Lester, BoSox top Blue Jays, AL roundup

TORONTO (AP) - Jon Lester pitched six innings to win his third consecutive start as the Boston Red Sox hit four homers in a 14-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and Bill Hall connected for Boston, which snapped a four-game skid and improved to 6-1 against the Blue Jays this season. Hall finished with three hits and four RBIs.

Lester (11-3) allowed two runs and four hits, struck out six and walked two. He is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his last three starts and has won 11 of 12 decisions overall.

John McDonald and Jose Molina went deep for the Blue Jays, who lead the major leagues with 132 homers. Boston is second with 116.
White Sox 8, Royals 2

At Chicago, Mark Buehrle pitched a shutout into the eighth inning and A.J. Pierzynski hit two home runs as Chicago beat Kansas City for its sixth straight win.

Buehrle took a line drive off his right (non-throwing) wrist on Scott Podsednik's leadoff single in the first, but was not seriously injured. The left-hander allowed six hits in seven-plus innings and was replaced by Sergio Santos after walking David DeJesus to start the eighth.

Buehrle (8-7) is 5-1 in his last six starts as Chicago's pitching continues to be a major reason for the team's recent tear — 23 wins in 28 games.
Indians 9, Rays 3

At St. Petersburg, Florida, Jayson Nix homered for the sixth time in his last seven games and Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run homer as Cleveland downed Tampa Bay.

Cleveland went ahead 3-1 on Nix's solo shot off James Shields (7-9) in the fifth. Peralta's three-run drive off Andy Sonnanstine and an RBI double by Jason Donald made it 8-2 in the eighth.

The Indians ended Tampa Bay's six-game winning streak.

All-Star Fausto Carmona (8-7) allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings for the Indians, who lost their last six at Tampa Bay.

The Rays are 7-2 in July after going 11-14 during June.
Tigers 7, Twins 3

At Detroit, Magglio Ordonez drove in three of Detroit's seven runs over two innings in a win over Minnesota.

American League Central-leading Detroit won its fourth straight and for the 16th time in 18 home games.

The Twins have lost three straight and six of eight. Minnesota has slipped to third place and trails the Tigers by three games after having a 1 1/2-game lead on them at the start of the month.

Justin Verlander (11-5) gave up two runs over 5 1-3 innings. Robbie Weinhardt inherited the bases loaded in the sixth and got Delmon Young to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Yankees 6, Mariners 1

At Seattle, Phil Hughes joined teammates CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte as 11-game winners before the All-Star break, and Mark Teixeira hit two home runs as New York downed Seattle for its season-best seventh straight win.

Hughes (11-2) gave up one run in seven innings. In his last outing against Seattle on June 29, he was tagged for a season-high 10 hits and six earned runs.

Teixeira hit his 16th homer in the first inning left-handed off emergency starter David Pauley (0-1), then added a line drive solo shot in the ninth from the right side.

Robinson Cano had a two-out, two-run triple in the sixth that broke open a 2-0 game.

Seattle's run came on doubles in the sixth by Chone Figgins and Jose Lopez and made it 5-1.
Angels 6, Athletics 5, 10 innings

At Oakland, California, Erick Aybar homered to lead off the 10th inning and Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu also went deep as Los Angeles edged Oakland to end its five-game road losing streak.

Aybar's homered off closer Andrew Bailey (0-3).

Kevin Jepsen (1-1) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for the victory and Brian Fuentes finished for his 16th save.

Abreu had a two-run homer in the first and two singles, and Hideki Matsui added a sacrifice fly for the Angels, whose losses away from home all had come in Chicago. They were just swept in a four-game series by the White Sox and lost to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 20.

Jack Cust homered for the A's, who lost their fourth straight.
Orioles7, Rangers 6, 10 innings

At Arlington, Texas, Corey Patterson hit a game-tying grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning and Jake Fox homered leading off the 10th as Baltimore beat Texas.

The stunning loss to the majors' worst team came only hours after the AL West-leading Rangers acquired ace left-hander Cliff Lee in a trade with Seattle.

It was the second straight night Texas blew a 4-0 lead against Baltimore.

The last of Patterson's four hits was his first career slam, which came off All-Star rookie closer Neftali Feliz, who has 23 saves. He entered to start the ninth with the Rangers up 6-2.

Fox homered to left off Dustin Nippert (3-4), the fourth Texas reliever.

Vladimir Guerrero hit his 20th home run for Texas. It is the 12th 20-homer season for Guerrero.