Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. ó Vladimir Guerrero triggered an eight-run eighth inning with a home run, leading the Los Angeles Angels to an 11-4 rout of the New York Yankees on Saturday.
The Angels, who began the day 13 games ahead of Texas in the AL-West, improved to a season-high 30 games over .500.
Mark Teixeira, Garret Anderson and Mike Napoli added solo home runs for Los Angeles, which has scored 30 runs in winning three straight.
The Yankees have lost four of six. In the four losses, they’ve given up 38 runs; in two wins, they’ve allowed just three.
After striking out all three times he faced Dan Giese, Guerrero led off the eighth against Edwar Ramirez (3-1) and drove the right-hander’s first pitch of the game to right-center for his 21st homer and a 4-3 lead.
Scot Shields (5-3) pitched a hitless eighth inning for the win.
Red Sox 6, White Sox 2
CHICAGO ó Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka threw his longest outing of the season and David Ortiz hit a three-run double to help Boston beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2.
Jacoby Ellsbury hit his seventh homer of the season in the eighth inning, and Jason Bay and Dustin Pedroia also drove in runs to back a sharp outing by Matsuzaka, who gave up four hits in eight innings.
The White Sox’s already-shaky pitching depth took a tumble in the second inning when Jose Contreras left the game with a likely season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury. The 36-year-old Contreras ruptured his Achilles’ trying to cover first on a grounder. Contreras collapsed on the field and needed help to leave the game. Contreras, 7-6 with a 4.50 ERA, had just returned from a 15-day stint on the disabled list with tendinitis in his elbow.
Indians 4, Blue Jays 2
TORONTOó Paul Byrd pitched a six-hitter to win his fourth consecutive start and Ryan Garko drove in two runs for Cleveland.
Byrd (7-10) threw his first complete game since a 7-0 victory over the White Sox on Sept. 1, 2007. He threw 93 pitches, 67 for strikes.
Orioles 9, Rangers 0
BALTIMORE ó Daniel Cabrera stymied the struggling Texas Rangers for six innings, and the Baltimore Orioles got a homer and four RBIs from Melvin Mora in a 9-0 victory.
Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer, and Brian Roberts scored three runs for the Orioles, who won the first two games of the series by a combined 18-1 score. Today, Baltimore will seek its first three-game sweep of the Rangers since 2000.
Mora singled in two runs in the fourth inning and hit a two-run homer in the seventh. He has 26 RBIs in 20 games since the All-Star break.
Twins 7, Royals 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Francisco Liriano pitched his second straight gem since being recalled from the minors, Delmon Young hit a two-run homer and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3. The win, combined with the White Sox’s loss to Boston, moved the Twins a half-game ahead of Chicago in the American League Central.