Cleveland Puts End To Chicago’s Streak

American League

Jim Thome homered and drove in three runs Tuesday night in Cleveland as the Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3, ending Chicago’s seven-game winning streak.

Three Cleveland pitchers limited the White Sox to four hits, and Julio Franco drove in the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning single that ricocheted off relief pitcher Brian Keyser.

The Indians have won 14 of their last 17 games overall and eight in a row at Jacobs Field.

The game proceeded despite occasionally heavy rain during the first two innings.

It was then delayed for 14 minutes before the start of the fourth when a computer erroneously turned off the lights illuminating the field, and rain returned in the later innings.

Twins 16, Royals 7 Minneapolis

Marty Cordova’s bases-loaded triple highlighted a 10-run fifth as Minnesota beat Kansas City to finish April with a winning record for the first time since 1987.

The Twins had just five hits in their double-digit barrage, taking advantage of five walks issued by starter Julio Valera and Mike Magnante (0-1) as the Royals wasted their first three-homer game of the season.

Red Sox 13, Tigers 4 Boston

Reggie Jefferson hit two homers and Mo Vaughn also homered as Boston pounded seven extra-base hits and beat Detroit.

Tim Wakefield (2-3) snapped Boston’s three-game losing streak despite allowing four runs and six hits in five innings, including home runs by Mark Lewis and Travis Fryman.

Blue Jays 9, Brewers 8 Toronto

Carlos Delgado’s two-out single in the bottom of the ninth gave Toronto a win over Milwaukee. Delgado went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and Ed Sprague hit two homers for the Blue Jays, who won for just the second time in six games.

Joe Carter collected his 1,200th career RBI for Toronto.

Tim Crabtree (1-1) pitched two hitless innings for the win.

Yankees 13, Orioles 10 Baltimore

Tino Martinez’s homer in the seventh capped a string of eight unanswered runs that lifted New York past Baltimore in the longest nine-inning game in baseball history.

The game lasted 4 hours, 21 minutes, eclipsing the previous record of 4:18 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on Oct. 2, 1962.

Angels 7, Athletics 3 Oakland, Calif.

Jim Edmonds went 3 for 4 with a homer, and Mark Langston pitched seven strong innings as California ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Oakland.

Clearing the bases

Doctors say they find some encouraging signs following Kirby Puckett’s eye surgery.

Puckett plans to fly to Baltimore to see his eye specialist again early today, then return after his examination so he can join Minnesota on a road trip that begins Friday night at California.

Puckett, who has had blurred vision for the past month as a result of glaucoma in his right eye, had the laser surgery two weeks ago.

Struggling to recover from the worst start in franchise history, Boston demoted pitching coach Al Nipper and replaced him with Sammy Ellis - its fifth pitching coach in two years.

General manager Dan Duquette said the move was made to stabilize the pitching staff, which has a 5.73 ERA. Manager Kevin Kennedy denied Nipper was being blamed for the performance of the club.

Boston started 3-15.