Despite resting several regulars, the New York Yankees (82-29) pushed their record to 53 games over .500, sweeping the visiting Kansas City Royals 8-2 and 14-2 Friday in a day-night double-header.
In the opener, David Cone (16-4) became the majors’ first 16-game winner and Darryl Strawberry homered.
In the night game, rookie Shane Spencer went 5 for 5 with his first two major-league homers and David Wells (14-2) ran his home record to 9-0 as the Yankees won their eighth straight against Kansas City. Bernie Williams and Chuck Knoblauch homered, and Luis Sojo drove in three runs.
Pat Rapp (9-11) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings in the opener. Chris Haney (4-5) lost the second game.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 3: Juan Gonzalez hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the fifth and Rick Helling (15-6) outdueled Pedro Martinez (15-4) as host Texas won its sixth straight.
Martinez recovered from a three-run first to strike out a season-high 13. He allowed four runs, six hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings.
Helling allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings, leaving after Mike Benjamin’s leadoff double in the seventh. Helling struck out three and walked two as he extended his career-high for victories.
Mariners 6-7, Tigers 3-1: Alex Rodriguez was 3 for 5 with his 34th homer as visiting Seattle completed a double-header sweep.
In the first game, Raul Ibanez, recalled from the minors earlier in the day, hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning in Seattle’s 6-3 victory. The Mariners have won four of their last five.
Heathcliff Slocumb (2-4) pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings and Mike Timlin got three outs for his eighth save. Dean Crow (1-1) was the loser.
In the second game, Brian Moehler (12-8) lost at home for the first time in 10 decisions this season. Jamie Moyer (9-8) won for the fourth time in five starts, allowing one run on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Indians 5, Devil Rays 1: Dwight Gooden won as he pitched a regular-season game in his hometown for the first time, but visiting Cleveland lost Jim Thome to an injury.
Thome suffered a broken bone in his right hand when Wilson Alvarez (5-10) hit him with a pitch in the seventh inning. Thome will be placed on the disabled list.
Gooden (4-6) allowed five hits and struck out a season-high six in 6 1/3 innings to get his first win in four decisions.
Orioles 16, Twins 9: Harold Baines had a go-ahead three-run homer and a season-high five RBIs and Brady Anderson had a career-high five hits including two homers for visiting Baltimore.
Baines, on the DL from July 11 until Tuesday with a hamstring injury, started off the Orioles with a two-run single in the first. He added his sixth homer to make it 9-7 in the sixth, raising his AL-best average with runners on base to .367.
Athletics 7, Blue Jays 6: Oakland’s Ed Sprague hit a go-ahead double in his return to Toronto and Rickey Henderson homered for the second straight game.
Jimmy Haynes (8-4) started in place of Blake Stein, pushed back a day to rest a tender shoulder. Haynes allowed two runs–one earned–and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.
