BOSTON — Drew Stubbs and Mark Reynolds drove in three runs each, and Cleveland had 16 hits in the Indians’ 12-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in manager Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park on Thursday night. BOSTON —
BOSTON — Drew Stubbs and Mark Reynolds drove in three runs each, and Cleveland had 16 hits in the Indians’ 12-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in manager Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park on Thursday night.
Francona, let go by Boston after the 2011 season, got a standing ovation after the first inning during a video tribute on the center-field scoreboard.
In eight years as manager, Francona led the Red Sox to two World Series championships. In his first year with Cleveland, he has the Indians in first place in the AL Central after they went 68-94 last season. They’re 22-9 in their last 31 games.
Zach McAllister (4-3) allowed three runs in five innings. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts this year.
Ryan Dempster (2-5) gave up four runs in three innings in his third straight poor start for Boston.
Every Cleveland starting batter had a hit, and all except Jason Kipnis scored. Carlos Santana reached base five times with a single and four walks.
TIGERS 7, TWINS 6
DETROIT — Prince Fielder bounced a tiebreaking single off Jared Burton’s glove in the eighth inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night.
Omar Infante started the inning with a single and was bunted to second by Torii Hunter. Ron Gardenhire then ordered Miguel Cabrera intentionally walked, but Fielder foiled the plan with a grounder that Burton (0-2) deflected past second baseman Brian Dozier.
Cabrera drove in three runs, including his sixth homer in four games. Cabrera has now matched a career high by homering in four straight games. He has also walked five times in the four games, and Fielder has followed all five with hits, driving in seven more runs.
Joaquin Benoit (1-0) pitched a perfect inning of relief, while Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
BLUE JAYS 12, ORIOLES 6
TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion hit his fifth career grand slam, J.P. Arencibia homered and drove in four runs, and the Blue Jays beat the Orioles to spoil the debut of Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Brandon Morrow (2-3) allowed six runs and a season-high 10 hits in seven-plus innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Brett Cecil and Brad Lincoln each worked one inning of scoreless relief as Toronto won for the third time in four games.
Baltimore’s Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 15th home run, a leadoff shot in the fourth.
Nick Markakis and Adam Jones hit back-to-back homers off Morrow in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough for the Orioles, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Baltimore’s Manny Machado went 3-for-4 with three doubles, boosting his major league-leading total to 21.
The fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Gausman (0-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five.
ANGELS 5, ROYALS 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Trout and Albert Pujols hit solo home runs, and Mark Trumbo hit a two-run shot.
Joe Blanton got his first victory of the season after going 0-7 in his first nine starts. He held the Royals to seven hits and two runs in 6 1/3 innings. Trumbo put the Angels up 5-2 in the eighth with his team-leading 11th homer.
Ervin Santana (3-4), who spent 12 seasons in the Angels’ organization before being traded during the off-season to the Royals, struck out eight without a walk but allowed five runs and eight hits — four of which were homers. Chris Iannetta hit one in the fifth.
The Royals scored on groundouts by Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas.
Robert Coello got the final out for his first big league save.
PIRATES 4, CUBS 2
PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen had three hits and two RBIs to lead the Pirates past the Cubs for their fourth straight win.
Leadoff hitter Starling Marte singled and scored in each of the first two innings as Pittsburgh built an early 4-0 lead. The Pirates moved a season-best 11 games over .500 with its 11th victory in 13 games.
Edwin Jackson (1-7) gave up two runs in the first inning and two more in the second. He lasted only three innings and has a 6.11 ERA through 10 starts.
Jackson is in his first season with the Cubs after signing a four-year, $52-million contract over the winter.
