Red Sox play longball in win

TORONTO (AP) - Jason Bay hit a two-run homer, David Ortiz and Victor Martinez added solo shots and Boston beat Roy Halladay and Toronto 6-1 on Wednesday night.

The Red Sox have hit at least two homers in five straight games and eight of nine overall.

Bay hit a two-run drive in the fifth, his team-high 27th, to make it 5-1.

Ortiz gave Boston its first run with a leadoff drive in the second, his 19th of the season and third in as many games.

Toronto reliever Brandon League hit Kevin Youkilis in the elbow with a pitch after Martinez drilled a two-out homer in the ninth, forcing home pate umpire Andy Fletcher to warn both dugouts.

Clay Buchholz (2-3) allowed one run and six hits in six innings to win for the first time in six starts.

Halladay (13-6) allowed five runs, four earned, and eight hits in five innings, only the third time in 24 starts he failed to work at least seven innings.

Twins 5, Rangers 4

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Denard Span hit a tying double before sliding past Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez with the go-ahead run in the sixth inning for Minnesota.

Span scored from second on a single by Orlando Cabrera when the throw from center fielder Marlon Byrd beat him to home plate but he slipped between Rodriguez's legs. The 13-time Gold Glove winner was making his first start for the Rangers since the final game of the 2002 season.

The Twins rallied from a 4-0 deficit the night after coming back from 5-0 down.

Rodriguez had three hits.

Scott Baker (11-7) gave up nine hits and four runs and struck out six in 5 1-3 innings.

The Twins wiped out a Texas lead with a four-run sixth for the second straight night. As a result, Kevin Millwood (9-8) fell to 0-7 lifetime against the Twins.

Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save.

Angels 3, Indians 0

CLEVELAND (AP) - Jered Weaver bounced back from one of his worst starts to pitch his second career shutout as Los Angeles won its fifth straight.

Weaver (13-4) gave up seven hits only five days after being pounded for nine hits and eight runs in 3 1-3 innings of a 16-6 loss at Baltimore. The Indians never had more than one runner on base at a time against the right-hander, who walked one, struck out three, and matched his career-high win total set in 2007.

Indians starter Jeremy Sowers (4-9) held the Angels hitless until the fifth, when they scored all their runs.

Kendry Morales got the Angels' first hit, a double after Mike Napoli opened the fifth with a walk. Howie Kendrick followed with a ground single that made it 2-0.

Erick Aybar beat out a bunt single, and after a sacrifice bunt, Bobby Abreu had a run-scoring groundout.

White Sox 4, Royals 2

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago's Jose Contreras won for the first time in six weeks.

Gordon Beckham, Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios hit solo homers off Zack Greinke (11-8), the first three-homer game off the Royals ace since he allowed four at U.S. Cellular Field on June 3 last year.

Contreras had gone 0-4 with a 7.62 ERA in six starts since beating Cleveland on July 8.

He allowed David DeJesus' leadoff homer in the fourth and two singles. Both runners were erased on double-play grounders.

Contreras retired 12 of his last 13 batters. Matt Thornton got four outs, allowing Mark Teahen's eighth-inning homer, and Bobby Jenks got two outs for his 26th save.

Greinke gave up six hits - three doubles and the three homers - in seven innings.

Rays 3, Orioles 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Rookie Jeff Niemann allowed one run over 7 1-3 innings for his 11th win of the season, and Pat Burrell, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton hit solo homers for Tampa Bay.

Niemann (11-5) lost his shutout bid when the last batter he faced, Brian Roberts, hit a solo homer with one out in the eighth. The right-hander, who has won seven of his last eight decisions, gave up seven hits and one walk, striking out five.

J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for his 14th save. Tampa Bay has won four straight after a five-game losing streak.

Chris Tillman (1-1) allowed the three homers among seven hits over six-plus innings for the Orioles, who are 8-24 since the All-Star break and dropped to a season-high 24 games under .500 (48-72).

Mariners 3, Tigers 1

DETROIT (AP) - Ichiro Suzuki homered to back Ian Snell's best start with Seattle.

Snell (1-1) held Detroit to one run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings. He entered the game with an 8.48 ERA in three starts since being acquired from Pittsburgh on July 29.

Three relievers finished, with David Aardsma pitching the ninth for his 28th save.

Justin Verlander (13-7) allowed three runs and six hits. He struck out 10 - his sixth double-digit game of the season.

The Mariners broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fifth. With two outs, Michael Saunders singled, stole second and scored on Josh Wilson's single. Suzuki hit Verlander's next pitch for his eighth homer.