American League Roundup : Brett Hits Two Home Runs as Royals Win, 10-1

George Brett’s first three-run homer Tuesday night bounced off the foul pole.

His second landed in the right-field bleachers, about 17 rows deep.

“You can’t hit a ball any harder than Brett hit those two,” Manager Dick Howser said after his Royals beat the Oakland A’s, 10-1, at Kansas City. “Those balls were scalded. But George has been hitting the ball well all year long.”

It was Brett’s third two-homer game of the season and the sixth of his career. The Royals’ third baseman has knocked in eight runs in two games in July after accounting for only nine RBIs during the entire month of June.

“I was selective on the pitches,” said Brett, who raised his average to .336. “In order for me to continue this, I’ve got to be selective. I walked and walked and walked. I think I lost my patience.”

Oakland Manager Jackie Moore was discouraged by the performance of his pitchers.

“We never had a chance,” he said. “They had the opportunities to get the early runs and get things started. Sometimes you get down by so many runs you just can’t generate any offense or excitement.”

Charlie Leibrandt and Joe Beckwith combined on a six-hitter for the Royals.

Leibrandt (7-5) surrendered a double to Carney Lansford in the first and then retired 15 straight batters before consecutive fielding errors led to an unearned run in the sixth. Leibrandt allowed six hits, walked none and struck out five before Beckwith relieved him in the ninth.

Brett, who also singled during the Royals’ three-run second, hit his first home run since May 29 in the fourth off Mike Warren, who had relieved Rick Langford (0-2). Buddy Biancalana and Willie Wilson singled before Brett’s homer gave the Royals a 6-0 lead.

Brett made it 9-1 in the sixth when he lashed a Warren pitch into the right-field bleachers for his 10th homer of the season.

Milwaukee 4, Boston 3--Ted Simmons’ sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Brewers past the slumping Red Sox at Milwaukee.

Paul Molitor opened the Brewers’ 10th inning with a double, his fourth hit of the game and 1,000th of his career, off Bob Stanley (3-4). Jim Gantner was then intentionally walked.

Cecil Cooper followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners, and Ben Oglivie was intentionally walked to load the bases before Simmons hit Stanley’s first pitch to center to score the winning run.

Rollie Fingers (1-3) pitched the 10th for the victory.

The Red Sox have lost four straight games and 11 of their last 14.

Minnesota 8, Cleveland 7--Greg Gagne had three hits and keyed a four-run seventh inning with a tie-breaking double to lift the Twins past the Indians at Minneapolis.

The Twins racked Cleveland reliever Tom Waddell (2-5) for four hits in the seventh to overcome a 7-4 deficit.

Frank Eufemia (2-0) pitched 2 innings of shutout relief to gain the victory. Pete Filson hurled the final two innings, allowing one hit to pick up his second save of the year.

Chicago 12, Seattle 4--Ozzie Guillen’s bases-loaded triple highlighted a five-run fourth inning, and the White Sox went on to break a six-game losing streak with the victory over the Mariners at Chicago.

Harold Baines had three hits and five RBIs, including a grand slam in the eighth, to support White Sox starter Tim Lollar (3-4). Bob James collected his 17th save by recording the last five outs.

Brian Snyder (0-2) took the loss.

New York 5, Toronto 3--Rickey Henderson drove in two runs with three hits, including a solo homer, and Ed Whitson allowed only three hits in eight innings as the Yankees held on to beat the Blue Jays at Toronto.

Whitson (4-6), who has allowed only four earned runs in his last four starts, walked three and struck out two before being relieved with no outs in the ninth.

Dave Righetti got the last three outs, but he gave up three hits, including an RBI single by Willie Upshaw and an run-scoring double by George Bell. Upshaw was tagged out in a rundown after Bell’s hit.

Toronto starter Jimmy Key (6-3) took the loss, surrendering a game-opening home run to Henderson.

Baltimore 5, Detroit 4--Mike Young’s home run in the 10th inning gave the Orioles the win over the Tigers at Baltimore.

It was the sixth homer for the switch-hitting Young, his first as a right-hander, and came off Detroit reliever Willie Hernandez (4-4), who failed to record his 17th save when he yielded a two-out solo homer in the ninth to Cal Ripken, forcing the extra innings.

The winner was Don Aase (5-3), who allowed two hits during a three-inning relief stint and combined with Storm Davis to pitch a four-hitter.

Darrell Evans hit a grand slam in the first inning to give the Tigers a quick 4-0 lead, but three Baltimore homers forced the tie before Young won it.