The Minnesota Twins completed a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 6-4 victory Sunday.
Shannon Stewart went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Twins, who have bounced back to life after an awful end -- 22 losses in 28 games -- to the first half.
"We finished off a very big series," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Hopefully we'll be able to carry it over and get back in this race."
PHOTO: AP
Doug Mientkiewicz hit a three-run homer and Torii Hunter added a two-run shot for the Twins.
Kenny Rogers (8-5) beat Ted Lilly (5-8) in a drawn-out battle of two wild lefties, as Minnesota finished the season 8-1 against Oakland and swept a four-game set from the A's for the first time since August 1993.
Royals 7, Mariners 5
In Kansas City, Missouri, Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer off Arthur Rhodes (2-2) in the 10th inning, giving Kansas City a victory over Seattle.
The Royals took three of four in a series between first-place teams. The AL Central leaders improved to 54-42, their best record at this point since 1989.
Kris Wilson (5-0) got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 10th after Jason Grimsley was ejected for hitting Ichiro Suzuki with an 0-2 pitch.
The Royals led 5-3 going into the ninth, but John Mabry homered off All-Star closer Mike MacDougal. Seattle rallied to tie it when second baseman Carlos Febles lost Mark McLemore's popup in the sun.
Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 4
In Boston, Pedro Martinez pitched seven scoreless innings, getting homers from Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Millar to lead Boston over Toronto.
Martinez (7-2) allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked none to earn his first decision in three starts. He has not lost in nine starts since May 9. John Wasdin (0-1) gave up six runs on six hits and two walks in 2 2-3 innings.
Garciaparra hit a three-run shot for his 14th homer of the season and added an RBI double. Ramirez had a two-run homer and Trot Nixon hit a two-run triple.
Yankees 7, Indians 4
In New York, Jorge Posada's two-run homer sparked New York's six-run sixth inning, and Mike Mussina pitched shutout ball into the seventh as the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of Cleveland.
Derek Jeter had three hits and an RBI and Alfonso Soriano drove in two runs in the Yankees' fifth straight victory, and sixth in a row at home.
Mussina (11-6) allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings as New York swept its eighth series this season. Mariano Rivera got three outs for his 18th save in 19 opportunities.
White Sox 10, Tigers 1
In Chicago, Frank Thomas hit two of Chicago's five home runs and Esteban Loaiza shut down Detroit for seven innings.
Loaiza (12-5), a non-roster invitee to spring training, set a career high for wins and snapped a personal three-game skid. He gave up five hits and one run in his first appearance since starting the All-Star game last Tuesday in Chicago.
The White Sox have won three straight against Detroit since manager Jerry Manuel predicted Friday they would sweep their remaining games against the Tigers. The teams play three more times in Detroit on Aug. 29-31.
Jeff Bagwell homered twice to become the 35th member of the 400-homer club, leading the Houston Astros to a 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
"I'm glad I got it over with," Bagwell said. "More important, I'm just glad that we won. It just means that I've played a long time."
Bagwell drove in Houston's first four runs as the Astros beat Cincinnati for the 10th straight time. The Reds have lost seven in a row at home, matching their longest skid since dropping nine straight in Cincinnati in 2001.
Bagwell connected in the fourth and sixth off Danny Graves (4-10) to reach 400 homers.
Cubs 16, Marlins 2
In Miami, Dontrelle Willis failed to retire a batter following a 67-minute rain delay in the bottom of the second, and the Cubs ended the rookie's eight-game winning streak.
Chicago chased Willis (9-2) with six consecutive hits and a walk in the third. He was charged with six runs in the worst outing of his brief career, inflating his ERA from 2.08 to 2.67.
Carlos Zambrano (7-8) allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings for his first victory in five starts. He also went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs.
Braves 11, Mets 8
In Atlanta, pinch-hitter Javy Lopez's three-run homer keyed an eight-run rally in the eighth as Atlanta finished a four-game sweep. Pinch-hitter Marcus Giles drove in the go-ahead run as Atlanta got nine hits in the eighth to complete a stirring comeback. The Braves, who earned their first four-game sweep of the Mets since moving to Atlanta in 1966, are 13-1 since July 3.
Giants 8, Rockies 4
In San Francisco, Alberto Castillo hit a grand slam for his first homer in two years, helping San Francisco complete a four-game sweep.
Rookie Jesse Foppert (6-8), recalled before the game to make the start, matched his career high with 10 strikeouts in six-plus innings. He allowed four runs and three hits. Rich Aurilia matched his career high with four hits for the first-place Giants, who have won nine of 12.
Castillo sent a 1-2 pitch just inside the left-field foul pole to break a 1-all tie in the fourth.
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