DETROIT (AP) - Justin Verlander struck out a career-high 14 in his latest masterful performance, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-0 on Saturday night.
Verlander (10-3) allowed four hits over eight innings, and Alex Avila's three-run homer in the fourth broke the game open. The Tigers pulled into a virtual tie with Cleveland atop the AL Central.
The Diamondbacks fell a half-game behind first-place San Francisco in the NL West.
Verlander walked only one batter. In the eighth inning, he reached 100 miles per hour on the stadium scoreboard - on his 116th pitch.
Arizona rookie Josh Collmenter (4-4), from the town of Homer in south-central Michigan, allowed six runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings.
Marlins 4, Mariners 2
SEATTLE (AP) - Chris Volstad drove in a run in an AL ballpark and pitched into the seventh inning to win for the first time since April.
In the game moved from Miami because of an upcoming concert at the Marlins' stadium, Volstad (3-7) batted for himself because the game was played under NL rules.
He also kept the ice-cold Mariners to two runs on five hits before leaving with two outs in the seventh.
It was Volstad's first victory since April 26 and only the third Florida victory in the month of June.
Leo Nunez pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 21st save of the season.
Jason Vargas (5-5) gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings for Seattle.
Braves 10, Padres 1
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Jair Jurrjens pitched six strong innings to become the first 10-game winner in the NL.
Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs for Atlanta, which has won five of six and 12 of 17 overall.
Jurrjens (10-3) combined with three relievers on a four-hitter and lowered his NL-leading ERA to 2.07. He joined CC Sabathia of the Yankees and Detroit's Justin Verlander as 10-game winners.
San Diego's Dustin Moseley (2-7) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 5 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out three.
Giants 1, Indians 0
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Tony Sipp balked home the only run with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.
Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win. There also were two errors in the inning by second baseman Cord Phelps that spoiled a strong start by Justin Masterson (5-6).
Matt Cain (7-4) pitched seven-plus innings of four-hit ball for San Francisco. Brian Wilson worked the ninth for his 23rd save.
Yankees 8, Rockies 3
NEW YORK (AP) - CC Sabathia tossed eight stingy innings to win for the seventh time in his last eight starts and Alex Rodriguez drove in three runs for New York.
A dozen pitchers began the day with nine wins, but Sabathia (10-4) won the race to double digits. The big left-hander allowed one run while striking out nine, improving to 19-7 in interleague play.
Ty Wigginton had a two-run homer for Colorado. Aaron Cook (0-3) got the loss.
Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer for New York.
White Sox 3, Nationals 0
CHICAGO (AP) - Jake Peavy threw four dominant innings in his first career relief appearance and the Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 on Saturday.
Washington, which won 12 of its previous 13, is on the verge of hiring Davey Johnson as its new manager. General manager Mike Rizzo told Fox that Johnson has agreed to terms but there are still contract details to be worked out before an announcement can be made.
Peavy (4-1) gave up a hit and struck out seven, combining with starter John Danks, Brian Bruney and closer Sergio Santos on a two-hitter that snapped Washington's five-game winning streak. White Sox pitchers also combined for 13 strikeouts.
Tom Gorzelanny (2-6) matched his longest outing of the season with seven innings, allowing one run and seven hits while striking out eight.
Angels 6, Dodgers 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Tyler Chatwood pitched seven strong innings, fellow rookie Mark Trumbo homered and Vernon Wells added a three-run shot and the Angels earned their second straight win in the Freeway Series.
The Angels are 10-3 in their last 13 games at Dodger Stadium, and improved the AL West's only winning road record to 24-19.
The Dodgers lost their third straight and eighth in their last 11.
Chatwood (5-4) allowed one run and four hits while improving to 3-0 in his first three career interleague starts.
Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda (5-9) gave up two runs and three hits in five innings, equaling his shortest outing of the season.
Mets 14, Rangers 5
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Lucas Duda matched a Mets record with three doubles while going 4 for 5 with four RBIs, Carlos Beltran snapped out of a slump with three hits and New York had season highs for runs and hits.
The Mets led 3-0 after four batters against Alexi Ogando (7-3), who lost his third consecutive start without making it past the fifth inning.
Jonathon Niese (7-6) struck out seven in 5 2-3 innings and limited Texas to two runs, those coming on consecutive homers by Adrian Beltre and Michael Young in the fourth. The Mets said the right-hander left the game, which was played with temperatures in the mid-90s, for precautionary reasons because of a rapid heartbeat.
Niese is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA his last eight starts.
Pirates 6, Red Sox 4
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Lyle Overbay hit a 3-run homer and the Pittsburgh Pirates spoiled Tim Wakefield's homecoming.
