Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS ó Justin Morneau’s three-run homer capped a five-run fifth inning for Minnesota against Boston starter Jon Lester, and the Twins beat the Red Sox 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Nick Blackburn (4-2) struck out a career-high seven in seven innings for Minnesota, yielding a double and a walk to new No. 6 hitter David Ortiz.
Manager Terry Francona moved Ortiz out of the No. 3 spot for the first time since May 13, 2005. The last time he batted lower than fourth in the lineup was May 18, 2004.
“Got to work my way up, right? I’m going to play and follow orders,” he said.Right fielder J.D. Drew was in Ortiz’s usual slot, a switch Francona waited to make until the Red Sox were on the road to avoid the perception he’s being punished.
“If I am to be accused of being slow on the trigger, I can live with that,” Francona said.
Royals 6, Tigers 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Zack Greinke (8-1) struck out eight while pitching his fifth complete game, and Mitch Maier drove in three runs after coming off the bench.
Greinke allowed six hits and one first-inning run. He threw a season-high 116 pitches and did not allow a walk while his ERA rose from 0.82 to 0.84.
Orioles 7, Blue Jays 2
BALTIMORE ó Aubrey Huff, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold homered, right-hander Jason Berken won his major league debut and the Orioles defeated Toronto to stretch the Blue Jays’ losing streak to eight games.
Only 10,130 fans ó the smallest crowd in the 18-year history of Camden Yards ó showed up on a miserable night. The temperature dipped into the low 50s and a steady mist swirled.
Indians 5, Rays 1
CLEVELAND ó Carl Pavano won for the fifth time in six starts and Ryan Garko hit one of his team’s four homers.
Pavano (5-4) is 5-1 with a 3.58 ERA and only seven walks against 30 strikeouts since May 1, when he got his first win of the season in Detroit.
Athletics 4, Mariners 3
OAKLAND, Calif. ó Jason Giambi’s two-run single capped a four-run rally in the seventh inning.
White Sox 4, Angels 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. ó Jayson Nix homered twice and Bartolo Colon pitched effectively into the seventh inning against his former team.
Nix, who had been 0 for 7 on Chicago’s road trip, hit solo shots in the fifth and seventh for his first career multihomer game.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Giants 4, Braves 0
SAN FRANCISCO ó Tim Lincecum pitched eight sharp innings to win for the first time in four starts.
Aaron Rowand hit a two-run double in the second and Edgar Renteria singled in two runs moments later.
Chipper Jones returned to the Braves’ lineup for his first start since injuring his right big toe Thursday.
Reds 6, Astros 4
CINCINNATI ó Joey Votto hit a two-run homer in the seventh ó an inning after right-hander Roy Oswalt failed to hold a lead ó and the Reds rallied for a win that sent Houston to its sixth straight loss.
Votto’s homer off Tim Byrdak (0-1) snapped a 4-all tie.
Mets 6, Nationals 1
NEW YORK ó Livan Hernandez pitched the Mets’ first complete game of the season.
Hernandez (4-1) worked around nine hits in going the distance for the 46th time in his career, most recently in May 2008 with Minnesota.
Ryan Zimmerman’s streak of safely reaching base ended at 43 games. He went 0-for-4 and struck out twice, falling three games short of the franchise record set by Rusty Staub for Montreal from 1969-70.
Phillies 5, Marlins 3
PHILADELPHIA ó Joe Blanton had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings, and Brad Lidge pitched out of jam in the ninth.
Marlins starter Andrew Miller (1-2) gave up four runs ó two earned ó and seven hits in six innings.
Cubs 6, Pirates 1 (5 innings)
CHICAGO ó Sean Marshall allowed four hits and singled in a run, Kosuke Fukudome homered and the Cubs won to snap an eight-game losing streak on a rain-shortened night.
Cardinals 8, Brewers 1
MILWAUKEE ó Adam Wainwright hit one of four Cardinals homers and struck out a career-high nine in seven innings.
Diamondbacks 6, Padres 5
PHOENIX ó Max Scherzer struck out 10 and drove in two runs, Chris Young made a leaping catch at the fence on a drive by Kevin Kouzmanoff for the final out and Arizona snapped the Padres’ 10-game winning streak.
Dodgers 7, Rockies 1
DENVER ó Eric Milton allowed one run in five innings for his first win in nearly three years.
Milton had reconstructive surgery on his left elbow in June 2007 and missed all of 2008.