American League
For the New York Yankees, this one was worth the wait.
After enduring two rain delays totaling nearly two hours, the Yankees regained sole possession of first place in the AL East with an 11-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
PHOTO: EPA
Randy Johnson (16-8) pitched six innings of shutout ball, Jason Giambi homered off Rodrigo Lopez (14-12) to cap a six-run fourth and New York handed the free-falling Orioles their season-high ninth straight defeat.
The victory moved the Yankees a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox, whose home game against Toronto was rained out. Boston was to play a day-night doubleheader yesterday, forcing the Red Sox to shuffle their pitching rotation in the middle of a frenzied pennant race.
Advantage, Yankees. New York has six games remaining -- three against stumbling Baltimore and three in Boston to finish the season.
If the Orioles keep playing as they have lately, the Yankees can expect to bring some momentum into Fenway Park this weekend. New York has won seven straight against Baltimore, including five over an eight-day span.
Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for the Yankees, who have won seven of eight and 13 of 15 to move a season-high 28 games over .500 (92-64). After starting the season with 19 losses in 30 games, New York is within two games of the Chicago White Sox in the race for the best record in the AL.
Tigers 4, White Sox 3
At Detroit, Curtis Granderson's leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Detroit a victory over the White Sox.
Chicago's lead in the AL Central dropped to two games over idle Cleveland and its magic number remained at five to clinch the division. The White Sox had a 15-game lead on Aug. 1, and if they fail to finish in first it would be one of the biggest collapses in baseball history.
Brandon Inge hit two homers for the Tigers, who have won three straight after an eight-game losing streak.
Fernando Rodney (2-3) pitched the ninth for the win. Cliff Politte (6-1) took the loss.
Paul Konerko's two-run shot in the first gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead. Joe Crede hit his career-high 22nd homer.
Angels 4, Athletics 3
At Oakland, California, Steve Finley hit a two-run homer, John Lackey pitched six strong innings and the Angels moved within one victory of clinching their second straight division title with a win over Oakland.
The Angels opened a five-game lead with six to play and lowered their magic number to two. They were to send 10-game winner Ervin Santana to the mound against lefty Joe Kennedy to try to finish off the Athletics last night.
Lackey (13-5) didn't allow a hit until the fifth, when Oakland got a two-run double from Jason Kendall. Eric Chavez hit a solo homer in the eighth.
The Angels won for the ninth time in 10 games. They beat out the A's on the season's final weekend a year ago, and Oakland missed the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Lackey outpitched rookie right-hander Joe Blanton (11-12), who won his previous three starts. Francisco Rodriguez finished for his 15th straight save and 42nd overall.
Royals 5, Twins 0
At Minneapolis, Rookie J.P. Howell pitched five hitless innings before he was pulled and Angel Berroa homered to lead Kansas City over Minnesota, handing the Twins their fourth straight loss.
Andrew Sisco, Ambiorix Burgos and Jeremy Affeldt completed the three-hitter for the Royals. Two of their four shutouts this season have come against Minnesota.
The Twins fell to .500 for the first time since they were 3-3 on April 10.
Howell struck out seven and walked three before he was relieved by Sisco to start the sixth. Sisco promptly gave up a single to Brent Abernathy leading off, followed by Joe Mauer's single.
Howell (3-5) had thrown 97 pitches, including 56 for strikes, when he was lifted.
Scott Baker (2-3) allowed five runs and six hits in five innings.
National League
AP, ATLANTA
The Atlanta Braves had to put their celebration on hold.
Todd Greene hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Braves on Monday night, preventing Atlanta from clinching at least a tie for its 14th straight division title.
Colorado came all the way back from a four-run deficit, taking advantage of the Braves' shaky bullpen. Chris Reitsma (3-6) took over with one out in the eighth and didn't retire anyone.
Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins hit back-to-back singles before Greene drove a 1-2 pitch into the center-field seats, a 406-foot shot for his seventh homer and the Rockies' first lead of the night.
Ryan Speier (2-1) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. Brian Fuentes worked the ninth for his 31st save, ending the game by striking out pinch-hitter Brian Jordan with a man on third.
Adam LaRoche and Jeff Francoeur homered for the Braves, who couldn't hold a 5-1 lead.
Other games
At Miami, the Nationals defeated the Marlins 4-0, putting Florida on the brink of playoff elimination.
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-9 at Milwaukee in a wild game.
At San Diego, the Giants clinched a 3-2 victory over the Padres. Philadelphia's bad defense and shaky bullpen helped New York chalk up a 6-5 win at Philadelphia, while the Dodgers beat the Pirates 9-4 at Los Angeles.
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