Cleveland ? Excuse Indians fans if the sight of the team’s head trainer jogging toward C.C. Sabathia on the mound made them nervous. It wasn’t until Lonnie Soloff handed Sabathia a tongue depressor to clean the mud from his cleats that they could breathe.

Sabathia, activated from the disabled list before the game, made a strong return after injuring himself on opening night to lead the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox, 7-1, on a rainy Tuesday.

“He’s a guy that’s very well respected on the team – the ace of the staff,” said Travis Hafner, who drove in four runs. “It’s a huge pick-me-up for everybody to have him back on the mound.”

Sabathia’s return came at an opportune time for Cleveland, which ended its three-game losing streak and split the two-game series with Chicago.

Rangers 7, Devil Rays 5

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Mark DeRosa hit a two-run homer, one of Texas’ three in the game, and the Rangers beat Tampa Bay. Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson hit back-to-back homers for Texas.

Twins 5, Mariners 1

Minneapolis – Johan Santana allowed one run and six hits and struck out nine in seven innings to help the Twins snap a four-game losing streak.

Orioles 9, Blue Jays 2

Baltimore – Kris Benson took a shutout into the seventh inning, and Baltimore’s struggling bullpen preserved the lead.

Athletics 10, Angels 3

Anaheim, Calif. – Jason Kendall charged the mound and wrestled with Angels pitcher John Lackey, spicing up Oakland’s victory. Eric Chavez hit a three-run drive for his 200th career home run.