ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Gabe Gross hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning, giving AL East-leading Tampa Bay a comeback victory over Chicago.

Gross, making a rare start against left-handed pitching, lined a two-run triple off Mark Buehrle to make it 3-all in the fifth. Gross then delivered his third homer of the season on an 0-2 pitch from lefty Matt Thornton (1-1) in the 10th.

The surprising Rays maintained their one-game division lead over Boston, and they take their league-best record of 35-22 to Fenway Park for the start of a three-game series Tuesday night. Tampa Bay is 13 games over .500 for the first time in the team’s 11-season history.

The finale of the four-game set against the AL Central-leading White Sox drew a crowd of 24,720.

J.P. Howell (4-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory, which enabled Tampa Bay to go 8-2 on the team’s longest homestand of the year. The Rays have won 10 of their last 12 series, including seven straight at home since losing two of three to the White Sox six weeks ago.

Twins 5, Yankees 1

MINNEAPOLIS – Michael Cuddyer drove in three runs and Minnesota’s bullpen came through with 4 2-3 innings of scoreless relief after starter Nick Blackburn was hit in the nose by Bobby Abreu’s line drive.

Blackburn walked off the field under his own power, escorted by a trainer with a bloody towel pressed against his face. The Twins said Blackburn did not lose consciousness or any teeth. X-rays were negative and he is day-to-day with a bruised nose.

Brian Bass (2-1), Jesse Crain and Joe Nathan shut down the Yankees the rest of the way. The Twins snapped New York’s three-game winning streak and handed the Yankees their third loss in 11 games.

Derek Jeter homered for New York (28-28). Darrell Rasner (3-2) allowed four runs over 5 1-3 innings.

Royals 6, Indians 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Brian Bannister pitched into the eighth inning and Mark Grudzielanek and Jose Guillen homered to help Kansas City beat Cleveland, a day after the Royals snapped a 12-game losing streak.

Bannister (5-6) was working on a shutout when Grady Sizemore homered with one out in the eighth. It was Sizemore’s third home run in three days.

Guillen, who went into a tirade and called his teammates “babies” after they squandered a five-run lead and lost their 10th straight on Wednesday night, was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Grudzielanek hit a two-run drive off Paul Byrd (2-5) to give the punchless Royals a 6-0 lead in the fifth. It was his first homer in 172 at-bats dating to Sept. 24. Alex Gordon also had a two-run double for Kansas City.

Byrd dropped to 0-5 in six road starts. The Indians, the defending AL Central champs, have lost five straight series.

Angels 4, Blue Jays 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Toronto closer B.J. Ryan (1-1) hit Howie Kendrick with a pitch to force home the tying run in the ninth inning, and Maicer Izturis singled in the game-winner one pitch later for Los Angeles.

All four of the Angels’ victories on this six-game homestand were walk-off wins.

Ryan’s first blown save in 13 attempts this season spoiled a masterful performance by A.J. Burnett, who allowed two runs and three hits over eight innings but was pulled by manager John Gibbons after 102 pitches.

Sean Rodriguez hit his first major league homer for the Angels, a two-run shot off Burnett.

Jose Arredondo (2-0) got credit for the victory after three innings of scoreless relief by Darren Oliver.

Athletics 13, Rangers 8

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jack Cust and Mark Ellis homered in a nine-run seventh inning as Oakland rallied past Texas to end a four-game losing streak.

Josh Hamilton hit his AL-best 15th homer and drove in two runs, giving him a major league-high 63 RBIs. Milton Bradley also homered and drove in three runs for the Rangers, who led 7-4 after six innings. But the first eight Athletics hitters reached base in the seventh before Texas’ bullpen could register an out.

Cust’s two-run shot, Jack Hannahan’s two-run double, Bobby Crosby’s two-run single and Ellis’ solo shot highlighted the A’s biggest inning of the season. Jamey Wright (3-2) was charged with four runs in the loss.

Travis Buck also homered for the A’s, who scored only nine runs in their previous five games. Chad Gaudin (4-3) worked a scoreless sixth for the win.

Tigers 7, Mariners 5

SEATTLE – Placido Polanco hit a tiebreaking single and Detroit scored four times in the ninth inning off struggling J.J. Putz (2-3) to beat Seattle.

Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera each drove in two runs as the Tigers, wayward for most of the season against everyone else, won for the fifth time in six meetings with the Mariners.

Putz’s poor outing ended a scoreless streak of 18 2-3 innings by Seattle’s bullpen. Raul Ibanez homered and drove in three runs for the Mariners. Adrian Beltre also connected.

Seattle wasted a prime chance to break a 3-all tie in the eighth when it had Jeremy Reed on third with one out against winner Zach Miner (2-3).