Gonzalez-Less Rangers Get Ninth Win in a Row

Everything seems to be falling neatly in place for the Texas Rangers, who played without Juan Gonzalez and still beat Mike Mussina and the Baltimore Orioles, 8-6, Tuesday night at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Emergency starter Luis Alicea hit a home run and drove in three runs as the Rangers’ extended their winning streak to nine games.

Todd Zeile had four hits for the Rangers, who improved to 11-1 since the All-Star break.

Brady Anderson homered twice, driving in four runs, and Albert Belle hit his fourth homer in two games for the Orioles, whose six-game winning streak ended.

Mussina (13-5), who had won his previous four starts, gave up 11 hits and seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. It was his second-shortest stint of the season and only his second loss since June 2.

Cal Ripken, vying for his 400th career home run, went 0 for 3 with a walk.

Alicea was inserted into the starting lineup at second base shortly before game time after right fielder Gonzalez was scratched because of a strained right wrist he suffered Friday. Mark McLemore moved to right and Alicea got a rare start.

Alicea responded with his first homer in 104 at-bats this season, a two-run drive in the second inning that put the Rangers ahead for good. He added a sacrifice fly in the third.

Boston 11, Toronto 9--John Valentin hit a go-ahead double in the fifth inning and the Red Sox rallied from a four-run deficit at Toronto.

Boston trailed, 7-3, before scoring six runs in the fifth. The Red Sox, who trail the Blue Jays by a half-game in the American League wild-card race, had 18 hits. Shawn Green extended his hitting streak to a 25 games. Mark Guthrie (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and Tim Wakefield got four outs for his 13th save.

New York 5, Chicago 3--Orlando Hernandez overcame two homers by Magglio Ordonez at Chicago to lead the Yankees to their seventh consecutive victory.

Ordonez hit solo shots to raise his season total to 23 as the White Sox lost for the 11th time in 15 games.

Hernandez (12-6) won his fifth consecutive decision, giving up two runs, six hits and no walks in six innings. He is 3-0 in five starts this month. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 31 chances.

Kansas City 9, Seattle 7--Kevin Appier, in what may have been his final start, pitched seven strong innings as the Royals overcame Ken Griffey Jr.’s 33rd homer to win at Kansas City, Mo.

Appier (9-9), on the trading block all season, gave up two runs and eight hits. He stopped his three-game losing streak, giving up single runs in the fifth and seventh innings.

Jeff Fassero (4-12), also mentioned in trade talks, lost his fourth consecutive decision, giving up five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Cleveland 14, Detroit 5--Jim Thome and Richie Sexson hit long home runs during the Indians’ eight-run second inning at Cleveland.

Omar Vizquel added four RBIs and Sexson homered twice for Cleveland, which won for just the fourth time in 13 games since the All-Star break.

Dave Borkowski (0-1) was battered for eight runs and seven hits in the second inning, including the two shots by Thome and Sexson that measured a combined 914 feet.