ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Matt Garza and two relievers combined on a six-hitter and Carlos Pena homered to lead AL East-leading Tampa Bay past Toronto 1-0 Wednesday night.
Garza (11-7) allowed six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings for the Rays. Grant Balfour got the final out in the eighth before Dan Wheeler pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.
Pena provided the scoring with a solo homer in the fourth, his 27th of the season and sixth over his past 13 games.
Blue Jays rookie David Purcey gave up five hits and struck out a career-high 11 in eight innings for his first career complete game. The left-hander was coming off a start Aug. 20 against the New York Yankees in which he allowed five earned runs and seven hits in four innings.
Purcey struck out 10 and allowed just three hits -- two by Pena, including the homer -- in the first five innings. He previous high for strikeouts was eight.
The Blue Jays got one hit, including a third-inning double by Joe Inglett, in each of the first four innings, but failed to score. Full story
Athletics 6, Angels 5
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Emil Brown homered and drove in three runs, while Rajai Davis had a career-high four hits in the Oakland win.
The Athletics won two of three from the Angels and took a series for the first time in their last 13 attempts since July 7-10, when they won three of four from Seattle.
The Angels haven't won any of their last five series since sweeping the Yankees at home. They have a 15-game lead on the Texas Rangers, who come to Anaheim on Thursday night to begin a four-game series.
Oakland's Huston Street (4-5) retired all five batters he faced after coming on in the sixth and striking out Mike Napoli with two men on. All-Star Joe Saunders (14-7) had his second rough outing in a row for Anaheim, throwing 49 pitches over 1 1/3 innings and allowing six runs on eight hits.
Rangers 3, Royals 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Matt Harrison won for the fourth time in August, pitching the Texas Rangers to a win over the crumbling Kansas City Royals.
The Royals have lost 10 of their last 11 games and 17 of 20, falling to a season-worst 21 games below .500.
Harrison (6-3), a 22-year-old rookie left-hander, went 4-1 in five August starts. He held the Royals to two runs, one earned, on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia scored the go-ahead run on an error in the eight. Chris Davis and Saltalamacchia hit two-out doubles to tie it, then Saltalamacchia came home when pitcher Brian Bannister dropped Joaquin Arias' routine popup.
