AL roundup: Bannister pitches Royals past Red Sox, Dice-K

BOSTON — Brian Bannister pitched six strong innings and David DeJesus drove in two runs as Kansas City snapped Boston's five-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory Thursday night.

The Red Sox were coming off a three-game sweep at Tampa Bay.

Bannister (4-3) gave up three runs and nine hits and struck out four while winning his third straight. He won for the first time in five decisions against the Red Sox. Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-2) walked a season-high eight while allowing three runs over 42?3 innings. Matsuzaka walked five batters in the fifth inning, sandwiched around an RBI single by DeJesus.

RAYS 5, WHITE SOX 1: At St. Petersburg, Fla., EvanLongoria and CarlCrawford homered for Tampa Bay and JeffNiemann remained unbeaten. Niemann (5-0) limited the White Sox to singles by AlexRios and GordonBeckham before giving up a solo homer to MarkTeahen leading off the eighth inning. He walked three and struck out five before RandyChoate and DanWheeler finished the four-hitter with a scoreless ninth. Crawford hit a solo homer in the first and drove in a run off GavinFloyd (2-5) with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. Longoria's solo shot off the Chicago starter put Tampa Bay ahead 3-0 in the sixth.

The Rays snapped a three-game losing streak, improving baseball's best record to 33-15.

ATHLETICS 7, ORIOLES 5: At Baltimore, KevinKouzmanoff doubled in three runs to cap a five-run eighth inning for Oakland, which won its second road of the season. GabeGross homered for the Athletics, who won the final two games of the three-game series. Oakland's only other series win on the road came against the Los Angeles Angels on April 9-11. Orioles starter BradBergesen took a two-hitter and a 5-2 lead into the eighth when he allowed two singles to start the inning. MarkHendrickson (1-3) gave up an RBI single to RyanSweeney, an infield hit and a bad-hop single. ClaMeredith relieved and Kouzmanoff doubled to the gap in left-center. MichaelWertz (2-0) got two outs in the seventh. AndrewBailey got three outs for his ninth save.

MiguelTejada drove in two runs and JulioLugo had three hits for the Orioles, who have lost nine of 12.

TWINS 8, YANKEES 2: At Minneapolis, JasonKubel hit two home runs and drove in five runs for Minnesota. Kubel hit a solo homer in the sixth, a three-run shot in the seventh and had an RBI double for the Twins, who had gone eight games and 349 plate appearances without a home run before he broke the skid. RobinsonCano had two hits and two RBIs and MarkTeixeira had two hits for the Yankees, who took two of three games in the series. NickBlackburn (6-1) gave up two runs and nine hits in seven innings to help Minnesota beat the Yankees for the second time in 13 games.

Minnesota is 18-54 against the Yankees since RonGardenhire took over as manager in 2002, and 725-572 against everyone else.