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AL ROUNDUP: Twins making run in Central

August 6, 2007
Scott Baker and Alexi Casilla helped the Minnesota Twins gain more ground on their division rivals.

Baker allowed four hits in eight innings, Casilla drove in the only run of the game with a double in the fourth and the Twins beat the visiting Cleveland Indians 1-0 on Sunday. The result left the Twins 4? games behind the Indians and four games behind the Detroit Tigers in the Central.

''We smell blood right now,'' Twins center fielder Torii Hunter said. ''We're ready to go.''

Right fielder Michael Cuddyer agreed.

''We're getting closer,'' he said. ''We're not there yet, but we're on the right path.''

Baker (6-4) struck out four, walked two and retired 19 of the last 22 batters he faced. Joe Nathan finished the five-hitter for his 26th save, allowing a two-out single to Casey Blake before retiring Victor Martinez on a grounder to end the game. The Indians didn't get a runner past second base.

''We didn't do anything offensively,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''When we had opportunities, we just weren't able to take advantage of them. ... We're a much better offensive ballclub than what we've been showing lately.''

The Twins got the only run they needed against losing pitcher Fausto Carmona (13-6) when Jason Kubel singled with two outs in the fourth, took second on a walk and scored on Casilla's ground-rule double. Carmona yielded one run and five hits in seven innings.

Yankees 8, Royals 5
Hideki Matsui hit his 100th major-league home run, and Mike Mussina (7-7) allowed two runs and nine hits in six-plus innings to win his third consecutive start as host New York topped Kansas City to complete a three-game sweep. The Yankees have won 19 of the last 20 games between the teams in the Bronx.

Bobby Abreu went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Melky Cabrera 2-for-5 with a homer, two runs scored and two RBI for the Yankees, who improved to 18-7 since the All-Star break. They have scored 102 runs in their last eight games at Yankee Stadium.

Ross Gload hit a two-run homer for the Royals. He is 13-for-23 with two homers and eight RBI this season against the Yankees.

Red Sox 9, Mariners 2
Josh Beckett pitched around eight hits and two walks to allow only one run in 6 2/3 innings, and Manny Ramirez homered and drove in two runs to pace visiting Boston past Seattle for its fourth victory in its last five games.

Beckett (14-5) had lost three of his four decisions since the All-Star break, but he repeatedly escaped jams to move into a tie for the big-league lead in victories.

Coco Crisp, Ramirez, Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo each had two hits for the Red Sox, who rapped out 13 hits against losing pitcher Miguel Batista (11-8) and five relievers.

Angels 4, Athletics 3
Garret Anderson drove in three runs, including the tying run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, and Casey Kotchman singled in the go-ahead run later in the inning to boost Los Angeles past host Oakland.

Winning pitcher John Lackey (14-6) moved into a tie for the major-league lead in victories despite yielding three runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. Lackey has won 11 of his 14 career decisions against the A's, his most against any team.

Jack Cust went 2-for-2 with three walks and two runs scored for the A's.

Blue Jays 4, Rangers 1
Matt Stairs doubled three times and drove in two runs, and Dustin McGowan (8-5) allowed one run and eight hits in eight-plus innings to help Toronto finish a three-game sweep of visiting Texas. The Blue Jays have won eight home games in a row.

Orioles 11, Devil Rays 3
Erik Bedard (12-4) struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings to win his eighth decision in a row, and Miguel Tejada, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora homered to power Baltimore past host Tampa Bay. The Orioles are 10-2 against the Devil Rays this season.

AP

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.