Chicago draws within one game of Royals
CHICAGO Bartolo Colon scattered three hits over eight shutout innings, and Roberto Alomar homered for the first time since being traded as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 Wednesday to pull within a game of first place in the AL Central.
Carlos Lee homered and drove in a pair of runs for the White Sox, who followed last week's road sweep of the division-leading Royals by taking two of three at home.
Blue Jays 7, Devil Rays 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Roy Halladay became the first 16-game winner in the majors, pitching his third complete game of the season as Toronto beat Tampa Bay.
Halladay (16-3) gave up nine hits, struck out six and walked none. The right-hander lost his previous start 5-0 to Anaheim last Friday, snapping a personal 15-game winning streak that tied the team record set by Roger Clemens in 1998 and was one short of the AL mark.
Red Sox 4, Angels 2
BOSTON Pedro Martinez extended his unbeaten streak to nearly three months with his second complete game of the season as Boston beat Anaheim.
Martinez treated Fenway Park's second-biggest crowd of the season 35,040 to an outstanding performance in which he struck out 11, walked one and allowed 10 hits.
Indians 10, Mariners 6
CLEVELAND Travis Hafner homered and drove in a career-high four runs as Cleveland snapped Joel Pineiro's eight-game winning streak with a victory over Seattle.
The Indians ended a five-game losing streak by pounding Pineiro (13-6) for seven runs and 10 hits in 2 2-3 innings his shortest outing of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander lost for the first time in 10 starts since June 11 against Montreal.
Rangers 5, Yankees 4
NEW YORK Reliever Mariano Rivera threw away a bunt that set up pinch-hitter Hank Blalock's two-run single in the ninth inning and Texas rallied past New York.
Texas had been 0-59 this season when trailing going into the ninth.
Athletics 9, Tigers 3
DETROIT Eric Chavez homered twice, doubled and drove in five runs as Oakland beat Detroit.
Tim Hudson pitched the Athletics to their 10th win in 13 games. Detroit has lost eight of nine and dropped to 29-82, clinching its 10th straight losing season.
Twins 7, Orioles 3
BALTIMORE Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer and Shannon Stewart had a solo shot in a five-run fourth inning that powered Minnesota past Baltimore.
Kyle Lohse (8-9) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings for the Twins, who won the season series from the Orioles for the first time since 1995. Minnesota is 4-2 against Baltimore with one game left.
The Twins entered with only 13 homers in 19 games since the All-Star break, but the long ball provided the brunt of the damage against Pat Hentgen (4-5).
After Stewart led off the fourth with his 11th homer, singles by Luis Rivas, Doug Mientkiewicz and Corey Koskie put the Twins up 2-1. One out later, Hunter hit a three-run shot into the right-field seats. He also singled in a two-run ninth for his first multihit game since July 25.