Hudson Does His Part for A’s

Tim Hudson dominated the New York Yankees for eight innings, only to watch Jason Giambi hit a tying home run in the ninth off Keith Foulke. Eric Chavez then hit a two-run homer in the 10th that gave the Athletics a 5-3 victory Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

“His last three starts he’s been just magnificent, and he’s got nothing to show for it,” Oakland Manager Ken Macha said. “It’s a shame.”

Hudson is 2-1 with a 3.26 earned-run average and has won only once in six starts since opening day -- beating Seattle on April 16. But the A’s are 6-1 in his starts.

“We won the games. That’s all that matters,” he said. “All I can do is what I do when I’m out there.”

Foulke (1-0) relieved with a 3-1 lead and blew a save for the second time in nine tries.

Nick Johnson opened the ninth with an opposite-field double to left that was fair by about six inches and Giambi lined a 3-and-1 pitch off the front of the upper deck in right field.

It was only the sixth homer of the season for the former Oakland star, who had two hits in four at-bats and raised his average to .200. He has 18 runs batted in.

“It’s been a long time,” Giambi said of his slump. “I’ve done a good job working counts, I just haven’t been getting hits.”

Demanding Yankee fans booed Giambi after he grounded to second base in the first and sixth innings.

“It’s been really hard to hear him get booed the whole week,” said Chavez, his friend and former teammate. “I’m just such a big fan of Jason’s. I think he’s one of the great guys.”

Tampa Bay 8, Detroit 6 -- Damion Easley returned to Comerica Park and beat the Tigers with a pinch-hit triple in the 10th inning. It was the sixth loss in a row for the Tigers, who are 3-25.

Easley signed with the Devil Rays in early April, five days after Detroit made him the most expensive player cut loose in baseball history. The Tigers owed him $14.3 million when he was released.

Aubrey Huff, who had already homered twice, walked on four pitches to start the 10th. Travis Lee’s sacrifice moved pinch-runner George Lombard to second, and the Devil Rays sent up Easley to hit for Al Martin.

Easley, who played for Detroit from 1996 to 2002, hit a long fly into the right-field corner and the ball bounced out of Bobby Higginson’s glove as he hit the wall. Lombard, who also played for the Tigers last season, scored easily.

Texas 6, Cleveland 5 -- Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run double with two out in the top of the seventh inning off Jose Santiago (0-1) as the Rangers won for the first time when trailing after the sixth inning.

The Rangers, who were 0-10 when behind after six, also improved to 4-7 in one-run games. The Indians have lost nine of their last 10 games.

Michael Young led off the seventh with a walk and Hank Blalock singled. Rodriguez pulled his double just inside the third-base bag.

Seattle 12, Chicago 2 -- Mike Cameron homered and drove in six runs at Chicago to extend his tear against his former club.

Cameron, who had three hits with a homer Friday night on the first anniversary of his four-homer game in Chicago, had six RBIs after two innings.

He hit a three-run homer in the first and a bases-loaded triple in the second off Josh Stewart (1-2) and finished two for four with two walks.

For his career against the White Sox, who traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in 1998 for Paul Konerko, Cameron is batting .346 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs.

Baltimore 6, Kansas City 1 -- Sidney Ponson pitched eight innings of five-hit ball at Baltimore and the Orioles became the first team to score more than three runs against Runelvys Hernandez (4-1).

Ponson (3-2) struck out nine and walked one before being replaced by Kerry Ligtenberg.

Ponson threw 115 pitches and allowed only one runner past second base.