FG lifts Titans past Steelers

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Even on a night when Ben Roethlisberger became Pittsburgh's career passing leader, he couldn't solve the Steelers' road woes.

Rob Bironas' 40-yard field goal as time expired Thursday gave the Tennessee Titans a 26-23 victory over the Steelers, who have lost their first three road games this season. Pittsburgh (2-3) has dropped five of its last six road contests in a stretch that dates to last season.

"We're not doing enough things to finish games in hostile environments," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "That's just the reality right now. Hopefully, it's just right now. We didn't do the job tonight. We defeated ourselves in some areas. We'll go back to work. Needless to say, it's disappointing."

Roethlisberger went 24 of 40 for 363 yards with a touchdown and an interception to give him a franchise-record 28,066 yards passing. Terry Bradshaw had 27,989 from 1970-83.

Roethlisberger also put Shaun Suisham in position to deliver a winning kick for the second straight week. Only this time, Suisham's job was much tougher.

Suisham had made a 34-yard field goal as time expired Sunday in the Steelers' 16-14 victory over Philadelphia that gave Roethlisberger his 25th career fourth-quarter comeback. The score was tied 23-23 with 49 seconds remaining Thursday when Suisham was short on a 54-yard field-goal attempt. His miss allowed the Titans to start their winning drive at their own 45.

Tomlin said he debated whether to go for the field goal in that situation. Suisham had made his three previous attempts, including a 52-yarder.

"He banged the other one before that pretty clean, so I decided to give him a shot at it," Tomlin said. "I take the responsibility for the miss."

The Steelers had scored 13 straight points to take a 23-16 lead before Matt Hasselbeck threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with 4:19 left to tie the score.

Tennessee (2-4) held its first opponent below 30 points this season. The Titans had given up more points than any other team in the NFL.

"It's only one win, we know that," Titans coach Mike Munchak said. "But it's a great win for us at this point in the season when we needed a win to show people what we're all about."

Chris Johnson ran for 91 yards on 19 carries, and Hasselbeck finished with 290 yards passing.

"It feels good to win against a good opponent," said Hasselbeck, who started his second straight game in place of injured Jake Locker. "It feels good to win a close game."

The Steelers were up 20-16 when Lawrence Timmons picked off Hasselbeck's pass, but they had to settle for Suisham's third field goal after moving the ball only 14 yards. That field goal put Pittsburgh up 23-16, and the NFL's fifth-ranked defense couldn't make that stand up.

"We're not scoring enough points, and we're not making the play when we need to," Roethlisberger said.

After the Titans tied the game, Tomlin tried to ice Bironas with a timeout before the game-winning field goal. Bironas waited it out, and then kicked the ball through to give the Titans a rare chance to celebrate this season.

"It's kind of like Kevin Costner in 'For The Love of the Game,' where he clears the mechanism," Bironas said. "You go out there, and you're in the zone."

The Steelers, who played without safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker LaMarr Woodley, head home with a much longer injury report.

Running back Ike Redman caught four passes for 105 yards for the Steelers before injuring his right ankle in the third quarter and never returned. Running back Rashard Mendenhall also went down with an Achilles injury.

Center Maurkice Pouncey injured his right leg on Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert hurt his right ankle in the second quarter. Doug Legursky stepped in for Pouncey, while rookie Mike Adams replaced Gilbert. A Steelers drive stalled when Derrick Morgan got around Adams and sacked Roethlisberger.

Tennessee capitalized on a blocked punt to take the lead early in the second quarter.

On the final play of the first quarter, Tim Shaw broke through the middle of the line and blocked Drew Butler's punt. Jason McCourty recovered at the 1 to give the Titans first-and-goal. That set up a 1-yard burst from Jamie Harper that gave the Titans a 13-10 lead.

Bironas added a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter as Tennessee took a 16-10 lead into halftime..

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Van Persie penalty lifts United to win over Liverpool

LONDON — Robin van Persie ended Manchester United's five-year wait for a win at Liverpool on Sunday, and Arsenal maintained its unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a draw at Manchester City.

Van Persie converted a late penalty kick to clinch a 2-1 victory at Anfield after both teams had paid tribute to the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster before the game.

United was a man up from the 39th minute when Jonjo Shelvey was sent off, but Steven Gerrard managed to give Liverpool the lead with a volley at the start of the second half — only for Rafael da Silva to equalize.

And Van Persie's winner prolonged Liverpool's worst start to a season in more than a century, while lifting United to second.

City is three points further back after Joleon Lescott headed the champions ahead in the first half, but then failed to clear a late corner, allowing Laurent Koscielny to recover a 1-1 draw for Arsenal.

Also Sunday, Jermain Defoe's winner gave Tottenham a 2-1 win against Queens Park Rangers and Demba Ba gave Newcastle a 1-0 victory over Norwich.

The day's action began with an emotionally charged meeting of English soccer's fiercest rivals as Liverpool played at Anfield for the first time since the release of a report into the Hillsborough tragedy that exposed the police coverup and exonerated Reds fans.

In a show of unity before kickoff, Liverpool and United players wore tracksuit tops featuring the number 96 — the amount of Reds fans crushed to death 23 years ago.

Luis Suarez even shook hands with Patrick Evra, with no repeat of the snub that followed the Liverpool striker being banned for racially abusing the United defender in the Anfield fixture last October.

But by the end of the game there had been chants from a small number of Liverpool fans about the 1958 Munich disaster which killed eight United players. And, despite pre-match appeals from manager Alex Ferguson, there were taunts from United fans directed at the home support.

The usual hostilities had started to rage after Shelvey was sent off for launching himself at Jonny Evans, who Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers felt should also have been dismissed.

"I think both players' feet are off the floor," he said.

There was also a heated exchange of words between Shelvey and Ferguson, who later said: "He was trying to blame me."

There was an apology — of sorts — from Shelvey later.

"I have also apologized to Sir Alex, just where I come from people don't grass people up to get someone sent off," Shelvey wrote on Twitter.

LONDON — Former England captain John Terry unexpectedly quit international soccer Sunday before he was due to face a Football Association hearing on a racism charge, saying his place on the team had become "untenable."

Despite being cleared in court of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match last year, Terry was facing a lengthy ban if found guilty by an F.A. panel this week.

