Curt Schilling showed a rain-soaked home crowd -- and the SeattleMariners -- that he's back.
Pitching at home for the first time this season, Boston's aceallowed one run and three hits in eight innings in a 2-1 victoryFriday night. Schilling has won his first three starts for the firsttime since 2002, showing once again that the right ankle thatbothered him the last two years is strong.
Schilling (3-0) needs just one more win to match the total he hadin 11 starts last year, when that injured ankle kept him on thedisabled list for 76 days.
On Friday, his ERA dropped from 1.93 to 1.64 as he struck outseven and didn't allow a walk.
Schilling got all the support he needed from an unlikely source.Alex Gonzalez, signed as a free agent for his fielding prowess atshortstop and not his bat, drove in both runs with a double in thefourth and went 3-for-4 with two doubles off Jamie Moyer (0-2).
Jonathan Papelbon finished the four-hitter for his fifth save infive opportunities. Boston ended a two-game slide after a five-gamewinning streak.
Schilling pitched seven innings in each of his first two starts,allowing two runs and five hits at Texas and one run and three hitsat Baltimore.
Tigers 5, Indians 1: Kenny Rogers won his home debut for theTigers, and Brandon Inge homered twice to lead Detroit overCleveland.
Rogers (2-1) allowed one run and seven hits in eight innings,struck out five and walked three. Fernando Rodney finished with a one-hit ninth for Detroit, which had lost four straight following a 5-0start under new manager Jim Leyland.
Chris Shelton had a triple and a double, giving him a .512 battingaverage with a 1.293 slugging percentage. Detroit has 13 extra-basehits in its last two games.
Jake Westbrook (2-1) allowed five runs -- two more than in hisfirst two starts combined -- and nine hits in six innings. Clevelandlost its third in a row.
Twins 5, Yankees 1: Scott Baker pitched seven strong innings inhis first start against New York, leading host Minnesota to a victorythat extended its winning streak to four.
Baker gave up one run, three hits and one walk while striking outfour -- silencing an offense that scored 40 runs while winning itslast four games. Baker (1-1) turned in the Twins' second straightquality start after the staff went the first eight games without one.
Juan Castro's two-out RBI single pushed the Twins' lead to 3-1 andchased Yankees starter Mike Mussina in the seventh. In the eighthagainst Kyle Farnsworth, Morneau drove in Torii Hunter with a single,and Tony Batista doubled in Morneau to make it 5-1.
Rangers 6, Athletics 3: Kevin Millwood struck out seven in hisfirst win for visiting Texas.
Millwood, the Rangers' top free-agent signing in the offseason,took a one-hitter into the fifth inning, retiring 12 of the first 13batters he faced. Frank Thomas broke up the shutout with his 450thcareer homer leading off the fifth.
Millwood (1-2) struck out seven, allowed seven hits and did notwalk a batter.
Orioles 6, Angels 5: Ramon Hernandez hit a tiebreaking solo homerwith one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift hostBaltimore.
Hernandez connected on a 3-2 pitch from Scot Shields (1-1). It washis first home run with Baltimore.
Los Angeles trailed 5-4 in the ninth when LaTroy Hawkins enteredfor Baltimore, seeking his first save. He struck out Tim Salmon andCasey Kotchman and went to 3-2 on Jeff Mathis before the rookie drovea fastball into the left-field seats for his first major-leaguehomer.
Devil Rays 7, Royals 2: Jorge Cantu hit a go-ahead, three-rundouble with two outs in the seventh inning, and host Tampa Bayextended Kansas City's losing streak to five games.
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