Moyer gives Phillies relief

Moyer pitched six scoreless innings in relief of Pedro Martinez, who took his spot in the rotation, and the Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-1, last night in Philadelphia.

A 66-minute rain delay ruined Martinez’s home debut with the Phillies. The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up one run in three innings in his second start since returning to the majors. Martinez struck out three and retired the last eight batters he faced, but left after the long delay.

“It was a fun night,’’ Martinez said. “You never know what you’re going to get when you put two old goats out there. I enjoyed it.’’

Pitching in a steady rain, Moyer (11-9) gave up two singles and struck out five in his first relief appearance in five years. He also chipped in with two hits. The 46-year-old lefthander was upset last week when he was demoted to the bullpen to make room for Martinez.

“I went out and did what I set forth to do, got them to put the ball in play and relied on my defense,’’ Moyer said.

Jayson Werth hit his career-best 25th homer and Carlos Ruiz also connected, helping the NL East-leading Phillies win for the sixth time in seven games.

Moyer hadn’t appeared in relief since June 24, 2004, when he entered in the 15th inning of Seattle’s 9-7 loss to Texas in 18 innings.

Yankees 7, Athletics 2 - Derek Jeter had his third straight three-hit game and also knocked in the go-ahead run to help CC Sabathia (14-7) win for the first time in six years in Oakland.

Rays 5, Orioles 4 - Gabe Gross hit a two-run homer and Pat Burrell and B.J. Upton added solo shots to lead host Tampa Bay. The Orioles are 8-23 since the All-Star break.

Twins 9, Rangers 6 - Joe Mauer homered twice and Delmon Young hit a tiebreaking two-run shot in the seventh inning to power visiting Minnesota. Mauer went 3 for 5 to push his major league-leading average to .383.

Dodgers 7, Cardinals 3 - Chad Billingsley yielded three hits over six strong innings and added an RBI single as host Los Angeles snapped St. Louis’s five-game winning streak in a meeting of first-place clubs.

Tigers 5, Mariners 3 - Miguel Cabrera hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning and Rick Porcello had a career-high eight strikeouts to lift host Detroit.

Giants 8, Reds 5 - Ryan Garko’s two-run double in the 10th inning completed San Francisco’s comeback from a four-run deficit in a win at Cincinnati.

Angels 5, Indians 4 - Trevor Bell got his first major league win in helping host Los Angeles to its fourth straight victory. Vladimir Guerrero had three hits for Los Angeles, which leads the AL West and has won seven of eight.

Pirates 5, Brewers 2 - Ross Ohlendorf gave up only one run over seven innings plus, and Delwyn Young and Lastings Milledge homered as host Pittsburgh won for only the fifth time since July 24.

Rockies 4, Nationals 3 - Moved up to the leadoff spot, Carlos Gonzalez homered for the third consecutive game, breaking a tie in the eighth inning and helping visiting Colorado to the victory.

Royals 5, White Sox 4 - Billy Butler doubled three times, had two RBIs, and scored the go-ahead run on Alberto Callaspo’s fifth-inning single as visiting Kansas City rallied to victory.

Marlins 6, Astros 2 - Ricky Nolasco struck out 10 in his second complete game of the season and visiting Florida had 10 hits for the 14th consecutive game in posting its ninth victory in 11 games. The Marlins’ streak of 10-hit games is the longest since the 1937 St. Louis Browns reached the total in 15 straight, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Mets 9, Braves 4 - Gary Sheffield doubled twice in an eight-run fourth inning and host New York battered Derek Lowe in rebounding from an early 4-0 deficit. The Mets had 10 hits in the fourth, setting a franchise record for one inning.

Padres 6, Cubs 3 - Rookie Kyle Blanks hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer, and rookie Cesar Carrillo earned his first major league victory to lead host San Diego.