White Sox’s Fast Start Puts Away Twins, 5-2

The Chicago White Sox wasted little time warming up for their first-place showdown with the Minnesota Twins.

Jose Valentin and Miguel Olivo each had two runs batted in during a five-run first inning Monday night as Bartolo Colon and the White Sox beat the Twins, 5-2, in the opener of a key four-game series at Chicago. Colon is 13-12.

With the victory, Chicago took a one-game lead in the American League Central at the start of what promises to be a frenetic final three weeks of the season. The teams also play three times next week in Minneapolis.

The White Sox, responding to a loud crowd of 32,807 on a half-price ticket night, got all five of their first-inning runs with two out against Kyle Lohse (12-11).

Baltimore 13, Boston 10 -- Deivi Cruz drove in four runs and Jerry Hairston scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning in the come-from-behind victory at Baltimore.

The Orioles trailed, 8-5, before scoring four runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth. Baltimore took advantage of four Boston errors.

New York 9, Toronto 3 -- Hideki Matsui drove in three runs, and the Yankee hitters made plenty of noise on a quiet afternoon in the Bronx when only 8,848 fans showed up at Yankee Stadium to watch the makeup of a July 22 rainout.

Matsui and Alfonso Soriano had three hits each and the Yankees had 16 -- the same total they had in the series against the Red Sox last weekend.