NEW YORK (AP) - Mike Napoli hit a tying grand slam in the seventh, Shane Victorino had a go-ahead homer one inning later and the Boston Red Sox rallied past the New York Yankees 12-8 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Will Middlebrooks homered for the third straight day and Boston erased a five-run deficit in another wild game between these longtime rivals. One night earlier, the Yankees took an 8-7 lead with a six-run seventh - only to lose 9-8 in 10 innings on Victorino's tiebreaking single.
New York has lost consecutive games when scoring at least eight runs for the first time since September 1949, according to STATS. The last time it happened with both games at home was 1911 against Cleveland.
Napoli also doubled, singled and walked twice in a perfect night at the plate. He scored three times, one night after sparking Boston's ninth-inning comeback with a two-out single off Mariano Rivera.
The Red Sox, who have a 7 1/2-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay, have slowed New York's wild-card charge by winning the first two games of a four-game set, improving to 9-5 against New York this year. They have scored 41 runs in their past three games and won 11 of 13 overall.
Alfonso Soriano homered and Brett Gardner hit a two-run triple for the Yankees, but Phil Hughes and Boone Logan failed to hold an 8-3 lead for Andy Pettitte. New York went hitless after the fifth inning.
Victorino connected for a two-run shot off Preston Claiborne (0-2) in the eighth. Joba Chamberlain walked in a run later in the inning, and Stephen Drew made it 12-8 with an RBI single.
Brandon Workman (5-2) threw 1 1-3 hitless innings for the win.
ATHLETICS 7, ASTROS 5
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Josh Donaldson had three hits, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Oakland beat Houston to move into first in the AL West.
Jed Lowrie added two hits and two RBIs for Oakland, which has won six of eight. Yoenis Cespedes and Nate Freiman had two hits apiece.
The A's grabbed a half-game lead over the Rangers, who lost 6-5 at the Los Angeles Angels.
A.J. Griffin (13-9) gave up four runs over six innings.
Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook combined to retire six batters, and Grant Balfour worked the ninth for his 37th save.
Houston starter Dallas Keuchel (5-9) struggled in his third start against the A's this season, allowing 10 hits and five runs in just 3 2-3 innings.
MARINERS 6, RAYS 4
SEATTLE (AP) - Justin Smoak doubled in a pair of runs off Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta in the eighth inning and Seattle rallied for a victory over the Rays.
The Rays' lead was cut to two games over the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles in the race for the second wild-card berth in the American League.
After tying the game in the top of the eighth, the Rays couldn't keep the Mariners from going ahead.
Kyle Seager hit a fly ball off Peralta (2-6) deep into the gap in left-center.
Though center fielder Desmond Jennings got in position for the play, the ball caromed off the heel of his glove and fell to the turf allowing Seager to reach second base on the error.
Kendrys Morales walked before Smoak's fly down the right field line just missed the glove of a diving Wil Myers. Seager and pinch runner Abraham Almonte scored to give the Mariners a 6-4 lead.
Carter Capps (3-3) picked up the victory in relief.
Danny Farquhar pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 13th save.
ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 0
BALTIMORE (AP) - Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 48th home run, Scott Feldman pitched a five-hitter for his first career shutout and Baltimore beat extended Chicago's losing streak to eight games.
Davis connected in the sixth inning off John Danks to move within two homers of tying Brady Anderson for the single-season club record. The solo shot gave Davis 123 RBIs, second-most in the majors behind Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (130).
Danny Valencia and Matt Wieters also homered for the Orioles. All three long balls came off Danks (4-12).
Making his 11th start since he was acquired in a trade with the Cubs on July 2, Feldman (5-4) allowed only one runner past first base. The right-hander walked one and struck out three in improving to 5-2 lifetime against the White Sox.
TIGERS 16, ROYALS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Omar Infante set career highs with five hits and six RBIs, Andy Dirks also went 5 for 5 and Detroit pounded Kansas City.
Austin Jackson drove in four runs as the Tigers finished with a season-high 26 hits. Dirks, who is hitting .410 against Kansas City this season, scored four times.
Infante had run-producing singles in the second, fourth and seventh innings and a three-run double in the fifth. It was more than enough support for Anibal Sanchez (13-7), who allowed one run in seven innings while lowering his AL-best ERA to 2.61.
James Shields (10-9), who was 4-0 in his previous five starts, was charged with 10 runs and 14 hits in 3 2-3 innings in his shortest start of the season. The runs and hits matched career-worst totals for the right-hander.
ANGELS 6, RANGERS 5
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Mark Trumbo hit a three-run homer and C.J. Wilson pitched into the seventh inning to beat Texas for the first time, leading Los Angeles over the Rangers.
Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun had RBI singles during a five-run fourth inning for the Angels, who have won 11 of 14 late in their lost season. Trumbo capped the rally with his 30th homer.
Alex Rios and Elvis Andrus homered for the Rangers.
.Ernesto Frieri allowed Leonys Martin's two-out double in the ninth before Andrus' single to left, the first run allowed by the Angels' Colombian closer in 11 games since Aug. 10. Frieri then struck out Ian Kinsler on a 95-mph fastball for his 31st save.
Wilson (15-6) allowed seven hits and four runs, persevering through a few jams for his first win over the Rangers since he left the club two seasons ago.
Matt Garza (3-3) gave up nine hits and five runs over seven innings in his third straight winless start, largely staying in control outside the Angels' big fourth inning.
BLUE JAYS 6, TWINS 5
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - R.A. Dickey pitched into the seventh inning for Toronto, and the Blue Jays hung on for a victory over Minnesota.
Dickey (12-12) won his third straight start, giving up seven hits and three runs to a Twins team he was a reliever for in 2009. He struck out four and walked one.
Jose Reyes reached base all four times and sparked a five-run second against Mike Pelfrey (5-11) with an RBI single. Brett Lawrie hit a two-run single and Moises Sierra followed with a two-run double in that inning.
Casey Janssen gave up a home run to rookie catcher Josmil Pinto in the ninth, but closed it out for his 28th save in 30 tries on a strikeout-caught stealing double play.
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INTERLEAGUE
INDIANS 8, METS 1
CLEVELAND (AP) - Scott Kazmir struck out a season-high 12 in six innings, Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and Cleveland continued its playoff push with a win over New York.
Kazmir (8-7) struck out at least one batter in each inning, including the side in the first, third and sixth. The left-hander, who has been pushed back in the rotation for extra rest over the last month, held the Mets to four hits, allowed no walks and hit a batter in winning for the first time since Aug. 4.
Swisher's grand slam came in the eighth and Carlos Santana added two RBIs.
Cleveland is two games out of the second wild-card spot. The Indians have won three of four on their homestand after losing ground in the playoff chase during a 3-6 road trip.
Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler (7-4) allowed three runs in five innings and lost for the first time in his career on the road.