"I have always given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision," Terry said.

The 31-year-old Chelsea defender was fired as England's captain in February but was allowed to continue playing.

"I am making this statement today in advance of the hearing of the F.A. disciplinary charge because I feel the F.A., in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable," Terry said.

Terry has no plans to stop playing for Chelsea, where he has spent his entire career.

But the F.A. could still ban Terry for eight club matches, the punishment Liverpool striker Luis Suarez received last year for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in a game.

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Beltre home run lifts Rangers; Darvish earns 16th win

ANAHEIM, California — Although Adrian Beltre was nearly doubled over in abdominal pain before the game, he still demanded a spot in Texas manager Ron Washington's lineup.

Sweet 16: Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish prepares to field the ball against the Angels on Thursday. Texas won 3-1. KYODO

After Beltre's ninth-inning homer, the Los Angeles Angels were the ones with a sick feeling in their stomachs.

Beltre hit a tiebreaking two-run shot off closer Ernesto Frieri, and the Rangers dealt yet another blow to Los Angeles' fading playoff hopes with a 3-1 victory Thursday night.

Texas (89-60) improved the AL's best record and stayed four games ahead of Oakland (85-64) in the AL West by taking two of three from the Angels (81-69), who dropped 4? games behind the Athletics and Baltimore in the AL wild-card standings.

After a scintillating eight-inning duel between Yu Darvish and Zack Greinke, Beltre connected for his 34th homer against Frieri (3-2), who wasted a fine start by Greinke for the second time in six days.

"I was glad to be in there, and I'm just glad (Washington) allowed me to be in there," Beltre said. "This is the time of year you want to play. It's not the place or time to relax right now, especially against an opponent in our division."

Beltre missed Wednesday's game and nearly sat out Thursday with abdominal troubles before talking his way into the lineup during batting practice. He went 0-for-3 against Greinke, but smashed a hanging slider from Frieri after Michael Young's leadoff single.

"That was the pitch that I wanted to throw," Frieri said. "He hit it. So what? Every pitch that I made is because I wanted to throw it. He's a good hitter, and that happens. Maybe I didn't put that pitch where I wanted to put it, but I wanted to throw that pitch."

Darvish (16-9) held the Angels to four hits and struck out nine while matching Greinke, who gave up five hits and struck out eight. Neither team managed an extra-base hit in the first eight innings.

Darvish was largely unhittable for the fifth consecutive start, repeatedly mixing 153-mph fastballs and 105-kph breaking balls while retiring 14 of the Angels' first 16 hitters. The rookie is actually getting better as he closes in on his first major league-playoff experience, leaving Young marveling at the right-hander's improvements.

"I'm learning about myself, especially before this (good) stretch, when I wasn't consistent and wasn't performing," Darvish said through a translator. "These outings are something the team expects. They acquired me to perform like this."

Joe Nathan gave up a two-out double to Albert Pujols in the ninth, but got Kendrys Morales on a fly to finish his 34th save.

The Rangers won their second straight game without slugger Josh Hamilton, who will return to Texas for further examination of a sinus condition.

Yankees 10, Blue Jays 7

In New York, streaking Ichiro Suzuki hit a go-ahead, two-run double in a seven-run fourth inning that was capped by Nick Swisher's grand slam, and the Yankees beat Toronto to open a one-game AL East lead over idle Baltimore.

Ichiro, who finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, homered in the third, then doubled in the fourth. His ninth hit in 10 at-bats chased Aaron Laffey (3-6).

Athletics 12, Tigers 4

In Detroit, Seth Smith homered, doubled and drove in four runs, and Oakland roughed up Anibal Sanchez to avoid a three-game sweep.

Royals 4, White Sox 3

In Kansas City, Alex Rios was thrown out at the plate, Alexei Ramirez was picked off third base and AL Central-leading Chicago again failed to come up with a clutch hit.

Rays 7, Red Sox 4

In St. Petersburg, Florida, B.J. Upton hit a game-ending, three-run homer off Vicente Padilla, capping Tampa Bay's six-run ninth in a win over Boston.

Indians 4, Twins 3 (10)

In Cleveland, Casey Kotchman hit an RBI single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to lead the Indians to a win over Minnesota.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Nationals 4, Dodgers 1

In Washington, the Nationals brought postseason baseball back to the nation's capital for the first time since 1933, earning a playoff spot.

"Nats Clinch" flashed on the scoreboard as Washington ensured at least an NL wild-card spot behind Ross Detwiler's six strong innings and Ryan Zimmerman's RBI double.

Reds 5, Cubs 3

In Chicago, Cincinnati became the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Phillies 16, Mets 1

In New York, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley sparked an eight-run first inning, Ryan Howard added a late grand slam and the Phillies routed the inept Mets.

Cardinals 5, Astros 4

In St. Louis, pinch hitter Carlos Beltran snapped a sixth-inning tie with a two-run double and Allen Craig hit a three-run homer.

Brewers 9, Pirates 7

In Pittsburgh, Rickie Weeks hit a tying two-run triple and scored the go-ahead run on Aramis Ramirez's single.

Norichika Aoki was 2-for-6 with an RBI for Milwaukee.

Giants 9, Rockies 2

In San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval homered from both sides of the plate and the NL West-leading Giants reduced their magic number to clinch the division to four.

Padres 6, Diamondbacks 5

In Phoenix, Jesus Guzman homered to help San Diego get the victory.

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Van Persie's hat trick lifts United to victory

LONDON — Robin van Persie made up for an embarrassing failure from the penalty spot by grabbing a hat trick with two late goals in Manchester United's dramatic 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday, earning the English giants a second straight win in the Premier League.

In a fitting way to mark United manager Alex Ferguson's 1,000th league game in charge, Van Persie equalized in the 87th minute before heading home a corner in the second minute of injury time for his fourth goal since joining from Arsenal for ?24 million ($38 million) in the offseason.

The Gunners showed earlier there is life after Van Persie when new signings Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla scored their first goals for the club in a 2-0 win over struggling Liverpool.

The loss leaves Liverpool rooted in the bottom three after the club's worst start to a season in 50 years, compounding its woes after a failure to add some much-needed signings to the squad on Friday's transfer deadline day.

