Paul Byrd, making his first major league start since last September, pitched six shutout innings as the Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep with a 7-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Sunday. The win was the sixth in seven games for Boston, which pulled 3-1/2 games ahead of Texas in the AL wild-card race. Byrd (1-0), out of baseball after finishing last year with the Red Sox, signed a minor league contract on Aug. 5. He gave up three hits and walked three. Scoring single runs in each of the first four innings, the Red Sox sent Roy Halladay (13-8) to his third consecutive loss for the first time since last April. The Blue Jays fell to 0-6 in Fenway Park this year. Yankees 8, White Sox 3: At New York, Mark Teixeira homered and drove in four runs, and Johnny Damon also went deep as New York polished off a three-game sweep of the struggling Chicago. Alfredo Aceves (9-1) provided stellar relief pitching after Joba Chamberlain's abbreviated outing, and the streaking Yankees won for the 20th time in 26 games. Derek Jeter scored three times for the AL East leaders, who boosted baseball's best record to 82-48. They are 31-11 since the All-Star break, also the top mark in the majors. Teixeira is making a push for AL MVP honors. The switch-hitting slugger, in his first season with the Yankees after signing a $180 million, eight-year contract, has 32 homers and 101 RBIs. Orioles 5, Indians 2: At Baltimore, Brian Matusz pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and Felix Pie homered as Baltimore beat Cleveland for a split of the four-game series. Making his sixth major league start, Matusz (3-2) allowed one run had a career-high eight strikeouts. The 22-year-old rookie held the Indians hitless over four innings and permitted only one hit through five. Selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Matusz has a collective 14-4 record in his first professional season. This marked the first time the left-hander pitched at least six innings, and his lone walk came when he was called for going to his mouth on a 3-1 pitch. Tigers 4, Rays 3: At Detroit, Placido Polanco hit a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Detroit to a win over Tampa Bay. Third baseman Brandon Inge sealed the victory, leaping to snag B.J. Upton's high hopper down the line with a runner on first and throwing across the diamond for the final out. Justin Verlander (15-7) gave up three runs, six hits and four walks over eight innings and struck out four, matching a season low. Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 29th save in 30 chances. The AL Central-leading Tigers improved to 42-21 at home. The Rays, trying to stay in the wild-card race, fell to 28-38 on the road. Twins 5, Rangers 3: At Minneapolis, pinch-runner Carlos Gomez scored the go-ahead run as Minnesota scored three times in the eighth inning to beat Texas. Angels 9, Athletics 1: At Anaheim, California, John Lackey pitched eight innings of five-hit ball for his 100th victory, and Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales hit three-run homers as the Angels salvaged a split of their series with the last-place Oakland. Royals 3, Mariners 0: At Seattle, Zack Greinke pitched a one-hitter, allowing only a second-inning single by Kenji Johjima as Kansas City beat Seattle.
