ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carl Crawford has played more games for Tampa Bay than any player in team history, so it was fitting that he delivered the blow that lifted the Rays into uncharted territory.

The surging Rays climbed five games over .500 for the first time in the club's 11 seasons, with Crawford hitting a three-run homer, stealing two bases and scoring twice yesterday to pace an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels for a series sweep.

"We feel like we're going to win every game right now," the two-time All-Star said after Tampa Bay stopped Ervin Santana from becoming the AL's first seven-game winner. "We know that's not possible, but we have the confidence to feel that way."

Santana departed with a 5-4 lead with one runner on and two outs in the sixth inning, but the game quickly shifted when Justin Speier (0-3) entered and gave up a double to Akinori Iwamura and Crawford's third homer of the season.

B.J. Upton doubled for the third consecutive hit off the Angels reliever. He took third base on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch by Speier, who struggled for the second time in three days against the Rays.

Evan Longoria's two-run, ninth-inning homer off Speier gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 win in the series opener Friday night. The Rays won by the same score Saturday, holding the Angels to a total of four hits in the two games.

"There's nothing they did that surprised us," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "They're a team that has a lot of positive things happening."

The sweep left Los Angeles with a four-game losing streak for the first time since April 2007. The Rays (21-16) are five games over .500 for the first time at any point in a season, and it's the latest they've been in second place.

TWINS 9, RED SOX 8

MINNEAPOLIS — Craig Monroe went 2 for 4 with two of Minnesota's three home runs and four RBIs, and the Twins hung on for a victory over Boston. Joe Nathan gave up two runs in the ninth, but won a showdown with pinch-hitter Manny Ramirez by getting him to ground out to shortstop with the tying run on second base to pick up his 12th save in as many chances.

ROYALS 4, ORIOLES 0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brian Bannister (4-4) allowed two singles in eight innings as Kansas City ended its 12-game skid against the Orioles. It was Kansas City's first victory over Baltimore since July 25, 2006.

A'S 12, RANGERS 6

ARLINGTON, Texas — Emil Brown hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs to help Oakland beat Texas, ending the Rangers' five-game winning streak. Frank Thomas drove in two runs to give him 1,695 RBIs, tying him with Cal Ripken for 21st all-time.

MARINERS 6, WHITE SOX 3

SEATTLE — Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer in the third inning as Seattle beat Chicago to snap a five-game losing streak.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ASTROS 8, DODGERS 5

LOS ANGELES — Hiroki Kuroda took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Houston broke out for seven hits and six runs in the eighth inning to pull out the victory. Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence had RBI singles against reliever Jonathan Broxton (1-1), and Brad Ausmus added a two-run single against the right-hander as the Astros won for the eighth time in nine games.

METS 8, REDS 3

NEW YORK — Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning to lead New York over Cincinnati. The Reds batted out of order in the ninth after an earlier double switch, with backup catcher David Ross coming to the plate in the No. 8 spot instead of Corey Patterson. Ross flied out to right. Once Mets manager Willie Randolph informed the umpires of the mistake, the out was charged to Patterson after a prolonged discussion by the umpires, and Ross batted again. This time, he singled.

MARLINS 5, NATIONALS 4

WASHINGTON — Dan Uggla's second home run of the day was a go-ahead drive in the eighth inning that lifted Florida to its seventh straight win. Uggla drove in two runs and has seven RBIs and three homers in two games; he hit a grand slam Saturday and has 11 homers this season. The Marlins have won all six of their games at Nationals Park, which opened this season, and their seven-game win streak overall is their best run since winning nine straight in August 2006.

BREWERS 5, CARDINALS 3

MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun hit a pair of solo home runs and Jeff Suppan pitched seven solid innings as Milwaukee beat St. Louis. Suppan (2-2) worked into and out of trouble all day. The right-hander gave up six hits and walked five, but struck out four to pick up the win.

CUBS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 4

CHICAGO — Pinch-hitter Daryle Ward delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning as Chicago rallied to beat Arizona. Carlos Marmol (1-0) struck out two in a perfect eighth and Kerry Wood pitched the ninth to earn his seventh save in 10 chances and finish off Chicago's three-game sweep of the NL West leaders.

GIANTS 4, PHILLIES 3

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Holm hit a go-ahead, two-run drive in the seventh inning for his first major league home run as San Francisco beat Philadelphia. Holm homered in his first at-bat on the first pitch he saw from J.C. Romero (3-1) after replacing Bengie Molina in the top of the seventh, sending the ball into the seats in left-center.

PADRES 6, ROCKIES 1

SAN DIEGO — Scott Hairston and Khalil Greene homered to lead San Diego over Colorado for the Rockies' first series win in nearly a month. The Padres have been playing so poorly that their two consecutive wins match their season high, which they've managed only three times.