In the day's other match, Aston Villa earned its first point of the campaign with a 1-1 draw at Newcastle, only being denied victory because of Hatem Ben Arfa's stunning second-half equalizer.

Van Persie's late show, which took him to 100 Premier League goals in 197 games, will have come as a mighty relief for the Netherlands striker, after his impudent chipped penalty was clawed away by goalkeeper Kelvin Davis in the 68th minute.

The score was 2-1 to Southampton at the time and United looked headed for a second loss in three games before Van Persie's last-gasp intervention.

"I don't know what I was thinking with the penalty. I was going to hit it hard but at the last second I changed my mind," Van Persie said. "I'm quite disappointed about it. I ask certain standards from my game and at 2-1 down you cannot take a penalty like that."

Ferguson, famous for what the British media calls the "hairdryer treatment" in the dressing room when his team or player underperforms, was all smiles after the match despite Van Persie's error of judgment.

"I was surprised because every time I've seen him take a penalty he usually rattles it into the corners, so I was confident," Ferguson said. "But he made up for it."

United rose to fifth place on six points, one behind neighbor and reigning champion Manchester City and three behind early leader Chelsea.

Arsenal is in eighth place, a point further back than United.

MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice before injuring his leg to steer Real Madrid to a 3-0 home win over Granada on Sunday, the defending champions' first victory after three rounds of the Spanish season.

Barcelona, meanwhile, edged out Valencia 1-0 thanks to Adriano's first-half screamer to remain perfect after three games and lead the standings.

Madrid displayed little of the attacking flair it unleashed to topple Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup earlier this week, but Ronaldo's first league goals this season proved more than enough against the modest talents of Granada.

Ronaldo scored in the 26th and 54th minutes before leaving the pitch grimacing and favoring his left leg following a tackle by Borja Gomez that cost the Granada defender a second booking.

The Portugal striker didn't celebrate his goals.

"I am a little sad. When I don't score goals I am not happy," Ronaldo said, enigmatically adding that he was displeased for "professional" reasons with "people inside the club."

With Granada down a man, Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 76th to seal the much-needed win. Madrid had only one point after the first two rounds. It trails Barcelona by five points.

"Ronaldo is an important player for us, he is our goal-scorer," Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said. "I hope he takes advantage of (this week's) international break and gets better soon."

Also Sunday, Athletic Bilbao beat Valladolid 2-0 for the Basques' first win of the season. Sevilla drew 0-0 at Rayo Vallecano, and 10-man Levante came from behind to win 3-2 against visiting Espanyol.

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Kawasaki hit lifts Mariners

Good job: Seattle manager Eric Wedge (left) and shortstop Munenori Kawasaki celebrate after the Mariners' 8-6 win over the Angels on Monday. Kawsaki hit a three-run double in the fifth inning. AP

ANAHEIM, California — Munenori Kawasaki had a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning and John Jaso had three hits, leading the Seattle Mariners to an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge credited the win to reliever Tom Wilhelmsen.

Wilhelmsen retired Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo with the tying runs on second and third in the eighth inning.

"When you're facing those two hitters in that situation, you can't ask for anything more," Wedge said. "He did a great job of making them work and then he had to finish it off in the ninth. It was a great performance by Tom."

The Angels had cut the Mariners' 8-4 lead to two runs and Pujols coming up with one out in the eighth. Wedge replaced Shawn Kelley with Wilhelmsen.

Pujols hit a comebacker to the mound and John Hester got caught in a rundown between third and home and was tagged out. Hester kept the rundown going long enough to allow Pujols to reach second.

Wilhelmsen then struck out Trumbo, the cleanup hitter. Wilhelmsmen pitched a scoreless ninth for his first career save.

Kyle Seager homered and Seattle had 10 hits overall.

Mariners starter Jason Vargas (7-4) gave up four runs and nine hits in 5? innings. He struck out a season-best eight.

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki finished 0-for-5.

Athletics 12, Rangers 1

In Oakland, rookie Jarrod Parker held Texas hitless until the eighth inning and Brandon Inge drove in four runs in the Athletics' eight-run second inning.

Twins 10, Royals 7

In Kansas City, Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham each hit two-run homers, Trevor Plouffe also went deep and Minnesota held off the Royals.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cardinals 5, Mets 4

In New York, Allen Craig hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and St. Louis found a bit of missing pop, stopping its season-worst losing streak at five.

Giants 3, Cubs 2

In San Francisco, Ryan Vogelsong won his fourth straight decision, Buster Posey scored the go-ahead run on a double-play grounder in the seventh inning and the Giants beat Chicago for a four-game sweep.

Dodgers 4, Phillies 3

In Philadelphia, Elian Herrera hit a tiebreaking RBI single off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.

Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 0

In Phoenix, Colorado rookie Christian Friedrich pitched four-hit ball for seven innings in the best outing of his young career and the Rockies won for the seventh time in eight games.

SECAUCUS NEW JERSEY — Carlos Correa was all smiles when he heard his name announced, knowing he had made hometown history at the baseball draft.

The Houston Astros selected the 17-year-old slugging shortstop with the No. 1 pick Monday night, making him the first player from Puerto Rico to lead off the draft.

"This means a lot," Correa said from the draft site at MLB Network studios. "We've got a lot of good players there."

Correa, however, is the only one to be drafted first from an island that has produced its share of baseball royalty: Roberto Clemente, Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Juan Gonzalez and Bernie Williams.

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Matsunaka lifts Hawks past Marines

CHIBA — The Chiba Lotte Marines couldn't come through for their pitcher again.

Milestone moment: Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Atsunori Inaba acknowledges the fans at Sendai's Kleenex Stadium on Saturday after getting his 2,000th career hit on a first-inning RBI single. KYODO

Nobuhiko Matsunaka made sure the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks didn't make the same mistake.

Matsunaka hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to help propel starter Tadashi Settsu and the Hawks to a 3-2 victory over the Marines on Saturday afternoon at QVC Marine Field.

"I was only thinking about how to bring the runner in," Matsunaka said. "I just did my best."

Tomoaki Egawa had a big day at the plate for the Hawks, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple. His third hit came against Lotte's Yasuhiko Yabuta to lead off the ninth. Yuya Hasegawa laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Egawa to second, and manager Koji Akiyama sent Matsunaka to the plate to pinch hit for Toru Hosokawa, who was 1-for-3.

