AL roundup: Yankees rally to beat Rangers

NEW YORK (AP) - Melky Cabrera hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees overcame yet another poor start by Chien-Ming Wang to beat the Texas Rangers 8-6 Thursday.

The Yankees rallied from a 5-1 deficit and took two of three from the AL West leaders.

It was another game of home run derby at the new Yankee Stadium. Johnny Damon started it with a leadoff shot for New York, Nelson Cruz finished Wang in the fifth with a long drive and Ian Kinsler's solo homer for Texas in the sixth made it 6-all.

David Robertson (1-0) threw one pitch and got the win, retiring Elvis Andrus on a fly ball to end the eighth.

Angels 6, Blue Jays 5

TORONTO (AP) - Howie Kendrick dashed home with some daring baserunning, scoring the go-ahead run on a ninth-inning double play to help the Angels beat the Blue Jays.

Justin Speier (2-1) got the win despite giving up a tying sacrifice fly in the eighth. Brian Fuentes closed it out for his 14th save in 17 chances, striking out Jose Bautista to strand runners at first and second.

Trailing 5-2 after seven innings, the Blue Jays tied it with a three-run eighth against the Angels' beleaguered bullpen, which came in with a major league-worst 5.68 ERA.

Brandon League (1-2) took the loss.

Twins 11, Indians 3

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jason Kubel hit a pair of three-run homers to back Scott Baker, who pitched seven effective innings for the Twins in a victory over the Indians.

Kubel's first homer capped a four-run first inning against Fausto Carmona (2-6). The cleanup batter followed an inning later with his second to give Minnesota a 7-0 lead.

It was Kubel's fourth career two-homer game and second of the season. He also hit a pair April 25 at Cleveland.

Justin Morneau added his 15th home run of the year and drove in three runs for the Twins.

Baker (3-6) struck out a career-high 10 and walked just one. He allowed three runs - two earned - and six hits.

Red Sox 6, Tigers 3

DETROIT (AP) - Jason Bay's bases-loaded double keyed a six-run third inning and the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers.

Tim Wakefield (7-3) got the win, giving up three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The 42-year-old knuckleballer has beaten the Tigers 16 times, more than any other active pitcher.

Three Boston relievers finished, with Jonathan Papelbon pitching the ninth for his 14th save in 15 attempts. The Tigers put two runners on base, but Dustin Pedroia's diving stop at second base helped Papelbon escape unscathed.

Dontrelle Willis (1-3) took a step back in his comeback from control problems, allowing five runs in 2 1-3 innings despite not giving up a hit. He walked five batters and hit another with a pitch.

Athletics 7, White Sox 0

CHICAGO (AP) - Jason Giambi hit a three-run homer and Brett Anderson pitched seven impressive innings, sending the Athletics to a victory over the White Sox.

Aaron Cunningham added a two-run shot in the ninth for Oakland, which won the final three games of the four-game series.

With top prospect Gordon Beckham making his major league debut at third base, the White Sox were shut out for the major league-worst eighth time this season, twice with Mark Buehrle (6-2) on the mound.

Beckham went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He hit into a fielder's choice in his first at-bat.

Anderson (3-5) won for third time in four starts, giving up five hits and striking out four. Oakland has started four rookies in a row for the third time in team history, the last coming in June 1996.

Rays 3, Royals 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - B.J. Upton hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth and James Shields allowed two runs over eight innings as the Rays completed a three-game sweep by beating the Royals.

Upton's two-out shot off Jamey Wright (0-2) made it 3-2. The homer helped the Rays overcome an 0-for-13 performance with runners in scoring position.

Shields (5-4) gave up six hits and had eight strikeouts. He has won two consecutive starts, allowing four runs over 15 innings.

Carl Crawford also homered for the Rays, who have won five of six following a season-high five-game losing streak. J.P. Howell pitched the ninth for his second save.