Royals 4, Tigers 0

Detroit – If Brian Bannister were a lefty, people would call him crafty. Instead, he’ll have to settle for effective.

Bannister stymied the Detroit Tigers’ heralded offense Wednesday, allowing two singles in seven innings as the Kansas City Royals won, 4-0.

“That’s a very good lineup, and they are going to score a lot of runs, but I also know that they have a lot more expectations than we do,” Bannister said. “That’s why I wanted to put them under pressure early.”

Bannister doesn’t try for a lot of strikeouts.

“I get criticized for the way I pitch, but I believe in it, and it’s working,” said Bannister, who went 12-9 with a 3.87 earned-run average as a rookie last season.

Kansas City is 2-0 for the second time in 28 years. The Royals won their first nine games in 2003 en route to their only winning season since 1993.

Mariners 4, Rangers 1

Seattle – Carlos Silva allowed three hits and one run in his Seattle debut, Jose Lopez hit a three-run homer, and No. 5 starter Miguel Batista earned his first save in three years.

Blue Jays 5, Yankees 2

New York – A.J. Burnett overpowered New York, and Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer off Mike Mussina.

Red Sox 5, Athletics 0

Oakland, Calif. – Jon Lester pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, David Ortiz broke open a scoreless game with a two-run homer, and Boston beat Oakland.

Indians 7, White Sox 2

Cleveland – Fausto Carmona pitched seven innings in his season debut, and Grady Sizemore had three RBIs to lead Cleveland.

Orioles 9, Rays 6

Baltimore – Aubrey Huff drove in four runs to rally Baltimore. Huff hit a two-run homer to bring the Orioles to 6-5 in the sixth inning, then doubled in two runs in the eighth to put Baltimore ahead for the first time.

Angels 1, Twins 0

Minneapolis – Joe Saunders threw eight shutout innings, and Howie Kendrick came home on a wild pitch.