MLB roundup | Thursday’s other games

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rays 15, Twins 13

MINNEAPOLIS

Ben Zobrist set a Tampa Bay record with eight RBIs, hitting a home run and two doubles for the Rays in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Zobrist went 4 for 6 and scored twice. He hit an RBI single in the first inning, a three-run homer in the sixth and added two-run doubles in the seventh and ninth. Johnny Damon had three hits, including an RBI triple, to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. B.J. Upton also had three hits to help the Rays match a season high with 19 hits.

Blue Jays 5, Rangers 2

ARLINGTON, Texas

Corey Patterson bunted home the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and Toronto beat AL West-leading Texas to win a series for the first time in three weeks. Patterson dragged a bunt to the right side that was fielded by Darren Oliver (1-2) with nobody covering first base. Patterson was credited with a single. John McDonald, who held at third base until the ball was safely in play, scored the go-ahead run. The Blue Jays, who took three of four games in the series, then added two more runs after Texas made two errors on the same play.

Red Sox 6, Orioles 2

BALTIMORE

Jon Lester improved to 14-0 against Baltimore with eight dominating innings, Dustin Pedroia hit a tiebreaking infield single and Boston Red Sox averted a three-game sweep. Lester (3-1) is unbeaten in 17 career starts versus the Orioles. He allowed two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out five. After Derrek Lee’s RBI single in the first, the left-hander didn’t allow another hit until Vladimir Guerrero’s solo homer in the sixth.

Mariners 7, Tigers 2

DETROIT

Rookie Michael Pineda struck out nine in six sharp innings, and Miguel Olivo and Luis Rodriguez homered to help Seattle to a three-game sweep.Ichiro Suzuki added two hits, and Justin Smoak hit an RBI double in the fourth inning that put Seattle ahead to stay. The Mariners swept a three-game set against Detroit for the first time since July 2003.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Nationals 4, Mets 3

WASHINGTON

New father Ian Desmond homered and tripled in his first game back from paternity leave and Livan Hernandez pitched eight strong innings to lead Washington. Desmond’s solo home run in the fifth gave Washington a 4-2 lead. He missed the Nationals’ previous two games after his wife, Chelsey, gave birth Tuesday to the couple’s first son, Grayson Wesley Desmond. The loss ended New York’s six-game winning streak, the team’s longest run since winning eight straight last June.

Associated Press