Matsunaka worked the count full before lining a single into right to bring home Egawa.

Hasegawa finished 0-for-3 with an RBI and Nobuhiro Matsuda had a pair of hits and drove in a run.

Softbank's Yuchi Honda started the game at second base, but was removed due to neck pain in the third inning. Honda had played every inning of every game since facing the Orix Buffaloes on April 13, 2010, a span of 293 games.

Matsunaka's heroics helped Settsu (4-0) remain unbeaten. The Hawks starter gave up two runs on five hits and struck out five. Brian Falkenborg worked the ninth for the PL-leading ninth save.

There was no such luck for Marines starter Yoshihisa Naruse.

Naruse (1-2) threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking one. He didn't factor into the decision. It was the third consecutive outing Naruse gave up just a single run over at least seven innings without earning a victory.

Yabuta (0-1) took the loss.

Tomoya Satozaki provided all the offense for the Marines, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Ikuhiro Kiyota drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the second inning and stole second with Satozaki at the plate. The Marines catcher drove him in with single to right, making the score 1-0.

Katsuya Kakunaka doubled with two away in the fourth, and Kiyota singled to put runners on the corners. Satozaki delivered again, this time with an RBI single that put the Marines ahead 2-0.

"Because we haven't always been able to support Naruse, I'm glad we were able to score early," Satozaki said.

In the end, scoring early wasn't enough.

Egawa started the Hawks half of the seventh with a triple off Naruse and was driven in by Hasegawa later in the inning.

In the eighth, with reliever Naoya Masuda on the mound, reigning Pacific League MVP Seiichi Uchikawa singled to right. With Uchikawa on first, Matsuda hit a game-tying RBI double that left Naruse on the outside of the decision.

SENDAI — Atsunori Inaba recorded his 2,000th career hit with an RBI single in the first inning, but the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were unable to celebrate it with a win in a 3-3, 10th-inning tie against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Saturday.

The Eagles turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead in the fifth against Yuki Saito. The Fighters Ham tied the game in the sixth on Kensuke Tanaka's RBI infield single and a bases-loaded walk to Yoshio Itoi.

Inaba, the 39th player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 2,000-hit mark, went hitless in his other four at-bats.

"I'm glad I got my 2,000th in a clutch situation," Inaba said. "I wasn't too eager to get it done. It was our scoring chance. I just tried to drive in a run.

"I'm so happy that not only Fighters fans in the right-field stands but also Rakuten fans were giving me a round of applause."

Lions 8, Buffaloes 4

At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Esteban German broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh inning as Seibu beat Orix for its third straight victory.

Kazuhisa Ishii (2-0) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. Yuki Nishi (2-2) took the loss.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Dragons 3, BayStars 1

At Nagoya Dome, Soma Yamauchi threw one-run ball over 7? innings and Tony Blanco hit a solo homer as Chunichi held off Yokohama.

Naomichi Donoue and Ryosuke Hirata had RBI singles in the second and third, respectively, for the Dragons and Blanco added a leadoff blast in the fourth.

Alex Ramirez hit a pitch-hit RBI double in the eighth for the BayStars.

Swallows 6, Carp 4

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Wladimir Balentien overturned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead with a three-run drive off Kam Mickolio (1-1) in the ninth inning, lifting Tokyo Yakult past Hiroshima to extend its unbeaten streak to seven games.

Third-year right-hander Ryo Hirai (1-0) won in relief for first-place Yakult. Hiroshima has lost three straight and six of its last seven.

Giants 7, Tigers 2

At Tokyo Dome, Toshiya Sugiuchi (3-1) tossed seven innings of two-run ball, Hayato Sakamoto went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and Yomiuri routed Hanshin in the opener of a three-game series homestand.

The Giants overturned a 1-0 deficit to take a 3-1 lead on a wild pitch and a two-run throwing error by Atsushi Nomi (2-2) in the first. Yoshinobu Takahashi hit a two-run single and Hisayoshi Chono a leadoff drive in the third and fourth innings.

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Rookie Ross lifts Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers rookie Robbie Ross makes his way to the bullpen before each game wearing a kiddie cowboy vest and hat while carrying a pink backpack and plush stuffed horse.

Crucial clout: Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes blasts a two-run homer against Chicago in the bottom of the 14th inning on Wednesday. The Athletics beat the White Sox 5-4. AP

There's nothing kid-like about the way the 22-year-old left-hander is pitching.

Ross worked 2? perfect innings in relief for his AL-best fourth victory and the Rangers beat the New York Yankees 7-3 on Wednesday night, winning their sixth consecutive series to start a season for the first time in franchise history.

"He's doing the job, he has no fear, he throws the ball over the plate," manager Ron Washington said.

As for the two-time defending American League champion Rangers (15-4) having the best record in the majors, Washington said, "We're just playing complete baseball."

Adrian Beltre hit one of the Rangers' three homers and a pair of RBI singles. Mile Napoli and Mitch Moreland also homered.

After Scott Feldman gave up two runs in 3? innings of a spot start, Ross retired all eight batters he faced with two strikeouts.

The Rangers said Ross (4-0) is the first pitcher in the majors since at least 1918 to earn four relief wins in his first six career appearances. He hasn't allowed an earned run in his eight innings, either.

"I didn't expect anything like this," said Ross, who wasn't even really in the team's plans for this season until an impressive spring.

Ross is getting noticed for more than the cowboy get-up put together by veteran pitchers that he has to put on before each game to walk from the dugout to the bullpen.

"I'm totally fine with that as long as I can be here," he said. "I'm just enjoying it so far, soaking it all in and trying to remember what's going good right now."

Red Sox 7, Twins 5

In Minneapolis, Mike Aviles homered and the Boston bullpen just barely avoided another big collapse.

The Red Sox led 7-1 after five innings, but their beleaguered bullpen was able to hang on with 3? scoreless innings of relief. Last Saturday, Boston blew a 9-0 lead against the Yankees.

Minnesota's Liam Hendriks (0-1) gave up seven runs on nine hits and two walks in four innings.

Mariners 9, Tigers 1

In Detroit, Felix Hernandez allowed only a run in seven innings and rookie Alex Liddi hit a two-run homer.

Ichiro Suzuki finished 3-for-5 for Seattle.

