By The Associated Press

SEATTLE – Hank Blalock and Richard Hidalgo each hit two-run homers in the ninth inning to bail out the Texas Rangers’ beleaguered bullpen and beat the Seattle Mariners 7-6 Saturday.

The Mariners scored four runs in the eighth to take a 6-3 lead, but Eddie Guardado (0-1) failed to close out the potent Texas lineup in the ninth.

With one out, Alfonso Soriano reached on a fielding error by Bret Boone and Blalock followed with his homer. Michael Young singled, and after an out, Hidalgo homered to give Texas a 7-6 lead.

Francisco Cordero earned his first save of the season but it wasn’t easy. He struck out the first two batters before walking Ichiro Suzuki. Jeremy Reed followed with a single to make it first and third for Adrian Beltre, who had three hits.

But Cordero got Beltre to fly out to center on the first pitch and Texas’ string of three straight blown save opportunities.

Yankees 8, Orioles 5

NEW YORK – With all this run support, Randy Johnson is going to be tough to beat.

Ruben Sierra snapped a seventh-inning tie with a three-run homer, and the New York Yankees rallied from four runs down to get Johnson off the hook and defeat the Baltimore Orioles 8-5 on Saturday.

Mariano Rivera earned the save after blowing his first two chances this season against Boston, and Jason Giambi hit his first homer since Sept. 21.

New York also caught a break when shortstop Miguel Tejada couldn’t come up with a two-out popup by Hideki Matsui that went for a tying double.

Devil Rays 11, Athletics 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Josh Phelps and Aubrey Huff both hit three-run homers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays roughed up Oakland starter Barry Zito in an 11-2 win over the Athletics on Saturday night.

Hideo Nomo (1-0) won his Tampa Bay debut, giving up one run and one hit in six innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Tigers 11, Indians 1

DETROIT – Marcus Thames hit a grand slam and Brandon Inge finished a homer short of the cycle, leading the Detroit Tigers to an 11-1 rout of the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.

Carlos Pena also homered for the Tigers, who had 11 hits and took advantage of three Cleveland errors. Inge had a triple, double and single in his first three at-bats but flew out in the seventh.

Wil Ledezma was the winner in his season debut, allowing one run and seven hits in six innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

White Sox 8, Twins 5

MINNEAPOLIS – Carl Everett, Timo Perez and Paul Konerko each homered in support of starter Jon Garland, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Saturday night.

Perez’s upper-deck shot off Brad Radke in the seventh inning snapped a 3-all tie for the White Sox, who at 4-1 have the best record in the AL.

Shannon Stewart hit a three-run homer and Torii Hunter added a solo home run for the Twins, who had seven men in scoring position who never made it home.

Sent home with the flu on Friday night, Garland wasn’t sure if he’d be able to start this one. But he gave Chicago six solid innings, allowing 10 hits and three runs without a walk. He struck out one.

Cliff Politte gave up an RBI single to Joe Mauer in the ninth inning, forcing White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to bring in closer Shingo Takatsu to get one out for his second save.

Overshadowed by three-time defending AL Central champion Minnesota, up-and-coming Cleveland and even improving Detroit in most preseason predictions, Chicago is off to a great start with power and pitching. Through five games, White Sox starters are 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 33 innings.

After learning Carlos Silva, their third starter, will likely miss at least three months with a torn meniscus in his right knee, the Twins could’ve used some good starting pitching news.

But Radke (0-2), who gave up two homers to Seattle’s Richie Sexson and five runs in seven innings of a 5-1 loss to the Mariners on opening day, got roughed up again.

After third baseman Michael Cuddyer bobbled Tadahito Iguchi’s groundball for an error in the first, Everett hit a two-run homer. Perez’s homer led off the seventh, and Radke was finished after singles to Aaron Rowand and Joe Crede.

He went 6 1-3 innings, allowing six hits, six runs – five earned – and no walks. Radke struck out two.

Notes: Minnesota’s Johan Santana, who will pitch Sunday night, was presented with his AL Cy Young Award in a brief ceremony before the game. Jim Perry (1970) and Frank Viola (1988), the Twins’ other two Cy Young winners, greeted Santana on the field. … This is Chicago’s best five-game start since 1991, when the White Sox were 5-0. … Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who was hit by a pitch in the head on Thursday and still has a headache, won’t play until at least Tuesday.

AP-ES-04-09-05 2149EDT