AL | Ramirez leads Bosox past Texas

BOSTON - Manny Ramirez homered twice, including the decisive blow in the eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox edged the Seattle Mariners, 8-7, last night at Fenway Park.

Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled with his control, and trailed, 5-0, after the first inning. Boston came back to take a 7-5 lead, then allowed Seattle to tie the game before Ramirez hit his 475th homer, a two-out drive off Chris Reitsma (0-1).

Brendan Donnelly (1-1) got the win. Matsuzaka allowed seven runs, five hits and five walks in five innings. He has a 5.45 ERA and has walked 15 in 38 innings.

The game was a makeup of an April 12 rainout. The Mariners still have five postponements to make up, four of them because of snow in Cleveland.

Yankees 4, Rangers 3

Yankees 5, Rangers 2

ARLINGTON, Texas - Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina gave New York the type of starts it has been missing for much of the season, and closer Mariano Rivera came through twice as the Yankees swept a day-night doubleheader - and the three-game series - from Texas.

The Rangers' Sammy Sosa was hit on the helmet by a Brian Bruney pitch in the sixth inning of the second game and had to leave the game.

Bruney's 2-1 pitch hit Sosa on the side of the helmet, knocking it off. Sosa fell to his knees in the batter's box, was evaluated by trainers, then walked to the dugout under his own strength.

Hideki Matsui supplied a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning of the opener for the Yankees, and Doug Mientkiewicz contributed an early two-run homer in the second game.

Royals 5, Angels 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Gil Meche allowed two hits in seven innings, retiring 17 straight batters after Vladimir Guerrero's two-run homer in the first, to lead Kansas City over Los Angeles.

Meche (3-1), whose 2.23 ERA is third in the AL behind Oakland's Dan Haren (1.60) and the Angels' John Lackey (2.19), struck out six and walked one. Meche walked Reggie Willits in a 10-pitch at-bat right ahead of Guerrero's ninth home run.

Indians 6, Blue Jays 5

CLEVELAND - Grady Sizemore hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning, and Cleveland rallied from a four-run deficit to beat Toronto and complete a three-game sweep.

Devil Rays 6, Twins 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - James Shields gave up three runs over 71/3 innings, and Rocco Baldelli hit a two-run homer as Tampa Bay beat Minnesota.