit and scored on a balk by Darren Oliver (3-1). Blalock then lined a single to right that scored Byrd for a 2-1 lead. David Murphy added another run-scoring single in the sixth.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Nationals 10, Mets 9

NEW YORK — A six-run ninth inning wasn’t enough for the Mets. An improbable rally fell just short when Paul Lo Duca flied out with a runner on third, and New York’s loss to the scrappy Washington Nationals cost the NL East leaders another chance to expand their cushion. With the Mets in dire need of a strong pitching performance, Tom Glavine was hit hard and the Mets lost their fifth straight home game.

Marlins 4, Cubs 2

MIAMI — It’s not time for Cubs fans to panic — yet. Eager to sew up the NL Central, Chicago instead managed only two hits in eight innings against Dontrelle Willis and lost to the Marlins. Given the Cubs’ storied tradition of collapses, it takes little imagination for their long-suffering supporters to envision another this week. The Marlins know all about the supposed Cubs curse. Four years ago, Chicago blew a three-games-to-one lead against Florida and lost NL championship series.

Braves 10, Phillies 6

PHILADELPHIA — Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer and Chipper Jones had a two-run shot, helping the Braves keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Jimmy Rollins hit a solo homer to become the second player in team history with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in the same season. Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Chase Utley also connected for the Phillies (85-72).

Brewers 9, Cardinals 1

MILWAUKEE — Prince Fielder became the youngest major league player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season, connecting twice in the Brewers victory. The win pulled the Brewers to within two games of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs, who lost at Florida 4-2 Tuesday night. With five games remaining for each team, the Cubs’ magic number remained stuck at four. The Milwaukee crowd cheered when the final score of the Cubs-Marlins game was posted on the scoreboard at Miller Park. The Brewers still face an uphill climb to unseat the Cubs in the final week of the season, but at least they’re making it interesting.

Astros 8, Reds 5

CINCINNATI — Hunter Pence homered and the Houston Astros, aided by two Cincinnati errors, rallied from a four-run deficit. Craig Biggio drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run-scoring single, to start his last career visit to Cincinnati and send the Reds to their third consecutive loss.

Associated Press