Dustin Pedroia is doing it all for the Boston Red Sox.
Batting cleanup for the third time in four games, the little dynamo matched a career high with five RBIs to lead Boston’s 14-2 rout of the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
Pedroia had a homer, a double and a single, and is batting .600 (18-for-30) over the last seven games to raise his AL-leading average to .330. A year after hitting eight homers and winning the AL Rookie of the Year award, Pedroia is an MVP candidate with 16 homers and a major league-best 108 runs scored.
The recent numbers are typical of a cleanup hitter, though not the kind that were expected from a feisty, 5-foot-9 second baseman. But with Kevin Youkilis ailing, Pedroia has gone 7-for-12 while providing protection for Boston slugger David Ortiz.
“It’s funny to see him come up after Ortiz – a big, burly guy,” teammate Mark Kotsay said.
It was a big win for the Red Sox, who gained ground on all their close competitors in the playoff race. The defending World Series champions extended their wild-card lead to four games and moved within four of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Pedroia hit .374 in August and scored 33 runs. Now, he’s doing his best to tune out the “MVP!” chants at Fenway Park.
“I just come to the park and do the same thing I’ve done all year,” he said.
In other AL games, it was the Los Angeles Angels 5, Detroit 4; Cleveland 9, the Chicago White Sox 3; Toronto 7, Minnesota 5; the New York Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 2; Texas 6, Seattle 4; and Kansas City 5, Oakland 2.
Ortiz went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs for the Red Sox. Pedroia was switched to the cleanup spot moments before the first pitch when Youkilis was scratched with back spasms.
“It was a quick move tonight,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “We put Petey in the four-hole and he just continues to get hits.”
Jon Lester (13-5) allowed one run and six hits in five innings, striking out five and walking four. Coco Crisp added three hits for the Red Sox, who won for the 10th time in 14 games to move a season-high 24 games over .500.
Radhames Liz (5-4), called up from Triple-A before the game, gave up nine runs and nine hits in 3 1-3 innings as the Orioles lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Baltimore has allowed 55 runs and 42 walks in the last five games, all losses.
It was the 454th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park, one short of the major league record set by Cleveland from 1995-2001.
Yankees 7, Rays 2
At St. Petersburg, Fla., Mike Mussina earned his 17th win and New York got home runs from Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady. Joba Chamberlain came off the disabled list and pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Seeking his first 20-win season, Mussina (17-7) allowed two runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings. He matched a season high with eight strikeouts, improving to 3-0 against the Rays, who had won five straight.
Nady hit a two-run homer off Matt Garza (11-8). Rodriguez hit home run No. 548, tying Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for 12th place on the career list. The eighth-inning solo shot off Jason Hammel was his 30th of the year, giving A-Rod 11 consecutive seasons – and 12 overall – with 30 or more.
Indians 9, White Sox 3
At Cleveland, Victor Martinez hit his first home run in nearly a year for the Indians, while the White Sox remained tied with Minnesota for the AL Central lead despite losing for the fifth time in six games.
Fausto Carmona (8-5) pitched 5 2-3 innings to win his third straight start and Asdrubal Cabrera broke out of a 1-for-19 slump with three hits for the Indians, winners of 12 of 15.
Martinez put Cleveland ahead 2-0 in the second against John Danks (10-8) with his first homer in 57 games and 203 at-bats since Sept. 29. Franklin Gutierrez’s two-run double made it 4-0 in the fifth.
Blue Jays 7, Twins 5
At Toronto, Jose Bautista and Alex Rios had four hits each and hit back-to-back homers for the Blue Jays in their seventh straight victory over Minnesota.
Lyle Overbay also homered for Toronto, which finished with 17 hits in winning its third straight. Minnesota lost for the seventh time in 10 games and dropped to 5-7 on a season-long 14-game road trip.
Toronto’s bullpen worked six shutout innings. B.J. Ryan closed it out for his 26th save.
Angels 5, Tigers 4
At Detroit, Mark Teixeira hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth and Francisco Rodriguez earned his 54th save, three shy of Bobby Thigpen’s record set in 1990 with the Chicago White Sox.
Torii Hunter drove in three runs for the Angels, who reduced their magic number for clinching the AL West to eight. Chone Figgins stole three bases.
Miguel Cabrera hit his third home run in three days and drove in three runs for Detroit, which has lost seven of nine.
Rangers 6, Mariners 4
At Arlington, Texas, Brandon McCarthy (1-0) pitched six solid innings for his first win in more than 13 months and Josh Hamilton drove in three runs to increase his major league-leading RBI total to 121.
Milton Bradley also had three hits for the Rangers, who ended Seattle’s season-best four-game winning streak.
Royals 5, Athletics 2
At Kansas City, Mo., Billy Butler homered and drove in four runs in a game between teams that combined for 40 losses in August.
Zack Greinke (10-9) pitched seven strong innings for his first win in five starts, striking out eight. Joakim Soria got his 34th save and first since Aug. 15. It was the third victory in 15 games for the Royals.
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