Toronto, ON (Best E Casino) - Matt Stairs finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, and starter Roy Halladay hurled eight solid innings as Toronto topped Oakland, 6-1, in the opener of a four-game set at Rogers Centre. Marco Scutaro, Lyle Overbay, Adam Lind and Brad Wilkerson drove in a run each for the Blue Jays, who have won two of three. Halladay (13-8) allowed four hits and one run while fanning eight, winning for the fifth time in seven starts. Bobby Crosby's homer was the lone offense for the Athletics, who have dropped seven in a row and 10 of 11. Sean Gallagher (1-1) took the loss, charged with four hits and five runs -- four earned -- over three innings. He struck out four, but walked four and hit two batters.
Final Score: Cleveland 5, Tampa Bay 2
St. Petersburg, FL (Best E Casino) - David Dellucci hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Cliff Lee became the first AL pitcher to reach 15 wins, as Cleveland topped Tampa Bay, 5-2, in the first of three from Tropicana Field. Kelly Shoppach also knocked in a pair of runs for the Indians, who have won three of five. Asdrubal Cabrera added a solo homer. Lee (15-2) went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, winning for the fourth time in five starts. Akinori Iwamura went 3-for-4 and drove in both runs for the Rays, whose five- game win streak came to an end. Matt Garza (9-7) was charged with seven hits and four runs over five innings in defeat.
Final Score: Texas 9, New York 5
Arlington, TX (Best E Casino) - Marlon Byrd's grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Texas Rangers to a thrilling 9-5 win over the New York Yankees in the opener of a four-game set. Pinch-hitter Milton Bradley walked to lead off the Rangers' ninth. After New York's Damaso Marte struck out Ian Kinsler, Gerald Laird worked a walk. One out later, Josh Hamilton walked to load the bases for Byrd, who unloaded on a first-pitch fastball and drove it over wall in right-center for his fifth career grand slam. Michael Young clubbed a three-run homer and David Murphy added a two-run shot for the Rangers, who have won five of their last seven games and, at 59-54, have reached their high-water mark of the season. Texas also snapped a 10-game slide at home to the Yankees. The last time the Rangers beat New York in Arlington was July 19, 2005. Eddie Guardado (3-2) got the win after he tossed a scoreless eighth. Texas starter Vicente Padilla was touched for four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work. Padilla, who leads the Rangers staff with 12 wins, has not lost in four starts (2-0) since being activated from the 15-day disabled list (neck stiffness) on July 20. Jason Giambi finished 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI for the Yankees, who have dropped six of their last nine contests. Robinson Cano and Xavier Nady each belted a solo homer. Marte (0-1) was saddled with the loss. New York's Joba Chamberlain gave up five runs on eight hits while fanning five and walking two over 4 2/3 innings before a stiff right shoulder forced the young fire-baller to exit. It was the worst outing for Chamberlain since being inserted into the Yankees rotation in early June as he had not allowed more than three runs in any of his previous starts.
Final Score: Kansas City 4, Boston 3
Kansas City, MO (Best E Casino) - Alex Gordon homered to help the Kansas City Royals defeat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, in the first game of a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium. Mark Teahen collected two hits an RBI and a run scored for the Royals, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Dustin Pedroia scored a run on a game-high three hits for the Red Sox, who fell for the first time in four games. Gil Meche (10-9) won his fourth straight start after yielding two runs on four hits and five walks in six innings. The red-hot righty, who also struck out nine, is 7-1 since June 10. On the other hand, Clay Buchholz (2-7) has not won since May 2. The struggling rookie was tagged for four runs on seven hits and three walks in six frames. Buchholz struck out four in the losing effort as he fell to 0-5 in eight road starts.
Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 6, Baltimore 5
Anaheim, CA (Best E Casino) - Chone Figgins' bases loaded walk brought in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the LA Angels of Anaheim survived blowing a four-run lead to take a 6-5 decision against the Baltimore Orioles in the first of a three-game set. Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer while Mark Teixeira, making his home debut in an Angels uniform, went 2- for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Angels, who have won six of their last eight. Joe Saunders had a terrific start as he gave up just one run on six hits in six innings of work, but did not factor in the decision. Francisco Rodriguez (1-2) got the win despite blowing his fourth save of the season. Nick Markakis went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored while Melvin Mora also drove in a pair of runs for the Orioles, who have dropped three of five. Dennis Sarfate started on the mound and was rocked for five runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout in three-plus innings of work. George Sherrill (3-5) was saddled with the loss.
Final Score: Seattle 11, Minnesota 6
Seattle, WA (Best E Casino) - Raul Ibanez's grand slam highlighted a 10-run seventh inning, as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the Minnesota Twins, 11-6 in the opener of a three-game series from Safeco Field. Ibanez finished 3- for-5 with six RBI and two runs scored for the Mariners, who have won two straight. Adrian Beltre and Jose Lopez also had three hits and a run scored, with Lopez driving in a run. Yuniesky Betancourt was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Seattle starter Miguel Batista was roughed up for six runs on seven hits in three-plus innings. Jake Woods pitched three scoreless frames and Roy Corcoran (2-0) got the win after tossing a 1-2-3 seventh. Justin Morneau knocked in two runs and Nick Punto added a solo homer and scored three times for Minnesota, which lost for just the third time in its last 10 games and fell back into a tie with the idle Chicago White Sox for the top spot in the AL Central. Glen Perkins was touched for five runs on 12 hits over 6 1/3 innings. Brian Bass (3-4) absorbed the loss after gave up two runs and did not retire a batter in the forgettable seventh.
