Randy Johnson limited the Baltimore Orioles to three hits over eight innings and Matt Lawton broke out of a long slump with a two-run homer that carried the New York Yankees to a 2-1 victory on Wednesday.
New York, which won for the ninth time in 10 games, took over the American League East division lead by a half-game over Boston, which lost at Tampa Bay.
Johnson (15-8) didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and didn't give up a run until the sixth, when Melvin Mora hit a long RBI double.
Lawton, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 27, had been hitless in 19 at-bats, his longest slide in two years, and had not homered since Aug. 29. Hideki Matsui singled off Rodrigo Lopez (14-11) with one out in the second and Lawton hit a two-out drive just over the wall in right, his fifth hit in 42 at-bats with New York.
Devil Rays 7, Red Sox 4
At St. Petersburg, Florida, Tampa Bay rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to knock defending world champion Boston out of first place in the AL East.
Jorge Cantu chased Boston starter Tim Wakefield with a two-out RBI single, and Jonny Gomes' two-run triple off Mike Timlin (7-3) put the last-place Devil Rays ahead 5-4. Eric Munson followed with an RBI double and Alex Gonzalez added an RBI single to ensure Boston's 64-day stay atop the division would end. Manny Ramirez homered for the third time in two games for the Red Sox.
Trever Miller (2-2) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the victory. Danys Baez worked the ninth to earn his 39th save in 47 opportunities.
Mariners 3, Blue Jays 2
At Toronto, rookie phenomenon Felix Hernandez took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning before giving up a questionable single, and Seattle beat Toronto.
The 19-year-old Hernandez cruised into the seventh until Corey Koskie hit a one-out liner to the left side. Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt jumped and had a chance to make a backhand catch, but the ball glanced off his glove.
Hernandez (4-4) gave up two hits in 7 2-3 scoreless innings. Eddie Guardado gave up a two-run homer to Shea Hillenbrand in the ninth before finishing for his 33rd save in 38 chances.
Toronto starter David Bush (5-10) walked Jeremy Reed and Raul Ibanez leading off the fourth before Richie Sexson hit a 3-2 pitch for an RBI single. After Bush walked Adrian Beltre, Greg Dobbs hit his two-run single to give Seattle a 3-0 lead.
Twins 10, Athletics 4
At Oakland, California, Michael Cuddyer homered, hit three doubles and drove in four runs, and Minnesota snapped a three-game losing streak.
Cuddyer finished with a career-high four hits. After his solo homer in the second inning, he followed with three doubles for his third career four-RBI game. Matthew LeCroy added three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota, which had lost five of six. The Twins tagged Joe Kennedy (3-4) in taking a 7-0 lead in the fifth, and avoided a three-game sweep.
Royals 4, Tigers 3
At Kansas City, Missouri, pinch-hitter Denny Hocking's two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning gave Kansas City its first four-game sweep in six years.
The Royals again avoided becoming the first team in the majors with 100 losses this season. Detroit dropped its seventh in a row despite an impressive home run by Chris Shelton that bounced off an SUV.
Kansas City has won six in a row at home, its best streak at Kauffman Stadium since it went 11-0 to start the 2003 season. Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney (1-3) took the loss. Kyle Snyder (1-3) pitched 3 2-3 scoreless innings for the win, giving up three hits and striking out four.
Indians 8, White Sox 0
At Chicago, Scott Elarton pitched five-hit ball into the eighth inning and Hafner homered twice, helping Cleveland move 2 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the AL Central after taking two of three in the crucial series.
The Indians, who trailed by 15 games on Aug. 1, won for the 14th time in 16 tries.
Hafner, who has homered in four straight games, hit a long three-run shot to center off Jon Garland (17-10) in the eighth to quiet a loud sellout crowd of 36,543. He added a two-run shot off Jeff Bajenaru in the ninth, giving him a career-high 30 for the season and 100 RBIs.
The Indians maintained the AL wild-card lead while also putting more pressure on the White Sox, who've been in first place every day this season, but have lost nine of 13.
Elarton (11-7) won his fourth straight start.
Angels 6, Rangers 5
At Anaheim, California, Pinch-hitter Jose Molina drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a single in a four-run seventh inning and Los Angeles rallied to beat Texas for its their fifth straight victory. The Angels increased their lead in the AL West to 2.5 games over Oakland.
Barry Bonds homered for the fourth consecutive game to raise his career total to 707, and San Francisco starter Brad Hennessey hit a solo shot while winning for the first time in 10 outings, leading the Giants past the Washington Nationals 5-1 on Wednesday.
The Giants have won five straight to hold onto an outside chance of catching the National League West-leading San Diego Padres. Washington lost its fourth straight. Bonds connected for a two-run homer in the first inning on a 1-1 pitch from John Patterson (9-6), sending it into the visitors' bullpen beyond right field.
Hennessey (5-8) hit his second homer, with the other coming July 28 at Milwaukee -- the last time the right-hander earned a victory. He gave up one run and three hits over 7 2-3 innings, striking out four.
Other games
The Cardinals defeated the Reds 5-1 at Cincinnati, the Astros defeated the Pirates 12-8 at Pittsburgh, and New York jolted Florida's slender wild-card hopes with a 5-4 defeat.
At Denver, the Padres beat the Rockies 5-2, while the Brewers defeated the Cubs 7-6 at Milwaukee. The Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 3-2 at Phoenix.
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