AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : A’s Patchwork Staff Blanks Indians, 3-0
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With their starting pitcher suddenly in the hospital with stomach flu, the Oakland Athletics decided to turn to four relievers to face the league’s second-best hitting team.
Surprisingly, it worked. The quartet limited the Indians to four hits Wednesday during a 3-0 victory at Oakland.
When A’s Manager Tony La Russa got to the ballpark, he learned scheduled starter Bobby Witt had flu.
After a quick review of their options, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan turned to Mike Mohler. The rookie left-hander, whose only previous start was a brief appearance Saturday, was stretching when he found out that he would get the start.
Mohler went 3 1/3 innings and gave up two hits. He was followed by Kevin Campbell, who pitched 1 2/3 innings, and Joe Boever (4-2), who went three. Dennis Eckersley pitched the ninth for his 20th save and 10th in his last 11 chances.
The Indians, kept off balance, lost for only the third time in 13 games.
Seattle 6, New York 5--Ken Griffey Jr., the top vote-getter among American League players in All-Star balloting, hit his 22nd home run and Jay Buhner had a two-run double at Seattle.
Former Yankee Tim Leary (7-3) got the victory, giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings.
Detroit 8, Minnesota 4--After two weeks on the skids, a two-game winning streak looks good to the Tigers. Strong pitching and timely hitting--two things they’ve lacked lately--gave them a victory at Minneapolis and their first back-to-back victories since June 19-20.
Cecil Fielder and Alan Trammell led a 15-hit attack, hitting consecutive homers during the third inning. Fielder’s homer, his 23rd of the season, tied him with teammate Mickey Tettleton for the major league lead. His three runs batted in give him 76, also the best in the majors.
Milwaukee 7, Texas 6--Robin Yount lined a pinch-hit single to score Juan Bell in the bottom of the eighth as the Brewers rallied for the victory at Milwaukee, ending the Rangers’ four-game winning streak.
Yount’s single was his 3,082nd hit, moving him past Cap Anson and him into 12th place on the all-time list.
Baltimore 8, Kansas City 3-- Chris Hoiles hit two home runs for the third time in less than a month as the Orioles knocked the Royals out of a first-place tie in the West. Hoiles hit a three-run drive off Hipolito Pichardo (4-5) in the fourth inning, and added a solo shot in the sixth at Kansas City.
Chicago 5, Toronto 2--Alex Fernandez gave up seven hits in 7 1/3 innings at Toronto as the White Sox sent the Blue Jays to their sixth loss in seven games.
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