MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - CC Sabathia stopped his two-start losing streak with nine strikeouts over seven innings, and the New York Yankees hit three home runs to support him in an 8-4 victory over the depleted Minnesota Twins on Thursday night.
The Yankees lead the majors with 163 homers this season, despite only 13 from Alex Rodriguez, who has been out following knee surgery last month. Mark Teixeira hit his 33rd, a two-run shot in the third, and Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones hit back-to-back deep balls in the fifth inning against Brian Duensing (8-12).
Sabathia (17-7) gave up four runs - three earned - and walked only one.
Duensing yielded 10 hits and six runs, finishing five innings.
Red Sox 4, Royals 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs with a pair of well-timed singles, Josh Beckett survived a shaky start to go seven innings and Boston Red got back on the winning track.
Jason Varitek drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who had lost five of their last seven games.
Beckett (10-5) and the Royals proved to be the perfect matchup to turn things around. The right-hander allowed all three runs in the first three innings to improve to 7-1 in his career against them - his only loss came July 28 in Boston.
Jonathan Papelbon made it through a perfect ninth to extend his career-best streak to 24 consecutive saves. It was his 29th of the season.
Luke Hochevar (8-10) labored through 114 pitches in just six innings for the Royals.
Indians 4, White Sox 2
CHICAGO (AP) - Justin Masterson pitched six effective innings, Kosuke Fukudome had a tiebreaking RBI triple and the Indians inched closer to the top of the AL Central with a victory over the White Sox.
Matt LaPorta hit a two-run homer for Cleveland, which pulled within 1 1/2 games of idle Detroit for the division lead. The Tribe opens a three-game series at Detroit on Friday.
Paul Konerko homered for the White Sox, which lost starter Phil Humber on a scary play in the second inning.
Humber was struck in the face by Fukudome's comebacker with one out in the second inning. He fell to the ground as the ball bounded back to catcher Flowers.
Humber stood up immediately after the play ended and appeared to be alert as the club's medical staff checked on him, but was removed after a short delay.
Masterson (10-7) allowed two runs and seven hits, struck out two and walked three.
Angels 2, Rangers 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Rookie Mark Trumbo hit a game-ending two-run homer down the left-field line, and the Angels beat Texas to avoid a four-game sweep.
After Torii Hunter led off the ninth with a single, Trumbo hit his 23rd homer of the season off Mike Adams (1-2), snapping the Angels' five-game skid and ending Texas' six-game winning streak with one dramatic swing.
Adams wasted seven scoreless innings by Colby Lewis, who yielded four hits and struck out seven while outpitching Angels ace Jered Weaver.
Horacio Ramirez (1-0) got one out in the ninth for Los Angeles.
Blue Jays 7, Athletics 0
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Ricky Romero pitched a three-hitter to extend his career-high winning streak to five games, Colby Rasmus homered and scored three times and Toronto beat the Athletics.
Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie had RBI singles while Jose Bautista doubled and scored in the fourth when Toronto scored three times off Oakland starter Trevor Cahill to break the game open.
Romero (12-9) struck out six and walked two while recording his second shutout this season and third of his career.
Cahill (9-12) allowed seven runs and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings and lost for the seventh time in his last 10 starts. Since beginning the season 6-0, Cahill is 3-12 with a 5.30 ERA.