BALTIMORE ORIOLES (53-86) AT NEW YORK YANKEES (86-53), 1:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Baltimore - Brad Bergesen (6-10, 5.47) New York - Ivan Nova (1-0, 2.89)

(Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles have been the worst team in the American League all season. Today, though, the Orioles will have a chance to do something against the best team in baseball that they haven't done in more than 24 years, as they try and complete a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The Orioles, who have won in just four of their previous 21 visits to the Bronx, last swept the Yankees in a three-game series there back in June of 1986. Baltimore has taken the first two games of this set, including a rare win over CC Sabathia on Tuesday. Nolan Reimold hit a two-run home run and Adam Jones had a key two-run single to back the solid pitching of Jake Arrieta in the Orioles' 6-2 triumph.

Nick Markakis and Ty Wigginton each had a pair of hits, scored once and drove in a run for the Birds, who have won four straight over Tampa Bay and New York, the top two teams in the AL East.

Baltimore is 21-13 since Buck Showalter took over the club in August and hasn't won five in a row since June 17-21, 2009, all against interleague opponents.

Arrieta (5-6) earned the win after holding the hosts to two runs on eight hits while walking only one and striking out three for Baltimore.

"The opportunities don't come around that often. Everybody is watching and as an athlete you want to be on center stage and perform well while you're there," Arrieta said when asked about the team's recent success against potentially playoff bound teams."

Sabathia (19-6), meanwhile, was charged with six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to suffer his first loss at home since July 2, 2009 for the Yankees, who saw their lead trimmed to 1 1/2 games in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which defeated Boston at Fenway Park.

"They were just aggressive, swinging early and it took my aggressiveness away," said Sabathia, who also lost for the first time in nine starts to the O's. "We tried to mix it up early in the count but I wasn't able to get my secondary pitches over for strikes. They got some balls to hit and didn't miss them."

Hoping to get the Yankees off the schneid this afternoon will be right-handed rookie Ivan Nova, who is 1-0 in his four starts with a 2.89 earned run average. Nova made his Yankee Stadium debut on Friday against Toronto, but did not get a decision as he allowed three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings of his team's 7-3 win.

Nova, who will be facing the O's for the first time, has yet to get out of the sixth inning in any of his starts, but New York's bullpen has been terrific of late. Since July 26 Yankee relievers have pitched to a 1.54 ERA and have allowed only one run in the club's last seven games, a span of 20 1/3 innings.

Baltimore will counter with right-hander Brad Bergesen, who has allowed three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts and has worked at least seven innings in five of those outings. However, he was charged with the loss on Thursday against Boston, which reached him for five runs (two earned) and eight hits in 5 1/3 frames, dropping him to 6-10 to go along with a 5.47 ERA.

Bergesen lost to the Yankees back on June 2 when he could not get out of the third inning and is 0-2 in two starts against them with a 10.38 ERA.

New York has won 10 of its 14 matchups with the O's this season.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (77-61) AT DETROIT TIGERS (69-70), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - John Danks (13-9, 3.56) Detroit - Jeremy Bonderman (7-9, 5.25)

(Sports Network) - Injuries are starting to pile up for the Chicago White Sox.

Today, the short-handed White Sox will continue their push towards the postseason, as they play the third installment of a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

With Paul Konerko (back) and Gordon Beckham (hand) already sidelined, the White Sox lost two more players on Tuesday, as starter Freddy Garcia was forced to leave the contest after just two innings with a stiff back, then Manny Ramirez was removed in the eighth inning after getting hit in the hand with a pitch.

Ramirez's injury is not considered serious and he is questionable for tonight's contest, while the White Sox also expect to have Konerko back. Beckham was a late scratch on Tuesday, though, and will likely miss the rest of this series.

It didn't matter who was in the White Sox lineup on Tuesday, however, as Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings to lead Detroit to a 9-1 win. Verlander (15-8) allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts for the Tigers, who bounced back from a 10-inning loss in Monday's opener and won for the fourth time in their last six games overall.

Brandon Inge belted a three-run homer and Johnny Damon added a two-run blast in the victory. Jhonny Peralta recorded two RBI for Detroit.

