TORONTO: Max Scherzer worked into the seventh inning to become the first pitcher in 27 years to get off to a 13-0 start, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
Alex Avila hit a three-run homer and Victor Martinez belted a solo shot as Detroit beat Toronto for the eighth time in 10 meetings.
Scherzer (13-0) allowed two runs and seven hits, struck out eight and walked one in 6 1-3 innings. He is the first pitcher to begin the season with 13 wins and no losses since Roger Clemens won his first 14 decisions for the Boston Red Sox in 1986.
Both benches and bullpens emptied after Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter took exception to being hit by a high pitch from Todd Redmond in the sixth.
Colby Rasmus and Maicer Izturis each hit an RBI single for the Blue Jays. Josh Johnson (1-3) allowed six runs, one earned, and seven hits in five innings.
Royals 6 Indians 5: In Kansas City, Missouri, Eric Hosmer hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning, and the Royals rallied after losing outfielder Alex Gordon to a head injury.
Hosmer connected with two outs off Cody Allen (3-1), one inning after Gordon collided with the bullpen fence while tracking a fly ball. The Gold Glove outfielder remained down on the warning track for several minutes before slowly standing up and walking off the field.
Will Smith (1-1) pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief for the Royals, and Greg Holland managed the ninth to help Kansas City snap a three-game skid against the Indians. Holland worked around an error by shortstop Alicdes Escobar for his 18th save.
Jason Kipnis ended up with a three-run, inside-the-park homer on the play that Gordon was injured, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. But the bullpen failed to hold the 3-1 lead that he provided, ultimately snapping Cleveland’s five-game winning streak.
Yankees 3 Twins 2: In Minneapolis, CC Sabathia earned his 200th career win to stretch his winning streak over Minnesota to nearly six years, and Robinson Cano hit a tying two-run double for the Yankees.
Cano had the big swing in the three-run sixth against PJ Walters (2-5). Trevor Plouffe homered against Sabathia (9-6), but the burly left-hander finished seven innings with seven hits and three walks while striking out nine.
Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his 28th save in 29 tries in his farewell season.
Sabathia is 11-0 with a 2.01 ERA in his last 12 starts against the Twins with a 2.01 ERA. He threw a season-high 121 pitches.
Mariners 4 Rangers 2, 10 innings: In Arlington, Texas, Kyle Seager hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning, and Seattle won consecutive games in Texas for the first time in more than a year.
Michael Saunders walked on a full-count pitch with two out before Seager connected against Robbie Ross (4-2) for his third hit of the game. Seager’s 12th homer landed in the first row of seats in right field.
Charlie Furbush (2-4) pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings for the win, and Tom Wilhelmsen was perfect in the 10th for his 17th save.
Interleague
Cubs 3 Athletics 1: In Oakland, California, Matt Garza pitched eight sharp innings for his third consecutive win, helping the Cubs to their fifth victory in seven games.
Garza (4-1) allowed one run and four hits in his fourth consecutive quality start. The right-hander is 3-0 with a sparkling 0.90 ERA since yielding a season-high nine runs to the Cincinnati Reds on June 11.
With the Cubs well off the pace in the NL Central, Garza could be one of the top targets for contenders looking for pitching help ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Luis Valbuena homered for Chicago, and Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 15 chances.
Cardinals 12 Angels 2: In Anaheim, California, Jon Jay had three RBIs, including a two-run homer off center fielder Mike Trout’s glove during St. Louis’ seven-run second inning, and the Cardinals ended the Angels’ seven-game winning streak.
Matt Carpenter, batting leadoff in front of Jay, also homered and drove in three runs to help keep the Cardinals two games behind Pittsburgh in the NL Central.
St. Louis right-hander Shelby Miller (9-6) pitched six innings and allowed five hits, including a two-run homer by Hank Conger in the second.
Red Sox 2 Padres 1: In Boston, Jonny Gomes led off the ninth inning with a pinch-hit home run, lifting the Red Sox to the victory.
Mike Carp had two hits and scored a run for Boston, which improved to 7-1 on its nine-game homestand that concludes Thursday against the Padres.
Carlos Quentin went 3 for 4 with a double and two singles for the Padres. San Diego has scored just five runs in its five-game losing streak.
Gomes sent a 2-2 pitch from Luke Gregerson (4-4) into the first row of seats above the Green Monster for his second game-ending homer of the season.
