The Detroit Tigers feel pretty good when they have Mike Maroth on the mound, even when they’re facing Johan Santana.
The Angels also have a lot of confidence when John Lackey pitches for them.
Maroth allowed one run in 6 2-3 innings and Carlos Guillen homered and drove in four runs to help the Tigers to a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
Detroit has won all seven of Maroth’s starts this season, and the Tigers have won 10 of their past 11 games to jump into first place in the AL Central.
“Seven and 0, that’s pretty good,” Guillen said. “He throws strikes and keeps us in the game.”
Lackey pitched into the ninth inning before departing after Sammy Sosa’s 596th career homer and Los Angeles beat the Texas Rangers 6-3.
Lackey, a native of Abilene, Texas, struck out seven and walked one to even his career record against the Rangers to 8-8.
“That’s as good a game as I’ve seen him throw,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “His fastball command was terrific.”
In other AL games, it was: Seattle 3, New York Yankees 0; Oakland 8, Cleveland 2; Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 1; Baltimore 6, Boston 3; and Chicago White Sox 2, Kansas City 1.
At Minneapolis, Detroit extended its lead over the Twins to 5 1/2 games, but the Tigers know all too well that it’s way too early to be celebrating. They held a 12 1/2-game lead over the Twins last June before Minnesota rallied to win its fourth division title in five seasons.
“Our team has been putting up a lot of runs when I’ve pitched,” said Maroth (3-0), who is undefeated despite a 4.69 ERA.
Santana (4-3) gave up just two runs and six hits with six strikeouts in six innings for Minnesota.
Lackey (5-3) has won three of his last four starts. He had a shutout going against the Rangers, but Michael Young hit an RBI double in the ninth and Sosa added a two-run drive for his eighth of the season.
“It would have been nice to get a shutout, but a win’s a win,” Lackey said. “I’m not going to lie. I was pretty mad when I didn’t get it.”
Vicente Padilla (1-5) lasted seven innings for host Texas, allowing four runs – three earned – and seven hits.
Mariners 3, Yankees 0
At Seattle, Jarrod Washburn pitched eight scoreless innings against New York, five days after he was involved in an incident at Yankee Stadium.
Washburn (3-3) allowed six hits and struck out a season-high six. Kenji Johjima hit a two-run home run for Seattle.
In his previous start, Washburn hit Josh Phelps in the back with a pitch after Phelps bowled over catcher Johjima at home plate. When Yankees reliever Scott Proctor retaliated later in the game, he and manager Joe Torre were ejected and eventually suspended.
J.J. Putz got three outs for his eighth save in eight chances.
Darrell Rasner (1-2) gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.
Athletics 8, Indians 2
At Oakland, Calif., Jack Cust drove in four runs to lead the Athletics to the win.
Cust hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off C.C. Sabathia in the seventh and a two-run single off Roberto Hernandez in the eighth. Cust went 2-for-4 a day after homering twice in Oakland’s 17-3 victory over Kansas City.
The Athletics acquired Cust from the San Diego Padres on May 3 and promoted him from the minors when Mike Piazza went on the disabled list last Friday. He has four homers and nine RBIs in five games with the A’s.
Joe Blanton (4-1) took a shutout into the sixth inning, and won consecutive starts for the first time this season.
Sabathia (5-1) allowed six runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. Ryan Garko had three hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs for the Indians, who have lost three straight.
Blue Jays 5, Devil Rays 1
A.J. Burnett struck out a season-high 10 to win for the first time in three starts and Toronto ended a nine-game losing streak.
Alex Rios homered for Toronto, which has been riddled with injuries. Staff ace Roy Halladay was whisked to a hospital before the game for an appendectomy, sidelining him for four to six weeks. Third baseman Troy Glaus suffered an apparent leg injury while running out a fly ball in the first inning and was replaced by Jason Smith in the second inning.
Burnett (3-3) allowed one run and five hits with a season-high five walks in 6 2-3 innings.
Elijah Dukes homered in the first for visiting Tampa Bay. It was his sixth of the season and third in the last seven games.
Scott Kazmir (2-2) lost for the first time since April 8, giving up five runs, four earned, and nine hits over 6 1-3 innings.
Orioles 6, Red Sox 3
Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora had four hits apiece, Brian Burres pitched five innings for his first major league victory and Baltimore won its fourth consecutive game.
Markakis singled to start a three-run rally that broke a fifth-inning tie, and the visiting Orioles got help when Red Sox right fielder Wily Mo Pena misplayed two consecutive balls: one went over his head for an RBI ground-rule double, another glanced off his glove for a run-scoring two-base error that made it 5-2.
Burres (1-1) allowed two runs and seven hits. Four relievers bridged the gap to Chris Ray, who got three outs for his eighth save.
Julian Tavarez (1-4), gave up five runs – four earned – and 10 hits in five innings. The Red Sox left the bases loaded in the first, second and seventh innings, stranding 13 in all.
The loss snapped Boston’s four-game winning streak.
White Sox 2, Royals 1
Jon Garland held Kansas City without a run for eight innings and Chicago won for the fifth time in six games.
Garland (2-2) gave up four hits and a run, walking one and striking out three in 8 1-3 innings, and won his second straight start.
A.J. Pierzynski’s solo homer to right off Odalis Perez (2-4) broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the fourth. Chicago added another run in the fifth when Tadahito Iguchi doubled and scored from third on an error by Royals shortstop Tony Pena Jr., who let Darin Erstad’s grounder roll between his legs.
Mark Grudzielanek doubled in a run in the ninth for the visiting Royals.
Bobby Jenks got one out for his 12th save in 13 chances.
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