Granderson yanks three

CURTIS GRANDERSON hit three home runs in the first four innings and matched a career high with five hits, leading the New York Yankees to a 7-6 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Thursday night.

Granderson homered in each of his first three at-bats, driving in four runs, and helped Phil Hughes overcome a four-run first to secure his first victory of the season.

With a chance to tie the major league record of four homers in a game, Granderson lined a clean single in the sixth and beat out an infield hit in the eighth. It was his first five-hit game since 2008.

Granderson homered to right-center in the first and hit a soaring, two-run shot into the second deck in rightfield in the second, both off starter Anthony Swarzak. In his third at-bat, Granderson hit a line drive to the short rightfield porch against Jeff Gray in the fourth for a 7-4 lead.

The three-homer game was the first at new Yankee Stadium and the first for a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez hit three at Kansas City on Aug. 14, 2010.

Lou Gehrig is the only Yankees player to hit four homers in a game, which matches the major league record.

At Chicago, Jason Hammel (2-0) struck out 10 and closer Jim Johnson fanned Alex Rios with the bases loaded to give the Orioles a 5-3 victory over the White Sox. Baltimore's Adam Jones hit his fifth homer of the season - a two-run shot that was his first multi-RBI homer of the season.

* At Detroit, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Nelson Cruz and Yorvit Torrealba drove in two runs each and rookie pitcher Yu Darvish (2-0) held the Tigers to a run on two hits in 6 1/3 innings as the Rangers won, 10-6.

* At Toronto, Evan Longoria drove in four runs and finished a triple shy of the cycle as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Blue Jays, 9-4.

* At Seattle, Jack Hannahan's two-run, ninth-inning single off closer Brandon League (0-1) led the Cleveland Indians to a 2-1 win over the Mariners and spoiled a stellar performance by Felix Hernandez, who had 12 strikeouts over eight innings.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig insists that Oakland and Tampa Bay must have new ballparks to be able to compete. Speaking to the Associated Press Sports Editors, Selig provided no timetable for deciding a dispute between the A's, who want to build a ballpark in San Jose, and the San Francisco Giants, who won't give up their territorial rights there. Selig was clear that he wants the A's to move from the Coliseum, their home since 1968 and the last stadium shared by baseball and the NFL.

The Rays started play in Tropicana Field in 1998, 8 years after it opened. Owner Stuart Sternberg announced plans in 2007 for a new ballpark with a retractable fabric roof, then abandoned the project over the next 2 years.