Boston ? Boston’s Derek Lowe felt like he got away with one against Toronto.

Trot Nixon and Todd Walker each drove in two runs during Boston’s five-run third inning as the Red Sox won their sixth straight game, 7-2 over the Blue Jays Saturday.

Lowe (3-1), who yielded two unearned runs and seven hits in five innings, escaped a pair of bases-loaded jams in the first four innings.

“It was a win,” Lowe said. “That’s all you can really say about it. It was a struggle to get through five innings.”

Boston’s beleaguered bullpen has settled down recently. Jason Shiell pitched three scoreless innings in his Red Sox debut and Brandon Lyon finished.

“When you have the type of game Derek has and he comes away with a win, you have to be happy,” Red Sox manager Grady Little said.

“He wasn’t at the top of his game.”

Boston’s offense is performing well now, though, averaging 6.6 runs per game to help improve the team’s record to 12-5.

Toronto has lost three straight games and nine of 10. The Blue Jays, who entered as the AL’s worst fielding team, committed three errors that led to three unearned runs.

The Blue Jays equaled their worst start since also going 6-12 in 1979.

“We’re hitting balls right people that are getting caught,” Toronto manager Carlos Tosca said. “We’re putting too many people on base and to magnify the problem we’re not catching the ball in certain situations.”

Boston's Nomar Garciaparra, center, and first-base coach Dallas Williams, left, hold back Manny Ramirez from getting at Toronto pitcher Tanyon Sturtze, second from right, being held by umpire Jim Joyce. Sturtze hit Ramirez with a pitch during Saturday's game in Boston. The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays, 7-2.

The benches emptied in the fourth inning after Boston’s Manny Ramirez was hit on the left elbow by Tanyon Sturtze’s pitch, but no punches were thrown and there were no ejections.

“I don’t know what the big deal was about,” Sturtze said. “He just started yelling.”

Kevin Millar went 0-for-4 to snap his 14-game hitting streak. It was the longest by a Red Sox hitter to open a season since Tony Pena hit in 15 consecutive games in 1990.

Nixon went 2-for-4 with a double and triple, and Walker also had two hits for Boston.

The Red Sox grabbed a 5-0 lead in the third against Sturtze (2-1). Former Kansas City Royal Johnny Damon doubled after Jason Varitek was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Walker followed with a double into the left field corner, making it 2-0.

Two outs later, Millar walked before Nixon’s grounder down the first base line rolled into the corner for a triple to make it 4-0. Bill Mueller walked and Nixon scored when Greg Myers threw the ball into center trying to get Mueller stealing second.

Toronto cut it to 5-2 in fourth when Josh Phelps doubled and later scored on shortstop Nomar Garciaparra’s error. Shannon Stewart added an RBI single.

Yankees 4, Twins 2

Minneapolis — Bernie Williams hit a two-run homer and Raul Mondesi hit a solo shot, helping New York. Andy Pettitte (3-0) pitched 71¼3 innings to run the rotation’s record to 12-0 — the longest season-opening streak in the last 50 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. New York is off to a franchise-best 14-3 start.

The Yankees also beat the Twins for the 11th straight time over the past two seasons, outhomering Minnesota 25-2 in that span.

Twins center fielder Torii Hunter gave the crowd of 36,139 at least something to cheer about by going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Hunter, who received his second Gold Glove award in a pregame ceremony the night before, showed how he got it in the sixth. Nick Johnson hit a drive to straightaway center that Hunter brought back over the wall with a leaping, two-handed grab, landing hard on his head.

Athletics 12, Rangers 2

Oakland, Calif. — Mark Mulder pitched seven strong innings and Miguel Tejada and Scott Hatteberg homered as Oakland defeated Texas. Mulder (2-1) was challenged in several innings. He allowed baserunners to reach second in the first, second and fifth innings, but was able to get out of each jam unscathed.

The lefty, who’s won 40 games the past two seasons, gave up two runs on five hits, striking out five and walking two.

Rafael Palmeiro and Carl Everett each homered for Texas, which lost its fourth straight road game.

Ramon Hernandez extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single in a 10-pitch at-bat in the fifth for Oakland. He also doubled in the seventh after getting plunked twice.

White Sox 12, Indians 3

Chicago — Rookie Josh Stewart got his first major-league win and D’Angelo Jimenez had four hits as Chicago scored six unearned runs in the first off Brian Anderson (2-2) and beat Cleveland. Jimenez had two hits in the opening inning and drove in three runs. Magglio Ordonez homered in the fourth and extended his hitting streak to 15 games, longest in the AL this season. Carlos Lee hit a three-run homer in the eighth to close the scoring for Chicago. Stewart (1-1), who pitched out of a jam in the top of the first, allowed five hits and two run in six innings.

Devil Rays 8, Orioles 7

Baltimore — Jorge Sosa (1-1) allowed three hits in five innings to become the first Tampa Bay starting pitcher to win a game this season as the Devil Rays hung on to beat Baltimore. Tampa Bay starters hadn’t recorded a victory in the first 16 games. That’s the deepest into the season since the 1992 Kansas City Royals, who had their first win from a starting pitcher in their 18th game.