Mariners lose three straight for the first time this season

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Terrence Long, Ramon Hernandez, Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada homered as the Oakland Athletics beat Seattle 11-2 Saturday and sent the Mariners to their first three-game losing streak in a year.

Seattle hadn't lost three straight since Sept. 21-23 last year against the A's at Safeco Field. The Mariners (104-63) also failed in their bid to become first major league team to go an entire season without losing a series on the road.

Oakland (91-58), which has the second-best record in the major leagues, won its 11th straight home game cut its magic number for clinching the AL wild card to two.

Erik Hiljus (5-0) allowed two runs and seven hits over 5 2-3 innings and struck out eight. Joel Pineiro (5-2) gave up six runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in two innings.

INDIANS 4, TWINS 2

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jim Thome broke a sixth-inning tie with his league-leading 48th homer as Cleveland reopened a six-game lead over the second-place Twins in the AL Central with 13 games remaining.

Ellis Burks and Travis Fryman followed Thome's homer with back-to-back doubles that chased Brad Radke (13-10).

Ricardo Rincon (2-1) won, and Bob Wickman pitched the ninth for his 30th save.

ORIOLES 11, YANKEES 2

BALTIMORE -- Rookie Geronimo Gil had three hits and drove in five runs. New York's magic number for clinching the AL East dropped to four with Boston's loss.

Chuck Knoblauch hit two homers for the Yankees, who have lost three straight. Cal Ripken had two hits, two walks, drove in a run and scored twice for the Orioles.

Baltimore rookie Sean Douglass (1-1) allowed one run and three hits in five-plus innings for his first major league win. Sterling Hitchcock (3-4) gave up six runs and nine hits in 2 2-3 innings.

TIGERS 4, RED SOX 3

BOSTON -- Shane Halter homered off Rolando Arrojo (5-4) and hit a sacrifice fly as Detroit rallied after homers by Trot Nixon and Brian Daubach put Boston ahead 2-0.

Derek Lowe, shifted into the rotation because of Pedro Martinez's season-ending shoulder injury, made his first start since June 28, 1998. He allowed three hits in five scoreless innings and left after 70 pitches.

Adam Pettyjohn (1-6) pitched 1 2-3 shutout innings and Matt Anderson got his 19th save in 20 chances -- his 19th in a row, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

BLUE JAYS 8, DEVIL RAYS 7

TORONTO -- Jose Cruz Jr. hit a three-run homer as Toronto rallied from a 5-0 deficit.

Steve Cox homered and had four RBIs for the Devil Rays, just four defeats shy of their first 100-loss season.

Pasqual Coco (1-0) pitched three hitless innings for his first major league win and Billy Koch got three outs for his 34th save. Felipe Lopez's sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Jesus Colome (1-2) gave Toronto an 8-7 lead.

RANGERS 5, ANGELS 4

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rafael Palmeiro hit two homers, including a tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning, to lead Texas over Anaheim.

Palmeiro hit a two-run homer in the third off Matt Wise and broke a 4-all tie in the eighth against Mike Holtz (1-2) with his 44th homer this season. Palmeiro, who had been tied with Dave Kingman for 25th on the career list, has 444 homers, eight shy of Carl Yastrzemski.

It was the 29th multihomer game of Palmeiro's career, his sixth this season.

-- From wire reports