ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carl Crawford slid into second base, tying a modern major league record with six stolen bases. The crowd of 32,332 roared, and the Tampa Bay Rays immediately flashed a message on the scoreboard acknowledging the feat.

Everybody in the building seemed to know what was going on. That is, except Crawford, who was aware of how many steals he had but had no clue that just three other players had accomplished the same since 1900.

"I found that out late. I wish I had known during the game," said Crawford, who got No. 6 in the eighth inning of the Rays' 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

"I probably would have broken it if I knew. I'd have definitely tried," he added. "I didn't even try. I don't know if that will ever happen again."

Crawford was 4 for 4 with an RBI and joined Eddie Collins, Otis Nixon, and Eric Young as the only players to steal six bases in a game. Collins did it twice in 1912, while Nixon and Young did it in 1991 and 1996, respectively.

James Shields (3-2) shrugged off a shaky start to pitch into the eighth inning, and Tampa Bay won three of four, outscoring the Red Sox 30-15 and improving to 5-2 against its AL East rivals.

Brad Penny (2-1) took the loss.

Jason Bartlett and Michel Hernandez stole bases for the Rays, who finished with a franchise record eight.

Tigers 3, Indians 1: Justin Verlander struck out 11 and Curtis Granderson hit an RBI double in the seventh to put host Detroit ahead 2-1 against Cleveland. Verlander (2-2) allowed one run and two hits in seven innings as Detroit won two of three games in the series.

Blue Jays 4, Orioles 3: Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer, Alex Rios added a solo shot and host Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore. Scott Richmond (4-0) won his fourth straight start, allowing three runs — two earned — and five hits in seven innings.

Royals 7, Twins 5: Jose Guillen homered and drove in four runs, rallying Kansas City past host Minnesota after Twins starter Scott Baker (0-4) carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. Kansas City starter Gil Meche (2-2) lasted six innings and a season-high 116 pitches as the Royals took two of three in the series.

Mariners 8, Athletics 7, 15 inn: Jose Lopez blooped an RBI single in the 15th inning and host Seattle won two of three from Oakland in the longest game in the majors this season. The game was 5 hours, 2 minutes. It was the longest game by innings and time in 2009, the Elias Sports Bureau said.

Rangers 5, White Sox 1: Ian Kinsler hit another leadoff home run and Matt Harrison (2-2) pitched five scoreless innings to help host Texas take two of three from Chicago. Kinsler's second leadoff homer in three games was the eighth of his career.

Reds 5, Pirates 0: Johnny Cueto limited the Pirates to four singles while striking out nine during eight innings, and Ramon Hernandez drove in three runs as Cincinnati won two of three games from host Pittsburgh. Cueto (2-1) has allowed two runs in 26 2/3 innings over his last four starts.

Brewers 4, D'backs 3: Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron hit back-to-back homers, and host Milwaukee beat Arizona to split the four-game series. Chris Duffy hit an RBI groundout in the eighth, and Trevor Hoffman closed it out.

Cubs 6, Marlins 4: Derrek Lee hit a grand slam shortly after Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano hurt himself beating out a bunt single, and host Chicago won three of four against Florida. Zambrano strained his left hamstring and left the game in the fifth inning. Lee connected four batters later for a 6-2 lead.

Giants 1, Rockies 0: Rich Aurilia drove in Steve Holm from second base with a 10th-inning single as host San Francisco won two of three from Colorado. Giants starter Barry Zito pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and Brandon Medders (1-1) stranded two Colorado runners in the 10th for the win.

Dodgers 7, Padres 3: Chad Billingsley completed seven innings for the third straight start, Orlando Hudson drove in three runs with a pair of doubles and host Los Angeles swept a four-game series against San Diego to set a franchise record for the best home winning streak to begin a season. The 10-0 start at Chavez Ravine eclipsed the best mark set at Ebbets Field by the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Astros 7, Braves 5: Michael Bourn had three hits, including a seventh-inning RBI single for a 5-4 lead, as Houston beat the Braves and won a series in Atlanta for the first time in five years. The Astros took two of three for their first series win at Turner Field since May 7-9, 2004.