Arlington, Texas ? Rangers 3, Royals 2

Arlington, Texas – The Rangers were counting on Vicente Padilla to be a key member of their rotation before injuries and ineffectiveness at the start of the season spoiled those plans.

Now he’s trying to finish on a positive note.

Padilla pitched two-hit shutout ball for six innings, Hank Blalock had two hits and two RBIs, and the Rangers hung on to beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, on Wednesday night.

Michael Young added two hits, and Frank Catalanotto reached base three times to help the Rangers win for the ninth time in their last 11 games.

Padilla (5-9) struck out five and walked two as the Royals got only one runner as far as third base against him.

“Honestly, that’s what I expect from Padilla every time out there,” Rangers catcher Gerald Laird said. “

Devil Rays, 17 Orioles 2

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Carlos Pena homered twice and drove in a team-record seven runs.

Tigers 2, White Sox 1, 11 inn.

Detroit – Timo Perez’s singled home the game-winner.

Athletics 6, Angels 2

Anaheim, Calif. – Joe Blanton settled down after a rocky start, and Mark Ellis hit a three-run homer.

Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 4

Boston – Vernon Wells broke out of a slump with a tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning and two singles, and Toronto ended Boston’s four-game winning streak.

Yankees 10, Mariners 2

New York – The Yankees planned to take Alex Rodriguez out of the starting lineup because of his sprained right ankle, but A-Rod talked his way in. Then he homered twice in an eight-run seventh inning.

Indians 6, Twins 2

Minneapolis – Victor Martinez had two hits and two RBIs.