MLB ROUNDUP Friday’s other games

Interleague

Reds 3, Red Sox 1

CINCINNATI — Jay Bruce and Adam Dunn hit solo homers and Aaron Harang got his first victory in a month, leading Cincinnati over Boston. The Red Sox were in Cincinnati for the first time since the 1975 World Series, when the Reds took two of three at Riverfront Stadium. The Big Red Machine went back to Fenway Park, overcame Carlton Fisk’s dramatic wave-it-fair homer that ended Game 6, and won the Series in seven games. Harang (3-9) hadn’t won since May 12, losing his last four starts. He was coming off his worst performance of the season — eight runs in 51‚Ñ3 innings of a 9-2 loss in Florida on Sunday. He allowed four hits and one run in seven innings. Francisco Cordero finished for his 13th save. Rookie Justin Masterson (3-1) gave up three runs and struck out a career-high nine in 62‚Ñ3 innings in his first career road start. Boston’s Manny Ramirez singled home a run in the fourth. He left the game in the seventh with a sore hamstring. Bruce led off the first with his fourth homer. Dunn hit his 17th in the fourth and Joey Votto doubled home another run in the inning.

Mets 7, Rangers 1

NEW YORK — Oliver Perez pitched seven stellar innings and drove in two runs for New York, which gave embattled manager Willie Randolph a win and momentarily eased the tension in a clubhouse desperate for something good to happen. Marlon Anderson snapped an 0-for-25 slump with a base hit and had two RBIs for New York. Josh Hamilton homered and had two hits for the Rangers, but the best hitting club in the American League managed just one other hit in its first game against the Mets at Shea Stadium. New York had lost six of its last seven, including a four-game sweep at San Diego, and rumors were ramping up again that Randolph’s job was on the line. Perez (5-4) gave up one run and three hits to win for the first time since May 18. He struck out eight.

Rays 7, Marlins 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eric Hinske and Dioner Navarro both drove in two runs to lead Tampa Bay. Hinske’s first-inning double off Ryan Tucker (1-1) wiped out a two-run lead the Marlins took against Andy Sonnanstine (7-3), who settled after a shaky opening inning to win for the first time in nearly a month. Navarro’s RBI grounder put Tampa Bay up 5-3 in the fifth, then he added a run-scoring single in the eighth. Gabe Gross, Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett also drove in runs for the Rays. Sonnanstine, 0-2 in four starts since last winning at St. Louis on May 16, allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. Troy Percival worked a perfect ninth after coming off the 15-day disabled list earlier Friday.

Blue Jays 3, Cubs 2

TORONTO — Scott Rolen and Matt Stairs hit back-to-back home runs and A.J. Burnett won for the first time in four starts as Toronto snapped Chicago’s four-game winning streak. The Cubs lost a series-opening game for the first time since May 5 at Cincinnati. Chicago had won its past 10 series-opening games. Burnett (6-6) improved to 3-0 in four career starts against the Cubs, allowing two runs and four hits in five-plus innings. B.J. Ryan worked the ninth for his 14th save. Alex Rios went 3-for-4 with two doubles and Toronto won for the fourth time in 12 games. Stairs and Rolen homered in the third, the first time this season the Blue Jays hit back-to-back homers.

Associated Press