"When he is spotting his breaking ball, he is very good," said Chicago's Mark Teahen. "Even though he didn't use his best fastball today, when he is getting his breaking stuff over the plate, it's very tough to hit against him."

Garcia (11-6) was dealt the loss with a line that showed two runs allowed on three hits. Lucas Harrell provided four innings of long relief and was charged with four runs -- none of which were earned -- on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

"I have no idea what I've got," said Garcia, who has left his last two starts with back stiffness. "I was warming in the bullpen fine, and the game [was] different. When you throw in the bullpen, you go 70 percent. But when you go in the game, you want to go harder. Obviously, I wasn't able to do it."

Juan Pierre posted two hits and scored the only run for the White Sox, who had a seven-game winning streak stopped and fell 4 1/2 games behind AL Central- leading Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals on Tuesday.

"Well, I will take 7-1 again and see what happens," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "That's part of the game. We all know that Minnesota is playing well now. They've got a good ballclub, but like I said, I will take 7-1 and take a chance with that."

Chicago wasn't the only team with an injury concern, as Detroit's Miguel Cabrera lasted six innings but felt soreness in his shoulder. He is listed as day-to-day.

Getting the call for the White Sox tonight will be lefty John Danks, who is 13-9 with a 3.56 ERA and will be pitching on three days' rest. Danks won for the sixth time in his last eight decisions on Saturday in Boston, as he allowed a run and six hits in seven innings.

Danks tossed seven scoreless innings to beat the Tigers back in June and is 3-3 with a 3.58 ERA in nine starts.

Detroit, meanwhile, will counter with righty Jeremy Bonderman, who is 7-9 with a 5.25 ERA. Bonderman did not get a decision on Friday in Kansas City, as he surrendered four runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings of his team's 9-5 win.

Bonderman lost to the White Sox back on August 13 and is 6-11 in 18 starts against them with a 4.81 ERA.

Chicago is 5-2 in Detroit this season.

CLEVELAND INDIANS (57-82) AT LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (66-73), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Cleveland - Josh Tomlin (3-3, 4.14) LA Angels - Scott Kazmir (8-13, 6.19)

(Sports Network) - The Angels haven't been swept by Cleveland at home in more than a decade. They'll try to avoid that distinction tonight in the finale of a three-game series from the Big A.

Anaheim was previously swept in this series from August 9-11, 1999 and suffered a 6-1 drubbing in Tuesday's second portion of this set. Trevor Bell earned the start for the Halos and suffered the loss for allowing the first two runs on four hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. Francisco Rodriguez was reached for four runs in the sixth inning.

"Trevor never got into a rhythm," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "We had one bad inning, and they were patient and got the home run. We have to clean some stuff up."

Reggie Willits had three hits and Torii Hunter cracked his 21st home run of the season for the Angels, losers in five straight at home and 15 of the past 21 games overall. LA, which is still 9 1/2 games behind Texas for the American League West lead, hasn't dropped six in a row as the host since 2002.

Since winning four consecutive starts in June, Angels starter Scott Kazmir has dropped three straight and eight of his previous nine trips to the hill with a 7.74 earned run average over that period. Kazmir will take the mound tonight and is coming off Friday's 8-0 loss at Oakland in which he tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball and walked a season-high six batters.

The lefty is 8-13 with a 6.19 ERA in 23 starts this season and hasn't fared too well at home, going 2-7 in nine starts at the Big A. Kazmir is 1-2 with a 7.07 ERA in six career starts against the Tribe.

Cleveland has won two in a row and four of its last six games, and hasn't recorded a sweep since taking all four meetings with Detroit from July 16-18. In Tuesday's five-run victory over the Angels, Lou Marson hit a grand slam to highlight a five-run sixth inning and Travis Hafner led off the frame with a solo shot for the Indians.

Justin Masterson got the start for Cleveland and posted the win by holding Los Angeles to a run on six hits and two walks with five K's in seven frames.

"I had good control with my mechanics," Masterson said. "I kept the ball down in the zone, and I had some good defense. Things are coming together."

