DETROIT: Justin Verlander nearly became only the second pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters before allowing Melky Cabrera's RBI triple in the sixth inning of the Detroit Tigers' 3-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Friday night. In his first start since throwing a no-hitter at Toronto Saturday, Verlander pitched 5 2-3 hitless innings before Cabrera sent a line drive to the gap in the right-center field. Verlander was trying to equal Cincinnati's Johnny Vander Meer, who threw two straight no-hitters in 1938. Verlander (4-3) allowed a run on two hits and three walks in eight innings, while striking out seven. Austin Jackson and Jhonny Peralta hit solo homers for the Tigers. Indians 5, Mariners 4: In Cleveland, Travis Hafner hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning as Cleveland rallied for another dramatic victory and handed Seattle its sixth straight loss. Tony Sipp (2-0) pitched a perfect 1 1-3 innings for the victory. Red Sox 5, Yankees 4: At New York, Clay Buchholz won his third straight start and Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis homered as Boston beat the Yankees. Rays 3, Orioles 0: In St. Petersburg, Florida, Jeremy Hellickson threw a four-hitter in his first career complete game and Matt Joyce and Johnny Damon homered as Tampa Bay beat Baltimore. Blue Jays 2, Twins 0: In Minneapolis, Ricky Romero pitched 8 2-3 innings to lead Toronto to victory over somber Minnesota. Other results: Rangers 4, Angels 1; White Sox 4, Athletics 3. Cubs down Giants Ryan Dempster struck out a season-high 11 batters to help lead the Chicago Cubs to an 11-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the National League on Friday. Dempster (2-4) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings as the Cubs ended San Francisco's six-game winning streak. Reed Johnson drove in four runs, three on a bases-loaded triple in the seventh. Darwin Barney had three RBIs, and Starlin Castro also had three hits and drove in two runs. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (0-6) gave up two earned runs on five hits through six innings. He hasn't won since last September. Cody Ross hit a two-run homer for the Giants. Reds 6, Cardinals 5, 10 innings: At Cincinnati, Joey Votto's two-out, run-scoring single in the 10th inning completed Cincinnati's rally for a victory over St. Louis. The Reds overcame a 5-2 deficit in the late innings. Phillies 5, Braves 4: In Atlanta, Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer and Raul Ibanez drove home the winning run in the eighth inning as Philadelphia topped the Braves. Rockies 12, Padres 7: At Denver, Troy Tulowitzki broke out of a slump with a solo homer and two singles to help Colorado hold off San Diego. Other results: Marlins 6, Nationals 5, 11 innings; Mets 6, Astros 4; Brewers 5, Pirates 2, Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 3.
