White Sox Can’t Stop the Yankees

Mike Mussina gave up five singles in seven innings and the New York Yankees sent the slumping Chicago White Sox to their season-worst sixth consecutive loss with a 3-1 victory Friday night at Chicago.

Mussina (12-7) got stronger after escaping the first inning, when the White Sox had three singles and scored their only run. He walked one, struck out seven and allowed only four baserunners after the opening inning.

Tom Gordon pitched the eighth and Mariano Rivera worked a perfect ninth for his 33rd save in 37 tries. The Yankee closer had blown two of his last three chances since converting a career-best 31 in a row.

Trailing in the AL East and the wild-card race, the Yankees pushed across two runs in the fifth off Jon Garland (16-7), who failed to become the American League’s first 17-game winner. Garland lost for the third time in four starts.

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Minnesota 7, Seattle 4 -- Lew Ford hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning, Carlos Silva won for the first time since July 4 and the surging Twins rallied at Minneapolis for their sixth consecutive victory.

Cleveland 5, Baltimore 4 -- Ben Broussard led off the 10th inning with a homer at Cleveland and the Indians kept pace in the wild-card chase. Cleveland trailed, 4-1, in the eighth but tied it on Casey Blake’s three-run homer.

Tampa Bay 2, Texas 1 -- Seth McClung gave up one run and three hits in seven innings at St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Devil Rays improved to 21-12 since the All-Star break.

Detroit 9, Toronto 5 -- Carlos Pena hit two long homers and drove in three runs in his first game back from the minors to lead the Tigers at Detroit.