CLEVELAND — Adrian Beltre's four hits for Texas was only one fewer than the entire Cleveland Indians team. Beltre also scored twice as the Rangers rolled to their 10th win in 13 games and handed the reeling Indians their sixth straight loss with a 5-3 result. Ryan Dempster (4-1) pitched two-hit ball over six innings, Michael Young had two of Texas' four RBI hits with two outs, and Joe Nathan got the final two outs for his 26th consecutive save and 28th overall. “The guys executed in the clutch,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “Beltre was very good, and Dempster had a good changeup and slider, enabling him to move his fastball around.” Not everything went the Rangers' way. Right fielder Nelson Cruz was ejected for slamming his bat on the plate in the seventh after his third strikeout. After the game, lefty Robbie Ross, who is 6-0 with a 1.78 ERA in 52 relief appearances, was put on the disabled list with a strained forearm. Beltre had three of his hits off Ubaldo Jimenez (9-14) as Cleveland's right-hander couldn't keep the Indians from losing for the 15th time in 16 games. Cleveland went 5-24 in August, tying the team record for losses in one month, set in July 1914. The Indians are 5-28 since July 27. Beltre had two doubles and two singles. His only out came on a diving catch by left fielder Jason Donald in the ninth. The third baseman has hit .472 (17 for 36) with 14 RBIs in his last nine games. In his last 68 games, Beltre has batted .334 with 15 homers and 45 RBIs. Blue Jays 2, Rays 1: Moises Sierra homered and threw out pinch-runner Elliot Johnson at home plate for the final out, preserving Brandon Morrow's first win since June 6 and leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a victory over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays. Edwin Encarnacion hit his 35th home run as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their sixth loss in seven games. The Blue Jays have won three straight for the first time since July 26-28. Toronto went 9-19 in August. The Rays lost for the 11th time in their past 12 one-run games, a stretch in which they lost four 1-0 decisions, and fell to 6-20 in one-run games since May 28. Tampa Bay also had its ML-worst 11th loss when allowing two or fewer runs. Orioles 6, Yankees 1: Orioles rookie Miguel Gonzalez struck out a career-high nine over seven shutout innings in a masterful pitching performance and Mark Reynolds homered twice as Baltimore tightened the AL East race with a victory over the skidding New York Yankees. J.J. Hardy added a solo shot for the surprising Orioles, who moved within two games of first-place New York by winning the opener of their big three-game series. That's the closest Baltimore has been since a 1½-game deficit on June 22, less than a month before the Yankees opened a season-high 10-game cushion on July 18. Buck Showalter's young team has been gaining ground since, winning 18 of its last 25 to head into September as serious playoff contenders for the first time in 15 years. Tigers 7, White Sox 4: Delmon Young hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the seventh inning and the Detroit Tigers beat Chicago, pulling within two games of the AL Central-leading White Sox. Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta homered as the Tigers took the opener of the three-game series. Octavio Dotel (5-2) pitched 12/3 innings of scoreless relief. Joaquin Benoit struck out the side in the eighth inning and Jose Valverde closed for his 27th save in 31 chances. Jake Peavy (9-10) gave up six runs and nine hits over six innings. In other games it was: Oakland 20, Boston 2; LA Angels 9, Seattle 1; while the game between Minnesota and Kansas City was postponed. — Agencies
