AL ROUNDUP: Angels rally to beat Red Sox

BOSTON — Joe Saunders pitched six solid innings to win his fourth consecutive decision, and Gary Matthews Jr. singled in the go-ahead runs in the Angels’ four-run seventh inning on Thursday as Los Angeles beat the Boston Red Sox 7-5.

Saunders (4-0) left trailing 3-1. The Angels rallied in the seventh, when three Red Sox relievers allowed four singles and three walks to give Los Angeles a 5-3 lead.

Scot Shields pitched a perfect eighth, then gave up David Ortiz’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Francisco Rodriguez earned his ninth save.

A day after hitting two solo homers in a win over the Red Sox, Matthews had three hits and three RBI. He drove in a pair with a bases-loaded single in the seventh after the Angels rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie it.

Javier Lopez started the seventh and did not record an out, then Manny Delcarmen (0-1) had an identical line with two runs allowed on one hit and one walk.

White Sox 7, Yankees 6

CHICAGO — Joe Crede hit a run-scoring single in the ninth inning to hand Joba Chamberlain his first major league loss and help the White Sox avoid a three-game sweep.

Carlos Quentin doubled with one out off Chamberlain (1-1) and Crede lined a single to left-center to score him.

Bobby Jenks (1-0) got pinch-hitter Jorge Posada to ground into an inning-ending double play with two runners on in the top of the ninth to get the win in a game twice delayed by rain.

Trailing 6-3, the Yankees tied it when Melky Cabrera hit a two-out, two-run homer off Gavin Floyd in the sixth, and Morgan Ensberg delivered a two-out RBI single off Scott Linebrink in the seventh.

Tigers 8, Rangers 2

DETROIT — Magglio Ordonez hit two of Detroit’s five homers to lead the Tigers to their season-best fourth straight win. Detroit outscored the Rangers 37-10 in the three-game series, while Texas has lost seven straight.

Zach Miner (1-1) followed with 3 1/3 hitless innings as the Tigers pulled away.

Jason Jennings (0-4) allowed five runs on five hits and five walks in five innings, raising his ERA to 7.46 in five starts.

Michael Young homered for Texas in the first, as did Curtis Granderson for the Tigers.

Athletics 11, Twins 2

OAKLAND, Calif. — Donnie Murphy hit solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings, but they both came after the A’s had jumped on Francisco Liriano for six runs in the first.

Emil Brown hit a two-run single as the A’s batted around in the first and chased Liriano (0-3) after only two-thirds of an inning. It was the shortest outing by a Twins starter since May 30, 2002, when Brad Radke lasted one-third of an inning before leaving with an injury.

Greg Smith (2-0) allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings, struck out three and walked one in his first career appearance, helping Oakland win for the fifth time in six games.

Frank Thomas, who agreed to terms with the A’s after being released Sunday by Toronto, went 0-for-3 with two walks. He was back in the cleanup spot as designated hitter.

Indians 9-2, Royals 6-0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cliff Lee faced only two batters over the minimum while pitching a three-hit shutout that Cleveland a doubleheader sweep over Kansas City.

In the opener, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake and Jason Michaels each had two RBI in the Indians’ first series-clinching win since they opened the season by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox.

Lee (4-0) struck out nine and did not issue a walk while shrinking his major league-best ERA to 0.28 as the Royals lost their seventh straight game.

Kansas City starter Brian Bannister (3-2) faced only one batter over the minimum in the second game until David Dellucci hit his first pitch of the seventh inning over the fence in left.

In the opener, Fausto Carmona (3-1) survived five shaky innings and benefited from an early 7-1 lead in the third against Brett Tomko (1-3).

Rays 5, Blue Jays 3

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Evan Longoria tripled and had a sacrifice fly, and Eric Hinske drove in two runs for Tampa, which completed a three-game sweep of a home-away-from-home series at Disney World.

The Rays improved to 6-0 in regular-season games they’ve played here in an ongoing effort to bolster fan support in the Orlando area, which is about 90 miles east of the team’s domed stadium in St. Petersburg.

Andy Sonnanstine (3-1), coming off a three-hit, complete-game shutout of the Chicago White Sox, allowed three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Closer Troy Percival worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his third save in three nights, and fourth overall.

Dustin McGowan (1-2), who allowed five runs on four hits and a career-high seven walks in four-plus innings.