A’s Use Long Ball to Defeat Yankees

Frank Thomas hit one of Oakland’s three homers off Randy Johnson, and the Athletics held off the New York Yankees, 6-5, after a long rain delay Friday night in New York.

Bobby Kielty and former Dodger Antonio Perez also homered, sending Oakland to its seventh victory in nine games. The game was halted by rain for 1 hour 27 minutes in the seventh inning.

Dan Haren (5-5) beat Johnson at Yankee Stadium for the second time in less than a month, improving to 3-0 with a 2.76 earned-run average in five starts against the Yankees.

Jason Giambi hit a three-run homer and Derek Jeter (thumb) returned to the lineup as the designated hitter for the Yankees, but they dropped their second in a row at home and fell out of first place in the East Division, a half-game behind Boston.

Johnson (7-5) gave up six runs -- five earned -- and six hits in four innings. He walked five, including four during a 46-pitch fourth inning that lasted more than 20 minutes.

Kielty led off the fourth with his first home run of the season. Perez was only one for 33 this season when he stepped to the plate, but he hit a two-run homer to left -- his first since July 6 with the Dodgers at Colorado.

Boston 4, Texas 3 -- Rookie Jonathon Papelbon recovered from his first blown save of the season to get the win at Fenway Park.

Mike Lowell’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth gave the Red Sox the lead after Papelbon (1-1) allowed the Rangers to tie it in the top of the inning. It was his first blown save after recording 20 in a row since taking over the closer’s role.

Kansas City 4, Tampa Bay 2 -- Mark Redman pitched eight strong innings and Reggie Sanders hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning at Kansas City, Mo.

Redman (2-4) yielded nine hits in the first three innings before retiring the last 13 batters he faced. He has won back-to-back starts for the first time since May 14-20, 2005.

Toronto 10, Detroit 5 -- Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead, two-run double as part of an eight-run eighth inning for the Blue Jays at Toronto. Trailing, 5-2, they sent 12 batters to the plate. Pinch-hitter Shea Hillenbrand led off the inning with a homer off Francisco Rodney.

Chicago 5, Cleveland 4 -- Jermaine Dye drove in two runs with a single off Rafael Betancourt in the eighth inning to lead the White Sox at Chicago. He lined a 1-2 pitch to center to drive in Jim Thome and Paul Konerko with the tying and go-ahead runs.

Minnesota 7, Baltimore 5 -- Justin Morneau’s second homer of the game, a two-run walkoff shot with two out in the 12th inning, lifted the Twins. His 437-foot drive off Bruce Chen (0-6) came on a 2-0 pitch. The Twins’ Joe Mauer, who leads the majors with a .384 average, was three for five and has 12 hits in his last 17 at-bats.