The Associated Press

DETROIT - Ivan Rodriguez delivered three more hits and the Detroit Tigers won their sixth game in a row, defeating the Cleveland Indians 12-5 Wednesday night.

Detroit overcame a three-run deficit and improved to 37-39. Last year, when the Tigers set an AL record with 119 losses, they didn't get their 37th win until Sept. 4.

Dmitri Young and Carlos Pena homered for Detroit, which won its previous three on game-ending home runs.

Rodriguez went 3-for-4, raising his major league-leading average to .381. He batted .500 (43-for-86) in June and became the first major-leaguer to hit .500 for a month since Colorado's Todd Helton in May 2000.

Cleveland manager Eric Wedge and center fielder Coco Crisp were ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a call at first base. Crisp appeared to make contact with first-base umpire Ed Rapuano after being called out on a grounder to short.

Athletics 4, Angels 2

OAKLAND, Calif. - Marco Scutaro, who was batting just .161 over his last 15 games, hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Oakland to its fifth win in its last seven games.

Yankees 4, Red Sox 2

NEW YORK - David Ortiz made a key error that allowed New York to tie the game in the seventh inning, and Gary Sheffield's RBI double in the eighth sent the Yankees to the victory and a season-high 7 1/2-game lead over Boston in the AL East.

Tim Wakefield shut down the Yankees on three hits for 6 1/3 innings. After a walk and a hit batsman, he left with a 2-0 lead, but the worst defense in the majors let him down. The Red Sox have allowed 60 unearned runs, the most in the majors.

Orioles 13, Royals 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Newly promoted Chad Mottola hit his first major-league home run since 1996, and Miguel Tejada and David Newhan also connected for Baltimore. Javy Lopez went 4-for-4 and every Orioles starter scored as they matched a season high for runs.

White Sox 9, Twins 6

MINNEAPOLIS - Paul Konerko, Jose Valentin, Joe Crede and Aaron Rowand homered to back Freddy Garcia in his White Sox debut, and Chicago moved one game ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central.

Devil Rays 6, Blue Jays 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rey Sanchez hit his first conventional home run in more than two years, and Dewon Brazelton threw five shutout innings to lead Tampa Bay. Sanchez's homer was his first into the stands since April 30, 2002; he hit an inside-the-park homer earlier this year.