BALTIMORE — Tim Wakefield pitched six perilous innings without allowing an earned run, leading the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 Sunday for a three-game sweep.
Adam Stern drove in two runs for the Red Sox, whose 5-1 start is their best since 1999. Boston outscored Baltimore 20-10 in the series and has won eight straight against the Orioles.
Wakefield (1-1) retired the side in order only once. The knuckleballer twice worked out of bases-loaded jams, and stranded 10 runners before leaving with a 4-1 lead. He lowered his ERA from 17.18 to 6.52.
Mike Timlin worked the seventh, Keith Foulke pitched a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon got three outs for his third save, the second in two days.
Boston went up 4-1 in the sixth, scoring two runs with two outs after Orioles starter Rodrigo Lopez (1-1) walked the bases loaded. Stern got an RBI single on a grounder that handcuffed Millar at first, and Mark Loretta followed with a single.
YANKEES 10, ANGELS 1: At Anaheim, Jorge Posada homered twice and had five RBIs, Alex Rodriguez added a solo shot and the Yankees beat up on Bartolo Colon to avert a sweep. New York avoided starting the season 1-5 for the first time since 1989, but still lost two of three in Oakland and two of three in Anaheim heading into Tuesday's home opener against Kansas City.
INDIANS 3, TWINS 2: At Cleveland, Jake Westbrook outpitched Minnesota ace Johan Santana and Aaron Boone drove in two runs to lead Cleveland to its fifth straight victory. Cleveland improved to 5-1 for its best start since opening the 2002 season 11-1.
WHITE SOX 3, ROYALS 1: At Kansas City, Mark Buehrle pitched eight innings and Joe Crede drove in two runs as Chicago defeated Kansas City to snap a four-game losing streak. Buehrle (1-0) gave up just six singles, walked one and struck out one. The Royals did not have a runner reach second base until the seventh inning.
DEVIL RAYS 5, BLUE JAYS 2: At Toronto, Scott Kazmir came within an out of his first career complete game, outpitching Toronto's Roy Halladay. Kazmir (1-1), coming off an opening 9-6 loss to Baltimore, allowed 12 hits, struck out six and walked one. After getting the first two outs of the ninth, he allowed singles to Russ Adams and Reed Johnson.
Dan Miceli came on and retired Frank Catalanotto on a lineout to shortstop for his second save.
Travis Lee homered and Russell Branyan hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth for the Devil Rays, who took two of three from the new-look Blue Jays.
Halladay (1-1) allowed all five runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings.
TEXAS 5, DETROIT 3: At Arlington, Texas' Brad Wilkerson ended a stretch of six strikeouts in seven at-bats with a tiebreaking, two-run double off the wall in right-center field to hand Detroit its first loss of the season.
Wilkerson struck out in his first three at-bats against Detroit starter Kenny Rogers (1-1), and then again in the eighth, making him 14-for-32 — for Ks — on the season.
Vicente Padilla (2-0) allowed runs in his first two innings, but settled down to help Texas avoid the fourth 1-6 start in franchise history. Francisco Cordero pitched a perfect ninth, sealing the win in his first save chance this season.
Rogers, making first start at Texas since leaving the Rangers in the offseason, allowed five runs and 12 hits with five strikeouts and a walk over 5 1-3 innings.
ATHLETICS 6, MARINERS 4: At Seattle, Rich Harden gave Oakland another top mound performance, combining with four relievers on a five-hitter. Harden (1-0) gave up four hits, struck out eight and walked one in seven-plus innings. In his last four games against Seattle, he is 4-0 and has allowed one run in 21 innings.
The Mariners were held scoreless for 27 2-3 innings — four outs shy of the team record — and trailed 6-0 before getting one run in the eighth and three in the ninth. With runners at second and third, Huston St0reet retired Jose Lopez on a game-ending grounder for his second save.
Joel Pineiro (1-1) allowed six runs — five earned and 10 hits in seven innings, dropping to 8-4 against Oakland. His 2.95 ERA in 15 games against Oakland coming in had been his lowest against any team he faced at least 10 times.