Rogers Gets First Victory

Kenny Rogers yielded only two singles over six shutout innings and finally got some run support from the Texas hitters for his first victory of the season, an 8-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night at Arlington, Texas.

Rogers (1-2) needed five starts to get his first win as a 40-year-old. The Rangers scored only two runs in the left-hander’s previous two starts -- his two losses -- and he left his first start of the season losing, 1-0, after six innings.

Michael Young hit a three-run homer before the Rangers made their first out. Richard Hidalgo, mired in a six-for-54 slump and starting for only the second time in five games, had a two-run single during a five-run first.

Rogers walked five, but three of those came with two out, and no Seattle runner reached third base. He left after 105 pitches, only 57 for strikes.

The Mariners avoided the shutout when Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-run double off Francisco Cordero with two out in the ninth.

Texas got 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings against Ryan Franklin (1-3), who came in allowing opponents to bat .163 -- the best in the league. He had worked at least eight innings in all three of his starts since returning to the rotation.

The Rangers started the fifth with three singles, with Kevin Mench’s hit driving in a run. After Hidalgo popped out to the catcher, Laynce Nix hit an RBI single to make it 7-0 and chase Franklin.

Oakland 2, Chicago 1 -- The White Sox still have the league’s best record at 16-6, but they finished an eight-game road trip with two losses after an eight-game winning streak.

Chicago lost a series for the first time in eight tries this season, with late-inning fielding blunders leading to both losses in Oakland.

Erubiel Durazo led off the ninth inning by hitting a routine fly to center against Damaso Marte (2-2), but Aaron Rowand lost it in the sun. With two runners on and one out, Marco Scutaro singled to left, driving in Durazo with the winning run.

Detroit 10, Cleveland 3 -- Craig Monroe hit a two-run homer to highlight a six-run third inning and Jeremy Bonderman pitched eight effective innings at Cleveland.

Bonderman (3-2) was 2-5 with a 7.35 earned-run average in 10 appearances against the Indians, but he limited his mistakes this time to leadoff homers to Aaron Boone in the third inning and Grady Sizemore in the sixth. He gave up three hits, struck out seven and walked one.

Toronto 8, Tampa Bay 2 -- Rookie left-hander Gustavo Chacin improved to 4-1, limiting the Devil Rays to two runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings at Toronto in lowering his ERA to 2.48.

Alex Rios tripled twice and drove in two runs for the Blue Jays, who have won two straight after a five-game losing streak, helping them get back to .500.

Rookie left-hander Scott Kazmir (0-2) is winless in five starts for the Devil Rays. He gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings.

Minnesota 9, Kansas City 4 -- Joe Mays pitched six solid innings at Kansas City, Mo., for his first win since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2003. The Royals lost their seventh in a row and dropped to a major league-worst 5-16.

Mays (1-0), who sat out the 2004 season, gave up four runs and eight hits. It was his third start of the season and first victory since he beat the Royals, 16-2, on June 19, 2003.

Baltimore at Boston, ppd. -- The game at Fenway Park was postponed because of rain. No makeup date was announced.