Red Sox' streak ends
Casey Kotchman's solo home run put Los Angeles ahead in the sixth inning, Gary Matthews Jr. hit 2 solo homers of his own, and the Angels snapped the Boston Red Sox's six-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory Wednesday night in Boston.
Kotchman hit his sixth of the season off Craig Hansen, who was recalled before the game. Matthews hit solo shots in the first and fifth off emergency starter Jon Lester, giving him 4 homers for the season and 100 for his career.
Lester, starting on three days' rest for the first time in his career, pitched in place of Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was scratched with flulike symptoms.
It was the second straight game in which a Boston starter was pulled from his scheduled start. Josh Beckett missed the 7-6 win over the Angels on Tuesday night with a stiff neck and flulike symptoms.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox tied it on David Ortiz's third homer, a 2-run shot after Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single. But Boston's streak of scoring at least 5 runs in 10 straight games ended.
Torii Hunter added an RBI double in the ninth, and Francisco Rodriguez picked up his eighth save with a perfect inning.
Jon Garland (3-2) allowed 4 runs in 6 innings and got out of a jam in the third when he retired the last two batters after Boston scored once and had runners at first and second with one out.
Rays 5, Blue Jays 3: At Kissimmee, Fla., Jason Hammel allowed 4 hits in 6 innings, and Evan Longoria drove in 2 runs with a bases-loaded single to help Tampa Bay rally past Roy Halladay (2-3) and Toronto. The Rays improved to 5-0 in games they've played at Disney World the past two seasons in home-away-home series designed to bolster fan support in the Orlando area.
Tigers 19, Rangers 6: Miguel Cabrera hit a 3-run homer, Carlos Guillen had 3 of his 5 RBI in an 11-run sixth inning, and host Detroit routed Texas. Jacque Jones also homered as Detroit scored its most runs this season and handed Texas its sixth straight loss.
National League
Astros 9, Reds 3: Kazuo Matsui sparked Houston's 7-run rally with a 2-run single, and the Astros beat host Cincinnati for their fourth straight victory. Houston has won four in a row for the first time since last May. The Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 597th career homer.
Pirates 7, Cardinals 4: Jose Bautista and pinch hitter Doug Mientkiewicz delivered RBI singles during a 3-run eighth, and host Pittsburgh erased a 4-run deficit to beat St. Louis. Jason Bay hit a 2-run homer and Freddy Sanchez had 2 hits and scored 2 runs for Pittsburgh.
Marlins 7, Braves 2: Mike Jacobs hit a 2-run homer, and Hanley Ramirez added a solo shot to power Florida over host Atlanta. Florida's Dan Uggla went 3-for-5, including a 2-run triple in the ninth. The Marlins won for the fourth time in five games.
Mets 7, Nationals 2: Johan Santana hit 2 doubles and pitched 7 solid innings, leading New York over host Washington. Santana (3-2) allowed 7 hits, none after the fourth inning, struck out four and walked one. As a batter, he had the second 2-hit game of his career. The Mets improved to 4-0 against the Nationals this season.