The Anaheim Angels roughed up starting pitcher Andy Pettitte with two home runs to beat the Yankees 6-2 on Thursday and end New York's seven-game winning streak.
Tim Salmon hit a solo homer in the first inning and Bengie Molina added a three-run home run in the second for the defending World Series champions.
Pettitte (3-1) became the first New York starter to lose since Orlando Hernandez was beaten by Tampa Bay on Sept. 23.
The Yankees' pitching rotation had won a major league-record 16 straight decisions to start the season before the Angels got to Pettitte.
"It'd be great to win 150, 154 ballgames, but that's not going to happen," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "Our starters have been tremendous."
"They have a terrific rotation," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "They all have not only good arms but the experience to know what to do out there.
"I'm not going to minimize the accomplishment. They're pitching as well as humanly possible to start this season."
Salmon started the scoring with his sixth homer, a shot to left-center field that extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Pettitte could not settle down and served up Molina's first blast since Sept. 21.
"I really never got comfortable out there," Pettitte said. "From the first pitch, I was really out of sync all night. They were hitting fly balls, so I knew my stuff wasn't what I wanted it to be."
"I'll take a couple more of those streaks this year," Torre said. "They've been challenging each other. I'm sure Andy will take some heat from [the other starters]."
While Pettitte was tagged for six runs and eight hits in five innings, Anaheim starter Ramon Ortiz (3-2) cruised through 5 1/3 frames, allowing two runs and eight hits before departing with a 6-2 lead.
Hideki Matsui had an RBI single and Bernie Williams hit a solo homer off Ortiz but the Yankees were denied their first three-game sweep at Anaheim since May 4 to 6, 1990.
Royals 2 Twins 1
In Kansas City, the Royals, 100-game losers in 2002, had a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Royals improved to 16-3 -- and a perfect 10-0 at home -- in handing the Twins their sixth straight loss.
Joe Randa's sixth-inning double off Brad Radke (1-3) scored the winning run.
Radke allowed just four hits, including a fourth-inning solo homer to Mike Sweeney.
Rangers 16 Red Sox 5
In Arlington, Texas, Carl Everett tripled and doubled to score four runs and Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez belted three-run homers as the Rangers routed the Boston Red Sox 16-5.
Palmeiro's blast was the 496th of his career, putting him 19th on the all-time list.
A's 2 Tigers 0
In Oakland, Mark Mulder (3-1) went all the way, allowing just three hits while fanning five as the A's blanked the Detroit Tigers 2-0, handing them their 18th loss in 20 outings.
Chris Singleton's sacrifice fly in the fifth off Nate Cornejo (1-2) plated Eric Byrnes with the only run the A's needed.
Blue Jays 5 Devil Rays
In St. Petersburg, Tanyon Sturtze returned to his old haunts in style, allowing six hits over six innings as the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-3.
Sturtze (3-1) was 4-18 with the Devil Rays last season.
Reigning rookie of the year Eric Hinske knocked in the winning run with a sixth-inning grounder.
Jorge Sosa (1-2) took the loss despite holding the Jays hitless until late in the fifth.
Orioles 5 White Sox 4
In Baltimore, Gary Matthews's two-run, seventh-inning homer off Tom Gordon (1-2), his first of the season, gave the Orioles a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Deivi Cruz and Melvin Mora also went deep for the O's.
Willis Roberts (2-1), the third of four Baltimore pitchers, went 1 1-3 innings for the win, the save going to Jorge Julio.
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