Beckett Beaten; Yanks 9 Straight; Royals Explode

Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues. American League Colorado 7 Boston 1 - Rockies' third baseman Garrett Atkins went 3-5, and his grand slam home run in the 3rd inning sent Boston ace Josh Beckett to an early departure and his first loss of the season. Beckett (9-1) survived only through 5, allowing 6 earned runs on 10 hits and a walk. He recorded only one strikeout as it was obvious he didn't have his usual best stuff. The Rockies ended their series at Boston ahead, 2 games to 1 and reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 13. They continue to chase the Padres, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Currently, the Rockies are 5 1/2 behind San Diego. NY Yankees 7 Arizona 1 - Boston's loss was New York's gain, as the Yankees won their 9th straight and have closed the gap on the Red Sox to 7 1/2 games in the AL East. Alex Rodriguez had a pair of singles and a double, scored twice and drove in 2 to increase his MLB-leading RBI total to 68. Yankees' starter Andy Pettitte allowed just 4 hits and one earned run to even his record at 4-4. Kansas City 17 St. Louis 8 - Mark Teahen (right) singled and tripled twice in 5 at-bats, drove in 5 runs and scored a run in another Kansas City outburst. The Royals collected 15 hits and 7 walks off 7 different Cardinals' pitchers. Starter Kip Wells (2-11) lasted only 1 1/3 inning, allowing 6 earned runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. The Royals matched their high run total from just three games ago, when they blew out the Phillies, 17-5. It's the 6th time this season Kansas City has put up double digits. San Diego 7 Tampa Bay 1 - Rookie Justin Germano improved to 5-0, blanking the Devil Rays on 3 hits over 6 innings. Germano walked just one batter and struck out 4, lowering his WHIP to 0.93 and his ERA to 2.36. The rookie complements an already robust pitching staff. The Padres lead the majors with a 2.94 staff ERA and the NL West by 1/2 game over Los Angeles. Other AL Scores Minnesota 3 Atlanta 2 - Braves fall to 3rd in NL East, 1/2 behind Philly Milwaukee 6 Detroit 5 - Brewers take 2 of 3 at Detroit, Tigers fall 2 behind Cleveland Washington 3 Baltimore 1 National League Oakland 6 Houston 5, 11 innings - Jason Kendall singled home Bubba Crosby with the winning run to cap a 3-5 night at the plate for the A's 8th win in their last 10 games.

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Oakland moved into a tie with Seattle for 2nd place in the AL West, 5 back of the LA Angels. Craig Biggio had a pinch-hit single for career hit #2985. Texas 6 Pittsburgh 0 - Kameron Loe (2-6) blanked the Pirates on 5 hits over 8 innings as Texas avoided the sweep in Pittsburgh. Other NL Scores LA Angels 9 Cincinnati 7 - K. Griffey Jr., 2-run HR (16) Chi Cubs 5 Seattle 4 Cleveland 3 Florida 2 Interleague Scoreboard: Friday (6/8): AL 8, NL 6 Saturday (6/9): AL 10, NL 4 Sunday (6/10): AL 9, NL 5 Monday (6/11): AL 0, NL 2 Tuesday (6/12): AL: 8, NL: 6 Wednesday (6/13): AL: 6, NL: 8 Thursday (6/14): AL: 7, NL: 5