Price, power surge pace Rays past Red Sox

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford and Pat Burrell homered in support of rookie left-hander David Price, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-4 on Wednesday night to finish a two-game series sweep.

Facing the Red Sox for the first time since getting the last four outs of last season's AL championship series, Price (5-4) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings to improve to 5-1 at home compared to 0-3 with an 8.20 ERA on the road.

Pena hit a two-run homer off Brad Penny (7-6) in the second inning. Crawford, celebrating his 28th birthday, went deep with a man on in the third. Burrell added a solo shot off Penny for a 5-2 lead in the sixth. Jason Bartlett also homered for the Rays.

YANKEES 8, BLUE JAYS 4: At Toronto, Johnny Damon hit a solo home run and had three RBIs, Nick Swisher also connected and New York completed a two-game sweep. Reliever Alfredo Aceves (7-1) pitched two innings for the victory as the Yankees used a four-run seventh inning to win their third straight overall after losing three in a row in Chicago. The AL East-leading Yankees, winless in eight games against second-place Boston, return home to open a four-game series against the Red Sox tonight.

WHITE SOX 6, ANGELS 2: At Chicago, Jim Thome homered twice, giving him 561 for his career, and Gavin Floyd pitched into the ninth inning as the White Sox won for the fifth time in six games. Floyd (9-6), who was aided by three double plays, allowed six hits and two runs in eight-plus innings. Thome hit a three-run shot to greet reliever Darren Oliver in the sixth — his second of the game and 20th of the season. With 561 homers, the 38-year-old slugger is two homers behind Reggie Jackson, who is in 12th place all-time.

INDIANS 8, TWINS 1: At Cleveland, Aaron Laffey rebounded from one of his worst performances to pitch a career-high eight innings for the Indians. The first three batters in Cleveland's lineup — Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo — along with No. 9 hitter Trevor Crowe combined to go 10 for 16 with five runs and seven RBIs. The Indians won for the eighth time in 12 games. Laffey (5-3) gave up one unearned run on six hits, striking out five and walking one.

TIGERS 4, ORIOLES 2: At Detroit, Edwin Jackson took a shutout into the ninth inning, Magglio Ordonez homered and the Tigers beat Baltimore. Jackson (8-5) allowed two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out eight. He has allowed two runs in 16 innings over two starts against Baltimore this season. After Adam Jones hit a two-run homer in the ninth, Fernando Rodney entered and got three outs for his 22nd save.