Down 7 runs, Royals surge past Giants

ˆ ˆ ˆ  Down 7 runs with San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum on the mound, things sure looked bleak for the Kansas City Royals.

ˆ ˆ  Once they got him out of the game, though, all bets were off.

ˆ ˆ  Mike Aviles had 3 RBI and Joey Gathright drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, capping one of the best comebacks in Royals history in an 11-10 victory over the Giants on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo.

ˆ ˆ  Seven different Royals drove in runs, including a pair of RBI from David DeJesus, and Kansas City belted out 14 hits on the day. The comeback matched the second-best in Royals history, after a 9-run rally on June 15, 1979, at Milwaukee.

ˆ ˆ  "When we got it to 10-5, the talk in the dugout -- and they were accurate -- was that we had the momentum even though we were down 5 runs," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "It's one of those situations of never quitting as far as a mental mind-set, feeling we had a chance against Lincecum and their bullpen."

ˆ ˆ  Lincecum took a 10-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth. The Royals scored a pair in the inning on Jose Guillen's single and Alex Gordon's sacrifice fly, then sent 11 batters to the plate in a 5-run sixth that tied it.

ˆ ˆ  "There were so many things when you lose a game like that," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It goes to show that you have to play hard for nine innings, and they did. This was an ugly game for both sides, really."

Yankees 4, Reds 1: Andy Pettitte put New York back on track again, running his shutout stretch to 19 consecutive innings and helping the host Yankees avoid a three-game sweep with a victory over last-place Cincinnati. Jason Giambi had a 2-run double, and Robinson Cano snapped a scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, sending the Yankees to their 13th win in 18 games.

Dodgers 4, Indians 3: Russell Martin capped a 4-run first inning with a 2-run homer as host Los Angeles edged Cleveland to avoid a three-game sweep. Chad Billingsley (6-7) allowed 3 runs and 8 hits in 5 innings for the Dodgers, and Takashi Saito finished for his 11th save in 14 attempts.

Mets 3, Rockies 1: A week of turmoil ended on a high note for New York. Mike Pelfrey carried a shutout into the sixth inning, Carlos Beltran hit a 2-run homer, and the visiting Mets beat Colorado to wrap up a winning road trip under interim manager Jerry Manuel.

Athletics 7, Marlins 1: Justin Duchscherer (8-4) is making an impressive bid for a spot in the All-Star Game. Duchscherer bounced back from a first-inning home run to win his fourth straight start, and Emil Brown hit a 2-run single as host Oakland took the rubber game against Florida.

Brewers 7, Orioles 3: Prince Fielder hit 2 home runs, Corey Hart and Bill Hall also went deep, and host Milwaukee beat Baltimore for its sixth win in seven games. Fielder is batting .341 (47-for-138) with 11 homers in his last 36 games.

Tigers 5, Padres 3: Magglio Ordonez hit a 2-run homer, Justin Verlander (4-9) won his first road game of the season, and Detroit beat San Diego in the rubber-match of a three-game series. Verlander improved to 8-0 in his career in interleague play.

Braves 8, Mariners 3: Mark Teixeira homered three times, connecting from both sides of the plate to lead host Atlanta over Seattle. Tim Hudson (8-5) allowed 4 hits in 7 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.96.

Angels 3, Phillies 2: Jered Weaver (7-7) held host Philadelphia in check into the sixth inning, and Casey Kotchman homered to power Los Angeles past the Phillies to complete a three-game sweep.

Astros 3, Rays 2: Carlos Lee hit a go-ahead 2-run homer, and Brandon Backe pitched into the seventh inning to lead visiting Houston past Tampa Bay. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 22 opportunities.

Blue Jays 8, Pirates 5: Cito Gaston earned his first win as Toronto manager in 11 years, getting home runs from Scott Rolen and Adam Lind in a victory over host Pittsburgh. Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells had 2 RBI apiece for Toronto.

Rangers 5, Nationals 3: Frank Catalanotto delivered a tiebreaking, pinch-hit single in the eighth inning to lead visiting Texas past Washington. Vicente Padilla (10-3) gave up 3 runs and 5 hits over 7 innings to win for the eighth time in 9 decisions.