Baseball-Highlights of Thursday's MLB games

July 3 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Thursday's Major League baseball games - - - - Yankees 7, Twins 4 The New York Yankees scored four runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh inning in a win against the Minnesota Twins. The offensive support was more than enough for right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who picked up his 12th win despite posting some of the worst numbers of his brief 17-game major league career. Tanaka (12-3) allowed nine hits and four earned runs -- both career highs -- while striking out a career-low three over seven innings. Carlos Beltran hit an early three-run home run for the Yankees. - - Dodgers 3, Rockies 2 The Los Angeles Dodgers lost the lead late but climbed back into first place in the National League West with a win over the Colorado Rockies. Colorado infielder Justin Morneau hit a game-tying triple in the eighth inning before Juan Uribe delivered the game-winning RBI single in the ninth for the Dodgers. Uribe finished 3-for-4 at the plate and Zack Greinke improved to 11-4 after striking out eight over eight innings. - - Orioles 5, Rangers 2 Steve Pearce had a career-high four hits and drove in two runs and Wei-Yin Chen worked six innings as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Texas Rangers. Catcher Nick Hundley added two doubles for Baltimore. - - Athletics 4, Blue Jays 1 Right-hander Sonny Gray allowed one run in seven innings and the Oakland A's beat the Toronto Blue Jays. Gray (8-3) gave up four hits in his second career start against Toronto, striking out five and walking three. The A's snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 52-33, the best record in major leagues. Toronto (47-39) fell into a first-place tie with Baltimore in the American League East. - - Cardinals 7, Giants 2 Jhonny Peralta smacked a two-run home run in the first inning giving the St. Louis Cardinals a lead they never relinquished. St. Louis reliever Carlos Martinez held the Giants to one run in season-high-tying five innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by striking out catcher Buster Posey with his final pitch of the game to preserve a 5-1 lead. - - Tigers 8, Rays 1 Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter hit home runs in a five-run first inning and right-hander Max Scherzer limited Tampa Bay to two hits in eight innings in the Detroit Tigers' victory over the Rays. Scherzer (10-3) gave up a leadoff single but just one hit thereafter as the American League Cy Young Award winner walked one and struck out seven in eight innings. Rookie right-hander Chad Smith got the last three outs. - - Phillies 5, Marlins 4 The Philadelphia Phillies scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Miami Marlins. - - Diamondbacks 10, Pirates 2 Rookie left fielder David Peralta had three hits, including a two-run homer and a two-run single and Brandon McCarthy won consecutive starts for the first time in more than a year as the Arizona Diamondbacks downed the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCarthy (3-10) allowed two runs in 5-2/3 innings while scattering eight hits, walking two and striking out six. (Compiled by Jahmal Corner)