The Chicago White Sox extended their winning streak to six on Sunday to keep the pressure on the Minnesota Twins.

The White Sox rallied with four runs in the ninth inning to turn around their match against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park as they won 7-5. That result keeps them within three games of the Twins, who won 6-5 at home to the Texas Rangers to complete a series sweep against the AL West leaders.

The New York Yankees suffered a 7-3 home defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays as Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill and John Buck homered for the Canadians.

However, the Yankees retained their two-game lead in the AL East as the Tampa Bay Rays were beaten 8-1 at the Baltimore Orioles.

Elsewhere in the American League the Kansas City Royals claimed a 2-1 home success against the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Angels won 7-4 at the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners saw off the Cleveland Indians 3-0.

The San Diego Padres' losing streak moved into double figures as the Colorado Rockies beat them 4-2 to move within four and a half games of the National League West's faltering leaders.

The Padres have the San Francisco Giants breathing down their necks even harder as they overcame the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 to move within one game, as Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez fanned nine over seven innings.

The St Louis Cardinals moved within seven games of NL Central leaders the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on home turf thanks to Matt Holliday's three-run homer, while neither of the NL East's leading duo - the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies - could register a win to leave the Braves top by a game.

The Braves lost 7-6 at the Florida Marlins in a match which went to an extra inning, while Cecil Fielder's three-run homer, his 30th of the season, sank the Phillies in a 6-2 defeat at home to the Milwaukee Brewers.

In the day's other National League matches the Houston Astros won 3-2 at the Arizona Diamondbacks, the New York Mets thrashed the Chicago Cubs 18-5 and the Washington Nationals were too good for the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 8-1 in Pennsylvania.