Red Sox Suffer a Lost Weekend

Frank Thomas and Albert Belle hit run-scoring doubles in the seventh inning and the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep, defeating the visiting Boston Red Sox, 6-4, on Sunday.

The loss cut the Red Sox’s lead over Toronto in the AL wild-card race to four games with eight left.

Mo Vaughn went three for four with three RBIs and hit his 37th homer for the Red Sox, who were swept in a three-game series in Chicago for the first time since September 1963.

Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 5--Benito Santiago hit a two-out, two-run single in the 12th inning as the Blue Jays ended a three-game losing streak with a victory at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Blue Jays began the day five games behind Boston in the AL wild-card race. The Blue Jays have six games left, all at home.

With the bases loaded and one out in the 12th, Albie Lopez (7-4) struck out Tony Fernandez, but Santiago followed with a line drive to center.

Minnesota 3, Detroit 0--Benj Sampson pitched six shutout innings in his first major league start as the Twins ended a 10-game losing streak with a victory over the Tigers at Detroit.

Sampson (1-0) gave up only three hits with nine strikeouts and four walks. The left-hander exited after escaping a bases-loaded, two-out threat in the sixth by getting Tiger rookie Gabe Kapler on a fly ball.

Cleveland 5, Kansas City 3--Bartolo Colon won for the first time in more than a month and rookie Einar Diaz drove in a season-high three runs as the Indians defeated the Royals at Cleveland.

Colon (14-8) had been 0-2 in four starts since his last victory on Aug. 17. He gave up one run and seven hits in seven innings, striking out nine.

New York 5, Baltimore 4--The absence of Cal Ripken from the Oriole lineup was the big news at Baltimore, but the Yankees were the story on the field.

Derek Jeter went three for four and drove in two runs while Orlando Hernandez (11-4) gave up one run in six innings for the Yankees, who are four victories short of the AL record of 111 set by the 1954 Indians.