KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Corey Koskie homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs as the Minnesota Twins rapped 23 hits and routed the Kansas City Royals 16-2 Thursday.

The Twins avoided a four-game sweep with their highest hit total since getting 25 against Cleveland on June 4, 2002.

Joe Mays (8-4) got several nice defensive plays behind him in giving up two runs and six hits in eight innings. The Royals had scored 31 runs in winning the first three games of the series.

Koskie hit a three-run homer in the fifth off Kyle Snyder and a solo shot off Kris Wilson that made it 15-0 in the seventh.

Cristian Guzman had four hits while Doug Mientkiewicz, Jacque Jones and Torii Hunter each had three. Jones also had three RBIs, including a two-run homer in the fourth.

Snyder (1-4), who missed his previous start with a sore lower back, gave up singles to the first three batters and allowed 10 hits and seven runs in four innings.

Angels 2, Mariners 0

SEATTLE – Ramon Ortiz worked 7 2-3 scoreless innings for his fourth straight win, outdueling Jamie Moyer as the Anaheim Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0.

Eric Owens hit a solo home run and Shawn Wooten scored on a sacrifice fly by Benji Gil as the Angels averted a four-game series sweep.

In the third, Owens drove a 1-1 pitch to left field, where Seattle’s Randy Winn leaped but couldn’t make the catch as the ball glanced off his glove and over the wall. The Angels went ahead 2-0 in the fifth when Wooten hit a one-out single to center. He took third on Bengie Molina’s single to right and scored on Gil’s drive to deep center.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 1

BALTIMORE – Vernon Wells homered twice and drove in three runs, and Kelvim Escobar pitched six innings of four-hit ball as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-1.

Josh Phelps also homered for the Blue Jays, who outscored the Orioles 12-3 in sweeping the rain-shortened two-game series. Toronto has won eight of nine to move 10 games over .500 (41-31) for the first time since Sept. 23, 2000.

Indians 10, Tigers 3

DETROIT – Jody Gerut drove in three runs and Milton Bradley and Casey Blake homered as the Cleveland Indians routed the Detroit Tigers 10-3.

The win gave Cleveland their first sweep of a road series since they won three in Toronto from May 24-26, 2002.

Brian Anderson (4-6) picked up the easy win, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk in six innings.

Athletics 9, Rangers 2

OAKLAND, Calif. – Miguel Tejada homered and set a career-high with five hits and Eric Byrnes hit a three-run homer as the Oakland Athletics completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers, 9-2 on Thursday.

Rangers star Alex Rodriguez left with a bloody nose in the seventh inning after being hit by a throw when Mark Ellis stole second.

Ellis arrived ahead of the throw and Rodriguez dropped his glove as if to make the tag, but the ball hadn’t arrived yet. The throw struck the shortstop in the nose. Rodriguez was tended to on the field by trainer Jamie Reed, then left the game.

Mark Mulder (10-4) pitched seven strong innings as the A’s won their sixth straight game, matching their best streak of the season.