HOUSTON — Justin Verlander held Houston hitless until the seventh inning and Detroit romped to a four-game sweep with a 9-0 verdict. Verlander, who has already pitched two no-hitters in his career, made a bid for another one against the overmatched Astros in their sixth straight loss. Carlos Pena got Houston's first hit, a single with one out in the seventh. Carlos Corporan followed with a single. Verlander (4-2) struck out nine and left after the seventh. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Award Young winner has a 1.55 ERA this season. Athletics 5, Yankees 4: Josh Donaldson hit Oakland's third home run of the game, a tiebreaking drive off Boone Logan in the eighth inning that lifted the Athletics over New York. Luke Montz and Yoenis Cespedes homered as Oakland took a 4-1 lead against Andy Pettitte, who struggled for the second straight start, but the Yankees rallied in the sixth against reliever Jerry Blevins. Preston Claiborne followed Pettitte and retired six straight batters in his major league debut. Donaldson homered into the left-field second deck with one out in the eighth against Logan (2-2). Orioles 8, Angels 4: J.J. Hardy and Manny Machado each hit a two-run homer off Jerome Williams in his first start of the season, leading Baltimore over the reeling Los Angeles Angels. Jason Hammel (5-1) allowed four runs and nine hits through six innings. The right-hander came in 0-3 with a 7.31 ERA in three previous starts against the Angels. Mike Trout homered for the Angels, whose 11-20 start has matched the worst in franchise history. Twins 4, Indians 2: Mike Pelfrey pitched six effective innings, Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run homer and Minnesota stopped Cleveland's six-game winning streak. Justin Morneau drove in a run with a bases-loaded single in the sixth while Joe Mauer, who was in a 5-for-43 slump, added an RBI double in the seventh for his 1,300th career hit. Blue Jays 10, Mariners 2: Mark DeRosa hit a three-run homer, Melky Cabrera added a solo shot and Toronto snapped a four-game skid by beating Seattle. Brandon Morrow (1-2) pitched three-hit ball over eight innings for his first win of the year. He struck out eight, matching a season high. Cabrera was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and his first home run for the Blue Jays. DeRosa went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and scored three times as Toronto improved to 8-0 when scoring five or more runs. Other results: Royals 6, White Sox 5, 10 innings; Rangers 4, Red Sox 3. — Agencies
