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DETROIT - Ivan Rodriguez tried to treat Friday as just another day at the ballpark.
But his first game against the team he led to a World Series title months before was going to be more than that.
Rodriguez homered and went 2-for-4 in the Tigers' 8-4 victory over the Marlins.
The 10-time All-Star catcher signed a $40-million, four-year contract with Detroit in the offseason - and he's a big reason the Tigers have improved after losing an AL-record 119 games in 2003.
At 28-32 they are a game ahead of Florida's 60-game pace last season.
"When I meet with my teammates, I keep reminding them of that," Rodriguez said. "We struggled last year in Florida, and we ended up winning the World Series."
Dmitri Young hit a three-run shot for his first homer of the year, and Carlos Guillen added a two-run drive for the Tigers.
INDIANS 6, REDS 5 (11): Pinch-hitter Lou Merloni drew a bases-loaded walk in the 11th inning as host Cleveland rallied. Merloni's stroll to first after facing Phil Norton came on a night 27,308 were hoping to see Ken Griffey make a home run trot or two. But Griffey remained stuck with 498 career homers. He's seeking to become the 20th player to reach 500.
DIAMONDBACKS 3, BLUE JAYS 2: Danny Bautista hit a winning single in the ninth as visiting Arizona rallied. With the Diamondbacks down 2-0 in the ninth, Chad Tracy doubled off rookie reliever Jason Frasor before Alex Cintron hit a run-scoring double. After Frasor struck out Doug DeVore for the first out, pinch-hitter Tim Olson singled to center for his first major-league hit, tying it at 2 and ending an 0-for-15 slump. One out later reliever Terry Adams walked Steve Finley before Bautista singled to center, giving Arizona the lead.
PADRES 10, YANKEES 2: Adam Eaton pitched seven sharp innings, Phil Nevin hit a three-run homer and visiting San Diego capitalized on Mike Mussina's early departure. Mussina left after three innings with tightness in his right groin. Nevin connected in the ninth inning, and Mark Loretta had two doubles, an RBI and three runs for the Padres, who jumped on reliever Felix Heredia in the fourth to snap a tie at 1.
PHILLIES 11, TWINS 6: Ricky Ledee's three-run homer, his second of the night, capped a five-run ninth as host Minnesota's four-game win streak ended. Ledee, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth, broke the game open with a three-run shot in his seventh start of the season. He tied a career high with five RBIs, and Philadelphia scored 11 runs or more for the third straight time.
BRAVES 6, WHITE SOX 4: Jaret Wright pitched two-hit ball for seven scoreless innings, and Eli Marrero hit a three-run double for visiting Atlanta. The White Sox rallied for four runs against John Smoltz in the ninth on Carlos Lee's run-scoring double and Jose Valentin's three-run homer. But Smoltz struck out pinch-hitter Timo Perez with a runner on to end it.
CARDINALS 12, RANGERS 7: Albert Pujols returned from a hamstring injury and drove in a run, and John Mabry homered and had five RBIs for visiting St. Louis. Reggie Sanders homered and had three hits for the Cardinals, who have a major league-best 22-11 record on the road.
ROYALS 7, METS 5: Matt Stairs doubled and tripled to help Darrell May avoid becoming the majors' first nine-game loser this season. In its first appearance in Kauffman Stadium, New York lost its fourth in a row and its sixth in seven games. May (3-8), one of two pitchers with eight losses, gave up a double to Gerald Williams on the first pitch of the game. The veteran left-hander allowed 11 hits and five runs in six innings, with five strikeouts.
ANGELS 3, CUBS 2: John Lackey outpitched Greg Maddux, and host Anaheim beat Chicago their first interleague matchup. Lackey held the Cubs to two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out six, walked one and won for the first time in five decisions.
RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1: David Ortiz lined a winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning, following his homer in the seventh, for Boston in Los Angeles' first game at Fenway Park.
ATHLETICS 6, PIRATES 1: Tim Hudson allowed one run in seven innings to lead host Oakland to its season-high sixth straight win.
MARINERS 1, EXPOS 0: Host Seattle ended a 29-inning scoreless drought when Pat Borders' bases-loaded single with two outs in the ninth.
ORIOLES-GIANTS POSTPONED: Host Baltimore gets a double dose of Barry Bonds today after Friday night's game was called for rain.
BREWERS 9, ASTROS 3: Scott Podsednik hit a three-run homer and a run-scoring double to back a solid outing by Doug Davis for host Milwaukee. Geoff Jenkins and Junior Spivey also homered for the Brewers, who have beaten Tim Redding three times this season. Jeff Kent extended his career-best hitting streak to 25 games - a franchise record and the longest in the majors this season - with a leadoff double in the second inning. He broke the mark he shared with Tony Eusebio, who got to 24 in 2000.