Nick Blackburn (3-4) pitched seven solid innings for Minnesota, which has won three straight — all on the road — following a season-high nine-game losing streak.

Trevor Plouffe also homered while Michael Cuddyer added three hits for Minnesota. Plouffe homered as part of a six-run eighth inning, the Twins’ best of the season.

Hideki Matsui walked and scored for the A’s, who lost their starting pitcher Tyson Ross (3-3) to a strained left oblique after throwing just seven pitches.

Mariners 2 Angels 1: In Seattle, nine-time Gold Glover Torri Hunter lost Carlos Peguero’s fly ball with two outs in the ninth inning in the sun, allowing Jack Cust to score and give the Mariners a win over the Angels.

Seattle swept the brief two-game series in unusual fashion. Cust started the ninth with a check-swing dribbler up the third base line off reliever Scott Downs (1-1) that beat the Angels defensive shift.

Adam Kennedy’s sacrifice bunt moved Cust to second and he advanced to third on Luis Rodriguez’s ground out to first.

Peguero, who had at least a double taken away by Hunter in the seventh inning with a great catch, then hit a fly ball to left-center field. Hunter was in position but then lost the ball in the bright sun and it fell in for a hit to score Cust.

Blue Jays 3 Rays 2: In Toronto, J.P. Arencibia hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, Juan Rivera also connected and the Blue Jays beat the Rays.

B.J. Upton and Kelly Shoppach had solo homers for the Rays, losers of four of six.

Ricky Romero (4-4) allowed one run and three hits in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season. He walked two and struck out six.

Romero pitched a season-high 8 2-3 shutout innings to beat Minnesota last Friday.

Marc Rzepczynski gave up Shoppach’s homer in the eighth and Frank Francisco finished in the ninth for his fifth save in six opportunities.

Rivera went 2 for 3 and scored a pair of runs as the Blue Jays won for the seventh time in eight games.

Red Sox 4 Tigers 3: In Boston, Carl Crawford hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Red Sox to their season-high sixth straight win, beating the Tigers.

After blowing a 3-1 lead in the eighth by giving up back-to-back homers to Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera , Boston rallied in the ninth to complete the two-game sweep of the Tigers.

Jonathan Papelbon (2-0) got the win after pitching a scoreless, but hectic ninth, then the Red Sox came through against Al Alburquerque (0-1) in the bottom half.

White Sox 8 Indians 2: In Chicago, Gavin Floyd pitched seven solid innings and Carlos Quentin homered as the White Sox rocked Fausto Carmona for the second time this season and beat the first-place Indians.

Floyd (5-3) followed up Jake Peavy’s three-hit shutout on Wednesday night by allowing a run and five hits as the White Sox swept the two-game set with the short-handed Indians.

With Grady Sizemore on the disabled list, Cleveland was also missing DH Travis Hafner for a second straight game with a sore right side.

Yankees 13 Orioles 2: In Baltimore, CC Sabathia scattered seven hits over eight shutout innings, Nick Swisher drove in four runs and the Yankees beat the Orioles for a two-game sweep.

Mark Teixeira and Eduardo Nunez homered for the Yankees, who have matched a season high with three straight wins after a six-game skid. New York had 14 hits, including three doubles, three triples and two home runs.

Sabathia (4-3) struck out nine, walked none and permitted only two runners to reach third base. The left-hander is 2-0 against the Orioles this season, 16-2 lifetime and 10-1 at Camden Yards.

Royals 2 Rangers 1, 10 innings: In Kansas City, Missouri, Jeff Francoeur’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted Kansas City to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers, snapping the Royals’ five-game losing streak with their seventh walkoff win.

Greg Holland (1-0), called up from Triple-A Omaha hours earlier, pitched 1 1-3 innings for his first major league win.

Melky Cabrera hit a one-out single off Darren Oliver (1-5) in the 10th, his third hit of the night, and sped to third when Eric Hosmer singled into right for his third hit. Cody Eppley then relieved and gave up the game-winner to Francoeur.