Rangers Miss Chance to Extend Lead in West

Texas missed a chance to widen its lead in the West on Monday night, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Athletics at Oakland.

The Rangers could have opened a three-game lead over second-place Seattle, which earlier had lost to the Angels. But the Mariners’ loss did reduce Texas’ magic number for winning its first division title to five.

The Athletics chased Bobby Witt after 1 1/3 innings, his shortest outing this season. Ernie Young had an RBI double and a run-scoring single as the A’s scored five runs in the first three innings.

Boston 4, New York 3--Mo Vaughn tied the score with a two-out single in the ninth inning, then won the game with a two-out single in the 11th at New York.

The Yankees had won 108 consecutive games dating back to Aug. 24, 1995--including 83 this season--when leading after eight innings. But Vaughn’s RBI single off John Wetteland capped a two-run rally in the ninth, and his hit off Graeme Lloyd in the 11th won it.

New York’s magic number for the East title is three.

Boston moved within four games of the Orioles for the wild-card spot.

Milwaukee 8, Baltimore 7--Matt Mieske singled home John Jaha with two outs in the 10th inning as the Brewers damaged the Orioles’ playoff hopes at Baltimore.

The loss moved the Orioles four games behind the Yankees in the East. Baltimore holds a 1 1/2 game lead over Seattle for the wild-card spot.

Jaha, who homered and drove in four runs, led off the 10th by drawing a walk against Terry Mathews (2-2), the fifth Oriole pitcher. Jaha advanced to second on Jose Valentin’s sacrifice and, after a groundout by Marc Newfield, scored on Mieske’s single.

Cleveland 7, Minnesota 6--Manny Ramirez hit his 32nd home run, a solo shot in the eighth inning, as the Indians won at Cleveland but lost All-Star center fielder Kenny Lofton to a foot injury.

Ramirez broke a 6-6 tie with a shot over the right-field wall off Jose Parra (5-5).

Lofton was two for three and had extended his hitting streak to 10 games when he fouled a 1-and-1 pitch from Minnesota’s Scott Klingenbeck off his left foot in the sixth. He went down in the batter’s box, and could not put weight on the leg. He was taken to a hospital for precautionary X-rays, which were negative.

Toronto 6, Detroit 4--The Tigers lost their 104th game, matching a club record that has stood since 1952.

Tilson Brito, one of five rookies in the Toronto starting lineup, keyed a three-run third at Detroit with a double.

Erik Hanson (13-17) gave up four runs in seven innings.

With the score tied, 4-4, in the sixth, Detroit reliever A.J. Sager (4-5) walked leadoff batter Shawn Green, who stole second and scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Robert Perez.