Buehrle Quickly Defeats Mariners

Mark Buehrle wasted little time shutting down the Seattle Mariners -- except Ichiro Suzuki.

Buehrle gave up only three hits -- all to Suzuki -- and struck out a career-high 12, and Paul Konerko hit two home runs to lead the Chicago White Sox over the Mariners, 2-1, Saturday in a brisk 1 hour 39 minutes.

Buehrle (2-1) was dominant, needing only 106 pitches -- 73 strikes -- and walking only one to help the White Sox improve to 8-3, their best start since 1982.

“I was locating my fastball probably the best I was ever locating it,” Buehrle said. “I was hitting my location and keeping guys off balance. I was hitting the corners ... I don’t throw the ball down the middle.”

Buehrle lost his shutout bid in the ninth inning when Suzuki tripled and scored on Adrian Beltre’s groundout to first.

Buehrle outpitched Ryan Franklin (1-1) as the White Sox posted their eighth consecutive victory over the Mariners. Franklin gave up two runs and four hits over eight innings.

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Minnesota 6, Cleveland 4 -- Lew Ford and Torii Hunter each hit three-run homers at Cleveland to help the Twins to their sixth win in a row.

Dave Gassner (1-0) worked six strong innings to become the first Twin pitcher to win his major league debut since Eric Milton beat Kansas City on April 5, 1998.

Gassner gave up three hits and two runs -- one earned. The 26-year-old left-hander walked one and struck out one.

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Detroit 7, Kansas City 1 -- Jeremy Bonderman rebounded from a rough start last week to shut down the Royals for eight innings at Kansas City, Mo., and help the Tigers end a five-game losing streak.

Bonderman (2-1) yielded six hits, a run and did not issue a walk six days after giving up six runs and five hits in the first inning of a loss to the Cleveland Indians.

The 22-year-old right-hander defeated the Royals for the second time this season. He held them to one run and six hits over seven innings in the Tigers’ 10-1 season-opening win.

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Boston 6, Tampa Bay 2 -- Manny Ramirez ended his longest homerless drought to start a season with a grand slam and a two-run shot, and Matt Clement won in his Fenway Park debut.

Ramirez hit a two-run shot in the third inning, his 39th at-bat this season. In 2003, he didn’t connect until his 35th at-bat. He hit the 18th grand slam of his career in the sixth.

Clement (1-0), signed as a free agent after pitching for the Cubs last season, gave up one run and seven hits while striking out six and walking two in seven innings.

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Baltimore 7, New York 6 -- Brian Roberts hit a three-run homer off Tom Gordon to cap a five-run seventh inning at Baltimore, and the Orioles rallied to beat the Yankees, who have lost three in a row and five of six to fall into last place in the East. New York (4-7) is off to its worst start in 14 years.

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Toronto 8, Texas 0 -- Rookie Gustavo Chacin (3-0) yielded two hits in eight innings and Reed Johnson was hit by a record-tying three pitches -- two with the bases loaded -- at Arlington, Texas.

Johnson was hit by pitches in the third, sixth and eighth innings -- the last two driving in runs. He set a club record and tied the major league mark, last set by teammate Corey Koskie on July 27, 2004, while he was with the Minnesota Twins.