Anaheim’s John Lackey throws a five-hitter.
By The Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. – John Lackey pitched a five-hitter and rookie Tom Gregorio had a two-run single as the Anaheim Angels beat Seattle 4-0 Wednesday, pushing the Mariners to the brink of postseason elimination.

Seattle’s seventh loss in 11 games meant Boston clinched no worse than a tie for the AL wild-card berth.

For Seattle to tie the Red Sox, it would have to sweep a three-game series from Oakland, and Boston would have to lose its final five games, including Wednesday night’s matchup with Baltimore.

Lackey (10-16) struck out four and walked two in his second complete game this season. He had lost his previous three starts and five of six.

White Sox 9, Yankees 4

CHICAGO – Esteban Loaiza got his milestone victory. Mike Mussina will have to wait until next year for another shot at his.

Loaiza became the fifth 20-game winner in the majors Wednesday, and the Chicago White Sox roughed up Mussina on their way to a 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees. Mussina’s second bid for his 200th career victory was ruined when he gave up eight runs in the sixth inning.

Athletics 5, Rangers 3

OAKLAND, Calif. – Jose Guillen, playing with a broken bone in his left hand, hit a two-run homer and bunted home the go-ahead run to lead the Oakland Athletics over the Texas Rangers 5-3 Wednesday.

Tim Hudson pitched seven solid innings as A’s manager Ken Macha rested most of his regulars, a day after Oakland clinched its second straight AL West title.

Astros 2, Giants 1

HOUSTON – With the Astros trailing in the late innings, Jose Vizcaino came up with a big hit that kept them from dropping even farther back in the NL Central.

Vizcaino pinch hit in the seventh inning and singled home two runs to lead Houston over a lineup of San Francisco substitutes 2-1 Wednesday.

Cubs 8, Reds 0

CINCINNATI – Sammy Sosa, Shawn Estes and the Chicago Cubs turned off the television and kept themselves in control of the NL Central.

Sosa tied Mickey Mantle for 10th place on the career home run list, Estes pitched a shutout and the Cubs rolled past the Reds 8-0 Wednesday night to preserve their one-game division lead.

Braves 9, Expos 1

ATLANTA – Russ Ortiz allowed three hits in five scoreless innings to win his 21st game and Atlanta beat the Montreal Expos 9-1 Wednesday night in the Braves’ final home game of the regular season.

Ortiz (21-7), who will be the Braves’ starter Tuesday when Atlanta opens its first-round NL playoff series, ran his scoreless innings streak to 14.

Blue Jays 5, Devil Rays 3

TORONTO – Kelvim Escobar tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts in what might have been his last start for Toronto, leading the Blue Jays over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-3 Wednesday night.

Escobar (13-9), eligible for free agency after this season, allowed two runs, eight hits and five walks in seven innings, reaching double digits in strikeouts for the fifth time this season.

Tigers 4, Royals 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Detroit Tigers remained two losses short of the modern major league record, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 Wednesday night as Shane Loux earned his first major league victory. The Tigers, who set an American League record with their 118th loss on Monday, matched a season high by turning four double plays. They won consecutive games for the first time since taking three straight from Cleveland from Sept. 2-4.

Marlins 6, Phillies 5

MIAMI -The Florida Marlins kept swinging, and by the middle of the game the Philadelphia Phillies were literally ducking out of the way.

All that’s left is the knockout punch from the Marlins, who held on during a harrowing eighth inning and beat slumping Philadelphia 6-5 Wednesday night to take a three-game lead in the NL wild-card race.

with only four games to go.