NEW YORK - Jose Lima was enjoying a dream season, until he ran into the Yankees.
Jorge Posada and Karim Garcia homered as New York sent Lima to his first loss of the season with an 11-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
"Somebody's going to pay the price," Lima said. "I don't know who, but somebody's going to pay."
Jeff Weaver won despite another shaky outing and Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run single for the Yankees, who built a 9-2 lead en route to their fifth straight victory.
The Yankees are a season-high 29 games over .500 and 51/2 games ahead of Boston in the East, their largest margin.
"We're building a good lead right now," reliever Jeff Nelson said. "Especially with the teams we play - Boston has a tough schedule, they're playing Seattle and Oakland - we need to take advantage and extend the lead."
Nick Johnson had three hits and Hideki Matsui scored three as New York took the opener of a three-game series between division leaders after losing two of three in Kansas City last week.
The Royals are two games up on Chicago in the Central.
Signed out of the independent Atlantic League on June 11, Lima is a big reason the young Royals have been able to maintain their division lead. But he struggled in his return from the disabled list; the right-hander had been out since Aug. 2 with a groin strain.
"He was a little bit rusty," Royals manager Tony Pena said. "I was happy with the results. His location was just up in the zone."
RANGERS 4, TIGERS 2 (16): Alex Rodriguez's two-run homer in the 16th inning lifted visiting Texas to its sixth straight win. Detroit has lost six in a row and 10 of 11 to drop a season-worst 61 games under .500 at 31-92.
The Tigers trailed 2-1 with one out in the ninth, but Shane Halter tied it with a homer off former Tiger Francisco Cordero.
WHITE SOX 4, ANGELS 2: Frank Thomas's two-run homer in the seventh tied it, and his two-run shot in the ninth won it as host Chicago came from behind.
Tony Graffanino led off the ninth with a double off Jarrod Washburn and moved to third on Roberto Alomar's sacrifice. Thomas followed with his 30th homer on a 3-and-2 pitch.
Washburn took a no-hitter into the seventh but lost it on Alomar's leadoff single through the right side of the infield. Thomas followed with his first homer of the game.
