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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nelson Cruz hit a towering three-run homer in his return to Texas and the Baltimore Orioles won their third straight game, 8-3 over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Cruz drove the first pitch from Shawn Tolleson deep into the left-field seats, capping a six-run Orioles outburst in the eighth. The slugger, who spent the previous eight seasons in Texas, is hitting .313 and leads the majors with 21 homers and 55 RBIs. Adam Jones matched a career high with four hits, including a homer off the right-field pole leading off the Baltimore fourth. Rookie catcher Caleb Johnson had a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth. Brian Matusz (2-1) went 1 2-3 innings in relief of Ubaldo Jimenez, who held Texas to one run and four hits while striking out five over 5 2-3 innings. Alexi Ogando (2-3), the second Texas reliever, got a popup to start the eighth before allowing three straight Orioles to reach. ROYALS 8, CARDINALS 7 ST. LOUIS -- Eric Hosmer hit a tiebreaking single off closer Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth inning and Kansas City earned its second straight road victory in the four-game, two-city series. Rookie Kolten Wong's first career home run was a grand slam in the second that ended the Cardinals' 20-inning scoreless drought and gave them an early four-run cushion. The defending National League champions finished a dismal 2-7 homestand when their pitchers faltered. Alex Gordon's three-run homer capped a six-run fifth for the Royals against Jaime Garcia that put them up by two. Peter Bourjos' 422-foot homer put the Cardinals ahead 7-6 in the sixth. Alcides Escobar's bloop RBI single off Pat Neshek tied it in the eighth. Omar Infante doubled off Rosenthal (0-3) with one out in the ninth ahead of Hosmer's hit. Wade Davis (5-1) got the win and Greg Holland worked the ninth for his 16th save in 17 chances. BLUE JAYS 5, TIGERS 3 DETROIT -- Brett Lawrie's three-run homer highlighted a big burst for Toronto. After eight scoreless innings between the AL East and AL Central leaders, both bullpens came unglued in the ninth. The Blue Jays broke through against Joe Nathan (2-2). J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth for the Tigers. Casey Janssen came on and struck out Don Kelly for his ninth save in 10 chances. Detroit's Anibal Sanchez and Toronto's Drew Hutchison each pitched seven impressive innings. Dustin McGowan (3-2) worked the eighth for the win. In his first season with the Tigers, Nathan's ERA is now an unsightly 6.86 after he was charged with four runs Tuesday. NATIONALS 7, PHILLIES 0 WASHINGTON -- Jordan Zimmermann rebounded from a mini-slump to throw eight crisp innings for Washington, and Ryan Zimmerman hit a pair of doubles and handled two chances with aplomb in his debut in left field. Zimmermann (4-2) allowed five hits and struck out four, recovering well from four middling starts that had raised his usually impeccable ERA to 4.07. He got all the support he needed when the Nationals scored three in the third inning off David Buchanan (1-2), making his third career start. Zimmerman went 2 for 4 with one RBI after being reinstated before the game following 44 games on the disabled list with a broken right thumb. REDS 8, GIANTS 3 CINCINNATI -- Devin Mesoraco hit a two-run homer and Jay Bruce emerged from a slump by driving in a pair of runs, leading Cincinnati to a season-high fourth straight win. Mesoraco hit his ninth homer off Tim Lincecum (4-5), who has beaten the Reds during the playoffs but never during the regular season. Bruce, who spent time on the disabled list following surgery for torn knee cartilage, knocked in his first run since April 25. Homer Bailey (6-3) went six innings in his first game against the Giants since his no-hitter against them last July 2 at Great American Ball Park. The right-hander gave up three runs and five hits, including Hunter Pence's homer, double and single. MARINERS 7, BRAVES 5 ATLANTA -- John Buck had three hits, including a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning that helped Seattle rally for its fourth straight win. The Braves led 4-0 in the first inning and 5-2 in the second before falling to the Mariners' comeback. Buck's homer, his first of the season, came off Alex Wood (5-6). The shot to right field drove in Dustin Ackley, who had a two-out single. The Turner Field air, normally thick with humidity, was unusually dry and that helped the teams combine for four homers. Seattle pinch-hitter Stefen Romero hit a three-run homer in the fourth that tied it at 5. Evan Gattis and B.J. Upton homered for the Braves. Dominic Leone (2-0) had four strikeouts in two perfect innings for the win. INDIANS 5, RED SOX 3 CLEVELAND -- Michael Bourn hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning, helping Cleveland to its season-high fifth straight win. Bourn's double off Andrew Miller sent the Red Sox to their second straight loss after winning seven consecutive games. Nick Hagadone (1-0) struck out three in 1 1-3 innings. Cody Allen recorded the final four outs for his fifth save, striking out former Indians All-Star Grady Sizemore to end the game. Jake Peavy (1-3) allowed five runs in 6 1-3 innings for Boston. The right-hander, who hasn't won since April 25, gave up three runs in the first, but held the Indians scoreless until the seventh.
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