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Tigers avoid sweep with 7-1 victory over Cleveland

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CLEVELAND (AP) – Kenny Rogers put on a pitching performance that Detroit desperately needed and the Tigers backed him with four home runs, beating the Cleveland Indians 7-1 Sunday and ending a four-game losing streak. Curtis Granderson led off the game with a homer and Marcus Thames, Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez later connected as the Tigers averted a sweep. They won for only the sixth time in 19 games since Aug. 7.

Detroit, with the best record in the majors, leads Minnesota by five games in the AL Central. After an off-day, the Tigers start a three-game series at New York.

Rogers (14-6) won his third straight start, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Cleveland had won four in a row overall and eight straight at home.

Mariners 6, Red Sox 3

SEATTLE – Rookie Cha Seung Baek took a shaky no-hit bid into the sixth inning, Raul Ibanez hit a grand slam and the Seattle Mariners swept Boston in a three-game series for the first time since 1989.

David Ortiz hit his major league-leading 47th homer with one out in the Boston sixth. All-Star outfielder Manny Ramirez again sat out with a sore right knee and the Red Sox lost for the 11th time in 14 games.

The Red Sox dropped 61/2 games behind New York in the AL East and trail Minnesota by 51/2 games for the wild card.

Yankees 11, Angels 8

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Bernie Williams homered twice and drove in six runs, and Derek Jeter also hit two home runs as New York ended its longest road trip of the season by beating the Los Angeles Angels.

Jeff Karstens (1-0) earned his first major league win, helping the AL East leaders salvage the series finale. The Yankees went 7-4 on their three-city swing, which started with a five-game sweep at Boston.

Williams also doubled and singled in his first multihomer game since Aug. 26, 2005, against Kansas City. Jeter homered twice in a game for the eighth time in his career and first since June 18, 2005, against the Cubs.

White Sox 6, Twins 1

CHICAGO – Mark Buehrle won for the second time in two months, A.J. Pierzynski and Joe Crede hit consecutive home runs and the Chicago White Sox beat Minnesota to cut the Twins’ lead in the AL wild-card race to a half-game.

Pierzynski and Crede connected in the fifth as Chicago turned a one-run edge into a 5-1 lead, and the White Sox went on to avoid a three-game sweep.

Buehrle (11-11) left to a standing ovation in the eighth.

Blue Jays 10, Royals 6

TORONTO – Ted Lilly won in his first start since tussling with manager John Gibbons, and Bengie Molina hit a grand slam that led the Toronto Blue Jays over the Kansas City Royals.

Last Monday, Lilly refused to give Gibbons the ball during a pitching change against Oakland. They later scuffled in the tunnel leading from the dugout to the clubhouse, and Gibbons wound up with a bloody nose.

This time, one fan yelled out “Fight! Fight!” when Gibbons went to the mound to replace Lilly in the sixth. There were no problems.

Rangers 3, Athletics 0

ARLINGTON, Texas – Vicente Padilla allowed four hits over eight innings and Matt Stairs homered as the Texas Rangers stopped Oakland’s three-game winning streak.

Dan Haren had won six straight decisions for the AL West-leading Athletics, but Padilla outpitched him.

Orioles 5, Devil Rays 4

BALTIMORE – Miguel Tejada singled in the winning run with one out in the ninth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles extended the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ road losing streak to 10 games.

Jeff Conine drove in two runs for Baltimore. After the game, the Orioles traded Conine and cash to Philadelphia for a player to be named.

With one out in the ninth, Nick Markakis singled off Seth McClung (4-12). After Melvin Mora walked on a 3-2 pitch, Tejada grounded a single to right, and Markakis beat Greg Norton’s throw home with a headfirst slide.

LaTroy Hawkins (2-2) worked the ninth for the Orioles, who have won eight of 11.

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