MINNEAPOLIS — Joel Peralta gave up a solo homer to Ryan Doumit in the eighth inning and a three-run drive to Josmil Pinto, and Tampa Bay stumbled again in the AL wild-card race with a 6-4 loss to Minnesota Sunday. Tampa Bay, which had won its previous three games, wasted a 3-0 lead and dropped to 7-14 from Aug. 25 on. The Rays remained tied with Texas for the two AL wild-card spots, a half-game ahead of Cleveland. Minnesota had lost 11 in a row to the Rays. Tampa Bay led 4-2 in the eighth, but Peralta (2-8) blew a save for the third time in four chances. After Doumit's 13th home run of the season, Trevor Plouffe singled and Josh Willingham walked. Pinto then sent an 0-1 pitch into the Rays bullpen in center field, the rookie's second career homer. Indians 7, White Sox 1: Nick Swisher homered from both sides of the plate for the 13th time, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run homer and Cleveland beat Chicago to pull within a half-game of Tampa Bay and Texas in the AL wild-card race. In a game that started after a rain delay of 4 hours, 28 minutes, the Indians achieved a franchise first by sweeping a four-game series from the White Sox for the third time in a season. Zach McAllister (8-9) allowed one run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. Last-place Chicago has lost six in a row, and at 58-91 is 33 games under .500 for the first time since finishing 1976 with a 64-97 record. Chris Sale (11-13) gave up six runs and nine hits — including three homers — in 5 2-3 innings and dropped to 6-11 following a 5-2 start. Tigers 3, Royals 2: Alex Avila homered twice, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the eighth inning that lifted Detroit over Kansas City. Detroit's Max Scherzer struck out 12 in seven innings, but he was denied his 20th victory when Kansas City tied it off Drew Smyly (6-0) in the eighth. Avila answered in the bottom half with a homer to right-center. Joaquin Benoit pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 20 chances for the AL Central-leading Tigers. Jeremy Guthrie (14-11) pitched all eight innings for the Royals, who remained 3½ games back in the AL wild-card race. Avila's first homer was a two-run shot in the second. Alex Gordon hit a solo homer for Kansas City in the fourth. Athletics 5, Rangers 1: Josh Donaldson, Chris Young and Josh Reddick all homered and AL West-leading Oakland completed a three-game sweep of chasing and slumping Texas. Angels 2, Astros 1: Jerome Williams won a third straight start for the first time since April 2004, and Los Angeles sent Houston to its 98th loss of the season. Orioles 3, Blue Jays 1: Miguel Gonzalez pitched 5 1-3 innings before leaving with a strained right groin, Danny Valencia hit a two-run double and Baltimore beat Toronto. Red Sox 9, Yankees 2: Clay Buchholz pitched six innings of two-hit ball to improve to 11-0 and Daniel Nava had four hits to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 9-2 victory over New York Sunday night and eliminate the Yankees from the AL East race. The Yankees had won the last two division titles and 13 of the last 17. — Agencies
