Dan Johnson hit his third homer against New York in a
week as the Rays' bullpen out pitched the New York relievers to help Tampa Bay
pull within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees in the American League East in a game
that ended at 12:34 a.m.
Tampa Bay improved to 9-8 in the season series - the
first tiebreaker should the teams be equal after 162 games - with one game to
go.
The finale of the four-game set for Thursday is
highlighted by the anticipated rematch of Cy Young pitching award candidates CC
Sabathia and David Price after they went zero for zero for eight innings on
Sept. 13 in Florida.
At Anaheim, California,
Jeff Francoeur doubled to lead off the 12th inning and eventually scored on
Jeff Mathis' passed ball as Texas trimmed its magic number for clinching the AL
West to four.
Mathis' mistake on an easily catchable pitch by Matt
Palmer (1-2) ended an eight-inning scoreless drought for the Rangers, who
extended their division lead over Oakland to eight games heading into a
four-game series at the Coliseum.
Texas can clinch its first AL West title since 1999 with
two wins over the Athletics. Its magic number dropped earlier Wednesday with
Oakland's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.
Mike Napoli tied it with a seventh-inning homer for the
Angels, who lost for just the fourth time in 13 games.
At Toronto, Jose Lopez hit three
home runs and Michael Saunders added a two-run drive as Seattle beat Toronto.
Lopez hit a solo shot off Kyle Drabek (0-2) in the second
inning, led off the sixth with a drive against reliever Brian Tallet and
connected off reliever Shawn Camp in the eighth. It was his first multihomer
game of the season and fourth of his career.
Lopez, who has 10 home runs, hit all three homers to left
field.
Vernon Wells had a solo shot, Toronto's major league-best
233rd.
David Pauley (3-8) got the win. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki
went 1 for 5, leaving him two hits from becoming the first player to record 10
consecutive 200-hit seasons. Suzuki leads the majors with 198 hits.
At Boston, David Ortiz homered and
drove in four runs, and John Lackey ended a career-worst four-game losing
streak as Boston avoided a three-game sweep by beating Baltimore.
Josh Reddick also homered for Boston - his first of the
season - as the Red Sox avoided being swept in Fenway Park by the Orioles for
the first time since 1994.
Lackey (13-11) pitched seven innings and allowed one run
and five hits.
Ortiz hit a three-run homer - his 31st - into the Red Sox
bullpen off Kevin Millwood (3-16).
At Minneapolis, Minnesota rested most
of its regulars and beat Cleveland behind the pitching of Nick Blackburn to
complete a three-game sweep a day after becoming the first major league team to
clinch a playoff berth this year.
Blackburn became the sixth Minnesota pitcher to reach
double digits in victories, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings.
Jose Morales had three RBIs and Alexei Casilla had three
hits for Minnesota, which has won nine of 11 and improved its record at new
Target Field to 52-25. The Twins have sold out 74 straight home games and set a
season home attendance record with 3,063,327, topping their 1988 mark.
At Detroit, Miguel Cabrera's leadoff
single started a three-run fifth inning as Detroit held on to beat Kansas City.
Max Scherzer (12-10) gave up two hits and struck out
eight over 7 2-3 innings. Ryan Perry got the final out of the eighth and Phil
Coke pitched a shaky ninth.
Billy Butler hit a two-run, two-out homer in the ninth to
pull the Royals within two.
Cabrera ended the night with a .326 batting average. He
leads the majors with 120 RBIs and is among the leaders with 45 doubles and 35
homers.
At Oakland, California, Mark
Teahen hit a go-ahead double with two outs in the ninth inning after
pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay's tying RBI single as Chicago rallied past Oakland to
end a season-worst eight game skid.
The White Sox got to Oakland's short-handed bullpen,
scoring twice against Brad Ziegler (3-5). The right-hander hadn't given up a
run in his previous 12 appearances.
White Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was a late scratch after
telling manager Ozzie Guillen he didn't feel well.
Oakland's Chris Carter hit his first career home run.
