ARLINGTON, Texas - Kenny Rogers matched a career high with his 17th win and Eric Young hit his first homer in more than a year, a three-run tiebreaker, leading the Rangers over Oakland 5-3 Wednesday night to move three games back of the Athletics.
Texas tries to complete a three-game sweep today in its last meeting against the A's. The Rangers have 10 games after that, six against Seattle and four at home against Anaheim.
The Angels, who played later Wednesday against Seattle, began the day 21/2 back of Oakland.
Rogers was pulled after giving up a walk and single to start the sixth. He allowed three runs and matched the 17 wins he had for Texas in 1995.
The left-hander, 39, returned this season for his third Rangers stint. Rogers has spent 11 of his 16 seasons with the team that drafted him in the 39th round in 1982.
Francisco Cordero put runners on first and second with one out in the ninth before extending his team record with his 47th save in 51 chances. Four relievers combined for three scoreless innings before that.
Young connected with two outs in the fourth off Barry Zito for a 5-2 lead. His first Rangers home run came in his 305th at-bat, the most without a homer by any player this season. It was his 95th game and his fifth straight start at second base in place of injured Alfonso Soriano.
RED SOX 7, ORIOLES 6 (12): Orlando Cabrera homered in the 12th to lead host Boston to its second straight win in its last at-bat. The Red Sox, who lead the wild-card race by 61/2, moved 31/2 games behind the Yankees in the East. The teams play a three-game series at Fenway Park over the weekend.
David Ortiz gave Boston a 6-5 lead with his 40th homer in the seventh, but Rafael Palmeiro belted a pinch-hit homer leading off the ninth against closer Keith Foulke to tie it.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 4: Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead, two-run triple off Orlando Hernandez in the seventh inning, and visiting Toronto rallied to send El Duque to his first loss of the season.
New York built a 3-0 lead when Bernie Williams hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Ruben Sierra homered in the second off Ted Lilly. Williams' drive gave the Yankees six players with 20 or more homers for the second time in their history, after the 1961 team led by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
New York, which went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, would have clinched no worse than a wild-card berth with a victory.
WHITE SOX 7, TWINS 6: Paul Konerko hit a winning single in the ninth to lead host Chicago. Jacque Jones and Jason Kubel hit two-run homers for Minnesota.
INDIANS 7, TIGERS 6: Jhonny Peralta's two-run double keyed Cleveland's five-run seventh, and the visiting Indians rallied. Josh Phelps homered for Cleveland, which came back from 3-0 a night after overcoming a five-run deficit to win 8-7.
MARINERS 16, ANGELS 6: Ichiro Suzuki went 4-for-6 for visiting Seattle to pull within 10 hits of George Sisler's major-league season record of 257.
