Friday’s A.L. results

Red Sox 8, Devil Rays 1: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Josh Beckett pitched six strong innings to become the first 20-game winner in the majors since 2005, and the Red Sox used late home runs by Jason Varitek, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell to pull away to a victory over Tampa Bay.

Indians 4, Athletics 3: At Cleveland, Fausto Carmona won his 18th game, Ryan Garko and Jhonny Peralta hit back-to-back homers and the Indians beat Oakland to lower their magic number to two for clinching the Central title. Carmona has won his last four starts, allowing a total of four earned runs during the streak.

Blue Jays 5, Yankees 4 (14): At New York, Gregg Zaun homered in the 14th inning and Toronto stalled the Yankees’ playoff charge, bouncing back for a victory after blowing a four-run lead in the ninth. Alex Rios hit a two-run homer for the Blue Jays, who won their fourth straight.

Tigers 5, Royals 4: At Detroit, Brandon Inge hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning and the Tigers rallied for a win over Kansas City, maintaining their slim chances of making it back to the playoffs.

White Sox 6, Twins 4: At Minneapolis, Josh Fields hit two homers and Jim Thome added the 503rd of his career to lift Chicago to a victory over Minnesota. Johan Santana struck out 11, but he gave up six runs and eight hits in seven innings to lose for the fourth time in five starts.

Rangers 3, Orioles 2: At Arlington, Texas, Luis Mendoza scattered four hits over five innings for his first major league win, and the Rangers survived a shaky ninth to secure the victory over Baltimore and snap a four-game losing streak. Mendoza gave up one run, struck out two and walked one in his second career start.

Associated Press