Rays’ Moore remains unbeaten

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Associated Press

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Matt Moore pitched six solid innings to remain unbeaten and tie for the major league lead in wins, sending the surging Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Moore (7-0) yielded a three-run homer to David Ortiz in the first, then limited the struggling Red Sox to one hit over the next five innings.

The Rays overcame the early deficit with a five-run fifth off John Lackey (1-4). Jose Molina and Matt Joyce each drove in two runs in the inning, helping Tampa Bay extend its winning streak to a season-high six games.

Boston has lost six of seven, including three straight.

Moore allowed three hits and struck out eight. The 23-year-old lefty matched Washington’s Jordan Zimmerman for the major league lead in victories, became the first Tampa Bay starter to begin a season 7-0 and tied a club record by winning his eighth straight decision dating to September.

Fernando Rodney struck out the side in the ninth to finish the combined three-hitter and earn his seventh save.

YANKEES 4

MARINERS 3

NEW YORK — Robinson Cano hit a two-run double, Lyle Overbay delivered a tiebreaking sacrifice fly and New York rallied past Seattle after Felix Hernandez left following a couple of odd twists.

Hernandez exited after six innings with a 3-1 lead, having outpitching CC Sabathia in the first matchup between the former Cy Young Award winners. Hernandez, however, tweaked his back in the sixth when he fielded a comebacker, pivoted and threw to second for a forceout.

The right-hander allowed one earned run in another strong outing at Yankee Stadium, and leads the AL with a 1.53 ERA. Sabathia, who had won his last eight starts against Seattle, struck out 10 in 6 1-3 innings while giving up 10 hits.

Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer for Seattle in his return to Yankee Stadium. New York star Curtis Granderson came off the disabled list and went 0 for 3 with a walk in his season debut.

Down 3-1, the Yankees rallied for three runs in the seventh to win for the seventh time in eight games.

Charlie Furbush (0-2) gave up Cano’s tying double off the base of the wall in right-center.

Shawn Kelley (2-0) got two outs and Mariano Rivera remained perfect in 16 save chances this season.

BLUE JAYS 10

GIANTS 6

TORONTO — R.A. Dickey snapped a four-start winless streak, Melky Cabrera had four hits against his former team and Toronto beat San Francisco.

Edwin Encarnacion drove in two runs and scored twice as the Blue Jays had a season-high 18 hits and won three straight games for the second time this season.

Dickey (3-5) struck out a season-high 10 in six innings, allowing two runs and six hits, to win for the first time since April 18 against the White Sox.

Brandon Belt hit a solo homer and Pablo Sandoval added a three-run shot in the ninth but it wasn’t enough for the NL West-leading Giants, who had won three straight and 10 of 13.

Cabrera went 4 for 5 with two RBIs. He reached on an error and hit an RBI single in Toronto’s six-run first inning.

Before the game, Giants manager Bruce Bochy presented Cabrera with his 2012 World Series ring in a private ceremony in the weight room. The MVP of last year’s All-Star game, Cabrera was suspended 50 games Aug. 15 for a positive testosterone test, and was later left off San Francisco’s postseason roster. He signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Toronto in November.

Barry Zito (3-2) allowed eight runs, five earned, and a season-high 12 hits in 5 2-3 innings.

TIGERS 6

ASTROS 2

DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera homered, Doug Fister pitched seven impressive innings and Andy Dirks gave the Tigers a lift for a second straight night in Detroit’s victory over Houston.

Dirks hit a grand slam in Monday’s win over Houston, and a night later he capped a three-run fifth with a tiebreaking double. The Tigers added two more runs in the sixth, and Cabrera hit his eighth homer in the seventh, a solo shot that gave Detroit a 6-2 lead.

Fister (5-1) allowed two runs and five hits. He struck out seven without a walk.

Lucas Harrell (3-4) gave up five runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. The Astros have lost six straight and 16 of 19.

PADRES 3

ORIOLES 2

BALTIMORE — Chris Denorfia and Everth Cabrera hit two-out RBI singles off Jim Johnson in the ninth inning, and San Diego got a home run from Carlos Quentin in a victory over Baltimore.

