NEW YORK – Melky Cabrera’s RBI single put the Yankees in front during a three-run eighth inning and New York hung on to beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 Friday, snapping Jose Contreras’ 17-game unbeaten streak.
Kyle Farnsworth (3-4) pitched a perfect eighth and Mariano Rivera worked the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances. Rivera allowed two runs before he got pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski to fly out to right with a runner on third to end it.
Contreras (9-1) allowed Alex Rodriguez’s leadoff single in the eighth before he was relieved by Matt Thornton, who allowed a single to Jorge Posada and walked Bernie Williams to load the bases.
Mariners 5, Blue Jays 3
TORONTO – Gil Meche won his fifth straight decision and Adrian Beltre drove in two runs to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
Meche (9-4) beat the Detroit Tigers on Sunday – the last game before the All-Star break – and Toronto on Friday night – the first game after it.
The only other Mariner to ever make consecutive starts was Freddy Garcia, who started on Sept. 10, 2001, and then on Sept 18, after baseball’s break because of the 9/11 attacks.
Meche allowed three runs and six hits, while striking out five and walking one in six innings. J.J. Putz pitched the ninth for his for his 17th save .
Rangers 2, Orioles 1
BALTIMORE- Kevin Millwood and three relievers combined on a six-hitter, and the Texas Rangers capitalized on one shaky inning by Kris Benson to slip past the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 on Friday night.
After scoring 15 runs one night earlier, the Rangers got their only runs on fourth-inning sacrifice flies by Michael Young and Mark Teixeira. That, however, was enough to provide Texas with its third straight victory.
Millwood (9-5) allowed one run and four hits in six innings to earn his first win in four starts since June 16. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.
Former Oriole Rick Bauer worked a perfect seventh, Francisco Cordero gave up two singles in the eighth and Akinori Otsuka closed it for his 18th save.
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