Rays 3, Angels 2

In St. Petersberg, Florida, Jeremy Hellickson overcame early struggles to pitch six effective innings and Ben Zobrist homered.

Royals 8, Indians

In Cleveland, Billy Butler hit two of Kansas City's four home runs to help the Royals snap a 12-game losing streak.

Orioles 3, Blue Jays 0

In Baltimore, Jason Hammel pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and Wilson Betemit and Chris Davis homered for the Orioles.

Athletics 5, White Sox 4 (14)

In Oakland, Kila Ka'aihue blooped a winning single in the 14th inning soon after Yoenis Cespedes' tying two-run homer.

Kosuke Fukudome finished 1-for-4 with an RBI for Chicago.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Mets 1, Marlins 1

In New York, David Wright hit a two-run homer to become the Mets' career RBIs leader and R.A. Dickey outpitched Mark Buehrle in a crafty duel.

Nationals 7 Padres 2

In San Diego, Jordan Zimmermann helped Washington set a team record for the longest scoreless innings streak for starters before Orlando Hudson homered and the NL East-leading Nationals beat San Diego.

Cardinals 5, Cubs 1

In Chicago, David Freese homered and Lance Lynn threw eight strong innings.

Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 2

In Phoenix, Cole Hamels pitched eight strong innings and also hit a two-run single as Philadelphia beat Arizona.

Reds 4, Giants 2

In Cincinnati, Scott Rolen's homer started a four-run rally in the seventh inning that swept the Reds to a win.

Astros 7, Brewers 5

In Milwaukee, Jose Altuve had a career-best four hits and J.D. Martinez had three hits and three RBIs as Houston ended its 11-game losing streak to the Brewers.

Norichika Aoki was a 0-for-1 in a pinch-hit appearance.

Rockies 2, Pirates 1 (1st)

Pirates 5, Rockies 1 (2nd)

In Pittsburgh, Pedro Alvarez hit his second home run of the day and Charlie Morton pitched seven solid innings in the night cap for the Pirates.

In the opener, Colorado broke up James McDonald's no-hit bid in the seventh. Matt Reynolds (2-0) won in relief and Rafael Betancourt worked the ninth for his sixth save.

Chris Resop (0-2) lost after relieving McDonald in the eighth.

Braves 4, Dodgers 2

In Los Angeles, Chipper Jones singled home the go-ahead run in his final regular season at-bat at Dodger Stadium after Dan Uggla tied it with his second RBI single earlier in the ninth inning to lead Atlanta.

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Big Joho performance lifts Grouses over 89ers

Masashi Joho was the best scorer in the bj-league on Sunday.

For years, he's also been one of the most electrifying, hard-working, make-it-happen players in the fledgling circuit.

Joho's 34-point, six-rebound, five-assist, one-steal effort was the deciding factor in the Toyama Grouses' 80-75 victory over the visiting Sendai 89ers in Shinminato, Toyama Prefecture.

Toyama improved to 12-12 and climbed into fourth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference. Sendai (12-14) fell to fifth place. Six teams will represent the East in the playoffs.

Joho, a standout for the Osaka Evessa, Tokyo Apache and Shiga Lakestars in past seasons, had a quiet eight-point performance on 3-for-15 shooting in the series opener, which the Grouses won. A day later, he made big shot after big shot to will his team to victory, finishing 13-for-24 from the field (10-for-16 from inside the arc) and 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.

"If Joho doesn't get selected Best Five after this season, that award doesn't mean much," 89ers coach Bob Pierce said after the game, referring to the league's annual Best Five Team. "Thirty-four points, and there were stretches he scored or had the assist on every possession."

Devin Searcy added 17 points and Haakim Johnson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals for the much-improved Toyama squad under bench boss Kazuaki Shimoji.

Dan Fitzgerald paced the 89ers with 22 points with 10 rebounds, Rashaad Singleton had 12 points, Takuya Komoda 11 and Johnny Dukes 10.

In a tight contest, Toyama's 44-36 rebounding edge, including 16-8 on the offensive glass, was significant.

"It was a great game for the fans," Pierce said. "Takuya Komoda had a great run in the second quarter, scoring on two straight 3-pointers as we grabbed a 35-34 lead going into the break.

"We had good performances from several players, but again turnovers (19) and getting out-rebounded stopped us from ever taking control of the game. That and too much No. 31 (Joho)."

HeatDevils 63, Evessa 62

In Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, T.J. Cummings scored 15 points and Taj Finger's double-double guided Oita to a victory and a surprise sweep over the title-contending Evessa.

Naoto Takushi had his second strong game since the All-Streak break, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals and Finger scored 10 points with 11 boards. Kohei Mitomo supplied 11 points for the HeatDevils (7-19). Former MVP Wendell White was held to six points on 2-for-11 shooting.

Lynn Washington was Osaka's only double-digit scorer (23 points). Wayne Marshall and Mike Bell each scored nine. The Evessa (17-7) had a poor shooting game (22-for-62) from the field.

Hannaryz 77, Five Arrows 52

In Muko, Kyoto Prefecture, the Hannaryz completed a series sweep by routing the league's worst team.

Lance Allred (16 points, 10 rebounds), Jermaine Boyette and Rick Rickert (13 points each), Lee Cummard (12) and Taizo Kawabe (nine) carried the offense for coach Honoo Hamaguchi's club, now 18-6 and sitting in second place in the Western Conference after Osaka's back-to-back defeats.

Paul Butorac led Takamatsu (1-25) with 14 points. The Five Arrows had a dreadful shooting game, going 0-for-8 from 3-point range, 19-for-54 on 2-point shots and 14-for-23 at the foul line.

Lakestars 84, Golden Kings 81

In Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, the hosts edged Western Conference-leading Ryukyu and ended the visitors' seven-game winning streak.

Ray Nixon paced the Lakestars (17-9) with 18 points and eight boards. Julius Ashby added 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, Shinya Ogawa scored 11 points and Yu Okada had 10.

For the Golden Kings (20-6 overall, 13-3 on the road), Naoto Kosuge made 5 of 10 3s and scored a game-best 23 points, Anthony McHenry added 16, Jeff Newton scored 12 and David Palmer had 11. Narito Namizato finished with eight points.

