Minnesota's Justin Morneau drills an RBI single. The Twins defeated the Padres, 4-3, on Thursday in San Diego.

Twins 4, Padres 3

San Diego – Justin Morneau went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, and Minnesota beat San Diego to win its ninth straight game, all against the National League.

The Twins swept the Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks and now the Padres. Prior to that, they won two of three against Milwaukee. Minnesota is 12-3 overall against the NL this season going into their final interleague series at home this weekend against the Brewers.

The Twins have gained six games on the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox during this round of interleague play. The Twins have outscored their opponents 56-19 during the nine-game winning streak, and their starters are 8-0 with a 2.17 earned-run average.

Rays 6, Marlins 1

Miami – Matt Garza pitched a one-hitter, allowing only Hanley Ramirez’s home run leading off the seventh inning, and Tampa Bay defeated Florida to complete a three-game sweep.

Garza (6-4) struck out 10 and walked one in his first complete game in 38 major-league starts. He faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings.

Astros 7, Rangers 2

Houston – Wandy Rodriguez pitched eight solid innings and tied a career high with nine strikeouts, leading Houston past Texas. Hunter Pence had three RBIs to help the Astros to a 2-1 series victory over their state rivals, Houston’s second straight series win after taking two of three from Tampa Bay over the weekend.

Athletics 5, Phillies 0

Oakland, Calif. – Rich Harden struck out a career-high 11, allowing two hits in eight innings to lead Oakland over Philadelphia.

Harden (5-0), who has made nine consecutive turns in the rotation for the first time in three years, retired his first 14 batters before Shane Victorino singled cleanly into center field. Victorino got Philadelphia’s other hit off Harden, an infield single with one out in the eighth.

White Sox 2, Dodgers 0

Los Angeles – John Danks pitched six sharp innings and combined with four relievers for a five-hitter, leading Chicago past Los Angeles.

Danks (5-4) won for the first time since May 29 after getting a no-decision in each of his previous four starts. The 23-year-old left-hander allowed four hits and issued a season-high four walks as the White Sox won the rubber game of the interleague series.

Orioles 11, Cubs 4

Chicago – Aubrey Huff had four hits and two RBIs, Jay Payton drove in three runs, and Baltimore beat Chicago. Brian Roberts had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 13 games as Baltimore roughed up Jason Marquis, who hadn’t lost in his previous seven starts. The Orioles broke it open with five runs in the third inning, winning the rubber game of their first-ever trip to Wrigley. Milwaukee is the only other team to win a series at the Cubs’ home this year.

Indians 4, Giants 1

Cleveland – Cliff Lee struck out a career-high 11 over eight innings, and Cleveland avoided a three-game sweep by San Francisco. Jamey Carroll and Jhonny Peralta drove in two runs apiece to support Lee (11-1), who tied Arizona’s Brandon Webb and Joe Saunders of the Los Angeles Angels for the major-league lead in wins.

Tigers 3, Cardinals 2, 10 inn.

Detroit – Clete Thomas drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning to give Detroit a victory over St. Louis, spoiling Albert Pujols’ return for the Cardinals.

St. Louis reliever Mike Parisi (0-4) gave up a leadoff single to Curtis Granderson and intentionally walked Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera before Thomas drew his second run-scoring walk of the day.

Pujols, in his first game back from the disabled list, hit an RBI single in the ninth to give the Cardinals the lead. But Gary Sheffield, who returned Tuesday from the disabled list, answered with a solo homer for Detroit in the bottom of the inning.

Pujols, who missed 13 games because of a calf injury, was 4-for-4 with an intentional walk.

Reliever Bobby Seay (1-1) worked the 10th for the win.

Blue Jays 7, Reds 1

Toronto – Scott Rolen hit a two-run homer off Edinson Volquez, Jesse Litsch pitched eight sharp innings, and Toronto beat Cincinnati.

Volquez (10-3) entered with a major-league-best 1.71 ERA but was tagged for a season-high seven runs, five earned, and six hits in 41â3 innings, his shortest start of the season. Volquez’s ERA rose to 2.08.

Volquez allowed three runs or less in each of his previous 16 appearances this season.

Rolen connected in the second inning for his sixth homer of the season and third in four games. His RBI double in the fifth made it 7-1.

Litsch (8-4) allowed one run and three hits to win for the first time since beating Oakland on May 29, a span of five starts.

Yankees-Pirates, ppd.

Pittsburgh – New York lost a three-run inning when heavy rain and lightning caused its game against the Pirates to be washed out, which will result in the Yankees making a return trip to Pittsburgh for a July 10 makeup game.

Until this series, the two teams had not met in Pittsburgh since the 1960 World Series, but they now will meet two different times there in the same season. The teams split the two games in this week’s weather-shortened series.

The Yankees led 3-1 in the top of the third when several nearby bolts of lightning and strong winds led the umpires to halt the game even before it began raining.