DETROIT – Mike Maroth pitched a one-hitter, Ivan Rodriguez had a two-run double in a five-run fifth and the Detroit Tigers matched their win total from last season with an 8-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night.

Gary Sheffield’s double in the fourth was the lone hit against Maroth, and Sheffield was the only Yankees baserunner to reach second.

Sparked by Rodriguez’s arrival and other successful acquisitions, the Tigers (43-46) already have as many wins as they did last season when they lost an AL-record 119 games, one short of the post-1900 futility mark.

Perhaps it was fitting that Maroth (6-7) picked up the win – with his first major league shutout – after becoming the face of Detroit’s miserable season with 21 losses last year, baseball’s first 20-game loser since 1980.

On Friday he was overpowering, and the sellout crowd of 40,918 stayed until the final out despite a steady rain in the ninth. After Sheffield struck out to end it, Maroth received a rousing ovation.

Maroth threw 127 pitches and tied a career high with seven strikeouts and walked two.

The Tigers have won six of eight, and Yankees lost for the first time in six games.

Rangers 11, Blue Jays 2

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ryan Drese pitched into the eighth and the Texas Rangers started the second half of the season with a 11-2 win over Toronto on Friday night.

Drese (5-5) has gotten all of his wins at home, where his 1.91 ERA is the second-best in the AL behind Oakland’s Tim Hudson. He left after Dave Berg’s leadoff single in the eighth.

Alfonso Soriano, the All-Star game MVP, had a two-run homer and a pair of RBI singles, and Laynce Nix went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer. First baseman Mark Teixeira, the only Rangers starting infielder who didn’t play in the All-Star game, homered and drew a bases-loaded walk.

The Rangers chased 2003 AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay (7-7) after four innings.

The AL West-leading Rangers (50-37) had a better record at this point in the season only once, when they were 51-36 in 1996 – when they won their first division title.

Devil Rays 2, Orioles 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – John Halama allowed three hits over eight innings and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 Friday to stop a five-game losing streak.

Rocco Baldelli hit an RBI double with two outs in the third inning and scored on Aubrey Huff’s single.

Halama (5-3) was scheduled to start Sunday, but was moved up after Mark Hendrickson felt neck stiffness Thursday. Halama struck out three and retired 12 straight after allowing consecutive one-out singles to Rafael Palmeiro and David Newhan in the second.

Danys Baez completed the three-hitter for his 18th save in 20 opportunities.

Erik Bedard (3-4) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.

Bedard had his start pushed back one day because his flight from Canada was grounded by weather Wednesday. He lasted just three innings – allowing eight runs overall – in each of two previous starts against Tampa Bay this season.

Royals 12, Twins 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dee Brown hit a grand slam and Desi Relaford a two-run shot in the third inning to power the Kansas City Royals past the slumping Minnesota Twins 12-3 Friday night.

The Royals batted around in both the third and fourth innings and Brown came to the plate with the bases loaded in three straight at-bats.

After an eight-game losing streak following the trade of All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, the Royals have won four of their last five. The Twins, who outscored Kansas City 25-0 in a three-game sweep last week in Minnesota have matched their season-worst skid with five straight losses. Brown hit his second career grand slam off Brad Radke (5-6) in the six-run third. He had an RBI single off Joe Roa with the bases full in the four-run fourth and struck out against Grant Balfour with two out and the bases loaded in the fifth. He finished with a career-high five RBIs.

Athletics 5, White Sox 1

OAKLAND, Calif. – Barry Zito pitched seven strong innings for his first win in seven starts, and Jermaine Dye hit a three-run homer in the Oakland Athletics’ 5-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

Dye had three hits and Marco Scutaro had an RBI double for the A’s, who beat Chicago at the Coliseum for the 15th time in 16 games. Oakland has won 22 of its last 25 at home overall.

Zito (5-7) allowed four hits while working quickly and confidently, showing no ill effects from his hard-luck losses and inconsistency this season. The A’s scored exactly one run in his previous two starts, and the 2002 AL Cy Young award winner was 0-4 since a victory over Cincinnati on June 8.

Zito didn’t allow a runner past first base after the second inning. Four relievers finished up, with Octavio Dotel picking up his fourth save in six chances after Chad Bradford allowed consecutive singles in the ninth.