Conseco, Jays Have O's Number

Jose Canseco is just happy to be in the lineup every day, and he's showing it.

Canseco set a new career

Toronto remained 3 1/2 games back of Boston in the AL wild-card race, as the Red Sox beat Tampa Bay 11-2. The Blue Jays have four games left and Boston has five.

"Being healthy means everything to me," said Canseco, who has more than 500 at-bats for the first since 1991. "I never thought about numbers during the offseason. I'm only concentrating on staying in the lineup, and finding a way to keep myself from having back spasms."

Canseco, a free agent after the season, surpassed his previous career best of 44 in 1991 when he hit a two-run homer in the first. Canseco's 428-foot shot in the seventh bounced off a SkyDome restaurant in center field.

"In the past I've been a liability when I've gotten injured," Canseco said. "I think I've averaged about 100 games since '91, but this is a new year and hopefully I can continue on my health streak."

Canseco, 34, has five multi-homer games this season and 32 in his career.

"I think the two keys for me this year have been that I've dropped seven or eight pounds of body mass, so that's helped my lower back, and so has icing. I've alo been lucky this year," he said.

Toronto's Chris Carpenter (12-7) improved to 6-1 over his last nine starts. Carpenter gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits in eight innings. The 23-year-old retired the last 15 batters he faced. He struck out four and walked three.

Orioles starter Mike Mussina (13-9) gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked three.

"Some days you go out there and it seems like they know what your throwing and today just seemed like one of those days," Mussina said. "The first home run was a pretty good darn pitch, and the second was up and he hit it right back at me, but he just hit it 400 feet over my head."

After Canseco homered in the first, Baltimore's Eric Davis tied the game with a two-run double in the third.

Chris Hoiles' RBI single in the fourth gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead.

The Blue Jays tied it in the fourth on Tony Fernandez's inside-the-park home run. Baltimore left fielder Willie Greene crashed

Play was stopped for 14 minutes as Baltimore Orioles left fielder Willie Greene is removed from the field on a stretcher after hitting the wall. (AP)

The game was delayed for 14 minutes as medical personnel tended to Greene. He eventually sat up before being carted off the field on a stretcher.

Greene was taken to a Toronto hospital, where he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. He has shoulder stiffness and is day-to-day.

Craig Grebeck's two-run double in the sixth gave Toronto a 5-3 lead.

Notes