Sosa closes in on 600th HR

Sammy Sosa is closing in on a home-run milestone. Sosa hit his 597th career homer for Texas, but the Rangers fell to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 11-8, in the second game of their series at Disney World in Kissimmee, Fla.

Carl Crawford tripled with the bases loaded and Delmon Young also drove in three runs to lead Tampa Bay.

Sammy Sosa moved closer to becoming the fifth player with 600 career homers, hitting No. 597 in the fourth inning. His two-run, opposite-field shot was his ninth home run of the year and extended his major league record for most ballparks homered in to 45.

"I work hard, go out there in the [batting] cage every day trying to figure out a plan that I've got to take to the plate," Sosa said.

In other games:

* At Toronto, A.J. Burnett (4-3) pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-1.

* At Seattle, John Lackey (6-3) blanked the Mariners on four hits in six innings and Orlando Cabrera drove in a pair of runs to lead the Angels to a 5-0 victory.

* At Oakland, Ryan Shealy, just off the disabled list with a hamstring, hit a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Athletics.

* At Cleveland, C.C. Sabathia (6-1) allowed five hits and struck out five in eight innings to lead the Indians, 7-1, over the Twins.

* At Chicago, A.J. Pierzynski hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning as the White Sox beat the Yankees, 5-3, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

In the nightcap, Chien-Ming Wang (2-3) allowed six hits and a run over seven innings and Hideki Matsui drove in four runs in the Yankees' 8-1 win.

* At Boston, the game between the Red Sox and Detroit Tigers was postponed because of rain and will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader today.

Meanwhile, Boston righthander Josh Beckett and Detroit righthander Jeremy Bonderman will miss their next turn, both scheduled for tomorrow. Beckett has a tear on his middle finger and Bonderman went on the disabled list with a blister on his pitching hand.

* With his 10-day suspension over, Mariners pitcher Julio Mateo went on the Triple A inactive list as he continues counseling following his arrest in New York after a dispute with his wife.

* The Texas Rangers put outfielder Brad Wilkerson on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled right hamstring.

* Twins righthander Jesse Crain, who went on the 15-day disabled list, has a torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum.

* Oakland put outfielder Chris Snelling on the 15-day DL with a deep bone bruise in his left knee.

* The Yankees are negotiating a $5 million buyout of general partner Steve Swindal, who was involved in a DUI arrest in February and whose wife, Jennifer, daughter of owner George Steinbrenner, filed for divorce in March.

* The Blue Jays are keeping rookie Jesse Litsch in the starting rotation and sent Tomo Ohka to the bullpen.

* Tampa Bay centerfielder Rocco Baldelli will have an MRI exam today on a strained left hamstring and could land on the 15-day disabled list. *