Slumping Nelson Cruz had two long homers among his four hits and drove in six runs as the AL West-leading Texas Rangers stretched their advantage to three games over second-place Los Angeles with an 11-7 victory over the Angels Friday. Cruz started the night in a 4-for-27 slide that got him demoted to the No. 7 slot in the batting order for the first time this season. He put the Rangers ahead for good with a two-run double in the second. Cruz, who had hit fifth or sixth in his first 109 starts this season, opened the fourth with a 452-foot drive to center field off Angels starter Dan Haren (13-7). Cruz connected on a 425-foot, three-run shot in the sixth off Jerome Williams for his team-high 28th homer to make it 11-0. David Murphy's second career grand slam in the fifth knocked out Haren. Michael Young had three hits and Mitch Moreland contributed a pair of doubles to an 18-hit attack for the Rangers, who'd been shut out twice in their previous five games. Rangers starter Derek Holland (12-5) allowed one run and eight hits over 6 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and two walks to improve to 6-1 in his last 10 starts. Holland received a standing ovation when he left after the Angels finally scored on Bobby Wilson's seventh-inning single. Indians 2, Royals 1: Jim Thome went hitless but was warmly welcomed in his Cleveland homecoming after nearly a decade away and the Indians stopped their slide in the AL Central with a win over the Kansas City Royals. Thome went 0 for 4 and struck out twice in his first game back with Cleveland since 2002, when he disappointed Cleveland fans by leaving as a free agent. The slugger waived a no-trade clause to return to Cleveland and a chance to help the Indians get back to the postseason. A sellout crowd cheered his every move. Ubaldo Jimenez (2-1) struck out 10 and allowed one run in seven innings, the kind of performance Cleveland had been needing from him since he came in a trade from Colorado. Orioles 12, Yankees 5: On an emotional night at Camden Yards, Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy homered in a six-run second inning against A.J. Burnett, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees for their fifth straight victory. Matt Wieters also connected for the last-place Orioles, whose five-game run matches a season high. Rays 6, Blue Jays 1: James Shields pitched his major league-leading 10th complete game, Evan Longoria hit a pair of solo home runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays. In other games it was: Athletics 15, Red Sox 5 Detriot 8, Minnesota 1; Chicago White Sox 4, Seattle 2.
