KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Everybody wanted to give Corey Koskie credit for igniting the Minnesota Twins.
Everybody but Koskie.
"Guys can holler all they want," the third baseman said after homering twice and driving in a career-high six as the Twins routed the Royals 16-2 Thursday.
"But they've got to put it on themselves. Everybody took it upon themselves. I had nothing to do with it."
The Twins, who lost the first three games of the series and saw their Central lead shrink to one game over the Royals, had 23 hits.
After the Royals' 8-6 victory Wednesday night, several Twins took themselves to task, with Koskie being the most vocal.
"He was just telling everybody to bring the energy. You don't see Koskie like that very often. You see Koskie upset, you know something's serious," centerfielder Torii Hunter said.
The Twins avoided a four-game sweep with their most hits since getting 25 against Cleveland on June 4, 2002.
Joe Mays got several nice defensive plays while giving up two runs and six hits in eight innings. The Royals had scored 31 in winning the first three of the series.
Koskie hit a three-run homer in the fifth off Kyle Snyder and a shot off Kris Wilson that made it 15-0 in the seventh.
Cristian Guzman had four hits and Doug Mientkiewicz, Jacque Jones and Hunter each had three. Jones also had three RBIs, including a two-run homer in the fourth.
"Koskie was very emotional after the game last night," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He was one of the guys who came in and said we need to pick ourselves up. And you saw what he did today."
RED SOX 4, WHITE SOX 3 (10): Johnny Damon lined a run-scoring single in the 10th to lift visiting Boston, held to one hit through nine.
Bill Mueller opened the 10th with a single off closer Billy Koch, the Red Sox's first hit and second baserunner since the first.
Koch then walked Damian Jackson, and Jason Varitek's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners with one out to set up Damon's single.
Chicago tied it at 3 with a run in the sixth but should have had more. The White Sox loaded the bases with no outs after Frank Thomas' single, a walk to Magglio Ordonez and Brian Daubach's infield hit. But Carlos Lee grounded into a double play that forced Thomas at home before Jose Valentin reached on Nomar Garciaparra's error, scoring Ordonez.
A'S 9, RANGERS 2: Miguel Tejada homered and set a career high with five hits and Eric Byrnes hit a three-run homer as host Oakland completed a three-game sweep.
Mark Mulder pitched seven strong innings as the Athletics won their sixth straight, matching their best streak of the season. He gave up 10 hits and two runs, striking out three with no walks.
The defending West champions have consecutive sweeps for the first time this season.
ANGELS 2, MARINERS 0: Ramon Ortiz pitched 72/3 scoreless innings for his fourth straight win, outdueling Jamie Moyer for visiting Anaheim.
Eric Owens homered and Shawn Wooten scored on a Benji Gil sacrifice fly as the Angels averted a four-game sweep.
In the third, Owens drove a 1-and-1 pitch to leftfield, where Randy Winn leaped but couldn't make the catch as the ball glanced off his glove and over the wall.
BLUE JAYS 6, ORIOLES 1: Vernon Wells homered twice and drove in three and Kelvim Escobar pitched six innings of four-hit ball for visiting Toronto. Josh Phelps also homered for the Blue Jays, who outscored Baltimore 12-3 in sweeping the rain-shortened two-game series. Toronto has won eight of nine to move 10 games over .500 (41-31) for the first time since Sept. 23, 2000.
INDIANS 10, TIGERS 3: Jody Gerut drove in three and Milton Bradley and Casey Blake homered as Cleveland swept a road series for the first time since it won three in Toronto from May 24-26, 2002.
