It Stays Edgy, but White Sox Win

After only two meetings this season and with 17 left, one thing is already clear: The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are not fond of one another.

Magglio Ordonez homered twice, three players were ejected, and Chicago beat Minnesota, 7-4, Saturday night at Chicago.

“I don’t know if it’s over or not,” Ordonez said. “When you’re playing baseball, anything can happen. You never know.”

The benches emptied in the sixth inning after Chicago starter Jon Garland was tossed for hitting Minnesota’s Doug Mientkiewicz with a pitch -- one inning after Ordonez was plunked for the second straight night.

In two games, six batters have been hit by pitches, three on each side. But Garland became the first pitcher to be thrown out when plate umpire Bruce Froemming immediately ejected him after hitting Mientkiewicz.

“I was upset. I didn’t see any real reason for me to get tossed. I missed my location,” Garland said. “It seems like he had it in his mind to toss me. It’s his decision. I’m not an umpire.”

Minnesota reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who was not in the game, and Chicago center fielder Armando Rios were also tossed.

White Sox Manager Jerry Manuel said they were involved in a heated verbal exchange after the benches emptied.

“Magglio has been hit a couple of times and Doug got hit and things escalated,” Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “You have to stand up for your teammates. It wasn’t like guys were out there throwing haymakers.”

Pierzynski, Corey Koskie and pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer homered for the Twins.

New York 7, Texas 5 -- Alfonso Soriano homered and doubled in the go-ahead run with two out in the 10th inning at Arlington, Texas, as the Yankees became the first team to reach 20 victories.

Jason Giambi also homered for the Yankees (20-4), who won for the ninth time in 10 games and beat former manager Buck Showalter for the second straight night.

Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and Ruben Sierra homered for Texas. Palmeiro’s home run was the 497th of his career.

Soriano extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games. He hit his AL-leading ninth homer in the second inning, a two-run shot.

Tampa Bay 10, Baltimore 7 -- Aubrey Huff homered, doubled and had four hits at St. Petersburg, Fla., as the Devil Rays overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Orioles.

Rocco Baldelli, Rey Ordonez and Marlon Anderson all had two RBIs for the Devil Rays, who have come back to win after trailing by at least three runs six times this season -- all at home.

Oriole Manager Mike Hargrove returned after missing the previous six games to be with his mother, who was hospitalized in Perryton, Texas, with an infected gallbladder.

Oakland 6, Cleveland 3 -- John Halama held the Indians hitless until the seventh inning at Oakland and Erubiel Durazo hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly to lead the Athletics.

Brandon Phillips singled with one out in the seventh for the Indians’ first hit. Halama carried a no-hit bid deeper than any major league pitcher this season.

Halama, however, did not get the decision. He was gone by the time the A’s scored the go-ahead in the seventh off Terry Mulholland (0-1).

Kansas City 9, Toronto 6 -- Ken Harvey hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the ninth inning at Toronto as the Royals rallied over the Blue Jays.

Harvey drove in a career-high four runs for the Royals, who have won five of six. Kansas City improved to 17-4.

A crowd of 17,197, the largest since opening day, turned out three days after the World Health Organization warned against travel to Toronto because of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Detroit 6, Seattle 4 -- Shane Halter homered and scored three times as the punchless Tigers won for only the third time in 22 games this season, winning at Seattle to end the Mariners’ five-game winning streak.

The Tigers tied season highs with six runs and 11 hits. Detroit has scored only 49 runs this year, by far the fewest in the majors.