BOSTON—J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell hit grand slams to help Daisuke Matsuzaka remain unbeaten, and the Boston Red Sox completed a sweep of their seven-game homestand with an 11-8 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.

Drew and Lowell were the first Red Sox to hit slams in the same game at Fenway Park since Tony Armas and Bill Buckner on Aug. 7, 1984. The last time Boston had two slams in a game was when the switch-hitting Bill Mueller hit both—one from each side—at Texas on July 29, 2003.

Matsuzaka (8-0) gave up three runs on six hits, walked six, struck out seven and threw two wild pitches while becoming the AL’s first eight-game winner.

Jonathan Papelbon got the final three outs for his 14th save.

Brian Bannister (4-6), who allowed seven runs on 12 hits, couldn’t work his daytime magic against the hot Red Sox. Entering the game, he was 4-0 with a 0.62 ERA in day games.



Rangers 8, Twins 7, 10 innings

MINNEAPOLIS—Josh Hamilton hit a two-out homer in the 10th inning to lift Texas.

Hamilton’s drive into the left-field seats against Brian Bass (1-1) gave him 12 homers, matching Chicago’s Carlos Quentin for the AL lead. Hamilton went 2-for-4 and moved past Minnesota’s Joe Mauer for the best average in the league, .335. He has 53 RBIs, too, by far the most in the majors.

Joaquin Benoit (3-1) loaded the bases in the eighth and surrendered a two-run single to Justin Morneau that tied the game at 7, but he settled down for a scoreless ninth and the victory. Closer C.J. Wilson pitched a perfect 10th for his ninth save.



Blue Jays 4, Angels 3

TORONTO—Lyle Overbay hit a go-ahead solo homer, A.J. Burnett won back-to-back starts for the first time this season and Toronto avoided a three-game sweep.

Overbay finished 2-for-3, adding a double and a walk. Eight of his past 17 hits have gone for extra bases.

Burnett (5-4) gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six.

B.J. Ryan wrapped it up in the ninth for his 10th save.

Overbay’s one out drive to right made a loser of Ervin Santana (6-2), who is 1-2 in May after going 5-0 in April. Santana lost consecutive starts for the first time in 2008.



Yankees 2, Orioles 1

NEW YORK—Robinson Cano singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning, moments after New York manager Joe Girardi was ejected during a theatrical argument.

Hideki Matsui led off the ninth with a single off Jim Johnson (0-2) and later scored from second base, beating left fielder Jay Payton’s high throw.

Mariano Rivera (1-1), in the game earlier than usual as the Yankees convert Joba Chamberlain into a starter, pitched a perfect ninth.

Girardi rushed from the dugout after plate umpire Chris Guccione ruled Jason Giambi was out on a foul tip. Girardi certainly got his money’s worth for his first ejection as Yankees manager—he twice threw down his hat and kicked it once, then kicked the dirt while finishing his rant with crew chief Tim Welke.



Tigers 9, Mariners 2

DETROIT—Brandon Inge and Matt Joyce homered, and after scoring 14 runs in their previous seven games—six of them losses—the Tigers scored 30 in a sweep of Seattle.

Jeremy Bonderman (3-4) won for the first time in four May starts, allowing two runs and eight hits with two walks in six innings. He struck out two.

Freddy Dolsi picked up his first major-league save with three shutout innings.

Miguel Batista (3-6) fell to 1-4 in his last six starts, giving up five runs—four earned—on seven hits in three innings.