Twins 10, Rangers 7

Twins 10, Rangers 7
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Cristian Guzman hit a three-run triple and Juan Rincon pitched three outstanding inning off relief as the Minnesota Twins hung on to beat the Texas Rangers 10-7 Friday night.
Rincon (4-6) threw three perfect innings after starter Johan Santana faltered for the first time in a month, nearly squandering an early 8-2 lead. But Guzman drove in a career-high four runs as the Twins stayed tied with the White Sox atop the AL Central.
The Twins play a four-game series at Chicago starting Monday.
Michael Young hit his first career grand slam, and Alex Rodriguez hit his major league-leading 41st homer for Texas.
The Rangers' bullpen kept it close until the sixth, when the Twins scored two off Joaquin Benoit. Luis Rivas led off with a triple and came home on Doug Mientkiewicz's second sacrifice fly of the game. Matthew LeCroy made it 10-7 with his 16th homer.
LaTroy Hawkins replaced Rincon in the eighth, and Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 35 chances.
Minnesota, which won its third straight, hit Mickey Callaway (1-6) hard after managing just two runs and five hits in six innings against him last Saturday in a 2-0 victory in Texas.
Shannon Stewart led off the first with a double, moved up on a sacrifice by Luis Rivas and scored easily on a long sacrifice fly by Mientkiewicz.
Minnesota added three in the second on an RBI single by A.J. Pierzynski, a fielding error by second baseman Michael Young and a sacrifice fly by Stewart that made it 4-0. They took an 8-2 lead in the third when Guzman -- batting with the bases loaded and two outs -- tripled to the corner in right field and scored when the throw squirted past rookie catcher Gerald Laird, who was charged with an error.
Callaway gave up eight runs -- six earned -- six hits and three walks in 2 2-3 innings. His ERA rose to 7.66.
Santana struggled through the fourth. One-out walks to Ryan Christianson and Laird, the eighth- and ninth-place hitters, loaded the bases before Young's slam.
One out later, Rodriguez crushed an 0-1 pitch an estimated 437 feet to center field, pulling the Rangers to 8-7.
Rodriguez was the AL's player of the month in August, and Santana was the pitcher of the month.
Santana, who went 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA last month, gave up seven runs and eight hits in four innings.
Notes: Jones, who has been the Twins' starter in LF since 2000, got his first start of the season in RF. Stewart doesn't feel comfortable there, so he'll be in left. ... The Rangers (21-18) are guaranteed a winning record this year against the Central. ... Guzman, who also had a three-run triple in Tuesday's win over Anaheim, tied Boston's Nomar Garciaparra for the major-league lead with 13. Rivas has nine. Guzman, in his fifth season, moved into a tie for third place on the Twins' all-time list with 56 triples. ... Minnesota LHP Eric Milton, on a minor league rehab assignment, is scheduled to pitch Sunday for Double-A New Britain in the Eastern League semifinals.