Mays Dominates as Twins End Slide

Joe Mays dominated the Oakland Athletics’ revamped lineup, pitching two-hit ball through 7 2/3 innings Wednesday night to end the Minnesota Twins’ five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory at Oakland.

The Twins overshadowed Jermaine Dye’s debut in Oakland with a sterling effort from Mays (12-7), who retired the first nine A’s and faced the minimum 21 batters through seven innings.

Jacque Jones drove in two runs and Denny Hocking hit a home run for the Twins, who have fallen into a virtual tie atop the American League Central with the Cleveland Indians. The Twins won for only the second time in 11 games by beating the red-hot A’s, who lost for only the fourth time in 17.

Dye, acquired earlier in the day from the Kansas City Royals in a three-team trade, played right field and batted fifth for the A’s. He was hitless in three at-bats, with Corey Koskie robbing him of a hit with a diving stop at third base in his first at-bat.

Mays made his first All-Star game this season, but lost his first two decisions after the break. He was back in top form against the A’s, who didn’t get a runner past first base until an eighth-inning rally.

“Actually, I felt horrible down in the bullpen [before the game],” Mays said. “But when I got between the lines, I was able to make the adjustments I needed.”

Cleveland 7, Chicago 5--Jim Thome stayed hot, hitting his American League-leading 32nd homer and 11th of July to lead the Indians at Cleveland.

Thome struck out in his previous seven at-bats over the previous two games, but he drove in a run with a single in the first and connected for his homer in the third against Rocky Biddle (2-7).

Thome was batting .188 on May 1, but the free-swinging first baseman has batted .327 since with 29 homers and 75 runs batted in in 74 games.

Texas 6-5, Baltimore 5-2--Called up to make the spot start in the opener at Arlington, Texas, Justin Duchscherer pitched into the seventh inning to win his major league debut.

In the nightcap, after Duchscherer, 23, was optioned to triple-A Oklahoma between games, the Rangers earned the sweep when Mike Lamb hit an RBI double and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Alex Rodriguez in a three-run eighth.

Duchscherer gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, giving up two-run homers to Chris Richard--his third batter--and Brook Fordyce. Duchscherer struck out five and walked one.

Baltimore has lost 17 of 20 games, including five in a row to Texas.

Kansas City 5, Seattle 1--Neifi Perez doubled and scored in his Royal debut and Paul Byrd pitched shutout ball into the ninth inning at Seattle.

Perez, acquired earlier in the day from the Colorado Rockies in a three-team trade that sent Jermaine Dye to the Oakland A’s, went one for five. His double against Aaron Sele (12-2) sparked a four-run fourth inning.

Toronto 4, Boston 3--Alex Gonzalez hit a home run in the 10th and the Blue Jays held the Red Sox to one hit in the final nine innings at Boston.

Billy Koch retired Doug Mirabelli on a grounder with the bases loaded to end the game.

New York 4, Detroit 2--Scott Brosius broke an 0-for-14 skid with a two-out, tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning at New York to lead the Yankees to their fourth victory in a row.

Derek Jeter had a homer and an RBI double and Paul O’Neill added a solo shot for the Yankees.