Chicago ? Their once-commanding lead is almost gone, and the Chicago White Sox are showing no signs of shaking a late-season collapse.

“We’re just missing pitches. We’ve got to continue to battle and not put pressure on ourselves,” Chicago right fielder Jermaine Dye said after Thursday night’s crushing 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins in 11 innings knocked the White Sox’s AL Central lead over Cleveland to 11â2 games. The lead is the smallest for the Sox since before they beat Detroit on May 1.

“We’ve got to play these games out and see where we’re at,” Dye said.

The White Sox have lost 10 of 14. The 15-game lead they had Aug. 1 has all but evaporated. And with 10 games to go, they’ve got to find a way to get their offense going. On Thursday night, they squandered a bases-loaded threat in the ninth and a first-and-second situation in the 10th.

“We had our chances, and I just didn’t do my job,” said Dye, who flied out with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth.

Matthew LeCroy hit a go-ahead single in the three-run 11th, and Jacque Jones followed with a two-run double for the Twins. Cleveland beat Kansas City, 11-6, to inch ever closer.

“It will be interesting to see how we rally around,” Chicago rookie Brandon McCarthy said after matching Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana for eight innings. “It’s by no means over.”

Lew Ford, who didn’t start the game for the Twins, hit a leadoff double in the 11th when his looping fly fell in front of diving center fielder Aaron Rowand. After Joe Mauer was intentionally walked with one out, LeCroy singled off Bobby Jenks (1-1) to break a 1-1 tie. Jones, who had homered earlier, then drove a two-run double to right-center.

Yankees 7, Orioles 6

New York – Jorge Posada hit a tying home run in the fifth, then added a three-run, upper-deck drive in the sixth that backed starter Mike Mussina in his return from elbow trouble and led New York.

A night after moving past the Boston Red Sox to take over first place in the AL East for the first time since July 18, the Yankees won for the 10th time in 11 games and opened a season-high one-game lead with 10 remaining.

Angels 7, Rangers 4

Anaheim, Calif. – Adam Kennedy singled in the go-ahead run with the bases loaded, and Chone Figgins added a two-run single later in the sixth inning, helping Los Angeles defeat Texas for its sixth straight victory.

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 5

Toronto – Alex Rios broke a tie with a two-run homer in the eighth to help Toronto. Corey Koskie walked before Rios hit his 10th homer off Joel Pineiro (7-10).