RESULTS

* at Minnesota 3, Kansas City 1: Scott Baker sparkled over eight crisp innings and Joe Mauer drove in three runs. Baker (5-4) faced one batter over the minimum, struck out seven and gave up two hits, both in the fourth inning. Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in 25 opportunities. Gil Meche (7-8) was nearly as good for the Royals, whose four-game winning streak ended. After struggling in the first inning, Meche settled down and gave up two runs through seven innings, striking out five.

* Detroit 5, at Oakland 2: Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco each had three hits and a run batted in as the Tigers ended a four-game losing streak. Jordan Tata, brought up to take the injured Kenny Rogers’ spot in Detroit’s rotation, gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings in his first major league start. Tata became the first Tigers starter to win a game since Andrew Miller beat Minnesota on July 18.

* at Tampa Bay 5, Toronto 4 (11 innings): Carl Crawford, who scored the tying run as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning, led off the bottom of the 11th with a home run. Crawford hit a full-count pitch from Brian Wolfe (2-1) over the fence in center field for Tampa Bay, which had lost eight of nine.

* at Seattle 2, Angels 0: Ichiro Suzuki had three hits and Miguel Batista gave up four singles in seven innings for the Mariners, who have won four games in a row and moved within three games of the division-leading Angels.