Thursday’s A.L. games

Red Sox 4, Angels 3: Derek Lowe pitched effectively into the eighth inning, and Boston took control of the wild-card race by defeating visiting Anaheim for its season-high ninth consecutive victory. Bill Mueller homered off Bartolo Colon and Johnny Damon had three hits to help the charging Red Sox complete a three-game sweep and win for the 15th time in 16 games. They moved 4 1/2 games ahead of Anaheim in the wild-card chase.

Yankees 9, Indians 1: Gary Sheffield had three RBIs to reach 100 for the seventh time, Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitched seven shutout innings to lead New York past visiting Cleveland. New York has defeated the Indians twice since Tuesday’s record-setting, 22-0 loss.

Twins 2, Rangers 0: At Minneapolis, Brad Radke (10-7) had a season-high nine strikeouts in eight shutout innings to give Minnesota a three-game sweep of visiting Texas. Joe Nathan threw a perfect ninth for his 37th save, completing the combined five-hitter as the Twins extended their lead in the Central to a season-high nine games.

Athletics 4, White Sox 2: Mark Redman (10-10) pitched seven strong innings and Billy McMillon homered to lead visiting Oakland past Chicago. Redman became the fourth Oakland pitcher to reach double digits in wins.

Orioles 13, Devils Rays 2: At. St. Petersburg, Fla., Miguel Tejada drove in three runs, giving him a league-leading 121, and Erik Bedard pitched seven impressive innings, leading visiting Baltimore over Tampa Bay.