NEW YORK — Rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus turned Melky Cabrera's liner into a game-ending double play, and the Texas Rangers held off the New York Yankees 10-9 on Tuesday night.
Michael Young and Nelson Cruz homered for the Rangers, who scored seven two-out runs off Joba Chamberlain to overcome an early four-run deficit. They took a 10-5 lead into the ninth before New York started storming back against Texas' bullpen.
Jason Grilli allowed a leadoff single and a walk before he was relieved by closer Frank Francisco. Alex Rodriguez walked, Hideki Mastui lined an RBI single and slow-footed Jorge Posada knocked in a run with a rare infield single.
Robinson Cano's two-run single cut it to 10-9 and left runners at first and second with nobody out. But Nick Swisher popped up a foul bunt attempt for the first out and Cabrera hit a low liner to shortstop that Andrus caught on the fly. Then, he beat pinch-runner Jerry Hairston Jr. in a close race back to second base to end it.
Josh Hamilton had four hits and Kevin Millwood rebounded from a rocky start, exemplifying the gritty pitching that has put the surprising Rangers in contention for their first postseason berth since 1999.
In a potential playoff preview against the AL East-leading Yankees, Texas took the opener of a three-game series and remained 11/2 games behind Boston in the wild-card race. One day shy of his 21st birthday, Andrus drove in a career-best three runs from the No. 9 spot. Young, the AL player of the week last week, also had three RBIs.
Posada and Cano homered for the Yankees, who lost for only the fifth time in 21 games. They still own the best record in the majors at 78-47, but their division lead over the Red Sox was trimmed to six games
RED SOX 6, WHITE SOX 3: At Boston, Jason Bay hit a solo homer to break an eighth-inning tie, and Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits to go with his franchise-record 55th stolen base to lead Boston to victory over Chicago. Manny Delcarmen (5-2) got one out to escape a first-and-third jam in the eighth to earn the win. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 30th save. Scott Linebrink (3-6) gave up three runs and three hits in one inning. Jayson Nix had two hits, including a solo homer, for Chicago, which lost its third straight and fell to .500 for the first time since July 29. Bay homered off Linebrink to give Boston the lead, then Nick Green singled and scored from first on Victor Martinez's double. Ellsbury's single scored Martinez to make it 6-3. Jon Lester, who gave up two hits in the first six innings, earned his fifth no-decision in six starts after allowing Chicago to tie the game with a wild pitch on what would have been an inning-ending strikeout.
RAYS 7, BLUE JAYS 3: At Toronto, Carlos Pena hit two two-run homers, giving him 200 for his career, and James Shields pitched 62/3 innings for Tampa Bay. Pena went 2-for-5 with four RBIs in his fourth multihomer game of the season. He has more home runs (37) than singles (35). Pena has hit six homers in his last five games and 11 in 17 games. He's batting .455 (10 for 22) over his current seven-game hitting streak. The Rays have won eight of 10. Toronto (57-67) has lost 10 of 13 and is a season-low 10 games below .500. Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett went 3-for-5, raising his average to .346. Bartlett is third in the AL in hitting behind Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki. Shields (8-10), who had lost four of five starts, allowed three runs and eight hits. He walked two and struck out five. Pena hit both homers off Brett Cecil (5-3).
ROYALS 6, INDIANS 2: At Kansas City, Mo., Zack Greinke struck out a team-record 15 in eight overpowering innings and Kansas City ended a five-game losing streak. Greinke (12-8) passed his career high with 12 strikeouts in the first six innings, then broke Mark Gubicza's 21-year-old team record of 14 by getting Andy Marte in the seventh. Mike Jacobs drove in two runs and Miguel Olivo hit his career-high 17th homer. off Justin Masterson (4-5), giving Greinke more run support than he had in the previous two games combined. Mitch Maier added to it in the seventh with his first homer in 302 career at-bats, a two-run shot that put the Royals up 6-1. Greinke allowed Marte's first homer of the season and a run-scoring double to Asdrubal Cabrera. Masterson allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
TWINS 7, ORIOLES 6: At Minneapolis, Delmon Young's fourth hit of the night scored Michael Cuddyer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Minnesota over Baltimore. Justin Morneau hit his 29th homer of the season for the Twins, who have won five games in a row for the first time all season as they chase the Tigers and White Sox in the AL Central.
MARINERS 4, ATHLETICS 2: At Seattle, Defensive-replacement Ryan Langerhans homered off Craig Breslow with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to send the Mariners to the win. Franklin Gutierrez's singled with one out in the 10th off Breslow (5-7), who entered the game tied in losses among AL relievers. It was Gutierrez's fifth hit and seventh time on base in the two games he's been leading off while Ichiro Suzuki rests a tight calf muscle. Then Langerhans, who entered for defense the inning before, smacked a 2-2 pitch into the first row of seats beyond right field. It was his second game-ending home run as a late-game substitute in three weeks. Mark Lowe (2-6) pitched the 10th for the win.
TIGERS 5, ANGELS 3: At Anaheim, Miguel Cabrera and Curtis Granderson each had a home run and four Tiger pitchers combined to hold the Angels to three runs to get the win in a battle of division leaders. Howie Kendrick hit a three-run home run to give the Angels the lead in the second inning, but Detroit scored four straight runs to post the victory. Jarrod Washburn got the win going six innings and striking out three.