Mark Teixeira Powers Yankees over Red Sox; Bronson Arroyo Twirls 3-Hitter Against Padres

Players of the Day for Friday, July 6, 2012

American League

The Yankees continue to lead the AL East by 5 1/2 games over Baltimore after their 10-8 win at Boston Friday night.

Mark Teixeira

Scoring five runs in the first inning off starter Josh Beckett, the Red Sox responded with five of their own in the bottom half off Yankee starter Hiroki Kuroda.

In the middle of the offensive outburst was Mark Teixeira, who singled in a pair of runs in the first inning and scored. In the seventh, with the Yankees trailing 7-6, he fueled a four-run rally with a triple to the deepest part of Fenway - the "triangle" - driving in two more runs. He trotted home when Raul Ibanez doubled to right field in the decisive frame, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI, giving him an even 50 ribbies on the year.

The game was the opener of a four-game series at Boston. The loss sent the Red Sox back to 8 1/2 games off the Yankees' pace. The teams play a day-night double-header on Saturday and will be the featured ESPN game, Sunday night at 8:00 pm EDT.

National League

Arroyo: 3-hitter

Obviously, giving up the NL Central lead to Pittsburgh earlier this week didn't sit well in Cincinnati, but the Reds, after losing three straight, improved to 4-5 on their brutal 11-game West coast road trip with a 6-0 win at San Diego, picking up a game on the front-running Pirates.

The Reds trail by one in the division after Bronson Arroyo's 3-hit gem stopped the losing streak. Arroyo (4-5) walked one and whiffed eight, getting his first shutout and complete game of the 2012 season.

Protecting a 1-0 lead produced in the first inning, Arroyo allowed only one base runner to reach second. The Reds finally gave him some breathing room when they scored two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth on two-run homers by Ryan Hanigan and Todd Frazier.

Arroyo threw 72 of 110 pitches for strikes in his 13th career complete game and fifth shutout. The Reds wrap up their road trip Saturday and Sunday in San Diego, leading up to the all star break.