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AL Capsules

By The Associated Press

11:38 PM EDT, September 6, 2008

TORONTO - Gregg Zaun hit a game-ending grand slam in the 13th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Saturday to extend their season-high winning streak to seven.

Lyle Overbay added two solo homers for Toronto, which matched its longest winning streak since Sept. 22-29, 2002.

The AL East-leading Rays, who entered with a 2{-game advantage over Boston, have lost four of five. The Red Sox carried a four-game winning streak into their matchup with Texas on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay tied it with three runs in the ninth and Dioner Navarro's RBI single off Brian Tallet (1-1) in the 13th inning gave the Rays a 4-3 lead. But Toronto rallied against closer Troy Percival (2-1) in the bottom half.

Vernon Wells and Brad Wilkerson got it started with consecutive one-out singles. Overbay grounded into a fielder's choice and Scott Rolen walked before Zaun went deep for his sixth homer of the season. Rangers 15, Red Sox 8

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Tim Wakefield, pitching his 500th game for Boston, allowed seven runs in a span of nine batters in the second inning, and Texas ended Boston's four-game winning streak.

Boston stayed 2{ games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay, which lost at Toronto earlier Saturday when Gregg Zaun hit a grand slam in the 13th inning. The Red Sox remained 5{ games ahead of Minnesota in the wild card race.

Nelson Cruz hit two towering home runs and a double with five RBIs for Texas. Josh Hamilton went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs to push his majors-best RBI total to 124.

Rookie right-hander Matt Harrison (7-3) struck out four in six innings and left with a 13-4 lead.

Hamilton had a two-run single in the second before Hank Blalock followed with an RBI single that put Texas up 7-1 and knocked out Wakefield (8-10). Reliever Chris Smith picked off Blalock to end the inning. White Sox 7, Angels 6, 15 innings

CHICAGO (AP) -- Jim Thome homered in the 15th inning to pass Mickey Mantle on the career list and give Chicago a victory over Los Angeles that extended its AL Central lead.

Thome's 537th home run came off Justin Speier (1-8) and put him in sole possession of 14th place. The White Sox moved 2{ games in front of second-place Minnesota with their third consecutive victory and second in a row over the Angels in this showdown of division leaders.

The White Sox have their biggest lead since a three-game cushion on July 26. And they won again without slugger Carlos Quentin, who is scheduled for surgery Monday on his broken right wrist and could miss the rest of the season.

Angels ace John Lackey failed to protect a 5-2 lead and Francisco Rodriguez blew a 6-5 advantage in the ninth after Brandon Wood homered in the top half against Bobby Jenks.

Ehren Wassermann (1-1) got the final out of the 15th inning for the White Sox. Tigers 6, Twins 4

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez each hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and Detroit battered Minnesota's struggling bullpen to rally for a win.

After relievers took six of the nine losses on their 14-game road trip that mercifully ended this week, the Twins watched yet another late lead vanish when manager Ron Gardenhire walked to the mound to replace starter Scott Baker with one out and one on.

Granderson pounded a 1-1 pitch from lefty Dennys Reyes into the folded football seats above right field to tie it at 4. Matt Guerrier (6-7) gave up a single to Placido Polanco before Ordonez hit a long drive into the left-field seats.

Justin Verlander followed his worst start of the year with more control problems, walking four in 5 2-3 innings for Detroit. He threw 114 pitches and allowed eight hits and four runs. Clay Rapada (3-0) won with 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief. Royals 3, Indians 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gil Meche gave up three hits in seven innings to win for the first time in more than a month, and Kansas City beat Cleveland.

The Indians lost on the road for the first time since Aug. 6 at Tampa Bay, snapping a 10-game winning streak away from home.

Meche, who was 0-1 with four no-decisions since an Aug. 4 win over Boston, struck out 10, matching his season high and bringing his strikeout total to a career-high 158 -- the third straight year he has fanned at least 150. Meche (11-10) yielded one run and walked two.

David DeJesus went 3-for-4, his third three-hit game in four games, and drove in two runs. Joakim Soria worked a flawless ninth for his 35th save in 37 opportunities.

Cleveland lefty Zach Jackson (0-2), acquired from Milwaukee in the July 7 trade for CC Sabathia, took the loss. He allowed three runs and nine hits with no walks in seven innings. Athletics 5, Orioles 1

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Jack Cust hit two solo home runs, Greg Smith pitched seven shutout innings and Oakland handed Baltimore its eighth straight loss.

Jack Hannahan also homered for the A's, who have won two in a row for only the second time since the All-Star break.

The game was supposed to be the latter part of a split doubleheader, but the afternoon contest was wiped out by rain, courtesy of Tropical Storm Hanna. No makeup date was announced.

Smith (7-14) allowed three hits, walked five and struck out two. The left-hander was 1-8 since June 30 and had yielded a total of 13 runs in his last two starts.

Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera (8-9) allowed two runs, five hits and six walks in three-plus innings. The struggling right-hander missed the strike zone on half of his 84 pitches.