BOSTON — Josh Beckett allowed a run in six strong innings and the Boston Red Sox won their 12th straight home game to take the AL East lead from Tampa Bay with a 5-1 win over the Rays on Wednesday night.
Beckett (6-4) left after throwing 92 pitches, allowing seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
Despite dropping a half-game behind the Red Sox and ending 10 days in first place, the Rays are a franchise-high 11 games over .500. Last season, they finished last for the ninth time in their 10 seasons, 30 games behind the division-winning Red Sox.
J.D. Drew, batting third in place of the injured David Ortiz, continued his surge with an RBI double, a single and two runs. In Tuesday night’s 7-4 win over Tampa Bay, Drew had a two-run homer, a double and two outstanding catches in right field.
The Red Sox are 3-1 since Ortiz injured his left wrist on a swing Saturday night. He went on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.
Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson’s struggles at Fenway continued as he left after five innings trailing 4-1. Jackson (3-5) is 0-3 in his career there, allowing 20 earned runs in 22 innings.
Athletics 10, Tigers 2
OAKLAND, Calif. — Justin Duchscherer allowed three hits over 6 2/3 innings and Oakland completed a three-game sweep.
Duchscherer (5-4) struck out three and faced only one batter over the minimum through the first five innings while winning for only the second time in his last five starts despite a season-high five walks.
Tigers’ starter Nate Robertson (3-6) took the loss after giving up five runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander had won his previous two decisions but remained winless in five starts on the road.
Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1
NEW YORK — Mike Mussina tied for the American League lead in wins and Derek Jeter passed Mickey Mantle on the Yankees career hits list.
With catcher Jorge Posada back from the disabled list but not in the starting lineup yet, backup Jose Molina gave New York an unexpected boost on offense. Wilson Betemit homered off Jesse Litsch (7-2) and the Yankees snapped a three-game skid by handing Toronto only its seventh loss in 22 games.
Mussina (9-4) pitched six strong innings and Jeter, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui hit RBI singles to back him.
Jeter’s single put New York ahead and gave him 2,416 hits, good for third place on the franchise list behind Babe Ruth (2,518) and Lou Gehrig (2,721).
Twins 7, Orioles 5
MINNEAPOLIS — Joe Mauer homered and drove in three runs and Boof Bonser got a win in his first relief appearance for Minnesota.
Mauer, who hit his first homer of the season against New York on Monday, went deep against Jamie Walker in the seventh to give Minnesota a two-run lead.
In the fifth, Mauer drove in two runs with one sacrifice fly — the first such feat in the majors in more than seven years — to bring his team within one.
Daniel Cabrera (5-2) lost for the first time in six starts. He gave up eight hits and hit two batters in six innings.
Twins starter Glen Perkins allowed nine hits and five runs — four earned — in four innings. Bonser (3-6) threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.
Indians 15, Rangers 9
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ryan Garko drove in a career-high six runs and had four hits and David Dellucci hit a three-run homer for Cleveland.
Dellucci extended Cleveland’s lead to 11-6 in the sixth inning against Elizardo Ramirez (0-1) with his sixth homer. It came one batter after Garko’s two-run single had put the Indians in front.
Texas pitchers have allowed 48 runs in the last four games.
Ben Francisco had a career-high five hits, and Grady Sizemore homered for Cleveland.
Cliff Lee (9-1) threw 112 pitches in five innings and struck out eight. He began the night with an AL-best 1.88 ERA, but the Rangers got to him for six runs and nine hits.
White Sox 6, Royals 4 (15)
CHICAGO (AP) — Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer to win it for Chicago.
Konerko, batting only .198 when he came up against Jimmy Gobble (0-1), hit his seventh homer, a drive to left field to score Carlos Quentin, who had drawn a leadoff walk.
Octavio Dotel (3-2) pitched 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief for Chicago. Each team used seven pitchers in the 4-hour, 23-minute game.
David DeJesus hit a tying two-run single in the ninth off White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, who blew his third save in 17 chances.
Joe Crede and Jim Thome homered for the White Sox. Miguel Olivo and Mark Teahen had homers for the Royals.
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