Rookie Josh Tomlin gets the starting nod for the Tribe tonight and he's aiming for his third straight victory. He defeated Seattle last Thursday at Safeco Field and hurled six innings of three-run ball while striking out five batters. The right-hander improved to 3-3 in seven starts with a 4.14 earned run average.

Tomlin is 1-2 in four away appearances this season and has never faced the Angels.

Anaheim took two of three at home over the Indians back in April and has won six of the last 10 overall meetings.

TAMPA BAY RAYS (84-54) AT BOSTON RED SOX (77-62), 7:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Tampa Bay - Matt Garza (14-7, 3.46) Boston - Tim Wakefield (3-10, 5.19)

(Sports Network) - Tim Wakefield gets the call on short notice this evening when the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays play the rubber match of their three-game series at Fenway Park.

After getting blown out in the opener of this set on Monday, the Rays returned the favor on Tuesday, as Ben Zobrist, Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria each homered and finished with three RBI, helping Tampa Bay to a 14-5 rout.

The Red Sox scored twice in the first inning only to see the Rays counter with 14 unanswered runs.

"The way it started out it didn't look really wonderful, but we righted ourselves," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Zo's home run really re-shifted momentum."

Carl Crawford went 4-for-4 with three doubles and drove in two runs for the Rays, who moved within 1 1/2 games of the American League East-leading Yankees. New York lost at home to Baltimore, 6-2, on Tuesday.

Dan Johnson and B.J. Upton also went deep for Tampa Bay, which also picked up its franchise-record 41st road win one night after getting blasted by the Red Sox, 12-5.

David Price (17-6) expanded his club record for victories in a single season as he allowed just two hits and a pair of runs over six innings.

Victor Martinez had a two-run double in the first inning for the Red Sox, who lost for the fourth time in five tries and fell 7 1/2 games behind the wild card-leading Rays.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-5) was touched for eight hits and eight runs over 4 2/3 innings and fell to 2-6 lifetime against Tampa Bay.

"Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of his starting pitcher.

Clay Buchholz was scheduled to start tonight's tilt on three days' rest had the Red Sox earned a shot at a sweep, but with last night's loss, Francona decided to scratch him, instead opting for the veteran knuckleballer Wakefield.

Wakefield will be making his first start since Aug. 25, when he allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 4-2 loss to Seattle. He is just 3-10 on the year with a 5.19 ERA and hasn't pitched in a Red Sox win since July 2.

The 44-year-old right-hander is 20-6 lifetime against the Rays with a 3.60 ERA in 43 games, 33 of which have been starts. However he lost to them the last time he faced them, allowing six runs in 5 2/3 innings back on July 7.

Tampa, meanwhile, will counter with righty Matt Garza, who is 3-0 in his last four starts and has a 1.32 ERA in six outings since the start of August. Tonight's outing will also be his seventh (six starts) against the Red Sox this season. He is 2-1 with a save and a 4.11 ERA against on the year.

Garza exchanged words with Maddon on Friday when he was taken out against Baltimore with two outs in the sixth. Garza earned the win that night, surrendering a run and five hits with three walks.

"I love the fact that our pitchers don't want to come out of the game, and he's kind of trained himself to pitch farther," Maddon said. "However, it was very hot (Friday) and humid, and I want to try and keep people fresh for the rest of the year."

Tampa is 11-6 against the Red Sox this season.

TEXAS RANGERS (75-63) AT TORONTO BLUE JAYS (72-66), 7:07 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Derek Holland (2-3, 4.93) Toronto - Marc Rzepczynski (1-3, 6.62)

(Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers are doing their best to give away the lead in the American League West. Luckily for them, though, nobody else seems to want it. Tonight, the Rangers try to snap a five-game losing streak when they continue a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Texas' struggles continued on Tuesday, as Vernon Wells went 3-for-3 with a pair of solo homers and Adam Lind clubbed a two-run shot, helping Toronto to an 8-5 win. John Buck added a solo homer, while Jose Bautista chipped in a two-run double for Toronto, which has won three straight after dropping five of its previous six.

"I think we still have a lot to prove," said Wells, who has hit eight of his 27 home runs this season against the Rangers. "We need to get better as a team and as an organization."

