Tigers roar past Zito (2-11), Giants

Jim Leyland didn't expect Detroit to fix things over night. The Tigers' manager sure is thrilled to see his team back on track and on a little roll.

Placido Polanco had 4 hits, drove in 2 runs and scored 3 as the Detroit Tigers knocked struggling San Francisco starter Barry Zito out after only 2 innings and took the rubber game from the Giants 7-2 on Wednesday in San Francisco.

Armando Galarraga (7-2) didn't allow an earned run in 6 innings and struck out five to win his third straight start and fourth consecutive decision since a defeat to Minnesota on May 23.

"He's been a savior so far," Leyland said. "Obviously he's given us innings. Not only has he given us innings he's won games. That's a bonus, no question about it."

Marcus Thames had his stretch of consecutive games with a home run end at five, which tied a Tigers record. Still, his last 8 hits have been homers.

Zito (2-11) saw the end to his three-game winning streak against the Tigers. Zito still looks nothing like his old self.

"He was all over the place," Thames said. "I've never seen him like that."

Zito has just 1 win in his last 5 starts and this was the second-shortest start of his career. He allowed 5 runs and 5 hits, struck out two and walked four.

As has been the case in most of his starts this year, Zito dug himself into a hole in the first inning. He allowed a one-out single to Polanco then walked Carlos Guillen before back-to-back RBI singles by Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera.

"It feels terrible to let the team down. That's the hard part," Zito said. "These guys bust their butts. There's a difference when it's 5-1 or if you're down by 1 or 2. Momentum plays a big role and I take the blame."

As for the 34-38 Tigers, they are trying to pull back to .500.

"We're big boys," Leyland said. "We know we put ourselves in a hole. We're just playing the kind of baseball the fans expect from us. Expectations were high. We've never given up on anything. Just keep playing and whatever happens, happens. You can't make it up in one day."

Twins 11, Nationals 2: Kevin Slowey (4-6) won his second straight start since his worst outing of the year, and Justin Morneau had 3 RBI for host Minnesota. Carlos Gomez of the Twins bunted for 2 of his 3 singles, scored 2 runs and drove in an insurance run in the seventh.

Royals 3, Cardinals 2: David DeJesus and Alex Gordon hit solo home runs in the eighth inning to rally Brian Bannister (6-6) and visiting Kansas City. Last in the AL Central, the Royals improved to 6-2 in interleague play and will try for a three-game sweep of their cross-state rivals today. Kansas City had been 0-37 this season when trailing after seven innings.

Brewers 5, Blue Jays 4: Mike Cameron and Russell Branyan homered for host Milwaukee, which won its third straight. Relievers Carlos Villanueva, Brian Shouse, Guillermo Mota and Salomon Torres, who picked up his ninth save by getting four outs, combined to give up 2 runs and 6 hits after starter Ben Sheets (8-1) left with a 4-2 lead after giving up 4 hits in 6 innings.

Yankees 8, Padres 5: Alex Rodriguez homered for the fourth straight game and the New York Yankees held off visiting San Diego, setting a season high with their sixth consecutive victory.

Red Sox 7, Phillies 4: J.D. Drew tied a career high with 4 hits and fell a triple short of the cycle for visiting Boston.

Drew hit a 3-run homer in the first inning, doubled in the third, had an RBI single in the fourth and singled in the sixth before tapping out in the eighth. He finished 4-for-5 with 4 RBI.

Orioles 2, Astros 1 (10): Kevin Millar singled in the game-winning run in the 10th inning, and host Baltimore handed Houston its seventh straight loss. It was the fourth straight 1-run game for the Orioles, three of them victories. Baltimore is 17-10 in one-run games compared to 13-31 last year.

Braves 5, Rangers 2: Omar Infante hit a tiebreaking single, and visiting Atlanta scored three times in the ninth inning.

Rockies 4, Indians 2: Jeff Baker homered and scored 3 runs, and Jeff Francis pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball as host Colorado beat Cleveland.

National League

Dodgers 6, Reds 1: Derek Lowe (5-6) earned his first road win since last August by pitching into the sixth inning, and Los Angeles extended its season-long domination of host Cincinnati. The Dodgers are 6-1 against the Reds.