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NEW YORK (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit his 23rd home run, J.J. Hardy connected for his first of the season and the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 6-1 Saturday after starter Bud Norris left with tightness in his groin.
Adam Jones and Steve Pearce also went deep against struggling soft-tosser Vidal Nuno, helping the Orioles rebound after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss Friday night.
Cruz and Pearce each had a two-run shot. Hardy ended a drought of 339 at-bats that dated to last September.
Mark Teixeira hit his 12th home run for the Yankees, who had won four straight and eight of 10, but that was all they managed against Norris and three relievers.
During a pregame ceremony on the field, former New York first baseman Tino Martinez was honored with a plaque to be placed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Mauer hit a two-run double that just missed reaching the seats and Kevin Correia pitched a smooth six innings to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox for the third straight game, 4-3 on Saturday.
Glen Perkins pitched another tenuous ninth inning but got his 19th save in 22 tries after giving up two runs to blow one the night before. Adam Eaton led off with a triple and scored on Gordon Beckham's sacrifice fly.
Pinch-hitter Paul Konerko then smacked a single up the middle, but Perkins struck out Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn to end it and punctuated the final swing and miss with a big pump of his left arm.
MARINERS 2, ROYALS 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dustin Ackley drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out ninth inning single as the Mariners beat the Royals.
Ackley's single to right on a 2-2 count scored Kyle Seager, who doubled with two outs to start the game-winning rally. Seager moved to third on Stefen Romero's infield single before Ackley's hit. Ackley is 5-for-10 off Jason Vargas (7-3), who took the loss.
Yoervis Medina (4-1) worked a flawless eighth, striking out two to pick up the victory. He has not allowed a run and only three hits in his past 10 outings, covering 10 1-3 innings. Fernando Rodney worked the ninth for his 20th save in 22 opportunities, getting Eric Hosmer to ground into a game ending double play.
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