Angels Ascend To A.L. West Lead
American League
Rookie outfielder Garret Anderson hit his first major-league home run, and Shawn Boskie remained undefeated as the California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 Tuesday night at Anaheim, Calif.
Boskie became the first Angels starter to win his first five decisions of a season since Terry Clark in 1988, and sent the Twins to their fifth straight loss.
In eight innings, the right-hander allowed two runs and eight hits, including Kirby Puckett’s sixth homer in the sixth inning.
Anderson, who had only 13 at-bats entering the game, made his first start since May 1 because manager Marcel Lachemann moved Tony Phillips from left field to third base.
In the fourth, Anderson hit a three-run shot off Kevin Tapani that snapped the right-hander’s streak of 21 innings without allowing a home run. J.T. Snow hit an RBI single before Anderson’s homer.
Jim Edmonds hit his eighth homer of the season leading off the fifth inning and singled home two more in the sixth to help send the Twins to their 19th loss in 23 games.
California is atop the A.L. West with Texas at 27-18.
Indians 11, Orioles 0
Cleveland
Dennis Martinez kept his record perfect, throwing his second shutout in three starts, and Jim Thome and Albert Belle homered as Cleveland routed Baltimore.
Playing before 41,927 fans, the largest crowd ever at Jacobs Field, the Indians won for the 10th time in 11 games, improving baseball’s best record to 32-11.
The Tribe is off to its best start in the history of the franchise.
Yankees 10, Tigers 4
Detroit
Mike Stanley hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs as New York, with owner George Steinbrenner watching from a seat behind the Yankees’ dugout, beat Detroit.
The Yankees won for just the fifth time in their last 21 games and ended the Tigers’ four-game winning streak.
Red Sox 11, Blue Jays 7
Toronto
Reggie Jefferson and John Valentin both homered and drove in four runs as Boston beat Toronto to end its three-game losing streak.
Mike Greenwell, who also homered, was taken off the field in a medical vehicle in the seventh inning after he crashed head first into the left field wall chasing Roberto Alomar’s triple.
Brewers 14, Rangers 2
Milwaukee
Ricky Bones allowed two hits over seven innings as Milwaukee ended Texas’ six-game win streak.
Fernando Vina had three singles and two RBIs, and Jose Valentin had three RBIs as the slumping Brewers took advantage of Rangers right-hander Kevin Gross, who had another miserable outing.
White Sox 7, A’s 6 (10)
Oakland, Calif.
Frank Thomas’ homer in the 10th inning gave Chicago a win against Oakland, which had tied the game in the ninth on Ruben Sierra’s two-run, two-out homer.
Thomas’ 11th homer of the season came on a drive off Dave Leiper. It made a winner of Roberto Hernandez, who blew a save chance in the ninth.
Robin Ventura hit a pair of solo homers as the White Sox broke a four-game losing streak.
Clearing the bases
Milwaukee right-hander Cal Eldred said he’ll decide this week whether to have season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow. Eldred is one of seven Brewers on the disabled list… . One day after pitching the first seven innings of a shutout against the Chicago White Sox despite neck spasms, Steve Ontiveros of the Oakland Athletics was still in pain and wearing a neck brace. . . . Scott Kamieniecki, limited to just 5 1/2 innings this year, agreed to a deal with New York that guarantees him $1 million this season and gives him the chance to earn $3,065,000 over two years.