AL CENTRAL Twins rout Royals to cut Kansas City's lead to two games

Minnesota is challenging the Royals.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Torii Hunter drove in three runs for the second straight game and the Minnesota Twins routed the Kansas City Royals again, 14-5 Saturday.
Kyle Lohse (10-9) went seven innings for the win, which brought Minnesota within two games of first-place Kansas City in the AL Central.
Luis Rivas scored three runs for the Twins. Doug Mientkiewicz, Corey Koskie, Jacque Jones and A.J. Pierzynski each had two RBIs.
Carlos Beltran, who had missed five starts with a sore elbow, homered twice and drove in the Royals' first three runs. Beltran also had a single and is hitting .356 with three doubles, three triples, nine homers and 28 RBIs in his last 28 games.
DeFelice ejection
Pierzynski had a two-run single on a wild play in the first inning that led to the ejection of Royals catcher Mike DiFelice. Taking the throw from shortstop Angel Berroa after Pierzynski's pop fly dropped into shallow left, DiFelice appeared to make the tag as Hunter crashed into him.
But Hunter was ruled safe by plate umpire Jerry Layne and DiFelice went into a rage and was tossed. He then stomped into the dugout and began throwing coolers and a trash can onto the field.
MINNESOTAKANSAS CITY
abrhbiabrhbi
ShStwrt lf3211Guiel rf4110
Ryan lf0001Berroa ss4010
Rivas 2b5320Beltran cf4233
Mntkw 1b5132MiSwy dh4010
Koskie 3b2212Ibanez 1b3110
Hcking 3b1000Harvey 1b1000
JJones dh6112Rlaford 2b2000
THnter cf5123Matos 2b2000
Rstvich rf0000MLopez 3b4112
Przyns c4222DBrwn lf4000
Mohr rf4220DFelice c0000
CGzmn ss5011Mayne c3000
Totals40141514Totals35585
Minnesota421210310--14
Kansas City200001200--5
LOB--Minnesota 9, Kansas City 3. 2B--Pierzynski (25), Mohr (21), Guiel (19), Berroa (26). 3B--CGuzman (11). HR--Beltran 2 (20), MLopez (2). SB--Pierzynski (2). SF--Ryan, Koskie.
IPHRERBBSO
Minnesota
Lohse W,10-9765504
Rincon220000
Kansas City
RuHernandez L,7-53 1-399931
Carrasco353311
Lloyd2-311110
Grimsley101110
Levine100000
HBP--by Grimsley (Pierzynski), by Lloyd (Koskie). PB--Mayne. Umpires--Home, Jerry Layne; First, Marvin Hudson; Second, Greg Gibson; Third, James Hoye. T--2:54. A--28,994.
Red Sox 5, Mariners 1
SEATTLE -- Pedro Martinez extended his dominance of the Seattle Mariners, pitching three-hit ball for seven innings to lead the Boston Red Sox.
Martinez (9-3) improved to 11-0 lifetime against Seattle, his most wins against any team. He allowed one run, one walk and struck out seven.
Kevin Millar hit a solo homer and drove in two runs. Bill Mueller added three singles for the Red Sox, who maintained a one-game lead over Oakland in the AL wild card race.
Seattle's lead over the Athletics in the AL West was reduced to four games because Oakland beat Toronto.
Scott Williamson worked a scoreless eighth. Byung-Hyun Kim struck out two in the ninth, finishing the five-hitter.
It seemed like Martinez's day even before the first pitch. He brought a 0.94 ERA against the Mariners into the game, and he's trailed against Seattle only once -- for one inning on May 12, 2002.
In that game, the Red Sox responded with four runs to erase a 1-0 deficit and went on to win 10-4. It was a similar script this time.
Seattle led 1-0 in the first after Ichiro Suzuki drew a leadoff walk and scored on Randy Winn's sacrifice fly, but Millar tied it in the second with a home run near the foul pole in left.
BOSTONSEATTLE
abrhbiabrhbi
Nixon rf5000ISuzuki rf2110
Mueller 3b5130RSnchz ss4010
DOrtiz dh3112Winn cf3001
MRmrz lf4010EMrtnz dh3000
Millar 1b3222Olerud 1b4000
Varitek c3000McLmr 2b4000
Kapler cf3010Mabry lf3000
TWalkr 2b4001DWilsn c2010
DJcksn ss4120BDavis ph1000
Blmqist 3b3020
Totals345105Totals29151
Boston013001000--5
Seattle100000000--1
DP--Boston 2, Seattle 1. LOB--Boston 6, Seattle 7. 2B--DOrtiz (33). 3B--DWilson (2). HR--Millar (21). SB--ISuzuki 2 (30), Winn (18). S--Varitek. SF--Millar, Winn.
IPHRERBBSO
Boston
PMartinez W,9-3731137
Williamson120001
BKim100012
Seattle
Pineiro L,13-85 2-395515
Sweeney3 1-310011
HBP--by PMartinez (ISuzuki). Umpires--Home, Steve Rippley; First, Jerry Meals; Second, Larry Vanover; Third, Gary Darling. T--3:00. A--46,100.
Athletics 6, Blue Jays 4
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tim Hudson won his fifth straight decision and Jose Guillen homered twice, lifting the Oakland Athletics to victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mark Ellis hit a three-run homer for the A's, who snapped a three-game skid. Hudson left with a bruised right hand after getting hit by a line drive in the seventh inning and was taken for X-rays.
Mike Bordick drove in three runs for the Blue Jays.
Hudson (12-4) allowed one run on two hits with six strikeouts and three walks in 6 1-3 innings. He was struck on the top of his right wrist by Dave Berg's line drive leading off the seventh.
The ball trickled away off to the right side of the mound after hitting Hudson, who dropped his glove to field the ball with his left hand. The right-hander also threw the ball left-handed to first baseman Scott Hatteberg for the out.
Hudson immediately bent over and let his wrist dangle as A's trainers and manager Ken Macha rushed to his side.
Chad Bradford replaced Hudson and gave up a double to Orlando Hudson before getting out of the inning.
Jim Mecir started the ninth and put two runners on before giving way to Keith Foulke. He gave up a two-run single to Bordick before finishing for his 30th save in 35 chances.
TORONTOOAKLAND
abrhbiabrhbi
Jhnson rf4000Long lf4000
Ctlnotto lf4110JGillen rf3222
Wells cf4010EChavz 3b3000
CDlgdo dh3000Tejada ss4000
Hinske 3b4000Durazo dh3110
Berg 1b3200RaHrdz c4110
OHudsn 2b3130Httberg 1b4121
Bordick ss4023MEllis 2b4113
Cash c3000Snglton cf3010
GMyrs ph1000
Totals33473Totals32686
Toronto010000012--4
Oakland14000010x--6
E--Hinske (14), Bowles (1), Tejada (15), Singleton (5). DP--Toronto 2, Oakland 1. LOB--Toronto 7, Oakland 5. 2B--OHudson 2 (16), Hatteberg (27). HR--JGuillen 2 (4), MEllis (6). SB--MEllis (4), Singleton (4).
IPHRERBBSO
Toronto
Hndrck L,7-9675522
Bowles211110
Oakland
THudson W,12-46 1-321136
Bradford131002
Rincon2-300001
Mecir012210
Foulke S,30110001
Mecir pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. HBP--by THudson (Johnson). Umpires--Home, Bill Welke; First, Matt Hollowell; Second, Wally Bell; Third, John Hirschbeck. T--2:43. A--31,045.