American League
The Boston Red Sox clinched their second straight trip to the playoffs, rallying past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-3 Monday night behind Manny Ramirez's AL-leading 43rd home run.
Johnny Damon hit his career-high 19th homer for the Red Sox, who are assured of no worse than the AL wild-card berth. Boston closed within three games of the AL East-leading New York Yankees with six remaining.
The Red Sox, held hitless for four innings, went ahead on Damon's three-run homer and Ramirez's 458-foot, two-run drive after Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir was ejected for hitting Ramirez and Kevin Millar with pitches in the fourth inning. The Devil Rays led 2-0 at the time.
Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella also was tossed after Kazmir plunked Ramirez and Millar in a span of four pitches. The first one appeared to be retaliation for Boston's Bronson Arroyo hitting Aubrey Huff and Tino Martinez the previous inning.
Arroyo (10-9) has hit 20 batters this season, most in the major leagues.
Jorge Sosa (4-7) replaced Kazmir and gave up five runs in the fifth.
Angels 5, Rangers 3
At Texas, Chone Figgins had an RBI triple and then scored the go-ahead run on an infield grounder in the eighth inning, leading Anaheim over Texas in the opener of the key AL West series.
Bartolo Colon (17-12) allowed just four hits in eight-plus innings, becoming the first pitcher to beat Texas six times in a season.
The Angels began the day just a game behind AL West-leading Oakland. The Rangers started two games behind the Athletics.
After Figgins tripled in the eighth to tie the game at 3-all, he raced home on Darin Erstad's grounder. First baseman Mark Teixeira fielded cleanly and threw home, but Figgins slid around the sweeping tag of Ken Huckaby and was able to touch the back corner of home plate with his fingertips.
Colon gave up consecutive singles to start the ninth and Troy Percival walked his first batter, loading the bases. But he then got two infield popouts and a strikeout for his 31st save in 36 chances.
Jose Molina led off the eighth with a single off Kenny Rogers (17-9) and pinch-hitter Alfredo Amezaga sacrificed. Figgins then tripled into the right-field corner on a ball that landed just in fair territory.
Blue Jays 4, Orioles 1
In Baltimore, Gregg Zaun homered and Orlando Hudson had three hits and an RBI, leading Toronto past Baltimore.
Melvin Mora went 3-for-4 with a homer for the Orioles, whose four-game winning streak ended. The defeat means Baltimore (74-81) will complete a seventh straight season without a winning record.
Orioles starter Sidney Ponson (11-15) allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings to fall to 8-3 since the All-Star break.
Pitching for the second time since ending a two-month stint on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, Toronto starter Roy Halladay allowed one run and four hits before being pulled after throwing 70 pitches in three innings.
In the fifth, Baltimore trailed 3-1 but put runners on first and third with one out. League (1-0) entered and retired Miguel Tejada on a liner to third and Rafael Palmeiro on a fly to left. Pitching in his third major league game, League allowed one hit in 2 2-3 scoreless innings for his first win.
Justin Speier worked the eighth and Miguel Batista got three outs for his fourth save.
Tigers 5, White Sox 2
In Detroit, Dmitri Young hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Detroit made the most of three hits to stop a five-game losing streak.
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