BOSTON (AP) - Alex Rodriguez was hit by a fastball his first time up and then homered to start a four-run sixth inning that rallied the New York Yankees to a 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi was ejected after storming out of the dugout to holler at plate umpire Brian O'Nora, who warned both benches immediately after Rodriguez was plunked by Ryan Dempster's 3-0 pitch leading off the second inning. It struck his left elbow pad and ricocheted off his back.
"He should have been thrown out of the game," Girardi said. "Everyone knows it was intentional."
Players streamed from the dugouts and benches, but no skirmishes developed in the latest testy game between the longtime rivals.
The dustup seemed to spark the Yankees, who were trailing 2-0 at the time. Mariano Rivera earned his first save since blowing three chances in a row for the first time in his career.
Rodriguez, who is appealing his 211-game suspension in the Biogenesis case, went 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs. His homer to deep center leading off the sixth pulled the Yankees within 6-4. New York loaded the bases and went ahead when Brett Gardner hit a bases-clearing triple.
Boston's lead in the AL East was cut to one game over Tampa Bay. The game took 4 hours, 12 minutes.
CC Sabathia (11-10) got the win and the Yankees took two of three from the first-place Red Sox.
TIGERS 6, ROYALS 3
DETROIT (AP) - Miguel Cabrera hit his 40th home run and had an RBI single to help Max Scherzer become baseball's first 18-game winner in Detroit's victory over Kansas City.
The reigning Triple Crown winner became the third player since 1921 to have at least 40 homers and 120 RBIs while batting .350 or better through 116 games, joining Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx, according to STATS.
Scherzer (18-1) gave up two runs on five hits over eight innings. Scherzer and Roger Clemens are the only pitchers since 1919 to have 18 wins in their first 19 decisions, STATS said.
Cabrera, who has eight homers in 13 games, leads the majors in batting (.360) and RBIs (120). His home run pulled him within five of Baltimore's Chris Davis.
The Royals lost three of five this weekend and trail the AL Central-leading Tigers by 8½ games.
Kansas City's Bruce Chen (5-1) allowed six earned runs - more than he had given up in his last six starts - and eight hits over 5 1-3 innings.
WHITE SOX 5, TWINS 2
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Alexei Ramirez homered and had three RBIs, Hector Santiago won for the first time since June 21, and the Chicago White Sox beat Minnesota.
Ramirez finished a triple shy of the cycle. He homered to lead off the fifth inning, giving Chicago a 4-2 lead and helping his team win its first road series in more than a month.
Jeff Keppinger's single scored Avisail Garcia to make it 5-2 later in the fifth.
Brian Dozier had two hits and an RBI for Minnesota, which went 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position and lost for the fifth time in six games.
Santiago (4-7) wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth. Addison Reed earned his 31st save in 36 chances.
Twins starter Samuel Deduno (7-7) didn't walk a batter for the second time this season, but he hit three batters with pitches and balked once.
RAYS 2, BLUE JAYS 1, 10 innings
ST. PETERSBURG, Fl. (AP) - Jose Lobaton hit a solo home run in the 10th inning, and Tampa Bay edged Toronto.
Lobaton sent a 2-1 pitch from Brad Lincoln (1-2) into the right-field seats. Lobaton had a game-ending triple in the ninth on Friday.
Jake McGee (3-3) struck out one during a perfect 10th.
Tampa Bay took two of three from Toronto, which hasn't won a series at Tropicana Field since April 2007.
Rays starter Chris Archer allowed one run and four hits over seven innings.
Blue Jays right-hander Todd Redmond, a St. Petersburg native, gave up one run and six hits over six-plus innings in his first start at Tampa Bay.
MARINERS 4, RANGERS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Kyle Seager hit an RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting Seattle over Texas.
The Mariners took two of three from AL West-leading Texas. They scored three runs in 7 1-3 innings against Rangers ace Yu Darvish in the series finale.
Texas closer Joe Nathan (3-2) took over to begin the ninth with the score 3-all, and Endy Chavez led off with a single. Humberto Quintero sacrificed and Nick Franklin drew a two-out walk before Seager's go-ahead hit.
Yoervis Medina (4-3) got the win and Danny Farquhar earned his seventh save in 10 tries.
The Mariners won for only the eighth time in 21 games. Each team scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings before Seattle won it.
Darvish, who had 50 strikeouts in his last five starts, left after throwing 120 pitches. He walked four after walking a total of four in his previous three August starts.
ASTROS 7, ANGELS 5
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Matt Dominguez hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Houston won back-to-back series for the first time in nearly two months with a victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Dominguez tied his career high with four hits in his native Southern California, and L.J. Hoes had his first career homer among three hits in the major league-worst Astros' fourth win in six games.
After Houston blew an early three-run lead, Dominguez homered one pitch after reliever Juan Gutierrez (0-4) intentionally walked Carlos Corporan.
Brett Oberholtzer (3-1) pitched six effective innings during Houston's sixth win in seven games at Angel Stadium.
Mike Trout had two hits for the Angels before leaving in the sixth inning with right hamstring tightness.
Josh Hamilton homered and tripled for Los Angeles, and Mark Trumbo drove in three runs and hit his 28th homer late in the Angels' sixth loss in eight games.
ATHLETICS 7, INDIANS 3
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Chris Young and Alberto Callaspo homered in the fifth inning of Oakland's win over Cleveland.
Jed Lowrie, batting leadoff for only the third time this season, had two hits and scored twice for Oakland. Josh Donaldson drove in three runs for the A's, who pulled within a half-game of AL West-leading Texas.
Young hit his 11th home run of the season off Cleveland starter Scott Kazmir (7-6) to break a 3-all tie in the fifth. Three pitches later, Callaspo followed with his sixth homer and first since being acquired from the Angels in late July.
Ryan Raburn homered for Cleveland, which has lost six of seven in Oakland.
Dan Otero (2-0) retired five batters for the win in relief of starter Tommy Milone. Grant Balfour pitched the ninth.
INTERLEAGUE
ORIOLES 7, ROCKIES 2
BALTIMORE (AP) - Chris Davis went 4 for 5 with his major league-leading 45th home run, Adam Jones had a two-run shot among his three hits and Baltimore topped Colorado.
Scott Feldman (3-3) pitched into the seventh inning to earn his first win in nearly a month. Davis scored three times and got hits in his final four at-bats.
After the All-Star slugger's two-out double off Jhoulys Chacin (11-7) in the third, Jones launched his 25th home run for a 3-0 lead.
Feldman allowed two runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings for his victory since July 22.
Chacin, who entered with a 1.87 road ERA, gave up nine hits and three runs over 5 1-3 innings.