Yankees sweep Devil Rays

Alex Rodriguez picked up right where Shelley Duncan left off.

Rodriguez hit career homer No. 497 and drove in four runs, helping the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 17-5, last night to complete a sweep of the day-night doubleheader in the Bronx.

In the opener, Duncan's first major league homer capped a five-run sixth inning that carried New York to a 7-3 victory.

Hideki Matsui homered in both games and Luis Vizcaino earned two wins in one day.

"We were swinging the bats and that made things a lot easier," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We didn't have any dry innings. We had some tired puppies out there but they didn't give away an at-bat."

Johnny Damon drove in four runs in the nightcap and made two great catches during a rare start in left field for New York, which moved within 7 1/2 games of the AL East-leading Red Sox. Vizcaino became the first Yankees pitcher to win twice in a doubleheader since Lindy McDaniel in 1970.

Both Duncan and Rodriguez emerged from the dugout for curtain calls after their sixth-inning drives, the first at Yankee Stadium for Duncan and just the latest for Rodriguez.

"I don't think you could really explain it," said Duncan. "You get goose bumps. It's one of those things where you're kind of frozen. It's your little moment right there for that brief second."

Athletics 4, Orioles 3 -- Dan Haren gave up two first-inning runs and then pitched like an All-Star, helping host Oakland to its second win in three games.

After allowing the runs, Haren (11-3) found his rhythm and retired 17 of the next 20 batters. He gave up three runs in all and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, maintaining possession of the AL's best ERA (2.41 ).

Dodgers 8, Mets 6 -- Brad Penny became the first starting pitcher to open a season 12-1 for the host Dodgers since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1958, and Matt Kemp's three-run homer keyed a comeback from a four-run deficit.

Tigers 10, Royals 8 -- Brandon Inge's two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Detroit the victory.

Twins 5, Angels 2 -- Joe Mauer hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer in the eighth inning to lift host Minnesota.

Braves 14, Cardinals 6 -- Willie Harris became the second player in Atlanta history with six hits in a game, going 6 for 6 with two triples and six RBIs to lift the host Braves past St. Louis.

Blue Jays 1, Mariners 0 -- Josh Towers outpitched Jeff Weaver in a fast-paced game (2 hours 6 minutes), and Aaron Hill hit an RBI single in the second inning to lead Toronto at home.

Rangers 8, Indians 5 -- Marlon Byrd keyed a five-run first with a two-run double and tied his career high with five RBIs to lead host Texas.

Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 2 -- Stephen Drew homered to snap an eighth-inning tie and Orlando Hudson had three hits for visiting Arizona.

Nationals 3, Rockies 0 -- Felipe Lopez homered and Mike Bacsik pitched into the seventh inning to lead host Washington past Colorado.

Giants 8, Brewers 0 -- Tim Lincecum pitched four-hit ball for eight innings, and Pedro Feliz homered and drove in three runs for visiting San Francisco.

Pirates 7, Astros 3 -- Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche each drove in two runs and host Pittsburgh won for the first time since the All-Star break.

Marlins 11, Reds 1 -- Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run home run and Jason Wood and Matt Treanor hit consecutive homers to help Byung-Hyun Kim earn his first home win with Florida.

Phillies 12, Padres 4 -- Ryan Howard hit two homers off David Wells, drove in five runs, and scored three times to lead visiting Philadelphia.