Phoenix 80, Big Bulls 69

In Hamamatsu, the Phoenix improved to 2-0 since ex-Evessa standout Lawrence Blackledge joined the two-time defending champions and swept Iwate.

Jermaine Dixon scored 17 points and dished out eight assists for Hamamatsu Higashimikawa (16-10), Blackledge put 16 points on the board. Jeffrey Parmer had 15 points, Shoji Nakanishi scored 11 and backup center Atsuya Ota chipped in with 15 rebounds, two steals and a block in almost 28 minutes of court time.

Gordon Klaiber led Iwate (7-21) with 24 points and 14 rebounds and Thomas Kennedy scored 15 points. The Big Bulls fell to 0-2 under acting head coach Shinji Tomiyama, who took over for Vlasios Vlaikidis this week. Vlaikidis stepped down to return to his native Greece, where his 81-year-old father has been battling a serious illness.

B-Corsairs 95, Albirex BB 75

In Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Justin Burrell energized Yokohama with a 27-point, 12-rebound, three steal effort as the first-year franchise bounced back from a Saturday loss.

Masayuki Kabaya scored 21 points and Kenji Yamada poured in 19 for the B-Corsairs (12-14), who outscored the hosts 46-28 in the second and third quarters.

After a 14-point, nine-assist performance on Saturday, Niigata guard Nile Murry was effectively neutralized in the rematch. He was held to eight points and five rebounds, but no assists and four turnovers as well.

Chris Holm was the top scorer (18 points) for the Albirex, followed by Yuichi Ikeda (16), Shuhei Komatsu (13) and Erron Maxey (11).

Yokohama won the battle on the boards, hauling in 53 rebounds to Niigata's 33.

Rizing 93, Shining Suns 91

In Fukuoka, balanced scoring carried the Rizing to a win as coach Tadaharu Ogawa's club salvaged a series split.

Kevin Palmer had a major impact on the game, ending it with 23 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists. Carlos Dixon scored 18 points, Jun Nakanishi and Jermaine Dearman each had 16 and Akitomo Takeno supplied 12 for Fukuoka (17-9).

O'Neal Mims led Miyazaki (12-16) with 23 points and Taishiro Shimizu and Darryl Dora contributed 20 apiece.

Susanoo Magic 81, Brave Warriors 80

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Michael Parker was nearly unstoppable — 10-for-14 from the field — and scored 31 points as the hosts edged Shinshu.

Parker collected 11 rebounds and three steals for the Susanoo Magic (15-11). Jeral Davis made his mark with six blocks along with 12 points and six boards, Jumpei Nakama hit three big 3s and scored 15 points and Reggie Golson had seven points and 12 boards.

Derek Raivio had a team-high 24 points for the Brave Warriors (11-15), Lee Roberts and Tyler Hughes scored 12 points apiece and Takato Saito made five steals.

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Goc lifts Panthers past Canucks

Sunrise, Florida — Marcel Goc scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the second period and the Florida Panthers beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 on Monday. Goc also had an assist as the Panthers won for just the third time in nine games.

Also Monday, Kyle Clifford scored the host Los Angeles Kings' first regulation goal in more than 170 minutes, Jack Johnson snapped a personal 17-game goal drought, and Los Angeles emphatically emerged from its scoring slump in a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

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James lifts Wade-less Heat to win over Nets

NEWARK, New Jersey — LeBron James swears he wasn't trying to send a message, though his coach couldn't help but notice.

You're surrounded: Nets guard Deron Williams is swarmed by Heat defenders on Saturday in New Jersey. Miami won 101-90. AP

"You could kind of tell after about halfway through, he took three alley-oop lobs and a 360. I think without even talking to him that kind of spoke to us in volume that he was ready to go," Erik Spoelstra said.

That was during the morning shootaround.

Then James did roughly the same thing against the New Jersey Nets.

James returned to the lineup and scored 22 of his 32 points in the first quarter, and the Miami Heat rolled to a 101-90 victory on Saturday night despite playing without Dwyane Wade.

Wade missed his third straight game with a bruised left foot, but James had the game under control by the time his All-Star teammate arrived at his seat on the bench.

James made his first seven shots, leaping high for dunks, lobs and blocked shots and showing no effects from the sprained left ankle that forced him to miss a game. The NBA's leading scorer added nine assists and seven rebounds.

"If I feel like I'm good to go, then I'm going to go out and play my game," James said. "I'm not going to give no restriction, just try to do the things I do out on the court and I was able to get a couple of breakaways, some easy points, get to the free throw line and I was able to test the ankle out in the first quarter."

Chris Bosh added 16 points after a slow start for the Heat, who won their third straight and ran the NBA's best record to 8-1. They hope to have Wade back when they move to the West for the final three games of a five-game trip.

Mavericks 96, Hornets 81

In Dallas, Vince Carter and Ian Mahinmi had 13 points each as the Mavericks handed New Orleans its sixth consecutive loss.

Carter and Mahinmi led a balanced scoring attack for Dallas (4-5), which won its fourth straight at home and had six players scoring in double figures.

Knicks 103, Pistons 80

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points and Mike Bibby added 16.

Detroit guard Rodney Stuckey sat out with a groin injury, and the Pistons were also without forwards Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva, who had sore ankles.

Thunder 98, Rockets 95

In Houston, Kevin Durant hit a jumper with 22 seconds left and nailed two free throws to give Oklahoma City a win over the Rockets.

Durant finished with 27 points and six rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 25 points and six assists, and reserve Nazr Mohammed had a season-high 17 points and six rebounds for the Thunder.

Hawks 109, Bulls 94

In Atlanta, Josh Smith scored 25 points, Joe Johnson and Vladimir Radmanovic each added 17 and the Hawks beat Chicago to snap the Bulls' six-game winning streak.

The Bulls, who dropped to 7-2 with the loss, had been off to their best start since going 12-0 in 1996-97

Spurs 121, Nuggets 117

In San Antonio, Danny Green scored a season-high 24 points as the Spurs beat Denver for their sixth straight home win.

Clippers 92, Bucks 86

In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Caron Butler scored 20 points to lead the Clippers past undermanned Milwaukee.

76ers 97, Raptors 62

In Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday also scored 14 points to lead the Sixers past Toronto for their fourth straight win.

