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CHICAGO - A bad back was the only thing to spoil Bartolo Colon's outing.
Colon scattered three hits over eight shutout innings before back pain forced him out of Chicago's 4-3 victory over the Royals on Wednesday.
The Royals rallied for three in the ninth, but the White Sox cut Kansas City's lead in the Central to one.
Roberto Alomar homered for the first time since he was traded to the White Sox, and Carlos Lee homered and drove in another run.
"(Colon) did his job," said catcher Sandy Alomar, who also had an RBI. "A guy that wins big games, a guy that wants the ball when the game's on the line, that's Bartolo."
And no doubt about it, this was a big game. After sweeping the Royals in Kansas City last week, the White Sox took two of three at home. Chicago is a major league-best 15-5 since the All-Star break, and has made up six games on Kansas City.
The teams meet again in September, when they'll play seven of their last 10 against each other.
"These games are meaningful, don't get me wrong," Royals first baseman Ken Harvey said. "But they're not that much that we're going to bang our heads."
No, but they might when they think of how dominating Colon (10-9) was. He allowed his first two batters to reach base, hitting Aaron Guiel with a pitch and walking Joe Randa. But he settled down, retiring 11 straight before Harvey led off the fifth with a single past a diving Joe Crede.
The Royals had little luck until Colon's back tightened up. He began feeling some twinges in the seventh, and started the eighth by giving up back-to-back singles to Harvey and Desi Relaford.
RED SOX 4, ANGELS 2: Pedro Martinez extended his unbeaten streak to nearly three months with his second complete game of the season for Boston. Martinez treated Fenway Park's second biggest crowd of the season to a fine performance in which he struck out 11, walked one and allowed 10 hits.
The Angels made it interesting in the ninth, rallying for an unearned run on Robb Quinlan's run-scoring single with two outs. David Eckstein followed with a double and Darin Erstad was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Martinez struck out Tim Salmon looking with his 128th pitch to end it.
RANGERS 5, YANKEES 4: Reliever Mariano Rivera threw away a bunt that set up pinch-hitter Hank Blalock's two-run single in the ninth and visiting Texas rallied.
Texas had been 0-59 this season when trailing going into the ninth.
But Rivera (5-2), who has blown five saves in 26 attempts, walked pinch-hitter Rafael Palmeiro to start the inning. Donnie Sadler followed with a sacrifice bunt and Rivera's high throw sailed into foul territory, with the error putting runners at second and third.
Blalock batted for Todd Greene and followed with a single that scored pinch-runner Laynce Nix and Sadler.
Rivera has blown three of his last five save tries. Alex Rodriguez homered off David Wells in the eighth to get Texas within 4-3.
ATHLETICS 9, TIGERS 3: Eric Chavez homered twice, doubled and drove in five for visiting Oakland. Tim Hudson pitched the Athletics to their 10th win in 13 games. Detroit has lost eight of nine and dropped to 29-82, clinching its 10th straight losing season.
Hudson (10-4) gave up three runs and seven hits in eight innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter, improving to 8-2 lifetime against Detroit. Wil Ledezma (3-6) lost his fourth start in a row, giving up four runs on seven hits in five-plus innings.
TWINS 7, ORIOLES 3: Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer and Shannon Stewart also homered in a five-run fourth for visiting Minnesota.
Kyle Lohse (8-9) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings for the Twins, who won the season series from the Orioles for the first time since 1995. Minnesota is 4-2 against Baltimore with one game left.
The Twins entered with only 13 homers in 19 games since the All-Star break, but the long ball provided the brunt of the damage against Pat Hentgen (4-5).
INDIANS 10, MARINERS 6: Travis Hafner homered and drove in a career-high four as host Cleveland snapped Joel Pineiro's eight-game winning streak.
The Indians ended a five-game losing streak by pounding Pineiro (13-6) for seven runs and 10 hits in 22/3 innings - his shortest outing of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander lost for the first time in 10 starts since June 11 against Montreal.
Jake Westbrook (5-6) won for the first time in four starts since July 12. The right-hander allowed six runs and eight hits over 52/3 innings.