This time, he's accountable

Chamberlain pitches deeper in Yankee win

In his second start since his transition from the Yankees bullpen, Joba Chamberlain struck out five over 4 1/3 innings, removed after 78 pitches. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)

Joba Chamberlain mixed in some curveballs and changeups and moved one step closer to getting past the pitch-count limits that have held him back in his first two starts.

Chamberlain bounced back from a disappointing first start with the Yankees, pitching into the fifth inning to help New York beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-3, for its fourth victory in five games.

"As a competitor, you want to be out there as long as you can go and as hard as you can go," said Chamberlain, who opened the year in the bullpen and was limited to 78 pitches on a 95-degree afternoon in the Bronx. "But you also understand that it's a transition. You have to be patient and learn from it and try to get better every time out."

Chamberlain allowed three runs - two earned - and five hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. He could be extended to around 90 pitches for his next scheduled outing Friday at Houston.

Dan Giese (1-1) relieved Chamberlain and pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings to earn his first major league win. Jose Veras worked the eighth and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

Jose Guillen hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which has lost 17 of 20.

Jason Giambi hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth off Zack Greinke (5-4) and Bobby Abreu finished with an upper-deck home run and three RBIs for the Yankees.

Padres 8, Mets 6 - Pinch hitter Tony Clark connected for a go-ahead, three-run homer off Mets closer Billy Wagner with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, giving San Diego a four-game sweep of New York.

Wagner (0-1) relieved Duaner Sanchez with two outs and runners on first and second. The lefthander gave up an RBI single to Jody Gerut that cut New York's lead to 6-5. Clark then hit a full-count fastball over the center-field wall to extend the Padres' season-high winning streak to five games.

The pinch-hit homer was the 11th of Clark's career. It also deprived Pedro Martínez of his second win since he returned from the disabled list Tuesday. Martínez lasted just five innings because of a three-run first in which he gave up four singles, hit a batter, and balked in a run.

White Sox 12, Twins 2 - Host Chicago made it six straight wins with another rout of Minnesota, pushing its AL Central lead over the Twins to 5 1/2 games. Nick Swisher and Alexei Ramirez homered, and Joe Crede had another big day at the plate.

Swisher's three-run homer off Kevin Slowey (2-6) in the second made it 3-1 and Chicago broke it open with five more in the third to make it an easy day for Gavin Floyd (7-3), who struck out a career-high nine over seven innings.

Ramirez added a two-run shot in the fifth, and Crede drove in two runs to give him 12 RBIs in his last four games.

Blue Jays 5, Orioles 4 - Roy Halladay won his fourth straight start, Vernon Wells went deep, and Toronto avoided a three-game sweep at home.

Halladay (8-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings and has not lost since May 9 at Cleveland. He walked none and struck out seven.

Athletics 7, Angels 3 - Mark Ellis hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the 12th for Oakland, which snapped Los Angeles's seven-game winning streak.

Rangers 6, Rays 3 - David Murphy, German Duran, and Ramon Vazquez homered as Texas dodged a three-game sweep at home by Tampa Bay.

Tigers 5, Indians 2 - Curtis Granderson homered and Placido Polanco hit a key two-run single as host Detroit scored five times in the first four innings.

Phillies 6, Braves 3 - Ryan Howard drove in two runs in the ninth with his third double of the game, and Philadelphia became the first visiting team to sweep a three-game series in Atlanta this season.

Cubs 3, Dodgers 1 - Jason Marquis (4-3) took a two-hitter into the seventh and Mark DeRosa smacked a homer for Chicago, which salvaged a four-game split in Los Angeles.

Marlins 9, Reds 2 - At Miami, Hanley Ramirez homered twice and Ryan Tucker pitched five effective innings to win in his major league debut for Florida.

Cardinals 5, Astros 4 - Brendan Ryan hit a two-run single to cap a St. Louis comeback fueled by two Houston errors, and Kyle Lohse (7-2) pitched six strong innings on the road.

Brewers 3, Rockies 2 - Jeff Suppan (4-4) and three relievers limited Colorado to six hits as Milwaukee broke a six-game long streak at Coors Field.

Giants 6, Nationals 3 - Barry Zito (2-9) won for the second time in four starts, and Aaron Rowand drove in the go-ahead run with a bad-hop single during San Francisco's four-run fifth in Washington.

Pirates 6, Diamondbacks 4 - Jason Bay's two-run double finished host Pittsburgh's five-run fourth against Arizona.