Not all game-ending moments go the way of the Rays these days. It only seems like it.

Raul Ibanez lined a hanging pitch from Dan Wheeler like a laser inside the right-field foul pole, Seattle's first game-ending home run in its lost season, and the Mariners beat AL East-leading Tampa Bay 2-1 on Thursday night.

"Raul hit that ball so hard, it didn't have time to go foul," Seattle manager Jim Riggleman said.

Ibanez didn't have time to comprehend what he'd just done.

"You really don't realize until you are going around the bases what's going on," Ibanez said.

On the other side of the country a day earlier, the Rays' six-run bottom of the ninth ended with Carlos Pena's home run that stunned Cleveland and sent Tampa Bay into a mosh pit at home plate. Manager Joe Maddon was still glowing from that Thursday, calling it the most exciting win of his team's thrill-ride from laughingstocks to legitimate this season.

Then came Ibanez's fourth career walkoff home run. It prompted a wild, on-field celebration by the team with the AL's worst record.

"Split-finger. Just trying to put him away. And I just hung it up there," Wheeler (2-5) said among the quiet Rays, who began a season-long, 10-game road trip by losing for just the second time in nine games, trimming its division lead to 2½ games over idle Boston and 5½ over the New York Yankees.

"Part of the (pregame) meeting was, 'Don't let this guy beat you," Wheeler added. "But there's not a guy I don't think I can get out. ... It stinks right now, it definitely does, but the sun will come up tomorrow."

Problem for the Rays is, they will be on the road when it does. They dropped to 23-29 away from Tropicana Field, where 29 of its final 48 games will be played. The Rays are 45-17 at home. That's the largest differential between home and road success in the major leagues.

On-deck batter Adrian Beltre threw his batting helmet into the air the moment the ball left the bat of Ibanez, who has 16 RBIs in his last five games.

"The way Raul's swinging, it seems like the situation's finding him," said Seattle closer J.J. Putz (5-4), who escaped trouble in the top of the ninth for his third win of a seven-game homestand. "Right now, the big situations are finding Raul - and he's delivering."

Felix Hernandez allowed just four hits and one run in eight innings for Seattle, which won for just the fourth time in 57 games when trailing after seven innings. The Mariners, 25 games under .500, beat a contender for the third time in four games, following a series win over Minnesota.

Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine went to a three-ball count just once over the first six innings. He retired 17 consecutive batters from the second into the seventh innings.

Yankees 3, Rangers 0: Mike Mussina pitched seven sharp innings for his 15th win and the Yankees salvaged a four-game split.

Mussina (15-7) shut down the highest-scoring offense in the majors, matching Cleveland's Cliff Lee for most wins in the American League. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his career-best 28th consecutive save this season.

Mussina gave up eight hits, struck out six and is unbeaten in his last seven road outings.

Derek Jeter had three hits and drove in two runs, including a solo homer in the first.

The Yankees won for the second consecutive night and moved within three games of idle Boston in the AL wild-card race, while the Rangers dropped to 3½ games behind New York.

Scott Feldman (4-5) also pitched well but couldn't keep pace with Mussina. He lasted seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out four.

Tigers 8, White Sox 3: Miguel Cabrera and Curtis Granderson homered and Ryan Raburn made a nice catch to shut off a late Chicago rally, helping Detroit snap a six-game skid.

Zach Miner (6-4) allowed seven hits and two runs - one earned - in six innings. Fernando Rodney got the final four outs to get his second save in six chances and just the 23rd in 43 opportunities for Detroit's struggling bullpen.

Magglio Ordonez had a two-run triple in the ninth to help put it away.

Javier Vazquez (8-10) threw a season-high 122 pitches, gave up eight hits and five runs in seven innings.

Blue Jays 6, Athletics 4: A.J. Burnett won his fourth straight start and the Blue Jays extended Oakland's losing streak to 10 games.

Joe Inglett drove in the go-ahead run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, helping Toronto finish a four-game sweep. Burnett (14-9) allowed four runs in six innings.

Winless since July 27, the A's have dropped seven straight series and are a major league-worst 2-17 since the All-Star break. The last time Oakland had a losing streak this long was a 12-game skid that began with nine straight losses in September 1995 and continued with three more defeats in April 1996. The A's also lost 12 consecutive games in April 1994.

Jerry Blevins (1-2) took the loss for Oakland.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

METS 5, PADRES 3: David Wright hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning lifted the Mets to a come-from-behind victory after the bullpen blew another late lead for Johan Santana.

Santana, just 9-7 in his first season with the Mets, left with a 3-1 lead in the eighth. It was the sixth time in 24 starts this season that the bullpen cost him a potential win, and in five of those the collapse came in the ninth inning. He has eight no-decisions, and in seven of those allowed two runs or fewer.

Wright's drive off Heath Bell (6-5) was his 21st of the season and came after he committed base running blunders in each of the first two games of the series and a costly error in New York's 4-2 loss Wednesday night.

Marlins 3, Phillies 0: Chris Volstad tossed six sharp innings and combined with four relievers on a four-hitter, helping Florida take two of three from the NL East leaders.

Volstad (3-2) didn't allow a hit until pitcher Cole Hamels lined a single to center with two outs in the fifth. The 21-year-old right-hander gave up three hits and walked four.

Joe Nelson worked the seventh, Arthur Rhodes and Matt Lindstrom combined for three outs in the eighth, and Kevin Gregg finished for his 25th save in 31 chances.

Hamels (9-8) again was a hard-luck loser. The left-hander allowed three runs - two earned - and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings, striking out seven. He hasn't won since July 3.

Braves 6, Diamondbacks 4: Mark Kotsay homered and Charlie Morton threw seven shutout innings to help the Braves win for the fourth time in 13 games.

Morton (3-5) allowed five hits over seven innings for his first victory since July 12. Morton walked one and struck out four. Mike Gonzalez went 1 1-3 innings for his fifth save.

Mark Reynolds homered and Arizona starter Yusmeiro Petit (1-3) allowed two runs on four hits and struck out six for the Diamondbacks, who have lost two straight and saw their lead in the NL West slip to 1½ games.

Dodgers 4, Cardinals 1: Clayton Kershaw worked seven dominant innings and Manny Ramirez homered for the fourth time in six games with the Dodgers, who averted a three-game sweep.

Ryan Ludwick's consecutive home run streak ended at five games, which tied a Cardinals record, after he went 1-for-3 with a single, two strikeouts and a walk.

The 20-year-old Kershaw (2-3), the seventh overall pick of the 2006 draft, allowed only three singles while matching his season best with seven strikeouts and working around four walks. The seven-inning stint was the deepest he's gone by a full inning in 12 career starts.

Astros 7, Reds 4: Hunter Pence hit a three-run homer and Roy Oswalt improved to 21-1 against Cincinnati as Houston sent the Reds to their third straight loss.

Carlos Lee went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs, and Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman also had three hits each to help Oswalt (9-8) win his sixth straight start against Cincinnati. He pitched six shutout innings before giving up a run in the seventh - his last inning.

Josh Fogg (2-4) allowed eight hits and six runs in four innings, the big blow coming on Pence's three-run shot during a four-run third.