AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Hot Twins Cool Off Yankees With Sweep

The New York Yankees went into the Metrodome as baseball’s hottest team, with a 10-game winning streak and a 26-10 record.

They left it with two losses, being swept in a series for the first time all season. And now the Minnesota Twins are the toughest team to beat.

“I guess they’re the hot team now,” Don Mattingly said Wednesday after his Yankees were routed, 13-5, by the Twins.

Pat Mahomes (4-1) held New York to two hits and one run in seven innings. Dave Winfield homered, singled twice and drove in four runs to lead the Twins to their ninth victory in 10 games.

Kirby Puckett also tripled, doubled, singled and scored three times as the Twins (20-19) won their fifth consecutive game and own a winning record for the first time since April 23, 1993.

Toronto 9, Detroit 3--Joe Carter drove in three runs and Dave Stewart allowed three hits in 5 2/3 innings at Toronto, as the Blue Jays gained only their second victory in eight games.

Carter, who is on a pace to drive in 204 runs this season, raised his runs-batted-in total to 49 this season.

“I can’t ever remember being locked in for this long,” Carter said. “Right now I’m seeing the ball so well I feel that if there’s a runner on third with less than two outs, I’m going to bring him in.”

Stewart (3-3), who missed his previous turn in the rotation because of a groin pull, held the Tigers hitless until Mickey Tettleton singled leading off the fifth. Stewart, who struck out nine and walked four, gave up a run-scoring single to Cecil Fielder in the sixth, before re-injuring his groin.

Bill Gullickson (2-3) allowed five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings as Detroit lost for the fifth time in six games.

Texas 6, Oakland 2--Will Clark hit a three-run homer, and Kenny Rogers pitched his first complete game of the season as the Rangers completed a three-game sweep at Oakland.

Rogers (4-3) gave up two runs and 11 hits, struck out four and walked none as Texas got its first series sweep this season and only its second three-game sweep in the last two years. For the third consecutive game, the Rangers got to Oakland’s starter early but this time held the lead.

After Dean Palmer’s third home run gave Texas its first run in the second, the Rangers scored five more in the third. Former Ranger Bobby Witt (3-4) faced 10 batters and gave up eight hits.

Boston 5, Baltimore 2--Aaron Sele pitched a seven-hitter and Otis Nixon had four singles as the Red Sox chased Ben McDonald early at Baltimore.

Nixon stole two bases and drove in a run for the Red Sox, who sent nine men to the plate in a four-run second inning. Boston has won five of six.

Sele (5-1) has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 25 of 26 starts in his career. McDonald (7-2), bidding to become the first eight-game winner in the majors, gave up four runs, eight hits and three walks in three-plus innings. He has lost two consecutive games after opening the season with victories in his first seven starts.

Cleveland 5, Milwaukee 3--Mark Clark pitched his second consecutive complete game as the Indians won their fifth game in a row, at Cleveland.

Clark (4-1), who shut out Detroit in his last start, gave up seven hits, struck out two and walked two. Kenny Lofton extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games with a first-inning bunt and scored twice for the Indians.

Kansas City 7, Seattle 6--Dave Henderson drove in David Howard, who was pinch-running for Bob Hamelin, with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to give the Royals a victory at Seattle.

The Royals, who swept the three-game series, had to overcome two home runs by Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr., who lifted his major league-leading total to 17.