Shaun Marcum (12-7) threw seven solid innings, yielding three runs on six hits with a pair of walks and striking out eight in taking the win. Kevin Gregg retired the final two batters in the ninth to record his 31st save.

Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer and Andres Blanco went 2-for-4 with three RBI for the Rangers, who have lost eight of their last 10, but still lead the division by seven games ahead of second-place Oakland. The Athletics lost at home to Seattle on Tuesday.

Scott Feldman (6-10), replacing left-hander Cliff Lee, who was scratched with a back ailment, allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk over 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander fanned four.

"They're playing really good right now and making us pay for our mistakes," Feldman said of the Blue Jays.

The Rangers have now lost seven straight to the Blue Jays and are a miserable 14-25 against the AL East this season, going just 5-12 against fourth-place Toronto and fifth-place Baltimore.

Hoping to reverse that trend tonight will be left-hander Derek Holland, who has lost his last three decisions. Holland was charged with the loss in Minnesota on Friday, as he surrendered four runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to fall to 2-3 on the year, while raising his ERA to 4.93.

Holland is 0-1 in two games (one start) against the Jays with a 16.88 ERA. In his only other start against Toronto last August Holland was roughed up for a career-high 10 runs in three innings.

Toronto, meanwhile, will counter with a left-hander of its own in Marc Rzepczynski, who will be throwing on three days' rest for the first time in his career. Rzepczynski did not get a decision on Saturday against the New York Yankees and did not pitch well, as he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in four innings of his team's 7-5 loss.

"I feel good, and I'm looking forward to getting back out there," said Rzepczynski, who is 1-3 on the year with a 6.62 ERA. "For me, it's changing the routine, backing off some stuff, backing off the lifting a little bit. And my bullpen, I just threw less than normal.

Rzepczynski lost his only other start to the Rangers last September.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (57-81) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (82-57), 8:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Kansas City - Zack Greinke (8-11, 3.87) Minnesota - Brian Duensing (7-2, 2.09)

(Sports Network) - The Minnesota Twins will close out another successful home stand this evening, when the American League Central leaders take aim at a series sweep of the Kansas City Royals at Target Field.

The Twins have gone 7-1 thus far on this nine-game residency and delivered their fifth consecutive win with last night's 10-3 triumph over the non- contending Royals. With second-place Chicago losing at Detroit on Tuesday, Minnesota now owns a 4 1/2-game advantage on the White Sox for the Central's top spot.

The victory was also the 18th in the Twins' last 21 contests at first-year Target Field, where the reigning division champions are an AL-best 47-23 over the course of this season.

"They are a good team -- they're not leading this division for nothing," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the Twins after last night's game. "They swing the bat, they catch the ball and they throw strikes."

Minnesota did indeed swing the bats on Tuesday, pounding out 13 hits and knocking out Kansas City starter Brian Bannister in the third inning. Delmon Young led the ouburst with a 3-for-4, four-RBI performance at the plate, while J.J. Hardy drove in three runs in the rout.

Jim Thome added a solo home run for the Twins, the 586th of the veteran slugger's career. He is now tied with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for eighth place on baseball's all-time list in that category.

Francisco Liriano (14-7) did his part as well for Minnesota, with the standout pitcher holding the Royals to two runs over the first seven innings to remain unbeaten over the second half of this season. The left-hander is now 7-0 in 10 starts since the All-Star break.

Bannister (7-12) wasn't nearly as effective as his counterpart, surrendering seven runs and eight hits before being removed after only 2 2/3 innings.

Josh Fields went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for Kansas City, losers of five of its last six games.

The Royals will send out their top pitcher in hopes of averting a sweep of this three-game set, although Zack Greinke hasn't fared well at all in previous matchups with Minnesota this season. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award recipient is 0-3 with a bloated 10.29 earned run average in three starts against tonight's opponent so far in 2010, with the Twins batting a robust .365 off of him.

In Greinke's most recent encounter with the Twins, he was battered for eight runs and eight hits in four innings of a 19-1 loss in Kansas City on July 26.

