Boston nips Toronto

By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) - Clay Buchholz pitched eight strong innings and pinch-hitter Mike Lowell drove in the go-ahead run with a bases loaded walk as Boston beat Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night.

It was Boston's fifth straight victory in Toronto, and their fifth consecutive one-run game. The Red Sox are 4-1 in those games.

One night after the teams combined for 25 runs and 34 hits in battering 13 pitchers, starters Buchholz and Shaun Marcum gave the bullpens a break.

Buchholz (2-2) allowed one run and seven hits to win for the first time in three starts. He walked two, struck out four and lowered his ERA to 2.19.

With closer Jonathan Papelbon getting a day off after working in three of the past four games, right-hander Ramon Ramirez worked the ninth for his first save.

Marcum allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out five.

Scott Downs (0-3) loaded the bases in the eighth with two outs. Kevin Gregg came on to face Lowell, who batted for David Ortiz, and walked him on four pitches, his first walk this season.

Twins 2, Tigers 0

DETROIT (AP) - Francisco Liriano pitched eighth scoreless innings to lead Minnesota.

Liriano (3-0) struck out 10 and gave up the first of four hits in the fifth and walked only one. Jon Rauch closed the game for his seventh save.

Justin Verlander (1-2) gave up an unearned run and struck out a season-high seven over 5 2-3 innings.

Minnesota played the Tigers for the first time since beating them in the 163rd game last year.

Liriano extended his scoreless innings streak to 23 in the series opener at Detroit. He had his highest strikeout total since matching a career high with 12 against Detroit on July 28, 2006, when he was en route to a 12-win season as a rookie phenom.

He missed the 2007 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and won a combined 11 games the past two seasons.

Orioles 5, Yankees 4

BALTIMORE (AP) - Cesar Izturis had three RBIs, Nolan Reimold singled in the tiebreaking run during a three-run sixth inning, and Baltimore became the last team in the majors to win at home.

The victory also gave Baltimore (4-16) its first winning streak of the season. The Orioles defeated Boston on Sunday to end a five-game skid.

Baltimore was 0-6 at Camden Yards before holding off New York before a crowd of 20,536 on a chilly night.

Jorge Posada homered, and Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher each had three hits for the Yankees, who have lost four of five after an 11-3 start.

New York scored two unearned runs in the ninth after Izturis misplayed a two-out grounder to shortstop, but Alex Rodriguez grounded into a fielder's choice with runners at the corners to end the game.

Alberto Castillo (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings of one-hit relief, Jim Johnson worked the eighth and Alfredo Simon got three outs for his first major league save.

Rays 8, Athletics 6

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Pat Burrell and Reid Brignac homered to help Tampa Bay match a club record with 15 wins in April.

The AL East leaders improved baseball's best record to 15-5. The victory total equals the number they had in the opening month two years ago, when they made a surprising run to the World Series.

Burrell's three-run homer off Ben Sheets (1-2) snapped a 4-4 tie in the third inning. Brignac's shot leading off the bottom of the fourth gave right-hander Wade Davis (2-1) an 8-4 lead.

The Rays have won 12 of 14 and are off to the best start in the team's 13-season history. Nevertheless, attendance for the opener of a two-game series against another first-place team drew an announced crowd of 10,825 to Tropicana Field.

Davis weathered a shaky five innings to win his second straight decision. He gave up a three-run homer to Cliff Pennington, who had four hits and four RBIs - both career highs - for the A's.

Rangers 4, White Sox 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Matt Treanor had a solo homer and a two-run double for his first extra-base hits of the season and former reliever C.J. Wilson had another solid start for Texas.

Treanor's big game came hours after the Rangers optioned Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden, the two catchers on their season-opening roster, to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Wilson (2-1) gave up two runs over six innings, striking out Donny Lucy with the bases loaded to end the sixth. Dustin Nippert worked two scoreless innings before Frank Francisco had a perfect ninth for his first save in three chances.

White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle (2-3) lost his third straight start, allowing four runs over seven innings.

Carlos Quentin snapped a 1-for-34 slide with an infield RBI single in the fifth for Chicago, which was coming off a three-game sweep of Seattle.

Mariners 3, Royals 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Zack Greinke ended April winless in five starts after Kansas City's bullpen blew another lead in a loss to Seattle.

Greinke (0-2), last year's AL Cy Young winner, threw seven scoreless innings and left his third start with a lead only to watch the bullpen give it away. Greinke allowed six hits, five singles, walked none and struck out five, throwing 119 pitches, before exiting with a 2-0 lead.

The Mariners batted around in a three-run eighth off relievers Josh Rupe (0-1), Robinson Tejeda and Bruce Chen.

Shawn Kelley (1-0) earned the win with 1 2-3 perfect innings, while David Aardsma worked the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances.

Indians 9, Angels 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Austin Kearns homered for the second straight game and drove in five runs and Shin-Soo Choo had two RBI singles for Cleveland.

Rookie Mitch Talbot (3-1) won his third straight start, allowing a run and six hits over 6 1-3 innings. The right-hander has allowed two earned runs in 21 1-3 innings over his last three outings.

Joe Saunders (1-4) went five innings, giving up three runs, nine hits and four walks. The left-hander, who escaped bases-loaded jams in the second and third, has lost consecutive starts at Angel Stadium after pitching eight scoreless innings at Toronto on April 17. He entered this season 10-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 14 starts in April.

Kearns, who missed the final two months of last season with Washington after undergoing surgery on his right thumb, has homered in consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 24-25, 2007. His homer in the eighth inning on Monday night against Brian Stokes was his first since April 26, 2009.