AL roundup: Tigers crush Rangers

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a grand slam and matched a career high with six RBIs, leading Armando Galarraga and the Detroit Tigers over the Texas Rangers 15-2 Friday in their home opener.

The Tigers gave 44,588 fans plenty of reasons to cheer after bolstering low expectations by losing three of their first four games in Toronto.

The Rangers, meanwhile, found out their fast start didn’t matter much at Comerica Park. Texas started out 3-0 for the first time since 1996 and led the majors in runs before the Tigers roughed Kris Benson.

Yankees 4, Royals 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Pettitte gave up three hits in seven strong innings and Jorge Posada hit a two-run single, carrying the New York Yankees over the Royals in the opener of Kansas City’s renovated Kauffman Stadium.

Pettitte (1-0) struck out six and walked one while allowing one run against a team he has long dominated. The left-hander beat the Royals for the 13th time in 16 career decisions and improved to 8-0 against Kansas City in his last 12 starts.

Blue Jays 13, Indians 7

CLEVELAND — Opening day, evening and night. For their first home game, the Cleveland Indians played what felt like a tripleheader.

They lost all three.

Marco Scutaro’s bloop RBI single brought home the go-ahead run in Toronto’s six-run eighth inning and the Blue Jays overcame a bullpen meltdown following a nearly four-hour rain delay for a 13-7 win over the Indians, who are 0-4 for the first time since 1985.

Orioles 5, Rays 4

BALTIMORE — Melvin Mora drove in three runs, Mark Hendrickson won in his Baltimore debut and the Orioles ended a run of 12 straight losses to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Evan Longoria hit two homers and drove in three runs for Tampa Bay. The 2008 Rookie of the Year has four home runs and at least one RBI in all four of the Rays’ games this season.

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