The right-hander has pitched better as of late, having compiled a 1-0 record with a 2.72 ERA over his last five starts. He was reached for four runs in 6 1/3 innings against Detroit this past Friday, however, registering a no- decision in an eventual 9-5 Royals' setback.

Greinke, who's lost in each of two prior visits to Target Field this season, is just 3-7 with a 4.94 ERA over 18 career appearances (14 starts) against Minnesota.

The Royals also haven't had much success in this season series as a team. Minnesota has prevailed in the last six meetings between the divisional foes and is 11-3 against Kansas City this season, while taking six of eight bouts held in Minneapolis.

Kansas City figures to face another tough test tonight, considering how well Brian Duensing has pitched for the Twins this season. The versatile left- hander sports a 7-2 record with an excellent 2.09 ERA in 48 games and is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA in eight starts since being inserted into the rotation in late July.

Duensing hasn't started since allowing three unearned runs in a 6 2/3-inning no-decision against Detroit on August 31, but was forced into an emergency relief role in a home clash with the Tigers on Thursday. In a game that lasted 13 innings, the former University of Nebraska star gave up a run on four hits over a pair of frames.

The 27-year-old owns a sensational 1.30 ERA in 25 Target Field appearances (three starts) and is 3-0 with a 4.26 ERA through nine career games (two starts) against Kansas City. Duensing defeated the Royals in a July 28 start at Kauffman Stadium by tossing six innings of two-run ball.

SEATTLE MARINERS (55-84) AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS (68-70), 10:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Seattle - Luke French (4-4, 3.64) Oakland - Gio Gonzalez (13-8, 3.12)

(Sports Network) - At seven games off the pace in the American League West Division, time is running out on the Oakland Athletics and their hopes for a postseason berth. The A's will try to get a winning streak going tonight in the finale of a three-game series versus the Seattle Mariners at the Coliseum.

After beating Seattle in Monday's series opener, the A's dropped a 7-5 decision last night behind starting pitcher Dallas Braden. The left-hander was torched for six runs and nine hits in five innings to absorb the loss.

"It's big, just as far as perseverance is concerned. There's an old saying, 'Try hard and work hard, even when no one is looking,'" Braden said of the team battling back. "I think that flows over into what we're doing."

Kurt Suzuki and Coco Crisp both had two RBI, while Steven Tolleson finished with three hits for the A's, who have lost six of nine games and hope that first-place Texas continues to falter down the stretch. The Rangers have lost five straight.

The Athletics are 3-2 on a nine-game homestand and will send Gio Gonzalez to the hill Wednesday night. Gonzalez has won three straight starts and is 6-2 with a 2.05 earned run average in his last 10 starts. He threw six shutout innings and allowed four hits in an 8-0 triumph over the Angels last Friday, improving to 13-8 in 28 starts to go along with a 3.12 ERA.

Gonzalez is 1-0 in two starts against Seattle this season and 2-1 in seven career games, five of which have been starts, in this series.

Seattle has alternated wins and losses over its last six games and ended a six-game slide by the Bay with Tuesday's win. It set the tone with five runs in the second inning and got a home run from Adam Moore.

"We talked about putting ourselves in good offensive situations," said Mariners interim manager Daren Brown. "I thought we were able to string some hits together in the five-run inning, and I know that's something we haven't seen a lot since I've been here, but it was good to see it tonight."

Moore and Casey Kotchman both ended with two RBI, while Ichiro Suzuki recorded a pair of hits and knocked in a run for the Mariners, who got five innings of two-run ball out of winning starter Doug Fister. David Aardsma later posted his 29th save by getting the final out of the game.

Ichiro is riding a nine-game hitting streak in which he owns seven multi-hit performances.

Taking the mound for the Mariners this evening will be Luke French, who has won back-to-back and four of his last six starts. French pitched seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in Friday's 1-0 win over Cleveland to even his 2010 mark at 4-4 in 11 games (8 starts) this season.

The left-hander recently lost to Oakland on August 11 and is 1-2 with a 5.89 earned run average in five career games (3 starts) against the Athletics.

Oakland has won six of eight meetings with the Mariners held at the Coliseum this season, as well as eight of 14 overall matchups between the two clubs.