Orioles win seventh straight in Boston

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter decided it was time to let Wei-Yin Chen handle things on his own a little more.

The rookie lefthander passed the test.

Chen scattered seven hits in seven innings and the Orioles set a franchise record with their seventh straight victory in Boston, beating the Red Sox, 2-1, last night.

The Orioles moved into sole possession of first place in the AL East.

Chen's most important inning was the seventh, when Boston had runners on second and third. He struck out Marlon Byrd and got Mike Aviles to pop-up to short right.

"He'd pitched too effectively not to let him decide his own fate," Showalter said.

Chen (5-2), the first Taiwanese-born player in Orioles history, understood the faith his manager showed.

"I really appreciate that Buck trusted me," Chen said through an interpreter. "That's the key point."

Blue Jays 4, White Sox 0: Brandon Morrow (7-3) pitched a two-hitter for visiting Toronto.

Indians 9, Tigers 6: Johnny Damon had a two-run single for visiting Cleveland.

Athletics 3, Rangers 0: Bartolo Colon pitched eight scoreless innings for host Oakland.

Dodgers 6, Phillies 5: Dee Gordon hit a go-ahead single to back Chris Capuano (8-2) for visiting Los Angeles. Philadelphia has lost five straight.

Braves 2, Marlins 1: Randall Delgado (4-5) had an RBI batting in the No. 8 spot and combined with three relievers on a two-hitter for visiting Atlanta.

Giants 6, Padres 2: Madison Bumgarner (7-4) labored through six innings and Gregor Blanco homered for visiting San Francisco.

D-backs 6, Rockies 1: Paul Goldschmidt homered and drove in three runs while extending his hitting streak to 14 games for host Arizona.-- AP