Boone, Indians rock in 11
Aaron Boone finally did something to get Cleveland Indians fans off his back.
Stuck in a season-long slump, Boone homered leading off the 11th inning and the host Indians rallied for a 7-6 victory over the lowly Colorado Rockies to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.
Boone fell behind 1-and-2 against Blaine Neal (1-2) before hitting his seventh homer, over the wall in left. The shot wasn't nearly as magical as Boone's series-winning homer in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS for the New York Yankees, but it finally made him feel welcome in Cleveland, where he has been booed most of the season.
Boone, who entered the game hitting .184, was mobbed by his teammates when he crossed the plate. The surging Indians improved to 16-7 since May 20.
Orioles 5, Astros 1-- Rodrigo López pitched eight innings of four-hit ball, and Baltimore beat visiting Houston for a three-game sweep.
Melvin Mora homered, Jay Gibbons had three hits and Brian Roberts went 2 for 3 with two RBIs for the Orioles, who outscored Houston, 19-7, in their first interleague sweep since July 1999, against Montreal.
López (6-2) allowed one run, struck out seven and walked one in winning his fourth straight decision. He's 4-1 in 10 starts since April 21 -- the last day the Orioles were not in first place in the AL East.
White Sox 12, Diamondbacks 6 -- Juan Uribe and Paul Konerko hit three-run homers and Frank Thomas added a solo shot in a 10-run sixth inning to lead host Chicago over Arizona.
Jermaine Dye also homered for the White Sox (43-22), who have the best record in the major leagues.
Despite a sub-par performance, White Sox starter Jon Garland became the first pitcher in the American League to win 11 games.
Nationals 1, Angels 0 -- Texas castoff Ryan Drese made a sensational debut for visiting Washington, holding Los Angeles to two hits over eight innings for the victory.
Brian Schneider homered off Bartolo Colón in the sixth inning, giving the Nationals two wins in their three-game series matching NL East and AL West division leaders.
Giants 8, Twins 4 -- Michael Tucker doubled and drove in three runs, and Moises Alou went 4 for 4 to lead San Francisco in Minneapolis.
Noah Lowry (3-6) tied a season high with seven strikeouts and pitched with confidence after being staked to a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Rangers 9, Braves 5 -- Chan Ho Park won his sixth straight decision, despite struggling against a young Atlanta lineup, because he again got plenty of offensive support in Texas's victory in Arlington, Texas.
Royals 3, Dodgers 1 -- José Lima pitched eight solid innings for his first victory in 14 starts and Emil Brown drove in two runs in host Kansas City's victory over Los Angeles.
Devil Rays 5, Brewers 3 -- Hideo Nomo allowed two runs in seven innings for his 200th combined major league and Japanese victory, leading the host Tampa Bay over Milwaukee.
Blue Jays 5, Cardinals 2-- Ted Lilly pitched seven scoreless innings to lead host Toronto over St. Louis.
Tigers 8, Padres 2-- Plácido Polanco had three hits and three RBIs, and host Detroit ended Adam Eaton's eight-game winning streak with a victory over San Diego.
Athletics 3, Mets 2 -- Marco Scutaro lined a game-winning single off the wall in left-center with two outs in the ninth, lifting host Oakland over New York.
Mariners 5, Phillies 1 -- Ichiro Suzuki hit a leadoff homer and Aaron Sele made it stand up with six solid innings in his sixth straight strong start, leading host Seattle.
Marlins 15, Cubs 5 -- Carlos Delgado, Miguel Cabrera, Juan Encarnación, and Luis Castillo homered and Florida routed host Chicago in its highest scoring game of the season.
