Saturday's American League Capsules

Games played April 12, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) - Brian McCann put an emphatic end to his season-opening slump, hitting his first two home runs for the New York Yankees to help beat John Lackey and the Boston Red Sox 7-4 Saturday.

Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano and Kelly Johnson also connected as the Yankees scored all their runs on homers. Lackey (2-1) was tagged for a career-high four home runs in 5 2-3 innings.

New York has won two of three in a series that wraps up Sunday night.

A.J. Pierzynski hit his first home run for the Red Sox.

Hiroki Kuroda (2-1) pitched into the seventh, and reliever Matt Thornton gave up Mike Carp's two-run single that made it 6-4. With runners at the corners, Carp was caught stealing for the third out.

Shawn Kelley pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.

INDIANS 12, WHITE SOX 6

CHICAGO (AP) - Ryan Raburn hit a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning to lead Cleveland over Chicago.

Nick Swisher, Jason Kipnis and David Murphy homered for Cleveland, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Murphy added a bases-loaded triple in a four-run ninth against Donnie Veal.

The Indians improved to 18-4 against the White Sox since the beginning of last season, overcoming another shaky start by Justin Masterson. Josh Outman (2-0), Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen combined for 3 1-3 innings of one-hit relief before closer John Axford finished in a non-save situation.

Adam Eaton hit his first homer for the White Sox. Ronald Belisario (1-1) took the loss.

TWINS 7, ROYALS 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the season and Ricky Nolasco earned his initial win for Minnesota in a victory over Kansas City.

A day after getting his first RBI of the year, Mauer hit a three-run shot against James Shields. Brian Dozier connected for his fourth home run, a leadoff drive for the Twins.

Nolasco (1-1) showed why the Twins signed him to a $49 million, four-year contract to steady their rotation. In his first home start for Minnesota, the right-hander went eight innings and allowed five hits.

Shields (0-2) yielded seven runs - one earned - in 5 2-3 innings.

ORIOLES 2, BLUE JAYS 1, 12 INNINGS

BALTIMORE (AP) - Steve Lombardozzi tripled and scored on a single by David Lough in the 12th inning for Baltimore.

Toronto trailed 1-0 with two outs in the ninth when Colby Rasmus hit a solo homer off Tommy Hunter on a 1-2 pitch. After nearly going around on a check swing one pitch earlier, Rasmus drove a 98 mph fastball into the right-field seats.

In the 12th, Lombardozzi hit a one-out drive to center off Todd Redmond (0-1) before Lough sliced an opposite-field liner to left. As soon as Lombardozzi crossed the plate, the Orioles sprinted from the dugout to embrace Lough, who scored Baltimore's other run five innings earlier.

Zach Britton (2-0) got the win with two hitless innings of relief.

ATHLETICS 3, MARINERS 1

SEATTLE (AP) - Sonny Gray overcame a shaky start to allow one run in seven innings and Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer as Oakland won for the fifth time in six games.

Gray (2-0) gave up his only run in the first when Seattle failed to capitalize when they had runners at first and third and no outs. Gray stymied the Mariners from there, allowing only singles to Logan Morrison in the fourth and Robinson Cano in the sixth, and a double by Dustin Ackley in the seventh. It was another dominant performance by the young right-hander who has given up only two earned runs in three starts this season, and earned his second win in a week against Seattle.

Donaldson's first inning blow was the only offense Oakland needed. He lined a 2-0 pitch from Seattle starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-2) over the hand-operated scoreboard for the early lead.

ASTROS 6, RANGERS 5, 10 INNINGS

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jason Castro tripled with one out in the 10th and Jose Altuve had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly, helping the Astros beat the Rangers to end a 12-game skid against their state rival.

Marwin Gonzalez, running for Castro, scored Altuve's fly off Rangers closer Joakim Soria (1-1).

Michael Choice hit his first career homer in the ninth to tie it as Texas rallied in the eighth and the ninth to send the foes into extra innings for the second straight night.

Kevin Chapman (1-0) allowed Choice's homer but was awarded the victory. Anthony Bass pitched the 10th for his second save.

Shin-Soo Choo came into the game having reached base 12 of his previous 16 plate appearances but struck out all five times up.

INTERLEAGUE

METS 7, ANGELS 6, 13 INNINGS

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Anthony Recker led off the 13th inning with a home run against rookie Matt Shoemaker and also had a two-run single, leading the Mets to a victory over the Angels.

Mets new closer Jose Valverde came on in the ninth to protect a 6-3 lead for Jonathon Niese, but allowed a three-run homer to 41-year-old Raul Ibanez.

Shoemaker (0-1), the eighth Angels pitcher, escaped his own bases-loaded jam in the 12th by striking out Juan Lagares. But Recker drove the right-hander's second pitch of the 13th into the left field bullpen for his first homer of the season.

John Lannan (1-0) pitched two perfect innings for the victory.

RAYS 1, REDS 0

CINCINNATI (AP) - Alex Cobb went seven innings to extend Tampa Bay's run of solid starting pitching, and James Loney homered against slumping Cincinnati.

The Rays came into the interleague series with a 1-8 mark against Cincinnati. They've taken the first two games with shutdown pitching and just enough offense.

Cobb (1-1) pitched seven shutout innings against Texas on Sunday but got a no-decision. He kept the scoreless streak going Saturday, limiting Cincinnati's struggling lineup to four hits without walking a batter.

Grant Balfour got three outs for his fourth save, finishing the four-hitter.

Loney led off the second inning with his first homer against Alfredo Simon (1-1), who matched his career high with eight innings and allowed only five hits.

Cincinnati stranded a pair at third base and had runners thrown out at third and home. The Reds have lost all four of their series this season, falling to 3-8 for the first time since 1995, when they won the NL Central.

TIGERS 6, PADRES 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Justin Verlander had the first two hits of his career and pitched seven strong innings to lead Detroit over San Diego.

Verlander, who came in 0 for 26 with 15 strikeouts, singled up the middle off Ian Kennedy (1-2) in the second inning and had a base hit to right in the fourth, although he had to hustle to avoid being thrown out by Chris Denorfia. Verlander (1-1) scored on Torii Hunter's two-run single in the fourth.

Verlander allowed two runs and eight hits, struck out eight and walked one. Austin Jackson hit a two-run double and Rajai Davis scored three runs.