Mariners (17-4) Just Keep Winning

Carlos Guillen--Seattle’s replacement at shortstop for Alex Rodriguez--drove in three runs with a two two-out hits as the Mariners beat the New York Yankees, 7-5, Wednesday night at New York for their sixth consecutive victory.

“I don’t feel any pressure because I know there’s only one Alex Rodriguez,” Guillen said. “I played short all the way up through the minors, so it gives me a chance to play there every day.”

Seattle has won 10 of 11 and its 17-4 record is the best in the majors.

“Carlos and a few of the guys are starting to swing the bats,” Manager Lou Piniella said. “We need those runs from the bottom of the order. And with Carlos, boy has he played some short.”

Guillen, batting ninth, gave Seattle a 6-5 lead in the sixth with a run-scoring single. He also had a two-run single in a four-run second and tripled in the eighth to finish three for four and raise his average to .209.

The Mariners have won the first two games of the three-game series, the first meeting between the teams since last year’s AL championship series. The three-time defending World Series champion Yankees are 11-10.

Minnesota 6, Boston 4--Torii Hunter hit a three-run double in the 10th-inning as the surprising Twins rallied at Boston.

The Twins tied the score in the ninth on back-to-back doubles by Jacque Jones and A.J. Pierzynski against Rod Beck (0-1), then won for the sixth time in seven games.

Minnesota leads the AL Central at 15-4 after posting the worst record in the league last year. Boston fell to 14-7 and into a first-place tie with Toronto in the AL East.

Matt Lawton started the 10th with a single, took second on Denny Hocking’s sacrifice and stayed there on a walk to Corey Koskie. Pete Schourek replaced Beck and got David Ortiz to pop out but walked Doug Mientkiewicz. Rolando Arrojo replaced Schourek and Hunter hit the bases-clearing double.

Chicago 2, Oakland 1--Paul Konerko hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning at Chicago as the White Sox ended a four-game losing streak.

Konerko’s homer, his fourth of the year, came off former White Sox reliever Chad Bradford.

Tampa Bay 5, Kansas City 3--Russ Johnson hit a three-run double at St. Petersburg, Fla., and Paul Wilson won for only the second time in five years.

Wilson (1-2) continued his comeback from shoulder problems by giving up only three runs and four hits in five innings before a crowd of 11,156.

The victory was the second for Wilson since Sept. 20, 1996, when he was with the New York Mets. The right-hander missed parts of 1997 and ’98 and all of ’99 because of surgeries on his pitching shoulder.

Toronto 8, Texas 5--Brad Fullmer hit a three-run homer and added a go-ahead infield single in the eighth inning at Toronto.

Fullmer homered in the first off Kenny Rogers (1-2) and put the Blue Jays ahead, 6-5, in the eighth.

Baltimore 6, Detroit 4--After being told he would be given days off each week, Cal Ripken hit his first home run of the year to lead the Orioles at Detroit.

Ripken, rested Tuesday by Manager Mike Hargrove for the second time in three games, hit a three-run homer in a five-run fifth off Steve Sparks (1-2). Ripken is batting only .161.