BOSTON – Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer and the Baltimore Orioles broke a nine-game losing streak with a 9-8 win over the reeling Boston Red Sox, who lost starter Tim Wakefield even before Friday night’s game began.

Wakefield, tied for the major league lead with 16 wins, was scratched from his start with a sore lower back and replaced by Julian Tavarez.

After holding the Orioles to two hits in three scoreless innings, Tavarez (7-10) allowed four runs in the fourth. Baltimore stretched its lead to 9-3 in the sixth with five runs, four off Mike Timlin in his 1,000th career appearance.

Trailing 9-6, Boston had a chance to tie the game in the eighth with runners at first and second and David Ortiz, who had homered in the first, at the plate. He lined a ball into the stands to the right of the right field foul pole. Then he hit a hard grounder to pitcher Chad Bradford, who started an inning-ending double play.

Danys Baez gave up Eric Hinske’s RBI single and a run on Melvin Mora’s error, before getting Jason Varitek to ground into an inning-ending double play for his third save in five chances.

The Red Sox seemed poised to get back on track as they returned home after being swept in a three-game series in New York that cut their AL East lead over the Yankees to five games. The lead remained unchanged since the Yankees were routed by Tampa Bay 9-1.

The Orioles hadn’t won since the team held a news conference on Aug. 22 to announce that manager Dave Trembley would return next season. That night, they lost 30-3 to Texas. They ended the worst 10-game homestand in their 54-year history with a 1-9 record after losing to Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

Devil Rays 9, Yankees 1

NEW YORK – Carlos Pena homered twice and Andy Sonnanstine pitched eight innings of two-hit ball against the lethargic New York Yankees, leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 9-1 rout Friday night.

Carl Crawford capped a huge month with two run-scoring hits, and the surging Devil Rays roughed up an ineffective Phil Hughes to win for the seventh time in eight games. Pena also drew three walks and had his second multihomer game in six days.

Royal, Twins split

MINNEAPOLIS – Scott Baker came within three outs of a perfect game and two outs of a no-hitter, falling short of history but leading the Minnesota Twins over the Kansas City Royals 5-0 in the second game of a doubleheader Friday night.

Baker entered the ninth inning with a chance for just the 18th perfect game in major league history. But with a Metrodome crowd of 24,986 cheering, he went to a 3-0 count leading off on John Buck.

Buck took a strike before the next pitch went inside for ball four.

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 5

TORONTO – The slumping Seattle Mariners lost their seventh straight game as Troy Glaus hit a two-run homer and Lyle Overbay and Alex Rios also went deep in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 7-5 win Friday night.

Jose Vidro hit a two-run drive and Adrian Beltre also connected for Seattle, which matched its season-worst skid.

The Mariners remained one game back of the AL wild card-leading New York Yankees, who lost 9-1 to Tampa Bay.

Indians 8, White Sox 5

CLEVELAND – Casey Blake’s three-run double capped Cleveland’s six-run eighth inning as the Indians rallied for an 8-5 win Friday night over the Chicago White Sox, whose sorry season keeps getting worse.

The Indians did nothing against starter Mark Buehrle for five innings and trailed 5-0 in the sixth before coming back against Chicago’s awful bullpen – with two outs – to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven.

Cleveland has gone 12-3 since Aug. 15 and entered the weekend leading the second-place Detroit Tigers by 41/2 games.