Chicago ? Mark Prior made it clear he didn’t rush his return from the disabled list.

Prior allowed only one hit in six innings and retired 18 of his 19 batters Sunday, outpitching Jon Garland to send the Chicago Cubs to a 2-0 victory over the White Sox.

“I felt pretty good,” Prior said. “Most athletes know if they’re ready or not.”

Corey Patterson’s solo homer in the sixth broke a scoreless tie for the Cubs, who took two of three on the road to split the season series at three games apiece. The White Sox won two of three in May at Wrigley Field.

Making his first start since May 27, when a line drive fractured a bone in his right elbow, Prior (5-1) dominated the White Sox, who have the best record in baseball. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

After allowing a single to Pablo Ozuna in the third, Prior retired his final 10 batters and erased any doubts about whether he was ready to return.

While he was out, Prior threw two simulated games but did not make any minor-league rehabilitation starts.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Mark Prior delivers to the White Sox's Joe Crede in the third inning. Prior pitched the Cubs to a 2-0 victory Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

“After the first simulated game, I didn’t feel ready. After the second one, I did,” said Prior, who threw 71 pitches – 50 for strikes. “I just tried to go out there and throw a good game.”

Jerome Williams pitched two scoreless innings, and Ryan Dempster got three outs for his 11th save in 12 chances, getting Carl Everett on a double play to end the game.

Trying to become the first 13-game winner in the majors, Garland (12-3) gave up two runs – one earned – and four hits in 71â3 innings. He struck out five and walked one. Garland retired his first 10 batters before Neifi Perez’s single and shut out the Cubs through the first five innings.

With one out in the sixth, Patterson homered to right on an 0-2 pitch. He has 11 home runs – all solo shots.

“It may have been a curve down and in,” said Patterson, who was 6-for-39 on the Cubs’ 10-game trip before that shot. “I was able to keep my head on it and just put a good swing on it. … To be honest, I thought it was a pretty good pitch.”

Braves 8, Orioles 1

Atlanta – Andruw Jones hit another home run, John Smoltz pitched his second consecutive complete game, and Atlanta sent Baltimore to its fifth straight defeat. Jones had two hits, including his major-league-leading 24th homer, and drove in two runs as the Braves completed a three-game sweep.

Blue Jays 9, Nationals 5

Washington – Orlando Hudson hit two homers, including a tiebreaking, two-run shot in the eighth inning, and Toronto snapped Washington’s 12-game home winning streak. Eric Hinske led off the eighth with a double. One out later, Hudson hit his sixth homer off Luis Ayala (6-4).

Indians 4, Reds 3

Cleveland – Pinch-hitter Victor Martinez singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, leading Cleveland past Cincinnati. The Indians completed interleague play with a major-league-best 15-3 record and improved to 22-10 overall since May 21. The Reds went 7-8 against the AL, but have lost 14 of 16 road games to drop to 7-26 away from home.

Red Sox 12, Phillies 8

Philadelphia – Manny Ramirez hit his 19th career grand slam and drove in five runs, leading Boston to its season-high seventh consecutive victory. Ramirez tied Hall of Famer Eddie Murray for second place on the career grand slams list. Lou Gehrig holds the record with 23. Boston blew a seven-run lead, but Mark Bellhorn hit a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning.

Astros 3, Rangers 2, 10 innings

Houston – Andy Pettitte pitched nine strong innings, and Morgan Ensberg singled home the winning run in the 10th, giving Houston a victory over Texas. The Astros won for the second time in the six-game Lone Star series.

Twins 5, Brewers 2

Milwaukee – Rookie Luis Rodriguez hit his first major-league home run, and Kyle Lohse became just the second Minnesota starter in 13 games to earn a win, leading the Twins past Milwaukee.

Marlins 1, Devil Rays 0

St. Petersburg, Fla. – A.J. Burnett threw a two-hitter for his first shutout since 2002, leading Florida to a three-game sweep over Tampa Bay. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two in his seventh career shutout and third complete game this season.

Padres 5, Mariners 4

San Diego – Damian Jackson homered twice and had four hits, and Xavier Nady homered for the third straight game to lead San Diego.

Athletics 16, Giants 0

Oakland, Calif. – Nick Swisher hit a pair of two-run homers, Rich Harden threw seven innings of one-hit ball, and Oakland swept a three-game series from San Francisco for the first time. The A’s matched the franchise record for largest margin of shutout victory, most recently on May 23, 1959, against the White Sox as the Philadelphia A’s. It broke the Oakland record for biggest shutout victory – the previous was 15 on Aug. 30, 2001, at Baltimore. It was the largest shutout defeat in San Francisco history and matched its biggest loss, which last happened in a 19-3 home defeat against Montreal on May 7, 1997.

Angels 5, Dodgers 3

Anaheim, Calif. – Garret Anderson hit a two-run double in the eighth to drive in the go-ahead runs and give him 1,000 RBIs in his career, lifting the Angels over the Dodgers to complete a sweep of the three-game interleague series.

D’backs 13, Tigers 7

Phoenix – Shawn Green hit two of Arizona’s four homers, and Alex Cintron drove in three runs to help the Diamondbacks beat Detroit. Jose Cruz Jr. and Tony Clark also connected.

Yankees 5, Mets 4

New York – Jason Giambi saved the New York Yankees from a Subway Series sweep. Giambi capped a ninth-inning rally with a two-run single, and the Yankees avoided an embarrassing three-game sweep with a victory over the Mets. Tino Martinez, the last non-pitcher on the bench, pinch-hit and walked leading off the ninth, and Rodriguez doubled just inside the third-base line for his fourth hit. Hideki Matsui was intentionally walked, and Giambi singled to the gap in right-center.