Twin-killer Willie Wilson drove in three runs and Terry Steinbach homered, doubled and singled in his first game off the disabled list as Oakland roughed up Kevin Tapani in an 8-4 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.
Mike Bordick went 4 for 5 and the Athletics had 18 hits in rebounding from Friday's 6-5 loss, in which they blew a 5-0 lead. The AL West leaders are 41/2 games ahead of defending World Series champion Twins, who are 4-9 since a 3-1 start.Joe Slusarski (2-0), who allowed four hits in five innings, gave up consecutive home runs to Gene Larkin and Scott Leius in the fifth.
After Bruce Walton, Gene Nelson and Rick Honeycutt struggled in relief, A's manager Tony La Russa decided not to risk another blown lead. So he turned to Dennis Eckersley, who pitched 1 2-3 innings for his sixth save in as many chances. Eckersley gave up a run in the ninth.
Tapani (1-2) allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3 2-3 innings in his worst outing since June 27, 1990, when he gave up seven runs in 3 2-3 innings against Texas. At 16-9 with a 2.99 ERA, Tapani was Minnesota's most consistent starter last season.
Wilson, a part-timer turned regular by center fielder Dave Henderson's hamstring injury, singled in two runs, stole a base and scored in Oakland's four-run second inning. He also had a third-inning sacrifice fly and singles in the seventh and ninth innings, lifting his career average against the Twins to .320 - including .352 at the Metrodome.
Steinbach, who went on the DL with a wrist injury after the season's third game, had hits to set up Wilson's three RBIs and added a homer off reliever Bob Kipper in the seventh and a sacrifice fly off Rick Aguilera in the ninth. He had been 0 for 5 before his injury.
Oakland scored in the first on a double-play grounder and also got second-inning RBIs from Bordick and Carney Lansford.
Blue Jays 6, Royals 4
At Toronto, Roberto Alomar reached base for the ninth straight time with a two-run single in the sixth inning as Toronto rallied to beat Kansas City, dropping the Royals to 1-16.
Kansas City, which lost its ninth straight, led 4-3 when Curt Young (0-1) walked Pat Borders leading off the sixth. Jeff Kent doubled and Manuel Lee and Devon White flied out to shallow right before Alomar singled for a 5-4 lead.
Alomar stole second and scored on Joe Carter's single off Mike Boddicker. Alomar grounded out his final time up, ending his on-base streak after seven singles and two walks. He leads the American League with a .397 average.
Pat Hentgen (2-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning for the win in relief of Jimmy Key.
Orioles 9, Yankees 2
At New York, Brady Anderson homered and drove in a career-high five runs as Baltimore beat New York for its eighth victory in nine games.
Ben McDonald (2-0) bounced back from a bad start with a good one, shutting out the Yankees until running into trouble in the seventh inning. The victory made the Orioles 11-6 and ensured their first winning April since 1985.
Anderson's three-run homer in the fifth off Jeff Johnson (1-2) broke open a scoreless game.