Matsuzaka (8-0), Red Sox complete 7-0 homestand
J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell hit grand slams to help Daisuke Matsuzaka remain unbeaten, and the Boston Red Sox completed a sweep of their seven-game homestand with an 11-8 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
Drew and Lowell were the first Red Sox to hit slams in the same game at Fenway Park since Tony Armas and Bill Buckner on Aug. 7, 1984.
Matsuzaka (8-0) gave up 3 runs on 6 hits, walked six, struck out seven and threw 2 wild pitches while becoming the AL's first 8-game winner.
Jonathan Papelbon got the final three outs for his 14th save.
Blue Jays 4, Angels 3: Lyle Overbay hit a go-ahead solo homer, A.J. Burnett won back-to-back starts for the first time this season, and host Toronto avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Los Angeles.
Overbay finished 2-for-3, adding a double and a walk. Eight of his last 17 hits have gone for extra bases.
Burnett (5-4) gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings. He walked three and struck out six.
Yankees 2, Orioles 1: Robinson Cano singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning, moments after New York manager Joe Girardi was ejected during a theatrical argument in the host Yankees' win over Baltimore.
Hideki Matsui led off the ninth with a single off Jim Johnson (0-2) and later scored from second base, beating left fielder Jay Payton's high throw.
Mariano Rivera (1-1), in the game earlier than usual as the Yankees convert Joba Chamberlain into a starter, pitched a perfect ninthfor the win.
Rangers 8, Twins 7 (10): Josh Hamilton hit a two-out homer in the 10th inning to lift visiting Texas over Minnesota.
Hamilton's drive into the left-field seats against Brian Bass (1-1) gave him 12 homers, matching the White Sox' Carlos Quentin for the AL lead. Hamilton went 2-for-4 and moved past Minnesota's Joe Mauer for the best average in the league, .335. He has 53 RBI, too, by far the most in the majors.
Tigers 9, Mariners 2: Brandon Inge and Matt Joyce homered as host Detroit scored 30 runs in the series to complete a sweep of visiting Seattle.
Jeremy Bonderman (3-4) won for the first time in 4 May starts, allowing 2 runs and 8 hits with 2 walks in 6 innings.
National League
Marlins 4, D'backs 0: Andrew Miller limited visiting Arizona to 5 hits in 7 innings, and Florida completed a three-game sweep in a showdown of first-place teams.
The 23-year-old Miller (4-3) had a career-high 9 strikeouts, walked one and allowed only one runner to reach second base.
Wes Helms drove in 2 runs with a pinch-hit double to chase Dan Haren, and Jorge Cantu also drove in 2 runs. Haren (5-3) allowed 8 hits and 4 runs in 6½ innings.
Phillies 7, Astros 5: Brad Lidge earned a save against his former team, and visiting Philadelphia got home runs from Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell to beat Houston.
Howard also had an RBI double and Lidge improved to 12-for-12 in save chances this season by getting Lance Berkman to pop up for the final out with a runner on base.
Braves 4, Mets 2: Chipper Jones' single drove in the go-ahead run during a 3-run seventh inning against Johan Santana, and host Atlanta beat New York behind Tim Hudson (4-2) to complete its first four-game sweep of the Mets in five years.
Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado homered on consecutive pitches from Hudson in the second inning, but Santana (5-3) couldn't hold the 2-0 lead while giving up a career-high 12 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings.
New York dropped below .500 for the first time since April 13.
Pirates 8, Brewers 4: Jason Bay and Xavier Nady homered, Nate McLouth had his first 4-hit game, and Pittsburgh beat visiting Milwaukee to avoid a series sweep.
A night after Brewers ace Ben Sheets allowed 11 hits but still pitched a complete game to defeat the Pirates 4-1, the Brewers got 14 hits but left a season-high 14 on base.