Jeff Karstens (5-4) pitched effectively into the seventh inning as the Pirates tied a season-high by posting their fourth straight victory to move two games above .500 at 39-37.
Joel Hanrahan worked the ninth for his 22nd save, with the largest crowd in PNC Park history erupting after the final out.
Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Reddick and Jacoby Ellsbury all hit solo home runs for the Red Sox, but Gonzalez struck out representing the tying run to end the game.
Wakefield (4-3), making his first start in Pittsburgh in 18 years, gave up five runs on seven hits in six innings, walking four and striking out two.
Reds 10, Orioles 5
BALTIMORE (AP) - Joey Votto homered twice and drove in five runs, and the Cincinnati Reds won a long-ball duel that featured nine home runs.
Votto hit a three-run drive in the third inning and put Cincinnati ahead for good with a two-run shot in the fifth.
Jonny Gomes, Scott Rolen and Drew Stubbs also connected for the Reds. The five home runs were a season high.
Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy homered for Baltimore. It was the first time the Orioles hit four homers in a game since Aug. 10, 2010, in Cleveland.
Bronson Arroyo (7-6) won his third straight start despite allowing a career-high tying four homers in 6 1-3 innings. The right-hander gave up nine hits, walked three and struck out six.
Brian Matusz (1-3) yielded six runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings.
Athletics 4, Phillies 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Trevor Cahill tossed three-hit ball into the eighth inning, and Adam Rosales homered.
Cahill and Phillies starter Cole Hamels had a nice and easy duel going in a game that breezed by until the Phillies rallied late. Cahill (8-5) won his second straight start after dropping five straight and spoiled Hamels' bid to win his 10th game.
Scott Sizemore's RBI single in the fourth made it 2-1. Cahill and Andrew Bailey held the lead from there. Bailey got four outs to earn his fifth save of the season.
Cahill struck out six and walked three in 7 2-3 innings, and has allowed one run or less 10 times this season.
Hamels (9-4) lost his second straight start, but extended his streak of not allowing more than two earned runs to six straight outings.
Brewers 11, Twins 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Prince Fielder hit one of Milwaukee's four homers to give him an NL-best 67 RBIs this season and the Brewers beat injury-riddled Minnesota after Delmon Young left on a stretcher.
Carlos Gomez, Yuniesky Betancourt and Corey Hart also went deep as the NL Central-leading Brewers won their sixth straight over Minnesota. The tumbling Twins dropped their fourth in a row overall and may have lost Young for a prolonged period after the left fielder jammed his right ankle against the wall in the fifth.
Yovani Gallardo (9-4) gave up a run over seven innings. Gomez homered off Francisco Liriano (4-7) to highlight a five-run third and Fielder's 21st blast of the season, a two-run shot, capped the sixth.
Milwaukee improved to 28-11 at Miller Park, the best home record in the majors. The Brewers hold a season-high two-game lead over the Cardinals in the division.
Royals 3, Cubs 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Chris Getz drove in the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth inning and Kansas City beat Chicago, snapping a season-high six game losing streak.
Getz's bouncer was deflected by pitcher Jeff Samardzija (5-4) to shortstop Starlin Castro, but his throw to first was late and Jeff Francoeur, who had walked, scored. Samardzija walked two and hit a batter and retired only one of the five batters he faced.
Greg Holland (2-1) pitched a perfect eighth to pick up the victory. Joakim Soria struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth to log his 12th save in 17 opportunities.
Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto hit back-to-back home runs in a span of four pitches by Danny Duffy in the top of the sixth to tie it at 2-2.
Rays 7, Astros 2
HOUSTON (AP) - B.J. Upton homered and drove in two runs to back up Wade Davis for Tampa Bay.
Evan Longoria and Casey Kotchman added two RBIs apiece for the Rays, who won their third straight.
Upton had an RBI single in the third inning and homered for the second straight day with a solo shot that made it 4-1 in the sixth. Longoria hit run-scoring doubles in both the first and ninth innings and Kotchman added a two-run single in the ninth.
Davis (7-5) allowed five hits and a run in seven innings for his third straight win. Kyle Farnsworth allowed two hits in 1 2-3 innings for his 16th save.
Houston starter Bud Norris (4-6) yielded six hits and three runs while walking three in five innings.
Blue Jays 6, Cardinals 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Carlos Villanueva (5-1) worked six solid innings backed by Juan Rivera's three-run homer, the only hit in a five-run third.
Jaime Garcia (6-3) kept his home ERA at a minuscule 0.88 because four of the runs in Toronto's big inning were unearned due to third baseman Daniel Descalso's two-out throwing error. But the left-hander gave up Rivera's sixth homer the next at-bat and walked three in the inning, including Jose Bautista intentionally to load the bases.
Garcia had four strikeouts and four walks, one off his season high, in seven innings.