The Minnesota Twins edged within 1-1/2 games of Chicago atop the American League Central division with a 9-3 win over the White Sox on Tuesday in the opening game of a crucial three-game series. Minnesota's Jason Kubel went 3-for-4 with two homers, including going back-to-back with Delmon Young in the seventh to put the game out of reach. The Twins practically need a sweep of this series to reclaim top spot in the Central, and can now overhaul the White Sox by winning Wednesday and Thursday. Chicago's Ken Griffey Jr. passed Sammy Sosa for sole possession of fifth place on the career list with his 610th home run. Rays 5, Orioles 2, Game 1; Rays 7, Orioles 5, Game 2: In Baltimore, Tampa Bay moved two steps closer to claiming the AL East pennant by beating Baltimore in a double header. The Rays had never before won both games in a double header in 13 attempts, and moved three games ahead of Boston in pursuit of their first division title. The two victories enabled the Rays to break the record held by the 1991 Atlanta Braves for most wins by a team that owned the worst record in the majors one year earlier. Mariners 9, Angels 6: In Seattle, Los Angeles lead over Tampa Bay in the chase for the AL's best record was cut to two games after losing at Seattle. The Angels, who have never finished with the best record in baseball, are two wins short of the franchise record set by the 2002 team that won the World Series. Red Sox 5, Indians 4: In Boston, the home team edged Cleveland to make certain of a long-likely playoff spot. With the win, the Red Sox clinched at least the AL wildcard, putting them 6-1/2 games ahead of New York with five games left. Boston slipped 3 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East pennant race. Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1: In Toronto, New York beat Toronto, but Boston's win made it official: the Yankees will miss the postseason for the first time since 1993. Royals 5, Tigers 0: In Detroit, Kansas City shut out Detroit to push the Tigers into last place in the AL Central. Rangers 6, Athletics 4: In Arlington, Texas, the home team snapped a five-game losing streak by downing Oakland.
