By Sun Journals staff

NEW YORK – Chien-Ming Wang thrived in his major league debut, and Tony Womack hit a game-winning single in the ninth inning to help the New York Yankees end a sorry April on a positive note.

The Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on a rainy Saturday, leaving them at 10-14 – their first losing April since 1991.

Alex Rodriguez hit a solo homer, his major league-leading ninth of the season and fifth of the week, then walked on four pitches from Vinnie Chulk (0-1) to start the ninth. Rodriguez was thrown out at second on Andy Phillips’ bunt, but Tino Martinez’s single to right sent Phillips to third.

Pinch-hitter Jorge Posada was intentionally walked, loading the bases, and Bubba Crosby pinch-ran for Phillips. Womack then singled to right, ending Toronto’s four-game winning streak.

Mariano Rivera (2-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win, his first outing since April 21.

Wang, a 25-year-old right-hander from Taiwan, held the Blue Jays to six singles in seven innings, including two that didn’t leave the infield. Wang (pronounced “Wong”) retired his first 10 hitters before Orlando Hudson chopped a single to second base in the fourth.

Twins 4, Angels 2

MINNEAPOLIS – Brad Radke earned his second win with 7 1-3 strong innings and Justin Morneau had a homer and a triple as the Minnesota Twins won their fifth straight, beating the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Saturday night.

Radke bounced back after giving up 11 hits in each of his previous two starts. He gave up two runs – one earned – and seven hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

Radke (2-3) retired nine in a row at one point until Garret Anderson’s double glanced off the top of Shannon Stewart’s glove in the sixth inning. Radke left to a standing ovation in the eighth after Chone Figgins’ sacrifice fly scored Jeff DaVanon to make it 4-2.

Orioles 7, Devil Rays 5

BALTIMORE – Brian Roberts hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-5 on Saturday for their seventh straight victory.

Miguel Tejada homered for the third consecutive game and had three RBIs and B.J. Surhoff also hit a home run for the Orioles, whose winning streak is their longest since taking eight straight from Aug. 3-10, 2004.

Baltimore rallied from a 4-0 deficit to hand the Devil Rays their sixth straight loss, a season high. Tampa Bay fell to 1-9 on the road.

After Tejada’s two-run shot off Travis Harper (0-1) tied the game at 4-all in the seventh, the Orioles got three in the eighth.

Athletics 6, Mariners 5

OAKLAND, Calif. – Mark Kotsay had five hits, including a game-winning single with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Oakland Athletics a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Raul Ibanez’s RBI single in the ninth off Oakland closer Octavio Dotel sent the game to extra innings. It was Dotel’s first blown save in six chances.

Keiichi Yabu (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Kotsay finished 5-for-6 and matched an Oakland record for hits, also equaling his career best. With two outs and none on in the 10th, Ron Villone (0-1) walked Nick Swisher and Marco Scutaro. Kotsay followed with a single to center, scoring Swisher.

Royals 8, Indians 1

CLEVELAND – Ken Harvey hit his first career grand slam and Eli Marrero homered twice to back rookie Denny Bautista as the Kansas City Royals snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 8-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.

Harvey, an All-Star last season who began this year in the minor leagues, connected in a five-run third off Cliff Lee (2-1) as the Royals won for the first time since beating the Indians on April 19.

Marrero followed Harvey’s homer with a solo shot and then hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Royals, who at 6-18 still have the AL’s worst record.

Bautista (2-1) limited the Indians to just one run and five hits in six-plus innings. The lanky right-hander is the first Kansas City starter to win since April 10, a 17-game span.

White Sox 4, Tigers 3

CHICAGO – Tadahito Iguchi’s RBI single capped a three-run seventh Saturday night as the Chicago White Sox rallied for a 4-3 victory that ended the Detroit Tigers’ five-game winning streak.

Orlando Hernandez (3-1), bailed out by the Chicago rally, allowed eight hits and three runs in seven innings to get the victory that snapped the White Sox’s three-game slide.

Held to one hit by Jason Johnson (2-2) through five innings, the White Sox loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs and didn’t score before rallying for three in the seventh.

Dustin Hermanson pitched the ninth for his third save in as many chances.