NEW YORK (AP) - Derek Jeter homered on the first pitch he saw to give the Yankees a jolt in his return from the disabled list and Alfonso Soriano made the captain a winner with a game-ending single that lifted New York over the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Playing with Jeter for the first time since being re-acquired by New York from the Cubs on Friday, Soriano homered among his first four hits with the Yankees and drove in three runs.
Jeter was activated from the DL for the second time this month and connected against Matt Moore, sending a drive to right-center that ended the Yankees' nine-game homerless drought. He went 2 for 4 and scored twice.
Brett Gardner drew a leadoff walk from Jake McGee (2-3) in the ninth. McGee then switched belts on his uniform before facing Jeter, threw a wild pitch and received a visit from manager Joe Maddon.
The decision: walk Jeter intentionally.
After Robinson Cano struck out, Soriano hit a liner to center field for the win. He was mobbed by his teammates and doused with a liquid during a postgame interview.
Mariano Rivera (2-2), the Yankees' fourth reliever, got three groundball outs in the ninth.
RED SOX 5, ORIOLES 0
BALTIMORE (AP) - Jon Lester allowed four hits over seven innings, David Ortiz went 4 for 4 with his 20th home run and Boston earned its first series win over Baltimore in two years.
Mike Napoli had two doubles and an RBI for the Red Sox, who took two of three in the duel between AL East foes. Boston had lost six straight series to Baltimore since a four-game sweep in July 2011.
All four hits against Lester (10-6) were singles. He struck out eight, walked two and did not allow a runner past second base. The right-hander improved his lifetime record against the Orioles to 15-2, although he lost his previous two decisions against them.
On Saturday night, Ortiz shattered the casing of two dugout phones after being ejected from the game. On Sunday, he put his bat to better use.
Ortiz hit a two-run shot off Jason Hammel (7-8) in the third inning to put Boston up 3-0. Big Papi has 12 consecutive 20-homer seasons, the last 11 with Boston. Only Ted Williams, with 16, had more as a member of the Red Sox.
INDIANS 6, RANGERS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) - Ubaldo Jimenez pitched eight scoreless innings and Cleveland shut out Texas for the second straight game.
Jason Kipnis' two-out single in the fifth broke a scoreless tie. Yan Gomes' RBI single and Michael Bourn's two-run double added three runs in the sixth as the Indians, who have won four straight, completed their first three-game sweep at home over Texas since Aug. 12-14, 1980.
Jimenez (8-5) allowed two hits and matched his longest outing of the season. Vinnie Pestano pitched the ninth as the Indians recorded their major league-leading 14th shutout.
The Rangers are 2-8 since the All-Star break.
Kipnis' single came off Alexi Ogando (4-3), who allowed one run in 4 2-3 innings.
BLUE JAYS 2, ASTROS 1
TORONTO (AP) - Colby Rasmus drove in Emilio Bonifacio with a game-winning single in the ninth inning to carry Toronto past Houston.
Rajai Davis stole a career-high four bases as the Blue Jays won for the third time in four games against Houston, owners of the worst record in the majors.
Bonifacio doubled to begin the ninth against Jose Cisnero (2-2), and Wesley Wright came on to strike out pinch-hitter Adam Lind, who was batting in place of the ejected Jose Bautista.
Edwin Encarnacion was intentionally walked to bring up Rasmus, who bounced a single over the mound and up the middle as Bonifacio scored standing up.
Casey Janssen (3-0) worked one scoreless inning for the Blue Jays, who rebounded after being swept in consecutive series against Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
ROYALS 4, WHITE SOX 2
CHICAGO (AP) - Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning and Kansas City beat Chicago for its sixth straight victory.
With no outs, Jarrod Dyson on third, and the White Sox infield in, Gordon drove a 2-2 pitch from Donnie Veal (1-1) over the wall in center for his first homer since July 7 and No. 10 on the year.
Aaron Crow (7-3) tossed a scoreless inning to get the win and Greg Holland finished for his 27th save in 29 chances. Holland has converted each of his past 20 opportunities.
MARINERS 6, TWINS 4
SEATTLE (AP) - Nick Franklin homered twice, including a three-run shot, and Seattle held off Minnesota for the victory.
Franklin and Michael Saunders both went deep during a pivotal four-run fourth inning. With the Mariners down 2-1, Saunders tied it with his seventh homer to open the inning, deep into the right-field second deck.
After Henry Blanco reached on a fielder's choice and Brad Miller walked, Franklin connected on a 1-1 pitch from Kyle Gibson (2-3) to put the Mariners ahead 5-2.
Franklin added his 10th homer to right field with one out in the seventh. His 10 home runs and 32 RBIs are the most among American League rookies.
Erasmo Ramirez (2-0) went six innings and allowed four runs on seven hits to pick up the win. He struck out six and walked two.
ATHLETICS 10, ANGELS 6
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Yoenis Cespedes drove in four runs on his most productive day since winning the Home Run Derby, and Oakland rallied from five runs down to beat Los Angeles.
Cespedes snapped an 0-for-13 funk with a two-run double in the third inning, added an RBI single in the fifth and then doubled in Josh Donaldson as part of a five-run sixth.
Eric Sogard added three hits and two RBIs, and Brandon Moss also drove in a pair of runs for Oakland. The A's (62-43) moved a season-high 19 games over .500 and extended their lead to six games over Texas in the AL West.
Erick Aybar doubled and tripled for the Angels, who placed Albert Pujols on the disabled list before the game with a tear in his left foot that could end his season.
INTERLEAGUE
TIGERS 12, PHILLIES 4
DETROIT (AP) - Jhonny Peralta's grand slam capped an eight-run sixth inning and Detroit overcame Miguel Cabrera's ejection to beat collapsing Philadelphia.
Cabrera was tossed while batting with the bases loaded in the third and manager Jim Leyland was ejected, too. Detroit still got plenty of additional chances against a Philadelphia team that stumbled to its eighth straight loss.
In the sixth, the Tigers scored eight runs on only two hits. The Phillies made three errors and walked three batters in the inning.
Rick Porcello (8-6) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings to win his fourth straight start.
Reliever Jake Diekman (0-1) took the loss.