Friday's American League Capsules

TORONTO (AP) - Ervin Santana won his fifth straight start, Vernon Wells homered against his former club and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Friday night.

Santana (9-8) was working on a shutout before Eric Thames homered with one out in the ninth. But he recovered to complete a seven-hitter for his third complete game in four starts.

The right-hander struck out six and walked two while improving to 6-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last nine starts, a stretch that includes a no-hitter at Cleveland on July 27.

Wells went 1 for 4 in his first game back in Toronto after 12 seasons with the Blue Jays. The crowd of 24,731 gave him a standing ovation when he came to the plate with two outs in the second, and he stepped out of the box and tipped his batting helmet in gratitude. After stepping back in, Wells swatted Brandon Morrow's first pitch over the wall in left-center for his first homer since July 23 at Baltimore and No. 17 overall.

Morrow (8-7) lost his second straight start, allowing five runs, four earned, and four hits in seven innings. He walked four and struck out three.

Rangers 9, Athletics 1

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - C.J. Wilson pitched six effective innings to earn his first win in a month for Texas.

Wilson (11-5) allowed a run and four hits, struck out seven and walked three. He was 0-2 with a 4.84 ERA in four starts since his last victory, on July 16 at Seattle.

Endy Chavez had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run as the Rangers won for just the third time in their last nine road games. Michael Young added two hits and an RBI.

Texas remained two games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.

Brandon McCarthy (5-6) was knocked out of the game when he was struck by Chavez's line drive in the fourth, sidelined by a bruised right knee. He allowed seven runs, five earned, and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings.

Rays 5, Yankees 1

NEW YORK (AP) - Johnny Damon, Casey Kotchman and Kelly Shoppach all connected in the third inning for three of Tampa Bay's five solo home runs against CC Sabathia, and David Price again came out on top in a matchup of the elite lefties.

Light-hitting Elliot Johnson and Evan Longoria also homered in Tampa Bay's fifth straight win.

The five homers were the most Sabathia (16-7) has allowed in his career. The Rays' previous high for home runs in a game this season was three.

Price (10-10) improved to 3-0 in the five times he's faced Sabathia, pitching eight dominant innings of six-hit ball.

Red Sox 6, Mariners 4

SEATTLE (AP) - Rookie Josh Reddick continued adding to his status in Boston with a two-run homer off the cafe windows in the second deck of right field to help the Red Sox rally.

Reddick's 10th-inning, game-winning single against the New York Yankees last Sunday gave the Red Sox the lead in the AL East ahead of their rivals, and his homer on Friday extended the lead to two games. The Yankees lost to Tampa Bay earlier Friday night.

Reddick's sixth homer was the cap to a three-homer night by the Red Sox off Seattle starter Blake Beavan (3-3). David Ortiz and Jed Lowrie also homered for Boston.

Seattle knocked around Boston starter John Lackey for 10 hits, but Lackey (11-8) still managed to pick up his seventh straight victory.

Tigers 5, Orioles 4

BALTIMORE (AP) - Wilson Betemit homered, rookie Andy Dirks had a career-high four hits, and Detroit overcame two home runs by J.J. Hardy.

Dirks went 4 for 4 with a walk and singled in the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning. Acquired in a July 20 trade with Kansas City, Betemit had three hits and is 9 for 17 in his last five games.

Alex Avila had two hits and scored twice to help the first-place Tigers maintain their four-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.

Brad Penny (8-9) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings to snap a personal three-game losing streak and Detroit received 3 2-3 innings of one-hit relief from a stellar bullpen that has an 0.84 ERA over the last eight games.

Indians 3, Twins 2

CLEVELAND (AP) - Matt LaPorta and Carlos Santana hit RBI doubles in the eighth inning to rally Cleveland to the win.

The Indians won in their last at-bat at home for the 14th time this season. Minnesota has lost 10 of 12.

Cleveland trailed 2-1 when Travis Hafner singled with one out in the eighth off starter Carl Pavano. Glen Perkins (4-3) relieved and Santana hit a booming double to right-center to score pinch-runner Michael Brantley with the tying run.

With two outs, LaPorta's blooper dropped in front of diving left fielder Ben Revere for the go-ahead run.

Rafael Perez (5-2) got the final out in the eighth for the win and Chris Perez worked a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 27 chances.

Royals 5, White Sox 1

CHICAGO (AP) - Billy Butler and Melky Cabrera homered and Bruce Chen continued his mastery of the White Sox.

Chen (7-5) held Chicago to one hit over six innings and is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three starts against the White Sox this season.

Butler homered in the sixth and had an RBI single in the first. Cabrera broke the game open with a three-run homer in the ninth.

Alex Gordon singled, doubled, walked twice, scored a run, stole a base and reached on catcher's interference for the Royals, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Rookie Zach Stewart (1-2) pitched well in his home debut as a member of the White Sox. He held the Royals to two runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings.

Juan Pierre had an RBI single, driving in Chicago's only run in the ninth, and walked twice.