Final Score: Tampa Bay 6, LA Angels of Anaheim 4

St. Petersburg, FL - Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd each hit two-run homers, as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6-4, in the opener of a three-game set at Tropicana Field. Willy Aybar finished 3-for-4 and scored two runs for the Rays, who have won eight of their last 10 games and own a 4 1/2 game lead over Boston in the AL East standings. Andy Sonnanstine (13-6), who leads the Rays' staff in wins, gave up three runs on five hits over 5 1/3 frames to get the victory. Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save. Juan Rivera homered and added a sacrifice fly for Los Angeles, which has dropped four of its last five games. Vladimir Guerrero had two hits and knocked in a run, while Garret Anderson had an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 21 games. Jon Garland (11-8) took the loss after he allowed five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits over six innings.

Final Score: Detroit 8, Texas 7

Arlington, TX - Curtis Granderson's two triples and four RBI helped give Kenny Rogers a victory over his old team, as the Detroit Tigers held off the pesky Texas Rangers, 8-7 in the opener of a three-game set. Rogers (9-10), who was drafted by Texas in the 39th round of the 1982 draft and spent three different stints with the club, struck out seven and gave up three runs on eight hits and four walks to snap a personal four-start skid. Gary Sheffield had three hits, including a two-run homer for Detroit, which had dropped five of seven. Brandon Inge reached base on all four of his plate appearances while knocking in a run for the victors. Rangers starter Scott Feldman held the Tigers scoreless through six, but did not record an out in Detroit's four-run seventh. The right-hander scattered five hits and four walks in addition to four strikeouts in taking a no-decision. Frank Francisco (2-5) was given the loss after yielding the go-ahead run in his relief appearance. Chris Davis was 3-for-4, while Michael Young and Frank Catalanotto drove in two runs apiece for Texas, which has dropped 10 of 12 and six straight to the Tigers dating back to last season.

Final Score: Oakland 3, Minnesota 2

Minneapolis, MN - Kirk Saarloos was thrown right into the fire after his call up from the minors in place of early-departed Justin Duchscherer, as Oakland slipped past Minnesota, 3-2, in the first of a three- game set at the Metrodome. Saarloos (1-0), called up from Triple-A Sacramento prior to the game, pitched 3 2/3 scoreless frames with three strikeouts and three hits allowed. Starter Justin Duchscherer didn't squander a run in 2 2/3 frames, but left the game after delivering a pitch to Joe Mauer. The right-hander didn't show any signs of injury prior to his departure, but afterward revealed a sore right hip. Brad Ziegler allowed one run over two frames to pick up his third save. Kurt Suzuki continued his hot hitting, driving home a pair of runs, and Mark Ellis hit a solo home run for Oakland, which had lost two of three over the weekend to Minnesota's chief AL Central rival Chicago. Nick Blackburn (9-7) was the hard-luck loser, allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts over eight solid frames. Joe Mauer finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, raising his average to .325 in the process. With Chicago's victory over Seattle on Monday, the White Sox claimed a one-game edge in the division race.

Final Score: Chicago 13, Seattle 5

Chicago, IL - Carlos Quentin's push to an out-of-nowhere MVP award continued with his MLB-leading 35th home run, and Chicago's push to an AL Central crown also rolled on with a 13-5 victory over Seattle in the opener of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox -- a lineup featuring Quentin, Jermaine Dye, Nick Swisher and Jim Thome -- hit four more home runs Monday, increasing their league-leading total to 182 on the season. The lineup also scored 13 runs for the second straight game in their third consecutive victory. With Minnesota's loss on Monday, Chicago took over the top spot by one game in the division race. Mark Buehrle (11-10) survived a shaky first frame to go 5 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on 11 hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Dye finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, Orlando Cabrera hit his first home run since June 19th and Quentin scored twice. Alexei Ramirez hit his 13th homer of the campaign off Jarrod Washburn (5-13), who was pounded for eight runs on seven hits with two walks in just 4 1/3 frames. Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and Yuniesky Betancourt added a solo home run for Seattle, losers of four straight.