The New York Yankees moved over the .500 mark when Wang Chien-ming picked up his seventh win of the season in a 3-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.
The Yankees remained in a tie for third place in the American League East with their fifth win in seven games, Wang picking up his first victory in seven starts.
Wang (7-2) scattered seven hits over 7 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking two to end the longest victory drought of his four-year career.
PHOTO: AP
“This is a big help for my confidence,” Wang told reporters. “I trusted my pitches. I sped up my arm and I felt more like myself.”
Jose Veras got the last two outs in the eighth and Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 17th save of the season.
Alex Rodriguez had two hits and drove in a run for the Yankees, who took a 2-0 first-inning lead on RBI singles by Rodriguez and Jason Giambi. Melky Cabrera homered in the ninth inning to provide insurance.
“It’s good to be over .500 but we need to be over-over,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “We’ve had some opportunities the last couple weeks we couldn’t take advantage of. We need to take advantage of those.”
Oakland starter Dana Eveland (4-5) allowed two runs on just four hits over six innings but was hurt by six walks in taking the loss. Mark Ellis had three hits and drove in the A’s lone run.
The A’s dropped five games behind AL West leaders the Los Angeles Angels with the loss.
“It’s frustrating because when we needed to get a big hit we didn’t get it,” Oakland manager Bob Geren said. “Having opportunities and then squandering them with the double play ball hurt us tonight.”
Indians 1, Twins 0
C.C. Sabathia pitched his seventh career shutout as the Cleveland Indians beat Minnesota 1-0 in the American League on Tuesday, extending the Twins’ season-high losing streak to six games.
Sabathia didn’t allow a baserunner after the fourth inning, striking out five without a walk in his second shutout of the season.
He retired the last 17 batters in a row and was helped by some bad baserunning by the Twins.
The game’s only run came in the first inning.
Blue Jays 3, Mariners 1
In Toronto, Dustin McGowan pitched his third career complete game to steer Toronto to a speedy win over Seattle.
McGowan retired the final 10 batters as the Blue Jays needed just 2 hours, 2 minutes to win.
Vernon Wells and Brad Wilkerson each homered for the Blue Jays.
Wilkerson hit a tiebreaking homer in the fifth against the team that cut him earlier this season.
Orioles 10, Red Sox 6
In Boston, Baltimore twice came from behind to hand Boston just its second home defeat in 17 games.
Aubrey Huff matched his career high with four hits, including a tying two-run single, for the Orioles, who rebounded from deficits of 1-0 and 6-4.
Huff’s two-run single tied the game 6-6 in the seventh.
Tigers 6, White Sox 4
In Detroit, the home side snapped Chicago’s seven-game winning streak.
Miguel Cabrera hit the go-ahead two-run single in the fifth inning. Trailing 2-1, the Tigers scored three times in the fifth to take a lead they wouldn’t give up.
Rangers 6, Royals 5
In Kansas City, Missouri, Texas got five unearned runs to rally from four down to beat Kansas City.
Ian Kinsler scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball in the ninth inning. Kinsler led off the ninth with a double, advanced on a groundout and scored from third when Ramon Ramirez’s pitch got away from catcher John Buck.
AP, MIAMI
Hanley Ramirez led off the game with one of Florida’s three home runs off Philadelphia starter Brett Myers, and the Marlins went on to beat the National League East-leading Phillies 5-4 on Tuesday.
Jorge Cantu hit a two-run homer in the first and Mike Jacobs added a two-run shot in the fifth for the Marlins, who closed within three games of the Phillies’ division lead.
Ricky Nolasco (6-4) allowed three runs — all unearned — in six innings for Florida.
Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell homered for Philadelphia.
Cardinals 7, Reds 2
At Cincinnati, Ryan Ludwick homered and drove in four runs to lead St. Louis over Cincinnati.
Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel gave the Cardinals their first consecutive home runs this season before Pujols was helped off the field in the top of the seventh inning with a strained left calf he suffered while running out a ground ball.
Ludwick also doubled twice and singled in support of rookie right-hander Mitchell Boggs (1-0), who made his first major league start and second appearance.
Reds right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-3 with a walk in his first home game since hitting his 600th career home run on Monday in Florida.
Nationals 7, Pirates 6
At Pittsburgh, Ronnie Belliard hit two homers and Lasting Milledge’s two-run shot with two outs in the ninth lifted Washington to a wild win over Pittsburgh.
Belliard added an RBI single during his first game back from the disabled list and Dimitri Young and Jesus Flores also homered for the Nationals, who had lost four in a row and eight of nine.
Pittsburgh’s Matt Capps (0-1) had been 15-for-15 in save opportunities when he got two quick outs to open the ninth. But on successive pitches Elijah Dukes doubled to right and Milledge homered to left.
Ryan Doumit went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three runs and three RBIs for the Pirates.
Astros 6, Brewers 1
At Houston, Lance Berkman homered and hit a three-run triple as Roy Oswalt pitched seven solid innings for his first win in almost a month to lead Houston over Milwaukee.
Berkman’s 19th homer of the season off Seth McClung (3-3) scored Miguel Tejada to give Houston a 2-0 lead in the first. Berkman is second in the majors in home runs behind Philadelphia’s Chase Utley and is the leader in runs scored (61) and extra base hits (45).
Berkman, who also had a single, is hitting .379.
Oswalt’s (5-6) first win since May 12 allowed five hits and one run with a season-high 10 strikeouts.
Cubs 10, Braves 5
At Chicago, Ted Lilly settled down after a shaky start to get his first win in three weeks and Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto homered as Chicago continued its dominant play at Wrigley Field, beating Atlanta.
Greg Norton’s three-run homer in the first off Lilly gave Braves starter Tom Glavine an early cushion but with his control off and his left elbow strained, he left after three innings.
The NL Central-leading Cubs rallied and are 27-8 in their home ballpark this season. Lee had a solo shot in the third to tie the game and Soto a three-run drive in the eighth to put it away.
Diamondbacks 9, Mets 5
At New York, Chris Snyder hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning off Joe Smith as Arizona sent New York to its fifth straight loss.
Orlando Hudson, Stephen Drew and Conor Jackson also connected for the NL West leaders, who won for only the seventh time in 21 games.
David Wright hit a two-run homer for the Mets and Moises Alou pulled a two-run single on the first pitch he saw after coming off the disabled list.
Rockies 10, Giants 5
At Denver, Aaron Cook threw seven efficient innings, Todd Helton hit a three-run homer and Colorado ended San Francisco’s seven-game road winning streak.
Cook (9-3) had his sinker working, getting nine groundball outs while scattering nine hits and giving up three earned runs.
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