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MINNEAPOLIS -- Livan Hernandez won again, Craig Monroe contributed another big hit, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Monday night to win the four-game series.
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Manny Ramirez finally went deep, hitting career home run No. 498 in the first inning for the Red Sox. The two-run shot was his second home run in 20 games.
Hernandez (6-1) rebounded after a rough start to finish six innings for another quality outing. The Twins are 8-1 when he's on the mound.
Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz (2-3) didn't make it out of the fifth, done in by control problems and timely hits by the Twins -- who took three games from the Red Sox. Minnesota has won nine of its past 12 games and scored 74 runs in the process.
The Twins have done it almost entirely with singles, speed and smart baserunning. Their 20 home runs rank one ahead of Kansas City for the fewest in the majors, and they beat up Buchholz for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings with only one extra-base hit. Full story
Nationals 10, Mets 4
NEW YORK -- Making his ninth start without a victory, Odalis Perez had three hits and two RBI and pitched into the seventh inning to lead the Washington Nationals.
On an unusually chilly night with winds gusting to more than 20 mph, Jesus Flores and Lastings Milledge each had two-run doubles and Washington ended a three-game slide by first taking advantage of wildness by Nelson Figueroa (2-3), then doing something they haven't been able to all season: get hits with runners on base.
Making his 200th career start, Perez (1-3) gave up a season-high 11 hits and four runs, but Washington scored at least four runs in one of his starts for just the second time this year.
Angels 10, White Sox 7
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Vladimir Guerrero hit a home run and drove in four runs, Nick Adenhart recorded his first major league victory and the Angels beat the White Sox to snap a four-game losing streak.
Adenhart (1-0) allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out one. Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 15th save.
Jermaine Dye had four hits for the White Sox, who scored two runs in the eighth against Chris Bootcheck and one in the ninth against Scot Shields before Francisco Rodriguez got the final two outs for his major league-leading 15th save.
Mark Buehrle (1-5) gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.
Astros 7, Giants 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Hunter Pence hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh, Lance Berkman had a tying two-run homer off Barry Zito and surging Houston earned its fourth consecutive victory.
Roy Oswalt (4-3) retired the final 14 batters he faced to win his fourth consecutive decision since starting the season 0-3, and the right-hander struck out six in eight innings without giving up a walk.
Vinnie Chulk (0-1) gave up Pence's sacrifice fly in the seventh on the way to the loss.
Berkman hit his 13th home run to match Philadelphia's Chase Utley for the major league lead and also doubled, singled and has an 11-game hitting streak. Pence has hit safely in 10 consecutive games for the Astros, who won for the ninth time in 10 games.
