Yankees roughed up by Texas pair

Alex Rodriguez and Gabe Kapler were the architects of victory for the Texas Rangers as they thrashed the New York Yankees 12-2 in the American League on Thursday. Rodriguez and Kapler each hit three-run homers as the Rangers battered Mike Mussina while the rookie Aaron Myette earned his first major league win.

Mussina (11-9) was 6-1 in his previous nine starts and had given up just four runs in his last 22 innings. But Texas, who are second in the majors in runs scored, hammered him for eight runs and nine hits in four innings.

The big inning was the third, when Rodriguez and Kapler each unloaded their three-run homers. A solo shot by Frank Catalanotto in the fourth increased the lead to 8-0.

In Toronto, Rick Reed pitched six effective innings and Bobby Kielty homered and drove in three runs as the Minnesota Twins halted a five-game losing streak with a 9-4 victory over the Blue Jays.

The Twins gave Reed a decent cushion, scoring six times in the first two innings with the help of some shoddy fielding by Toronto. The short-stop Alex Gonzalez committed an error in each inning that allowed three runs to be scored.

A rare ruling shot down a potential tying run and allowed the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to hold on for a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Chris Richard struck a single into centre field that plated Jerry Hairston and Brady Anderson took a wide turn before hurrying back to third.

However, plate umpire John Hirschbeck ruled that Anderson brushed third-base coach Tom Trebelhorn and called him out for interference. Devil Rays starter Tanyon Sturtze (6-9) sealed the win, allowing two runs and six hits over seven innings. Sturtze walked five and struck out five.

Attacking displays from Garret Anderson and Scott Spiezio inspired the Anaheim Angels to their first three-game sweep at Fenway Park in more than 27 years with a 13-4 rout of the Boston Red Sox. Anderson hit a two-run homer in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth, when the Angels scored six times to build a 10-4 lead. He added a run-scoring double in the eighth.

The Oakland Athletics set a season high in runs and hits and went on to thrash the Cleveland Indians, 17-4.

In Detroit, Joel Pineiro allowed one run over seven innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Tigers 2-1 while the Kansas City Royals scored all their runs in the third inning of a 6-3 triumph over the Chicago White Sox.