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White Sox start their Twins series with win

American League

Jose Valentin and Miguel Olivo had two RBIs each in a five-run first inning Monday night as Bartolo Colon and the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in the opener of a key four-game series.

Chicago took a one-game lead in the American League Central. The teams also play three times next week at the Metrodome.

Colon (13-12) allowed 10 hits and made a sparkling play, snaring Denny Hocking's line drive up the middle with runners at second and third and no outs in the seventh.

The White Sox, responding to a loud crowd of 32,807 on a half-price ticket night, got all five of their first-inning runs with two outs against Kyle Lohse (12-11).

Yankees 9, Blue Jays 3

In New York, Hideki Matsui drove in three runs, and New York's hitters made plenty of noise on a quiet afternoon in the Bronx.

Only 8,848 showed up at Yankee Stadium to watch the makeup of a July 22 rainout.

Mike Mussina (16-7) was given a three-run lead in the first and went seven innings for his 198th career victory a day after teammate David Wells also won No. 198.

Kelvim Escobar (10-9) gave up eight runs and 10 hits in just 3 1-3 innings. Two of the runs were unearned, one because of his own throwing error.

Angels 3, Athletics 1

In Oakland, California, Garret Anderson drove home Adam Kennedy with an eighth-inning single to lead Anaheim over Oakland.

Wilson Delgado later drew a bases-loaded walk from Tim Hudson (14-6), who pitched 7 2-3 innings.

Scott Hatteberg hit an RBI double for the A's, whose eight-game home winning streak was snapped by their fifth loss in six games overall. Oakland's AL West lead over idle Seattle shrank to 1 1/2 games -- the first change in the margin since Aug. 28.

Francisco Rodriguez (7-2) pitched out of a seventh-inning jam for the victory, and Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 35 chances.

Orioles 13, Red Sox 10

In Baltimore, Deivi Cruz drove in four runs and Jerry Hairston scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth.

The Orioles trailed 8-5 before scoring four runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth. Boston made four errors.

Boston fell 3 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and had their wild-card lead over idle Seattle shaved to one game.

Hairston led off the eighth with an infield hit off Byung-Hyun Kim (7-5) and advanced when Kim hit Luis Matos with a throw after Matos bunted. Hairston advanced to third on the play, then beat the throw home on a grounder to second by Tony Batista.

Kerry Ligtenberg (2-2) won.

National League

Roy Oswalt returned from the disabled list and Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman each had three RBIs as the Houston Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 Monday night.

Houston's fourth win in five games put the Astros in a first-place tie with the idle Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Oswalt (7-5), sidelined since July 30 with a strained right groin, was activated Monday. The right-hander allowed four runs on five hits in five innings for his first win since July 18.

Berkman gave Houston a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with a three-run double on a 3-2 pitch from Wayne Franklin (10-12).

Marlins 5, Mets 0

In New York, Alex Gonzalez homered and four Florida pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Marlins beat New York.

Josh Beckett (8-7) allowed just four hits through six innings, striking out six and walking two.

Florida tied with Philadelphia for the wild card after the Braves beat the Phillies later Monday night.

Gonzalez led off the third with his 17th homer and fourth against the Mets this season. It was the only hit starter Steve Trachsel (14-9) allowed in the first five innings.

The Marlins scored four runs in the ninth against Orber Moreno.

Dodgers 10, Diamondbacks 3

In Phoenix, Cesar Izturis went a career-best 5-for-5 and just missed hitting for the cycle.

The Dodgers, winners of four in a row and nine of 11, moved within two games of wild-card leaders Florida and Philadelphia.

Jeromy Burnitz put Los Angeles ahead 6-3 with a three-run homer off Oscar Villareal (7-7) in the eighth, then Shawn Green sealed it with his sixth career grand slam in the ninth.

For MLB standings and other results, see Scoreboard on p19.
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