Jazz 88, Warriors 87

In Oakland, Gordon Hayward made a go-ahead free throw with 11 seconds remaining, lifting Utah past Golden State for its fourth straight victory.

Pacers 99, Bobcats 77

In Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert had 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks despite briefly having to leave the game with a sprained right ankle to lead Indiana to a home victory against Charlotte.

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Cole's late hot streak lifts Heat over Celtics

MIAMI — Norris Cole stepped to the foul line with 9.3 seconds left, set to clinch the game as cries of "M-V-P" rained down upon him from the sold-out stands.

Break on through: New Jersey's Kris Humphries tries to drive past Atlanta's Zaza Pachulia during the Hawks' 106-70 win on Tuesday. AP

No, this wasn't a scene from his days at Cleveland State.

Taking over in just his second NBA game — and with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all on the floor, no less — Cole scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, including three huge jumpers down the stretch to save the Heat in a 115-107 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

"You grow up and live for moments like that," Cole said.

James scored 26 points, Wade had 24 points, eight assists and four blocks, and Bosh scored 18 for the Heat, which led by 20 points midway through the third quarter before having its lead twice sliced to three points in the final minutes. And both times, Cole took passes from James and knocked down jumpers, keeping short-handed Boston at bay.

"He's got savvy," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Great pickup."

Ray Allen scored 28 points on 8-for-12 shooting for the Celtics, while Rajon Rondo finished with 22 points and 12 assists and Keyon Dooling scored 18 off the Boston bench.

Through two games, Miami (2-0) has trailed only once — by two points, for all of 14 seconds. Boston turned the ball over 24 times, and Miami turned those into 33 points.

"Any team you turn the ball over that much they're going to score on you," Allen said. "We just have to settle in on both ends of the floor. Whether you score or not, they're going to run down your throats."

Lakers 96, Jazz 71

In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 22 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers avoided just the fourth 0-3 start in franchise history with a victory over Utah.

Metta World Peace scored 14 points for the Lakers, who had much more life than the Jazz despite playing their third game in three nights to open the season.

Los Angeles ran away with a dominant third quarter, making a 27-8 surge out of halftime in the club's first win for new coach Mike Brown.

Hawks 106, Nets 70

In Newark, New Jersey, Marvin Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks opened a double-digit lead early and cruised to a victory over the sluggish Nets in their final home opener in New Jersey.

Jeff Teague added 13 points, Joe Johnson had 11 and the Hawks got big games off the bench from Zaza Pachulia (13 points and 11 rebounds) and Vladimir Radmanovic (17 points) in finally opening the lockout-delayed season by embarrassing the Nets in a game in which the crowd was booing the Brooklyn-bound team by halftime.

Bucks 98, Timberwolves 95

In Milwaukee, rookie Jon Leuer converted a three-point play with 1:17 left, helping the Bucks hold off Minnesota in their home opener.

Brandon Jennings scored 24 points and Stephen Jackson added 16 for the Bucks, who were playing without forward Drew Gooden because of a suspension and several other key players because of injuries.

Blazers 101, Kings 79,

In Portland, Gerald Wallace had 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists, leading the Blazers to a victory over Sacramento.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers (2-0). Nicolas Batum added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench.

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Butler's OT tally lifts Senators to win

OTTAWA — Bobby Butler scored 2:02 into overtime and the Ottawa Senators beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 Thursday night for their third straight win.

Daniel Alfredsson scored his 399th goal and had two assists for Ottawa, which gave up leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. Chris Neil and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and an assist, and Craig Anderson made 32 saves.

Tomas Kopecky drew Florida even at 3-3 when he scored the tying goal with 1:12 left in the third and goalie Scott Clemmensen pulled for an extra attacker. Kris Versteeg passed from behind the net to Kopecky, who beat Anderson from the goalmouth as the Panthers' erased their third one-goal deficit.

Michal Repik and Shawn Matthias also scored for Florida.

Predators 6, Blue Jackets 5

In Nashville, Martin Erat scored with 8.4 seconds remaining to rally the Predators past Columbus.

Jeff Carter had a hat trick in the first period and Ryan Johansen had the other two goals for the Blue Jackets.

Rangers 4, Islanders 2

In New York, Brandon Dubinsky scored his first goal in more than a month, Marian Gaborik moved into a tie for the NHL lead with his 20th, and Martin Biron was solid in net to lead the Rangers.

Dubinsky staked the Rangers to a 1-0 lead in the first period, and teammates Gaborik and Michael Del Zotto connected in the second.

Maple Leafs 3, Sabres 2

In Toronto, Nazem Kadri scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, lifting the Maple Leafs past Buffalo.

David Steckel and Phil Kessel also scored for Toronto and James Reimer had 40 saves.

Jets 4, Canadiens 0

In Winnipeg, Blake Wheeler scored two goals and Ondrej Pavelec stopped 27 shots for his third shutout of the season, leading the Jets past Montreal.

Oilers 4, Wild 1

In Edmonton, Jordan Eberle scored two goals and the Oilers snapped a four-game losing skid.

Ryan Smyth and Lennart Petrell also scored for Edmonton, which has only won three of its last 12 games.

Kings 3, Ducks 2 (SO)

In Los Angeles, Dustin Brown scored in the second period and got the deciding goal in a shootout, lifting the Kings over Anaheim in Darryl Sutter's debut as Los Angeles' coach

Flames 3, Red Wings 2

In Calgary, Curtis Glencross scored twice, including the game-winner at 5:47 of the second period for the hosts.

Jiri Hudler and Ian White scored third-period goals for Detroit.

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Cano's 15th-inning double lifts Yankees

BALTIMORE — Robinson Cano doubled in two runs in the 15th inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 on Wednesday night after Mariano Rivera blew a one-run lead in the ninth.

Prodigious pop: San Francisco's Cody Ross clouts a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning against Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The Giants beat the Dodgers 8-5. AP PHOTO

New York's Hector Noesi (1-0) worked four innings in his major league debut, allowing two hits.

Alex Rodriguez had a season-high four hits for the Yankees.

Red Sox 1, Tigers 0

In Boston, Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled off the wall in left in the eighth, scoring Carl Crawford from first to send the Red Sox to their fifth straight victory.

