Devil Rays Win 12th in a Row, 5-1

Tampa Bay extended its franchise-record winning streak to 12 games Tuesday night at Toronto, using homers from Julio Lugo and Carl Crawford in a 5-1 victory over the Blue Jays.

Devil Ray starter Chad Gaudin was replaced after walking four in the first inning, but four relievers went the rest of the way for a three-hitter.

The Devil Rays (33-34) were 3-19 from April 25 to May 19, but they’re a major league-best 23-6 in their last 29 games.

Tampa Bay has the longest winning streak in the majors since Arizona won 12 in a row last season.

“At the beginning of the season it was terrible. We were just Tampa Bay,” Lugo said. “Now everybody is calling us the stinging Rays.”

Gaudin got only two outs -- the Devil Rays turned a double play in the first. Travis Harper (2-0) got Chris Woodward to fly out to end the threat.

Manager Lou Piniella said Gaudin didn’t want to come out, even after a second visit to the mound.

“When I went out to Gaudin the second time he said, ‘I can get him out, Skip,’ ” Piniella said. “I said, ‘It’s the second visit.’ He didn’t know the second-visit rule. I started to laugh.”

Harper gave up two hits in four scoreless innings. Trever Miller got the last out of the fifth, Jorge Sosa gave up a run in two innings and Lance Carter pitched two perfect innings.

Howie Clark homered off Sosa in the seventh, ending a scoreless streak by Tampa Bay’s bullpen at 24 1/3 innings.

Chicago 11, Cleveland 9 -- Jose Valentin hit a game-ending, two-run homer in the 10th inning and drove in five runs at Chicago in a game in which the White Sox led, 8-0, and later fell behind, 9-8.

New York 10, Baltimore 4 -- Alex Rodriguez passed Joe DiMaggio on the career home run list, connecting twice and driving in five runs in the Yankees’ victory at Baltimore. Rodriguez, who has 35 multihomer games, has 363 home runs.

Texas 10, Seattle 2 -- Ryan Drese pitched eight innings, and Rod Barajas homered in his third consecutive game to help the Rangers take over first place in the AL West at Arlington, Texas.

Boston 9, Minnesota 2 -- The Red Sox’s Nomar Garciaparra hit a grand slam for his first homer to back Curt Schilling (9-4), who improved to 6-0 at Fenway Park.

Kansas City 8, Detroit 1 -- Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and Mike Sweeney added a three-run shot to help the Royals to victory at Kansas City, Mo.