After the Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the eighth, Johnson (1-3) entered with a franchise-record streak of 35 straight converted saves. He immediately gave up two consecutive singles before getting Jedd Gyorko to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. But Denorfia followed with a single up the middle and, after Johnson hit Nick Hundley with a pitch, Cabrera singled to center for a 3-2 lead.

Luke Gregerson (2-2) got the last out in the eighth and Huston Street earned his ninth save. The Padres were 0-18 when trailing after eight innings.

Ryan Flaherty homered for the Orioles, who fell to 18-2 when leading after eight.

WHITE SOX 4

TWINS 2

MINNEAPOLIS — Adam Dunn and Dayan Viciedo hit consecutive homers to back another strong start from Jake Peavy in Chicago’s victory over Minnesota.

Peavy (5-1) gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings and Tyler Flowers’ double in the eighth scored the go-ahead run for the White Sox. Addison Reed earned his 12th save.

Kevin Correia (4-3) allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings.

CARDINALS 10

METS 4

ST. LOUIS — Carlos Beltran drove in four runs and rookie left-hander John Gast picked up a win in his major league debut, helping the St. Louis Cardinals cruise past the New York Mets 10-4 on Tuesday night.

Gast (1-0) tossed five shutout innings before giving up four runs in the sixth. He surrendered six hits, struck out three and walked one in a 71-pitch effort to help the Cardinals win for the fifth time in six games and 11th in their last 13.

Beltran slammed a three-run homer in the fifth inning, his team-high 10th, to give St. Louis a 9-0 lead. He also added a run-scoring hit in the third.

Dillon Gee (2-5) gave up six runs — five earned — in four innings for the Mets, who lost their fifth straight.

ROCKIES 9, CUBS 4

CHICAGO — Carlos Gonzalez homered twice and finished with a career-high five hits to lead the struggling Rockies to a victory over the Cubs.

Gonzalez was 5 for 5 and fell a triple shy of a cycle, and Eric Young Jr. also homered for the Rockies, who had lost five of their last six.

Colorado increased its lead to 5-0 in the third when Gonzalez hit his eighth of the season deep into the right-field bleachers. His home run in the ninth put the Rockies up 8-3 and gave him nine multi-home run games in his career.

Jeff Francis (2-3), winless since April 5, gave up one run and three hits while striking out seven in six innings. He was 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA over his previous six outings.

Carlos Villanueva (1-3) allowed six runs and 12 hits in five innings for the Cubs.

REDS 6, MARLINS 2

MIAMI — Homer Bailey pitched a six-hitter to earn his first victory since April 5, and the Reds extended their winning streak to four games by beating the Marlins.

Xavier Paul hit a three-run double for the Reds, who took advantage of consecutive bases-loaded walks by Ricky Nolasco. Brandon Phillips, who began the night tied for the NL lead in RBIs, drove in two runs.

Bailey (2-3), who threw a career-high 125 pitches, tied his major league best with 10 strikeouts and walked none in his fourth complete game. He retired the final eight batters, and his last pitch was a 97 mph fastball.

The right-hander, who has had spotty run support this season, lowered his ERA at night to 1.80. His ERA in three daytime starts is 7.16.

INTERLEAGUE

PHILLIES 6, INDIANS 2

PHILADELPHIA — Jonathan Pettibone pitched neatly into the seventh, Kevin Frandsen and Domonic Brown hit solo homers and the Phillies beat the Indians.

John Mayberry Jr. had three hits and three RBIs, including a go-ahead two-run double for the Phillies, who won their third straight game to get within two wins of .500.

Pettibone (3-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings, the longest of his five career starts. Three relievers got the next four outs and Jonathan Papelbon finished in a non-save situation after Philadelphia tacked on two runs in the eighth.

The Phillies improved to 12-4 when Pettibone, Kyle Kendrick or John Lannan start. They’re 7-16 in games started by the $64.5 million trio of Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

Cleveland’s Scott Kazmir (2-2) gave up four runs and six hits in five-plus innings.