The Chicago White Sox did not lead for the first time this season, thanks to two very unlikely sluggers.
Sal Fasano and David Newhan hit their first home runs of the season, and both drove in two runs in the Baltimore Orioles' 6-2 victory over the White Sox on Sunday in Chicago.
The White Sox set a major league record by having a lead in 37 straight games to begin a season. That also tied the 1934 Yankees and 1942 Cardinals for the third-longest overall streak with a lead.
"The only streak I care about is the winning streak and the losing streak," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It was nice to be in the book and it was a nice run. Hopefully, we'll start another one."
The Orioles used seven strong innings from Erik Bedard and two RBIs apiece from Fasano and Newhan to build a 4-0 lead on their way to a split of the four-game series between division leaders.
Fasano, a suburban Chicago native, led off the third with a homer in his first major league at-bat since September 2002, when he was with the Anaheim Angels. It was his first home run since Sept. 6, 2001, when he was with the Colorado Rockies.
"My immediate family came," Fasano said. "Hitting a home run is always a bonus. A win and a home run, so it's a good day."
Newhan came into the game hitting .156 (5-for-32) with one RBI. He homered leading off the sixth and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
BLUE JAYS 5, INDIANS 2: At Cleveland, Roy Halladay pitched 7 2-3 superb innings and Vernon Wells hit a three-run homer as the Blue Jays avoided a series sweep. Halladay (6-2) allowed five singles and used his fastball along with a nasty breaking ball to get 14 outs on grounders. He walked three and struck out six in improving to 4-0 in eight career starts against Cleveland.
ANGELS 9, TIGERS 3: At Detroit, Bengie Molina's three-run double capped a six-run third inning and John Lackey won for the third time in four starts. The Angels hadn't scored more than five runs since beating Oakland 9-5 on April 23, a span of 18 games. Lackey (4-2) took advantage of the offense and allowed only three runs and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings. He walked a season-high five batters.
TWINS 5, RANGERS 2: At Minneapolis, Shannon Stewart snapped a tie game with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, lifting Brad Radke and Minnesota. Stewart drove in four runs for the Twins, who avoided their first three-game sweep of the season. Radke (4-3) won his third straight decision. The Rangers' five-game road winning streak came to an end.
ROYALS 4, DEVIL RAYS 3: At Kansas City, Mo., Alberto Castillo hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple and came on Mark Hendrickson's balk, lifting Kansas City to its first home series win of the season. Angel Berroa had an inside-the-park home run in the third inning for the Royals, who won three of four from a Tampa Bay team which dropped to 2-13 on the road.
MARINERS 5, RED SOX 4: At Seattle, struggling Miguel Olivo had three hits, including his first homer of the season, and Seattle overcame Manny Ramirez's 400th home run. Olivo had been hitless in 27 at-bats, but his RBI infield single sparked a four-run second inning.
YANKEES 6, ATHLETICS 4: At Oakland, Calif., Tino Martinez hit two more homers to give him eight in eight games, and slumping Jason Giambi doubled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning of New York's eighth straight victory. Randy Johnson earned his 250th victory even though he failed to strike out a batter for the first time in nearly five years. The Yankees (19-19) roared back to .500 by overcoming an early three-run deficit and rallying in the seventh.