Bartolo Colon is looking like a real bargain for the Boston Red Sox.
Colon allowed one run in six innings to win his 150th career game as the Red Sox beat Baltimore 6-3 on Wednesday night.
The right-hander, who signed a contract worth $1.2 million plus performance and roster bonuses with Boston in the offseason, is 4-1 this season. He already has half as many wins as he totaled over the last two injury-plagued seasons with the Los Angeles Angeles.
“I don’t really think about the wins,” Colon said through a translator. “Every start I do, I’m starting to feel a little better.”
He struck out seven and walked one and earned the milestone victory in the same stadium where he got his first major league win with Cleveland on June 7, 1997.
With Curt Schilling out until after the All-Star break, Daisuke Matsuzaka out for the last two weeks with mild right shoulder tendinitis, and Josh Beckett still rounding into form after missing the start of the season, Colon has been a huge boon for the Red Sox.
“He’s been tremendous for us,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “To get a guy you didn’t have when spring training started and all of a sudden he’s right in the middle of the rotation helping us win games, it’s been big.”
In other AL games Wednesday, it was: Los Angeles 4, Tampa Bay 2; Oakland 8, New York 4; Seattle 2, Toronto 1; Minnesota 8, Cleveland 5; Detroit 5, Chicago 1; and Texas 11, Kansas City 5.
Facing a team that scored 29 runs in its previous four games, Colon retired the side in order in the first inning, then was able to relax after his teammates gave him a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.
Jacoby Ellsbury led off the first with a single. He took off for second for a stolen base and kept going to third as Olson’s throw to Millar went wild.
Pedroia popped out, but J.D. Drew doubled, extending his hitting streak to 10 games with his 16th hit and 13th RBI in 30 at-bats. Drew took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
Jason Varitek added a three-run homer off Garrett Olson (5-2) to cap the inning and put the game away.
Angels 4, Rays 2
Gary Matthews Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero homered, Maicer Izturis hit a go-ahead single and host Los Angeles snapped Scott Kazmir’s six-game winning streak.
John Lackey (3-1) allowed two runs and four hits over 7 1-3 innings, striking out seven and walking two. Francisco Rodriguez worked a hitless ninth for his major league-leading 27th save in 28 chances. It was his 24th straight save, extending his club record.
Kazmir (6-2) allowed three runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
Athletics 8, Yankees 4
Jack Cust drove in three runs and host Oakland roughed up New York’s Darrell Rasner early.
Cust hit a two-run single during a six-run burst in the third inning. Rasner (3-4) lost his fourth straight start.
Justin Duchscherer (6-4) won for the third time in four starts and improved to 5-0 at the Coliseum.
Jason Giambi hit his 15th homer of the season and drove in another run against his former team during a three-run ninth.
Mariners 2, Blue Jays 1
Raul Ibanez singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, Felix Hernandez worked eight strong innings for visiting Seattle.
The Mariners mounted the winning rally against Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan (1-3).
Hernandez (5-5) gave up one run and four hits in eight innings to win his third straight start. He walked one and struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 2.91.
Twins 8, Indians 5
Justin Morneau drove in three runs and Jason Kubel hit a homer to help visiting Minnesota snap a six-game losing streak.
Nick Blackburn (5-4) won for the first time since May 16, allowing two runs and seven hits over six innings. Joe Nathan worked the ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances after Grady Sizemore hit a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh to get Cleveland to 6-5.
Kubel’s two-run homer capped a five-run third off Paul Byrd (3-6) that put Minnesota ahead 6-1.
Tigers 5, White Sox 1
Justin Verlander pitched a four-hitter for his third career complete game and Marcus Thames hit a three-run homer for host Detroit.
Verlander (3-9) didn’t walk a batter and struck out three. He threw 101 pitches in his best outing of the season.
White Sox starter Javier Vazquez (6-5) gave up five runs and 10 hits in six innings, walking three and striking out nine.
Rangers 11, Royals 5
David Murphy hit two home runs, including his first career grand slam, and drove in a career-high five runs for visiting Texas.
The Rangers trailed 5-1 after six innings, but sent 10 men to the plate in a seven-run seventh, matching their biggest inning of the season. Relievers Jeff Fulchino and Jimmy Gobble (0-2) faced seven batters in the inning without retiring one.
Vicente Padilla (8-3) improved to 6-1 in his past nine starts, allowing five runs, four earned, and seven hits in six innings.
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