CINCINNATI — Kevin Youkilis did everything in his homecoming except rub it in.

Youkilis singled, doubled and hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning yesterday, rallying the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the team he adored as a local prep and college star and later resented when it passed him over in the draft.

With more than 140 relatives and friends in the stands, the first baseman connected in the 10th off Mike Lincoln (0-2) to snap a 4-all tie and save the Red Sox from a stunning meltdown. He rounded the bases with his head down to loud cries of "YOUK!"

Then, he played it low-key.

"It was definitely a great home run," he said, showing little emotion afterward. "To be able to hit a major league home run in Cincinnati is something I've never done."

Coco Crisp also homered off Lincoln on the next pitch, giving the Red Sox a bigger margin on a wild afternoon of meltdowns and comebacks.

Jonathan Papelbon (3-2) came in to protect a 4-3 lead in the ninth, got the first two outs and went to a 2-2 count on Edwin Encarnacion.

He then left a split-finger fastball over the plate, and Encarnacion hit the mistake for Cincinnati's third solo homer to tie it.

It was only the third time Papelbon had blown a save chance in 22 opportunities. He'd been perfect since he blew one on May 9.

"When you can beat a guy like Papelbon, you rarely see that," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

Craig Hansen pitched the 10th for his first career save in two chances, getting Brandon Phillips to fly out to deep right field to end it.

Tigers 12, Dodgers 7: Miguel Cabrera and Marcus Thames homered and host Detroit scored nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings combined to beat Los Angeles. Cabrera, Thames, Curtis Granderson and Edgar Renteria each drove in two runs for the Tigers, who won their fifth straight game and seventh in their last eight.

Cubs 6, Blue Jays 2: Jason Marquis (5-3) tossed seven-plus innings to record his third consecutive victory and Reed Johnson hit a three-run homer in Chicago's win over host Toronto. Marquis faced one batter over the minimum during the first four innings and didn't allow a hit until Lyle Overbay led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to right-center. He departed after seven-plus innings having allowed one run and four hits.

Yankees 8, Astros 4: Mike Mussina pitched six solid innings for his 10th win and helped put the visiting New York Yankees three games above .500 for the first time this season. Mussina (10-4) allowed three runs and six hits to reach 10 wins for the 17th straight season, extending his American League record.

Padres 8, Indians 3: Kevin Kouzmanoff's grand slam highlighted San Diego's five-run 10th inning as visiting Padres beat Cleveland. San Diego pitchers Cha Seung Baek, Heath Bell (4-3) and Bryan Corey held the Indians to four hits. Baek and Bell combined to retire 23 of 24 hitters, including 19 straight.

Twins 9, Brewers 4: Brian Buscher singled with the bases loaded and pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run triple and scored on an error in the 12th inning to lead visiting Minnesota over Milwaukee.

Rays 4, Marlins 1: Matt Garza (5-3) pitched seven innings and Jonny Gomes homered in his first at-bat since serving a five-game suspension for his part in a bench-clearing brawl, leading host Tampa Bay past Florida. Garza allowed one run and three hits, walked one and struck out three.

Rockies 2, White Sox 0: Willy Taveras stole a career-high five bases as Colorado snapped Chicago's nine-game home winning streak. The Rockies won despite going 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position. Taveras failed to score a run despite his five swipes. He has 29 in 31 attempts this season, most in the National League and just five shy of his career high.

Orioles 8, Pirates 7: Oscar Salazar homered in the ninth inning and Ramon Hernandez added a two-out RBI single to give host Baltimore the win.

Royals 12, Diamondbacks 3: Rookie Mike Aviles had four hits and visiting Kansas City hammered Randy Johnson and Arizona. The Big Unit (4-4) gave up eight runs, seven of them earned, and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Johnson has 288 career victories but is winless in his past five starts.

Athletics 4, Giants 0: Rich Harden (4-0) pitched one-hit ball for six innings and matched his season high with nine strikeouts, and Maui's Kurt Suzuki hit his first career triple in visiting Oakland's win. Harden walked two while facing only two batters over the minimum.

Nationals 5, Mariners 2: Jesus Flores hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the seventh inning to lift visiting Washington over Seattle. Flores, who had three RBIs, hit a two-out, 2-2 pitch from Miguel Batista (3-8) into the left-field bullpen for his fourth home run.

Braves 9, Angels 4: Charlie Morton won in his major league debut, Brandon Jones hit his first career homer and Mark Teixeira had three RBIs, leading visiting Atlanta over Los Angeles. Morton, whose contract was purchased from the Braves' Triple-A Richmond club earlier in the day, allowed three runs and five hits in six innings with four strikeouts and a walk.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cardinals 3, Phillies 2: Kyle Lohse (8-2) pitched a season-high eight innings of four-hit ball and Adam Kennedy hit a two-run home run, helping host St. Louis beat Philadelphia. Lohse was hurt only by Pat Burrell's two-run homer in the fourth.