The New York Yankees' hot streak continued with a 7-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankees Stadium.

The 2009 World Series winners were behind but secured the victory thanks to Marcus Thames' two-run shot in the seventh.

They are now three games clear of the Tampa Bay Rays, who were beaten 8-4 by the division's bottom side the Baltimore Orioles, as Nick Markakis' early homer gave them a winning platform.

AL Central leaders the Minnesota Twins stormed to a 12-4 victory over AL West table-toppers the Texas Rangers at Target Field as Jim Thome homered twice to move ninth on the all-time list with 584.

The Chicago White Sox kept the pressure on the Twins with two 3-1 wins in a double-header against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Oakland Athletics moved to within eight games of the Rangers thanks to a 3-1 win at home to the Los Angeles Angels, the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-4 in the Central Division and the Cleveland Indians were 4-2 victors on the road at the Seattle Mariners.

The San Diego Padres lost a ninth game in a row and saw their lead at the top of the National League West cut to two games as the San Francisco Giants came from 4-0 down to win 5-4 at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Carlos Gonzalez had three hits and two RBIs as the Rockies sank the out-of-form Padres 6-2, a result which moved them within five and a half games of the NL West leadership.

The Atlanta Braves held on to outright top spot in the NL East with a 2-0 win at the Florida Marlins as their closest challengers, the Philadelphia Phillies, won 5-4 at home to the Milwaukee Brewers to stay within a game.

Jair Jurrjens managed seven scoreless innings in the Braves shutout, while Wilson Valdez scored the go-ahead run in the seventh for the Phillies to condemn the Brewers to their fifth straight defeat.

The Cincinnati Reds levelled their three-game series at the St Louis Cardinals with a 6-1 victory which restored their eight-game cushion at the top of the NL Central.

The Chicago Cubs claimed a fourth win in a row in a 5-3 triumph at home to the New York Mets, the Houston Astros edged to a 6-5 success at the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals snapped a three-game losing streak courtesy of a 9-2 win at the Pittsburgh Pirates.