The Oakland Athletics emphatically snapped a six-game losing streak Tuesday, beating East Division leaders Tampa Bay 8-1 in the American League. A's starter Dallas Braden allowed only one run over five innings in his first start of the season, entering the Oakland rotation as replacement for Joe Blanton, who was traded to Philadelphia last week. Jack Hannahan put Oakland ahead to stay in the fourth inning with a three-run homer, and added a single in the four-run eighth that put the result beyond doubt. The Athletics had scored only nine runs in their previous six games. Yankees 8, Twins 2: In New York, the home team notched a ninth straight home win by downing Minnesota. Bobby Abreu hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth and drove in three runs for the Yankees, who won their fifth straight overall and moved 10 games above .500 for the first time this season. New York broke the game open with four runs in the seventh to bring up its longest home winning streak since also winning nine straight early in the 2005 season. The Twins have lost seven straight series in the Bronx. White Sox 10, Rangers 2: In Chicago, starter Mark Buehrle pitched 7 1-3 strong innings to guide Chicago past Texas. Pitching on three days' rest so he could attend his grandfather's funeral, Buehrle gave up a leadoff triple in the second and then retired 15 of the next 16 batters. His previous start against the Rangers was a no-hitter last year. Alexei Ramirez hit the first grand slam of his career for Chicago, which nipped a three-game losing run. Angels 3, Indians 2: In Anaheim, California, Jeff Mathis hit a go-ahead solo homer in the fifth inning that proved enough for Los Angeles to edge Cleveland. Mathis, in a rut of five hits from 33 at-bats, led off the fifth with his seventh homer. Cleveland's Grady Sizemore pulled even for the league lead in homers with his 24th. Blue Jays 10, Orioles 8: In Baltimore, Adam Lind had a career-high four hits, including a three-run homer, as Toronto downed Baltimore in a high-scoring game. Light-hitting shortstop John McDonald broke out with four RBIs for Toronto. The Blue Jays rallied from a 4-0 deficit after three innings. Red Sox 4, Mariners 2: In Seattle, starter Daisuke Matsuzaka continued his masterful pitching on the road, steering Boston past Seattle. After dropping five straight on the road, the Red Sox seem to have found a remedy against the Mariners, who fell a season-worst 24 games under .500 with their fourth straight loss. Matsuzaka shut out Seattle into the eighth, improving to 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA in eight starts away from home. Matsuzaka saw his scoreless innings streak end at 24 1-3 when Japanese compatriot Ichiro Suzuki hit an RBI double in the eighth. Tigers 7, Royals 1: In Kansas City, Missouri, starter Kenny Rogers pitched six strong innings to give Detroit a comfortable win over Kansas City.