White Sox 1, Indians 0

In Chicago, Jake Peavy pitched a three-hitter in his home debut this season.

Rays 6, Blue Jays 5

In Toronto, Matt Joyce homered, and Elliot Johnson had three RBIs to help Tampa Bay snap the Jays' winning streak at six games.

Mariners 3, Angels 0

In Seattle, Jason Vargas went seven innings for the Mariners to run his scoreless streak to 16 innings, denying Jered Weaver another chance at becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach seven wins.

Ichiro Suzuki was 1-for-3 with a run.

Rangers 5, Royals 4 (11)

In Kansas City, Adrian Beltre hit a two-run single off Jeremy Jeffress in the 11th, lifting Texas Rangers past the rookie-laden Royals.

Twins 4, Athletics 3 (10)

In Oakland, Trevor Plouffe hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th for his season-high third RBI, and Minnesota beat the A's for its second straight victory following a nine-game losing streak.

Hideki Matsui went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Oakland.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Phillies 2, Rockies 1

In Philadelphia, Cole Hamels threw eight impressive innings, Jimmy Rollins drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Phillies beat Colorado to snap a four-game losing streak.

Pirates 5, Reds 0

In Cincinnati, Charlie Morton shut down the Reds again, throwing a five-hitter for his second career shutout, and Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run homer to help Pittsburgh snap a six-game losing streak.

Mets 3, Nationals 0

In New York, Jonathon Niese pitched seven sharp innings, some of them in heavy rain, and Justin Turner added to his surprising tear with a two-run double in the Mets' victory over Washington.

Giants 8, Dodgers 5

In Los Angeles, Cody Ross hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth, and San Francisco rebounded after the Dodgers tied it with a three-run rally in the eighth.

San Francisco has won eight of 11.

Cubs 7, Marlins 5

In Miami, Marlon Byrd hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth, and Chicago beat Florida to end a three-game slide.

Kosuke Fukudome was 2-for-4 and scored once for the Cubs.

Cardinals 5, Astros 1

In St. Louis, Kyle Lohse threw eight dominant innings to beat Houston for the second time in less than a month, leading the hosts to their third straight win.

D-Backs 5, Braves 4 (11)

In Phoenix, Ryan Roberts scored from third base on Justin Upton's grounder with a drawn-in infield in the 11th.

Brewers 5, Padres 2

In San Diego, Yovani Gallardo struck out nine to win his third straight start and Mark Kotsay had three hits for Milwaukee.

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Kemp's HR lifts L.A. in 12th

Beating the throw: Boston's Carl Crawford steals second base as the Angels' Erick Aybar applies a late tag in the fourth inning on Thursday night. The Red Sox beat the Angels 4-2 in 11 innings. AP PHOTO

Los Angeles — Matt Kemp hit his second game-ending homer in five days, connecting in the 12th inning Thursday to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Atlanta Braves 5-3.

Both teams were down to their final strike much earlier.

David Ross hit a two-out, two-run single in the top of the ninth off Clayton Kershaw to put the Braves ahead 3-2.

Casey Blake, who had homered earlier, hit an RBI single with two outs in the bottom half off Craig Kimbrel to make it 3-3.

Andre Ethier doubled with one out in the Dodgers' 12th against Christhian Martinez (0-1). Kemp drove an 0-2 pitch over the fence in left-center for his fourth homer of the season.

"Matty's awesome," Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw said. "I told him what an incredible job he did and thanks for picking me up. In that situation, where both bullpens are getting eaten up, for Matty to pull it out like that with an 0-2 count, it was an awesome at-bat."

Phillies 3, Padres 0

In San Diego, Roy Oswalt and three relievers pitched a combined four-hitter and Philadelphia beat the Padres, who have been shut out a major league-leading five times in 19 games.

Reds 7, Diamondbacks 4

In Cincinnati, Mike Leake got razzed by a few fans during his first appearance since a shoplifting arrest, but ignored the nasty signs and gave the Reds a much-needed boost, going seven innings to beat Arizona.

Leake (3-0) led Cincinnati to only its second win in eight games. He allowed three runs and fanned six in his longest outing of the season.

It was a rough week for Leake, a 23-year-old pitcher who was the Reds' top draft pick last June. Police reports said he removed the tags from six shirts at a Macy's store downtown on Monday and tried to leave without paying for them. The shirts were valued at $59.88.

Cardinals 5, Nationals 0

In St. Louis, Kyle Lohse threw a career-best two-hitter and Matt Holliday kept his average near .500 with a two-run homer and single as the Cardinals beat Washington.

Albert Pujols added a two-run homer off Collin Balester in a three-run eighth for St. Louis. The Cardinals took two of three from the Nationals and has won eight of 11 overall.

Mets 9, Astros 1

In New York, David Wright ended his career-worst 0-for-20 drought with a homer and a two-run double, Chris Capuano pitched seven sharp innings and the Mets welcomed Jason Bay back to their lineup with a romp over Houston.

Marlins 9, Pirates 5

In Miami, Scott Cousins hit a grand slam for his first career home run, Brett Hayes added a three-run shot and Florida beat Pittsburgh to finish off a three-game sweep.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Mariners 1, Athletics 0

In Seattle, Felix Hernandez took a shutout into the eighth inning and Adam Kennedy's home run was all the Mariners needed to beat Oakland.

Hernandez (2-2), last year's Cy Young Award winner, allowed four singles, two by Cliff Pennington and one by David DeJesus and Josh Willingham.

Hernandez struck out eight and walked three.

Ichiro Suzuki was 0-for-3 for Seattle.

Twins 3, Orioles 1

In Baltimore, Jim Thome hit his 591st career home run and had two RBIs to back a dominating pitching performance by Scott Baker, and Minnesota beat the Orioles to salvage a split of the four-game series.

Red Sox 4, Angels 2 (11)

In Anaheim, Adrian Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 11th, and last-place Boston hung on for its fifth win in six games, topping Los Angeles.

Royals 3, Indians 2

In Kansas City, Melky Cabrera rifled a bases-loaded, two-run single into left field off Cleveland closer Chris Perez with one out in the ninth, lifting the Royals to a victory over the Indians.

White Sox 9, Rays 2

In St. Petersburg, Fla., Omar Vizquel, A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko each drove in two runs and Chicago stopped a seven-game losing streak.

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